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Horizon:Volume 6C Chapter 51

2018-05-19T22:20:08Z

162.158.134.31: used -> used to, and punctuation error.

==Chapter 51: Family Leading to Memories==
[[Image:Horizon6-C199.jpg|thumb]]
''If you do your best

''Do you think

''You will see something?

'''Point Allocation (Yourself)

Multiple explosive attacks raced above Odawara.

They were spears.

They were wielded by a single girl and they pursued a nonhuman woman who did not hide her fox tail or ears.

It occurred below the summer sun and above the city in which other battles took place.

“—————”

The spears smashed up the city.

The sounds of destruction and breaking came from a group of 4m cowling spears. There were 8 of them and they continually pierced downwards from the sky as they moved ever forward, almost like a praying mantis’s front legs.

The 8 rapid-fire strikes were no longer spear attacks.

They were a cluster bombing of pile bunkers.

The first three opened holes in the roof the two fighters traveled along, the next three smashed it to pieces, and the remaining two and the removal of the others blew it away.

Kani’s speed in using them eliminated that rooftop from the Odawara city.

Meanwhile, the fox named Yoshiaki enjoyed the chase.

The spears would sometimes catch up to her, but she would read the timing of their fall from the sky, and…

“…!”

With a “ko ko” from her throat, she would slide her body out of the way.

She would sometimes move as if lightly embracing the pillar of the falling spear, but each time…

“—————”

Kani changed its trajectory. She would change the timing of 8 spears’ ejection and storage and alter their trajectory.

The fox would move away but laugh in her throat once more.

The fox twirled at the leading edge of the roaring wave wreaking havoc on the city.

“How about this?”

She danced.

Kani saw ''it''.

It was a dance. Just as a shrine maiden or entertainer would dance in a festival, Yoshiaki danced at the leading edge of the destruction Kani was causing.

She spun around as she ran, leaped with rhythmic steps, and used the fan at the end of her swinging arm.

…''My spear…!

She hit it. What looked like a light attack with the fan provided an accent to the dance.

“…!”

A loud noise rang out and the spear danced. The cowling spear rotated in the air, but it did not hit any of the others. It dove into the cluster of spears like a geometric mobile.

“Wah!”

And it passed through to approach Kani.

The spear had been knocked back with what looked like a gentle rotation and throw, but it was definitely targeted at her as she ran.

She was ashamed to receive a counterattack from her own weapon, but…

…''How did she do that!?

Kani controlled the attack trajectory and everything else. They were densely packed and there was no opening between one attack and the next. Or so she thought.

But her opponent had seen through the attack, stolen one of the weapons, and used it for a counterattack.

She could not call it impossible. After all, she had just seen it happen right in front of her.

It was possible to dodge, dance with, and find an opening in the attack she had thought was perfect.

…''She can do it!

''Incredible,'' thought Kani.

‘That’s incredible!”

Once she put it to words, it really did feel that way.

So she placed her hand on the approaching spear and stored it in the space behind her.

Now, what to do?

…''There’s still more I can do!

She was not going to hold back. She had already been spared defeat. So…

“I will make myself a worthy opponent of this incredible person!”

Yoshiaki sensed a change in the atmosphere.

…''Oh? Has she started thinking?

The spear movement had changed.

Before, they had stabbed diagonally down at her from above.

But now there was a slight downward swing included. Instead of stabbing, they were slashing with the bottom of the tip.

That was troublesome.

With a straight-line stabbing motion, only a small force was needed to alter its trajectory. But with even a slight downwards swing added in, it would pull down on her if she touched it.

This was harder to interfere with.

“But it couldn’t hurt to do it once, right?”

''Foxes never play fair,'' she thought with a self-deprecating laugh while striking the spear in her dance.

She made a swift strike to the top of the falling cowling spear’s tip to roll it forward before it hit the roof. That lowered her stance, but it did not obstruct her dance. In fact, it placed her behind the spear, making it harder for Kani to see her.

The spear flew.

The trick was to rotate it. The spear’s rotating motion would allow the other falling spears past it. That provided clearance to throw it, not just straight ahead, but above it and below it as well.

So that was what she did. And Yoshiaki noticed something beyond the spear she had hit and rotated.

“…Oh?”

Kani was gone.

Yoshiaki did not look to her surroundings.

Kani was somewhere. She had used the line of spears as a shield and moved elsewhere while the spears were launched.

So the rest was simple.

Yoshiaki needed to look straight down. The cloudy sky’s light fell on the dancing rooftop.

The shadows were faint but existent.

And above her own shadow image, she saw the spears and a faint silhouette that had jumped above that.

It was Kani.

She was not directly above Yoshiaki. She was jumping over Yoshiaki, but she had also launched her spears.

They surrounded the fox’s shadow image so she could not escape.

The shadow image showed a cage of spears.

Kani had not taken her eyes off of Yoshiaki.

Even as she jumped over her, she turned her body to face her.

The 8 spears she released in the air were directed toward Yoshiaki in the center below them.

…''Go!

She launched them.

The spears’ positions were scattered. When looking at their shadows, they seemed to be spread out in a fan shape, but they were not actually lined up and were swung to the left and right.

If their trajectories matched, they were easy to read and there would be an opening, so Kani sent them down without matching them.

“…!”

She ejected them all toward the center.

The 8 spears glistened as vermilion stakes in the summer sunlight as they shot accurately toward the enemy.

They would hit. But just as she thought that…

“You take this too seriously.”

She heard a bitterly smiling voice. And…

…''Eh?

The fox had vanished. All of a sudden, Yoshiaki was no longer at the center of the spear tips.

''Impossible,'' thought Kani before immediately correcting herself.

It had in fact happened in front of her.

The spears would meet atop the ridge of the roof and Yoshiaki had been at one point on the way there.

The falling spear tips had surrounded her, leaving no room for escape.

Except that was wrong.

“I am here.”

Kani was looking down, but she felt a soft tap on her forehead.

It was a fan. Its owner was right in front of her as she flew through the air. And it was undoubtedly…

“Yoshiaki-sama…!?”

She looked up and the fan pulled back.

The fox was beyond it.

Kani knew what had happened.

Yoshiaki had leaped up as the attacks had focused in on her from above.

Needless to say, the spears had been sent in from above.

But she had leaped along their descending path.

“Do you understand?”

Kani definitely heard Yoshiaki’s voice from behind the fan over her mouth.

“A concentrated attack will have gaps between the attacks at the starting point. …So as long as you follow one of those attacks to the starting point, the concentrated attack is no more than a single attack. In other words…”

Yoshiaki stepped on the butt of one spear stabbed into the roof at the center of the group.

It looked like a light step, but the other seven cowling spears were blown away.

As Kani started to land, three rotating spears passed her by and disappeared.

And just as she landed, something reached her.

“Do it like this.”

A giant spear tip filled her vision.

…''Is this…?

It was the strike to the face she specialized in for an initial attack.

You sent an attack accurately into the center of your opponent’s vision.

People had difficulty seeing things in the very center of their vision. When looking forward, their right and left vision intersected directly in front of the bridge of their nose, causing the information to intersect and distort.

People had a subconscious fear of things there. Once you understood that, you only had to target the bridge of the nose from dead ahead. The trick was to lower the speed of the attack to drive home the image of the spear tip. Since Sasamura was ejected, it was ideal for that kind of initial attack. However…

“—————”

Kani swung her head to the left to dodge it. And she grabbed ahold of the spear shaft as it passed her by. She used the momentum of the flying spear to move herself away from Yoshiaki.

But it did not work. Yoshiaki was attached to the butt end.

Kani was holding onto the shaft to fall back and Yoshiaki was holding onto the butt to leap forward, so their speeds were identical.

Kani did not even have time to think “eh!?”

“How about his?”

Yoshiaki knocked the spear butt upwards.

It looked like a light action, but Kani’s body rotated with the spear.

The tip stabbed into the roof and the recoil caused the spear to pitch forward and fly away.

Kani was launched into the sky with the spear.

…''Incredible!

She was no match for Yoshiaki. No, that was the wrong way to put it.

This did not even reach the level of being a match for someone or not. It was better to say…

…''I can’t reach her…!

Her techniques were not even reaching Yoshiaki.

“Now,” said the fox standing on the roof. “Kani Saizou. …There is a certain story about you in the Testament, isn’t there? When you were training in the spear under Houzouin, the more technique you learned, the more your skill fell. And when you asked Houzouin about it, he told you to be more single-minded.”

The fox placed the fan over her mouth.

“Now, I hear you got three hits in on Houzouin. The last one was a joke, but what about the first two? Houzouin is well-known as a master spear user. In a way, the best techniques are taught at his school. So how did you get two hits in on him?”

“Well, um.”

Kani thought back to that time as she landed.

Back then, her teacher had said it was about time and then he had faced her in combat. They had dueled in the large open-air dojo, the sky had been clear, the wind had been much like today, and the ground had been packed down by many feet. However…

“I don’t really remember. I was so focused on just doing my best.”

“Ko ko,” laughed the fox. She tapped her chest. “Do not think you are a match for me. You are still just a young girl. But I doubt you will be discouraged either. So…”

So…

“Come at me while only ever thinking of doing your best.”

“Testament!”

“No.”

Right. That was the wrong thing to say. If she was going to respond now, there was only one thing to say.

“I will do my best!”

“What is your name?”

“I will do my best!”

“What is your favorite food?”

“I will do my best!”

“Are you making fun of me?”

“I will do my best!”

“Is that all you can say?”

“I will do my best!”

“I see.”

“I will do my best!”

“Then…”

“I will do my best!”

“…You are awfully persistent.”

“I will do my best!”

“Come.”

“I will do my best!”

Kani organized her thoughts and went.

The Reine des Garous focused her ears as she ate some venison with the bone in.

A long way down the road, she heard clashing metal to the northeast.

That had been there before, but…

…''It has changed.

The sound was continuous, but not in an orderly row as before.

Instead of taking their turns, the sounds were intertwined while the high and low sounds rang separately. But this seemed to be the proper form for it all.

“It is balanced.”

“Oh? What is?”

“Testament.” The Reine des Garous grabbed another rice ball in both hands while listening to the distant sounds like they were the notes of a wind chime. “If you are self-absorbed in your own techniques, you will assume those techniques will have certain results on the battlefield, and your attacks will never surpass that one system. But if you become self-absorbed in your power, you will assume that power will always play out in the same way, and you will fail to see the next move in your attack. …You need the good sense to balance the two such that you have the technique to create the next move and also the power to force that technique through.”

“How does Mitotsudaira-san manage there?”

“Her?”

The Reine des Garous thought about that while biting into the rice ball with her lips.

…''Hmm…

“She still has a long way to go. There are things she lacks and she needs to retrain herself in some areas.”

“Oh, how reliable.”

She was offered a garnish of damp vegetables.

“These are fermented. Pickled foods go well with curry. There is still plenty more curry, so feel free to eat this along with it.”

“Thank you. But…”

The Reine des Garous focused her ears on the distant sounds.

There was one abnormality among them.

“I think they are getting help from a machine…but the series of attacks is not ending.”

Kani went all out in her battle against Yoshiaki.

“—————!”

Her feet were no longer kicking off the roof.

They were kicking off the spears she ejected into the air so that the force of the spears launched her.

“…!”

She would launch a spear, move away, and then use an ejected spear as footing to jump back to close range.

She would move left, right, up, and down.

She was like a ball bouncing through the air. She was knocked every which way by the rackets that briefly appeared. So she would eject another spear and forcibly kick off of it to fix her trajectory.

Someone ran lightly along the roof as the spears stabbed into it.

It was Yoshiaki.

The fox was dancing with two fans.

Auditory spells appeared around her. They played the music of drums, bells, flutes, and gongs as she danced.

Her light running steps responded to Kani’s all-out attacks.

“How about this?”

The fans hit the spears, deflected them, spun them around, and sent them back.

Each time, sparks flew, noise rang, and it all provided accompaniment for Yoshiaki.

However, a change occurred between the two of them.

Yoshiaki and Kani’s dance and clash were accelerating.

Yoshiaki’s twirling sliced through the wind and Kani’s movements now included vertical and inverted movements.

“——————”

The two musicians spun and moved through the Odawara city.

But there were gradual changes in a few areas.

Yoshiaki’s fans began striking Kani’s spears more often, making the impacts sound like percussion instruments.

It was not that Kani’s attacks were being hit more often. She had started increasing her number of attacks.

“Oh?”

Yoshiaki raised her eyebrows in a smile.

“Are you willing to dance with a fox?”

Kani sped up.

“Ha.”

Do your best.

Her body felt heavy. It felt like her body was not keeping up with her imagined self.

But do your best.

Always do your best.

Because she had yet to reach her limit. After all, she was still only 16. She would still grow taller. And her breasts would grow.

With every minute and every second, her limits were growing.

But what good was all that if she did not do her best right now?

No, not just now.

Her grandpa had said that life was one long lesson. He had clearly told her that in order to avoid the fact that he was playing shogi against her without properly explaining the rules.

And her mom had told her something while fixing her uniform’s collar before she went to the attack on Mouri.

“Do your best.”

She had replied with “I will” before correcting it to “testament”.

Her dad had told her not to push herself too hard, but that was not a problem. If she had yet to reach her limit, she could not be pushing herself too hard.

She would grow throughout her life, so she could do her best throughout her life. So…

…''Do your best.

She danced through the air, kicked off the spears, and moved more quickly than the ejected spear tips.

Do your best against this incredible person.

Do your best with what you have so you can face this incredible person who has spent years reaching this point.

…''Do your best.

She took a breath.

''I’m not taking a breath to slack off. I’m taking a breath to do my best. With oxygen in my lungs, I can approach Yoshiaki-sama and her fans to…

“…Do my best!”

She would do her best and bring back a good story to tell.

But if that story was only about Yoshiaki, her parents would find it entertaining, but afterwards they would ask her something: Did you really do everything you could?

''Testament. I’ll do everything I can. I’ll do it and return home with a smile.'' So…

“Do your best…!”

Kani made a high-speed side flip as she touched Yoshiaki’s fan. She reached out her hand and touched it with her finger.

“…”

She used her leaping speed to circle around the fox’s dance.

''Here she comes,'' thought Yoshiaki with a smile in her heart.

Such a good girl. Children this honest were rare.

She must have been born and raised in an excellent family.

Her collar had been straight to begin with and it kept its crease even when it got out of place.

And her hair stayed together at her nape.

…''That’s right.

Some good parents must have sent her out onto the world stage here. So…

“Do your best.”

Kani accelerated as if to comply. She charged into Yoshiaki’s dance as if launched by the ejected spears. Her movements were rough, but she nobly did her best to approach.

“You understand, don’t you?”

It was not about technique. Nor was it about power. Everyone had something that contained both.

Everyone had something, but few ever realized they had it.

For this girl, it was her persistence in doing her best.

What was it for Yoshiyasu? She seemed to have already found something, but asking about it would be crass. And…

…''Komahime.

Yoshiaki did not think that girl had realized what she had. But…

“———————”

She had supported the crumbling floating city and left with her beloved.

Since she had given a cry of parting even with all that going on, it was best to trust in her.

That girl had found something to do and the method with which to do it. And in the end, she had not hesitated.

…''Hey.

''Komahime,'' thought Yoshiaki.

''Now that you have left, there are some children here who are struggling to find and obtain something, just like you did.

''Is it a happy thing to see them, sometimes hold them close, and sometimes say goodbye?

…''Do not worry.

''Your mother is doing well. I am not alone. And even if I was, I could not just ignore these children.

''This is a fox dance. A dance of the fox fire and shadow seen in festivals.

''Komahime, the next time I remember you, it will not bring me sorrow.

''You are one of my children. And right now, my children must…

“Come.”

Yoshiaki danced as she spoke.

She spread her fans toward Kani and invited her to the dance.

Kani made her final acceleration.

She dove in close to Yoshiaki and did something with her spears.

…''Release cowling!

She separated the spear cowlings which provided attack pressurization and acceleration.

The plain spears in the center were launched from the cowling as if by a catapult.

This battle was focused on acceleration and this acceleration method was her last resort on that front. She used that attack to…

“…Do my best!”

Why was it she did not say she ''had done'' her best?

With that thought, Kani accelerated the spears while within arm’s reach of her enemy.

She sent them at her.

Kani felt the tactile feedback.

She had made 8 simultaneous attacks with 8 spears while jumping in and they had pierced Yoshiaki.

Except she saw something else entirely in front of her.

…''Eh!?

Her eyes widened as Yoshiaki dealt with each of the spears.

Yoshiaki did not deal with all 8 spears at once.

A different Yoshiaki dealt with each spear.

“Is this so surprising? I am a nine-tailed fox, so I can create as many bodies as I have tails.”

8 of the 9 Yoshiakis intercepted a spear each.

They used opened fans that hit with swung trajectories.

The fans’ patterns glowed fox-yellow and that light drew a trail behind them. The foxes danced with ether light tails whipping behind them and they drew light in the empty air.

“The character for fox is written with the characters for melon and beast. A melon is a fruit. In other words, a curved thing.”

Something gouged into the air.

…''Is this…!?

It was what Kani had seen at the start of the battle. The scale was smaller, but the power that had gouged into the city had just erupted before her eyes.

Eight arcing attacks tore spherical shapes out of the space along their path.

The spears, the cowlings, and even the air were eliminated with a great cry. It almost sounded like a fox’s cry.

The spears and cowlings were devoured in an instant. And that included all eight of them.

Kani realized she had lost her weapons, but her body was still there in the air.

This was not over yet. So…

“Do your best…!”

She raised both arms and performed a tackle against Yoshiaki.

She sent herself forward in a body press directed at the center Yoshiaki who was untouched by the spears.

Yoshiaki moved in response. She spread her arms and bent her body.

“Caaaaaaught yooooooou!”

She embraced Kani in her arms.

As the arcs of light scattered in the air and fragments of cowling and spear flew, Kani attempted to tear herself away from the fox who had caught her.

But when she bent back and raised her head…

…''Ah.

She realized something.

Past Yoshiaki, she saw Odawara torn up and filled with holes.

…''I know where this is.

It was the starting point of their battle. Once she realized that, Kani thought about her enemy’s skill again.

…''Incredible.

Fukushima had told her to view the flow of battle.

She had tried to do that while dueling Yoshiaki, but her enemy had been looking at things on a larger scale.

“Incredible…!” she tried to say. She really did try to.

But her body trembled and her strength left her.

“Ah…!”

Tears spilled from her eyes and she cried out.

She buried her face in Yoshiaki’s chest to hide her tears and she wept for no real reason.

Yoshiaki held her in her arms to support her back and shoulders and patted her on the back to soothe her.

“There, there. You did your best.”

“I…I…!”

She wanted to say something – convey something. But she could not put her thoughts to words.

“Were you afraid?”

She nodded. She had been afraid her best would not reach her opponent and Yoshiaki would be disappointed in her.

But Yoshiaki gave a “ko ko” from her throat.

“It’s okay.”

She looked down at Kani’s face.

There was a single red line on her right cheek.

“You did reach one of them on the right. But you were so surprised at the end that your aim shifted.”

So…

“After you rest, your best will be even better than before, won’t it?”

“…Testament!”

Kani hugged Yoshiaki back. She let out a tearful breath, got her breathing under control, and thought.

…''Mom, dad…

She could tell them what she had done.

Confident that she had done her best against someone incredible, she entrusted herself to Yoshiaki’s arms and chest.

In the relief of her relaxing tension, she breathed a long, deep breath.

Gin realized the sounds of fighting from the Odawara city had stopped.

Muneshige sat on the slope next to her and he was counting something on his fingers.

“Gin, how would you handle an octuple attack from close range?”

First of all, that question referred to an unthinkable situation. But Gin knew that someone in Odawara had made just such an attack, so she replied.

“You could handle it, Master Muneshige.”

“Eh?” said the Asama Shrine Representative as she turned around, but Gin decided to ignore her.

“Hm.” Muneshige nodded. “Judge. I could handle it?”

“Judge. I do not know what exactly you would do, but when I heard your question, I did not sense much of a threat in it. So you could handle it.”

After Gin smiled, she sensed a presence to her right.

She turned to find the Musashi Vice Chancellor doing squats with Tonbo Spare raised overhead.

“…What are you doing, Honda Futayo?”

“Eh? Gin-dono… You aren’t familiar with these? They are known as squats.”

That one hit her hard.

''I must endure. The daughter of a warrior family must keep her cool. To use the Spanish, I must remain “calma”.

She shut her eyes, breathed in, and cooled her heart. She counted to three, said “okay”, and opened her eyes. ''Keep your presence of mind. This is the usual Tachibana Gin.'' And when she faced forward…

“See, Gin-dono? By making sure your heels stay on the ground, you can give your entire leg a workout.”

“I am well aware…!”

She snapped back on reflex and the Musashi Vice Chancellor stood up.

“You knew, Gin-dono!? I should have known! An amateur like me shouldn’t act like she knows what she’s talking about, huh?”

“…And I have one piece of advice.” Gin raised her right prosthetic arm’s pointer finger. “…Your form can hurt your knees. You need to hold your hands against your legs. Do you understand?”

“Judge! …Thanks for yet another warning, Gin-dono!”

When the girl laughed, Gin clung to Muneshige.

“Master Muneshige! Master Muneshige! Who was in the wrong here!? Was it me!?”

“Ha ha ha. Gin, no one did anything wrong there.”

She could hear the Chancellor’s sister and some others suppressing laughter, but…

…''I’m not that kind of character. I’m really not.

But when she turned back toward Muneshige, she saw someone on the slope a short distance from the others.

It was the Vice President.

She was lying on the slope with her back to the others and she was playing with her anteater.

She moved slowly and lazily while speaking to the anteater.

“Nnn. So Mogami defeated Hashiba’s Kani, huh? But it’s all meaningless if we don’t defeat Houjou. Do you understand, Tsukinowa? …Ha ha ha. You’re so cute.”

…''This development could cause trouble…

Gin wondered if she should say something since she had noticed. Or would someone else deal with the girl? She looked back and saw everyone else averting their gaze. The one who “noticed it” was apparently in charge of dealing with it.

And the others were whispering among themselves.

“This is because things aren’t going her way…”

“She probably wishes she had started a war instead.”

“Yeah, peace is a lot more inconvenient than you would think.”

This situation was indeed a lot of trouble for Musashi. After all…

“Almost all of the Musashi and Mogami representatives have already fought.”

Gin realized that the Representative Committee Head was the only member of the Musashi forces in Odawara who could fight at the moment.

But that girl appeared to be heavily exhausted. Even if she did fight, the odds were good she would lose.

But all the others were in the mandatory hour-long break after a battle.

It would be very bad if the rest of the Houjou fighters fought during that hour.

…''Then the Musashi fighters would be unable to fight them.

Then what should they do? That was a tricky question, but they were in trouble if they did not come up with something.

“Musashi Vice President.” Gin called out to the girl who needed to come up with something for Musashi. “It might be cloudy, but lying down exposes more of your body’s surface area to the sun, increasing the risk of heatstroke and dehydration. Shouldn’t you sit up?”

“Nnn.”

She gave a lazy groan in response.

…''At times like this, Master Muneshige would say “Okay, Gin!” and get up immediately…

She appreciated that when he was asleep and it was time to put up the futon.

During a training camp for Tres España officers, Captain Takakane and the others had complained that Muneshige had far too much energy for the early morning, but it probably had something to do with how she used to target him in his sleep and attempted to stab him with her sword. The morning energy level had reduced a fair bit in recent times. On her part.

But she could not exactly stab the Musashi Vice President with a sword.

“…She isn’t getting up.”

“Gin-dono,” said Futayo. “If you want Masazumi to get up, you can lure her with food.”

That sounded awfully insulting.

But it was lunchtime, so maybe that was all it meant.

…''What can I use as bait?

Musashi’s Princess carried over a daikon radish peeled to look like an artillery shell. She got down on one knee and held it up toward Gin.

“I beseech you to use this and spare her a worse fate.”

''That’s ridiculous. And what does that even mean, anyway?

Gin decided the bait plan had failed.

''Fine then,'' she sighed in her heart.

“Musashi Vice President, everyone is waiting for your instructions.”

“Nnn.”

Next to her, Musashi’s Princess repeatedly raised her arms a little bit in a “More! More! Cheer her up some more!” gesture. Gin wondered how she could understand the meaning so well. Perhaps the Princess’s gestures were just that well done.

…''Yes, because her arms move so much.

She wondered if hers could do the same, but she had never tried it. Regardless…

'''Tachibana Wife:''' “…But how am I supposed to cheer her up more than that?”

'''Silver Wolf:''' “Eh? That was all you had?”

'''Flat Vassal:''' “K-keep at it a little longer, Gin-san.”

'''Sticky King:''' “Indeed. I think you should stick to it some more!”

Since an expert on stickiness said so, Gin thought about how to stick to it.

“Listen, Musashi Vice President. I would rather not say this, but, well, everyone here needs your instructions right now. How should I put this? They are hopeless without you. I do not really care that much, but I think they need you with them. Of course, if you insist on continuing like this, that is fine too. I will respect your wishes. Yes, in other words…”

'''Obscene:''' “Sticking to it is pointless if you aren’t helping!”

'''Tachibana Wife:''' “I was starting to think the same thing.”

'''Tachibana Husband:''' “Gin! You are even more talented than I thought!”

'''Tachibana Wife:''' “Master Muneshige, you thought I did a good job?”

'''Tachibana Husband:''' “I did!”

'''Gold Mar:''' “…No, not at all. Listening to that was like being thrown out into the cold night.”

When she heard the 3rd Special Duty Officer’s comment, the Vice President slowly got up.

She pressed her hands against the slope to peel herself off of it.

“Naito…in the night…”

Her back shook a bit as she laughed.

“That’s pretty funny. Right…?”

'''Uqui:''' “Pleased with yourself, Naito?”

'''Gold Mar:''' “No, no, no, no, no, no. Let’s not ask stupid questions, Uqui.”

'''Flat Vassal:''' “But the Vice President got up!”

'''Worshiper:''' “In a way, I think Flatda-kun is the most troublesome character of all.”

“Hmm,” said Masazumi as she sat up.

She placed Tsukinowa on her shoulder, avoided looking at the others, placed her right elbow on her raised right knee, and looked to Odawara.

There did not seem to be any battles in Odawara right now. The initial phase was over and fighters were reporting back to their respective nations to confirm their plans for the battle.

Musashi needed to do that too, but…

“Asama, have we received any outside information?”

There was something she wanted to know.

“The situation in Paris. They should have already started their battle to flood Paris.”

“Sorry, I know we need to settle on a plan for Odawara, but I also want to hear about things at Paris.”

Below the cloudy sky southeast of Odawara, Terumoto wore a track suit and cooked some yakisoba at a festival stand. The encampment containing Pension Versailles’s white form could be seen behind her.

The divine radio next to the change counter provided information on Paris.

When she slid the volume control on its ''signe cadre'', the lined-up students broke their ranks. They gestured each other over and formed a half-circle in front of Terumoto’s stand.

Those in the front got down on their knees and the middle group sat all the way down. Terumoto smiled bitterly at them all.

“I’ll make you some yakisoba, so stay in line! The first five people can take theirs once it’s ready!”

“Testament!” they replied as Mouri-01 poked her head out from the back of the next stand.

“Princess! I’ve made contact with Hexagone Française!”

“Okay, boys and girls! Let’s hear what they’re up to.”

She crossed her arms as the voice started playing.

The divine radio shook and played a broadcast from Ecole de Paris’s broadcast club. It was an Hexagone Française afternoon news program.

“Hello, everyone. Today’s ‘Armor-Piercing Room’ comes from the front line of the outer-edge assault unit which forms the very front line of Paris. Oh, dear. Look at all those shells flying in… Oh, my!”

The host continued in their idiosyncratic speech style.

“My, oh, my! The front line is about to begin a real clash…! They must be attempting to crush the enemy’s embankment points before the water comes rushing in,” explained the host. “Not bad. First up is downstream in the Seine. …The first clash will likely occur there.”

<noinclude>
{{HorizonNavbar
| [[Horizon:Volume 6C Chapter 50|Chapter 50]]
| [[Horizon:Volume 6C Chapter 52|Chapter 52]]
}}
</noinclude>

Horizon:Volume 6C Chapter 50

2018-05-10T21:03:25Z

162.158.134.31: came -> can

==Chapter 50: Two Skilled Ones in the City==
[[Image:Horizon6-C149.jpg|thumb]]
''Will it reach?

''Of course it will

''I’ll make sure it does

'''Point Allocation (Message)

“Oh.”

Naomasa was the first to speak up.

She had reacted upon seeing Righteousness stand up from the southwest side of the Odawara city.

Two sign frames were opened next to her. One displayed Mishina Hiro who was on the way back from Suwa and had the transport ship sky in the background.

“Masa, is Yoshy’s Righteousness moving?”

“Judge. From the look of things, it’ll manage.”

“I see. …That’s good. That was my first big job here, so I was a little worried.”

“If you were worried, you still need more experience.”

Naomasa then looked to the sky visible behind Hiro. Based on the information from the engine division and the optical observations from Musashi…

…''It’s going to take another 4 or 5 hours before they arrive.

What would happen with Noriki?

As part of the engine division, she was honestly more interested in how her classmate had “redone” his spell. She was a mechanic, but she still lacked knowledge and experience when it came to spells. She had modified Naito and Naruze’s ''schale besen''s in the past, but that had only made her painfully aware of her inexperience and it had only excited her.

But regardless…

“Okay, Masa! You take care of things there! I have some work to do below deck.”

“Being the team leader is a lot of work, isn’t it?”

“It’s not so bad,” said Hiro before ending the divine transmission. But the sign frame did not disappear. The transport ship was still sending her information.

And Naomasa looked to the other sign frame.

That one displayed Taizou who was looking at another sign frame.

“…Hey, Old Man Taizou.”

“Judge. I was listening in.” Taizou placed a hand on his chin. “Hiro has finally gotten used to how we do things and she’s focused on making a name for herself. That’s why she has that tomboyish way of speaking. She started out speaking in a completely masculine way, but my stupid son-in-law told her to tone it down some and only be a little masculine. He claimed that ‘tomboyishness’ made him happy.”

“Did you punish him for that one?”

“I had him produce some extra armor panels for the Ariake. Thanks to that, we should have enough for the front surface this time.”

“And it’s all thanks to Hiro, huh? …Anyway, she probably thought she had to ‘change’ because of how small she is.”

Because…

“The mess with Sanada’s Isa was tough on her so soon after arriving on the Musashi.”

“That is not a fun topic to talk about.” Taizou smiled bitterly. “And if something isn’t fun, you just have to laugh it off and tough it out. And when it is fun, what can you do but laugh? This is a good chance for her to learn both those things. …When she realizes how worked up she is right now, she’ll have finally grown accustomed to Musashi.”

“I feel like you’ve been raising her ''too'' well.”

“Most of the raising has been done by my daughter, so I can hardly say she was raised poorly.”

“Is that so?” said Naomasa with a nod.

Just then, the crossdresser raised his head with a bandage around his shoulder.

“Naomasa, Flatty’s god of war is moving, right? But she isn’t riding it, is she? Then how can it move?”

“It has an autonomous mode, so it can move based on what it’s learned.” Naomasa raised her prosthetic arm. “But now Righteousness has the same automaton support system as Jizuri Suzaku. …Transfer Ceremony is a heavy god of war external comprehension and response system. The god of war will move itself in sync with Yoshiyasu’s movements.”

Yoshiyasu heard mechanical movement rumbling overhead.

It was the familiar sound of Righteousness moving. But it was unusual to hear it overhead while in a city. This was very nearly a first for Yoshiyasu.

And…

…''Those are my movements.

Righteousness’s sight devices were watching her actions. Those sight devices were in more than just the head. They were also installed across the body, providing a wide-range field of vision.

…''That way it can see me when I’m down by its feet.

This was not a problem. Her biggest fear had been being stepped on from behind, but…

“————”

When she started walking toward Genan’s mechanical phoenix, a slight wind moved behind her.

Righteousness was walking after her.

…''Ohh.

And its right leg moved by on her right.

But the following metal left leg was stopped. If it had swung forward, it would have kicked her.

The autonomous movement system was aware of her presence.

That was an amateurish way of carrying itself, but the focus was on safety first.

…''It’s fine as long as I don’t position myself wrong.

She understood why Musashi’s 6th Special Duty Officer stood on her god of war’s shoulder. On top of the god of war was a safe position that gave the god of war the most freedom of movement.

''In that case,'' thought Yoshiyasu while double-checking her own equipment.

She had a long sword on her back and a short sword on either hip.

She reached for the left short sword first.

“Let’s go.”

“Ohh, will you show me what you can do?”

“Judge,” she confirmed while moving forward.

She drew the short sword into empty air while walking. And…

“——————”

Behind her, Righteousness used the same motion to draw the sword on its left hip.

It was a ''yoroi-doshi'' capable of piercing god of war armor. And with that thick blade…

“It can chop off a mechanical phoenix wing.”

With that Yoshiyasu stepped forward.

“Oh?”

Yoshiaki watched Righteousness moving through the distant street.

She stood on a roof to gain a view from above the city.

This was just as she had finished her break at the teahouse and said “now then” with Kani.

In that view of the Odawara city, Righteousness drew its sword.

This was her first time seeing that girl fight.

…''Now, how will this turn out?

Yoshiaki placed a fan over her mouth to hide her smile.

Righteousness’s gait was definitely Yoshiyasu’s. At the same time, it made moves to protect her.

For Mogami, gods of war were associated with the neighboring nation of Date.

Yoshiaki had seen quite a few gods of war in her time, but Righteousness’s autonomous movement was very well done.

Great care had been put into it.

Care for the god of war and for the pilot, Yoshiyasu.

Autonomous movement experience came from how many different actions the god of war had repeated and learned. They also learned by taking in information on the outside world and creating links between the external situation and its movements.

That learning was generally done while the god of war was on standby.

The high level of Righteousness’s autonomous movement was the result of a fulfilling time during training and on standby.

The pilot combined with their god of war, but it was not just during that combination that the pilot’s traits were apparent in them. Traces of the pilot would also show themselves when the pilot was away. So…

“You were shown great care and you showed it yourself, Yoshiyasu.”

“Is that Satomi Student Council President Yoshiyasu-san’s god of war!?”

“Testament. I expect it is about to put on quite a show.”

Just as she said that, Righteousness moved forward.

The battle was beginning.

''So,'' said Yoshiaki in her heart before saying it aloud.

She spoke directly to Kani who stood on the roof in front of her, checking the corner of the roof with the bottom of her foot.

“So let us begin as well.”

“Testament! …Thank you for this opportunity!”

Kani bowed.

…''Oh?

At the same time, a blade filled Yoshiaki’s vision.

Kani had immediately launched a spear attack without a single motion to betray it.

And the very first attack was to the face, blinding Yoshiaki.

…''Excellent resolve.

Yoshiaki also moved.

The two Mogami Representatives began their battles in the Odawara city.

The battle between a god of war and a mechanical phoenix came down to an exchange of shots and slashes.

The road was about 12 meters wide. That was plenty wide for the god of war to move around. It was also wide enough for the mechanical phoenix if it kept its wings folded.

The two forms were in constant motion in that space.

One was a golden mechanical phoenix.

Genan’s Gold Crown Bird had its wings folded but fired from their base and bottom side. It skillfully used its thick legs to move its body and fall back with movements unthinkable for its bird foundation.

It did not only use close-range shots to attack. It occasionally used something else against its enemy.

“Take this…!”

Its beak.

The tip had been made into a ram. The mechanical phoenix would thrust it forward like a spear to deter its enemy’s advance.

The mechanical phoenix’s enemy was Righteousness which acted as an enormous copy of Yoshiyasu.

The autonomous god of war dodged the mechanical phoenix’s shells and sliced through them with the blade in its right hand.

“————”

And while making quick work of the cannon blasts, Righteousness moved forward.

But each time Righteousness took a step forward, a series of cannon blasts attacked its giant form.

It was a close-range rapid-fire attack. The autocannons fired on Righteousness at a rate of 6 times a second. With the short sword striking them, the resultant noise was like a never-ending metallic scream.

The shells produced continuous sparks and occasionally left scorch marks in the roofs or walls of the houses bordering the road.

But Righteousness still managed to move forward and push at the mechanical phoenix.

It advanced.

There was a third figure who pursued the movements and scattering sparks on that battlefield.

It was Yoshiyasu.

Wearing a hat, she advanced while catching up to Righteousness and being passed once more.

The short sword in her right hand was shorter than the ''yoroi-doshi'' in Righteousness’s hand.

But Righteousness was copying her movements. The girl and machine used their identical actions to endure the mechanical phoenix’s cannon blasts.

“Oh, damn…!” shouted Yoshiyasu. “This isn’t working right…!”

Yoshiyasu felt a cold sweat on her back.

For a god of war pilot, standing on the battlefield outside of the god of war was just plain dangerous.

After all, they removed most of their equipment in order to board the god of war.

There was an emergency rescue pack below the god of war’s cockpit, but it only contained clothing and food, not equipment for survival on the battlefield.

Generally, anytime a god of war pilot ended up outside their god of war on the battlefield, it meant they had been “abandoned” there.

She was lucky to have the vest and few other pieces of equipment she did have.

…''But once you’re outside, you can really understand the significance of a god of war.

With a god of war, you could fight another god of war, a mechanical phoenix, or a dragon.

The pilot was defenseless on the battlefield, but they were nearly invincible as a god of war.

That imbalance led to an understanding.

“People are such weak creatures…!”

Without surrounding themselves with a great power, they could not resist a great enemy.

But inside that great power, it was difficult to strengthen themselves.

She had seen that dynamic before.

…''In me!

She was inside Musashi. She was inside Mogami.

She was also inside something much larger and using that to face a great enemy. However…

“Damn…!”

Everyone could be isolated on the battlefield.

The great power surrounding her and everything that would support her would not help her with this duel.

Right here and now, she was alone.

This might be the last time she could be isolated like this. And yet…

…''I can’t overwhelm him…!

Her enemy was Houjou Genan. He was the boss of Houjou’s mechanical phoenix unit which was their mechanized air force. His small body was well suited for piloting mechanical phoenixes and he had supported Houjou land from the air for many long years.

Satomi had possessed an air force and god of war forces, but they had mostly fought to protect their nation from Edo Bay. They had rarely attacked Houjou land.

Genan was one of the reasons for that.

When Satomi was intercepting Houjou attackers, his mechanical phoenix unit would fly in from Houjou land as a deterrent.

He would find a gap in Satomi’s defenses and do things like have transport ships drop strange tentacles.

And after finding the perfect method to discourage their actions, he would laugh loudly.

…''Well, I don’t actually know that he laughed.

''Maybe I just had a persecution complex. Maybe he was covered in a cold sweat the whole time. But I have a hard time imagining him sweating while dropping those tentacles. That was clearly just harassment. Well, that’s fine. Wait, no. It’s not fine at all.

But she had not faced him since leaving Satomi.

She and Righteousness were very different from back then.

But now that she had stepped out onto the battlefield…

“Damn…!” shouted Yoshiyasu while looking up at her enemy and moving along with Righteousness. “Has nothing changed…!?”

She focused her eyes, swung her arm, controlled her body, and moved forward.

Each time, an intense noise and a shower of sparks filled the air while Righteousness’s feet and Gold Crown Bird’s steps shook the ground. Their movements whipped up a wind which pushed her body toward the ground, but…

…''What does that matter?

She felt the summer heat and the oil-smelling machine heat approaching like a wave, but she simply kept pressing onward.

She advanced.

“Ohh…?”

Naomasa followed Righteousness’s movements with her eyes and opened a new sign frame by her hands.

Without taking her eyes off of Righteousness, she raised the sign frame to eye level with her right hand.

It was a telescope spell sign frame.

The magnified view of Righteousness was covered in smoke and the sounds of sparks.

…''That’s about 3 kilometers away.

Aboard the Musashi, judging distance by sound was a common practice. And from that great a distance…

“Splendidly done,” said Futayo while looking to the watermelon sashimi Horizon was making. “Even if that is a mechanized rapid-fire attack, handling such a great density of attacks from such close range is no easy task. Also, I believe Yoshy…-sama is doing this while not aboard the god of war.”

“What do you…mean…?” asked Suzu.

“Judge,” replied Adele. “Aboard the god of war, the god of war’s processing power could be used to raise her perception speed. That means she could react to the enemy’s attacks, but the Satomi Student Council President is doing it while outside the god of war.”

“Is she not aware what she’s doing?”

“She has to have noticed,” said Naomasa. “Besides, this has to be the first time she’s done this.”

Naomasa watched Righteousness eliminating the enemy attacks with quick movements.

She kept her movements compact and she moved forward. There were no contradictions in her tactics. When focused on compact movements, she had to be close to her enemy if her attacks were to hit.

…''That said, you could still call her actions inexperienced.

Keeping your movements short was a primarily defensive action.

When launching an attack, a longer movement increased the reach and the destructive power. This likely meant Yoshiyasu was still unable to switch between the two styles.

“Oh…so that’s it.”

It hit Naomasa.

The high level of the autonomous movements meant a lot of time had been spent on it in training and standby.

So who had she trained with to learn those defensive actions?

Just as Naomasa wondered that, she heard an unexpected voice.

The idiot spoke up as if breathing a sigh of relief.

“…Yoshiyori is there.”

Yoshiyasu’s sword slashes were directed at Ujikuni’s mechanical phoenix.

But the idiot said something else.

“Yoshiyori, that’s not going to cut it. …You never taught Flatty how to attack. That’s why she’s having so much trouble.”

Yoshiyasu groaned.

…''Dammit!

She had left Satomi, gone to IZUMO, and lost everything except for herself and Righteousness on the way back.

She had moved to Musashi, built up a connection with Mogami, and learned her way around combat and politics, but…

“I can’t overwhelm him!?”

The enemy before her was not as strong as her sister.

Nor was he as strong as Yoshiyori.

Or so she thought.

That had to be the case. After all…

…''Those two are the only ones I should be no match for…!

''Wait, no,'' she thought.

Yoshiaki and the Musashi group also counted. Their Vice Chancellor and other combat officers were the wild type, but they were her allies. She found she no longer minded if she was no match for an ally.

That was an unexpected area of growth.

Still, she could now reproduce the movements from her training against those two people she cared for.

At the time, she had been unable to get a single attack in on them.

She did not want to accept that ''that'' also applied to this opponent. ''That'' would bring shame to the Satomi name.

Houjou would become a relic of the past here, so…

“I will win…!”

Genan gulped inside the mechanical phoenix’s cockpit.

But this was not a sign of concern. It was a joyous response.

…''Now she’s going for it…!

Had that Satomi country girl – that child who was always hiding behind Yatsufusa – managed to improve this much?

She was more than ready to fight on the front line.

Of course, she was still not worthy of Yatsufusa.

Her attacks were insufficient and her movements lacked an overwhelming force

The Yoshiyori who was her sister had used elegant movements. Her sword fighting had possessed a flow that made it feel like there was no opening between her attacks and defenses.

The previous generation Yoshiyori had used intense movements. His sword fighting had possessed a strength that silenced his surroundings with the actions of his blade.

This girl lacked either of those powers.

''But,'' thought Genan as he fired his cannons and thrust his ram forward. This ''may be this girl’s strength.

She merely dealt with his attacks and advanced. It was simple, but it was the most important thing to do in combat.

Attacks had to reach their target first and foremost.

“…Indeed.”

Genan had fought both of the Yoshiyoris.

For a long-lived, he had lived only a fraction of a long life. But his age was quite high for his clan. Those two had been difficult opponents to face toward the end of his primary fighting days.

…''Honestly.

He had wanted to ask those two to stop making his old bones suffer from the burden of the high mobility and to stop making him spend all-nighters putting together detailed strategies.

It had been an honor.

And he had ended up living longer than those two who were younger than him.

Of course, Houjou land was what mattered to him. He knew the trends of other nations were a secondary concern.

But since he would be stepping back from this active role once Houjou was destroyed…

“It’s going to be lonely. Hey…”

Genan gulped.

“I feel a chill in my old bones when I think about how I have no friends outside of Houjou.”

If anything, he specialized in combat more than politics.

Everyone like that had to have had the same thought with Houjou’s fall approaching.

…''Once Houjou is gone, could I visit my most formidable opponents and have a quick battle as a form of greeting?

But with Satomi destroyed, he had assumed he could never have them as an ''opponent'' again. However…

“So Satomi still has someone left who forces me to get serious when I challenge them just for fun?”

He changed the cockpit’s mode. He opened a sign frame and fixed his body in place. That solidified the position of not just his torso but his head and everything else too.

“Sight devices: eye synchronization. Link with sensory reaction spell.”

He did not touch the controls. Sign frames covered not just his hands and feet but his shoulders, neck, and closed eyes too.

“Sensory reaction. …Link to mechanical phoenix.”

This was a prototype system. It was a crucial test for the next generation machines.

“An open combination. …I will test this on you, new star of Satomi.”

Yoshiyasu noticed a change in the enemy’s movements.

Specifically, in the cannon blasts, ram attacks, and body movements.

…''There’s a human element in them!?

This was not a machine. There was something uncertain in the movements, like when a person had combined with a god of war.

“It can’t be…”

“Oh, it most certainly can.”

She heard Genan’s scratchy voice. He sent an attack her way, and…

…''Here he comes!

He pushed in.

Genan’s Gold Crown Bird had primarily been falling back as it attacked, but now it pushed forward as it attacked.

“The reaction speed provided by the combination system is the greatest advantage of a god of war. Meanwhile, a mechanical phoenix is shaped so differently from our bodies that the disadvantages of the control system are too great even if you do combine. However, Satomi Yoshiyasu.”

He fired at her blade.

He deflected it. But not forward. Backward.

…''Kh…!

The enemy was trying to move forward. Yoshiyasu raised her blade in response.

“Did you leave the control system in place but linked the sensory and control systems!?”

“Correct…!”

''That’s ridiculous,'' thought Yoshiyasu. Combining with a god of war was meant to provide the pilot with the high-speed sensory processing, but that was only possible when combining with the god of war and receiving the support of the cooling system and other systems.

If you linked the machine with the sensory system while your body remained untouched, the burden would fall on your physical body.

That burden normally required a god of war’s cooling and support, so how much of it could be eliminated with just the divine protections placed on your body?

“Are you suicidal!?”

“I will not die. No, I will not die. Because there is a time limit,” said Genan while sending attacks her way. “But I expect this will be necessary in an upcoming battle. Don’t you think?”

“What do you mean?”

“Ho ho ho. …The Kantou Liberation.”

Genan laughed.

“See? It will be necessary.”

A moment later, Yoshiyasu realized she had been careless.

While firing some more, the enemy had sent in a ram attack.

She had been distracted by the simplistic pattern of the cannon blasts and her blade was not enough to block the ram arriving behind it.

…''I’ll have to defend…!

As soon as she crossed her arms in a defensive posture, she heard a loud noise and Righteousness fell back.

Genan had taken control of the battle.

Genan sighed.

…''This is rough…!

He had tested this several times already.

But real combat was different.

He had thought the limited environment of a duel would make it easier, but this may have been even worse than an actual battlefield. He had no allies here and he was forced to constantly focus on the enemy.

Also, Gold Crown Bird was meant for use on the ground. Since he had to be constantly thinking about the ground as he moved, he had to use a variety of muscles even more than his head.

…''This is not good.

“I can’t keep complaining about my old bones as an excuse.”

But he was no longer piloting with his arms and legs. The signals sent from his brain and passing through his nerves were detected and responded to by the sign frames placed over the different parts of his body. Most of the responses came from his neck and shoulders, so the response was strongest there.

It felt like he had become the mechanical phoenix from his neck down.

…''Ho ho.

He had never expected to test a system like this near the very end of his time as an active fighter.

This would surely become the standard for mechanical phoenixes in the future.

Even if Houjou was destroyed, the technology would remain. He could see the future in his hands. So…

“The present! This is about the present! Satomi!”

Not the past. Not the future.

The present would overwrite the past. And if he was to have peace of mind about the future, the present was what mattered.

And in that limited time…

“Show me the present, Satomi…!”

Just as he shouted that, Righteousness showed him something after having fallen back.

It had drawn the other ''yoroi-doshi'' in its left hand.

It was the length of a ''wakizashi''. And the god of war’s stance was…

…''Two sword style!

It knocked aside his attacks and moved forward. The enemy intended to carve a narrow path through the battlefield as a weapon of advancement.

“Don’t think you can reach me like that…!”

Genan smiled and made his attack.

Ookubo watched that giant battle from close by.

This was her first time seeing a god of war battle from close up. She had been below deck guiding the evacuation when Sanada’s Lindwurm had arrived, so she had not seen that.

A great power was running wild in front of her.

Metal arms swung, metal feet stepped, and both destroyed cannon blasts that would have blown away a person.

The sparks were pretty. The scattering noise continued without end, so she had started tuning it out.

There was simply the movements, the wind, the sparks, the smoke, and…

“Wow…”

The god of war was pushed back. But immediately…

“Ohh…”

The god of war pushed forward.

The phrase “back and forth” came to mind and Ookubo belatedly realized she had stopped sweating. And…

…''She’s there…

She saw someone at the god of war’s feet.

It was Satomi Student Council President Satomi Yoshiyasu.

Instead of riding the god of war, she was controlling it remotely in an act that could only be described as prideful.

But that girl was moving forward in a position far more dangerous than Ookubo’s.

Even when the god of war fell back, she moved forward. She did not let herself fall back.

…''Why not?

She found the answer as soon as she asked the question.

This battle was against Houjou.

It was a history recreation of the Siege of Odawara, but it was Satomi’s final battle against Houjou.

She could not fall back. She was the lone member of Satomi, but she carried a burden here.

…''Silly girl.

Ookubo stopped thinking and reached that conclusion instead.

This was an important battle. It would be best for Yoshiyasu to ignore her pride and burden so she could do what was needed to win.

If she did not win, the rest was meaningless.

“Silly girl…”

With that, Ookubo looked to the girl’s back.

She looked at the back of a fellow second year name inheritor who was only trying to move straight ahead.

Attacks were exchanged at close range.

There was nothing but movement and sparks between the two sides and they would sometimes alternately push forward and fall back, but other times, one side would push forward and then push forward some more.

But one thing was protected in this battle of constant movement and reversals of positions.

They did not destroy the city.

They both led a nation.

To Genan, this was a precious city even if it was to be destroyed.

For Yoshiyasu, it was a civilian city even if it was part of an enemy nation.

Some might destroy it, but these two were identical on this front.

These fighters would settle this through nothing more than fighting. So…

“…Ohh!”

“That isn’t going to work…!”

With that short exchange of words, the sparks of cannon fire and sword strikes eloquently displayed their stances and willpower.

Genan sent his power out to pierce her.

Yoshiyasu sent her power out to reach him.

The two of them created a balanced exchange, but they were not attempting equilibrium.

Genan raised his mechanical phoenix’s hips to increase his charging power in what amounted to a bipedal dragon’s stance.

Yoshiyasu lowered her hips to lower her center of gravity so she would not be forced back.

As a result, Righteousness was exposed to a series of attacks from above, but…

“————!”

Yoshiyasu spun her hat around backwards to secure her upwards vision.

“There…!”

She sent out her right blade to defend against the cannon blast.

Yoshiyasu did not choose simple defense.

She sent her blade vertically into the glowing ether cannon blast.

The blast was split and it scattered to either side as it exploded.

Yoshiyasu extended Righteousness’s right wing to the back and swung the head to the left. The bursting light cannon’s force passed through the location vacated by its lowered wing and tilted head.

But the blade passed through.

And Yoshiyasu moved forward. She first leaned forward and pressed her body into the raised right blade.

The fragments of light flew and light scattered through the air. Within that, Righteousness launched itself forward.

“Go, Righteousness…!”

The base of the blade was up against her right shoulder now, so she could thrust it forward again with her right arm.

Of course, she had performed that action countless times before now.

If this played out like before, the enemy would fire a series of cannon blasts to deflect the right short sword. However…

“Go!”

Righteousness stopped pushing out its right arm. It let its right shoulder push the raised short sword while moving its entire body forward.

This surprise attack was made by using the previous pattern as a feint.

Of course, this was when the enemy would fire his cannons.

But this time, Righteousness would not deflect the enemy projectiles with a snap of its wrist or arm.

Its elbow was bent and its wrist locked in place. And…

…''Thrust upward!

Yoshiyasu switched to a backhand grip on the raised right blade.

She took a stance that allowed her to strike at the arriving cannon blast with the tip of the short sword.

She would pierce it. Even if the enemy made a rapid-fire attack, Righteousness could support itself with its body and push forward all at once.

…''As long as I’m prepared for a certain level of damage!

She was prepared for that as she suddenly shifted into the new stance.

Meanwhile, the enemy’s cannon blast arrived.

The first shot did hit. But it hit the tip of the prepared blade.

A tremor ran through Righteousness and a clang of metallic impact came from the right of its back, but she did not mind.

A series of similar attacks was coming, so she leaned forward and thought about what was to come.

“Go…!”

She had Righteousness step forward.

Immediately, Yoshiyasu heard an unexpected noise. Or rather, lack of noise. She heard nothing at all.

…''Huh?

She had expected to hear the impacts from a series of cannon blasts, but she actually heard nothing at all.

No, she could hear the sounds of hers and the enemy’s movements. But…

…''I haven’t heard any cannon blasts beyond the first one?

The expected rapid-fire attack had not arrived. Thus the silence.

Genan had stopped firing.

…''Not bad…!

Genan had seen through Righteousness’s movements.

Yoshiyasu’s skill was not at the level of the previous two generations, but she had reached the Special Duty Officer level. And she went somewhat higher when it came to her specialty of simple advancement.

In the past, he would not have been able to see through her attack and feint.

He would only have been able to sense danger and move away.

But that had changed.

…''My senses show it to me…!

Righteousness had shifted to a different defense and advancement method in battle.

He had seen through the instantaneous feint and advance because of his accelerated senses.

Of course, his human body remained unchanged, so his high-speed senses were not perfect. It only provided 1/10 – or in his case, 1/4 – of the benefit a god of war would have.

But he had seen it. He had grasped the initial movement of the enemy changing her movement.

The rest had been a gamble.

Should he move or not? It was the following thought that had made up his mind for him:

…''Well, I guess I’ll do everything I can.

He was ending his time as an active fighter.

He would leave his results here as data for the next generation and he would retire at the Kantou Liberation.

During the Kantou Liberation, he would ride a “cutting-edge craft” constructed in the old way without sensory acceleration.

Even as Houjou faced its destruction, the new and old were in conflict. In the field of air force development, the old had been driven out. He was using this open combination system in order to acquire combat data and as a sign to the next generation.

Others had followed his example.

He used this machine to send new data to them. And if he was to achieve results here…

“Now is the time…!”

Genan was already moving.

He used the ram on the tip of the bow.

The pile bunk attack used the neck joint and it targeted Righteousness’s face devices. The way he swung his entire body a bit to the left was a gentle motion he could not have done with a traditional mechanical phoenix control system.

The force of this strike was harder to dodge than a cannon blast. His split-second decision had been to move his partially-combined “body”.

The attack avoided losing its initial momentum from cannon recoil.

Meanwhile, Righteousness had yet to extend its arm.

He would extend his neck first, so there was only one thing to think.

…''Please hit…!

Genan used his body to strike strongly forward.

Yoshiyasu made her decision in an instant. She decided to stop her opponent.

But her current action put her at a disadvantage. She had charged forward herself.

How could she transform that into a “stopping action”?

And how could she dodge the enemy’s ram?

Yoshiyasu gave it no thought whatsoever. She simply reacted with ''what she needed to do.

She only had to collapse Righteousness’s stance.

And by moving it into the next action supplied by her subconscious. She would connect it to the next action that had permeated her body thanks to training.

“—————”

Yoshiyasu swung Righteousness’s left leg forward as it advanced.

Righteousness left its left leg behind so as not to step on its master.

A moment later, Genan’s Gold Crown Bird pierced Righteousness’s face with its ram.

But the position had shifted.

Because Righteousness had left its left leg behind, its body sank down and twisted to the left.

The dog ear that functioned as an auditory device and the armor on the right side of the head were taken away.

After the impact to the head, the control system reinitialized for just an instant, but…

“Righteousness! …Stand up!”

Yoshiyasu’s voice reached the remaining auditory device on the left side.

Its master’s voice could be used as an activation signal. That took priority over all else, so all the unnecessary boot-up checks were canceled.

It moved with its master’s wishes taking priority.

Righteousness stood up with the mechanical phoenix’s ram resting atop its right shoulder.

Genan’s Gold Crown Bird had failed to destroy Righteousness’s face. And if its face was there…

“—————!”

The standing motion became an upper shoulder attack.

An intense noise rang out and a shock raced through both machines.

Metallic creaking came from the mechanical phoenix’s neck joints and head.

Righteousness wobbled, but it used that time to adjust the other settings that had been canceled.

Yoshiyasu moved while aware the timing was only just barely working out.

“Pierce him…!”

The short sword held to the right shot straight up.

The motion would lop off the mechanical phoenix’s head from directly below. And…

“There…”

Yoshiyasu used a left-handed underhand throw to toss the other sword forward.

Genan’s mechanical phoenix was targeting her with the cannon on its right wing.

It twisted its body to launch the attack which collided with the thrown short sword.

There was an explosion and the repelled short sword stabbed into the ground.

The right sword continued racing toward the mechanical phoenix’s head.

“——————”

Yoshiyasu saw the result of her attack.

The mechanical phoenix had let its entire body collapse backwards to evade it.

…''I dodged it…!

The attack from below had been effective, but it had also helped Genan. Because she had been striking up at him from below, he had had an easier time leaning back to dodge.

The series of movements had worked well for him.

When the impact from below had hit, he had honestly given up. ''So this is it,'' he had thought.

But that resignation had affected the movement and control of the mechanical phoenix.

The relaxed mechanical phoenix neck had not opposed the impact from below. The multiple metal joints had been lightly wrapped back and then knocked straight up by the god of war’s shoulder.

The impact had left through the top, and…

“Ho ho…!”

Genan’s body had been released from the open combination system.

The impact and damage had triggered a safety which released the combination and the linking spell for the sensory acceleration.

He reached for the control sign frame. The pressure-sensitive sign frame did not change its feel as the craft attempted to change. It felt familiar in his hands.

So when he pulled back with all his might, the craft raised its head and…

“Dodged it…!”

And because he had twisted a bit to the left before, his left cannon was still aimed at the enemy.

Righteousness had ended up in a stance with both arms raised.

Its torso was wide open.

Throwing the left short sword had been a mistake on Yoshiyasu’s part.

She must have been unsure whether to respond to the distant left cannon with attack or defense.

She had trouble hitting attacks over a long distance.

This was another example of that.

He had bent and stepped back, so Righteousness’s stance and weapons could not reach him.

He would likely have lost if he had been up against the previous two generations. So…

“Let this be a lesson to you as we end this Houjou battle…!”

Genan raised his voice and used his hands to send a signal to the firing control.

Just then, he saw a certain color.

He saw a silver line in the sign frame displaying the skyward vision from the tip of the bow.

…''A short sword?

It was the one Righteousness had held in its right hand. It had thrown it into the sky.

It had already lost the left short sword, so this left Righteousness unarmed. However…

“It can’t be…”

On the sign frame providing the view dead ahead, Genan saw Righteousness holding a new weapon.

It was a ''tachi''.

But it had not worn this blade on its hip.

This long blade had been equipped on its back. Righteousness had placed both hands on its hilt.

Yoshiyasu moved.

She simply grasped the hilt on her back and sent her body forward.

Her primary attack techniques were limited to extreme close-range, so this was her only way of making a long-range sword strike.

Her stance and everything else forcibly required this long-range attack.

In other words, she had to draw the sword and strike from overhead.

But she could not just swing her arms for this.

She had to move her leg forward, lean her upper body forward, and swing the ''tachi'' with her abs.

She had to send it forward with her legs, hips, chest, shoulders, elbows, and wrists in that order. Only then could it…

…''Reach him…!

“Ohh,” said Genan.

He was responding to the attack from overhead. And the extreme-close-range shoulder attack leading into it.

They had both been unrefined, but…

…''She has not lost the connection…

The previous generation had possessed intensity and the generation before that had possessed elegance. Would this lead to a fusion of the two?

Would that be the end result of this small girl’s somewhat hesitant movements?

But for now, she had connected it all together. The enemy’s attack had reached Genan’s craft.

“Well done…!” he shouted while realizing his right wing’s cannon blast had been destroyed by the blade. “So Satomi was not lost…!”

The blast washed over Ookubo as wind.

Gold Crown Bird’s right wing had been sliced by Righteousness’s sword and then the explosive blast had caused even more damage. The metal split and, more than just sparks, scorched metal fragments burst forth like innards.

And the blast struck Gold Crown Bird’s body.

But the shockwave came from the wing’s base.

Since the frame was tough, the wing was not torn off and the blast had nowhere but the sky to go.

The sound of torn air lasted an instant. Gold Crown Bird’s wing was bent downwards. As for the main body…

“…!”

It shook from the intense impact.

But that was all.

There was a creaking noise and the reverberation of the nearly-broken wing stabbing into the earth, but the mechanical phoenix endured.

Meanwhile, Righteousness crouched low while slowly returning the sword to its back.

While it sheathed its sword at such close range to the enemy, Ookubo heard a voice.

It was the Satomi Student Council President. Her shoulders rose and fell with her breaths as she spoke to her enemy.

“…I reached you.”

She took a deep breath and repeated the words she had taught to herself.

“I reached you…!”

Yoshiyasu heard a voice reply with “testament”.

It was the mechanical phoenix. Gold Crown Bird extended its head downward like the victor even though it could barely move. And it spoke to the crouching dog.

“I saw it for myself. Thus…”

She heard Genan’s voice.

“Is this your win? At the very least, my mechanical phoenix can no longer move.”

“No, I’m in a similar position.”

Yoshiyasu belatedly sensed her own inexperience and placed a hand on her right cheek.

“The previous attack caused issues with Righteousness’s right auditory device and right facial sight device. So…”

She raised her right hand somewhat out to the side.

Righteousness started to follow the motion, but…

“It can’t perceive anything beyond this.”

She tried waving her hand, but Righteousness did not mimic it. It did seem to follow the movement up to the elbow, so the shoulder to the elbow moved in a confused sort of way. Because…

“There is a blind spot between that and the flank sight device.”

When avoiding the ram, she should have moved the head to the left and back. Since she had only tilted it to the side, it had not escaped the impact and the devices had been torn away. That rushed decision was proof that she had yet to calm herself.

…''I still have a long way to go.

She felt like she had gotten closer to her sister and Yoshiyori, but her method had been poor. Still, she really did feel like she had reached that level. So…

“This was a victory for Satomi.”

But…

“It was a draw for Mogami as a part of the punishment of Houjou. …Righteousness cannot hope to match an expert in this state.”

“Testament.”

Genan’s response did not come from the speakers.

She looked up to see the mechanical phoenix’s cockpit hatch had opened, revealing the old man.

He was resting his head in his hand and he spoke with a bitter smile in his voice.

“Are you going to ''go on'' and win, Satomi? …Some of our young people will miss the battles with Satomi, but others will be aggravated but accepting of the new state of affairs.”

“How happy for them.”

Yoshiyasu realized she was smiling a little.

As a member of Satomi, she had no future generation or companions the way Genan did. However…

“Tell the rest of Houjou that was an excellent battle. After all…”

She looked far into the east where a giant ship was visible in the sky.

It was the Musashi.

Yoshiyasu spoke as she looked up at its grand form.

“It was thanks to Houjou that Satomi accomplished what it did.”

“What Musashi needs more than anything in these duels is wins over Houjou, but they just lost twice in a row!?”

Masazumi shouted to Naomasa who was viewing the city through a telescope spell.

The information on her own sign frame provided essentially the same information that Naomasa had. But…

“Maa?”

Tsukinowa tapped his large foreleg on the part that said “draw”.

He probably meant that as a correction, so she patted the anteater’s head. Regardless…

“This is kind of bad!”

“Okayyyy, Seijun-kun!” said the idiot. “We have strayed a fair bit from your strategy!”

“If you ask me,” said Horizon. “Masazumi-sama relies on other people too much.”

“Heh heh,” said the idiot sister. “It looks like she really should have argued for a flashier and simpler type of war yesterday.”

“If you ask me,” said Nenji. “Won’t this be a troublesome miscalculation for the other nations as well?”

…''The real problem is how I feel like all of them are right…

After all, the rules said draws were invalid.

And if Houjou Genan could no longer use his mechanical phoenix, Genan would leave the battle without passing his rights on to anyone.

“That leaves 4 from Houjou. …But Ujiteru is taking a break and who knows what he’ll do from here on.”

“Judge.” Gin held a prosthetic hand over her eyes and looked to the Odawara city. “The battles last 30 minutes, so there will likely be some people whose rest times and battle times do not match up.”

“Judge. They can be on the same battlefield, but the timing of their breaks means they never meet each other.”

Masazumi held a hand to her forehead and sighed.

“Have this, Masazumi-sama,” said Horizon next to her.

The offered plate contained watermelon sashimi.

…''Why did she slice it into blocks?

It was strange to see the rind curled up like peeled apple skin.

On the other side, the Tachibana Couple were politely picking up and eating pieces with chopsticks, while Futayo was piercing them with skewers to eat several at a time. Both options seemed right yet wrong, but what even qualified as “right” in this world?

Further away, Mary and Crossunite were discussing it.

“Oh? You were right, Master Tenzou. It is surprisingly good with salt.”

“Judge. The salt helps the sweetness stand out.”

'''Mar-Ga:''' “Can’t someone make a law to execute anyone who tries to earn easy points?”

'''Azuma:''' “…No matter what I say, Miriam says it isn’t good enough, so could you also make an assistance law?”

'''Gold Mar:''' “…I think you’ve earned more than enough points already… Yeah…”

'''Silver Wolf:''' “That situation sounds awfully familiar…”

'''Asama:''' “Wh-why are you looking my way, Mito!? You aren’t going to get anything out of me!”

Did everyone like earning points that much? That would be a product of their managed society.

But the issue here was the national points, not the personal points.

…''Umm, how are Houjou and our forces doing?

“Houjou has lost once to Sviet Rus and tied once with Satomi. We have won once to Mouri and lost once to Date. And right now Mogami’s Yoshiaki and Hashiba’s Kani are battling, right?”

When she asked how that was going, a grinding sound came from the Odawara city.

Masazumi was not the combat type, but even she could tell something was being destroyed.

…''Huh?

She turned around and saw something. The roofs in the northeast part of Odawara were being torn away. Across a few different locations, they were deeply gouged into and eliminated.

“What was that…?”

Had a multi-shell gravity pressure round been fired? No, more importantly…

“Who did that?”

Masazumi quickly had Tsukinowa open a sign frame.

Who was fighting in northeast Odawara?

“Mogami Yoshiaki and Kani Saizou…!?”

“Judge,” confirmed Mitotsudaira with her eyebrows raised in a smile. “Mogami should have only participated in the Siege of Odawara and the Keichou-Dewa Conflict, so by making an enemy of Hashiba here, they are siding with Musashi!”

“Hmm.” Masazumi glared at the Odawara city. “Kani is from Hashiba, but defeating Hashiba in this battle doesn’t really get us much… Oh, but I guess it will reduce the enemy’s numbers. …We’ll have to be happy with that…”

“D-don’t sound so sad! Let’s keep things bright! Okay, Masazumi!?”

Kani heard her heart pounding in her ears.

She stood on an Odawara roof and a giant hole was opened nearby.

…''What is this!?

The hole had a diameter of nearly 30 meters. And the destruction took the shape of a sphere.

She had never seen this before. Which should not surprise her given her opponent:

“Mogami Chancellor…!”

A half-destroyed house stood 30 meters away.

Yoshiaki stood on its roof.

She raised a fan in front of her face, pressed the tip to her mouth, and kept a smile in her eyes.

“Ohh, so you dodged it. Good job.”

Kani could tell her pulse raced even faster when she heard those casual words.

If she had not dodged this, she would have been eliminated along with the houses and the ground.

…''Wow.

She could instantly lose everything due to a single decision.

When that understanding hit her, sweat began pouring from her body. And…

“I quite like children who will continue fighting me.”

All of a sudden, there were giant breasts in front of her eyes.

They belonged to Yoshiaki. She had covered the 30m gap without showing any advance movement.

And she crouched down in front of Kani.

“Tell me if you’re scared, okay?”

She moved to lightly tap her fan against Kani’s forehead.

So Kani dodged. There was no chance the woman intended to make that sort of “contact” at a time like this, so Kani quickly pushed down with the bottom of her feet to distance herself from Yoshiaki.

But she could not.

…''Eh!?

The fan pressed against her forehead sent two lines racing to the bottom of her feet. That force seemed light, but it fully restricted her movement.

She had been counterbalanced.

“Are you scared?”

Kani tried to shake her head, but she could not.

Even that was suppressed and stopped.

Her upperclassmen might be able to escape these bonds, but for her…

“I don’t understand!”

That was her honest opinion. This went beyond fighting or not fighting.

But there was one thing she had to do.

“I will do my best!”

The opponent before her eyes may have been far beyond her reach. If she could be suppressed so easily, then she had all but lost already. But…

“…I will do my best!”

Kani shouted for the foundation of her power – for her weapon.

“Sasamura…!”

Yoshiaki saw the identity of the previous attack.

This was the attack that had filled her vision before.

…''An ejected cowling spear…!?

A single cowling spear was ejected from the empty air behind Kani’s right shoulder.

“Pierce her!”

The weapon responded to Kani’s voice. A straight-line attack was thrust toward Yoshiaki’s face.

“Ohh…!”

She dodged to the side. She made an outward step which was hard for spear-wielders to handle.

But just as she circled to the left, which was to Kani’s right, Yoshiaki sensed the beginnings of a wind.

It came from Kani on her right.

She recognized the sound of pressure. It was the same ejection sound she had just heard. Which meant…

…''A second one!?

She saw the glint of a blade in the right corner of her vision.

It was indeed a second one.

Could Kani’s weapons be fired in any direction from behind her? If so…

“Here…!”

Just as Yoshiaki took a step, she struck the empty air with her fan.

She felt the definite tactile feedback of a hit. Sparks scattered and something flew trembling out into the air.

“A third cowling spear?”

Her question received no response.

The small girl was already charging toward her. And below the girl’s feet…

…''A fourth one…!

Kani kicked off the ejected cowling spear to accelerate herself.

And that was not the end of it.

“Here I go!”

With that announcement, all of the cowling spears vanished from around Kani.

But that disappearance was only a temporary thing.

“Oh?” said Yoshiaki as she took a step back. In front of her, Kani swung both her hands.

In response, something was ejected like shells behind her.

“Eight Sasamura Spears…”

The cowling spears with bamboo grass blades were fired with the mobility of a powerful throw.

<noinclude>
{{HorizonNavbar
| [[Horizon:Volume 6C Chapter 49|Chapter 49]]
| [[Horizon:Volume 6C Chapter 51|Chapter 51]]
}}
</noinclude>

Horizon:Volume 6C Chapter 49

2018-05-07T20:59:32Z

162.158.134.31: Fixed two s-related typos.

==Chapter 49: Queen of a Tasteful Place==
[[Image:Horizon6-C113.jpg|thumb]]
''Oh, my, my, my

''What kind of service is this?

'''Point Allocation (As You Like It)

The Reine des Garous’s seafood curry.

Mitotsudaira immediately responded when she heard that title.

“That is dangerous! It will not work on my mother! She will refuse it!”

She had a reason for saying this. And it was a simple one. There was only one way to look at it:

“My mother was raised in the mountains! She does not eat much seafood. She generally prefers meat over fish.”

So…

“The Reine des Garous’s seafood curry is something that cannot exist! The title alone will turn her off of it!”

At first, everyone responded with silence. But eventually, they exchanged a glance.

“…If you ask me, that is judging the dish too much by its name,” said Horizon.

“That’s right,” said Naruze. “If you ask me, it probably just means a seafood curry made based on your image of the Reine des Garous.”

“So what kind of seafood fits your image of Ture-yan?”

“Polar bear, Margot.”

Mitotsudaira just about nodded in agreement with the choice, but it was not actually seafood.

“In that case,” said Gin. She placed the lewd mark bread Muneshige had given her on top of her own, cut it in half, and returned it. “Can’t he just make it ‘Reine des Garous Style’?”

“I doubt that will work,” said Asama. “If it bears the Reine des Garous name then Mito’s mom will see it as a present.”

…''Ah.

Everyone else tilted their heads, but Horizon nodded.

And she spoke quietly.

“…We are doomed if it does not have polar bear in it.”

“W-wait, isn’t that being a bit harsh?”

But there was one thing they already knew. Namely…

“Now that it’s been announced, there is no taking back that dish name…”

“Then we can only watch and see what happens.”

With that calm comment, Horizon pulled a pot out of the air behind her.

“Would anyone like some roast beef sashimi?”

Mitotsudaira was curious what was happening with the duel, but she was the first to raise her hand.

The duel was ruled by a calm atmosphere.

Silence had fallen.

The Reine des Garous placed a hand on her right cheek with a bowl on the table in front of her.

…''Now, then.

There was not much time, but she also wanted to make the best use of that time.

“You said this was the Reine des Garous’s seafood curry?”

She asked just to be sure.

“I am almost a complete beginner when it comes to seafood, you know? The mountains and forests are a Loup-Garou’s territory. …You still want to go with seafood despite that?”

“Judge, I do.”

She answered her opponent’s deep nod with a “testament”.

He seemed to have plenty of resolve and confidence.

Thus, she did not need to hide the possibility of regret in her heart. This was a duel.

“You know what will happen if it is not to my liking, don’t you?”

“Judge. …If you cannot enjoy it, then the curry has lost.”

“Testament,” agreed the Reine des Garous.

This purity and integrity may have been the charm of the Far East as a Shinto nation.

“Understood.” The Reine des Garous reached for the spoon in the glass and nodded. “If I take issue with this curry, it is a loss for Shinto and its Far Eastern creation story.”

'''Flat Vassal:''' “Asama-san! Asama-san! Stop aiming your bow toward the Odawara city!”

'''Uqui:''' “And I’m pretty sure this isn’t really a crisis for Shinto. It is clearly something else entirely.”

'''Tonbokiri:''' “Either way, I want to hear about this delicious curry.”

The Reine des Garous looked at the bowl her opponent had served her.

It was curry. However, the contents of the large pot-like bowl were quite thin for curry.

But from the looks of it, it was sticky and some ingredients appeared to be submerged below the brown curry surface. In other words…

“Soup curry?”

“Judge, I made it fairly thick.”

''Ridiculous,'' she thought.

“Surely you did not do what I think you did.”

“Are you asking if I made watered-down soup curry because I was afraid of running out of curry?”

“Testament. That is always the question with soup curry.”

“Ohh,” he said with a shrug. Then he shook his head and showed her what was behind him.

There was a large pot of curry. It of course should have contained soup curry, but…

…''It doesn’t?

It contained a substance with a deeper color than the curry.

“That is the concentrated curry I made for the soup curry starting last night. I am dissolving that and serving it, so I am not watering down the curry I have now.”

The Reine des Garous knew what this was. On the way to the Blue Thunder the day before, she had seen something similar in the construction zone starting at Musashino’s atrium park.

A concentrated stew or soup had been carried in a large pot to feed the workers.

The cooking had been split up between different parts of Musashi and concentrating it allowed for easier delivery in a separated land like the Musashi.

And if he had used that method here…

“This is not watered down. You can experience true soup curry.”

“…Testament.”

The Reine des Garous nodded.

Soup curry meant he was using quantity to attack. However…

…''I have an advantage here too.

There was no rice.

Soup curry was a type of curry, but it belonged to the internal category of soup. This differed from the dry curries which were rice dishes.

It was possible to have rice as a side dish, but that would be too much effort. So…

“You aren’t going to insist I eat the rice separately, are you? Rice alone does not count as a dish.”

“Judge, I will not do that.”

He had already begun mass-producing the soup curry. That meant he no longer had time for the dry curry.

But she did not have time either.

And that was why she reached for the soup curry bowl.

She directly drank from the bowl. That option was one strength of soup curry.

…''I’ll just chug it!

She had little experience with seafood, so she decided to finish it off all at once as she resumed the duel. She poured the thin curry into her mouth.

“…!?”

And she came to a stop.

…''Wh-what was that!?

The Reine des Garous had been told this was seafood curry.

The defining trait of seafood curry was the seafood stock used in the curry.

The seafood ingredients would generally give it a strong salty flavor and it would sometimes taste like blood.

But this was different. She tasted…

“Is this just normal curry? It’s…”

She had a reason she trailed off.

She had a question. And one she could not find an answer to.

She had supposedly just eaten some normal curry. But…

…''Oh?

She felt a strange flavor lingering on her tongue.

This was normal curry, but she also felt like it was not.

Why was that? It was the lack of evidence for that question that left her speechless.

''Strange,'' she thought. But…

…''I need to calm down and not rush this.

Most likely, this soup curry contained a number of different phenomena.

But the first thing she noticed was what she needed to figure out first.

“This is not normal curry, is it?”

“Also,” she continued.

The flavor in her mouth was odd.

It was curry, but she detected a flavor other than curry on her tongue.

It was a seafood flavor, but it was not too salty and it had the meatiness that she preferred. Also…

…''It is such a soft flavor.

Seafood would normally be salty. The saltiness would only sharpen the curry’s spiciness.

But this was different. She could detect some of the unique saltiness of seafood, but it was not too strong. If anything, it seemed to surround the curry flavor and soften it.

“You dissolved something in the curry, didn’t you?”

“Ohh,” said her opponent with a smile. He approached with something in a small bowl. It was like heated clay, but it was actually the concentrated curry from the big pot.

Its viscosity had increased somewhat as he heated it and the Reine des Garous ate a spoonful.

When she crushed it with her tongue, she found a strong flavor.

The taste dissolved in her saliva and returned to its proper form. And…

…''Oh?

“This is normal curry…”

Curious, she took a bite of the soup curry in her bowl.

It was different.

But how was it different from the contents of the big pot? She compared them once more.

“…Ah.”

She figured it out. There was a definite gentle seafood flavor on her tongue, so how could he have introduced that into the curry?

“You dissolved something into the soup used to dissolve the curry, didn’t you!?”

“Judge.”

He raised the insulated container sitting next to the big pot. It contained the soup stock for the soup curry, but when the Reine des Garous sensed its scent and color…

“…Soba sauce!?”

“Judge. Technically, it is bonito stock ''kaeshi''.”

He pulled a few bottles out from his stand. They included soy sauce, mirin, and sake.

“In the Far East, soba shop curry is seen as something special. The curry at soba shops is made with ''kaeshi'' soba sauce, but that is why it has the gentle flavor of Far Eastern cuisine despite being curry.”

“Then this bonito stock…?”

“Judge. I considered using kombu stock to soften the flavor further, but you live in the world of meat. Bonito stock has a wild flavor, so I thought it would be best to base the curry on that solid fish flavor.”

…''He’s right.

If she had been given the same conditions, she would have made the same choice. ''In that case,'' she thought.

“Is this what you are calling the Reine des Garous’s seafood curry?”

“Judge. You are a mother. So if you were attempting to make seafood curry, I figured you would not go straight for the seafood you are unfamiliar with and would instead attempt something simpler and more familiar.”

In other words…

“Bonito stock curry. Instead of a seafood curry made by adding seafood to curry, I thought you would make the entire curry into seafood. And as a mother, I thought you would give the curry this softer flavor.”

“…You think I am this kind of soft and gentle woman?”

“Oh.” He smiled. “Could you scoop out some of the contents?”

…''The contents?

She was puzzled, but she stuck her spoon in all the same.

At the bottom, she found something with some weight to it.

“Meat…”

It was not mincemeat like with the keema curry. Nor was it chunks of meat or thin slices of meat.

…''It has the bone in…!

She had found pork ribs. Due to the concentration process, they were in soup curry, but they had been fully dyed the color of curry and even the fat was faintly yellow.

The Reine des Garous noticed something as soon as she decided to eat it. The sensation when she had scooped it up with her spoon had been odd in a few ways.

So she scooped up another piece.

“Is this…?”

It was definitely rib meat. But the color and thickness were different from before.

“That is venison,” explained her opponent. “Venison is cooked by continually heating it at around 80 degrees. That is easily done by parboiling it while making the curry.”

She stuck her spoon in some more and found different types of meat.

Boar. Lamb. The small ones were rabbit. There was also duck. And…

“What is this…?”

It was meat. And it looked like a tongue. One side was cut in a grid pattern and the large body bent back as if to open that up. But even with the curry color dyeing it, she could tell it must have been white to begin with.

It had an odd meaty texture different from fatty meat. She hesitated a moment, but then bit into it.

She placed it in her mouth and bit down. She found a chewiness similar to hard cheese, as well as a sweetness.

She recognized the flavor.

“This is squid, isn’t it…!?”

“Judge. It is the largest seafood meat that you can get in a single piece.”

The grid pattern cut in one side increased the meaty chewiness and made it easier to bite through. The unique smell of squid had been erased by the curry and grease entering through the gaps in that grid.

When she searched along the bottom, she found scallops. They felt good between her teeth and she could tell they had been cooked in butter for flavor. He had done his best to eliminate the seafood smell.

''Yes,'' thought the Reine des Garous. ''This is interesting.

And she belatedly realized something else.

All of the meat inside had bones in it.

With the previous curry, the curry would have stuck too strongly to the bones.

But with soup curry, the curry only formed a thin film over the bones.

When her opponent placed a handwashing bowl and hand towel on the table, she knew what to do.

She could grab the bones with her hands and eat it like a wolf.

“Excellent job.”

With the bowl in her left hand and either a bone or her spoon in her right hand, the Reine des Garous got to work on the soup curry.

The battle had begun once more

The Reine des Garous’s seafood curry.

''This was a good idea,'' she thought.

It was full of meat, but the stock, squid, and scallops excused the name. If a resident of the mountains and forest were to serve her child seafood as a mother, it would likely take this form.

She thought while eating the meat, drinking the soup, and feeling satisfied.

…''But this is missing something that my cooking would have.

“Um, excuse me.”

“You want this, don’t you?”

Her opponent set a plate down on the table.

The large plate contained a small mountain of citrus fruits. They were thumb-sized and had the same traits as oranges despite their small size.

“These are kumquats.”

Citrus was an important accent for her cooking.

She was slightly amused to have these presented to her like this. Just how well had he read her? But when she scooped up one of the small fruits and bit into it…

…''Ah.

The word “refreshing” filled her mouth. It was sour and had the aroma of fruit juice, but most of all, it was sweet.

“I lightly preserved them in sugar.”

That explained it.

The flavor went perfectly with the soup curry. The small citrus fruit would have been overpowered by the previous stronger curry. And a larger fruit would have been too strong.

The sugar-preserved kumquats were the perfect match.

Give one to a child and they were sure to complain about the sourness but enjoy the sweetness.

After eating two or three of them without thinking, the Reine des Garous realized something about herself.

“I need to eat the curry.”

With that, she started back at it. Given his stock, she could catch up if she used her full speed. After all, this was no more than meat and soup. It was far lighter than before and she was in the right mood.

…''I do kind of wish I had some rice.

Of course, she would run out of time before finishing if she added rice to this.

But she selfishly did want some of that staple.

However, rice did not go with soup curry. It would not work. That realization brought a thought to mind.

…''That is a little disappointing.

And just as she sighed…

“This is the last dish.”

Her opponent walked over with a long plate.

It contained rice.

But the white grains alone were not enough to serve as a dish.

However, what he placed on the table was different. It was no more than rice, but it was also not being served as a simple staple. It was known as…

“These are rice balls.”

“Honey?”

Mitotsudaira heard her mother’s voice on the divine transmission.

She had called out to Mitotsudaira’s father. And she continued from there.

“I had such a wonderful time ''thanks to you''.”

And…

“I still have time left, but this is my loss.”

The Reine des Garous took a breath.

The Musashi curry artisan bowed toward her.

She bowed back and thought to herself.

…''He did a splendid job of defeating me.

The keema curry and the seafood curry had both been prepared entirely with her in mind.

That meant he had joined the battle solely to defeat her.

It had taken her too long to realize that.

“This plan was thought up by my daughter’s king, wasn’t it?”

“Judge. I came up with the curry varieties, but he had the original idea.”

Then it made sense to her.

She was reminded of the previous night.

Her daughter’s king and her own husband had discussed cooking. The king must have used that to learn her tastes and come up with this plan.

She was also impressed by the opponent who had worked out a concrete form for that plan and then prepared the food. He had to have stayed up all night working.

And that was why she understood.

“I am not shameless enough to insist I won after receiving this kind of hospitality. And even though I lost, it was on my husband’s instructions.”

She could not keep a smile from her lips.

“How many times have I been ‘ruined’ by his cooking now?”

She could not beat him.

And so she took another breath and reached for the rice balls she had been served.

The white rice was gently pressed together just enough to remain in a perfect triangle.

When she took a bite, a slightly salty flavor and the damp rice steam spread through her mouth.

Her mouth still contained the flavor of the soup curry, the meat, and the citrus fruit, so this tasted properly “white”.

The next thing she knew, she was pushing the last corner into her mouth with a finger and she had finished eating it.

…''This is Far Eastern culture.

They could make a dish out of mere rice by pressing it together in their hand.

That was unthinkable in a culture of flour and meat. But for something that just barely qualified as “prepared”, it had a simple but deep flavor.

That was especially true after eating something so strong.

This was the staple of Far Eastern foods. She did wonder if it all led back here in the end, but now was not the time for that. There was something else she had to say.

“…That was an excellent battle.”

“No, no. It isn’t over yet.”

“Eh?”

She tilted her head and he pointed at the table and the large pot behind him.

“There is still more left. The fun can continue a while longer.”

“True enough.”

She had an hour of spare time after the duel, so relaxing here sounded nice.

“Do you have any keema curry left?”

“Judge. I have a spare pot of it.”

He was so very reliable. So the Reine des Garous placed a hand on her cheek and knew she had a smile on her face.

“Then let’s go back to that for a while.”

Also…

“Could I get the recipe for that? I want to try cooking it for my husband and Nate.”

“Yes…!”

Masazumi stood up when Mitotsudaira reported on the result.

“That’s one victory over Mouri! It means a lot to have something that counts as ‘victory’ in the Siege of Bitchu Takamatsu Castle.”

…''We can finally start the negotiations…!

“Honestly,” said Masazumi as she looked across the others. “I’m glad all of you chose paper! All of you losing is the best!”

“Th-that’s not a very nice thing to say!”

But one person stood up from among them: Horizon.

She raised her right hand and took a step toward Masazumi. Masazumi also approached and slapped her palm against Horizon’s right hand.

“Yes…!”

“Well done.”

As soon as the forceful high five hit, Horizon’s right shoulder disconnected and the arm flew off.

It immediately rotated like a throwing axe and flew into a stand across the way. It paid a sudden visit to the person cooking Far Eastern pizza on an iron skillet.

“What…!?”

Then they realized what had flown in.

“It’s an arm…!!”

That began a commotion. The arm tried to flee, but a passerby saw the wrist sticking out when it hid below the stand.

“A dead body…!!”

They screamed and a panic fell over the entire festival ground. After a while, the right arm returned after sneaking through the commotion by hiding in the grass. But according to its owner…

“I made this peaceful festival much more dynamic without even meaning to.”

“Has that connection gotten loose?”

“No, I though the looser setting would be funnier. And the response was even greater than I expected.”

''I should’ve known…'' thought Masazumi while hanging her head, but then the idiot walked up.

He raised his right hand.

“Okay, Seijun. Let’s try that again.”

“Judge. I’m not sure what that will accomplish, but fine.”

When they shouted “yes” and brought their hands together, the idiot twisted his arm around.

“A true celebration demands a rotating high five!”

That was probably the mistake. Because Masazumi swung her arm forcefully around in an attempt to match the strange movement. And…

“Ah.”

When her hand hit, a light popping sound came from the idiot’s right shoulder.

“Eh?”

Everyone looked to him. And Mitotsudaira…

“M-my king! Did you just dislocate your right shoulder!?”

“Eh?”

The idiot looked at his right arm and saw the shoulder was sticking out to the side oddly.

He tried to move the arm, but only the forearm would move.

“Oh?”

“Foolish brother! An opportunity like this doesn’t come every day! It’s time to prove your worth as an entertainer with some adlibbing! Now go!”

“Ohh, sis! Just leave it to me! …Okay, everyone, face this way.”

Masazumi looked away, but the dislocated idiot took a bowlegged stance and ran toward someone who had the bad luck of turning toward him. The dislocated crossdresser grabbed his limp right arm with his left hand and waved it back and forth.

“Ohhhhhhhhh! Adele! Look, look, look! It’s a big meat stick. With bone inside.”

“Waaaaahhh! Don’t show me that gross thing! Stay away!”

“Don’t call it gross! It’s just a crossdresser waving his meat stick around so you can high five it!”

''What kind of situation is that supposed to be?'' wondered Masazumi despite somewhat being the culprit here, but Asama soon stood up. She placed her hands on Horizon’s shoulders from behind to tell her to calm down.

“Okay, Toori-kun, come over here instead of creeping out Suzu-san. Umm, Masa? Please pop Toori-kun’s shoulder back into place. You can do that, right?”

“Hey, Toori, over here.”

“Sure thing!” said the idiot as he approached Naomasa who immediately grabbed his arm.

“Owwwwww!”

He screamed and Asama began healing him.

…''But, well…

Masazumi watched the series of events and the current situation.

Asama sat next to Horizon and the Aoi Sister and she placed the idiot’s head in her lap. She pasted a charm on the crossdresser’s shoulder and began the healing while Mitotsudaira slowly approached in the usual way. However…

…''The idiot is taking it easy.

So was Asama. At Sanada, the idiot had been hesitant to receive healing and Asama had insisted on taking things more seriously. But now the idiot was entrusting himself to her and Asama was naturally accepting it.

Although it was a bit worrying how Horizon was messing with the idiot’s fingers and trying to tie them in a weird knot.

“I see.”

“…You see what?”

“Nothing really,” was all Masazumi said at first.

She did not know what had happened at the Aoi home last night. Nor did she know what had happened in the study camp tent before that. But even though that group had known each other for a long time…

“Relationships can change, can’t they?”

Asama must have heard her because her expression changed.

In the past, she probably would have been visibly flustered and even panicked, but now…

“Well, you know… Mito’s mom talked a lot about presents…”

Her cheeks lightly flushed and she smiled bitterly.

Masazumi had a thought about that expression.

…''Will I ever have that kind of look on my face?

She wondered who it would be with, but that would all come with time. Although there were some people like Sanyou-sensei who it had not come for. And their homeroom teacher did not count since she did not seem interested in that sort of thing. However…

…''I’ve changed too.

A year before, she had never imagined she would be thinking about this sort of thing. Her only vision of the future had been whether or not she would take her first step as a politician.

And…

“Masazumi.”

Futayo raised her hand from where she stood next to Masazumi.

“Futayo?”

“Would you like to do it with me once?”

“If I do it too strong, I’d probably dislocate my own shoulder this time.”

She lightly swung her arm, and…

…''Oh.

A nice sound came from Futayo’s hand. Futayo had barely swung her hand. She had only caught Masazumi’s.

Masazumi felt the need to say “judge” because of how nice it felt. And…

“Was that good enough, Masazumi?”

“Eh? …Yes, I’m satisfied.”

“Excellent. I too am satisfied that we could have sex.”

''Hold on.

She looked around in search of assistance, but everyone was already facing the other way. Mary tilted her head as if she thought she had misheard Futayo, but that was Crossunite’s problem. ''Will they continue eating lunch together to avoid the issue? I see. The Tachibana Couple haven’t reacted at all. They sure are tough.

But Futayo smiled and spoke to her more.

“Masazumi, I must treat you right as you may become my wife.”

“Wait just a second…!”

“Hm? Do not worry. I have not earned my inherited name yet, so it is still too soon for marriage. So we will remain friends for now. In other words…”

Futayo placed a hand on her chin and nodded like she had had a good idea.

“We are sex friends.”

Three seconds passed. Then Naito noticed something.

“Ga-chan, your nosebleed is dripping on the Magie Figur.”

''Can she make a new doujinshi out of this? Wonderful. Simply wonderful…

…''What do I do about this?

The person who had started all this back in England was bleeding and Masazumi had taken damage.

She looked over and saw the Aoi Sister teasing Asama and Mitotsudaira.

“Heh heh heh. You two are sex friends too! Isn’t that right!?”

They glared back at her and the idiot was laughing.

''I see,'' thought Masazumi. A year ago, she could not have imagined anything about herself now, including this stuff with Futayo, so even if she could not imagine it now, that sort of thing and other things were possibilities for the future. So…

“Well, we’ll see, okay?”

She could not deny the exasperation in her voice, but there was no helping that. She saw Kanou walking over again. When the automaton arrived, she bowed.

“Excuse me.”

“What is it, Kanou? A further report on the Treasurer’s embezzlement?”

“Judge. I received word of a corpse being found in the festival, so I am on a patrol. And I have a report from Lady Ookubo.”

Which was…

“She has engaged in battle with one of the Houjou representatives: Houjou Ujikuni, aka Genan.”

Ookubo was being chased.

She was running.

She had clearly been running too much. She had been doing it at full speed for more than half an hour.

But she had to do it. Because behind her…

“Hey, are you about ready to give up yet?”

A mechanical phoenix was chasing her.

It moved a lot like a chicken.

It had thundering footsteps and it sometimes thrust the point of its bow out to attack. She could tell it was toying with her, but the frequency of those occasional attacks was increasing. And…

“Click.”

The cannons at the base of the closed wings fired bullets of light.

She was focused on dodging. Luckily, the enemy projectiles could not gather very close together from the left and right, so she worked to stay between them. And…

“…!”

Ookubo swung her body and let the bullets pass her by.

Then she resumed dashing.

And she thought about how there had been an oversight in the duel rules.

…''The duel never begins if you keep running away!!

The duel could not begin if they did not begin the duel. It was a simple definition, but it had tripped her up a fair bit. After all, she could run away from an unwanted opponent for more than 30 minutes, but she would not be spared.

If she was to escape, she had to begin the duel.

The rules had clearly been created by a belligerent group who were only interested in fighting. Farewell, liberal arts. Everyone was only interested in the fighting.

But if she did begin the duel, she could not win. So…

“Ah.”

She belatedly realized something.

…''Couldn’t I have started the duel and then run away for 30 minutes?

If they could not end the duel, it would probably be counted as a draw. That was a big discovery. It was definitely a loophole in the rules.

“Ha ha.”

…''I didn’t expect such a simple loophole.

“Ah ha ha ha ha.”

She laughed as she ran.

…''But it’s too late to do that now!

She was about to run out of energy. She could smell curry from somewhere, but who was eating that? Had they brought it here?

…''I’m so hungry.

“—————”

''Oh, no,'' thought Ookubo. Once she noticed her hunger, it came rushing in at her. An odd sleepiness filled her. This was what they called hitting the wall.

''Not good, not good,'' she scolded herself as her mind was dragged down.

…''If only I wasn’t so smart…

She knew exactly what happened to people when they hit the wall.

Their vision narrowed and weakened, their body trembled, they perspired, and their body temperature dropped. As all that hit them at once, their knees would give out, and…

“…!”

Ookubo came back to her senses at the last second.

…''Are you stupid!?

''That'' was not happening to her now.

So if ''those'' effects were happening, it was no more than mimicry.

She was restricting herself and giving up in accordance with her knowledge.

How stupid.

She could not let herself mimic her knowledge. If she did that, she could never leave her own boundaries.

She had already experienced what it meant to think only with her own standards and subsequently fail to reach her goals.

It had happened at the special student general assembly before the battle at Novgorod.

She had meant it as an admonition and her side’s justification had been for show, but she had been shown something even greater than that.

She should have pushed at her opponent and resolved the issue with her own power, but they had given a better answer.

That negotiation and debate was a bond within her.

She had two inherited names and people had long had high hopes for her, but she had been surpassed by someone with neither of those things. That was reality and it was “outside”.

“Honestly.”

She had corrected herself then, but here she was returning to her former self.

That was the problem with being smart.

It was not time to end this yet. Surely not yet.

…''That’s right.

Her mind rose back up. Her vision widened. She had simply been sweating and highly focused. The weakening in the knees was only her exhaustion.

If you ran, you would get tired. That was an obvious fact. So…

“…Next!”

Ookubo approached a turn. It was a 90-degree curve to the left.

This was a good spot. The enemy’s pursuit would slow at the sudden corner. If they moved too fast, they would crash into the building. So she had to increase her speed here.

…''Okay!

She ran around the corner. The scenery seemed to rotate around her and her sweat flew into the air to her right.

A moment later, an impact hit her body.

She had been hit by an attack from what she could only call an ambush.

Kanou opened a sign frame while watching Class Plum eating dessert.

…''Milady.

“What is it, Kanou? Or should I call you Public Morals Committee Head?”

“For now, Kanou is fine. More importantly, Vice President, about Lady Ookubo…”

Kanou titled her head and opened her mouth. The dot on the sign frame indicating Ookubo’s position had stopped moving.

“I have determined that she has been captured by the enemy, built her resolve, or run into some other situation.”

Ookubo’s vision grew distorted.

She rolled a few times before stopping on her back.

…''Oh, no.

Her legs were trembling and she could not move them.

Her arms were bent at the elbow and seemingly stuck like that.

No, she could still move her left arm. Its autonomous functions must have kicked in because it was supporting her heaven-facing body.

Her sweating had gotten a lot worse. Stopping so suddenly had been a bad move. The sweat poured out as if pushed out by the pounding of her heart which was no longer so heavily burdened.

Her summer uniform’s inner suit allowed moisture through, so the sweat beaded up on her tights and suit before tickling her as it dripped to the ground.

But even with tears and sweat distorting her vision, she could see beyond her heavy breathing.

Someone stood there in a combat pose.

They were small, they were no taller than Ookubo, and they wore a brimmed hat.

“Satomi Student Council President…!?”

“Did I surprise you? But it looks like I arrived in time.”

Yoshiyasu did not glance down at the Representative Council Head who lay on the ground.

She had sobered up. She needed to look dead ahead where the Houjou mechanical phoenix had stopped in front of the corner.

She also saw a column in the corner of her vision.

It supported the eaves of a house on the corner.

It was positioned like a pillow for the collapsed Representative Council Head.

There was a hole in it.

It was a bullet hole.

…''That was a close one.

She was glad she had been able to circle in front of the Representative Council Head. That girl was quick on her feet, so getting ahead of her had not been easy. The hangover as she had started to run had not helped matters.

That meant someone else was targeting that girl. Yoshiyasu had noticed and knocked her out of the way, which led to the current situation. However…

“…”

There was no sign of the person who had targeted the Representative Council Head.

Had they distanced themselves from here, or had they gone to a different battle?

…''Either way, she’s safe.

So Yoshiyasu lightly lowered her hips while facing the mechanical phoenix.

She reached out a hand toward the Representative Council Head and the girl’s prosthetic left arm reached back.

She grabbed it and pulled her up.

…''It isn’t going to pop off like with Musashi’s princess, is it?

Was that strange concern a sign that she was being contaminated too? In that case…

“I cannot afford to lose if I don’t want them to laugh at me. …Genan.”

Once the Representative Council Head stood up on wobbly legs, Yoshiyasu pushed her below the eaves and then tilted her head.

“It’s been a while since I fought against Houjou, so I’m going to enjoy this.”

“Ho ho? You only ever followed after Yoshiyori-kun or charged recklessly ahead, so what could you possibly show me?”

“What I will show you should be obvious.”

With that, Yoshiyasu crossed her arms. And in that instant…

“Come! …Righteousness!”

Ookubo saw it from her position below the house’s eaves.

It was a god of war.

Satomi Student Council President Yoshiyasu’s Righteousness landed behind her.

After a brief rumbling, the wind arrived.

Her sweat was blown away and she felt like her exhaustion was taken with it.

“Mogami Representative Satomi Yoshiyasu! I begin this battle with righteousness!”

The girl’s loud voice announced the beginning of the battle.

<noinclude>
{{HorizonNavbar
| [[Horizon:Volume 6C Chapter 48|Chapter 48]]
| [[Horizon:Volume 6C Chapter 50|Chapter 50]]
}}
</noinclude>

Horizon:Volume 6B Chapter 44

2018-04-18T20:35:53Z

162.158.134.31: One formatting error and one spelling error fixed.

==Chapter 44: Runner at the Start Time==
[[Image:Horizon6-B779_779.jpg|thumb]]
''Wait a little

''Wait a lot

''Wait more

'''Point Allocation (Not – Possible)

Katou Yoshiaki heard a certain sound.

An explosive boom reached her from far beyond the roofs of the buildings.

…''Has the battle started?

''This got bloody fast,'' she thought, but she was a part of it.

As a Weiss Hexen, she normally fought in the sky, so she was not exactly in her element fighting on the surface.

''But,'' she thought. ''I know how to fight like this.

That just left using it in an emergency, but…

“I hope I can meet up with Kani.”

She had been sent in on Houjou’s side. Houjou and Hashiba were enemies, but as long as they each had another enemy, they would not be forced to fight each other.

Kani’s skill level was unknown, but ground battles had to be her forte. Yoshiaki had not expected her to run all the way to Shimoda in half a day. According to Kani…

“But the mountains are really scary at night!”

That was the line of someone who had experienced the mountains at night.

So Yoshiaki concluded that Kani was fairly capable. However…

“————”

''Now, what to do?'' she thought.

“I want to avoid getting into any serious fights if I can.”

Yoshiaki thought about the battlefield and the battle participants.

Based on the order, she was the only one that could fly. So she could always take flight and flee as soon as a battle began.

There were plenty of obstacles and plenty of cover in the city. Her wings made her easy to see, but she still had an advantage since she could retreat and escape. Also…

…''Could I also hide inside a home or store?

But there were figures in the city.

They were automatons.

Perhaps as a service from Houjou, automatons in Houjou maid uniforms were cleaning the roads and running some of the stores and restaurants. They would clean up the damaged battlefield and they would provide assistance if anyone needed it.

Of course, they did not greet or speak to anyone so they would not give away anyone’s position.

The participants were treated like they did not exist.

There was another explosion. It was farther away than before.

…''In that case…

This was dangerous.

The representatives would move away from the site of a battle in progress. They would not want it to interfere with their own battles. But in that case…

“Where am I now?”

She was on the southwest side of the Odawara city. She was near the corner.

She had nowhere to run if she was pursued.

She needed to get moving and soon. An enemy could be approaching from the center, so she always kept a building between her and the roads leading to the center.

She hurried.

She wanted to remain as passive as possible. So she avoided an automaton cleaning the road, and…

“…Outta the way.”

“Oh, excuse me.”

Hearing that, Yoshiaki tapped the automaton on the shoulder and hurried on. She kept her pace light, but she also used her wings.

“——————”

She used some horizontal acceleration to quickly leave that place.

“I was careless,” said Yoshiaki. “I can’t believe they got so close.”

Seki watched the wind leave.

She placed her right hand on the shoulder Yoshiaki had tapped.

“I thought about ending that quickly with a surprise attack, but it didn’t work out.”

She held a black knife in the hand on her shoulder.

She looked back to see no sign of Yoshiaki, not even some scattered feathers.

That girl had made an excellent escape.

And she had done so after tapping Seki on the shoulder to tell her she had noticed her. Seki had immediately prepared for battle when she realized she had been noticed.

Yoshiaki had used that opening to escape, but…

…''I should count myself lucky that I did not have to fight with my surprise attack equipment.

''Staying positive is for the best,'' concluded Seki. And…

“Okay, let’s get going.”

Houjou maid uniforms could be quickly removed using the shoulder clasps.

She wore her normal clothing below: a Hexagone Française combat maid uniform. She straightened the collar, rewrapped the scarf, and checked the armor.

“Testament.”

Then she opened the lid to a nearby water bucket.

It contained a pallet of rifles, pistols, and swords.

She lifted it with her gravitational control and then looked up.

She had heard a noise.

This explosion was even more distant than the last and she noted something about that roar of air.

“That is not an attack. …They are pursuing someone as a game.”

Ookubo ran through the city.

It had been a long time since she set foot on the ground. The surface was more humid than the Musashi and she saw a thick layer of shimmering heat in the distance.

…''Yes, the surface is such an elegant place. No weird upperclassmen anywhere.

“…Wait, this is no time to let that soothe me!”

Just as she shouted that, there was an explosive blast behind her.

A flame spell consumed several homes in an instant. This was more than just a fire spell, as it apparently had an explosion spell included as well. The rumbling produced a shockwave that sent the fragments of broken buildings shooting through the city at high speed. They literally pierced through other buildings to attack at unexpected places.

And once again…

“Wah.”

The building behind her to the right was apparently an inn. A Far Eastern wall with a terrace on the second floor was smashed through on the second floor. The building itself had not been destroyed. The fragments of the house destroyed in the explosion had collided with a building in the adjacent block.

It was a column that broke through the inn’s second floor wall and flew her way. The column was burned to charcoal in places and it carried fragments of the plaster wall with it.

They flew by overhead, but then they lost speed.

“…!”

Ookubo sped up to escape the pillar that fell down toward her like it was trying to hit her.

She avoided it.

Behind her, the pillar crashed into the ground with a surprisingly light sound. She feared it would slide along the dirt and she did indeed hear it rolling with a hollow sound.

But the burnt plaster fragments and clumps of dirt were raining down from above.

Ookubo was familiar with the effects of explosions and how much damage they could do. She had learned that all too well on the way to England. But…

“Shit!”

She swore, but that felt like the only appropriate word.

“Curse those upperclassmen! Curse them…!”

''Just saying it isn’t enough. I have to do something about it once I get back. Yes, that’s what I’ll do. I feel like I’m violating a law against casting unauthorized curses, but I can have Kanou-kun do something about that.

''Besides,'' thought Ookubo.

…''I did think this sounded like a good idea…

Ookubo recalled what happened the night before.

When she visited the cleanup after the meeting, the Vice President had handed her a Main Blue Thunder tart in a box.

“Oh, Ookubo. Take this home with you. The idiot made them while crossdressing, but they’re pretty good. And don’t worry about tomorrow. We have the rules already and you can negotiate on the battlefield. Take a look.”

'''Battlefield Rules

*'''Each duel is limited to 30 minutes and a draw will not be counted as a victory.

*'''If there is a disagreement in the desired type of duel, a discussion will be held and each type will be used for 15 minutes.

*'''If the winner or loser are deemed fit to continue fighting, they may move to a different battlefield.

*'''After a duel is complete, the participants must wait an hour before fighting again.

*'''Divine transmissions on the battlefield will generally be restricted to those being sent out. Mutual communication can only be done at predetermined times or while the warrior is unable to fight.

“See? We’ve all settled on accepting negotiation, so you relax and prepare for that. The other nations will follow along with that. …Oh, there’s a tea pack too. Eat and drink these and get some sleep. Okay?”

“Maa.”

She had left when the anteater waved goodbye, but she should have protested on the spot.

After all, there was a flaw in those battlefield rules.

…''You can choose negotiation as your duel type, but there’s nothing you can do if your opponent has no intention of negotiating.

Or to sum it up…

“It’s useless against a crazy person.”

That was what happened to her.

Just in case, she had written “Requesting a Negotiation” on a sign frame and held it over her head.

She had chosen the center of the city for her battlefield.

Everyone would have their own ideas, but she had decided no one would be dumb enough to start fighting in the very middle. After all, that would make you stand out and the battle would be visible from all four directions.

In the center, something more inconspicuous – like a negotiation – would be preferable to a flashy battle.

So Ookubo had decided to head to the center of the city, raise her negotiation sign, and wait for an opponent.

And that was what she had done.

There was a plaza in the center of the city. It was a dirt plaza with a well in the center. She figured her negotiation sign would be quite visible from there. With everyone watching, no one would be stupid enough to ignore her request for negotiation and attack instead.

And just as she had left the streets and entered the plaza, someone had run out from behind a house.

It was a maid automaton. It was Houjou Ujiteru.

Houjou was an important opponent for Musashi. They would join Musashi later and their permission was needed to enter the Houjou ruins the Vice President and others wanted to visit. So…

“Negotiate! I wish to duel via negotiation!”

[[Image:Horizon6-B789_789.jpg|thumb]]

Just as she yelled that, Ujiteru hid his face behind his hands. Then he swung his arms around in a large circle to reveal his automaton face and stuck out his tongue.

“Baaaaaaaahhhhhhh! It’s meeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!”

''And who are you? Oh, right. Houjou Ujiteru.

“Hiiiiiii! Little giiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiirl! Let me show you the wayyyyyyyyyyyy!”

That led to her current predicament.

“Shit!”

She heard another explosion behind her. And…

“Hellooooooo! Where are yooooooou!? Come on ouuuuuuuut! Or are you happy where you arrre!? That’s terrific! Just like meeeeee! I’m Uji-terrific…!”

The lunatic’s voice pursued her below the summer sun.

''Uncle seems to be doing well,'' thought Ujinao.

Ujinao sighed in the center of Odawara Castle’s center citadel.

She sat below a bamboo parasol. The tea prepared by the automatons was on the hot side, but…

“Even with an automaton body, it feels wonderful to work up a sweat and then cool off.”

“Testament,” agreed the automatons before stepping back.

She viewed a sign frame map of the battlefield.

The water source, Odawara Castle, and the city. Knowing everyone’s location was her privilege as the manager of the Siege of Odawara.

She spoke to the individual on the way to the castle’s main gate.

“Kotarou, do not push yourself too hard.”

“You say that, but I don’t have much of a choice with these opponents!”

“That is why I am warning you.”

Ujinao smiled and saw a few movements.

Musashi’s main group was at the hill near the water source. Takigawa wanted a group battle, so if that was to be viewed as a duel, it was a unique one. The three from Sanada were there too, but how was that going to turn out?

There was one thing she had told Musashi.

She had sent a single divine transmission to them while they were considering their lineup before the battle.

As a result, she could see two people in the Musashi group headed to the water source.

“The Vice President and Chancellor are with them…”

That was a good decision. After all…

“The Houjou ruins are at that same water source as Takigawa’s group.”

Masazumi stood before a hill.

The artificial lake where Takigawa awaited was naturally at a higher elevation than Odawara Castle.

The artificial lake was surrounded by a forest, so it looked easy to approach it using that as cover. However…

“…Sanada and Takigawa are ninjas, so the forest is dangerous.”

“We should take the lead.”

She could only agree with Neshinbara and Crossunite’s comments.

Due to the cloudy forest and hill, she could not yet see the lake.

“Are the ruins there?”

“Houjou says so. …And I can understand why there would be ruins at that water source. In order to use the ocean for trade, the newer parts of the city were likely built in the lower area.”

“So what are we gonna do, Seijun? Go check it out now?”

“We don’t have the right yet.” Masazumi looked to Odawara Castle and the city where she could see and hear explosions. “We need someone to defeat someone from Houjou so we can win that right. And political factors could change the other nations’ stance. It would be safest not to head there right away. So for now…”

She looked to the explosive Odawara city.

“We wait until someone has won a victory over Houjou.”

“And if no one does?”

“We ask some other nation or Houjou to give us one victory’s worth of rights. This might call for a prostration.”

She heard another explosion in the distance. However…

“Mh?” Urquiaga turned toward the Odawara city. “The direction of the explosions has changed. Has something happened on the battlefield?”

Ookubo realized the pursuing explosions had suddenly veered away.

…''To the right!?

They had shifted, but she could not let her guard down. This could always be a feint.

“Kh…”

Ookubo ran. She raced forward while telling herself she could relax if the explosions did not return after another 3 seconds of running.

Three.

There was another explosion behind her. Its position was still shifted.

But she ran. There was a three-way junction coming up and she wanted to turn right or left at it.

Two.

She accelerated her legs to hurry up.

''Oh, whoops. I haven’t activated enough cooling spells. I only have the usual two for keeping away the summer heat.

One.

She approached the three-way junction and the explosion was shifted again.

''Good,'' she thought. ''The enemy lunatic really has given up on me. He must have spotted someone else when he lost sight of me.'' So…

“Zero…!”

After turning right at the three-way junction and moving behind a house, she took a breath.

She was safe.

That series of events had been far too much.

Why did a liberal arts type have to be chased around by an athletic…no, insane automaton?

“I’m protesting this once I get back…”

With that comment, Ookubo released a heated breath toward the ground and straightened up.

There was a mechanical phoenix in front of her.

It was gold and red, it was at least 15m tall, and its head was facing her.

“…Eh?”

''What is this doing here?'' she wondered as light entered the sight devices on its face. They moved like eyes to focus on her.

“Ohh, ohh. You are a Musashi child…I think? Well, it does not matter. I am Houjou Genan. I have come here as Houjou Ujikuni. Oh, and this is my prototype. It is a mechanical phoenix specialized for ground battles.”

“————————”

''Hold on,'' thought Ookubo as she bent backwards.

…''First a lunatic and now a mechanical phoenix? What kind of theme park is this…!?

The mechanical phoenix stood up with a “yo” and a sound like spraying metal came from its entire body.

“I am merely opening up my cannons a bit, but don’t worry. …I know how to do it so it won’t hurt. Now…which one would you like?”

Without even answering, Ookubo dashed back the way she had come.

Racing destruction was added to the city.

Houses were scattered into the air, but what exactly was racing through the Odawara city could not be seen past the roofs and destruction.

However, a voice spoke up from a position overlooking that wave of destruction.

Two figures faced each other on the shopping district roofs of north Odawara.

One was a white-skinned woman standing on a water bucket.

“Sviet Rus Representative Honjou Shigenaga.”

Her opponent stood on a bathhouse roof with arms crossed.

“Houjou Ujiteruuuuuuu!”

With his arms still crossed, he spread out some swords in his hands. There were three in each hand. He held the blades between his fingers and flames burst from them to extend their reach.

“You think too much of yourself, little girl…!”

The water bucket foothold exploded when the fire touched it.

<noinclude>
{{HorizonNavbar
| [[Horizon:Volume 6B Chapter 43|Chapter 43]]
| [[Horizon:Volume 6B Chapter 45|Chapter 45]]
}}
</noinclude>

Horizon:Volume 6B Chapter 42

2018-04-12T20:52:20Z

162.158.134.31: Definitely the Tsirch God, since Hexagone Française is Catholic.

==Chapter 42: Chicks of the Gathering Nest==
[[Image:Horizon6-B739_739.jpg|thumb]]
''There is no need to grow stubborn

''When surprisingly enjoyable

''Confusion is a luxury

'''Point Allocation (Photo Shoot)

Festival flames wavered in the southern sky.

The Roi-Soleil viewed them from atop Paris’s wall. He was surrounded by ''Belle de Marionnette'' guards and he voiced his thoughts from the stone wall.

“Enemy though they may be, festivals have such wonderful atmospheres. I can just sense the enjoyment radiating from it.”

He received a response from below.

“Hashiba does love their luxuries. Even if this is only a recreation, they do their entertainment right.”

“Testament. So even with your grudge against Hashiba, you can still judge them fairly there. …Flying Katou.”

“Testament,” said an old man kneeling beside the Roi-Soleil.

He looked to the left and right.

“Where are Bernard and his dragons?”

“At the northern beach. …They said they will have fish for dinner. They brought some white wine with them.”

“A Celestial Dragon is sharing a meal with Terrestrial Dragons?”

“Do you have a family, Danzou?”

The old man, Danzou, fell briefly silent at that question. And finally…

“…I left them in Sanada.”

“Great Teacher! Great Teacher! There you are! I’ve been looking for you!”

Seikai ran up the stairs to the top of the wall and the Roi-Soleil smiled and pointed at him.

“Your home town must have been lots of fun.”

“Testament. My incompetent students are such an embarrassment. …Excuse me.”

Danzou stood up and walked toward Seikai with audible footsteps.

“What is wrong with you!? You are in the presence of the Roi-Soleil, so make sure you kneel!”

“Oh, my apologies. Great Teacher. Here is a souvenir from Sanada.”

“Huh…? Seikai, I hear you have been good at this sort of thing ever since you were in Shikoku, but…ohhh, are these ''konetsuke mochi''!? You…wait, how did you forget my favorite: the mincemeat one!?”

“Oh, my apologies, Great Teacher. There was a starving man on the way here and what kind of Sanada ninja would I be if I didn’t save his life? …Yes, and that starving man was me.”

“Damn yoooou!!”

“Ha ha. You two get along so well.”

Danzou and Seikai turned toward the Roi-Soleil’s laughter. Danzou forced Seikai’s head down and the Roi-Soleil cast his gaze across Paris.

“Look.”

“Testament,” said everyone else as they looked to Paris.

They saw a giant festival pot there.

Paris’s interior had been divided by stealth barriers to keep anyone from seeing in, but now only a largescale barrier covered it from above. Since the battle had yet to start, the interior barriers had been removed so everyone could see each other, so the city could air out, and…

“—————”

…so a festival could be held.

Tables lined with food filled the streets and kegs of wine and beer were prepared here and there.

“…!”

People spoke, told stories, laughed, and danced together.

Mouses ran around the city and occasionally used a spell to launch fireworks.

No part of the city was left dark and even the shadows of the buildings and ''Lourd de Marionnette''s were faded by the lighting from multiple directions.

Armand spoke from among the guards viewing that scene.

“Humans are such a mystery. Why do you hold festivals like this? If you wish to pray for victory, then you only need to pray, so why do you cause such a commotion in the name of ‘celebration’? It feels like it contaminates your prayers if you ask me.”

He was answered by Henri who stood on the other side of the guards. She looked across Paris and viewed the festival permeating every centimeter of it.

“They want an excuse to cause a commotion, Armand. If they can find one of those, they will cause a commotion no matter the time or place. Also, drinking alcohol and eating meat is a ritual for accepting that power into their bodies as a blessing. So they do have a justification, Armand.”

“That is an interesting interpretation, Henri, Armand.” The Roi-Soleil gave a “heh” of laughter. “But the people of Paris are hard workers, Henri, Armand. I mean, I live here and yet they do not throw a festival every single day. What can you call that if not a dedication to hard work?”

Seikai tilted his head.

“Roi-Soleil, don’t they actually treat you pretty bad-…”

Danzou hit him to knock him down onto the floor.

The Roi-Soleil ignored that solid sound and turned his gaze back to the southern sky and then the east.

“Now, we have the larger festival, Hashiba. …Has anyone predicted when the battle will begin tomorrow?”

“Testament,” said Henri. “Hashiba is even now continuing the reinforcement of its construction work. We believe the battle will begin tomorrow afternoon at 2.”

“So a major counterattack for a post-lunch workout? Not bad. …Terumoto’s group begins at 1 in the afternoon, so they are starting before us.”

The Roi-Soleil crossed his arms and nodded into the eastern sky.

“I wonder if Terumoto, Musashi’s phony nudist, the Reine des Garous, and the rest are enjoying themselves below that sky.”

“E-excuse me, um, I know you must be enjoying yourselves, but, uh, my room has been squashed in a whole lot,” said Toori.

“Judge. …We needed our own living space.”

Horizon responded while laying out her futon. Kimi and Asama did the same with theirs, but Mitotsudaira was speaking with her parents who were sitting at the hallway end of the room.

“Um, mother, father? You will be using my king’s parents’ bedroom, so you can go get ready there.”

“Oh, Nate. Are you embarrassed? Don’t worry. We are more than ready already.”

''For what?'' wondered Mitotsudaira with a cold sweat, but she decided it would be best not to ask. Her mother would provide a demonstration.

Then a silhouette approached on the other side of the hallway curtain.

“Hey, you okay?”

It was her king.

So she made eye contact with everyone. Horizon and Asama nodded and Kimi picked up a pillow and started slapping it, saying “C’mon! C’mon!” Mitotsudaira ignored that last one.

“Everything is fine, my king.”

“Judge. I’ve brought some food, but what order should we use for the bath? Should I go first?”

Her king opened the curtain and stepped in. Her father reacted to that question.

Her father looked exactly the same as he had in the past and he must have been somewhat cautious of her king because he bowed toward him.

Then her father gestured toward the hallway and spoke.

“Oh, my wife and I can go either last or first.”

“Ohh,” breathed Asama and Kimi.

Kimi elbowed Asama’s shoulder and Asama responded with a serious expression.

“So they take their baths together…”

“My, my… And I was just about to say he seemed so reserved.”

“That was a trick, wasn’t it!? A trick question!”

Mitotsudaira’s mother narrowed her eyes in a smile.

“Don’t worry. We are borrowing someone else’s bath here, so we’ll make sure to be done in only 2 hours.”

''Done with what?'' wondered Mitotsudaira with a cold sweat in her heart, but she decided it would be best not to ask. Her mother would explain.

Then her king carried in the tray he had left out in the hallway.

“Okay, let’s eat. For Horizon and sis, I have apple pie. For Asama, I have that white peach pie you were eyeing when Bell-san took it home with her. …For Nate, I have a duck crush pie. For Mito’s mom, I have a smoked steak with the Aoi family recipe jam. For her dad, I have a citrus mousse.”

“I-isn’t one of those more involved than the others?”

“Nate, being a mother is not easy,” said her mother.

“Yes, but let’s eat.”

With that, her father looked to her mother and her before pressing his hands together.

…''Ah.

It had been a while since she did this family ritual.

Her father must have been fairly nervous. Both her memories of him and the periodic divine mails he sent her told her how thoughtful a person he was.

As a daughter living far away from home, that had been reassuring and appreciated. But scenes like this showed his thoughtfulness in a different light.

'''Wise Sister:''' “…I know this is rude, but he’s like a small animal.”

'''Asama:''' “Eh!? I thought you were going to call him a rare beast!”

'''Flat Vassal:''' “W-wow, I wish I could see this!”

'''Silver Wolf:''' “Should we really leave this open to the entire class!?”

But the next thing she knew, Horizon, Kimi, Asama, and her king were doing the same thing as her father.

…''Tomo, is this okay from a religious perspective?

She gave Asama a look and the girl shrugged.

'''Asama:''' “Shinto isn’t very strict.”

That was somewhat reassuring but also worrying in a different way.

But her father began to speak.

“Meeting new people is the greatest blessing God has given us, so we should make our farewells as fulfilling as possible. Amen.”

That varied a little too much from a standard pre-meal prayer, but that was the way of things in her family.

She had not understood what it meant when she was younger, but now she felt like she did.

…''That is not limited to mealtimes.

After what had happened in Hexagone Française and M.H.R.R., she could see how much more was included in that prayer.

“…Wait, mother! Why are you already eating!?”

“Wh-what are you talking about? I’m only separating out your father’s portion…oh, this is so good.”

“Are you eating it without even noticing!?”

“Oh, Nate, you eat yours too,” said her king.

But everyone relaxed after her king poured them some tea from the teapot. Mitotsudaira saw her father eating a scrap of meat her mother gave him.

He must have been nervous being in someone else’s home.

He was scooted right next to his wife and just about leaning against her while he ate.

In front of the king, he hung his head a bit as he placed the fork in his mouth.

“…”

And he stopped.

…''Eh?

Mitotsudaira panicked when her father stopped moving.

Had he eaten something bad?

He had always liked cooking. Her king was also a good cook, but her father had his preferences.

Was the food prepared for his wife’s tastes not working out for him?

But he suddenly resumed moving.

He used his fork to get some of the sauce on his wife’s steak plate and placed it in his mouth.

“…Nn.”

Hearing that, the king stopped drinking his tea and turned around.

“Is something the matter?”

“Eh?” said her father with a start.

He instantly blushed and hesitated, but…

“Did you make this?”

Kimi waved her arms left and right in an exaggerated fashion, but they ignored her.

The king nodded lightly toward the father.

“Judge. How is it?”

“…It’s interesting. Oh, it tastes fine. I’m sure Miss Loup-Garou likes it too.”

“Miss Loup-Garou?” asked Asama with a tilt of her head.

…''Th-that’s what he calls her when they’re alone!

But Mitotsudaira could not exactly say that. Meanwhile, her mother smiled bitterly and lightly tapped her father’s shoulder.

“It tastes good. I served you this when you were at our house, so you made some modifications to that, didn’t you? …You made it a little sourer, and…”

“Yes,” continued the father.

He may have been intentionally supporting what his wife had said. He stabbed his fork into the fruit in the sauce on her plate.

“The flavor is quite good.”

He sounded somewhat excited.

But instead of stopping himself, he leaned forward and asked the king a question.

“I can make something similar with an apple jam, but it wouldn’t have this consistency. …What is this?”

“Oh, I took quinces pickled in sugar and sliced them up.”

“Quinces?” asked the mother. She made a circle with her index finger and thumb. “Aren’t those only this big?”

“Those are Western quinces, which are also known as Western loquats. The Eastern ones have fist-sized fruits.”

“Oh?”

Both parents focused on the king.

The king responded to their gazes with a slicing gesture.

“I thought they would give some nice texture behind the meat. It would be a little much on a daily basis, but these things are important at times like this, right?”

“I see,” said the father while the mother used her knife to taste just the sauce portion.

“The ingredient has some real volume to it. But it doesn’t have a cloying smell and it’s more like an apple than anything…”

“They’re from the rose family just like apples, so that’s probably why they have a nice scent. But they’re too hard to eat as-is, so you need to pickle them in something first. But that hardness makes it easier to slice them up for a sauce like this. I gave Nate some before and she quite liked it.”

“My.” The mother turned toward Mitotsudaira, narrowed her eyes, and laughed. “Sounds like he’s really taking care of you.”

Heat instantly filled her body and an unpleasant sweat soaked her.

But her father looked to her king and her.

“Really?”

“Eh? Um, uh, the quinces were, uh, well, from one of the times he brought food to my place…”

None of that denied what her mother had said.

But her father smiled a little.

“I’m glad.”

…''Eh?

Just as she thought about what that meant, her king asked her a question.

“But, Nate. …Did I ever manage to reproduce Nate Papan’s sauce?”

Only then did Mitotsudaira realize what her father’s words had meant.

''Ah,'' thought Asama.

''This is a very important time.

So she held her breath.

She did not want to intrude on this short but dense time between her friend and that friend’s parents. So…

…''Do your best.

Asama supported her friend in her heart.

''I know you can do it, Mito.

…''Yes.

''Because you can even speak with your mom now.

…''Judge.

Mitotsudaira regulated her breathing and understood everything.

She understood what her father had meant with “I’m glad”.

He was not saying he was glad for himself. He was saying he was glad for her.

But she could not just leave it like that.

She had to quickly reply that he was overthinking this.

So she leaned forward and spoke to her father.

She placed a hand on her chest while putting on an expression that was not too insistent.

“I don’t think anyone can make the meat dishes you do, father.”

So…

“Could you cook some tomorrow, maybe? The bottled sauce just isn’t the same.”

She saw her father’s eyes widen slightly before he finally smiled a little.

“Really?”

He smiled toward her king.

“Thank you.”

It was a short exchange.

But for Mitotsudaira…

…''Yes.

''I’m glad,'' she thought.

Her father had a reserved personality, so when he accepted that there was someone here who would feed her, he must have decided to hand over everything.

He had decided that his daughter no longer needed him.

That was what it meant to let your child go. But that way of doing it meant making your child into a stranger. That was one way of doing it, but when looking at how he felt about it…

'''Hori-ko:''' “He said thank you… Good job.”

That was it.

Her king had created a compromise.

He could feed the wolf who had come to his house, but only the wolf’s family could cook the food of her family.

So as his daughter, she had been able to say there was no need to throw that out.

…''I’m glad.

Mitotsudaira repeated her father’s words with both meanings.

That exchange had allowed her to demonstrate that she would be fine living away from her parents while also maintaining that bond with them.

She probably would have noticed what was going on regardless, but given the timing and her own personality, she was not sure she could have handled it quite so well.

…''Thank you, my king.

And just as she breathed a mental sigh…

'''Wise Sister:''' “Heh heh. Now you have the approval of both parents!”

Kimi’s words clued Mitotsudaira into the true meaning of what had just happened.

Asama felt heat radiating from Mitotsudaira.

Everyone had finished eating their food and the wolf’s parents were discussing cooking with him.

But Mitotsudaira had yet to touch her own food.

…''That hit her pretty hard…

One’s own awareness and someone else’s acknowledgement were two very different things.

Mitotsudaira had viewed her mother as an enemy and was seeing her father for the first time in a long time. As for what that meant…

'''Hori-ko:''' “Her parents seem to be raising death flags like crazy. Will they be okay?”

'''Asama:''' “Well, there’s always the example of Tenzou-kun. He raised death flags like crazy, but managed to survive and even brought a wife back with him.”

'''10ZO:''' “Th-that was a man’s determination! It was determination!”

Meanwhile, Mitotsudaira’s parents and he began exchanging divine mail addresses. They also checked a cooking site, but was that a page Mitotsudaira’s parents had made?

…''Toori-kun is so good at making friends…

Asama could do it as part of the shrine business, but she was not sure she could do it so naturally. She tended to erect walls around her using her position as the Asama Shrine Representative.

But after their discussion, Mitotsudaira’s mother turned toward her daughter.

“Okay, Nate. We’ve eaten some meat, so we’ll take our bath first.”

“Are you going to stay in there for two hours?”

The daughter sighed, but it was not her parents who reacted. Nor was it him.

It was Kimi. She watched him leave with the stack of plates.

“Okay, let’s have some fun with a photo shoot. To celebrate you moving in.”

“A photo shoot?”

Asama asked, but she did know what that meant.

They would sometimes do that when gathered at someone’s house.

Kimi seemed to have been fine-tuning a photography spell originally meant for taking pictures of yourself or the scenery.

“We made body pillows for everyone before, didn’t we…?”

“Yes.” Horizon nodded. “Who will be the victims this time?”

“H-Horizon, you’re plotting something, aren’t you!?”

Kimi narrowed her eyes at Mitotsudaira’s yelled words. She crawled over and rested her cheek on Asama’s thigh.

“Asama? Mitotsudaira? You brought swimsuits with you, didn’t you?”

“Eh?”

She had seen right through them.

Asama thought about lying, but she could not. Her substitutions kept her from lying.

She tried to figure out what to do, but the words left her before she settled on anything.

“U-umm, I-I did, but…yes, I brought one.”

“Of course you did. You have one for the jacuzzi and your morning purification when you sleep over somewhere.”

That was true.

When doing the morning purification alone, she would do it naked, but when with someone else, it was easier on the other person if she wore a swimsuit. When taking a bath, she would end up doing purifying acts along with them, but when doing a formal purification, she would use the swimsuit.

…''And during our sleepovers, everyone gets drunk, talks about indecent things, and snacks like crazy, so I end up with so much impurity…

She had a set prepared for the morning purification when spending the night at someone else’s house.

As for Mitotsudaira’s swimsuit…

“Yes, Suzu-san and I prepared a new one for Mito. It combines the design of the one Mito has been using with the Asama Shrine’s charm unit. Since Mito’s kept almost coming off during the study camp.”

“Nate… You have nothing for the swimsuit to hold onto, do you?”

“Th-that had more to do with someone nearly taking it off of me!”

Yes, that may have been the case.

But however she had interpreted this, Kimi gave a nasal laugh.

“Then let’s get started. While Mitotsudaira’s maman and papan are enjoying themselves.”

“Wh-what about me!? I could crossdress and…gfhh!”

The crossdresser stuck his head through the curtain and Horizon downed him in the same turn.

…''What is even going on?

''But anyway,'' thought Asama. ''Kimi is probably trying to help us relax.

They could free themselves to a state of near nudity in this room.

For Mitotsudaira, that was probably a lot like putting her scent on the place or building her den. For Asama, it let her judge her “freedom” in this space.

He was doing the same. When he had brought them the food here…

…''He was showing us that this is our home.

Eating was a personal act.

They had been served the pies and breads they were familiar with at the Main Blue Thunder, while Mitotsudaira’s parents were served dinner food and different sorts of sweets. Asama could see the meaning there.

Those two were guests and the others lived here.

“…What am I even supposed to say about this?”

With that, Asama looked to the curtain wall.

…''I don’t have to set up a barrier, do I?

She used that as her own form of allowance and then she nodded to Kimi.

“We have a battle to fight tomorrow, so how about we enjoy ourselves some tonight?”

“Oh, you’re onboard?”

“Well.” Asama felt a belated blush on her cheeks. “You’ll make it a fun photo shoot, won’t you? It’s our first day here, after all.”

The next morning was cloudy.

They were not rain clouds and they did not entirely obscure the sky. The summer air currents had created a thick layer of clouds over coastal Odawara and it was spreading out and flowing toward the sea.

The summer sunlight above made the low clouds glow dully. Below them, several forces were gathering in the sky above Odawara.

Houjou, Mouri, and Musashi were there. Mogami’s Yamagata Castle arrived from the north, as did Sviet Rus’s Fukushima Castle and its accompanying aerial ships.

First, the Houjou fleet took its position in the sky to secure air superiority and manage the battlefield. The other fleets passed by below it.

Next, Sviet Rus moved to the west of Odawara while Mogami and Musashi moved to the east.

P.A. Oda’s Kanie Castle had arrived ahead of the rest, so it was positioned in an artificial lake to the north.

Finally, the Mouri fleet set up its formation in the south.

“Now then, everyone. At noon, Odawara will be opened up as a battlefield.

Everyone within every group exchanged a glance and nodded at Houjou Ujinao’s divine transmission.

Each force’s warriors set up a formation around Odawara Castle and the city

They were preparing for a festival.

Just like with Hashiba, each camp was setting up a festival at Odawara.

Of course, what really mattered were the representatives who would participate in the battle.

They were individuals, but they were also the representatives of nations.

“National interests are at stake here, so we can’t hold back.”

Just as Houjou Shigenaga said on the Fukushima Castle, they were all fully focused on preparing for their duels.

The festival was beginning.

[[Image:Horizon6-B762_762.jpg|thumb]]
Study:

Siege of Odawara

Toori: Sis! Sis! The Siege of Odawara is starting, but what’s that gonna be like!?

Kimi: Heh heh heh. Siege brother, this is what the terrain looks like.

Top left: Mountains

Top middle: Forest

Top right: Road

Diagonal white rectangle: Kanie Castle

Black oval: Artificial Lake

White square on right: Musashi Camp

Circle around Musashi Camp: Hill

White rectangle on left: Odawara Castle

Bottom: Odawara City

Toori: Looks like something from an old game… You clear the city, go to the castle, and complete a maze in the end…

Kimi: Yes, that is generally how it worked with side-scrolling games starring ninjas.

Toori: But this is a top-down view? Oh, yeah! Everything’s 3D these days! Let’s put in some nude mods!

Kimi: Hey, gamer boy. Gamer boy. Focus on reality here.

<noinclude>
{{HorizonNavbar
| [[Horizon:Volume 6B Chapter 41|Chapter 41]]
| [[Horizon:Volume 6B Chapter 43|Chapter 43]]
}}
</noinclude>

Horizon:Volume 6B Chapter 39

2018-04-07T22:23:56Z

162.158.134.31: Found three typos.

==Chapter 39: Girls Thinking in the Night==
[[Image:Horizon6-B619_619.jpg|thumb]]
''I came here

''Because I thought it was important

''I am here

''Because I realized it was important

'''Point Allocation (Acceptance)

Fukushima viewed the sky.

She saw only a few clouds in that night sky, but what shapes were floating there were illuminated from below by the festival being held on the ironclad ships and by the lights of Paris.

The clouds were moving slowly. But…

…''Huh?

Fukushima felt the cold. And it came from behind. The back of her head, neck, back, arms, hips, butt, legs, and heels all sank into the cold like they had been grabbed.

She heard a quiet splash.

And just as she heard that sound and the water reached her ears…

“…!?”

She sat up while surrounding by spray.

…''Umm.

She looked around.

She was in the pool. She could see the rows of festival lanterns along the pool horizon and she saw the roofs of the festival stands below those.

Someone stood there with the scene and lights as her background.

It was Kiyomasa.

She held the combined form of Caledfwlch in her right hand and she was smiling.

“Fukushima-sama, you are wide open.”

“Oh, um, uh.”

Fukushima scrambled to her feet.

…''When did that happen?

She had no idea what had caused her current situation.

She only remembered leaping in to make an attack.

But at some point, she had collapsed.

She had not been hit and knocked out.

…''Then what…?

She did not know.

She did not understand what had happened to her. But Kiyomasa took a breath.

“I can do this as many times as it takes.”

“Do what thou just did?”

Fukushima took a crouching position on the duckboard.

“Fukushima-san! Kiyomasa-san! You started without me!”

Just then, Katagiri arrived from the stairs up to the pool area.

He quickly activated Hundred Crest Land Survey around him. He had the water trace and record their movements.

Someone else also climbed the stairs.

“Huh? You’re training even after completing your festival day quota?”

It was Hachisuka. She wore a jacket over a P.A. Oda-colored swimsuit.

“Well, I don’t mind. In fact, it’s fun to watch.”

“Testament. We will be working hard.”

With that, Fukushima moved forward. She did not understand how Kiyomasa had knocked her down, but the recorder had arrived and her spirit had not broken. So…

…''Will I find an answer to why I failed during the day!?

She asked herself that as she charged toward Kiyomasa.

And a splashing reached her ears.

At the Main Blue Thunder, cleanup time on the road had come to an end.

Each nation’s representatives were speaking with the others from their nation and quickly leaving.

The members of Class Plum were dismantling the fence, carrying out the tables, and gathering the trash in its appropriate place.

“Okay, you’re dismissed, everyone. Masa, we could use your help fixing the outer wall and removing the fence. Also, are Tenzou and Shiro here? You two distribute some sweets to the neighbors.”

The crossdresser gave his instructions and clapped his hands once to get everyone moving.

They all started home while thinking back on the busy day. However…

“…What am I going to do about this?” muttered Narumi on the way to Takao.

The half-dragon walked beside her. He carried a large bento box full of leftovers.

“Want some crab with cheese?”

“Sorry, but we have a similar dish in Date.”

But he was only giving her a chance to speak. Probably, anyway. She seriously hoped he was not just going to open up that bento box.

He continued to walk.

That meant her hope was granted.

…''Now, then.

He had started a conversation so she could speak, so how was she to respond?

Around them, the construction was still underway in central Musashino.

But after he took a few more steps…

“Should we sit down and eat?”

“…Is that what you wanted?”

“I cannot fight on an empty stomach.”

Hearing that, Narumi sighed as she walked.

“Were there any chicken dishes?”

“There was some soy sauce fried turkey.”

“Then I’ll have that.”

There were surprisingly few locations available to sit in the surface area.

She was still not used to life on the Musashi, but she did not think they could sit out front of the shops that had closed for the night. And the ones that were still open would only want customers sitting there.

“The transport district has a lot of rest benches.”

That was exactly what they found in the stern transport district that connected Takao to Musashino.

Musashino’s repair materials were still being transported, so all of the lights were still on.

''This atmosphere isn’t exactly conducive to asking for advice,'' she thought as they found an empty seat overlooking Musashi’s cliff-like outer edge.

They had a nice view from there.

They could see Odawara Castle and the city diagonally below. The city had few lights and they were mostly along the southern coast, so the residents were probably being evacuated.

''What a nice place,'' thought Narumi.

He apparently knew a lot of the people in this transport district. That was likely because he would work transport jobs part-time. People would occasionally call out to and greet him while Narumi placed the bento box on her lap.

…''Oh, this crab with cheese is seasoned with olives, isn’t it?

It was fatty and oily, which did not seem very healthy, but it provided a nice accent when eating something else.

The soy sauce fried turkey was also quite good, but she decided that was enough fatty foods.

“This egg and bean rice is pretty good.”

“Because you end up wanting a staple food.”

“Yes,” she agreed while scooting the bento box so it sat on both their laps. She was on the left and he was on the right. His right arm was in the way, so he placed it behind the bench and skillfully used his left hand to grab things with his chopsticks.

“We’re going to finish this off before we get home,” he said.

“We can always head back to the Blue Thunder,” she replied.

Then she expressed her thoughts on her current situation.

“This has become a lot of trouble.”

''I’m no good at talking about myself,'' thought Narumi.

So she talked about the surrounding situation instead of herself.

“It’s so much trouble.”

“Because you are the only member of the Date clan here and you must fight against Musashi on Hashiba’s side?”

“You figured that out quick.”

“I sort of understand you.”

“I see you’ve learned how to be noncommittal.”

“Please, enough praise.”

She thought about that for about 3 seconds. And then she brought a hand of understanding to her forehead.

“Oh, my bad. Sorry for praising you.”

“As long as you understand. But, Narumi. …This is part of what it means to leave your clan, so you should help them out when you can. Isn’t there anything you can do? Other than money. We’re running short on that since I already ordered a porn game this month.”

“I’m aware. We share the address you use to order them, after all. …And just to be clear, I don’t have that kind of secondary armor.”

“I see…”

That was apparently a disappointment, but she was not about to keep that thread of conversation going.

She reached her chopsticks toward the asparagus in sweet soy sauce as she continued on.

“You can prepare yourself for anything, but you still end up complaining, huh?”

“Did you want Western food?”

“Yes, but that’s not what I meant.”

Narumi sighed and grabbed some boiled fish with tomato sauce.

“I don’t like how often I have to fight my own people.”

“Yes, you did fight the Seiryu back in Date, didn’t you? Without any underwear on.”

“How I was dressed is irrelevant. It’s the situation that matters.”

''I’m hopeless,'' thought Narumi. ''He’s trying to be nice, but I just snapped back at him.

“Can I have these?”

“You can have two.”

He readily took three, so she glared at him.

But he did not seem to care as he spoke.

“Our class is always cannibalistic, so you don’t need to worry about it.”

“Someone could die in a duel between national representatives.”

“Oh, that’s not a big deal.”

Before she could ask how, the half-dragon calmly continued.

“We’re the kind of people who use a god of war to hit someone with a wrench during a special student general assembly.”

“You never hold back, do you?”

“Indeed. We’ve learned to live entirely in the moment. She even cursed upon seeing she had not crushed her opponent to death.”

“And what were you doing then?”

“A bit before that, I had had some fun making dust explosions. Dust explosions are great. They really clean out your windpipe.”

“What a wonderful academy.”

“You only just now figured that out?”

“Judge,” she nodded.

“So what is wrong with fighting your own people?”

“It’s exhausting.”

“Why?”

“Because you understand what harming them would mean. They’re part of the same community, so I end up thinking I’ve harmed someone who was a crucial part of holding that community together.”

“Then could you hit me?”

“I could hit you.”

“Then that is good enough.”

She did not know what he meant, so she asked a question of her own.

“Could you hit me?”

“I could.”

“Seriously? Even though I could die?”

“You would not die.”

He was confident.

“No matter what I did, you would remove your prosthetic arms and legs and use the centipede to fight back. And if that was not enough…”

“Yes?”

“I would protect you, so do not worry.”

“You would protect me from…yourself? That’s a new one. Do half-dragon brains even work?”

“Worry not. …None of my training would make my fist unstoppable.”

“Then what if I counterattacked immediately afterwards?’

“You can only stop my fist because you are not the kind of person who would do so.”

“Judge.” She nodded. “So you’re telling me to keep every last one of them alive.”

“Judge. As long as they still live, they can manage somehow. So only think about not losing anyone. And, Narumi?”

“What?”

“I believe that is what you did at Date.”

“Yes,” she said with a nod.

''As long as it looked that way,'' she thought while keeping the thought to herself.

“Tomorrow is looking to be a busy day.”

“Some of us will be busy tonight as well.”

“Judge. Like at the Chancellor’s place.”

Narumi tilted her head toward the Main Blue Thunder which was no longer in view.

“All of a sudden moving in together is a very Musashi way of doing it.”

Asama set down her luggage in that space.

This was the Aoi home. It was the main hall built in the back of the Main Blue Thunder.

It had originally been divided into the rooms for Toori, Kimi, and a guest.

…''But Masa removed the guest room’s wall and Kimi removed the beds…

That had quickly created a long and spacious room.

His room was partitioned off with a curtain.

The hallway side of the room also used a curtain instead of a wall. The window side and back side had walls while the hallway side and his room’s side had curtains.

Those walls and curtains surrounded a main hall of about 12 square meters, but…

“Umm.”

Asama was unsure what to do while Horizon laid out the tatami mats on the floor. She used her gravitational control, so she could move them around quite easily and it looked very cute. However…

“Oh, Kimi-sama will use Toori-sama’s space there. As a form of inspection.”

“Wh-what kind of inspection?”

That question came from Mitotsudaira who had also carried her luggage in and stopped in a daze.

Horizon raised both her palms toward Mitotsudaira.

She then turned her body and hands toward the curtain partitioning off his room.

“Sowahhh!”

Her gravitational control pushed the curtain wall horizontally.

On the other side, they heard something fell over and something like a box rolling, but Horizon ignored it. She nodded twice.

“Yes, yes. That cleared up a bit more space. Please help me shift the tatami mats over.”

“Okay,” agreed Asama as she crouched down next to the tatami mat on which Kimi would sleep. She grabbed the edge, and…

“Um, Mito? You want to be close to Toori-kun, right? Since you’re his knight?”

“N-no, Kimi is there. …And, Horizon, are you sure you don’t want Kimi’s spot?”

“Judge, I think I should sleep in the former guest room for the time being.” She used her gravitational control to push the furthest-back tatami mat against the wall. “I will not slurrrrrrrrrrrp up my old self’s memories, but if there are any regrets there, they should be able to resolve themselves if I am there.”

Asama could not see anything in what had been the guest room. Her prosthetic eye Konoha could not detect anything either. But if that would put Horizon’s mind at ease…

…''Horizon must see this like a memorial service.

Even with an automaton body, certain actions could be seen as a resolution of old regrets.

She suddenly turned back toward the other two.

“Where are Toori-sama and Kimi-sama?”

“Eh?” said Mitotsudaira. “Um, since we’re moving in today and my parents are visiting, they took my parents to the Blue Thunder to buy some supplies for a party.”

“Judge. That is perfect then. I would like to discuss something important.”

Namely…

“Toori-sama.”

…''Toori-kun?

Asama tensed up at the direction of the conversation and the mention of that name.

For one thing, it was rare for Horizon to ask for advice concerning him.

…''Umm.

Asama set her luggage down by the window and hesitated a moment before sitting in front of Horizon. Mitotsudaira also approached and sat next to her.

Horizon looked to both of them and opened her mouth.

“I have determined Kimi-sama understood what was going on and removed Toori-sama from the house for our sake. So I would like to ask something.”

“Wh-what is it?” asked Mitotsudaira.

“Judge. First I would like to confirm something. …The two of you have come here because of your relationship with Toori-sama and your important positions in relation to him, correct?”

Asama appreciated that the knight next to her did not hesitate to say “judge”.

The most Asama could manage was a nod, and it was so minute that no one could see the movement. But the wolf next to her placed a hand on her chest and spoke plainly.

[[Image:Horizon6-B635_635.jpg|thumb]]

“I would also like to confirm something with you, Horizon. …If we are here because of our relationship with my king, it will mean that relationship will only grow deeper. What are your thoughts on that?”

“Are you talking about ''eros''?”

The wolf gasped and looked over, but Asama was already looking the other way.

“Tomo…? It’s too late to run away now.”

“No, um, well, yes.”

''She’s learned how to handle how bad I am at giving up…'' she thought, but then Horizon nodded.

“Well, that is a natural topic of discussion here. And if you ask me…”

“Y-yes?”

Asama could not help but lean forward and ask. So Horizon…

“Judge. To be blunt, that is difficult for me to answer since I have yet to retrieve all of my emotions. But with the main three and Olos Phtonos…” Horizon nodded. “I am fairly indifferent about it.”

“W-wait, you need to give this more thought, Horizon!”

Part of Asama thought it would be better not to stop her, but she stopped her anyway.

She wanted to avoid anything that could be seen as not playing fair. So she took a breath, and…

“Um, you still haven’t retrieved your emotions, so you shouldn’t be able to properly grasp your feelings on us deepening our relationship with him or about yourself. I mean, your jealousy hasn’t actually activated, and, um…”

This was hard to say, but hesitating would not make it any easier.

“You don’t have lust, so isn’t it difficult for you to make any decisions about the deeper parts of love and that sort of thing?”

She asked. And…

“…”

Horizon averted her gaze a bit and fell silent.

…''Eh?

Horizon started sweating, so Asama began wondering if she had made a mistake.

…''Wh-what is this about?

“Um, Mito?”

She looked to the side and found Mitotsudaira also averting her gaze and sweating.

''Not good. This is very bad,'' thought Asama as she started to panic.

“Um, you two? Did I say anything weird?”

“No, Asama-sama, but can I ask something?”

Still sweating, Horizon held up a hand.

“Now, Asama-sama. You said I would have difficulty making decisions about love since I do not have lust.”

“Yes, what about it?”

She received a prompt response.

“Are sexual acts how you define love?”

Mitotsudaira watched the flustered shrine maiden next to her.

“Wh-what are you talking about!? Th-that isn’t it at all. N-not at allllll. B-besides, um…right! It is because you love someone that you have sex with them! You don’t love them because of the sex! You have the order wrong there! Right, Mito!?”

“If you say so, Tomo…”

“Over here! Let’s focus over here! You’re looking at me, Mito, but your mind is focused elsewhere, isn’t it!?”

What else was she supposed to do?

But Horizon opened her mouth in front of panicking Asama.

“I apologize, Asama-sama. You have made a slight misunderstanding.”

Which was…

“First of all, the emotions that return to me are generally negative ones. They are deadly sins, so my emotions work to suppress them. Of course, that increases the actions available to me and allows me to make more decisions, but that is not because I am gaining positive emotions. Toori-sama told me in England that those are developed as an opposite reaction. Thus, I do not fear the negative emotions.”

“Then, Horizon, how do you view my king?”

“I confirmed at Mikawa and again at Sanada that he is my opposite. Of course…”

Horizon looked around the room to ensure no one else was there.

“Just like Toori-sama said at England, if I were to lose him, I am sure I would compose my feelings and eventually begin a new life for myself.”

But…

“I have determined I would gain the major bond of remorse before I reached that point.”

“——————”

Mitotsudaira could sense Asama’s tension through her skin.

The shrine maiden was practically giving off an electrical aura.

She must have imagined the scenario Horizon had described. Just like Mitotsudaira had.

“I have determined that would be a lot of trouble,” said Horizon. “Even if you are prepared for it to occur at any time, simply imagining loss can still bring sorrow. Even if you know you will eventually find a replacement, something even better, or a different set of values altogether, wallowing in your memories is always an option, which makes it very difficult.”

Then she looked to Asama and Mitotsudaira.

“You two are the same as me, aren’t you?”

Mitotsudaira noticed a change in Horizon’s expression. Or she thought she did.

She did not see it clearly, but she saw something on the automaton princess’s face.

…''Relief?

It looked like she smiled and relaxed her shoulders just a bit. However…

“—————”

When Mitotsudaira looked again, Horizon had returned to her usual lack of expression.

“Hm? Is something the matter, Mitotsudaira-sama?”

“No, it’s nothing.”

Had she only imagined it? Either way, Horizon expressionlessly opened her mouth.

“I must correct another misunderstanding Asama-sama made. Olos Phtonos has already activated.”

“…Eh?”

“Judge. Olos Phtonos is the control OS for the Logismoi Oplo. The Logismoi Oplo are made from my emotions, but I believe it is Olos Phtonos that processes them as weapons rather than emotions when they return to me. …I do not know what will happen when I have gathered them all, but if we include Olos Phtonos itself, my jealousy is functioning at 4/9 capacity.”

Horizon looked to Mitotsudaira and Asama again.

“I sometimes feel jealous of you two or the others. And that is why I said you are welcome to join us,” she said. “Now, time for the main topic at hand: Toori-sama.”

She nodded before continuing.

“To be blunt, Toori-sama will not last.”

“He won’t last…?”

Asama felt like parroting Horizon’s words was meaningless.

…''Pretty much.

That was her more honest response to Horizon’s words.

He would not last like this. She did not know if he would be lost or broken, but…

…''He will no longer be with us.

Horizon explained why since Mitotsudaira was holding her breath.

“He is gathering the Logismoi Oplo and stopping the Apocalypse to retrieve my emotions. That sounds simple enough, but those tasks entail much more than that. Sometimes it goes well and sometimes it does not. Sometimes we lose things like we did before and we learned a lot about how to view that while in Sanada. But…”

But…

“Toori-sama is constantly trying to look good in front of me.”

Asama knew she should probably smile bitterly at this.

But she knew exactly what Horizon meant.

There was one thing he said a lot when speaking to Horizon.

“ ‘I won’t lose’, right?”

What was he trying to defeat? Horizon’s personality? No, Asama had a feeling he could never defeat that. But that aside…

“He’s probably talking about the world domination and everything else he sees through you, Horizon.”

That was it.

He would conquer the world and retrieve all of her emotions, but…

…''He really is an idiot…

He was always trying to look good so he would not worry Horizon.

He never let his weakness show, he showed off his strength, and he always kept his darker parts hidden.

Of course…

“Um, Horizon? That’s partially because Toori-kun will die if he feels sad thanks to the contract he accepted on the way to save you at Mikawa…”

But anyone who knew him would know it was more than that. So…

“That was necessary to save you. So, while I’m not about to apologize for it, that was brought about by our decisions and the circumstances, not by your decisions.”

“I am glad to hear you say that, Asama-sama. But we do have a consensus on the fact that Toori-sama’s options are limited.”

Asama agreed with that.

Mitotsudaira seemed to as well:

“My king always acts the king around me…”

“But he can seek help from you, Mitotsudaira-sama.”

Asama realized what Horizon was saying.

…''Ah.

She finally understood what he had meant when she arrived here in the afternoon.

“Toori-kun doesn’t try to look good in front of us…”

''That’s true,'' agreed Mitotsudaira.

…''Tomo is exactly right.

Neither option could be unconditionally declared good or bad.

“It seems you two already understand,” said Horizon.

Mitotsudaira and Asama nodded.

“That is how a knight’s relationship with her king works.”

“We’ve, well, always been like that…”

But Mitotsudaira understood something else too.

“You avoided bringing this up when my mother or my king were around, didn’t you?”

Even inside the study camp tent, some of it had been set aside as an issue “for later”. As for why…

“Even if he is an idiot, I saw no reason to put it to words and inform Mitotsudaira-sama’s mother of a weakness of his. Of course, there is a good chance she has already noticed, but I thought everyone could help compensate for his idiotic attempts to act tough.”

“You mean…?”

“Judge.” Horizon nodded. “I have determined he will have even more reason to act tough from here on. And I assume you will agree with me there.”

“Judge. …In the process of conquering the world, we will be more focused on results than on working out plans and policies.”

“Exactly. …A lot has already happened – much of it silly – and I have been pivotal in finding a solution on several occas-…what is that look for?”

“Oh, nothing,” said Mitotsudaira while she and the shrine maiden waved their hands dismissively.

Horizon slapped her knee.

“Listen. This is a serious topic.”

“…Sorry.”

“From here on, a great many nations will expect something from Toori-sama. A lot will be consumed in the process and he will be held responsible. …But if I am the only one by his side, he will not last. Because he will be forced to constantly act tough no matter what happens. He will have to constantly put on a brave face so as not to worry me…and keep me from losing anything. Of course, he can reduce that burden by delegating a lot of the tasks to everyone else, but carrying everyone’s impossibilities is how he rules as a king. But outside of that, as we gain more relationships and more is expected of him, people will expect more of the possible from him and not just the impossible,” she said. “It really is a lot of trouble. Looking at his results as a politician, simply using the three-nations meeting to recover from the terrible loss at Mikatagahara was more than enough already.”

“But there’s still so much to go: Hashiba, Nobunaga, Westphalia…and the Apocalypse.”

“Judge. …If only my relationship with him was simpler. But, well, how should I put this?”

Horizon glanced up at the ceiling.

After just a few seconds she lowered her gaze to them.

“…That isn’t going to happen given my personality.”

“N-nothing is ever going to change if you just accept that, you know?” said Asama.

“No, no.”

Horizon held out both hands to stop her.

Then she raised her right index finger on the right side of her head.

“I am his driving force, but if he acts tough and continues ever onward, he will eventually wear out. So…”

“You want to use our relationships with him to help him recover and build up his endurance?” asked Asama.

But she hesitated for a few beats after saying it.

Finally, she continued.

“Our relationships are not tools for propping up your relationship with Toori-kun.”

''That wasn’t the best way of putting that,'' thought Asama with a mental slump of her shoulders.

But even after everything that had happened, she did have her pride.

This was her relationship with someone she cared for, so it would feel like an insult if it was used as a tool or treated as inferior.

Of course, that was an issue of her feelings and could change based on her interpretation of the situation. But…

“If I feel insulted, I will leave immediately.”

“Asama-sama, while we can judge the value of relationships, they cannot be ranked as superior or inferior. And…that is where the acting tough comes from.” Horizon looked straight at her. “Toori-sama is a terrible entertainer. You should know that better than anyone. I have heard about Suzu-sama’s essay you read at Mikawa.” She narrowed her eyes. “But when that terrible entertainer is with someone and he thinks it is an important moment for them, he will grow serious for that person and that person alone. He has a bad habit of only seeing that person at such a time. That is why the rulers of other nations hear him saying such silly things. Asama-sama, you have to have seen that up close countless times. …This time, you and Mitotsudaira-sama will be that someone.”

“So…?”

“Judge.” Horizon nodded. “I am already that someone. But I am his driving force and I must have him act tough, even if I know it is a burden on him. Because he wants to look good in front of me and I am not crass enough to stop him. …So I want the two of you to give him a time for indulgence. When he is exhausted, angry, or approaching sadness, please help him and allow him to indulge. Because in a way, you could say that is his true self.”

“And in those cases, you’ll send him to us while telling him to stop acting tough and get some rest?”

“Judge. …Something that you can both think of as ‘nice’ might be for the best. In that way, I have determined Mitotsudaira-sama may have the best position since he can try to look good for her as a king while also revealing his pathetic side by seeking help.”

“M-me!?”

The knight grew flustered and Asama nodded.

“My, Mitooooo, aren’t you lucky?”

“Wh-what is that mocking tone for!?”

“Although knowing you, you’ll be more licky than lucky. Yes.”

A blush instantly covered the knight’s face.

And she spread her mouth horizontally.

“Um, Horizon? What if our relationship develops to the point of, um…''that'' happening?”

“Judge. I am the top batter, so I imagine Toori-sama would be more accepting if I was the first at bat.”

“Do we have to discuss this touchy topic like we’re managing a baseball team?”

But Asama had heard what mattered.

…''It is true that Toori-kun tries to look good in front of Horizon…

It was probably important that she felt a little envious of that.

He did not try to look good in front of her, but that itself was a privilege of hers.

…''I see.

“Horizon, this is about the directions in the battle formation you were talking about, isn’t it?” Asama finally felt her shoulders relaxing. “We describe it all with the single major word ‘relationship’, but we all have our small relationships that combine into a single large relationship.”

That was true of a family, of an organism, and of an organization.

…''Oh, and the relationships between the Shinto gods are like that too…

Her job made it impossible not to think of that example.

But Horizon suddenly moved her face in close.

“Listen, you two.”

Asama knew what Horizon was going to say next, so she said it herself.

And Mitotsudaira happened to say it at the same time.

“This is our shared secret. …Right?”

After asking, Asama felt like Horizon had smiled a little.

And she had to wonder how many more times something like this was going to happen.

“That’s 17 times.”

Katagiri heard Hachisuka’s announcement and another sound: a splash.

…''Wow.

He had swum in this pool the other day, but it now had a duckboard laid over the surface, creating a simple water-top stage.

The duckboard sank down a bit, so the people on it had their toes sinking into the water.

But one of those people was not standing in the water at the moment.

That person was Fukushima.

She had fallen over and been soaked with the splash she had created.

The other person on the water had remained standing throughout.

“Kiyomasa-san…”

She was facing away from Katagiri, so he could see her blonde hair dry and blowing in the wind.

She had yet to make an obvious swing of Caledfwlch. And yet…

“Why can’t Fukushima-san stand up to her at all?”

“Are you asking me?” Hachisuka crossed her arms and tilted her head. “I don’t know what Kiyomasa is doing, but she’s definitely keeping Fukushima from doing much of anything.”

“So it’s affecting the start of her techniques?”

“Look into it yourself.”

That told Katagiri that his fears were grounded in reality.

…''Hachisuka-san is surprisingly nice.

She was probably trying to be strict, but it actually made her easy to read.

She was probably aware of it, but she likely thought going further would be too much work and she must not have seen a need to make herself any more of a villain.

Katagiri knew she was watching the other two train as her way of showing concern.

…''Yes, Hachisuka-san is a good person.

After all, she would not barge in while he was taking a bath. Nor did she half-jokingly and casually use some kind of ''lernen figur'' to record and examine him.

Of course, he had no interest in seeing an elementary school girl’s body.

''Besides,'' thought Katagiri. ''I have Musashi’s lewd shrine maiden.

“Katagiri, keep your eyes on the pool.”

“Oh, s-sorry!”

What did it mean if he was being scolded by an elementary school kid?

But he heard the same sound again.

Fukushima had attempted an attack on Kiyomasa and had been sent flying.

“18 times. If she doesn’t catch on soon, then she has it really bad.”

<noinclude>
{{HorizonNavbar
| [[Horizon:Volume 6B Chapter 38|Chapter 38]]
| [[Horizon:Volume 6B Chapter 40|Chapter 40]]
}}
</noinclude>

Horizon:Volume 6B Chapter 37

2018-02-18T00:55:38Z

162.158.134.31: Formatting errors.

==Chapter 37: Usurper of the Gathering Spot==
[[Image:Horizon6-B537_537.jpg|thumb]]
''When I am called for and arrive

''How do I want

''Everyone to greet me?

'''Point Allocation (I Want Them to Rely On Me)

“Ko ko,” Yoshiaki laughed in her throat.

Shakenobe approached in the air next to her and passed her a glass of sake.

“This is last year’s batch. …This is such a fun time of year because I can sit and watch the season’s ears of rice growing. So it would also be nice to watch the growth of those children who passed through our land.”

Yoshiaki used her fingertips to toss her fan into the air above and grabbed the glass instead.

“Now, let us go. …Yamagata Castle.”

“Cook some more food to be ready in three hours’ time. I quite like chicken.”

As Yoshiaki spoke and smiled on the sign frame, the sky moved behind her.

Neshinbara looked up at that and breathed in.

…''Not good, not good.

He could tell how excited he was.

But not just because history was on the move.

He was moving it.

Yoshiaki moved away in the image. And if she could produce a sign frame like that…

'''Asama:''' “Masazumi, I’m going to open a divine transmission line so Mogami can join the divine chat.”

'''Vice President:''' “Judge. …Do the same for Sviet Rus.”

A new sign frame appeared in response and the connection settings scrolled across it.

That meant he held the station that linked Oushuu, Sviet Rus, and Kantou.

…''This is so exciting!!

Neshinbara swung his left hand forward and threw his words toward Ujinao.

“Now, you have a choice, Houjou Ujinao.”

“What might that be?”

“Judge.” He nodded. “Date, Satomi, Sviet Rus, and Mogami. …That’s four battles, but ''are you going to fight them?''”

Masazumi caught on to what Neshinbara was doing.

…''Oh.

''So that’s it,'' she belatedly realized.

Behind the scenes while he was proposing his number of castles and negotiating over them, the others had been contacting Mogami and Sviet Rus and urging them to cooperate as part of the history recreation.

Even with the history recreation as a justification, those other nations would not necessarily take part. They had only decided to do so because they had concluded that the Kantou Liberation and this battle would give their nation an advantage in the world.

She had sent some information to Sviet Rus and Mogami: what the Reine des Garous had told her about Hexagone Française’s situation and that Date Narumi and Satomi Yoshiyasu had decided to participate.

Mouri had already made a major move.

Contributing to the changing of the world and gaining power would give them a superior position in the next age.

If Mouri was moving in the west, Kantou had to make their move as well. And if they failed to produce results, they would have less authority when speaking to Mouri in the age to come.

Narumi had already decided to join the battle for Date and Satomi had done the same.

Masazumi felt that was probably the reason why.

…''It’s too soon to think Uesugi and Mogami are doing this to help us.

The world was not that kind.

But it was what it was. Whatever their reasons might have been, they were helping Musashi.

She wanted to be thankful for that.

…''That just leaves this meeting. But…

She knew what Neshinbara was doing.

His strategy was to use non-Musashi forces for 4 of the 7 castles.

He would concentrate those four powerful forces there instead of having Musashi’s forces fight.

'''Righteousness:''' “To be honest, I think I’m the weak link in this lineup.”

'''Unturning:''' “If you fight based on that assumption, you’ll do fine.”

This was her final fight against Houjou, so Yoshiyasu might be the most likely to achieve victory. But…

…''Not necessarily.

Neshinbara was negotiating so they would not have to fight in the end.

Because if they used such powerful outside forces for 4 of the 7 battles, the numbers would determine Houjou’s defeat. Even if Musashi lost all 3 of the remaining battles, they would still have 4 wins and 3 losses.

They had not discussed whether it would be best 4 out of 7, but looking at the possible benefits and losses, Houjou would receive no benefit from this.

…''Honestly.

He had bought them enough time to prepare these external forces.

Just how much had he bet on guiding Houjou Ujinao and restricting this to the field of the history recreation?

Masazumi thought, ''I bet he would do anything if it would make things more interesting.

“Now,” Neshinbara said to Houjou. “Who do you want?”

“…Huh!?”

Masazumi raised her voice at that unexpected question.

“Wait a second! Neshinbara! What does that mean!?”

Neshinbara turned back with a “what kind of question is that?” look on his face.

“Houjou doesn’t have enough people to cover for 7 castles, right? Since we’ve called in external forces, it’s only fair for them to do the same if they don’t have enough.”

So…

“We need to make sure we all have a real blast together.”

“Wait!!”

'''Asama:''' “Oh, wow! Masazumi is trying to ''stop'' a war!”

'''Azuma:''' “Has she gone crazy?”

'''Gold Mar:''' “Hmm. Imperial boy, isn’t that being a little too direct?”

'''Vice President:''' “Stopping war is the normal thing to do!”

'''Wise Sister:''' “Oh, this girl. She’s jealous that someone else is starting the war, isn’t she!?”

'''Me:''' “Don’t steal my warrrr!”

'''Vice President:''' “Stop confusing me by giving me too much to respond to!”

“W-wait a second, Neshinbara!”

Masazumi had to ask something.

It was true what he said followed the current rules.

But he was being too honest.

…''Politicians are supposed to minimize our own damage!

She had thought he was trying to do just that, but now he was multiplying the enemies.

''What do we do now?'' she thought while getting her mind racing. But just then…

Someone reacted.

Houjou Ujinao clenched and swung both her hands.

“That’s perfect! Let’s do that!! Yes!”

''Did your character just change?

But this had to be a godsend for Houjou. Musashi had dug in their heels and just about reduced the number of castles to 3, but now the number was left at 7 and Houjou could bring in powerful allies from other nations. So…

“Now.” Ujinao breathed in, straightened her posture and expression, and spoke in a plain voice. “Houjou will follow that plan.”

'''Unturning:''' “…I think she might fit in on the Musashi surprisingly well.”

'''Flat Vassal:''' “I thought she was a pain when things didn’t go her way, but it looks like she’s still a pain when things do go her way…”

'''Vice President:''' “…”

'''Marube-ya:''' “Oh, she’s thinking. She’s thinking.”

'''Vice President:''' “Well, yeah. I have to think about this one…!!”

Masazumi thought.

But a voice reached her before she could gather her thoughts.

“————”

It was a distant voice from an external loudspeaker or something.

…''A ship broadcast?

A voice was being sent her way from somewhere in the distance. But…

“Where…?”

Everyone exchanged a glance and looked around, but even as they all looked each other in the eye…

“…Where? No…who?”

It was Mukai who asked that and turned around.

She had her hands to her ears which were equipped with Noise Neighbor. Even she was curious where this voice was coming from.

She seemed to be holding her hands southward, but…

…''Where? It has to be a loudspeaker from the city, but…

Masazumi did not know. However…

“—————”

She felt like some kind of voice was reaching her.

''What is it?'' she wondered while noticing Naomasa opening a sign frame above Mukai’s head and writing something there: Try using Musashi’s auditory devices.

Asama nodded and raised a sign frame.

And then…

“Um, Suzu-san?”

“Nn.”

Sign frames appeared by Asama’s hand and near Mukai’s ears.

Just then, Mukai said “ah” and pointed south.

The sky had passed scarlet and was fading from purple to the dark blue of night, but there was a sign frame there in the distance. Masazumi could tell it was a Catholic sign frame, but…

…''What is it?

“Umm, I’ll try zooming in on that, okay?”

After seeing everyone nod, Asama opened a single large sign frame in front of the Main Blue Thunder.

It displayed the sign frame in the air. And on it…

“Can you hear me!? Can you hear me, cowards of Musashi!? I know you must be inside that stealth barrier, but answer me if you can see out!”

Asama formed a circle with her fingers to say it was okay to respond, so Masazumi sighed at the familiar voice.

“Ootani, huh?”

Masazumi saw someone she had seen just a few hours before.

But now he was small like a Mouse.

…''Is that the ocean behind him? So is he standing on an embankment or something?

“Asama, why is the sign frame so far away?”

“Well, after the incident earlier today, I increased Musashi’s data defenses. The divine transmission defenses kick in at a 3km radius around the Musashi.”

…''Oh, so that’s why.

''It’s for our safety, but it sure is inconvenient,'' she also thought. However…

“Are you listening, Musashi!?”

The cameraman did not seem very experienced. Mouse-sized Ootani wandered in the frame.

“As the observer sent by Hashiba-sama, I approve of that idea!”

“Oh, the one about ending this with only 3 castles? I thought that was a great idea too.”

“No! How cheap can you be!? I meant the one where multiple nations take part!”

“Did we say anything about that? I think you must have misheard.”

“You did say it! Your Secretary did!”

“You must be hearing things. Our Secretary tends to do that to people.”

'''Me:''' “Isn’t that a little forced?”

'''Vice President:''' “Do you want to do this!?”

'''Righteousness:''' “I do not envy you here…”

'''Vice President:''' “…It does a surprising amount of damage when someone is understanding…”

But Ootani crossed his arms and shifted his position.

There were skewers of dumplings on the embankment which may have belonged to the cameraman.

He walked in front of those dumplings and lifted up one skewer with nothing left on it.

“Listen. I have been listening in and you have been using all sorts of nonsensical arguments.”

“Crossdressing Honda-kun, please tell him not to be so rude.”

''Don’t ask the impossible.

But she understood what Ootani was trying to say.

“You want us to use as many agents as possible for the Siege of Odawara?”

“Testament! We were already thinking of asking Sviet Rus to fight for us. And, Musashi, we have business with you as well.”

Masazumi thought about what he said there.

…''Business?

She was confused and she looked across the others.

For some reason, they all looked away so quickly she could have sworn it made a noise.

“Hey.”

[[Image:Horizon6-B551_551.jpg|thumb]]

'''Gold Mar:''' “Aren’t you glad we’re at our sniper posts, Ga-chan? We might’ve been dragged into that otherwise.”

'''Tachibana Wife:''' “Master Muneshige, I hate how I’m gradually getting used to this…”

'''Tachibana Husband:''' “Not to worry, Gin. It is for your own safety.”

''What does that mean?

But it looked like Masazumi had to ask about this herself.

“Ootani…have we done anything wrong? I honestly can’t think of anything.”

'''Worshiper:''' “Didn’t we send him flying with a table and then hit him with a shell?”

'''Unturning:''' “Oh, that’s nothing really…”

'''Silver Wolf:''' “N-no, um, that was a sort of solution! Isn’t that right!? It was a solution to a problem!”

''Oh, right. That did happen…'' thought Masazumi as Ootani pointed the skewer at her from the sign frame displayed on the giant sign frame in front of her.

“I did not mean it like that. …Musashi! You have forgotten one thing! You joined Houjou’s side during the Battle of Kanagawa. And it was so you could oppose P.A. Oda. That means you are Houjou as far as P.A. Oda is concerned.”

With that said, Ootani shook his small body.

He pointed the skewer at her again while ether light scattered from him.

“As the Siege of Odawara’s observer acting on Hashiba-sama’s behalf, I demand that the Matsudaira forces fight the Siege of Odawara as an agent of Houjou!”

Ootani saw Wakisaka give a thumbs up on the other side of the broadcast ''lernen figur''.

Next to her, Yoshiaki somewhat glared at him while using her finger to write on her own Magie Figur:

“I think you did well.”

…''It’s transparent, but it’s still hard to read backwards…

''This is odd,'' thought Ootani. ''I am a pure, just, and honorable virus, but I feel like these two have a very low opinion of me.

Regardless, he had a job to do. His ''lernen figur'' gave an overhead view of the Musashi. He thought he knew where his targets were located, but he was not entirely sure.

…''It should be fine as long as they can hear my voice.

Even a messenger of justice lacked confidence here. He was worried his directional voice was accidentally hitting some other nearby house. Or was he overthinking this? Regardless…

“I heard you say that the Siege of Odawara will be fought using 7 castles. Meaning 7 battles.”

Musashi’s Vice President responded to him:

“Did we say that?”

“You did! Are you trying to dodge the issue after all this!?”

“No, I’m not dodging the issue. You might not really understand what’s going on, but I don’t really understand either, so that’s fine.”

“Nothing about that is fine!”

“Oh? It’s not fine? Then just give up on this.”

She ended the divine transmission from her end.

…''Eh?

Without thinking, he came to a stop and Wakisaka peered down at him through the broadcast ''lernen figur''.

“Umm.”

She diagonally karate chopped through the ''lernen figur''.

The ''lernen figur'' shook, and…

“Nh!”

Ootani rolled across the embankment.

Yoshiaki tilted her head as he rolled a few times.

“…Is that fun?”

“I-it is not fun! That ''lernen figur'' is synced with me, so be gentle with it!”

“Yay!”

Wakisaka grabbed the ''lernen figur'' on both sides and shook it up and down.

She thought Ootani would dance through the air along with it, but…

“Why are you slamming yourself against the embankment…or sinking into it?”

“I cannot just fly, so I’m set to remain at ground level!”

“Oh, so you can’t fly…”

“Wh-what is that glare and thin smile for!?”

“So you can’t fly… Sigh.”

“You added a sigh this time, didn’t you!?”

Yoshiaki pointed the ''lernen figur'' toward him as if telling him to calm down.

He just about slid across the embankment to match the motion, but he cut off the syncing. And then…

“It happened in the final moment. I’ll replay it so just watch… Look, right here.”

There was a circular silhouette on the right of the freeze-frame Yoshiaki stopped on.

“Is that a coin bullet…!? Was this their Techno Hexen’s doing!?”

“…Shooting a 1m square from more than 3km away is pretty reckless.”

Yoshiaki sighed and looked to the south where the Musashi floated in Odawara’s sky.

She patted the cat that approached by her feet, perhaps hoping to be fed.

“Now we have room to intervene.”

Neshinbara worked to calm his heart while hearing the Vice President whispering “Wrap it up! Hurry!” from behind him.

In the overhead sign frame displaying Sviet Rus, Uesugi Kagekatsu placed a hand on his chin.

He was thinking in silence. He was likely calmly considering where the situation would lead.

In the one displaying Mogami, Yoshiaki was laughing and dancing. The two leaders were contrasted sharply, but…

“Lord Kagekatsu, please make a decision. …At this rate, you will be on Hashiba’s side.”

“Testament. There is no avoiding that. Ha ha…! So you face a military contest against us, Musashi…! Would this be an unavoidable confrontation?”

''Lord Kagekatsu really is so cool!'' thought Neshinbara.

A Warring States commander had to feel their heart dance at the thought of battle, no matter their position or their relationship with the opponent.

'''KageV:''' “Wh-what do we do!? I was thinking it would be nice to head south and get some sun, but now we’re looking at a major battle with Musashi!”

'''Shigeko:''' “Oh. Well, if that happens, I’ll take care of it.”

'''Tomo-no-Bu:''' “Wait! That would be a job for me! I must strike back against that insolent nudist!”

'''Shigeko:''' “I really doubt Musashi would send their Chancellor out to fight.”

'''Tomo-no-Bu:''' “…Never mind then.”

'''KageV:''' “Saitou-san, you’ve really taken a liking to the Musashi Chancellor, haven’t you!?”

'''Shigeko:''' “Anyway, Kagekatsu-sama, we need to check on a few things concerning this. First and foremost, what kind of political deal can we make with Musashi using this. After all, we would lose a lot if we simply acted as Hashiba’s pawns. I was thinking we could find a way to leave Musashi owing us one after this.”

'''Love Man:''' “Ha ha ha! I’m back after getting injured again!”

'''KageV:''' “You bastarrrrrrrrrrrrrd!”

'''Mayoress:''' “Hey, you lot. I’ve made some borsch using a cow corpse, so come line up in the dining hall. Form two lines.”

'''KageV:''' “Good! Dinner is right on time, Marfa…!”

“How could you do this just before dinner, you dung beetle!”

Lord Kagekatsu began a live scolding on the Sviet Rus sign frame and he sent Naoe Kanetsugu bouncing across the room.

As Mitotsudaira watched…

'''Silver Wolf:''' “I-I see he still rules with an iron fist…!”

'''10ZO:''' “Judge! You can tell why he got the ‘the terrible’ moniker…!”

'''Novice:''' “You all got to see this live, didn’t you? I’m so jealous…!”

“There is no place for you heeeeeeere!”

It was a very intense display, but it scared Mitotsudaira how used to it she had become.

…''Well, I’m sure the people there are even more used to it.

Meanwhile, she saw someone approach the screen while the lightning flashes and sounds of impacts continuing behind her.

It was Honjou Shigenaga. She wore a summer uniform and pushed her sunglasses up her nose.

“Kagekatsu-sama is busy showing kindness to a subordinate, so I will speak on his behalf. First of all, I will say that we would like to participate in the Siege of Odawara.”

“…You mean you will be our enemy?”

Shigenaga looked up at Mitotsudaira’s comment and looked straight at the silver wolf.

“We will head south. …That is what I mean.”

'''KageV:''' “Yes! South! Because it’s summer! I want to buy a lot to prepare for the long winter here! The animals we gathered for the zoo still aren’t used to our land, so I want to buy the perfect feed for them! We also need books for the children!”

'''Love Man:''' “Kagekatsu-kuuun! O-over here! Hit me on this shoulder!”

'''KageV:''' “Diiiiiiiie!”

''They sure are getting worked up,'' thought Masazumi.

She had only spoken with Sviet Rus via divine transmission, but…

…''I could use this as an opportunity to meet them directly.

Then pulling this off was worth it for both of them.

“Neshinbara, if we are going to fight a battle against Sviet Rus here, do you have any suggestions?”

“The Keichou-Dewa Conflict. That would be the most efficient.”

'''Me:''' “Kate owed a…what?”

'''Vice President:''' “Everyone, ignore him.”

'''Me:''' “Ah! Curse you! But I know Horizon won’t ignore-…why are you glaring at me like that!? This is new!”

''Glaring at him like what?'' Masazumi wondered, but it must have been something new.

'''Vice President:''' “I think Crossunite touched on the Keichou-Dewa Conflict during the three-nations meeting. …It’s also known as the Punishment of Aizu. Simply put, Uesugi joined the Western Army at Sekigahara, so Matsudaira attacked them.”

But they had support in that attack.

'''Vice President:''' “Mogami and Date assisted the invasion of Uesugi. …Sviet Rus advancing south differs from that, but we would benefit a lot if we had that apply to the current situation.”

'''Silver Wolf:''' “Because if we fight now, we won’t have to fight against Sviet Rus during Sekigahara?”

That was exactly it.

'''Nine-Tailed Girl:''' “Then would I have to fight on your anti-Uesugi force?”

On her sign frame, the fox laughed from her throat.

Mogami would also benefit here. Which meant…

“Include me and our respective positions are going to be tricky,” said the Date Vice Chancellor.

And it was not just her.

“Will you work us into the Siege of Odawara too? …On the side opposing Hashiba’s agent. In other words, opposing Musashi. Mouri forces were in fact sent to the Siege of Odawara and provided sea transport support, so we have the right to participate.”

Mouri Terumoto crossed her arms and smiled as she spoke.

…''Yes, I had a feeling this was coming.

Masazumi watched as Mouri Terumoto breathed a sigh that seemed to say “finally”.

And Terumoto waved a hand behind her.

The ''Belle de Marionnette'' named Mouri-01 responded by preparing the things they had brought along.

Terumoto spoke as she did so.

“We all have our own sides and objectives here, so how about we make a bet? Our top objective is of course your Musashi forces. And here’s what we’re willing to bet on it.”

The maid ''Belle de Marionnettes'' had instantly removed everything from the table in front of her. Mouri-01 then placed two things on the table.

They were largish transportation containers.

They were about the size of a person’s upper body, so big enough to hold a large musical instrument.

…''What are those?

Just as Masazumi wondered that, one person responded from the confused group.

It was Horizon.

“Are those…?”

“Testament. I suppose you would know.”

Terumoto snapped her fingers and Mouri-01 both nodded and opened the containers.

A white gas expanded as the containers automatically opened up and several “seal” ''signe cadre''s appeared.

The containers revealed their contents:

“Our Logismoi Oplo: Phos Hyperephania and Phos Kenodoxia.”

The shapes were formed from the two colors of white and black. They resembled shoulder blades and a pelvis and they emitted bluish-white ether light in front of Horizon’s eyes.

Terumoto heard a question while everyone gasped and stirred.

“Why?”

The question came from Houjou Ujinao.

“Those are a crucial trump card against Musashi…no, against the world.”

“Now, now. …They don’t mean all that much to us.”

Terumoto spread her arms and tapped the back of the containers.

“I mean, after the Siege of Bitchu Takamatsu Castle and Sekigahara, we never lose. We only need to march down the path of the conqueror, so our own pride and vainglory will be enough.”

“Of course,” said Terumoto. “We have our Testamenta Arma back home. That’s enough to protect our nation. But if we’re going to use these unneeded Logismoi Oplo as bargaining chips…”

Terumoto felt a smile on the corners of her lips and looked to the Musashi forces.

“It would be best to use them to make peace with you after the Siege of Bitchu Takamatsu Castle. So ''that’s'' where we’ll use these.”

She tapped the containers once more.

“If you beat us, then we’ll force these onto you and refuse any further negotiation. If we win, we’ll give you these, so do something for us.”

Meaning…

“Whatever the official reason is, take our side during Sekigahara and Westphalia, Musashi.”

Masazumi felt like she had finally heard what Terumoto really wanted.

What she had said about the Kantou Liberation and settling the outside world was likely true.

But both of those were projects and positive dreams.

They could be seen as the wishes of vainglory.

But this was different.

…''Take their side, hm?

Mouri had said that their own pride and vainglory would be enough.

That had to be coming true within them.

And that had to mean they would no longer need an external source.

So she had come out and said what she really wanted.

Mouri Terumoto was telling them to rely on and help Mouri. So…

“Judge. I understand what you want out of this battle, Mouri Terumoto. …Mouri may participate in the duels for tomorrow’s Siege of Odawara.”

“Good,” said Terumoto with a nod.

Then she nodded a second and third time and Mouri-01 whispered to her.

“That was an excellent negotiation, Princess. …It was the second best you have ever done.”

“What’s the first?”

“When you accepted the Roi-Soleil’s confession.”

“Is that so?” Terumoto felt no need to feel bashful. But, “That settles it then!”

She strongly slapped the Logismoi Oplo containers on either side of her.

The noise and vibration were Mouri-01’s cue to close them.

It bothered her how Musashi’s Princess was trying to peer inside, but…

“That’s fine, I guess.”

Just as she said that, the closing containers caught on something.

With a metallic noise, the containers shook and a white glowing mist sprayed out. They tried to close several times, but…

“Princess! Something is trying to get inside the containers…!”

“What?”

Terumoto leaned over the table, and…

“—————”

The containers quickly closed.

…''Huh?

There was nothing there and the glowing mist had vanished.

The only things on the table were the white tablecloth and the closed containers.

Asama and everyone else looked to the ground.

Specifically, the ground next to Horizon.

Two objects came crawling out from under the table there: a right arm and a left arm.

The two arms arrived at her feet.

“…”

And they disappointedly shook their raised hands side to side.

“That did not work out,” said Horizon. “But we might be dealt a better hand later.”

'''Vice President:''' “Oh, a better hand. Because they’re hands.”

'''Tachibana Wife:''' “Master Muneshige, wh-what am I supposed to do…?”

'''Tachibana Husband:''' “Gin, you do not need to force a laugh.”

'''Tonbokiri:''' “…Oh, I just figured it out! So that’s what happened!”

'''Righteousness:''' “Also, don’t try to steal them!!”

'''Mal-Ga:''' “Eh, these things happen.”

They did on Musashi, anyway.

But the two arms grabbed onto the ground to do a handstand. They bent their elbows and wrists and then jumped up to Horizon’s shoulders. Everyone made sure to hide Horizon from view throughout.

'''Asama:''' “Mito! T-turn your hair this way more! You can hide the entire right side! Kimi, this way! This way!”

'''Hori-ko:''' “Thank you for your assistance, everyone.”

Horizon shook her shoulders a bit, perhaps to check on the arm connections. Asama worked at recording the negotiation while that happened.

'''Asama:''' “Um, from the Testament perspective, this is divided between Houjou and Hashiba, right? And then we added Mouri into it…”

'''Righteousness:''' “Mouri is Musashi’s enemy, so should we think of them as Hashiba here?”

'''Wise Sister:''' “Calm down! There is no way Mouri is Hashiba. Hashiba is Hashiba, Musashi is Hashiba, Mouri is Mouri and Hashiba, Uesugi is Russia and Hashiba is, um….”

'''Asama:''' “Please stop confusing yourself when you’re trying to confuse us!”

But this meant there were multiple battles being fought here. Just like during the Battle of Kanagawa.

'''Asama:''' “If we think about where each group belongs, does it come down to something like this?”

*'''Siege of Odawara: Houjou, Musashi, and Mogami vs. Ootani, Date, Mogami, Uesugi, and Mouri

*'''Siege of Bitchu Takamatsu Castle: Mouri vs. Hashiba (Musashi)

*'''Siege of Kanie Castle: Takigawa and Sanada vs. Musashi

*'''Keichou-Dewa Conflict: Uesugi vs. Musashi, Date, and Mogami.

“Since we have Yoshy-chan, Mogami will be seen as part of the Musashi forces. But how to view Musashi is trickier.”

They could be seen as either Hashiba or Houjou. With this triple and quadruple battlefield, they could be someone’s enemy or ally depending on which battle you looked at.

“I see Ootani-dono gets to be an entire genre to himself,” said Futayo.

“Who said you could name me specifically!?”

The energetic virus had appeared on a sign frame once more and Masazumi tilted her head toward it.

“Huh? Ootani, you won’t be fighting?”

“My repairs will take another 27 hours!”

Neshinbara turned toward everyone else.

“Did you jot that down?”

When everyone (including Mouri and Houjou) nodded, Ootani froze in place on the sign frame.

“Ah,” he said after a while. “That leading question was just cruel! You really are an evil group! And since I’m small, you could call this mini-cruelty!”

'''Silver Wolf:''' “Um, I’m sorry, but I just had a very unkind thought.”

'''Righteousness:''' “I kind of feel bad for him since he has to deal with you horrible people so soon after being rolled out…”

'''Tachibana Wife:''' “I doubt anything he learns here will help him with a normal opponent.”

Asama had to agree, but she changed Ootani to Hashiba on her list.

What did that leave to do?

“Now.” Neshinbara spread his arms to say his negotiation was complete. “Who will you send to the Siege of Odawara? Musashi also has to send people to Takigawa’s Siege of Kanie Castle, so we can’t fight 7 battles. That is why I hope to only send 3 people to the Siege of Odawara, but to help adjust the number of fighters from each nation and to decide who opposes whom, let’s bring it all together.”

Meaning…

“Let’s not talk about 7 castles or 2 battles. We should bring all the battles together into a single series of duels. …How about it?”

<noinclude>
{{HorizonNavbar
| [[Horizon:Volume 6B Chapter 36|Chapter 36]]
| [[Horizon:Volume 6B Chapter 38|Chapter 38]]
}}
</noinclude>

Horizon:Volume 6B Chapter 35

2018-02-12T19:26:08Z

162.158.134.31: Fixed four errors.

==Chapter 35: Absurdist at a Road Meeting==
[[Image:Horizon6-B455_455.jpg|thumb]]
''It is inherited from the past ← What is?

''It resides within after times of prosperity ← Be more specific.

''This throbbing and aching of my right hand ← Go see a doctor.

'''Point Allocation (It’s my time to shine…) ← Mine too…

Masazumi could not react to what Houjou Ujinao said.

…''She’s going to contact Hashiba?

Houjou had said they would contact Hashiba.

But what were they going to do?

…''That isn’t following the rules of the history recreation!

Hadn’t Houjou just finished saying they would follow those rules? Neshinbara had used that to trap Houjou using the history recreation. And yet…

“—————”

She saw a raised right hand.

It was Neshinbara’s.

It was a stopping gesture. He was telling her to stay quiet.

The sign frame followed his hand, but she was not sure if she should mention it. Or…

…''Oh, I get it.

She knew what to say. And realizing how to choose her words, she spoke.

“Are we okay?”

'''Wise Sister:''' “In the head?”

'''Vice President:''' “In our situation here!”

But the right hand lowered.

Neshinbara straightened his back and looked directly at his opponent. And…

“Crossdressing Honda-kun. Sorry for worrying you.”

“What are you going to do?”

She was asking if he needed help. And he gave a small nod.

“Heh. …For now, you should continue healing your wounds and gathering your power.”

'''Gold Mar:''' “…Huh? Seijun, when did you get wounded?”

'''Vice President:''' “That’s what I’d like to know…”

That was apparently the state of things in his head.

But anything he did here would be reckless. Because…

…''We have no idea what she’s thinking.

Houjou had readily taken back what she had said before. She would silently accept any criticism of that fact, but she would act for her own benefit in the very next statement.

'''Novice:''' “Are you familiar with the Indian gods? Specifically, the wife of Shiva, one of their greatest gods.”

''No, I am not. And what do you mean “one of” their greatest gods?

But the back in front of Masazumi calmly explained his thoughts.

'''Novice:''' “Shiva’s wife has two faces. She is normally a virtuous wife known as Parvati, but on the battlefield, she gains a cruel and bloodthirsty form and is known as Kali.”

'''Vice President:''' “So it’s the idea of the open and the hidden?”

'''Novice:''' “It’s the idea behind yoga.”

''That just confuses me more.'' Meanwhile, the idiot and Crossunite were reacting:

“India makes me think of that game company. Do you remember it, Tenzou? Y’know, the one that went ‘Yoga~’ on the ads. I think one of us had a Yoga Drive in middle school.”

“During elementary school, I remember Ohiroshiki-dono being all alone as the only one of us that had a Yoga Master System.”

“I stand by my decision! And now I have a Yoga Saturn!”

''I understand none of this. I’ll just take it to mean yoga is amazing.'' But…

'''Novice:''' “Our negotiation partner here is that kind of person.”

''Really?'' thought Masazumi as she searched for Kali on the divine network.

'''<Kali: Parvati’s angry version. Cruel, sticks her tongue out, dances, and kills. Her dance destroys the earth, so her husband is forced to act as a platform below her. Thus, her husband is super strong.>

It was a little concerning how the cheerful description was next to an India-ink painting of mass slaughter.

But it was true this opponent would silently change.

So Masazumi wondered what he would do.

…''What are you planning, Neshinbara?

Then the back in front of her spoke.

“Why?” he asked Houjou Ujinao. “Why are you so intent on having your way?”

…''Indeed.

Masazumi mentally agreed with Neshinbara’s question.

And Houjou Ujinao reacted.

She opened her mouth, stopped, and…

“…”

She allowed a small smile in her eyes and on her lips.

Suzu had to calm her pulse.

…''Eh?

What she had sensed in Houjou Ujinao had caused her to tremble.

Suzu could not see. She had to otherwise sense her surroundings and other people to live her life.

She of course could not sense emotions.

The other person’s feelings were as imperceptible to her as colors and she had at times felt that was a failing on her part. She had wondered why she was unable to sense anything extra to make up for her blindness. However…

…''Nn.

At some point, she had been taught that she could sense the things that emotions cause. She could sense their breaths, their heat, the movements of their face, and sometimes even their pulse or other slight movements betraying their feelings.

At the moment, she had sensed two emotions.

The first came from Houjou Ujinao.

It was a small emotion.

It was truly as subtle as the corners of her mouth rising a bit.

But the exact opposite reached Suzu from everyone else.

“—————”

They trembled.

That was an emotion of fear, caution, and alertness.

But Suzu had a thought.

…''What does…that mean?

Everyone was holding their breath. Even Terumoto held her breath as she faced the situation.

…''What does this mean…?

Because…

…''Ujinao-san is…happy?

There was no cruel emotion there. There was nothing worthy of guilt. It was the same smile as a child returning home after wearing themselves out playing.

With that smile on her face, she simply relaxed her body.

“…”

And she hung her head a bit with the smile still in the corners of her lips and eyes.

It was as if she were hiding tears of joy.

…''Um.

For some reason, Suzu considered calling out to her.

''What is it?

''Did something make you happy?

…''Or…

Suzu thought, ''Did something unpleasant go away?

A moment later, Ujinao spoke.

“I will contact Hashiba.”

Her voice hid a smile within. There was no threat, hesitation, or darkness in it. She sent them her words as casually as someone taking an order.

“You are okay with that, I assume?”

Suzu just about said yes, but…

“That isn’t possible.”

She shrank back when she heard Neshinbara’s voice.

…''Whoops.

Unlike with Date, she was not the negotiator here.

And Suzu heard a smiling voice. It was Houjou Ujinao and she sounded delighted.

“Not possible?”

She would be the one to contact Hashiba.

And she gave her opinion of the matter.

“I believe it would be quite possible.”

Masazumi sensed danger.

…''She’s desperate.

She had read Houjou’s strategy. And she was confident in her reading.

…''She isn’t afraid of anything.

Houjou Ujinao was not afraid of the history recreation, of the Testament Union, of their own destiny, or of Hashiba.

But ''only if she got her way in the end.'' Because…

“That’s right, that’s right! That’s exactly right, Ujinao! …Houjou has to have its way in the end!” The automaton uncle nodded behind her. And white smoke rose from his ears as he did so. “We already know we’ll be destroyed, so we have nothing to fear. We lose nothing even if we fail in this negotiation. Yes, nothing at alllll!!”

Ujiteru’s tone begged the other side to understand. And Genan, the hooded long-lived next to him, also nodded. He ate a soy flour dumpling skewer as he spoke.

“Of course, let’s not forget that we indulged in all the profit we could until now. But if we do not fear looking bad, we don’t have to worry about giving ourselves ‘a beautiful ending’,” he said. “Because we want to live on even after that ending.”

His head was not lowered in shame. He lifted his jaw a bit and looked directly at Masazumi.

“You too will live on after that. …You have the luxury of having no end in sight, so I doubt you can understand our impatience, resignation, and struggle. And even if you did show such things, we would only take advantage of it and suck you dry,” he said. “I mean, you know the Pretas? Those come from India.”

Genan laughed and his body shook.

“We cannot go with you. Houjou is ending. Unlike Satomi, Date, or Uesugi. Houjou rules over 8 nations in southern Kantou, and yet it will be gone before Sekigahara.”

Meaning…

“This meeting you are holding here? You could say it is a waste of time for us. That is how we see it.”

''Probably so,'' thought Masazumi.

There was one way in which Houjou was different from any of the other nations they had faced.

This nation ''would disappear before long.

Houjou would go away after the Siege of Odawara. This meeting was meant to define what that battle meant.

…''This is a lot of trouble.

Realizing just how desperate Houjou was explained why they were so insistent on the number of castles.

To Ujinao, the number of castles was more than just a number.

It was the people who lived there and supported it and it was the history there.

In this meeting, she had to measure just how much meaning that held and reach some kind of result.

Ujinao had to show off Houjou’s history and value to the people of those 8 nations they ruled.

This was a great settlement of the nation of Houjou.

It was the greatest job given to her as Houjou’s final ruler.

…''In that case…

Masazumi had a thought.

''If she wants the Kantou Liberation, it means she is looking past their ending.

…''This is not good.

Masazumi could tell she was worrying.

Until now – and that included the meeting earlier in the day and the discussion at IZUMO – she had assumed Houjou was facing their fate in a more rational manner.

She had thought that was why they advocated the Kantou Liberation and proposed working with Musashi.

But that was not the case.

And this explained some things. For example…

“—————”

''That'' was why they had invited Mouri to Kantou.

''That'' was why they had brought in Takigawa and her group from P.A. Oda.

And ''that'' was why they were using those others to wage war against Musashi.

If the Kantou Liberation was their goal, they could simply do what Musashi wanted.

So why were they using force to take an antagonistic stance?

Mouri wanted Matsudaira’s authority, but Houjou was different.

…''I screwed up.

Why had she thought only Mouri had that kind of desire?

Houjou was the same.

To put it another way, the term “Kantou Liberation” had caused her to misjudge Houjou’s intentions. Also…

…''Oh, no!

The problem was who their current negotiator was: Neshinbara.

He had stepped forward to compete with Ujinao over numbers. He was here to use his historical knowledge to debate with Houjou over the number of castles.

But the meeting was headed in a different direction.

The number of castles and the debate thereof was only for show.

“Hey.”

Masazumi prepared to call out to Neshinbara, but she heard a smiling voice.

“There is a way to contact Hashiba.”

Ujinao kept Masazumi from saying anything.

“We only have to contact them through P.A. Oda’s Takigawa.”

Terumoto was impressed by the words Houjou pretty much threw out there.

…''So that’s it.

That was it.

Houjou had taken in Takigawa for more than a boost to their fighting force.

She was a contact point.

Roles like that were almost never useful in an age of divine transmissions.

But there were times when it became relevant between nations: when a nation ''had to cover its eyes or ears'' for political, wartime, or history recreation reasons.

At times like that, a contact point could use their political power or their skill to break through the restriction.

To Houjou, Takigawa could play that role. However…

“That won’t work,” slowly stated Musashi’s Secretary. “Takigawa was besieged within Kanie Castle and Hashiba aid never did arrive. Hashiba will not come here even if you ask for aid via Takigawa.”

He sealed that away.

The Musashi Secretary had sealed Houjou’s action with those words. And as part of the history recreation.

But Terumoto had a thought.

…''You idiot. That’s not the point.

He did not understand. Unfortunately, he still did not understand.

Houjou was not that kind of person right now.

…''Reason isn’t going to get through to her.

And Ujinao’s next words seemed to be in agreement.

“You say aid will not arrive for Kanie Castle?”

“Indeed. No assistance comes for Takigawa. That is why she must hole up in the castle.”

“I see,” Ujinao nodded. “But they might arrive for the Siege of Odawara. Because we are combining the Sieges of Kanie Castle and Odawara. That allows Hashiba to view it as either one they like. …If they cannot send aid to Kanie Castle, they can send warriors to ‘invade’ Odawara. That is a perfectly legitimate interpretation.”

''That’s so forceful…!'' thought Neshinbara.

Everyone had two sides to themselves. At the moment, Houjou Ujinao remained calm on the surface while making full use of her aggressive side.

But even so, this was forceful.

It was not reasonable.

No. If he tried to restrict Houjou with reason right now, she would use a forceful argument that outdid his reason. And she would base it on a part of their preparations.

This was the same.

He was only talking about the people here, but she used the P.A. Oda forces assisting her in order to bring Hashiba’s actions into the argument.

Even though other nations were irrelevant here.

That was not done in international meetings.

''Most likely,'' began Neshinbara.

…''She is treating this like an actual argument in her mind.

She was using false evidence.

She was taking speculation that she was fairly certain of and treating it like fact. Speculation was no more than speculation and the argument was only valid to her, but ''by believing it with no doubt in her mind'' she turned it into “fact”.

Even if there was no proof and even if it was not actually true, if she believed in it, it was a “fact”.

The real trouble with an opponent who used this was that no amount of proving it wrong would ever get through to them.

To them, it was an “indisputable fact”, so it did not matter to them if it was actually entirely groundless. In fact, they would start to act like you were using lies in an attempt to reject their “fact”.

That put him at a disadvantage.

He understood her, he knew what tactic she was using, and he was aware it was a war of words.

But…

…''I’m sane.

She was blinded by her belief in herself.

That was a madness that led her to look only at herself and determine everything based on what she found inside herself.

“D…”

…''Dammit.

Neshinbara felt like he was reaching into a pile of needles as he began speaking.

“On what basis do you say Hashiba will send any warriors here?”

“Takigawa is an important upperclassman to Hashiba. Hashiba would not abandon her.”

“On what basis do you say Hashiba would not abandon her?”

He kept up the attack.

He asked further question to pursue the basis of this belief. And Houjou responded with a smile as usual.

“Then why do you think Hashiba would abandon her?”

“——————”

She had outdone him.

Neshinbara briefly felt like his feet had been swept out from under him, but he held his ground.

No, he really had been figuratively tripped.

A brief flash of pure anger entered his heart.

He knew exactly what Houjou had meant with her statement.

She fully believed that Hashiba would not abandon Takigawa. It was a groundless assumption to him, but it was not for her.

So when he questioned her, she had asked for proof.

She wanted a basis for his claim that Hashiba would abandon Takigawa. And if he could not produce it, it would mean Hashiba would not abandon Takigawa. But…

…''That’s not the issue!

He wanted to ask her to prove her claim first, but she believed in herself. The problem was that she also doubted him.

Houjou continued smiling at him.

“Now, give me your reason.”

It was ridiculous.

She had probably forgotten that she had no reason either.

And she knew perfectly well that he could not give a reason.

She conveniently attacked others without taking her own mistake into account. And on top of that…

…''Is she trying to say she’s right just because I’ve made a mistake?

It sounded reasonable, but it was wrong.

One side being wrong did not make the other side right.

But that logic would not get through to her.

“You cannot give a reason, can you?”

“No, that isn’t the point.”

“Are you trying to dodge the issue? …You hound me with baseless accusations yet you dodge the issue and escape when I make some pointed criticism?”

“That’s…”

“Why will you not answer my question?”

Neshinbara decided his response to her question was his chance to counterattack.

“I asked a question first. I asked if you had any basis for your statement! Please stop using that to attack me!”

“What are you talking about?” There was delight in the words that spilled from her smiling mouth. “You are in the position of power here. You are the future rulers of Matsudaira and you have the Musashi. You have all that and yet you can’t answer a simple question from some people who are doomed to fall? You must know and understand so much more than us. If anyone is obliged to answer, it is you, not us.”

…''Kh!

Neshinbara just about called her insane, but stopped himself.

''Calm down.

''I’m used to dealing with the insane thanks to our class. It’s pretty much everyone, including our teacher. Oh, but not Mukai-kun. Still, why should I feel threatened just because there’s one more weird person in the world around me?

''But you normally can’t let crazy people participate in a meeting like this.

''We would be justified in calling off this meeting altogether.'' But…

'''Silver Wolf:''' “This is a real pain when she can use the Kantou Liberation as a shield…”

Exactly.

Besides, this was meant to be the battle leading into the Kantou Liberation, so weren’t they supposed to be negotiating it out so both sides avoided any real damage in the duels?

They had strayed from that and were really getting into the weeds.

'''Marube-ya:''' “Neshinbara-kun can’t beat that girl logic, can he?”

'''Mal-Ga:''' “A girl in his position would probably have physically attacked her by now.”

'''Gold Mar:''' “Should we shoot her?”

…''You can’t do that!

But what was he supposed to do?

He had been completely trapped in a deep and narrow position and she was using that as a chance to attack.

If he could not answer her question, she was sure to claim it proved her point.

…''And in that case…

He felt like he had seen a similar situation before.

''What was it?'' he wondered.

“Wait!”

Just then, Honda Masazumi’s voice rang out behind him.

“Wait!”

Ujinao heard the Musashi Vice President’s voice.

“Houjou is currently speaking on behalf of Hashiba! But does Houjou hold the authority to do that!? If Hashiba has not asked you to represent them here, your statements are invalid!”

“My apologies.”

Needless to say, Hashiba had asked for nothing of the sort.

Ujinao nodded toward the Musashi Vice President and spoke.

“So I take it you are the negotiator.”

Because…

“I had thought your Secretary was speaking on your behalf, but it would seem not. At least based on what you just said. So which is it?”

“—————”

She restricted the girl.

…''Musashi Vice President, you are an honest person.

''You excel at directly approaching your opponent and keeping them in your sights the entire time.

''But,'' thought Ujinao.

…''You have trouble in negotiations that require clinging to and devouring your opponent while constantly attacking any openings.

So Ujinao worked to restrict the girl’s actions.

“If you will step forward, I will ignore everything he has said.”

Now.

“What will it be?”

…''Now she’s done it!

Masazumi braced herself against Ujinao’s provocation.

Houjou had essentially taken Neshinbara hostage.

She had told Masazumi to step forward.

But doing that to gain what Musashi wanted would invalidate Neshinbara’s authority.

Responding here would mean they could never again use their Secretary on the international political stage.

She could not make that decision.

Deep down, she really wanted to respond to Houjou.

She wanted to step forward and gain a fresh start.

But she could not.

If she did, Neshinbara would lose all authority to speak for Musashi.

No, deep down, she was kind of okay with that too.

'''Mal-Ga:''' “How about you try going along with it and firing Neshinbara to see if it increases the value of his doujinshi novels?”

'''Gold Mar:''' “Wouldn’t it make them ''less'' valuable?”

'''Marube-ya:''' “That was close. I was about to start buying them up!”

''They sure are harsh.'' But…

…''Huh?

Masazumi realized that Houjou’s provocation did not actually work as provocation.

Suzu sensed Masazumi move.

…''Huh?

It was a sudden movement.

Without warning, she brought a hand to her face while also trying to say something.

No, she was hiding her face because she just about said something without thinking.

…''Wh-what?

''I probably shouldn’t listen to that,'' thought Suzu despite focusing her ears.

And a certain noise reached her sense of hearing.

“Wow…”

It was a sound of surprise, like Masazumi had just realized something.

It was a breath indicating she had realized something that she had overlooked until now.

And she spoke.

“Neshinbara. You are the best for the job.”

Then Suzu turned toward Neshinbara.

…''Ah.

A new sign frame had appeared by his left hand.

Her senses told her it was for a divine transmission, but…

…''From who?

No, she knew who it was.

It was him.

'''Me:''' “Hey, I’m cooking pasta so I can’t see what’s going on out there.”

He spoke.

'''Me:''' “But this person isn’t as much of a pain as that…Shakespeare, was it? Right?”

Neshinbara wordlessly moved his hands.

He nodded at the Chancellor’s words and formed words on another sign frame.

He sent them to England – to the person he could call his nemesis.

“How are you doing?” he asked.

He sent the message.

Asama received it, confirmed an individual deactivation of the barrier, and sent it on to England.

The reply was almost immediate.

It was her.

The text was short:

“Come here.”

“I don’t want you to feel indebted to me, Toussaint. This was payback for when you stole Aspida Phylargia from me.”

She looked up into the evening sky and smiled bitterly atop a rooftop overlooking the Thames.

“Never before have I put on an act so obviously contrary to my thoughts.”

She added an “honestly” while opening a book in the air. Waterproofing and dustproofing spells shined as emblems on the cover. And as she looked at it…

“And knowing that ''this act will get through to you'' is my misfortune and my fortune. I need to cool my head.”

With that, she fell backwards to drop herself into the Thames below.

Neshinbara smiled bitterly in his heart.

There were two words by his left hand. It was a very blunt expression.

''That isn’t like her at all.

''If anything, it’s more like my writing. When I write, I take it a step at a time while carefully confirming what I’m doing, what I’m writing, and whether it’s right or not.

''That’s how she has written “come here”.

''Should I do it?

''But you’ve already come this way. If you want me to come, then say it with your own writing. Show me what kind of writing I’ll find there and ask if that’s where I want to go.'' But…

…''Oh, damn.

''I can immediately tell what kind of setup this is, and that’s my misfortune and a giant pain.

''She doesn’t read the atmosphere like Aoi-kun does, so she really throws me off.

''But my situation must look pretty bad to her.

''Of course, that was just a type of act. She’s using her act to suggest I escape from my way of doing things and approach her way.

''In that case,'' thought Neshinbara.

''It’s time to redo this. Redo all of it.

''Redo what? Myself. Not the negotiation.

''The negotiation is already underway and there’s no going back.'' But…

…''There’s no way I can do that, you idiot!

''She only said that because she knows there’s no way I can do things her way.

''So that means she thinks I can win this. She’s confident I will win and stay on my own path.

''Do things her way and I just know she’ll cut off all contact.

''It would mean more than a simple “that was too bad, wasn’t it?” We could not just lick each other’s wounds. Because we are our own unique people in our journeys as authors.

''If I lose and use her methods, I won’t find comfort from her. I’ll find disappointment. If I lose, I need to be prepared to stay on my own path and re-raise my flag at some point.

“…Yes.”

''This is a pain.

''This really is a pain.

''This just confirms what Aoi-kun said.

''Yes, indeed. If I lose to Houjou here, I can just say “whelp, I lost!” Well, it might be worse than that, but that’s not the issue here. I can easily predict that Schwarz Hexen and the others would actively sully the name of my shining holy life, but that is a different issue.

…''If I lose here, Houjou will not be disappointed in me and I can still redo myself.

''But she is different.

''Thinking too deeply about this could tell her just how much of a threat I see her as, but I am a Musashi resident.

And…

…''We screw up like this all the time.

''No matter what happens, I will never dethrone Crossunite-kun at the top of the divine network search rankings.

''What does it matter if I kill my international reputation? I’ve already killed my reputation within Musashi and I’ve started to get used to how the automatons say “What are ''you'' doing here, Neshinbara-sama? Over.” when I arrive on the bridge. Humans can adapt.

''Besides, I already did that in the first half of the battle on the way to England.

''I can handle a blow to my reputation with ease.

''It’s just another point on the journey.

…''So I know what to say about the current situation and circumstances:

''I have already passed by Houjou Ujinao on my journey.

So…

“Crossdressing Honda-kun.”

''I am stronger than I was at England. You could call me Powered Neshinbara…no, Advanced Neshinbara.

''So I can say this.

“I am indeed the best for the job.”

Suzu sensed Neshinbara raising his left hand.

His summer uniform had short-sleeves, but he oddly still moved as if rolling up his sleeves.

“Houjou Ujinao,” he said. “It is time I got serious. About this negotiation.”

“Will you answer my question?”

Neshinbara spread his left hand’s fingers.

“The truth is…I am left-handed.”

'''Mal-Ga:''' “Huh? So do I have to mirror-image all of the drawings I’ve made?”

'''Gold Mar:''' “N-no, this is news to me. He’s never said it before.”

'''Worshiper:''' “During elementary school, he fell from the horizontal bar and dislocated his right shoulder, but he had trouble writing with his left hand.”

'''Asama:''' “And isn’t it a complete non-sequitur?”

“Heh heh,” quietly breathed Neshinbara.

He knew that had to have been a shock.

And he was not lying. After all, he was currently typing with both hands. And if he was ambidextrous, then he carried left-handedness inside him.

…''Also…

He reset all of the sign frames following his right hand so they were in front of his eyes.

He stopped viewing Houjou Ujinao and viewed the text in front of him.

“Have you caught on?”

While floating in the river, Shakespeare smiled at the lack of a response from her act.

“If you have, then hurry up and show us your own words, Toussaint. We are authors. An author might view the readers’ words, but they must not focus on them. Do that and the author is trapped by the readers’ ideas.

“It is when we think we have captured our readers that they have captured us.

“So instead, view your readers’ words and then betray them, Toussaint. She has given you the hint you need. She has essentially said, ‘It would be incredible if you overcame this.’ At that point, no one can define whether or not it is truly a betrayal. As long as your creation is entertaining, it can continue. That is why we can bet all of ourselves on the quality of what we create. That is all it is.”

Shakespeare’s smile grew.

“Hurry up and ‘come here’, Toussaint. It’s fun here.”

Just as she said that, she realized her body was shaking.

“Ah, what’s this?”

The bottom of the river had bumped into her flowing butt.

She was more lying down than sitting as she got up on the riverside.

She heard a distant voice calling to her from the opposite bank, so she waved back and pushed up her glasses.

“Oh, it’s already shallow enough to stand.”

Suzu focused on Neshinbara’s back.

…''Is he…okay?

He had to be okay. No, it was not Neshinbara as a whole she was worried about.

…''He hasn’t…gone crazy, has he?

She was embarrassed for thinking that.

She was not sure this counted as trusting in her friends. Or maybe she was wondering this specifically because she trusted them.

“…”

''I have not been a very good girl lately,'' she thought.

“Now.”

Neshinbara cracked his neck and shoulders.

He could see Suzu moving behind him.

After all, his sign frames had a mirror function. He needed a way to make sure he looked good when striking a pose.

So he saw her blushing and taking a half step back.

…''Was she thinking of cheering me on?

''She must have been,'' he thought with a sigh in his heart.

''Yes.

''Everyone here is rooting for me. I can see the nameless masses doing so on the divine network:

“That bastard pushed Suzu-san away!”

“You don’t do that… You just don’t…”

“Boss, whaddya say we do about him?”

''That confirms it.

…''My popularity is rising…

''I will be first in the search rankings before long. Crossunite-kun had the top 8 all to himself, but I just worked my way up to #3.

''Indeed.

''I learned this in England.

''This kind of backlash is nothing compared to Shakespeare.

''After experiencing that fear, this is like being a guest of honor.

…''This feels nice.

He had thought the same thing over and over again.

He had all throughout this negotiation.

He had to continue negotiating even if he screwed up here and there.

So feeling he had lost was a mistake.

He had to enjoy this.

He could never keep it up otherwise.

He had to stay in high spirits. That too he had learned in England. Even if the thoughts swirling through his mind got him down, he always had the path of an author to return to.

It did not matter how often he felt despair or wallowed in dark and destructive feelings.

…''I just have to solve everything in high spirits.

''So,'' he thought.

“A selfish goddess stands before me.”

…''In RPGs, Kali is a major mid-boss.

The Dunhi would apparently send the occasional protest to the game makers saying, “Please stop this or you really will get cursed. You will make her dance.” But the game makers would generally respond by saying, “This boss is an Indian curry spirit. The name might look similar<ref>In Japanese, Kali and curry are almost identical.</ref>, but it is not Kali.” They had even gone as far as to make Kali yellow instead of blue, so there probably was not a problem.

''I used her in a lot of my novels too.

He now viewed Houjou Ujinao as that goddess from her land.

“…Let’s do this.” He raised his left hand. “Let’s bring the number of castles down to 3.”

…''That idiot…!!

Masazumi felt a great weight hit the pit of her stomach.

She knew it had to be a sign of stress. But…

'''Asama:''' “Huh? He’s reducing the number first?”

Exactly.

They were negotiating over the number of castles. And that meant he could use a method they had seen before.

'''Marube-ya:''' “Isn’t this the same as when Shiro-kun negotiated with Lord Howard in England? You know, where both sides make an initial proposal and then work towards a compromise.”

'''Sticky King:''' “Remind me: How did it go back then?”

'''Obscene:''' “Judge! I believe he was driven into a corner and had to unleash a prostration! And then…was there any more to it? Ha ha ha.”

''Did that incubus only remember the most impactful part?

But there had been more.

'''Worshiper:''' “Yes. After that, Prostration Master Bertoni-kun rapidly reduced the number of days.”

'''Hori-ko:''' “Then what is Neshinbara-sama’s strategy if he is reducing the number right away?”

'''Novice:''' “Eh? I only did it because I thought it was what Bertoni-kun did.”

'''Almost Everyone:''' “You idiot!!”

'''Novice:''' “Wh-why am I an idiot? This is a winning strategy, isn’t it? And I do have a reason for choosing 3! I’ll explain later, so just trust me!”

Everyone looked Masazumi’s way.

She had the right to speak. This was out of respect to the office of Vice President. However…

…''Oh, whoops.

She had already said the moron in front of her was best for the job.

That meant she was responsible for appointing him. Thus…

'''Vice President:''' “Hey, Neshinbara? I, uh, trust you in this, okay? Okay!?”

She did not trust in her own trust of him, so she did not sound terribly convincing.

However, the amateur author did not let it get to him. He mimed rolling up his sleeves again.

'''Novice:''' “Well, just watch. Didn’t I say this is a war of words? I will work with this 3-castle battle proposal and reveal the mystery of why I chose that number, so look forward to it.” He scratched at the air with his left fingers and hid his face behind the hand. “Three. I will end this with that number.”

<noinclude>
===Notes===
<references/>
{{HorizonNavbar
| [[Horizon:Volume 6B Chapter 34|Chapter 34]]
| [[Horizon:Volume 6B Chapter 36|Chapter 36]]
}}
</noinclude>

Horizon:Volume 6B Chapter 34

2018-01-28T22:19:56Z

162.158.134.31: Two mistakes fixed.

==Chapter 34: Instigator at a Road Meeting==
[[Image:Horizon6-B413_413.jpg|thumb]]
''It is inherited from the past

''It resides within after times of prosperity

''This throbbing and aching of my right hand

'''Point Allocation (It’s my time to shine…)

Neshinbara swung his right hand.

There was no meaning to it. It would make him look cool and it would frighten his opponent because they assumed there was something to it.

“Now, it seems we need to take a look back at the Testament’s history…”

That ellipsis was important. It was traditional, but it was important to follow the basics.

Houjou Ujinao responded with a light tilt of the head.

“Is there a problem with our history?”

''Oh, don’t worry about it.

…''I just wanted to say it, so don’t take it so seriously.

''This is the problem with amateurs,'' thought Neshinbara as he continued speaking.

“Come forth, Heavenly Emperor Michizane.”

With those words, Michizane appeared from his neck hard point part.

Even as a Mouse, he made no mascot-like movements. Rolling or hopping out of the hard point part simply was not intimidating enough.

So Neshinbara had it set up so Michizane would float out of the hard point part. The processing allowing him to pass through the physical object prevented him from doing anything else for a few seconds, but that kind of practical issue was not what mattered. Neshinbara believed he was stronger this way.

And Neshinbara spoke to Michizane once he had appeared. With a swing of his right arm.

“Michizane, open the sign frame. ''The crucial one.''”

Yes, those words were crucial.

Because if he used motion controls like everyone else, swinging his arm would have made Michizane open the sign frame.

So when he set up motion controls, he always gave them two steps. He realized ones like “clench your fist, open it, and swing your arm,” were really three steps, but that was fine. It just meant he had grown even stronger without realizing it. ''That is a sign of my talent. Heh heh. I’m even better than I thought. I need to reassess my status later.

At any rate, it was easier on Michizane if he gave oral instructions when he had the time.

Michizane opened the sign frame without looking back.

It was blank., which was to be expected when Neshinbara had not actually told him what to display.

So…

…''Um.

He manually called up his databank and dug through the historical data he had gathered and compiled.

…''There it is, there it is.

'''Mal-Ga:''' “Hurry it up.”

'''Novice:''' “Taking my time feels more intimidating for the other side. You just don’t get it.”

'''Smoking Girl:''' “Hey, Neshinbara. Does your Mouse hate you?”

'''Novice:''' “Now that’s just rude! We get along great!”

'''Hanami:''' “…”

'''Asama:''' “Hanami? Feel free to say whatever you want concerning Michizane.”

The others were far too noisy.

But while they bought him some time, Neshinbara completed his preparations.

“Now, then,” he said. “There are two main parts to the Siege of Odawara. The first is the preliminary conquering of the castles across Houjou land and the second is the conquering of the primary castles, including the actual siege of Odawara Castle.”

'''Gold Mar:''' “We already heard that.”

'''Bell:''' “Yes…Ujinao-san…told us.”

'''Tachibana Wife:''' “Master Muneshige, is there any reason to repeat what the other person has already said?”

''But you two are always saying “Have you eaten?” “I have eaten.” and things like that!'' thought Neshinbara as he displayed his gathered information.

And with a sigh in his heart, he made a comment to help them grasp the situation.

'''Novice:''' “I am about to talk a bit about the Siege of Odawara, okay?”

'''Unturning:''' “Since I will be taking part, I would like to hear it.”

''Now that’s more like it. It speaks to my love of exposition.

Neshinbara could not help but smile thinly as he spoke.

'''Novice:''' “The Siege of Odawara is a major battle to conquer the entirety of Houjou territory. You shouldn’t think of it like your average castle siege or battle. Keep that in mind, okay?”

Adele did not know very much about Kantou.

No, it was more accurate to say she did not know much about it outside of Oushuu. She thought of Kantou as “foreign”. She had learned about it in history and literature class, but…

…''Hmm. I never thought I would interact with foreign nations this much…

She had long expected that the Chancellor intended to do something in the future, but her imagination had been restricted by the baseless idea that it would happen under the powerful authority of the Testament Union and would never leave Europe.

But the next thing she knew, they were leaving Europe, visiting Russia, and eating tasty rice.

…''I’ve experienced so many strange things…

That said, she did not want to be ignorant here, so she decided to ask.

'''Flat Vassal:''' “Um, just how big of a battle are we talking about?”

'''Novice:''' “Roughly speaking, from here to Sanada in the north. Then take that north-south line all the way east until it reaches the coast and Satomi. …Does that make sense?”

Adele thought about it.

She thought about the location and size of Kantou on the Far Eastern map and how Koushinetsu bordered it to the west.

She pictured a massive amount of land that covered the entire southern end of Kantou.

“That’s humongous!”

No, it was more long than big.

It was a long band of land extending east to west. The distance from east to west was about the same if not longer than the width of a large nation like Hexagone Française.

…''Wow.

She had let her guard down because Kantou would become Matsudaira’s later on and because the Satomi Student Council President’s Satomi clan was there too.

Houjou was a large nation. It was on the same scale as one of the European nations.

'''Silver Wolf:''' “Of course, from a historical perspective, Matsudaira’s forces had entered Kantou from Mikawa, so Houjou does not rule all of that.”

“But,” added the 5th Special Duty Officer.

'''Silver Wolf:''' “Houjou has a strong hold over the area from Sagami to Edo. At this time, even Satomi was driven into the peninsula where they succumbed to Houjou.”

That meant they were currently at that large nation’s headquarters.

And they would try to conquer it tomorrow.

…''That’s crazy.

But…

“Yes.”

She kind of understood.

Adele understood why Houjou and the Vice President wanted to complete this battle using duels.

…''We can’t fight such a large battle, can we?

They would use the approach of summer break as a justification.

But they actually wanted to complete the battle in a hurry so they could complete the Kantou Liberation before Hashiba could intervene.

However, Houjou wanted to gain as much as they could before they were destroyed.

And this battle was their last chance to profit as a nation.

That was why Houjou was insisting on fighting so many battles. They intended to use the great size of the battlefield to bargain and that negotiation would qualify as the Tensho Jingo Conflict.

'''Flat Vassal:''' “Secretary. …How does the Siege of Odawara play out?”

Neshinbara sent a map of Kantou to everyone’s sign frames.

And he drew an arrow into Houjou territory from the west.

'''Novice:''' “Generally, Hashiba’s forces follow the Tokaido and enter from the west. Matsudaira had land in Kantou at the time, but Mikawa was their primary territory and the land in Kantou was really just an extension from Mikawa. Also, Hashiba and Matsudaira joined forces on their way to Houjou.”

'''Flat Vassal:''' “Did Hashiba and Matsudaira get along?”

'''Novice:''' “On the surface, yes. …But Hashiba still had the advantage at the time. Matsudaira was also on good terms with Houjou, so I think they decided to abandon Houjou as a way of showing they meant no harm to Hashiba. And Hashiba was able to see which of the Kantou forces joined the battle as a way of determining their loyalty. But more importantly…”

''Hashiba must have feared Matsudaira,'' thought Neshinbara. Because…

'''Novice:''' “Houjou’s land became Matsudaira’s land after the battle, but that was a ploy by Hashiba. Hashiba wanted an excuse to distance Matsudaira from Kansai where they were.”

“But,” said Neshinbara.

'''Novice:''' “Matsudaira did not have it easy. To demonstrate that they had no connection to Houjou, they had to split into smaller units and fight battle after battle upon arriving at Odawara Castle under Hashiba’s watchful eye. …They had to fight all the castles that supported Odawara Castle like Houjou Ujinao mentioned. And after some reinforcements arrived from Hokuriku, this wide-range battle came to an end.”

'''Vice President:''' “But that end was a quick one, wasn’t it? They got Odawara Castle to surrender by flooding it.”

'''Novice:''' “The schedule has their full forces conquering the Houjou castles before they do that.”

First, the Hashiba forces crushed Houjou’s western castles while traveling along the Tokaido. That was partially to ensure they were not attacked from behind, but also…

'''Novice:''' “They crushed 5 castles in particular to use as footholds.”

That was the preliminary part of the battle.

Hashiba and Matsudaira would place the foundation of their forces at Hakone and Shimoda.

'''Mal-Ga:''' “That sounds like a hot spring tour to me.”

'''Novice:''' “That’s why Hashiba showed off his power to the Kantou forces by calling in his mistress Yodogimi and holding a festival during the flooding. Meanwhile, the Matsudaira forces, the Uesugi forces from Hokuriku, and Hashiba’s own forces crushed Houjou’s supporting castles.”

Neshinbara had a single thought about that:

''It would be unthinkable now, but it was only natural back then.

'''Novice:''' “In an age without divine transmissions, when you were surrounded by a large army, being flooded, and isolated, you could only wonder how your distant allies were being defeated. …I can’t imagine how stressful that was for Houjou.”

Houjou would be in a similar situation now.

Divine transmissions existed now, but Houjou was under P.A. Oda’s control.

That was of course the proper course of things according to Houjou’s history recreation, but it isolated them from the other nations while they were destroyed by Hashiba which was, in fact, P.A. Oda.

They had no other option. They had nothing to cling to or rely on.

They were simply isolated and forced to meet their ruin at the end of a misunderstanding.

…''I see.

Neshinbara felt like he understood why Noriki had come to the Musashi and what he had said.

He would protect her.

And so he had gone to acquire a means of destroying her.

“I see…”

'''Mal-Ga:''' “Did you say something?”

She would have had to read his lips from sniping distance.

…''That’s fine.

Neshinbara made a definition.

'''Novice:''' “I more or less understand now.”

Houjou felt a certain way about their situation.

'''Novice:''' “Houjou is lonely.”

'''Naito:''' “…Bara-yan…just said something, didn’t he?”

'''Me:''' “Houjou is…nn…lonely…nn.”

'''Hori-ko:''' “Toori-sama, that is both disturbing and rude. It would be more accurate to say, ‘Ho-johhhh is lohn-lyyy’.”

'''Silver Wolf:''' “Um, Horizon? Throwing new gags out there without warning is bad for my heart.”

'''Asama:''' “Was that supposed to be an Indian accent?”

'''Vice President:''' “Hey, Neshinbara, do you see how I feel now?”

'''Novice:''' “Yes, I never imagined I would come to understand you…”

“Honestly,” someone said with a sigh.

The wind carried the scent of food above a river.

London existed on the second level of the floating island of England and the Thames flowed through there.

A city block was built on the sole bridge over that river.

“Buildings on the bridge are tax-free.”

Due to that loophole, the wealthy had built their mansions on the bridge.

The bridge had eventually grown too filled with homes to cross, so a path had been formed atop the roofs.

“But the tax-free residents charge a toll to cross the bridge.”

The voice came from someone on the edge of the roof of a building on the bridge.

A girl was reading a book while lying on the slanted thatch roof. She wore a white cloak altered to resemble a short jacket and she held the book up to catch the light of the setting sun.

“Not even being alone is free.”

She closed the book she held up while lying on her back.

The sun had sunk too far, so she could no longer read it. And that was why Shakespeare sat up.

“Why does he only notice when someone else is lonely?”

Neshinbara checked his divine mail sign frame.

…''Nothing from Shakespeare.

Something usually arrived at times like this, but it was just as distracting when she did not react.

…''This really throws me off.

He knew she had to be watching and she would have had her thoughts on what he said.

She was always so harsh with him, but she would sit and wait when something had her feeling down.

''You need to talk with people more,'' thought Neshinbara. ''You have a lot going for you there.

“Now, then.”

He had a lot to think about, but he decided to put that off until later.

This was not the time for personal matters and emotions. Shakespeare would understand that.

So…

“Let’s get started.”

Neshinbara looked to Ujinao.

There was just one thing on his mind here.

…''I need to think about this.

''This opponent is alone. Ohh, how cool.

''But realistically speaking, that has to be painful.

''I know what it’s like.

''When I was alone, I could work to cheer myself up, but the next thing I knew, that loneliness threatened to crush me.

''I know what it’s like.

''So I will say it.

''I will say it without fear.

''I will say it despite being Matsudaira, one of the causes behind Houjou’s isolation.

He first swung his right hand.

“There are 5 preliminary castles and 20 supporting castles around Odawara.”

He saw comments of “Again…?” on the divine chat, but he ignored them.

He lightly tapped his sign frame.

“There are a few of these we can eliminate, aren’t there?”

Neshinbara formed his words.

“First, let’s eliminate some based on the size of the castle.”

Because…

“Not all castles are largescale structures. If you surround a simple mansion with walls and use it as a base, it becomes a castle. Conversely, even if military commanders stay there for a long period, the categorization of a Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines is less likely to change.”

'''Musashino:''' “Has Neshinbara-sama begun his excessive exposition again? Over.”

''Why is that coming from you!?'' he thought, but he appreciated having some backup.

He faced Houjou Ujinao once more and looked to her expressionless and close-eyed face.

“Of the five castles you mentioned before, Takanosu Castle and Ashigara Castle are guard castles built in Mount Hakone.”

“Allow me to explain,” said Neshinbara. “A guard castle is a castle that guards and monitors the surrounding region. Unlike a fortress, it functions as a castle, but there is no lord of the castle who lives there. So…”

So…

“When looking at this as a series of duels, the guard castles have no lord and thus have no opponent for us to fight.”

Neshinbara looked to his opponent.

Houjou Ujinao was facing him, but…

…''No reaction, hm?

It looked like she felt no need to say anything.

Thus, he formed his own words as if throwing a stone to see what she would do.

“The preliminary duels can be fought using the three remaining castles.”

Neshinbara erased Takanosu Castle and Ashigara Castle from the list of five castles.

That left three on the list:

*'''Yamanaka Castle, Nirayama Castle, Shimoda Castle.

“These three castles had a lord, so we can conclude you have the right to demand a duel for them.”

Neshinbara was cautious with his words.

“Now, this is where things get interesting.”

He just wanted to say that. Saying it kept the attention on him.

He swung his right hand back and raised his fingers to claw at empty air. His nails did not actually catch at anything. The trick was to pull back his shoulder and elbow like there was some kind of resistance and to wiggle his fingers a bit.

He pulled the arm all the way back.

And he used that hand to operate his sign frame.

“Let’s break down the remaining supporting castles. First, here is the list you gave before.”

He displayed the list of marked castles:

*'''Matsuida Castle, Kurihashi Castle, Minowa Castle, Tatebayashi Castle, Tsukui Castle, Tamanawa Castle, Matsuyama Castle, Edo Castle, Kogane Castle, Toke Castle, Usui Castle, Honsakura Castle, Kawagoe Castle, Iwatsuki Castle, Hachigata Castle, Oshi Castle, Hachioji Castle, Katakura Castle, Narahara Castle.

There were a lot of them.

But there was no need to memorize them.

“Let’s reduce that number.”

He used the same filter as before, but he added more to it.

“In addition to the size, whether or not the castle has a lord is an important factor. If the castle lacks someone with the right to a duel, there is no point in including it in the number of duels.”

So Neshinbara cut down the castles that did not have a lord.

*'''Matsuida Castle, Tsukui Castle, Hachigata Castle.

“That actually cuts it down this far.”

He swung both arms to gesture toward the others. And just then…

“Wait just a moment,” said Houjou Ujinao with an almost icy voice.

…''Here it comes.

His thought coincided with Ujinao’s words.

“If you are eliminating the castles without a lord, what will you do about Odawara Castle where all the castle lords are gathered? Will you add a duel for each of the lords once Odawara Castle is added to the list?”

“The lord of Odawara Castle is you, Houjou Ujinao.”

''Ohh, I’m talking with someone who’s going to go down in history. This is incredible!'' he thought while continuing on.

“Even when Odawara Castle is added, the number of duels will only increase for you. …Just the once.”

Neshinbara sent his words out while mentally solidifying his plan.

…''I need to judge this.

How much did Houjou Ujinao pursue the ideal?

Or was she the opposite: someone who pursued reality?

That would tell him something:

…''How much Houjou Ujinao wants to benefit from this battle.

If she pursued the ideal, she would prioritize the Kantou Liberation over the destruction of Houjou and she would try to minimize the number of Odawara duels.

But if she was more realistic, she would prioritize the destruction of Houjou over the Kantou Liberation and she would try to maximize the number of Odawara duels.

Which was it?

Neshinbara wanted to weigh that on the scales here.

So he forcibly eliminated the duels.

If she did not fight back, then she was an idealist. And it would put her entirely on their side.

'''Flat Vassal:''' “Didn’t you go a little far with that elimination?”

'''Marube-ya:''' “Yes, even if she is on our side, I’m pretty sure going in that strong will get her to strike back. It could work if we did that at the end when we already had the advantage, but if you do it without thinking, you generally end up losing in the end.”

'''Mal-Ga:''' “Do you know what you’re doing here? Masazumi.”

'''Novice:''' “Ask me!! Me!!”

Now that they mentioned it, he did think he had gone a little overboard.

But what was done was done.

…''What matters is sticking to your guns!

With that in mind, Neshinbara asked a question.

“That’s seven duels when Odawara Castle is included. How about that?”

Ujinao looked up a little. Her eyes were still closed, but she was clearly sensing him.

“May I ask one thing?”

“What is it?”

“Testament.” She nodded and then opened her mouth. “What about the interactions between military commanders for the history recreation?”

“The Matsudaira forces participated in the Siege of Odawara,” said Ujinao. “The group known as Matsudaira’s Four Heavenly Kings participated in the attacks on many of the castles and helped conquer them. …Since we are viewing this as a history recreation, your Matsudaira forces must complete your own history recreation. And matters of the castle’s size or the presence of a lord are irrelevant to that.”

Ujinao changed the subject.

“Now, here is a list of the castles that the Matsudaira forces played a major role in.”

She lightly tapped her sign frame.

“First, the preliminary battles.”

*'''Ashigara Castle, Takanosu Castle, Yamanaka Castle.

There were three.

'''Asama:''' “Huh? That’s the same number that Neshinbara-kun proposed.”

'''Me:''' “What was it like to start with?”

'''Silver Wolf:''' “Um, the original list was like this. I’ll show you the two proposals as well, okay?”

'''Original List: Yamanaka Castle, Takanosu Castle, Ashigara Castle, Nirayama Castle, Shimoda Castle.

'''↓

'''Secretary’s Proposed List: “Selected based on the castle’s size and the presence of a lord.”

:::'''Yamanaka Castle, Nirayama Castle, Shimoda Castle.

'''↓

'''Houjou’s Proposed List: “Selected based on Matsudaira’s involvement.”

:::'''Yamanaka Castle, Ashigara Castle, Takanosu Castle.

'''Gold Mar:''' “Wow, Yamanaka Castle sure is popular.”

'''Mal-Ga:''' “But what happens when this new proposal is applied to the supporting castle list?”

'''Bell:''' “Ah, U-Ujinao-san…is moving?”

Ujinao looked to the three castles on her list.

…''I have spent a lot of time at those places.

For the history recreation, there really were buildings there. Some of them were not actually “castles”, but they were castles via interpretation.

They had currently been turned into tools to be cut away from Houjou in negotiation.

''I have become rather sentimental,'' she thought as she spoke.

“First, those three.”

The number was no different from the Musashi Secretary’s number.

But the castles had been changed from large ones to small guard castles.

The smaller size made it look like the overall battle was shrinking.

But that was wrong.

…''Time to prove why this is so different.

“Now for the remaining support castles and other castles.”

She applied the same filter.

“These are the ones Matsudaira is most involved with.”

*'''Tsukui Castle, Tamanawa Castle, Edo Castle, Kogane Castle, Toke Castle, Usui Castle, Honsakura Castle, Iwatsuki Castle, Hachigata Castle.

Ujinao reduced the list of castles, but their number was now…

“Nine. Including the previous three, that is twelve.”

It came down to that when based on Matsudaira’s involvement.

“Based on the rules of the history recreation, Matsudaira must defeat these castles. Now, what kind of duels should we use?”

''There it is,'' thought Neshinbara.

“Let’s make this a war of words, Houjou Ujinao.”

He pointed at Ujinao’s sign frame.

“I won’t go so far as to call it lying, but you have a very biased view of things.”

“And what is that bias?”

“Judge.” Neshinbara nodded. “Think about it. Matsudaira and Houjou are not the only participants in the Siege of Odawara. Hashiba, the most powerful army of the warring states, is there too. …So why are you forcing this destructive history recreation onto Matsudaira alone?”

He pushed his glasses up with his right middle finger, used his hips to slide his body to the right, took a half step to the right, and hid his face behind his hand.

“Now, then.”

'''Mal-Ga:''' “…”

'''Azuma:''' “Eh? What was that?”

'''Gold Mar:''' “…”

'''Bell:''' “Eh? …Eh?”

'''Flat Vassal:''' “Oh, Suzu-san, you’re confused by that meaningless action, aren’t you? Yeah, you wouldn’t have expected to sense that…”

'''Vice President:''' “Hey, Neshinbara.”

'''Novice:''' “What is it? I’m in the middle of cornering her.”

…''Does he know what he’s doing…?

Masazumi felt a dull sweat. Because…

…''He isn’t cornering her at all…

He had done nothing and presented no basis to suggest he was cornering her.

But how did that amateur author see the world? She felt like she needed to know that to ensure their safety later on, but alarm bells went off in her mind, telling her that would only show her a harsh reality.

What was happening?

But then Neshinbara struck a pose and spoke.

“I would like to say one thing.”

He used a snap of the wrist to swing the hand covering his face.

“If you must demand that we complete our dark history recreation, then you should do the same for Hashiba. Otherwise, your words are no more than contept-…contemptible lies.”

…''Don’t trip over your words!!

The Date Vice Chancellor must have thought the same thing because she silently glanced over at Urquiaga.

Urquiaga returned her glance and they both nodded.

That was the end of it.

…''They sure are calm.

Maybe that was the Date Vice Chancellor’s way of accustoming herself to things.

It also seemed like a form of resignation, but that was pretty much what it took.

However, this was not the time for them to be attacking their own. They had to wait for Houjou’s response.

“Now.”

Neshinbara twisted his right arm while swinging it forward. Did he think he was building up power or something? Would this be okay?

Regardless, their Secretary took a breath and spoke.

“Are you prepared to demand Hashiba completes their history recreation?”

Masazumi mentally prepared herself for Ujinao’s response.

It would be a rejection. There was no other option.

After all, Houjou’s goal was the Kantou Liberation and Mouri was joining this battle to keep Hashiba from intervening. They would never do anything that actually allowed Hashiba to intervene.

…''So what will she say?

Masazumi also had to keep an eye on how Neshinbara reacted to it.

…''He’s been acting oddly here…

Since Masazumi had remained calm, she would have to smooth things over afterwards. ''Oh, these fried tomatoes are good with this sauce…

'''Flat Vassal:''' “Vice President, is it just me or are you in spectator mode here?”

'''Tsukinowa:''' “Maa?”

'''Vice President:''' “Yes, Tsukinowa, it’s all right. Spectator, not dictator.”

'''Almost Everyone:''' “What have you been teaching that Mouse!?”

''Don’t worry about it.

With an air of “anyway”, Houjou Ujinao looked up.

“I see.”

She added a “testament” and nodded.

Then she spoke.

“Now, let’s send that request to Hashiba.”

''She has guts,'' thought someone in reference to Ujinao.

That someone was Mouri Terumoto.

She crossed her arms and gave a mental whistle.

…''She sure is stubborn.

This was clearly a bluff.

Calling Hashiba would ruin everything.

This was not what that girl actually wanted.

''But,'' thought Terumoto while biting the inside of her cheek.

…''I’ll support you, Houjou.

With that thought, Terumoto raised her voice.

“Yeah, failure isn’t an option for you. …I can see why you would make that decision.”

Masazumi did not turn toward Terumoto.

She knew the girl was only applying pressure.

…''And that pressure is meaningless for Mouri…!

Masazumi had to wonder what she was thinking. After all, giving plausibility to Houjou’s words would apply pressure to Musashi, but it did not benefit Mouri in any way.

She may have been responding to Ujinao’s willpower.

But this was an international discussion and Terumoto was supporting another nation based on a personal feeling.

…''And I doubt she gave any thought to how this will only get harder for me if I call her on it!

'''Uqui:''' “This is that whatever-you-call-it…pro wrestling.”

'''10ZO:''' “You mean that competition where you attempt to get your opponent to use all of their techniques and power?”

'''Scarred:''' “Oh, you mean like Shakespeare’s Antony and Cleopatra.”

'''10ZO:''' “Ohh, Mary-dono. That would be the strong style.”

''I have no idea what any of that means.

“But,” said Houjou. “We have a P.A. Oda group in our forces. We will have them contact Hashiba for us. Is that enough for you to accept my suggested ''number of castles''?”

''There it is,'' thought Masazumi. She looked to Neshinbara’s back where he had moved to stand right in front of her.

…''Should I step forward if it comes to it?

The Vice President had that authority.

Her position was higher than the Secretary’s, so she could retract everything Neshinbara said as “some nonsense from the Secretary”.

It would destroy Neshinbara’s international reputation, but there was no helping that. He wrote weird novels and Shakespeare would do something about it. It seemed fitting enough.

…''But what will he do?

Masazumi looked past Neshinbara’s back to Houjou Ujinao.

That horned automaton had dark skin and black hair. Her personality could only be called deep, but she was very direct when it came to going on the attack.

“What will you do?” asked Ujinao. “Shall we contact Hashiba?”

Masazumi heard someone respond to her request for confirmation.

It was Neshinbara.

With his back in front of Masazumi, he reacted to Ujinao’s line.

“That’s all wrong,” he said. “Is that really something Houjou Ujinao would do?”

“Houjou Ujinao,” said Neshinbara. “You are pushing us to fulfill our history recreation, correct?”

“Testament. The Siege of Odawara is a history recreation. Is there a problem with following that?”

“That settles it then.”

Neshinbara swung his head once. Then he spread his right hand and clawed at the empty air.

He used that arm to stroke the area around his face.

“You cannot defeat me.”

''I’ve got this,'' he thought while opening a few sign frames by his hand.

…''There’s a lot to do, but I need to try whatever I can.

“Listen,” he said while summoning a few more sign frames to himself. “I will now prove that you cannot defeat me.”

“Huh…?”

A voice of confusion entered the sky of the construction site.

It came from Yoshiyasu who came to a stop on a suspension bridge.

The bright vermilion light kept her from seeing through the sign frame well, so she held it up to the setting sun to use that backlight to read the text.

It was a short piece of text, but…

“Wait just a second…!”

She scratched at her hair as a single bang of a hammer shook the air.

With sweat on her brow, she faced forward – to Musashino’s starboard.

“Please tell me you have the Vice President’s permission for this, Musashi Secretary!”

Neshinbara sensed Honda Masazumi moving behind him.

She seemed to be eating some fried fish with lemon, but he knew that was just for show.

She was opening a sign frame and contacting him. And on his instructions.

This was something he had set up in advance.

He had thought he would need it eventually, but he had not expected the need to arise so soon.

…''At any rate, I’m counting on you.

'''Novice:''' “Work with me here. Can you do that?”

'''Vice President:''' “I kind of have to at this point.”

He did not apologize. Because this was necessary for victory.

…''How nice.

Friendship, victory, and effort were composed of everything you had done in the past.

At this point, all they needed was a protagonist to guide them there.

…''Sorry.

He lightly tapped the head of the Mouse floating in front of his eyes.

The Mouse that turned back in surprise was called Michizane.

Tenjin Michizane was a god of thunder and a god of literature. Even if the Mouse was only modeled after that being, in Far Eastern culture, a model could act in lieu of the real one.

Which was the proxy and which was the real one? While deciding that was a suitable theme for this meeting, Neshinbara spoke to Michizane.

“I’m sorry.”

''I’m sorry that a guy like me is the protagonist here.

That was an insult to Michizane. But…

…''Let’s go on the attack.

“Let us have a boring discussion about the history recreation,” said Neshinbara.

Ujinao listened to the Musashi Secretary’s voice.

“Houjou Ujinao has a few different history recreations to complete, correct?”

That was obvious.

Houjou was said to have conquered Kantou and Ujinao was a major daimyo of the Warring States period. She was involved in plenty of historical topics. However…

“The biggest turning point among those would be the Siege of Odawara and the related incidents.”

“What about it?”

The Musashi Secretary was probably trying to provoke her.

When she did not know what he was after, she only need ask. Also…

“You plan to list off a few of my decisions so you can find fault in them, don’t you?”

Her question had the ability to limit his response.

If he had no rebuttal, then she could say he was doing exactly that.

She threw those prodding words straight forward.

“Are you attempting to corner me by bringing up ''the history surrounding my end''?”

She limited him further.

But those words received a response.

“That’s all wrong.”

Again.

He repeated the same words as before. And…

“Houjou Ujinao is a hard worker. …Despite being lord of the Houjou clan, her father and his associates treated her like a puppet. And just as she thought she had escaped their bonds, the Siege of Odawara was right around the corner.”

“He’s got you there!” laughed her uncle, but she ignored it.

She could kill him at any time. And he was an ally, so there was no need to hold back. So she could ignore it.

But she was somewhat bothered by the words of the boy in front of her.

…''What a pain.

She did not like having people talk about her.

No one understood all of the work she had done. Other than those who knew how it had all begun.

''In that case,'' she thought.

“You act like you know what you are talking about.”

“Because I’ve read the history books,” he said while raising a hand to his face and dropping the index finger straight down for no apparent reason. “Don’t make me think you are merely doing a bad imitation of the history I love.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“It is time to measure you.”

On the other side, the Musashi Chancellor’s sister grabbed the Asama Shrine Representative’s breasts with both hands.

“Measure her!? Yes, measure her! And what better to measure than boobs!? See, I’m measuring you, Asama! Who was it that suggested this!? Because they’re a genius! You come here too, Mitotsudaira!”

“We are trying to have a meeting!”

''Then shouldn’t you keep your voice down?

…''But I do have to ask.

“Measure me how?”

The Musashi Secretary nodded.

“That is not for me to determine. …I will merely make the connection.”

The darkness of night had already arrived in the depths of the forest.

To the back was a lake with an aerial ship landed in it. And to the front…

“Suwa Shrine.”

Noriki’s voice carried across a wide, illuminated staircase. And through the forest ahead, he could see a black roof reflecting the light of the setting sun.

If he crossed the large road in front of him, he would reach the shrine. However…

“Are they open this late?”

He stood on a wooden walkway on the lake side of the road and he looked back while pointing toward Suwa.

Hiro stood between him and the transport ship in the lake. She stood on the pier and was recording the scenery with a sign frame.

“They’re open until nine at night since a lot of people come from pretty far away. …Oh, but you can’t spend the night in the shrine, so we’ll be sleeping on the transport ship.”

“What about food?”

“Come at the scheduled times and we’ll have something ready.”

“I appreciate it,” said Noriki as he walked toward the shrine.

Hiro laughed behind him.

“You sure are hasty! I’ll tell the others, but dinner is at seven, okay!?”

“For now, I’m only checking in, registering my spell project, and leaving January with them.”

Noriki held up the sign frame with the necessary contract written on it.

“Oh, and one other thing.”

“Eh? What is it?”

He lightly tapped the sign frame with his right hand, breaking it.

“I’m not hasty. I’m just acting tough to mask my reluctance.”

The shards of light scattered in front of his right hand as he pulled it back.

He continued forward without looking back at the light.

“As unsightly as it is, I want to maintain a connection.”

“Now, to make the connection,” said Neshinbara.

He spread his arms and summoned a sign frame to himself.

It had a hand-drawn decorative border and an emblem that would supposedly amplify dark powers. He had no idea if it worked, though. In fact, it would be pretty dangerous if it did. That was an important issue.

That emblem had the word “demon” written in dancing flames at the top and he was impressed with his own work there.

…''This has got to work.

Although he honestly had no idea what “working” meant in this case. And…

“Houjou Ujinao.” He viewed his opponent past the sign frame and spoke to her. “According to the Testament, Houjou Ujinao actually contacted Hashiba before the Siege of Odawara to correct a misunderstanding between himself and Hashiba.”

Houjou Ujinao’s expression was unchanged.

That lack of reaction brought a thought to Neshinbara’s mind:

…''Her lack of reaction is a weapon.

''But this has got to be a simple negotiation for her and for Crossdressing Honda-kun behind me.

Here, they would read each other’s atmosphere and speak the most appropriate words to strike a balance between them.

So he had to sense the meaning behind Houjou Ujinao’s lack of response or reaction and find a way to deal with it.

But he had trouble with that.

…''What am I supposed to do at times like that?

He was up against a historical figure. He gave his response while aware he was pushing her to make a historical decision.

“But Hashiba had already moved to crush Houjou. Houjou Ujinao pleaded with Hashiba’s aide, but could not get through and sought someone else’s help instead.”

And that person was…

“Matsudaira Motonobu.”

Neshinbara raised a sign frame.

He kept his eyes on his opponent as he continued forming words.

“Houjou Ujinao sought Matsudaira’s help. He wanted them to intervene against Hashiba. But by then, Matsudaira had already joined with Hashiba and had agreed to prepare for the Siege of Odawara,” he explained. “Honestly, if they had had divine transmissions, the Siege of Odawara might never have happened.”

Neshinbara looked to his opponent.

He directly faced expressionless and wordless Houjou Ujinao and continued speaking.

“Now.”

He swung his right hand.

The sign frame moved along with his hand, but if he did not let it shake him, it would look like he had done it on purpose.

So that was what he did.

Then he slowly moved his hand back so no one would notice.

“If you do contact Hashiba now, you could not ask them to come here. You would have to tell them it was all a misunderstanding and beg them to stay away.” He pointed toward his feet with his left hand. “But that would not reach Hashiba. It must not reach them. …Do you know what I mean?”

She remained silent, but he kept talking.

“Because that is the proper form of the history recreation.” He took a breath. “As you cannot call for Hashiba, you have no authority to speak when it comes to Hashiba. Do you remember my question: ‘Are you prepared to demand Hashiba completes their history recreation?’ But you cannot possibly be. You simply cannot. Which is why I say this: if Hashiba was involved with one of the castles, we cannot include it in the number of duels. In other words, this battle must be fought between Houjou and Matsudaira.”

Neshinbara swung his right hand while he spoke, this time while making sure the sign frame did not follow it. Relieved by that, he turned to the side in a new pose.

“We now have our number of castle duels: the three preliminary ones and three for the main battle as discussed before.”

*'''Preliminary Battle: Yamanaka Castle, Nirayama Castle, Shimoda Castle.

*'''Main Battle: Matsuida Castle, Tsukui Castle, Hachigata Castle.

“Add Odawara Castle itself to these six for a total of seven castles. …That is the number of duels we shall fight.”

Houjou Ujinao responded to that.

Neshinbara gave that summer uniform girl a sharp look and she gave a quiet nod.

“Testament. Understood.”

Houjou Ujinao opened a sign frame.

“I will now contact Hashiba.”

<noinclude>
{{HorizonNavbar
| [[Horizon:Volume 6B Chapter 33|Chapter 33]]
| [[Horizon:Volume 6B Chapter 35|Chapter 35]]
}}
</noinclude>

Horizon:Volume 6B Chapter 33

2018-01-27T23:16:30Z

162.158.134.31: Typo fixes.

==Chapter 33: Attendees of a Road Meeting==
[[Image:Horizon6-B367_367.jpg|thumb]]
''It is not what you can finalize

''It is what you can reject

''And what you can share

'''Point Allocation (International Relations)

The meeting and meal were quietly held in front of the Main Blue Thunder.

It was not that there was complete silence. Musashi, Houjou, and Mouri had split into separate groups to go over a final check for the meeting.

Among them, Houjou Ujinao was discussing food orders with Kotarou, Ujiteru, and Genan.

…''I wish we were at the Western food table…

Houjou was the Association of Indian States.

They could easily eat curry for three days in a row there, but Far Eastern food was also readily available.

And they were currently at the primarily Far Eastern table. A look at the table showed foods that could be described as “the usual lineup but in different flavors”.

She realized the ingredients were probably from Kantou and the cooking would be done by Musashi, so it would be Kantou-based, just like in Houjou.

To Ujinao, that was no more than somewhat idiosyncratic local food.

She felt that might change if it was a dessert, but…

…''It’s too bad.

“Ujinao-sama! As I was saying, if we consider stability after the battle…”

“Kotarou, Houjou will be dissolved as a clan, so does that really matter?”

“Ujinao-sama! Ujinao-sama! You’ve been really halfhearted about this tonight!”

The effects of food could be frightening.

…''But when I looked for the Western food table…

It was Musashi’s table.

Mouri’s table was mostly a fusion of Far Eastern and Western styles, so that had to be the Musashi cuisine.

Ujinao observed which group was seated at which table.

…''Musashi should have given more thought to that arrangement…

But when she thought back, she realized they had chosen a table on their own, so Musashi had done nothing wrong. Still, she did not like that Musashi was seated at the Western table.

Shouldn’t they have considerately chosen the Far Eastern table?

Masazumi thought to herself while continuing preparations for the meeting.

…''I feel like Houjou Ujinao is glaring at me…

But Ujinao’s eyes were always closed, so the term “glare” did not really apply.

And Masazumi had another thought about the table they were seated at.

…''I wish we had gotten the Far Eastern table…

She could eat Western food just fine, but this was a meeting. She wanted to avoid anything too fatty that would leave an aftertaste.

But the others had sat at the Western table.

That would be because Hexagone Française had brought some of their own food. Mitotsudaira had been lured in by the meat and Futayo was hooked on the pasta. Really hooked. It seemed to be a lost cause, but Asama tried to get everyone to calm down.

“C’mon, dig in like that and you’ll gain weight.”

“But, Asama-sama, if we hold the Western table, we will get Western desserts during dessert time. Wouldn’t you like some of Toori-sama’s thick cream, tarts, and ice cream?”

Asama folded at Horizon’s words and that settled it.

With no other choice, Masazumi was eating a salad and ham between bread, but…

…''Houjou really is glaring this way…

''Hmm,'' she thought while feeling a fairly flavorless type of tension.

…''I hope Mouri is preparing for this meeting properly.

…''I’m so hungry…

Terumoto faced the “Musashi cuisine” on the table and could not eat any of it.

…''Musashi Vice President, what is this nonsense about starting the meeting as soon as we get here?

Mouri-01 and the others had started checking over and lecturing her on the current situation, so dinnertime had become worktime.

“So, Princess, the Siege of Bitchu Takamatsu Castle will generally be made up of two battles. You could say that means we have two opportunities to negotiate for our interests there, so we would like to use that to our advantage. …Princess?”

“Yeah, I’m listening, I’m listening.”

Her response was noticeably halfhearted.

Making these preparations while dying to eat was no easy task.

…''I mean, this Musashi cuisine is a fusion of Far Eastern and Western styles…

She personally wanted Far Eastern food.

After all, she had only eaten Western food since leaving Hexagone Française.

That was because Mouri land was under Hexagone Française’s provisional rule.

Food on the Pension Versailles was generally Western, so that was all she had eaten during this eastward trip.

Terumoto was from the Far East, so while she was fine with Hexagone Française food, she also liked Far Eastern food.

And since Musashi was holding a dinner party along with the meeting, she had chosen not to eat anything after the midday meeting. But when she got here…

…''I have to wait?

“Kh…”

“Terumoto. Are you angry about something?”

She was not angry.

She was just hungry.

''I’ll eat after this. I’ll definitely eat. I swear I’ll eat.

That was her motivation for the meeting.

She wished it was the Far Eastern food in front of her, but the Musashi food was a fusion of that and Western food.

She decided to interpret that as the food having a Far Eastern flavor.

She started thinking it was the perfect match for someone who was both Mouri and Hexagone Française, but that may have just been the hunger talking.

…''Yeah, I’ll definitely be eating that fried fish chumaki afterwards.

''That tofu cooked in peanut sauce has got to be good.

''Oh, that pork cooked in mustard is more on the Western side of things, but I still want to eat it so bad.

Simply put, she was hungry.

And who was it that had put her in this position?

…''The Musashi Vice President.

Masazumi thought to herself while continuing preparations for the meeting.

…''I feel like Mouri Terumoto is glaring at me too…

She definitely was. When their eyes occasionally met, Terumoto would give her a look that seemed to say “what’re you lookin’ at?”

'''Flat Vassal:''' “Umm, Vice President? Did you do something?”

'''Vice President:''' “No, nothing…”

'''Tonbokiri:''' “Masazumi, Lady Terumoto seems to be glaring at you whenever you eat something.”

'''Unturning:''' “Are you doing anything rude? Like chewing with your mouth open?”

'''Vice President:''' “No, I’m not doing that. I’m not doing any of the myriad chopstick-related breaches of etiquette either. …Because I’m using a fork.”

'''Hori-ko:''' “Now, it’s scoring time.”

'''Vice President:''' “That wasn’t supposed to be a joke!”

'''Me:''' “Because I’m using a fork.”

'''Vice President:''' “Qu-quiet you…!”

When she bared her teeth toward the sign frame, Asama smiled bitterly next to her.

“Since the meeting hasn’t really started yet, I think it’s okay to eat. This here is the green pea soup and the turnip mincemeat I made. Also…”

Asama placed roast chicken on a plate. But it was not a whole roast. It was cut into somewhat thick strips, and…

“Toori-kun said to eat it with the horseradish sauce. …And after that, try these.”

She passed Masazumi three thumb-sized paper wrappers.

“…What are these? They remind me of white bean paste bars.”

“They are mint marzipan made from thickening almond powder with mint and egg whites. He said to finish with them if you’re having a meeting.”

'''Mal-Ga:''' “Oh, those are the Main Blue Thunder’s rare candy! They really refresh your mouth during a late night.”

'''Gold Mar:''' “Ohh, Seijun, does that mean you’ll be ready for battle?”

“I see,” said Masazumi.

She figured they had to be good, but she was not entirely satisfied as she placed them in her hip pocket.

After taking a bite of the food, Masazumi took a breath. ''The turnip is pretty good,'' she thought. And…

“Okay, let’s get the meeting started.”

She could see both the other national representatives glaring at her.

“Good day…or good evening I guess. Are you closed today?”

The sounds of distant hammering echoed below the sky and a voice spoke atop the Musashi as the summer afternoon changed to evening.

In one corner of the shopping district on Tama’s surface, Oriotorai (who was wearing a shirt) stood in front of an open door.

She was peering inside the Blue Thunder. The one with the sign in English.

There were no customers inside the bakery/café. But the sounds of cooking and smells of salt and burning oil came from within.

“Oh, Sensei. …How were the things I left you with?”

“Umm, do you mean Toori and Kimi?”

“No, no. I mean the ingredients you brought on the study camp.”

Someone walked out from the back carrying a steaming pot in both hands.

It was the manager. She wore mittens built to increase her grip strength and she placed the pot on the floor in front of the counter. Firewood was lined up there to keep it off the floor itself.

“There…we go.”

The wood creaked below the pot and gave off some smoke.

The pot contained a dark paste that was boiling and bubbling. Based on the smell…

“Oh, demi-glace… That’s pretty thick. And it smells a lot of wine…”

“I made it with low moisture, so it’s about seven times thicker than normal. It’s really hard to stir, so I have to use a ''yoroi-doshi'' I had at home to kind of cut through it as I stir it.”

“That sounds like you,” said Oriotorai as she looked to the counter which had no bread lined up on it.

Then she pointed toward the construction noise coming from the open door.

“Is this for them?”

“Judge. It’s to feed the construction workers. All of the restaurants are providing supplies on the Commerce and Industry Guild’s instructions. Our row is in charge today, so I’m making the base for a stew. …They’ll boil water in a different pot and dilute it. The other places are making the ingredients to go in it, so they’ll mix it all together.”

“How many more are you making?”

“Four, probably. I’ve already finished two, so I’m having them carried out when they’re ready. It’s a lot of work.” The manager crossed her arms. “I really wanted Toori and Kimi’s help, but other than having Horizon take some extra bread, I don’t think I’m getting any help.”

“You’ve really helped us out. The bread Naruze and Naito brought during the day was from here, wasn’t it?”

“Well, those kids are such good customers.” The manager smiled. And, “I have some fat I skimmed off the top of this if you want it. It’s good when cooked with bread. It tastes like tomato, wine, and butter. You can also cook it with meat or vegetables.”

“Ohh. Then I’ll take a bottle. Also…”

“Yeah.” The manager nodded, leaned against the counter, and shrugged. “There don’t seem to be any intruders this time. …I may not be the best person to ask since I didn’t notice those Celestial Dragons the other day, but I’m not detecting any odd movements like back at the Ariake. And the others all say the same thing.”

“Ootani Yoshitsugu showed up during the meeting earlier today…”

“The improvements Ei-san made to Musashi’s defenses are really strict when it comes to divine transmissions. Tomo-chan has made her own improvements and she purifies it when she has a chance, so it should be fine.” The manager smiled a little. “I don’t envy your position, Sensei. You can’t actually do anything yourself.”

“I just hope I’m supporting them enough to say ‘judge’ to that.”

“Then you can have the Principal send a message to the Commerce and Industry Guild. We know how important the series of battles starting tomorrow is. We want to support everyone, not have some simple tasks we’re in charge of. …Can you have him instruct us to provide food or spell support as we see fit?”

Oriotorai smiled at that question. And…

“Can I have that?”

Hooks were attached to the underside of the thatched roof ceiling and vegetables and meat hung from them.

“I ate everything I had before going to Sanada for the study camp.”

“Want some sake too? It isn’t the good stuff since that’s not my specialty, but I can throw some of that in too.”

“Judge, please do.”

Then Oriotorai opened a sign frame as if she had just realized something, so the manager peered over at it.

“Have they started?”

“Judge, Masazumi just contacted me to say they’ve started the meeting.” Oriotorai raised her eyebrows in a smile. “Honestly, she can probably only send this message because she knows I’m supporting them. …She probably means it as a way of telling me to leave this to them.”

“Now. how about we start with the first topic?”

The sky was dyed in the colors of sunset. That color starting in the west was more of a light red than an orange.

But in front of the Main Blue Thunder, west was to starboard, which was where the building was.

So while below the café’s eaves, Masazumi and the others were in deep shadows.

…''Mouri is ahead and to the right and Houjou ahead and to the left.

She began the dinner meeting while facing both other groups.

And she stated the first topic:

“Our three powers need to reach a consensus on what our ultimate objective is here. If we are all aware of each other’s goals, we should be able to complete the rest of the discussions more smoothly,” said Masazumi. “Musashi’s biggest objective is to liberate Kantou. To achieve that, we want to take as little damage as possible while completing the Siege of Odawara, the Tensho Jingo Conflict, and the Siege of Bitchu Takamatsu Castle.” She swept her arms to either side. “Now, what is it you want? Let’s have a frank discussion here.”

The meeting place bathed in the light of the setting sun.

The aromas of various foods arrived from the dinner tables.

But all of it felt so distant to Terumoto.

…''The sun sure is bright.

''No, I guess there’s nothing wrong with the setting sun being bright,'' she rethought before speaking.

“Our biggest objective for the Sieges of Odawara and Bitchu Takamatsu Castle?” She scratched her head. “That would be the cooperative relationship with the Kantou forces we could gain from the Kantou Liberation. Hexagone Française needs that if we’re going to achieve our greatest objective of settling the outside world. But,” she added. “We still don’t know if the Kantou Liberation will work out. So we will keep every possible option open.”

“Including your initial demand that we transfer Matsudaira’s rights to you?”

Terumoto smiled a little at the Musashi Vice Chancellor’s question.

…''So you get it.

“Of course. When the situation changes, a nation has to change its course of action. Just like the tiniest thing can change what route someone takes to school or when they wake up in the morning, the personality of a nation can be changed by the tiniest thing. …If fighting a war didn’t change anything, it’s a sign that the personality of your nation has grown dull.”

Terumoto smiled bitterly in her heart.

''I sound like I’m lecturing her,'' she thought about her own words.

''But all of it is accurate,'' she added.

“Hexagone Française is a future conqueror and we will do whatever it takes to ensure that happens. If we can fight a war against Musashi via duels, then we will aim to benefit from it as much as possible. …No complaints about that, right?”

That question did not move the Musashi Vice Chancellor’s stance and gaze in the slightest.

…''What a troublesome girl.

She aloofly held her own thoughts and was not shaken. The way she never let her feelings show was another way she did not mesh well with Terumoto.

And the Musashi Vice Chancellor girl would go on the offensive whenever she had the chance.

She had not fallen silent because she was cowed. She was simply thinking up an avenue of attack.

If you took her silence as a sign that she would do as you said, she would end up stabbing you.

…''With this troublesome type, you have to keep an eye on them to the very, very end.

And that troublesome girl opened her mouth while looking to Terumoto along with the anteater Mouse on her shoulder.

“Agreed,” calmly said the Musashi Vice President. “In our role as the Matsudaira forces, Musashi is also promised a future as a conqueror. Thus, we too will do whatever it takes to become that conqueror. …You are exactly right about that.”

When she heard the Musashi Vice President, Ujinao narrowed down what stance to take here.

…''They have changed.

Musashi’s stance had changed since the meeting during the day.

During the day, Musashi had searched for a way for them all to work together. They had tried to use negotiation to draw out a path for that.

But Musashi was doing the opposite now.

…''“In our role as the Matsudaira forces, Musashi is also promised a future as a conqueror”, hm?”

This was their response to Mouri’s talk of being a conqueror.

But she was not saying that they and Mouri were similar.

She was saying that, if Mouri would use any means necessary to become a conqueror, then Musashi would do the same.

She was saying they would oppose Mouri if need be.

And she had placed the responsibility of such a conflict on Mouri’s shoulders.

Because when Mouri had asked “no complaints about that, right?”, she had replied with “agreed”.

If Mouri had said nothing, that agreement never would have occurred. And by agreeing, she had started to cut off Mouri’s escape route.

It was a warning.

Ujiteru may have understood that because he spoke up while scooping some bamboo shoot and green onion cooked in soy sauce onto his plate.

“Excellent, excellent. …Matsudaira is destined to rule the world one day, so even Mouri will be under their control. Threatening each other with their future authority is a privilege of those who believe in a bright future. Don’t you think?”

“Indeed,” said Genan while sipping at some tea. “Because we will be destroyed…”

That was true, but her allies’ attitude of hopelessness kind of irritated Ujinao.

Then the Musashi Vice President turned toward her with her eyebrows relaxed.

“What about Houjou? What kind of future do you see?”

“Testament. After the Siege of Odawara, we would like to swiftly join with Musashi and shift focus to the Kantou Liberation. So to end the Siege of Odawara…”

Ujinao looked to the two who had inherited names related to hers.

“You can execute these two. Ujiteru will in fact commit suicide to take responsibility for Hashiba.”

“Waaaaait!?”

Ujinao heard the two behind her yell in complete unison.

Ujiteru hopped over from the left.

“Wait! Wait! You demonic niece! Have I ever done anything to you!?”

Genan hopped in from the right.

“Indeed! You demonic woman! Have I ever done anything to you!? Well, have I!?”

“Ujinao-sama! Ujinao-sama, these two are trying to provoke you!!”

They did not seem to care.

Genan slid his upper body side to side.

“Listen. I’m already supposed to be dead by the time the Siege of Odawara happens.”

“Then shall I make sure you are both dead here and now, great uncle and automaton?”

“Y-you demonic niece! You just made a clear distinction between Genan-dono and me, didn’t you!? …Genan-dono! This is a distraction meant to divide us! Curse this girl…!”

Her uncle was being annoying, so she placed a hand on a sword at her hip and turned toward her uncle. That silenced him.

Then she spoke to the two of them.

“Let me say this up front: If things are looking bad for Houjou, please go ahead and commit seppuku. That will generally give us a satisfactory result.”

“Y-you demonic niece! Is this how you treat me after calling me here!? I’m leaving! I’m going back to Hachioji to sleep!”

“Hachioji Castle will be a scene of intense fighting during the Siege of Odawara, so please do not do anything rash.” Ujinao put some strength into her tone. “Maeda Toshiie is meant to participate in the attack on Hachioji. He has stayed with the Shibata forces instead of coming here, but I assume that is because opposing us would mean joining with Matsudaira. But,” she continued. “That means this is our only chance to complete the Siege of Odawara without P.A. Oda’s interference. So please do not do anything unnecessary.”

“Hahhhhh? Do you have any idea who you’re talking to!? Well?”

Ujinao opened a sign frame and pressed the “approve” button.

“Ah,” said Ujiteru just as lightning struck him.

Masazumi saw something she had never seen before: an automaton enveloped in plasma and writhing about.

The automaton danced on the ground while loud sounds seemed to split the air.

“Apepetereparaka! Raparapakekekeetetetetetepimohhhh!!”

He seemed to be babbling nonsense, so his numb tongue may have been moving on its own.

Masazumi watched as Ujiteru burst like a summer firework.

…''Wow…”

That silent awe was honestly the only reaction she could find.

'''Vice President:''' “I kind of think of Houjou in terms of their Kamakura connection, you know? So I was hoping they would take things a little more seriously…”

'''Flat Vassal:''' “This reminds me of an evil organization’s punishments.”

'''Uqui:''' “And this indirectly changes my image of Noriki. Would this have happened to him if he made the slightest mistake?”

'''Hori-ko:''' “Toori-sama, you would actually like that kind of thing, wouldn’t you?”

'''Me:''' “Are you picturing me shouting, ‘Nooooooooo! It’s too gooooooooooooooood!’ or something!? That would be great! But since they’re Houjou, Noriki gets the first shot at it!”

'''10ZO:''' “I just imagined Noriki-kun doing that and I really wish I hadn’t!”

'''Mal-Ga:''' “…That’s it!!”

“Achoo!”

The Musashi engine division transport ship was descending in front of the Suwa Shrine on a western lake coast surrounded by forest.

The setting sun shined on the lake and forest, between which stood short houses and a flat-roofed building that seemed to be a workshop.

A Shinto shrine stood on a large area of land by the forest. The village was for the Suwa management and the affiliated Shinto corporation.

Lights were coming on in Suwa.

There were roads running east to west by the lake and there was a main road leading to the Suwa Shrine. There were spell bonfires along those roads and they began to illuminate the village more than the setting sun.

Noriki looked down from the deck at those preparations for night and Hiro spoke to him from a sign frame. The ends of her eyebrows were lowered and her mouth was spread horizontally.

“…What was that about? That was a really bad sneeze. Suwa is fairly elevated and it has a lake, so it gets chilly.”

“No, that just hit me out of the blue. Was someone talking about me?”

'''Laborer:''' “Hey, were any of you talking about me?”

'''10ZO:''' “No, no, not at all! We weren’t talking about anything at all!”

'''Mal-Ga:''' “Judge, that’s right. So don’t worry. …I’ll make the drawings look good.”

'''Laborer:''' “Hold it right there.”

Masazumi glanced over to see the divine chat growing lively.

She faced forward to see the state of Houjou.

Their punishment seemed to be over. The automaton still lay on the ground with white smoke rising from him and Ujinao turned to face Masazumi.

“Houjou’s ultimate objective is the Kantou Liberation,” she said. “Because once the Siege of Odawara is complete, Houjou will be dissolved as a clan in accordance with the history recreation. Those dissolved forces will take on the Kantou Liberation as their final battle.”

After making her announcement, Ujinao breathed a shallow sigh that no one else would notice.

…''This is my duty as Houjou’s final leader.

According to the Testament, after the Siege of Odawara, Matsudaira would be trapped in Kantou on Hashiba’s orders and it would absorb the remnants of both Takeda and Houjou.

That would likely happen as a matter of course.

The Testament told everyone that Matsudaira would rule the Far East. It was unknown if they would actually conquer the world or if they would be restricted with interpretations, but they were the greatest hope for the Far East.

If Musashi won the Sieges of Odawara and Bitchu Takamatsu Castle, it would give them a more powerful image.

And liberating Kantou would do so even more.

…''If that happened…

Then every single nation was sure to begin stocking up for ''what was to come.

Everyone would look to the next age and seek the greatest benefit they could gain as things were.

Those who would be absorbed by Matsudaira would work to gain the best possible position under Matsudaira’s rule.

Those who would serve Matsudaira would work to gain the best possible position in their own nation once they began serving Matsudaira.

What happened here could accelerate that.

''So,'' thought Ujinao before speaking.

“This battle and the Kantou Liberation will provide Musashi with the foundation needed to become a great Far Eastern power. With that in mind…it is time we planned out tomorrow’s battle.”

Musashi did not immediately respond.

It was a voice from the ground that responded instead.

“You’re a much better leader than me, demonic niece.”

It was Ujiteru. The sign frames saying his body parts were rebooting appeared around him as he slowly got up.

“You just about cooked my brain well-done, demonic niece.”

“That cooking it to rare did not kill you is a testament to Houjou technology.”

“It is. It really is,” said her uncle as if he were pleased with how this had turned out. Then he awkwardly crossed his arms. “Listen. …Are you listening?”

“…You always have been a stubborn uncle.”

“Just listen. Are you listening? Even if we are doomed…do a half-assed job and I’ll kill you!”

“Oh?” replied Ujinao. “You are inferior in machine specs, technique, strength, equipment, fortitude, subordinates, rank, and beauty and I have already killed you before, yet you claim you will kill me next?”

“Because I’ve finally caught up with you after you were ‘reincarnated’ as an automaton.” Ujiteru rubbed his head and smiled thinly. “Besides, you didn’t set my body to automatically punish me if I disobey you. Are you mocking me?”

“Such a setting would only invite carelessness. …I know you will try to kill me, so I just have to be prepared to cut you down at any time. That was my decision.”

“…What an awful demonic niece. Just plain awful.” Ujiteru looked the other way and loudly clicked his tongue after three seconds. “If you’d used a setting like that, I was planning to break through it without you noticing so I could kill you when you showed an openiiiing!”

“You are too easy to predict, uncle.”

…''But that is what makes him Houjou Ujiteru.

In a way, Ujinao had absolute trust in that uncle.

He was insulting and overbearing, but he was even more obsessed with battle.

He had originally had a powerful drive to climb the ranks, but once she had taken the positions of Chancellor and Student Council President, he had started fighting on the front line to cheer himself up.

He was very decisive.

She was superior when it came to domestic affairs, diplomacy, and combat.

But that uncle was superior when it came to simply “crushing the enemy”.

After all, she had ''killed him'' once already.

So had her father and the other top retainers.

Because he had once tried to take control of Houjou but been stopped by her father and the others, Ujiteru had tried to take over Houjou from within. That was also why Ujinao’s sickliness had been used an excuse to ''make her into an automaton'' when she was young.

Although it did not seem Ujiteru had ever imagined the doll body containing that sickly child would become the most powerful individual in Houjou as the development line grew.

…''He intended to use me as a puppet, but I ended up taking revenge a dozen years later.

When she had cut him down, Ujiteru had smiled.

And he had tried to cut her down countless times.

It was not that he was desperate.

He did not for a second think he was losing. Even when she had beheaded her uncle, she knew he would not have doubted his victory in the slightest.

She had allowed him to live on as an automaton. According to Kotarou, that had been a mistake, but according to the future she imagined, it had been the right thing to do.

She had made no mistake.

This uncle would crush their enemies. And…

“—————”

They would win.

There was a part of the Siege of Odawara that they could win.

…''Including me, Houjou can gain two victories.

It was unclear how much Genan and Kotarou could do, but she could be certain of her uncle’s and her own victories.

And with that self-confident reasoning in mind…

“Now, let us plan out tomorrow’s ‘war’.”

…''Planning out a war, is an incredible concept.

Would she call it “modern”?

Perhaps she should think of it as decisive.

But she did have her thoughts on the matter.

'''Vice President:''' “Everyone, we are about to discuss how many duels will be fought. We will also be discussing what we as nations are willing to bet on each battle, so I would like your help.”

'''Marube-ya:''' “Money!? You need money, right!? After being disgraced as a pooping girl, nothing you say can scare me off! So what’ll it be!? How much!?”

'''Worshiper:''' “Oh, I’m preparing more food with Hassan-kun and Aoi-kun, so don’t worry about that.”

'''Marube-ya:''' “You’re just going to ignore me!?”

''It’s the only thing to do,'' thought Masazumi as someone unexpected responded.

'''Unturning:''' “I would like to ask that you make sure to have me fight one of the duels for the Siege of Odawara.”

It was Narumi.

Suzu sensed everyone focusing on Narumi without actually turning her way.

…''Narumi…-san?

Suzu turned toward her and Narumi took a quiet breath without turning everyone’s way.

It was a breath of laughter.

But it was also a “sound” that only Suzu would pick up on. As if to say…

…''Don’t…worry?

That was how Suzu interpreted it.

But she blushed when she realized it was a message only for her.

Then Urquiaga spoke.

'''Urqui:''' “Do not worry, everyone. …Narumi is a battle-crazed warrior.”

'''Unturning:''' “I enjoy how being with you shows me new attractive sides to myself.”

This time, Narumi took a breath loud enough for anyone to hear.

'''Unturning:''' “It’s simple: The Date clan participates in the Siege of Odawara. But Date is currently trying to get back on its feet and Oniniwa-san will join Hashiba. …They could always send Masamune here, but then none of their main fighters would remain in Sendai castle.”

'''Bell:''' “…They don’t have…any fighters?”

'''Unturning:''' “Judge, that’s right. They don’t.”

She could have sworn there had been more than that, but was she remembering wrong? But if Narumi said so…

'''Bell:''' “I…see.”

“Okay! Thank you, everyone, for another day repairing Sendai Castle! This is the Vice President who is treated like garbage when the President and Vice President are compared! Hey! Hey, 1st year girl there! Don’t look away! Hey, you! The girl with the beautiful long black hair! …Don’t pull out your sword to cut your hair all of a sudden! Is it that hot today!? Oh? In that case, I shall warm you up! C’mon, dive right into my chest! You’re ignoring me!? You’re ignoring me, aren’t you!? Or did you have an extremely sheltered upbringing that’s placed a division between your mind and the outside world!? I get it now! You can’t help it then! Remember this, okay!? …Anyway, everyone, I have something to ask of you! You know how the Seiryu cut right through here before? Well, my room is on the top floor there and it was sliced in half! …You knew!? You knew that, everyone!? So you were worried about me!? You say it serves me right!? What a strange way to support me! Thanks! Now my question is why my room is the very last thing on Sendai Castle’s repair schedule!? Are you saving the best for last!? Oh, so that’s it! …Who was that who called me annoying!? Thank you very much!”

'''Unturning:''' “We do have someone else who isn’t much of a fighter and causes harm during peacetime as well.”

''Oh, him,'' thought Suzu.

''The one who’s similar to Kojirou-san. Whose name is, I mean.

''There were so many different kinds of people at Date,'' she thought as Narumi continued speaking.

'''Unturning:''' “So I will assist with the Siege of Odawara as part of the Date clan.”

'''Uqui:''' “Narumi. …Come back soon.”

'''Unturning:''' “Are you not aware that I have nowhere else to return to?”

Suzu had a thought while listening to everyone give cries of “ohhh”.

…''Narumi-san…doesn’t have it easy.

It would not have been smooth sailing after arriving on the Musashi.

Just as Mary occasionally worried about England and Mitotsudaira had her thoughts about Hexagone Française, a former home was an important thing.

It did not matter if they had run away or if there had been a falling out.

Everyone was here due to their respective positions and advantages.

That may have been why Masazumi responded the way she did.

'''Vice President:''' “I appreciate it.”

And then she said more.

'''Vice President:''' “Just to be clear, there is one thing we have to watch out for here. We are about to fight four battles: the Tensho Jingo Conflict, the Siege of Odawara, the Siege of Bitchu Takamatsu Castle, and the Siege of Kanie Castle. But in my opinion…”

Suzu listened.

'''Vice President:''' “We should avoid using our main fighters for these battles.”

…''Eh?

Suzu heard everyone’s silence.

…''She isn’t going to…send everyone into battle?

That meant she was not having them take an active role in this war.

Suzu thought, ''Is Masazumi all right?

Adele must have thought the same thing.

She said nothing and simply kept piling pasta onto her plate.

She had clearly taken far too much, but she must have been distracted. Or maybe she really did want to eat that much. Suzu was not really sure. ''But I had some of that earlier and the garlic was really strong, so be careful, Adele.

''Especially with tomorrow morning in mind.

''Remember those gyoza you regretted eating, Adele.

But everyone had to be thinking the same thing: Masazumi had said something strange.

But they could not make any careless statements at the moment.

This was an international meeting, so they could not let their surprise show.

Besides, if they asked “Masazumi, have you gone insane?” here, it would be an international incident. That might be a normal enough question for the people of Musashi, but they needed to avoid any strange statements here. Yes.

So Suzu remained just as silent as everyone else.

“—————”

And in that silence, a voice shouted from the café.

“Seijun! Have you gone crazy!?”

Hearing the crossdresser, Masazumi lifted her shoulders and turned around.

“Shut up! I’m trying to think, so be quiet!”

She took a breath and brushed back her hair.

'''Vice President:''' “Listen carefully.”

Her voice reached them.

'''Vice President:''' “The Kantou Liberation is what really matters. If we can accomplish that, the east of the Far East will be a Matsudaira force! That will allow us to attack Hashiba or P.A. Oda without worrying about our back.”

Which meant…

'''Vice President:''' “We will have the foothold we need to demand Hashiba fights Sekigahara and Komaki Nagakute and to demand P.A. Oda does Honnouji. We must complete the Kantou Liberation if we want that. So…”

So…

'''Vice President:''' “We will use our main fighters on the Kantou Liberation and we will try to use our secondary fighters for the Siege of Odawara, the Tensho Jingo Conflict, and the Siege of Bitchu Takamatsu Castle. …Can we do that?”

Masazumi gave everyone a challenging look. And…

'''83:''' “Well, if you insist.”

Something was not right. “No, wait,” said Masazumi before clearing her throat.

'''Vice President:''' “Umm, even if they’re only our secondary fighters, they still have to, y’know, fight.”

'''Sticky King:''' “It looks like this is in our hands…”

'''Vice President:''' “I was looking for someone we could be confident would win…”

'''Obscene:''' “It would seem it is finally time for us to get serious.”

…''Will this turn out all right?

Suzu felt an awkward sweat on her back.

But who else could be one of their secondary fighters?

Ookubo sighed as she stared into the empty frappe container.

The Satomi Student Council President had told her the situation with Houjou and then left.

Ookubo’s job often required speaking with upperclassmen and underclassmen, but when it came to another nation’s Student Council President from the same year as her…

…''I was overly polite.

It was partially because that girl was adored by those upperclassmen.

That was partially because of her position and because she was a leader much like them, but…

…''I felt kind of jealous.

Ookubo shook her head.

“What a frightening thought.”

She could not allow herself to want those people to pay attention to her.

That would be far too dangerous.

Yes, what she felt about the Satomi Student Council President was something else.

…''It was just my indiscriminate desire to have people focus on me.

She did not like it when someone ignored her, even if it was those upperclassmen. That was what it was.

And she knew what it was she felt about the Satomi Vice President herself:

…''That her position can’t be easy.

After all, they were fighting a war starting the next day.

Of course, war breaking out was unavoidable given the Vice President’s habits. And Ookubo was at fault too for having accepted that girl’s methods.

She had to stick with that girl until it destroyed her. It was like a game of chicken to see who was destroyed first.

But Ookubo knew fighting on the front line had to be dangerous.

“I mean…”

She looked to her left arm. She had grown accustomed to that white prosthetic attached to her shoulder.

That arm could be seen as what she was now, but when she thought about that happening to someone else, she wanted to stop it.

Of course, there was no guarantee something like that would happen and she was not going to reject any and all risk. But…

“—————”

“Herrrre y’go! Y’r ord’r’s r’dyyyyyyyy!”

She was given the same thing that the Satomi Student Council President had ordered.

It was a lassi frappe. She felt like she was eating too many cold things today, but she decided to think of it as following that girl’s example.

She took the container and held it up so no one else would notice.

…''Good luck with the pre-battle negotiations.

She was part of the rear guard, so she had to manage materiel and the various Committee Heads.

''I need to work hard,'' she told herself just before a sign frame opened.

'''Vice President:''' “Hey, Ookubo? You want to represent us during tomorrow’s Siege of Odawara or Bitchu Takamatsu Castle, right? This is your chance to make more of a name for yourself. Okay, I’ll give you one of the duels. Do your best.”

“Wait just a second!!”

The divine transmission had already ended.

'''Asama:''' “Um, Ookubo-san is making a persistent communication attack against you, Masazumi.”

'''Vice President:''' “Hmm. Can you just ignore her?”

'''Asama:''' “You should probably find a way to stop her. If Ookubo-san takes this too far, well, it could be designated a crime.”

'''Gold Mar:''' “For example?”

'''Asama:''' “If you commit a forcible act of stalking on the divine network, a Shinto stalker alarm will sound, the fingers typing on your sign frame will feel like burning needles were inserted below your fingernails, an ‘indescribable presence’ will follow behind you for half a year and gently pour two ''sho'' of purified water into your butt, and you will be banned from sending divine transmissions to the target.”

'''10ZO:''' “Wouldn’t that last part be enough? And what in the world is an ‘indescribable presence’?”

'''Asama:''' “Well, you know how the malevolent gods were chased around until they surrendered during the creation of the nation? One of them seems to have taken it in stride and wants to do it himself now.”

'''Smoking Girl:''' “An eye for an eye?”

'''Asama:''' “Yes, our shrine’s representative from five generations ago apparently saw a Hammurabi exhibit when the Musashi was in the Middle East and she decided ‘that’s it!’.”

'''Unturning:''' “…Why do you all look satisfied with that answer?”

'''Uqui:''' “Experience, Narumi. You will be the same before long.”

''Is that really good enough…?'' wondered Masazumi with a sinking feeling as she had Ookubo removed from the list of divine punishment targets.

Then she took a breath and thought about something else.

…''I guess we do have a fair number of secondary fighters.

“Okay.” She turned to face Terumoto. “To start with, I would like to determine the number of duels for the Siege of Odawara and the Tensho Jingo Conflict. Is that all right?”

“Testament. We mostly just have two battles, so you decide on those first.”

Terumoto smiled and crossed her arms.

No one had touched the food in front of her.

…''I guess I should be considerate.

''Yes,'' she thought as she said one last thing before turning toward Houjou.

“Feel free to start eating. I wouldn’t want your food getting cold.”

“Don’t worry about it, idiot. Besides, we’re mostly automatons.” Terumoto laughed quietly. “We don’t need to eat.”

…''Now I’ve done it!

Terumoto cursed her own vainglory.

…''No, I’m clearly just hungry.

She was far too honest with her specialty. This threatened a lot, including progress of the meeting.

''Well, it’ll work out,'' she decided while reaching for a nearby glass.

Since this was the Musashi cuisine table, it contained Far Eastern wine.

In her current state, it truly was the water of life.

…''What is wrong with me…?

To keep her stomach from being too empty, she drank some while pretending to just check its aroma.

''How long is that going to last me?'' she wondered as she heard Ujinao’s voice.

That horribly quiet and calm voice said the following:

“As the Houjou Representative, I have two suggestions here.”

“First,” said Ujinao. “Houjou would like for the following negotiation to count as the Tensho Jingo Conflict. After all, the Tensho Jingo Conflict was fought between Houjou and Matsudaira, but it was a territorial dispute that was ultimately settled peaceably. And while the following negotiation will determine the rules for the Siege of Odawara, it will touch on our interests such as territory, so we can view it as an international territorial dispute.”

And…

“Second. As we said during the day, we would like for the rules we decide on for the Siege of Odawara to also apply to the Siege of Bitchu Takamatsu Castle. …If our battle is handled separately, it will be more difficult to predict the total losses, which would hinder the later Kantou Liberation. How about that?”

When she asked that, the other two national representatives eventually nodded.

Terumoto gave a snort and turned toward the Musashi Vice President.

“If they’ll be fought on the same battlefield with the same rules, can we send personnel to Houjou in the same way? Well?”

The Musashi Vice Chancellor responded to Terumoto with a hand on her chin.

“Judge. Musashi would find that easier to deal with. And treating this meeting as the Tensho Jingo Conflict means one less battle we have to fight, which we would appreciate. But with the Siege of Odawara…”

“Testament. With the attacks on the primary castles and the other castles, it will cover a wide area. We need to start by discussing whether to do all that or to summarize it.”

Meaning…

“The more deals we have to make after the battle, the more difficult the Kantou Liberation will be. …But if we prioritize the Kantou Liberation, we will have fewer deals to make after the battle. That is what it means.”

Ujinao spoke while opening a sign frame and displaying a map of the Houjou Association of Indian States.

“Houjou is a powerful force that rules the 3 million ''koku'' of eight nations. There are many castles there. What matters is how many are involved in the Siege of Odawara.”

Several village and castle icons appeared on the map and Ujinao added a vermilion circle to some of them.

“The number is greater than 20.”

That was a lot.

Even with all of Houjou’s representatives gathered, they could not secure that many personnel. But in that case…

“Let us negotiate how exactly we will convert this into a series of duels, Musashi.”

Houjou was doomed to fall. How would Musashi deal with a nation that had no future but shared the Kantou Liberation as a goal?

“Let us begin.”

Masazumi gasped in her heart at what Ujinao had said.

…''More than 20 castles!?

She looked up in doubt, but Ujinao nodded and tapped the back of her sign frame.

“When talking about the Siege of Odawara, we often focus entirely on the final flooding, but Hashiba actually begins by attacking castles all across our land and then crushes the primary castles leading to Odawara. It begins with…”

Five.

“Yamanaka Castle, Takanosu Castle, Ashigara Castle, Nirayama Castle, and Shimoda Castle.”

The next group of primary castles and other castles stretched not just to Edo but to Satomi territory.

“Matsuida Castle, Kurihashi Castle, Minowa Castle, Tatebayashi Castle, Tsukui Castle, Tamanawa Castle, Matsuyama Castle, Edo Castle, Kogane Castle, Toke Castle, Usui Castle, Honsakura Castle, Kawagoe Castle, Iwatsuki Castle, Hachigata Castle, Oshi Castle, Hachioji Castle, Katakura Castle, and Narahara Castle.”

It was far too many to remember.

Ujinao seemed to understand that.

“For the number, let us combine the earlier ones with these for 25 in all.”

That was a lot.

If they fought that many duels, Houjou would never have enough people.

They said they would get support from Mouri for that, but they still would not have enough.

In that case, what would they do?

…''They might take personnel from the Kantou forces.

That would mean Musashi would have to supply personnel after Mouri had.

That would be dangerous.

It could hinder the Kantou Liberation.

'''83:''' “This is my time to shine.”

''Please spare me that.

…''And that’s not the point!

After shouting at herself, Masazumi came to her senses.

She realized something about what Houjou had said.

…''It isn’t possible!!!!

25 duels was simply out of the question. But if Houjou was trying to argue for it, they had to have some other purpose.

Why was Houjou presenting this ridiculous number?

“To negotiate.”

They were asking for something in return for reducing the number of castles.

If they did not reduce that number and thus reduce the number of battles, it would mean mutual destruction.

In other words…

…''She’s negotiating using our futures as collateral!

Masazumi reassessed Houjou.

Ujinao was using their goal of the Kantou Liberation to display their form of justice while also trying to benefit from it as much as possible.

Perhaps that meant she had a good grasp of the distinction between the ideal and reality.

She would display the ideal and advance toward it, but if she gained anything from that, she did not shun it as “dirty”.

That was it.

Houjou was attempting the Kantou Liberation while under P.A. Oda’s rule.

That was who they were up against here.

This negotiation was well worth calling the Tensho Jingo Conflict. It really would rival a war.

So what did Masazumi have to do?

She prepared herself for the bargaining of negotiation.

But before she could take another breath, someone stepped forward.

“Crossdressing Honda-kun, please leave this to me.”

It was Neshinbara.

He pushed his glasses up his nose and turned a sharp look toward Ujinao.

“It is time for a biased history-lover to dissect the Siege of Odawara.”

<noinclude>
{{HorizonNavbar
| [[Horizon:Volume 6B Chapter 32|Chapter 32]]
| [[Horizon:Volume 6B Chapter 34|Chapter 34]]
}}
</noinclude>

Horizon:Kimitoasamade 4B Chapter 8

2018-01-24T23:52:11Z

162.158.134.31: I think this sentence was supposed to be like this. It doesn't make sense as-is.

==Chapter 8: Expert in a Hidden Place==
[[Image:Horizon_Kimi4B_005.jpg|thumb]]
''I meant to have fewer thoughts

''Than I thought

''But I hid more thoughts

''Than I thought

'''Point Allocation (Maturing)

A festival began in the two large aerial cities of Musashi and Aki.

It was their combined Spring School Festival.

Since they could not use Aki’s theatre ship, they had abandoned the idea of holding the opening ceremony at the midpoint between the two cities.

Instead, the ceremony was held at both sites with a simultaneous divine transmission and commentary.

On the Aki side, the Pope-Chancellor gave a speech at Itsukushima Shrine:

“Starting this year, K.P.A. Italia will work to increase its national strength and to renew its role as ruler of the Mediterranean and representative of Catholicism! That is one more reason to give this year’s festival our all so that our glory might never end.”

According to Neshinbara:

“The Pope-Chancellor probably intends to visit the other nations for direct negotiations. Some will scoff at the idea of the pope visiting to bow down to others, but he used to be a powerful merchant. To nations with little obvious negotiating power, his presence will be nothing but a threat.”

Meanwhile on the Far Eastern side, Torii had gathered everyone in the schoolyard for her opening greeting.

“Everyone. I brought one of those fireworks that were going off overhead. It’s already been lit, though.”

Everyone panicked. And then a nudist spoke from the academy gate.

“The one I brought is even bigger. It’s also already lit, though.”

He cut off the fleeing people’s escape route, so their mission was now to eliminate him.

“Honestly, why do they keep doing these things?”

Asama sighed and made sure she could activate an emergency barrier at any time. Kimi tapped her on the back and Mitotsudaira watched the two criminals being carried to the guard station.

“So another year’s spring festival has begun…”

As a reward for the successful mission, two fireworks went off in the sky.

That signaled the festival’s beginning.

Tenzou was in his classroom: Class 2-Plum.

But he was not just waiting there or taking supplementary lessons.

He was helping with his class’s part of the festival.

“In a way, doing a Blue-Thunder-sponsored cosplay teahouse is a pretty safe option.”

“But we can’t run it properly without getting Aoi-kun released from the guard station.” Neshinbara crossed his arms while viewing his costume spread out on a desk. “Mukai-kun’s sewing skills are incredible… This is a custom version of the uniform used in the popular cooking show Cooking With Fine China.”

“Oh, that one that could be making French food or Alaskan food but always makes it Chinese-style?”

“The trick is that’s always Chinese ‘style’ and not the real thing. Last time they said, ‘Okay! Today we’re going to turn a baumkuchen into Mapo Doufu! Don’t worry! It’ll probably taste good on rice!’ and then it mysteriously turned into a show all about rice.”

“I can imagine.”

Then Tenzou looked to his own costume.

“But with that nudist involved in this, I was expecting us to be crossdressing.”

“Yeah, there was a crossdressing set in the clothes basket earlier. There were a few others, but I didn’t ask if they were for the girls or us because I was afraid of getting involved.”

“That was a wise decision.”

“Judge. But, Crossunite-kun, do you have some ninja techniques to help out if ''it comes to that''? Oh, but not for me to use. As material for my novels.”

“I actually do…”

Tenzou searched through his uniform’s pocket.

…''This is it…no, wait, is it this? No, maybe this…

“You can’t find it?”

“Oh, sorry. I never use this after all. …Oh, there it is. This is it!”

He pulled out a charm painted a flesh color.

He read off the instructions on the back.

“Let’s see… Um, ‘After spreading your legs in a pose of resignation, attach this from below your navel and down around to your butt. Removing it is a pain.’ That’s what it says.”

“Isn’t that just tape painted a flesh color? Isn’t there anything more dramatic? Like a ninja technique that turns you into a Technohexen girl?”

“I’m supposed to end up like Naruze-dono and Naito-dono?”

Without warning, something flew in through the window, grazed the back of his neck, and hit the hallway-side wall.

The wall shook and a round mark was left by the 10-yen coin bullet.

“Oh, sorry, Tenzou. I borrowed Margot’s and was test-firing it, but my hand slipped. …And after I aimed so perfectly too.”

“Wait! That’s not what your hand slipping is supposed to mean!”

At any rate, they were apparently being bugged. Inquiring further would probably get him sniped, so he returned to the previous topic.

“If you want that kind of spell, I imagine Toori-dono would be your best bet.”

“But wouldn’t that make it feel less real?” asked the other Technohexen. “He does it so well you almost can’t call it crossdressing.”

“Maybe so, Naito-dono, but the rest of us are amateurs, so it’s going to seem a lot rougher.”

“Is that how it works?” asked Neshinbara. “Well, we should probably get changed, Crossunite-kun.”

“Yes. I’ll get that over with real quick.”

Tenzou changed his clothes.

Neshinbara frowned.

“That was fast.”

“I used a ninja technique.”

Then the starboard door opened.

“Nh!?”

Tenzou and everyone else tensed up when they saw Naruze standing there.

She looked around the classroom and her eyes stopped on Tenzou. She held a Magie Figur, but…

“Ah! Why are you already done changing!? And you’re not crossdressing! You leave me no choice…”

She continued staring at him while redrawing everything below his head as a busty crossdresser. Once she was done, she closed the door.

After a bit, he received a divine mail with that sketch attached.

“Here’s the rough. I think I’ll send it to the porn game team.”

“What are you planning!?”

“That’s up to them. Don’t worry, though. They’ll probably go with a genderbending game.”

“That’s plenty to worry about!”

But he knew no one was going to listen.

When he thought about it, he realized a busty body with a ninja face was something of a new genre.

…''That could provide some work for the illustrators who have trouble with faces.

He thought he might be on the verge of a major business opportunity.

“Then again, ninjas can’t show their faces.”

“Crossunite-kun, what do you do on infiltration missions?”

“Judge. There are two types of ninjas: disguise types and stealth types. I am the latter. Well, if I had to, I might show my face for a disguise, but only somewhere where my identity isn’t known.”

“But,” said Ohiroshiki who was fixing his costume’s collar in front of a mirror. He looked to Tenzou using the edge of the mirror. “Tenzou-kun, what does it feel like to be busty, even if it’s just in an image?”

“Hm.” Tenzou placed a hand on his chin while viewing Naruze’s rough illustration. Then he grabbed his imaginary breasts. “If I actually had those as a part of my body, I imagine they would be heavy. …If I ever get a busty blonde bride, I would make sure to help her support them, but I doubt I’ll ever come across someone with this fantastic a size and shape. Dreams are always so distant and out of reach, aren’t they? What I mean is…”

The sea was visible in the sky.

That was the scene from a beach on a giant floating island.

Two people were on that white sand: a green-hooded figure and a crow.

“Achoo!”

“Scarred!? Are you getting a chill!?”

“No, Milton. …Didn’t I tell you before? There is a jinx that makes you sneeze when someone is talking about you.”

The hooded figure moved her hand near the chest within the hood.

The crow tilted his head to the right in midair and drifted a bit rightward.

“Scarred? What is it?”

“Judge. When I sneeze, my chest feels so tight. It may be inappropriate, but with the cloak hiding me, I should be fine loosening it some.”

There was a small, troubled smile below the hood.

“Because someone might talk about me again.”

“Anyway, that is my answer, Ohiroshiki-dono.”

“Oh, sorry. I’m playing a game with Persona-kun right now.”

“Wh-what is with your attitude!?”

Tenzou looked over and saw that Ohiroshiki had indeed finished adjusting his costume and was sitting across a desk from Persona-kun to compete against him in a sign frame rhythm game.

He had no intention of looking Tenzou’s way.

But Neshinbara did respond while completing the inspection of his costume.

“Crossunite-kun, you changed the topic from busty crossdressers to busty blondes and then spent 7 minutes talking nonstop. Are you okay in the head?”

''Did I really talk for that long?'' thought Tenzou, feeling afraid for himself.

But at the same time…

“That would be because I have not talked about them for a while.”

“I see.”

Neshinbara removed his uniform’s jacket, undid the inner suit that acted as a shirt, removed that, and reached for his costume.

“The inside is made so you can swap out the lining. This is really well made.”

“We do have to wear them for a few days straight.”

“Is anyone not wearing one?”

“Mukai-dono didn’t know how to make one for Uqui-dono, so she made him more of a cloak.”

“She prepared well for this.”

Neshinbara put on the top of the costume’s inner suit. He wore it like a sleeveless vest and then closed the front.

“So it’s the same as a standard one. You can remove the air to make it skin tight.”

Then the starboard door opened.

“Oh?”

Tenzou and everyone else tensed up when they saw Naruze standing there.

She looked around the classroom and her eyes stopped on Neshinbara. She held a Magie Figur on which she sketched Neshinbara while he changed and then she closed the door.

After a moment, a sign frame appeared.

“This should be enough to sell on Oku Auc. Can I redden your cheeks?”

“W-wait, Naruze-kun!”

“Eh!? If I wait, I can sell it!? How many seconds!?”

''Does this Technohexen think the world revolves around her?

…''Is she still excited after reaching Rank 1?

But Neshinbara spoke into the divine transmission.

“Naruze-kun, are you sure you want me leaking the doujinshi you drew back in elementary school?”

“What was that? …I just leaked the first 3 pages of Masako-san: Youkai Prison, that Youkai novel you wrote back in middle school. Let’s see: ‘One day, Masako thought, I must use my dark power to unite the samurai families———!’ What is that ‘———!’? Is it supposed to be funny?”

“Waaaah! I’m sorry, I’m sorry!”

“You sure lost in a hurry, Neshinbara-dono!”

That was too formidable of an opponent.

Then a sign frame opened in front of Tenzou.

“Um, it’s Asama. …Tenzou-kun, are you normal?”

“A-Asama-dono, you’re pretty bad yourself!”

“Well, it’s just that Naruze drew a pretty realistic image just now, so I thought it might mean you had entered the same zone as Toori-kun. If so, I can help you use it to earn Blessings, so don’t let it end as a simple hobby.”

Tenzou had figured out the rules: If he responded, he lost.

And Asama had more to say:

“The guards showed up about getting Toori-kun released, so I’m going through that process. He should be able to manage the teahouse in half an hour, so free the classroom up for the girls, okay?”

“Judge.”

Just as he said that, the starboard door opened.

“Open sesame! Oh!? You sure are slow! Do you want to see me changing that badly!? Then take a look at this! I brought some charms that grow a dick, so I’ll be pasting these all over the place! Don’t worry! They’re based on the data I took from my foolish brother’s God Mosaic and they have gravitational control built in! Now, who wants to have one pasted backwards on their ass for some fun!? Or should I put them on the chairs so a moment of inattention gives you a surprise kanchou!? …Oh, Ohiroshiki!? You look like you want that!”

“Asama-dono, chaos has just descended upon the classroom.”

“Yeah, she was carrying a bundle of Ootsubaki original spell charms, so be careful.”

''She clearly thinks this is not her problem,'' thought Tenzou as Kimi began chasing Ohiroshiki and the others and strange screams filled the classroom.

Mitotsudaira came to a stop partway up the stairs to the third floor where Class Plum was located.

Her Loup-Garou hearing had picked up on a familiar voice and some screaming.

…''Danger lies ahead.

She had gone to greet the Knight’s League before coming here, but she still seemed to be a little early.

Everyone was preparing for the festival, so there were plenty of voices and noises coming from each classroom and students were walking around carrying supplies or wearing costumes. Some were decorating the stairs and hallways with colored paper chains and rings made from weaving branches and flowers together.

…''We really are in school festival mode.

But Kimi’s voice could be heard over all of it.

“Oh, Neshinbara! What’s that costume? Suzu made it for you, didn’t she? It looks great! So let’s make it a crossdressing costume! Not to worry! I’ll do your makeup. Yes, it will make for excellent doujinshi material and draw in the customers! …Huh? Where will your dick go? Don’t be silly. One of my spells can warp it to a general-use shared space. The other crossdressers will also have their dicks shoved into that space, so there might be some near misses, but you’ll be fine. It’s midday on a school day, after all.”

Mitotsudaira knew one thing for sure: there was no escape for the boys.

It was awkward how the people walking through the hallways and putting together signs were focused on Class Plum.

Some of the students knew she was from Class Plum, so they kept their distance from her.

“…”

…''Ah, those awkward stares…!

The Cerberus nearly barked on her head, so she stopped it with a hand and made a quick retreat to avoid a nervous sweat. She did not know what would arrive from the top of the stairs, so she walked backwards while descending them. And then…

“Mitotsudaira~!”

''How did she know I was approaching?

“Don’t you want my foolish brother’s dick!?”

…''Wh-what does she mean by that!?

''Is she giving me usage rights?

''Or is it removable?

''Does he have a portable di-…that was close. I just about thought a very dangerous term. But if that kind of system did exist, guys wouldn’t get so worked up over size. Yes, and if a similar swappable system worked for girls, the entire size-based mental caste system wouldn’t exist. Yes. Wh-why am I on the verge of tears?

They said crazy people loved a festival and Kimi did indeed love the school festival. The idea of crazy people having inhuman strength seemed to fit here, but her voice passed right on by without stopping.

“Oh, fine then! I’ll just stick it in Asama’s desk! Ah, Tenzou! You crossdress too! Why do your hat’s eyes look so displeased!? Are you going to miss out on a chance to become busty!?”

''Now’s my chance,'' thought Mitotsudaira as she completed her retreat.

Once down in the 2nd floor hallway, she thought about what to do. While the boys were changing, Asama was taking care of things at the guard station and the others were carrying over ingredients and other supplies.

…''Then would they be at the front building’s first-floor entrance?

She opened a sign frame while turning toward the passageway to the front school building.

“Hm? It’s Koumon-chan.”

“Huh?”

Hearing a voice, she looked forward and saw Chancellor and Student Council President Torii with Tadayo.

Since they held a higher office than her, Mitotsudaira bowed. Tadayo responded by smacking Torii on the back of her head.

“What did you do?”

“Huh!? I-I didn’t do anything! She’s being virtuous! The Chancellor is an important position!”

“That’s not being virtuous, you idiot. She’s just being polite. …And she’s provisionally 1st in line to ruling the Far East and a Knight’s League Rank 1, so she’s more important than you.”

“Then.” Torii looked to Tadayo. “Why aren’t you bowing to her?”

“I’m Vice President, so I’m more important.”

“You’re so unvirtuous, Tadayo.”

Tadayo smacked the back of Torii’s head again.

Mitotsudaira did not even question it because it was so normal for them.

And Tadayo looked her way.

“Rank 1. …Oh, and this isn’t Chancellor’s Officers business. I’m just reporting something about the school event.” She opened a sign frame. “ ‘Musashi’ just released a bunch of information about the Gagaku Festival. We have the order of performances, so you can check on that.”

She turned a sign frame so Mitotsudaira could see and lightly tapped the back.

It zoomed in on a list of around a dozen band names.

Mitotsudaira scanned it from top to bottom.

…''Oh, Margot and Naruze are near the end.

And Torii’s band was second to last.

“I had a feeling the Chancellor’s band would get a good spot…”

“Yeah, judge. But, Rank 1, look at the one below that.”

She did and saw the name “Kimitoasamade” written at the very bottom.

…''Oh, that’s us. We’re here.

She was relieved to find they had been accepted and given a position in the lineup.

And then…

“Eh?”

She looked again, but that was definitely the very bottom.

She looked a third time and then asked a question with a smile.

“Does this list start from the bottom?”

“No, from the top.”

After receiving that calm rejection, Mitotsudaira felt a nervous sweat pouring from her body.

“U-umm…”

…''That means we have the last performance, doesn’t it?

She tried asking.

“Why?”

“If I had to guess why, it would be because Asama-chi’s band is purifying the mysterious phenomena.”

Naito sat on the edge of Okutama’s large windbreak barrier that looked like a ship’s tower.

Naruze was checking the performance order on a Magie Figur next to Naito.

“Yeah, we got a decent position. We won’t be forgotten but we won’t be seen as too important either. That’s just right. And none of the performances close to ours are anything like us.”

“Yeah. So the Chancellor’s band gets what amounts to the main performance and Asama-chi’s follows on after that to purify the mysterious phenomena.”

“Kimi will probably get really excited when she sees it, but I bet Mitotsudaira will feel shaken and Asama won’t really know what it means.”

“Probably so,” agreed Naito as she looked behind them.

Several people were sitting on the wide wall back there.

They were from the delivery business.

…''Everyone’s gathered here.

They were discussing the rank change.

The previous changes had been handled via divine transmission, but that was not going to cut it this time.

This was a change of Rank 1.

The others lined up with their flight devices, flying ships, and brooms and Almirante crossed his arms in the center.

“Okay, um, how should I put this? This isn’t really going to take effect until next year, but our Rank 1 has changed from Wild Kamelie to Zwei Fräulein.”

The two Technohexen heard some cheers and sensed a few people turn their way.

But most of them were still looking at Wild Kamelie.

The woman said nothing.

And Almirante continued speaking.

“Wild Kamelie was made our representative for the year during the ceremony, so she’ll keep that job until the next Walpurgis.”

“Provisional representative.”

Wild Kamelie made that quiet but definite correction.

“Judge.” Almirante nodded. “Wild Kamelie has been our representative for a very long time. Um…about 200 years, I think?”

“5 years, you moron.”

When Wild Kamelie smiled, Marine raised her eyebrows and slowly turned around.

“Who are you calling a moron, moron?”

“I don’t want to hear that from someone who was beaten first.”

“The order doesn’t matter.”

Marine refused to back down, but no one argued the point.

…''They are the former Rank 1 and 2, after all.

Everyone was silent, but not because they were cautious.

If a fight broke out here, everyone could enjoy a fight between those two without having to worry about the rankings. But if they tried egging the women on, Almirante might stop it.

However, Wild Kamelie backed down first.

“I’m going to temporarily drop out of the rankings. Once I give up my rights as an Edel Brocken tester, I don’t know what will happen to my Hexen Frau, but I need to get a new start no matter what happens.”

“Then I-…”

Wild Kamelie cut off Marine.

“Since I’m dropping out, you remain the provisional Rank 2. Zwei Fräulein is the barrier blocking your way forward. Right?” she added to no one in particular. “Listen, everyone. You’ve worked as Technohexen and deliverers on the Musashi, so you should know a lot about the other nations. …You know P.A. Oda is starting to act and the Thirty Years’ War is starting to intensify, right? Once that happens, it will mean a lot for Musashi that I lost to some students.” She spoke to Naito and Naruze behind her. “So continue on, Zwei Fräulein. …Continue on to a place where you can demonstrate your strength and protect Musashi.”

Almirante spoke up as if to add to her words.

“Wild Kamelie. Are there even greater heights?”

“There are.”

Because…

“Whether you want to move forward or higher, you will always find somewhere to go. And that’s true for social status, for enemies, and for your own pride.”

“I see,” Naruze heard Almirante say. “That’s a good assignment for those students. Besides, Zwei Fräulein are still only provisionally Rank 1 until the start of next year. Those of you ranked below them need to keep aiming higher. …I’ll be watching you all work at it.”

“No fair, Almirante!”

Everyone laughed and said that, but he responded.

“Wait.” He held out a hand. “Don’t be ridiculous. I’ll join in once Marine loses.”

“That’s a lot of responsibility…” sighed Marine.

Naruze had a thought when she saw that.

…''That’s kind of oppressive.

You could call it solidarity or a familial atmosphere, but she felt like she needed to spend more time with them before she could join in like that.

Would she have that kind of time once she graduated as a student?

…''I’m not sure.

While she thought about that, she saw Almirante look to everyone and speak.

“Zwei Fräulein are the provisional Rank 1, but I doubt anyone is going to challenge them anytime soon. So for now, there’s something we need to prepare to make them our new face.”

“Huh? Something to prepare? What’s that, Almirante?”

It was Wild Kamelie and not Almirante who turned around to respond.

“The ad song for Musashi’s delivery union.”

“…Oh, that annual one.”

“Right,” said Wild Kamelie. “That. The tradition is to have it made by the provisional Rank 1 and whoever they beat.”

“Eh? Wild Kamelie…you can write songs?”

Margot turned around when she heard that question.

“If it’s ‘whoever they beat’, wouldn’t it be all the others too?”

“That’s right. And…the provisional Rank 1 doesn’t get any say in the music or lyrics.”

“Well, if you did, it would be nothing but praising yourself…”

“Also,” said Wild Kamelie. “It’s the provisional Rank 1 that sings it. Since my win lasted so long, I had to start changing up the instrumental parts to make it sound fresh by the third year.”

Naruze had a bad feeling about where this was headed.

“Wait a second, all of you.”

“Yes?”

“…You aren’t going to make us sing some bawdy song, are you?”

“We’re not going to play something like that for our ads, idiot.”

“But,” said Wild Kamelie while narrowing her eyes. “Malga Naruze, listening to your songs, you never use the word ‘love’ in your lyrics, do you? Why might that be?”

…''Kh!

She wanted to say that she could not use such an embarrassing word in front of people, but she forced down the complaint. Unfortunately, her silence was all the answer anyone needed. Margot had a look of “oh, dear” on her face.

Then Almirante opened a sign frame.

“Listen. While listening to the opening theme of Armored Warrior Monks: Bhikkhus, a historical show my grandkid watches, I wrote up some lyrics to use as a jumping off point. I wanted to add a chorus that repeated the phrase ‘Oh, Zwei Fräulein’ over and over, but I couldn’t fit it in.”

“Well, thank goodness for that!!”

Naruze replied on reflex and the others turned her way.

“So you wouldn’t like that!?”

“Then let’s do it!”

“Yeah, let’s do it! We’ve gotta do it…!”

“Let’s make these lyrics the kind of thing we’d be way too embarrassed to sing ourselves!”

…''These people…

Margot tapped her on the shoulder.

“This is fine. It means they’re celebrating our win.”

Before Naruze could ask “are you sure?”, Margot continued.

“I think.”

''Me too,'' thought Naruze from the bottom of her heart.

Asama was in their classroom.

It was past noon. Their school festival teahouse was already open for business and it was currently the shrine maiden time.

…''Changing costumes depending on the time really is well thought out.

On the first day, the order of costumes was apparently original→shrine maiden→samurai→Technohexen→knight. There had been other ideas like executioner, grave keeper, or god of war, but those genres had been a little too far out there.

During the shrine maiden time, the girls waited tables and the boys worked in the kitchen.

With Ohiroshiki there, she had thought the menu would expand when the girls were waiting tables, but…

“I guess they can’t leave all the cooking to Ohiroshiki.”

She could hear the boys’ voices from beyond the partition.

“Okay, Noriki-kun, set the heat to low! …No, not like that! When I say low heat, I mean just a whisper of a flame! Yes, in terms of little girls, think of it as a 3 year old! How about that? You understand it now, don’t you? …Hassan-kun! That is supposed to be an apple pie! Don’t turn it into curry!”

''Will they be okay?

But strangely, the customers were mostly girls. There were some upperclassmen there, but…

“I thought there would be a bunch of upperclassmen boys here when the girls were waiting tables.”

“Yes, people do have some preconceived notions about upperclassmen. A lot of girls see them as more mature.”

Asama had seen that on the divine network and in manga. But…

“Our class doesn’t have much of that, does it?”

They did not give much thought to school year.

After all, they were often out on official duties or working real jobs. In that case, it did not matter if someone was an upperclassman or not. You would scold them if they got in the way of work and you would give them instructions to “utilize” them.

Their class had a lot of people with a clear plan for their future. That was probably the reason.

She wanted to think it meant they all had professional attitudes, but…

…''Is that really true?

Asama had had a certain thought on that matter recently. She wondered if there was a kind of synergy working between them all.

In her case, everyone knew so much more about music and working than she did and she found that incredible, so she tried to catch up to them.

It was not that she was afraid of losing. She simply wanted to be able to do it herself. That was likely because the idea of Shinto purification was at the foundation of her thoughts.

Everyone else probably had things like that as well.

…''So if we all find each other incredible and try to catch up with each other…

She guessed they were in the process of doing that.

There were also some third years like that, but when they met Asama’s class in a place like this, they would approach using their on-the-job relationships.

So when Naomasa served a third year she knew from the engine division…

“Team leader! Shouldn’t you be keeping an eye on the engines!?”

“Don’t you have anything to say about how I’m dressed?” asked Naomasa.

“Yeah! It doesn’t have many pockets for storing stuff!”

So according to Mitotsudaira…

“This is less a teahouse and more of a place for our various connections to visit and counsel us.”

“But the two of us haven’t been waiting any tables.”

“Do you really think anyone is going to call over the Asama Shrine Representative or the provisional 1st in line?”

Asama thought of Kimi and him, but they were waiting tables at the moment.

“This and the Technohexen time are the only costumes that restrict it to just girls. But,” said Mitotsudaira as she looked to the entrance. “I think ''that'' is one of the reasons the upperclassmen boys are only watching from a distance.”

A shrine maiden was serving drinks to a table by the entrance.

Even with the tail ballast attached, the shrine maiden used practiced motions to not bump into anything.

“Toori-kun, you’ve gotten a lot better at crossdressing…”

“Tomo! You really shouldn’t encourage him!”

“But it’s true.”

Frighteningly enough, all of the 3rd year boys who had entered during the shrine maiden time had been fooled.

Shrine maiden cafes were fairly common on Musashi, but their class had a lot of famous people like Asama and the first ones to wait on the tables had been Kimi and him, who were used to this kind of thing as entertainers.

…''That was really well done…

Since a lot of the people here knew the class, they had apparently thought the crossdresser was “a new face here to help out”. When they realized they had been so thoroughly duped, they had become beings who only held a tilted teacup that they endlessly stirred with a spoon.

“Would anyone be willing to come if they knew that in advance?”

“Most of the girls don’t seem to mind. But if you’re talking about boys…um, there’s that boy from Naruze’s manga research club. He’s supposed to be sketching some material, but he’s so nervous he can’t keep his drawing hand moving.”

Asama made a mental note to check with the event sponsors to make sure nothing that used them as a model was released.

Then a cry came from the table of girls he had been waiting on.

He had removed his wig to reveal who he was.

It was amusing how the girl who had already visited said, “See, I told you!”

“It’s hardly a surprise when you see it every day in our class…”

“My, my,” said Kimi as she walked over. She must have been doing a love fortunetelling at another table because she had a love prayer charm in her cleavage. “Are you showing off how you know my foolish brother better than them?”

Asama thought about that.

Kimi’s accusation was accurate. It was true Asama knew him better than those other girls. Thanks to his contract, spells, and divine protections, she knew a lot about how he lived his life.

But at the same time…

“If anything, I was saying they’re lucky he isn’t being even worse than that.”

The way they lived their lives was just too different.

But Kimi bent her eyes in a smile and said more.

“But how do you feel about that kind of person?”

“Well…”

She had thought about this in the early morning the other day.

“I would call him a hopeless person.”

Mitotsudaira listened to Kimi’s reaction to Asama.

Kimi breathed a quiet sigh and tapped Asama’s shoulder. But…

“Quite a strange ‘lid’ you have there.”

“Eh?”

That expression of confusion came from both Asama and Mitotsudaira.

…''Lid?

What did that mean? But while Asama tilted her head in confusion, Kimi moved away to wait on another table.

Mitotsudaira watched her leave and thought about what Asama and Kimi had said.

A hopeless person.

That was the obvious way to describe her king. Watch how he acted on a daily basis and anyone would say the same.

Then how did that act as a “lid”? Mitotsudaira thought about it.

“—————”

And something occurred to her.

…''Tomo knows my king better than your average person…

In that case…

…''Ah.

Something was odd.

Something was contradictory and out of place.

If he was hopeless, then he was a nuisance and should just be left alone.

But she knew him well and he was certainly a nuisance, but she simply called him “hopeless”.

“Tomo.”

Mitotsudaira felt like she had realized something important.

It was something she would have trouble putting to words, but if she managed it, it would become a powerful truth.

But…

“Hm? What is it, Mito?”

When Asama responded so casually, Mitotsudaira became painfully aware of what Kimi had meant.

Asama did not notice anything off about what she had said.

So her “lid” was something that put a lid on everything, including the realization that something was out of place.

There should have been a great variety of feelings and thoughts there, but she put a lid on all of that by summing it up with the word “hopeless” in a way that only made sense to her.

She was probably the only person who thought “hopeless” worked as a description.

So if Mitotsudaira led her to realize the truth, she might open that “lid”.

But in doing so…

…''I would be interfering with Tomo’s feelings and thoughts.

That was why Kimi had left it alone.

Mitotsudaira did not know what Kimi thought would happen here. But…

“Y-yes…”

Mitotsudaira swore to herself she would not trample on and disturb her friend’s feelings as if she knew what she was doing.

So…

“…That’s right.”

She decided to think the same thing as Asama.

So she spoke to her friend with a smile.

“He really is a hopeless person.”

“He really is…”

Mitotsudaira smiled bitterly when Asama placed a hand on her cheek.

Asama’s eyes were on Kimi’s and his backs. And…

“Well, hopeless may be a good description for all of us.”

Mitotsudaira nodded at that and the Cerberus barked on her head.

The girls here as customers turned around and cried out as they looked at the Cerberus, but Mitotsudaira had no intention of going over to let them see or touch the creature.

After all, she was a part of Mitotsudaira. Also…

…''She can finally leave.

''Most likely,'' started Mitotsudaira. ''That will happen during the festival’s mysterious phenomenon purification.

The Cerberus had no way of knowing that, but she wanted to pamper the creature while she could. That thought made her smile bitterly in her heart.

She too liked making excuses.

She made sure to add that excuse of “because the Cerberus is going away”.

But that was not it.

That was not why she was pampering the Cerberus.

She wanted the creature to enjoy herself so she would feel satisfied whenever the time might come.

…''Yes.

''That sounds like something my king would say,'' thought Mitotsudaira.

Nine years had passed since that loss from his past. The remorse still gnawed at him, but she knew he would not let it stop him. She also hoped that would allow him to keep his promise with her, but…

“Nooo, no, no. How my boobs work is a secret. …I couldn’t possibly give away an Asama Shrine secret technique like that!”

He seemed to be getting carried away while chatting with the customers. But as Mitotsudaira watched him…

…''Oh, I’m also thinking they’re lucky he isn’t being worse.

She had also thought of him as hopeless.

…''That’s a “lid”, isn’t it?

It was possible she would eventually be more aware of that, but for the moment, she watched Asama walk over to correct him and Kimi walk over to tease her. And…

“Honestly, what are all of you doing?”

Mitotsudaira joined in as well. Times like this were always so much fun.

And while she moved to join the others…

“…Ah.”

Suzu turned toward the window while sitting at the register counter.

And when the others looked that way too…

“Heh heh. The sky is opening up.”

The white stealth barrier opened from the bow end, like a wind blowing through. The motion and intensity were similar to a tent being stripped away in a single breath.

“That would be the official beginning.”

The daytime bell rang and the sky opened up to reveal the blue.

Mitotsudaira saw a shape there.

A single large aerial ship floated in the sky starboard of Musashi.

It was Theatre Ship Fushimi Castle.

“Shinagawa” stood in Shinagawa’s cargo plaza as she watched Theatre Ship Fushimi Castle approach from starboard.

The Fushimi Castle had been made by modifying the Tanigawa Castle and it was 300 meters long. Its approach was smooth, but the top surface was normally used as a transport ship and it was towed like a floating warehouse.

So for its approach…

“This is no different from a transport ship. …In fact, we have dealt with it as a transport ship quite often, so just do the same now. Over.”

According to the port management data on her sign frame, the laborers had already secured the ropes thrown down by the Fushimi Castle. Shinagawa would attach a towing belt to the ship, but another automaton was managing that.

She soon received the authorization sign frame indicating the connection was complete.

From there, the Fushimi Castle only had to move down lower than Shinagawa. The conduction pipes connected along with the towing belt would use the height difference to transport things like fuel and water to the ship.

There were also some other supplies to send over:

“Are those large storage devices? Over.”

A red and white Kraken-class transport ship with the Asama Shrine emblem on the side moved above the Fushimi Castle.

The Asama Shrine transport ship had a transport pallet attached to the bottom.

The box-shaped pallet was made to unload its contents from the front or the back and it contained three storage devices.

Those were used to absorb ley line stagnations.

They were nearly five times larger than the ones installed on the previous theatre ship. Eight of them would be placed below the theatre ship’s deck to call in the mysterious phenomena surrounding the Musashi.

“The loading work will now begin. It will take eight hours to complete. Once the inspection and tuning are complete, it will be time for mysterious phenomenon summoning and purification training. Over.”

She sent those words to every automaton on the ship. She had already checked the schedule thousands of times, but actually taking action was different somehow.

“I must apologize, ‘Shinagawa’,” said “Okutama”. “Sakai-sama has asked me to check the contents of a Black Disk box set, so I will not arrive in time for the inspection. Over.”

“A box set of what? Over.”

“Judge. It is a Taiga Noh Play of the Tale of Heike titled ‘The Bells of Onomatopoeia’<ref>The Gion of Gion Shoja can also mean onomatopoeia.</ref>. Everyone keeps yelling, ‘The sound of the bells!? The sound of the bells!? Gonnnnng! Gonnnnnnnnng!’, and every single enemy’s name ends in ‘Mori’, so it is very hard to follow. Over.”

“I have determined that is a waste of your time. Skip watching it, look up a summary on the divine network, and use that for your report to Sakai-sama. Over.”

“I see. I didn’t think of that. Over.”

“Judge. Yes. Although recently, they will often put spoilers like ‘a masterpiece of the everyone-dies genre’ right below the title and then preface the actual summary with ‘the following contains spoilers’.”

Another sign frame appeared, so “Shinagawa” checked it.

It showed “Musashi” giving her an expressionless look.

Without a word, “Shinagawa” faced the first sign frame again.

“ ‘Okutama’. …Make sure you actually watch it. Those were Sakai-sama’s instructions. Over.”

“Eh!? Why did you suddenly change your mind!? Over.”

Instead of answering the question, “Shinagawa” closed the sign frame from “Okutama”.

Then she faced the one from “Musashi”.

“Do you need something? Over.”

“Judge. The Fushimi Castle has settled on a list of participants for the Gagaku Festival. The list of participating bands is not new, but there are around 2000 in the standard participation block. Over.”

“I do not know what will happen with the mysterious phenomena, but there is a risk of a Hidden Dragon or such appearing again. And yet so many have chosen entertainment over danger. Humanity makes such baffling decisions. Over.”

“That is exactly why we must support them,” said “Musashi”. “Generally, the Chancellor’s Officers and the students trained in combat will move out front with the vassal unit. …The rear guard will be formed from a Technohexen unit and a shrine maiden unit. Their training will be held on the Fushimi Castle this afternoon. Extracting mysterious phenomena with a god summoning is a ritualistic affair, so the defense unit’s role is to respond to any mysterious phenomena created as a side effect of the extraction. Over.”

<noinclude>
===Notes===
<references/>
{{HorizonNavbar
| [[Horizon:Kimitoasamade 4B Glossary|Glossary]]
| [[Horizon:Kimitoasamade 4B Chapter 9|Chapter 9]]
}}
</noinclude>

Horizon:Volume 6B Chapter 31

2018-01-21T21:48:34Z

162.158.134.31: I think it should be stay, not say. Also found two formatting errors.

==Chapter 31: Guests in the Living Room==
[[Image:Horizon6-B317_317.jpg|thumb]]
''What once was

''What is no more

''The reason why

'''Point Allocation (Distance)

“Heh heh. That’s right.”

Horizon heard Kimi’s voice.

“When Horizon and my foolish brother were taken away, everything in the room was taken to Lord Motonobu. When my foolish brother later returned, we discussed what to do with this room and never could make a decision.”

“I see,” replied Horizon.

She had no memory of the dimly-lit room, but the version of herself that had lived here had been lost ten years before. In that case…

“Leaving the room empty is wasteful for life on the Musashi.”

“You can be mad if you want. Now, hit him! Hit him, Horizon!”

Kimi held the idiot under her right arm and stuck the idiot’s butt out toward Horizon.

He initially shook his butt as if in protest, but…

“No, foolish brother! You need to stick your butt out for ten years’ worth of punishment! And flip!”

When Kimi flipped up the summer uniform’s skirt, the crossdresser seemed to gather his resolve.

“Okay, Horizon! Let’s settle this once and for all!” The idiot stuck his butt out. “Now! Bring it oooooooon!!”

Horizon borrowed Tonbo Spare from Futayo and gently stuck the blade into his butt.

“Ah, wait, you really like this gag recently, don’t you? No, no! You’re gonna make my butt crack even deeper!”

“Nooo!” protested Tonbo Spare.

“Keep at it, Tonbo Spare!” said Futayo. “Just have a little more patience!”

Horizon looked to Kimi, ignoring the crossdresser’s butt.

“Kimi-sama.”

“Heh heh. What is it, Horizon? Are you going to stick Lype Katathlipse between my boobs!? Are you!?”

“Doing that would only bring sorrow to Adele-sama, so please be undershtanding.”

“I was expecting something awful, but did you have to attack from multiple angles at once!?”

Adele received a thumbs up for her trouble.

“But,” said Horizon. “There is something I understand now that I have seen this room.”

That being…

“Since I have no memory of the room, I am not sure what to make of the fact that it used to be mine…”

…''Yeah…

Mitotsudaira saw an awkward sweat on Horizon’s face as she turned toward Kimi.

Horizon raised her right forearm.

“Um, Kimi-sama, would it be best if I remembered some of my lost memories or found some memento of the past?”

“Hmm, that probably isn’t possible, so maybe not…”

“And I really don’t think you should be feeling any responsibility here, Horizon,” added Mitotsudaira.

“Judge, I am aware of that. Because someone here said he would take all the responsibility onto himself.”

Horizon gently pushed Lype Katathlipse into the idiot’s butt.

“Ah, wait, a second one!? That’s new, isn’t it!?”

''My king, bear with it.

While Mitotsudaira watched over her king’s efforts, Yoshiyasu found something at the bottom of the wall.

“Hey, it looks like a hole in the wall was repaired over here.”

“Hm?” Tenzou crouched down to check. “Could this be linked to a memory of young Horizon-dono damaging the wall!? …Yes, from the looks of it, an arrow was fired in from the neighboring room!”

Everyone turned toward Asama and the shrine maiden was already hanging her head and raising her right forearm.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry. But you know how you really want to shoot a new bow when you get it, right? Well, I set up an unwanted magazine as a target to test it out and its penetrative power was quite impressive.”

“In other words, you did this, Tomo?”

Asama raised both hands with her head hanging.

Kimi nodded once as well.

“But before that, we had already changed the wallpaper to make it a guest room.”

Mitotsudaira heard someone say, “I see.”

It was Horizon and she took a breath.

“Regardless, I used to live here, correct?”

“Heh heh. That’s right. So what will you do now?” Kimi aimed the king’s butt toward Horizon while holding him below her arm like a drum. “You’ve moved to our house, so we will give you this room again. But we are not returning it to you or reverting to the way things were. After all, you really were lost and that really did inspire remorse. …We are giving this place to you in order to start anew.”

“Judge. I can tell that you cared for me.” Horizon looked through the dimly-lit room. “Musashi has limited space. If you were running a café, you could have chosen to use this for storage. And yet you made it into a guest room.”

“Why do you think that is?”

“Good question,” said Horizon as she turned toward Mitotsudaira and Asama.

…''Eh?

Just as confusion reached Mitotsudaira’s mind, Horizon placed a hand on her chin and spoke.

“I have determined all of you intended to renew yourselves and that is exactly what you did. Meaning…”

Meaning…

“You likely planned to use this room once you gained a new family member.”

Mitotsudaira of course understood what Horizon meant.

…''She’s talking about someone “joining” the family.

Horizon looked to Kimi.

“Kimi-sama.”

Horizon adjusted the position of the two blades sticking into the king’s butt.

“Are you listening?”

“Wh-what was the point of that extra action, Horizon!?” asked Mitotsudaira.

“They were about to fall out and that was bothering me.” Horizon placed a hand on her chin and viewed the two inserted blades like she was assessing a flower arrangement. “Well, that should do. Now, Kimi-sama.”

“What is it?”

“You have done enough. It is a fact that I lived here in the past. But even if you claim it was used as a guest room in anticipation of making a new family member…it shows no sign of use. I can chalk that up to that boy being unpopular, but…”

Horizon slightly adjusted Tonbo Spare’s angle.

“Sharp angle…” said the weapon.

“Bear with it, Tonbo Whatever. …Anyway, even if you and Toori-sama were focused on heading in a new direction, it can still be seen as a type of regret if it never leads to any real results. …I believe we settled some things at Mikawa, so I would like to begin a new system.”

Mitotsudaira realized something as she listened to Horizon.

…''It connects back to my king’s remorse.

This was why he had carried remorse even as he faced forward and pulled everyone else along with him.

It seemed contradictory, but…

…''To him, was that the ''Final Horizon''?

Mitotsudaira looked through the room.

Horizon’s scent was not to be found there. Accurate or not, Mitotsudaira remembered her old scent as being “peony-scented hair”, but now she could only sense the “camellia-scented hair” of her king and Kimi.

Any possible memento had been retrieved by Lord Motonobu, so for her king, it must have felt like Horizon had entirely disappeared.

Horizon’s father had placed the memorial stone on Remorse Way to declare that chapter of their lives over, but…

…''Yes.

Walking that “way” and arriving in front of the memorial stone would have meant she really was gone.

However.

However, that king had understood the truth. The issue had been accepting that truth.

“My king,” said Mitotsudaira. “If you had thought Horizon was ‘still with us’, you would have kept this room closed, wouldn’t you have?”

But she had been “gone”.

He had understood that, so he had tried to face forward by hoping for someone new.

…''I understood all this, you know?

When the Logismoi Oplo had been distributed to the nations, he had made a suggestion that they gather them so they could hold a memorial service. It had sounded like a joke, but it had held important meaning for them.

That was likely why her king had planned to descend to the mainland after graduation.

Thinking back to Mikawa, her king had initially descended the school stairs on his own after the special student general assembly.

He had not wanted to trouble his friends with his own problems, so he had likely planned to go it alone and search for someone new.

That may have been why Asama had revealed a plan of her own back then:

“I’m thinking of going around the mainland to investigate mysterious phenomenon after graduation.”

Half of it was a lie and the other half was also a lie.

So Mitotsudaira had said something as well.

“Did you know a Testament footnote about Mito Mitsukuni says he went on a tour of the Far East?”

But all that had changed when Horizon arrived.

The king was no longer choosing to go it alone.

…''That’s right.

He had decided in Oushuu that he would go with all of them. So he had settled on something in his heart.

He would not go it alone and search for someone new.

He would go with all of them and recognize what was important to him.

…''Wow…!

''I’m interpreting this way too far in my favor!

Mitotsudaira wanted to put her hands on her cheeks and wiggle around like her mother, but she had to resist.

“My king.”

Her king had chosen to accept everything, including a new Horizon. So…

“You decided to stay here, didn’t you?”

He no longer had to feel regret, forget, or run away.

Everyone was here and he had chosen everyone.

And they would let him do that. Which meant…

“I am here too, my king.”

Suzu sensed something in Mitotsudaira’s voice.

It was a bell.

Her voice contained a resolute ring of joy and expectation that was best described as a bell, just like Suzu’s own name.

Not even Suzu produced a ring like that very often, but her friend was producing it here.

…''Wow.

Suzu had thought Mitotsudaira usually acted based on reason rather than excitement. Perhaps due to her past, she tended to restrain herself.

But it was amazing when her excitement surpassed that restraint. Amazing enough to concern Suzu somewhat.

…''Huh? Th-this might be what you call an excitable person.

''But it’s not a bad thing, so that’s fine, isn’t it?'' Suzu asked to no one.

Regardless, Suzu thought that balance between excitement and restraint was what it meant to be a knight.

Mitotsudaira would restrain and store up her desire to go on a rampage or enjoy herself. And that discipline allowed her to ask something now:

“My king, what will you do with this room?”

''How nice,'' thought Suzu.

''Mitotsudaira-san is so cool when she’s with Toori-kun. She doesn’t try to keep up appearances and allows her true self out, which is really cool.

''Also, it’s incredible that she can stay positive and face the issue at hand when Toori-kun has two blades sticking into him.

…''Toori-kun has begun a new system.

Or as he would put it, he was not going to run away any longer.

And Horizon had said she wanted a new system.

That may have been because she was unsure how to react to elements of her past she had no memory of.

Besides, the two of them had faced their past and swept their relationship clean at Mikawa.

That may have been why Horizon moved now.

She faced everyone, gently fixed the position of the two blades, and nodded.

“Listen.”

She slapped the butt Kimi held.

“Ahn! H-Horizon, what’s this? Trying to make me more sensitive?”

“Someone shut up this unsightly boy.”

Horizon muttered something about “a third one” and began to look around, so Suzu and the others ducked low to wait it out.

“Um,” said Mary from behind Suzu.

“Stick Excalibur in there and Elizabeth-dono will probably complain,” said Tenzou.

“Yeah, I would really prefer to avoid an unprecedented international incident triggered by sticking Excalibur in someone’s butt,” said Masazumi.

“…Then Narumi.”

“…Eh? No, I don’t think so.”

She was fast.

But Horizon seemed to have concluded there were no available weapons.

“Fine then. How should I put this? I do not know if this boy is shy or just thoughtless, but while he is constantly saying more than necessary, he tends not to say the important things.”

Horizon faced Asama and Mitotsudaira. And then Tenzou and Masazumi.

…''Ah.

Horizon understood.

She understood that those important things would reach some people even if they were left unsaid. And she understood that everyone here was that kind of person.

So she faced all of them in turn and finally took a breath.

“I have determined there is no need to confirm this with all of you. We began this before Mikawa, announced it at Mikawa, reached an agreement on it in Oushuu, and prepared ourselves for it in Sanada.”

“But,” said Mitotsudaira. “In both the past and the present, we shared in my king’s secret here.”

'''Mal-Ga:''' “Oh, sorry. I’m busy drawing Mitotsudaira’s secret place, so I’m not actually there yet. But I can hear it all, so it works out.”

'''Gold Mar:''' “Hmm. Should you really be drawing their guest room based only on your imagination, Ga-chan?”

'''Silver Wolf:''' “What are you doing!?”

'''Bell:''' “M-Mitotsudaira-san…restraint…restraint.”

But Mitotsudaira was right.

''There is proof here that Toori-kun has been thinking about so many things.

''Kimi-chan and Toori-kun’s mom are probably the only ones who knew.

But since he had shown it to everyone and opened it up…

“Hm…”

Suzu heard a quiet voice.

It was Asama’s. Suzu could tell she was gently holding her own body which had a slightly elevated temperature. That voice had been one of confusion but also one she had wanted to hear herself.

She was agreeing to accept this despite her hesitation.

And in front of them, Horizon said more.

“Let us remake this into something new today.” Horizon once more faced Mitotsudaira and Asama. “This room is too small, isn’t it? I understand now why Toori-sama called for Naomasa-sama. …Naomasa-sama, are you ready?”

“Judge. You want me to remove the wall that separates this from Kimi’s room, right?”

…''Eh?

Suzu reached out and touched the wall.

“You can…remove it?”

“Yes. Like I said before, I saw the general structure a while back,” said Naomasa. “If you remove the stopper on the hallway side and pull out the unit, you can remove it barehanded. My prosthetic arm would be best for carrying it around, though.”

That was incredible.

…''We don’t have walls at home, so I didn’t know that…

'''Flat Vassal:''' “Having multiple rooms at all is pretty incredible.”

'''Bell:''' “B-but that’s because…you live alone…Adele.”

'''Marube-ya:''' “Suzu, you live with your parents, so how do you deal with the one room?”

'''Bell:''' “Nn. We use a curtain…to partition off the area below the loft. …I wanted the top, but mom and dad…said it was dangerous. They treat me like a child, but, um…is it more childish…to want to be on the top?”

'''Gold Mar:''' “I feel like everyone in our class – Ga-chan and me included – like to climb or fly as high as we can.”

'''Unturning:''' “Are you saying all of you are id-…why are all of you silencing each other with those looks?”

'''Worshiper:''' “I feel like it would be hard to find someone who has never climbed up that high. Oh, but I’m safe. I always work underground.”

'''Novice:''' “Ohiroshiki-kun, that doesn’t mean you’re working for the underworld, does it?”

Suzu did not really understand, but her stance was apparently better than digging down belowground.

But then Mitotsudaira moved. She placed her hand on the wall to the left.

“If you remove this wall…won’t that effectively make my king’s, Kimi’s, and this room into a single space?”

“Judge,” confirmed Horizon while slapping the butt once. “This will cease to be a guest room. And even if a large number of people move in here, we can divide it up with as many walls as necessary. …We only need to make a decision based on the number of people and whether they will use a bed or a futon.”

“Then should I remove it now?” asked Naomasa.

“Ah! Wait just a moment!” Asama raised her voice. “Mito’s parents are visiting today, so wouldn’t it be best to have a guest room?”

…''That’s true!!

Mitotsudaira felt her face grow pale when she remembered that fact.

And Asama’s solution was indeed the best. If her parents were confined to the guest room and a voice stealth barrier was put in place, it would seem like they had settled down until the following morning. What was happening inside was a different matter.

“Tomo, that is a great idea! Today can be the last day for the guest room!”

“Heh heh heh. Okay, Naomasa, remove that wall.”

“Kimi! Kimi! You’re just choosing what you think will be funnier, aren’t you!?”

“Heh heh. Oh, come on, Mitotsudaira. Funnier? Not even I would ask for something so cruel. I just really want to see what happens!!”

“That’s even worse!”

[[Image:Horizon6-B335_335.jpg|thumb]]

Just as Mitotsudaira yelled that, Narumi tilted her head and raised her right forearm.

Everyone gave her a questioning look, so the Date Vice Chancellor opened her mouth.

“Is the Mito Lord marrying into the Aoi family?”

'''Mal-Ga:''' “Direct! Now that’s a direct question! Argh, I hate that I didn’t go with that for my summer event manuscript! Margot…!”

'''Gold Mar:''' “There, there, Ga-chan. Once you’re done hugging me, you need to continue inking it.”

'''Scarred:''' “Umm, uh, I am not quite sure what is going on. Could you explain it for me, Master Tenzou?”

'''10ZO:''' “Um, Mitotsudaira-dono? I would like to explain this without angering you, so are there any dangerous words I should avoid?”

'''Silver Wolf:''' “This is worse than I thought!!”

'''Righteousness:''' “Hey, I’m on my way there, but Mito is near Satomi, so I would like to hear about anything that could lead to a major change there.”

Mitotsudaira was unsure what to say.

She could not deny that things were headed in the direction of marriage. There were a variety of paths this could take, but if she and her king continued to desire each other, that would be what happened.

And she had a feeling that Horizon would be in charge.

After all, Mitotsudaira was a knight who granted her king’s wishes and she had bound that master/servant relationship with him. And with that king as their leader, Musashi wished for world domination and the return of Horizon’s emotions.

On that point, she and her king formed a team with a shared objective.

In other words…

“I will join his battle formation.”

Adele reacted to Mitotsudaira’s words.

She exchanged a glance with the others.

Then they all took a breath and faced Mitotsudaira.

“Join his wives…!?”<ref>In Japanese, “ join his battle formation” sounds the same as “join his wives”.</ref>

Mitotsudaira leaned back from their simultaneous question.

She had not expected such a powerful reaction.

And someone took a step toward her: Neshinbara.

He pushed his glasses up his nose.

“This is important, so allow me to confirm something.”

“Wh-what is it?”

“Mitotsudaira-kun, you are saying you will join as part of your king’s wives?”

Mitotsudaira frowned at that like she was confused why he was asking.

“That is what I have intended for a long time. Of course I do.”

Mitotsudaira heard everyone explode.

“Seriously!?”

…''Eh?

No, she was talking about her position in the formation as his knight.

So she could not falter here. She placed a hand on her chest and stated her intentions.

“Yes. …I will join my king’s battle formation to work hard as a knight from as close to him as possible.”

She had said it.

And everyone immediately put on serious expressions.

…''Eh?

The silence only lasted a moment.

Horizon had walked up next to her at some point and she placed a hand on her shoulder.

Horizon expressionlessly raised her left palm to tell the others to wait.

She then spoke while sweating.

“That was an impressive announcement. Thank you very much, Mitotsudaira-sama. If you have come here with that kind of resolve, then I must prepare some things for you.”

“N-no, um, is it that impressive to say I am joining his battle formation?”

“She said it again!” said the others while tilting their heads. But Horizon…

“To be honest, I can be indifferent to such things, so if you work hard, I am not confident I will be able to stop your carnivorous feast. But fine.”

“Uh, you are talking about my battles, aren’t you?”

Everyone pulled back a bit.

And after a moment, they began whispering to each other.

“So she really does see it as a battle.”

“Wouldn’t it be predation more than anything?”

“I’m worried for Aoi-kun, but, well, this will probably keep him safe too.”

What were they talking about? But while she started to feel a little uneasy, Mitotsudaira tried asking something.

She turned toward Asama.

“Um, Tomo, you’re going to join the formation too, aren’t you?”

Asama saw everyone turn her way.

…''Ehh!?

''Mito, you didn’t have to ask it like that!!'' she thought, but it was too late now.

Making a sudden concubine announcement here seemed like a bit much to her.

But among the eyes focused on her…

…''Mito?

There was an odd atmosphere around Mitotsudaira. She was tilting her head like she did not understand the situation or suspected she had made some kind of misunderstanding.

So Asama thought back over what had happened, trying to find anything someone could have mistaken. And…

“——————”

…''Ahhhhh!!!!

She figured it out.

It was not wives. It was not that at all.

…''She meant battle formation, didn’t she!?

Her vision briefly went dark.

It had to be that. There was no doubting it. From yesterday to today, Asama’s blood had been rising to and draining from her face more often than any other time in her life.

This time, it was fully draining. But a moment later…

…''Wow…!

Heat rose from her neck and steamy sweat followed.

She could not believe it.

How was she supposed to respond? She was the only one who had been asked this question while aware it meant “wives”.

Mito had meant it as “battle formation”, so only Asama was being pressed for an answer under the assumption that it was “wives”.

So…

“U-umm.”

She had only just told him she would eventually say it for herself.

She wanted to hide and protect that shared secret.

But she knew something about her friend.

…''I bet Mito would have answered even if she knew it meant “wives”.

But when she realized in front of everyone here that there had been a misunderstanding, Mitotsudaira would feel like she had been boasting about it as “wives”.

So Asama took a step forward to secretly inform Mitotsudaira.

“Um, hey, Mito?”

…''U-uhhh.

Asama was so bad at acting. But when she moved forward, she intentionally stumbled over the bump at the room’s entrance.

“Ah.”

She lost her balance.

And Mitotsudaira reflexively moved forward.

She supported Asama without saying a word, so Asama leaned against her shoulder and spoke into her ear.

“''Why'', thank you.”

The first thing Mitotsudaira noticed was the emphasis.

…''Why?

Asama had placed an unnatural emphasis on that first word.

…''What does that mean?”

She puzzled over that.

“''Ph''ew… I just tripped is all, Mito.”

This time, she emphasized the start of “phew”.

It may have been a coincidence, but then Asama’s blatant act would have been meaningless.

So what was this riddle supposed to mean?

Mitotsudaira thought about it for a full two seconds.

…''Ahhhh!!!!

''I will be working hard at that!?'' was her first thought. The word “predation” also came to mind, but she set that aside because it was too much like her mother.

That said, her misunderstanding was the problem here. Her stance as a knight was correct, but if she had gotten away from that…

…''My king, I’m sorry!!!

She made ten prostrations in her heart, but when she raised her head in her imagination, he had two blades in his butt and she figured that meant he had forgiven her.

But Asama moved away and fanned her collar between Mitotsudaira and the others. She was looking a bit up toward the ceiling and she likely thought she had pulled off her performance without anyone suspecting.

Mitotsudaira wanted to make a ''tsukkomi'' about that, but Asama had saved her by pointing out her misunderstanding.

“…Yes.”

''That’s right,'' she thought. She was prepared on the “wife” side of things too.

So she decided to say something to help out her friend. She would make her misunderstanding into the truth.

“Well, I suppose that is not even worth asking. I know Tomo is sure to join.”

Join what?

“Coming together as wives is sure to be fun.”

And just as she said that…

“Well said, Nate! You win the Perfect Score Maman Award!”

A bombshell landed behind the others.

“Why are you here so soon after I drove you away!?”

Mitotsudaira could tell that something was beyond saving. Her mother smiled and nodded at the densely-packed group as she walked through them.

Scarily enough, she somehow managed to avoid letting her shoulders, chest, or even hair touch any of them.

What was the trick to that? Some kind of martial arts?

But as Mitotsudaira tried to figure it out, her mother supported dazed Asama’s shoulders from behind.

“Nate! So this flat-chested girl is the one you’re competing against!? Make sure you give it your all!”

“Stop judging everyone based on your standards!”

“Ah! Nate Maman! Wait just a second, okay!?”

The two-bladed one got up. But since Kimi was holding him under an arm, he just bent backwards with his legs in the air. That may have been why Kimi smiled a little.

“Foolish brother? Do you want me to spin you around?”

“Please do, sis!”

“If you insist.”

Kimi rotated the king vertically. She actually twisted around the arm holding him while passing below her own arm. It was a lot like a children’s dance.

And the king’s body made two vertical rotations. Once Kimi had spun around so their positions were reversed, the king was standing facing Mitotsudaira and her mother.

The crossdresser stood up. When the two blades fell from his butt, he caught them between his thighs so they pointed upwards.

“Hey, Nate Maman.”

“My king, is that any way to behave while speaking with someone?”

“Yeah, but I’m pretty easy-going.”

“I can’t exactly argue with that…”

“Try harder!” shouted someone behind her, but some things were just not possible.

At any rate, her king looked to her mother. It was impressive how he made a point of staring at her chest before reaching her face.

“Um, what will you do? Will you stay in our guest room?”

“Good question,” said her mother with a hand to her mouth. Mitotsudaira silently responded to that.

…''Accept! Accept the offer, mother! Just say ‘testament’ and it will all be so much easier!

She watched as her mother nodded and replied.

“Based on what that princess was saying, I think you should remove this wall. …You mustn’t use us staying over as an excuse to fix this as a guest room.”

Mitotsudaira had not expected that from the woman.

“Mother… You can actually take things seriously?”

“Oh, Nate. I’m always serious. And Mr. King? If you can give us another room to use, it would be best if it is soundproofed.”

“Mother! You’re cutting to the heart of the issue a little too quickly!”

“Listen, Nate. Staying at someone’s house is an important situation to use.”

“You can’t fool me by saying it with a serious expression.”

But Asama had already begun using a sign frame to set up the barrier. Perhaps as thanks for earlier.

One thing still worried Mitotsudaira.

“Um, where is father?”

“Testament. He is currently at the diplomatic building. He is resting until the meeting is over.”

“Is father not feeling well?”

“Testament. We just spent a night apart, if you recall. So when we met in the diplomatic building earlier, the loneliness suddenly hit and we did some studying together…led by me.”

“Th-that is an odd way of phrasing that!”

“Now, now.” Her mother smiled with her hands still on Asama’s shoulders. “You all will be much the same before long.”

Mitotsudaira was curious about the “all”, but she knew it was better not to ask. The damage would only spread.

There was something else she had to ask now.

“Mother…are you here for the meeting?”

“No, I thought I could get something to eat first.”

''This woman…!'' thought Mitotsudaira from the bottom of her heart, but her mother only smiled and spoke.

“But Terumoto and Ujinao will be here soon. Let’s enjoy the meeting just as the food is ready. …We can eat while we fight over the preparations for tomorrow’s Siege of Odawara and Siege of Bitchu Takamatsu Castle.”

<noinclude>
===Notes===
<references/>
{{HorizonNavbar
| [[Horizon:Volume 6B Chapter 30|Chapter 30]]
| [[Horizon:Volume 6B Chapter 32|Chapter 32]]
}}
</noinclude>

Horizon:Kimitoasamade 4A Chapter 5

2018-01-11T22:34:59Z

162.158.134.31: I think Asama's line was supposed to be "I".

==Chapter 5: Warner on the Horizontalt==
[[Image:Horizon_Kimi4A_169.jpg|thumb]]
''The next thing you know

''You are not a challenger

''You are something else

'''Point Allocation (Counterattack)

Asama realized that her decision had been a carefree one but also a very serious one.

She realized this while up in the sky.

She was riding Naruze’s feather broom to the Blue Thunder and she was trying to find a comfortable position for her butt.

…''Wow.

For Asama Shrine work, she would sometimes ride transport ships and ceremony ships. She was used to high places and speeds, but…

“…Oh.”

They were flying.

But this flight did not slide through the sky. It cruised like a ship.

They flew by continually accelerating to constantly push themselves forward. The Technohexen broom could of course float and that gave it some stability, but the way it seemed to constantly push at them and swing them around reminded Asama of something.

“This is a lot like running, isn’t it?”

“Eh!? What!? I can’t hear you!”

The wind and their speed kept her voice from reaching the girl in front of her.

As they passed the night stealth barrier, Naruze turned back to speak, but instead of sending her voice toward Asama, it was more like she placed it in the air where it was swept back to Asama’s ears.

“There isn’t a rear seat, so sit on the broom cowling and grab onto either side! Do you have the cowling between your legs!?”

“I’m fine!”

Naruze’s eyebrows rose at Asama’s response.

Thanks to all her training with Shinto prayers, Asama’s voice had apparently reached her. Naruze showed a smile on her lips.

“In that case.”

And with that, they ''flew''.

…''Wah.

They were in the sky. And quite high up at that.

In no time, they left the Asama Shrine behind. Asama was used to seeing Okutama’s surface from transport ships and such, but now it grew more distant from a diagonal perspective.

…''Oh, we’re already near the bow.

Her senses could not keep up with their speed. It felt like they were already at Tama by the time she saw them leaving Okutama. So she looked forward.

“————”

Naruze had opened several Magie Figurs.

Since they had taken an unscheduled flight into the sky, she was quickly checking what course to take. Based on the symbols and route displayed there, she seemed to have chosen a route that cut across Okutama’s bow from left to right and flew diagonally right toward Tama.

Those two likely discussed this kind of thing while doing their job.

…''Although she only ever seems to talk about her doujins at the academy.

But she checked their route and selected a course with the technique of a pro.

She was doing as good a job as any adult.

That was when Asama realized she was somewhat tense.

The rapid ascent had probably surprised her. She could feel the tenseness in her knees as well as in the hands holding onto the edge of the ''schale besen''.

But she doubted that was necessary.

A delivery pro was taking her to the Blue Thunder.

So she shook her head and fixed her disheveled hair. She tightened the grip of her hands and leaned forward.

In front of her, Naruze’s wings had closed to reduce air resistance.

The voluminous plumage gave off the scent of the shampoo those two used.

It was morning glory.

That flower bloomed in the early morning, so did it hold special meaning in the delivery business that got to work early?

Asama did not know.

She felt like everyone tried to find meaning in everything.

So she faced forward through the wings and then looked to the side.

As the scenery slowly flowed by below them, it turned to the right such that Msuashino’s bridge and stern were visible to the left.

…''Ohh.

Large ships were restricted from flying near Musashino’s bridge to avoid doing damage to it. So it was rare to see that bridge-shaped ship’s bridge from this close.

They were probably about 100 meters above the deck.

And their view slowly but surely turned in front of that giant structure.

“Ah.”

The broom was tilting in the opposite direction. It was banking to the left to change course and fly along Tama’s port side.

The rear of the broom seemed to slide a bit and wind hit its belly.

“…”

Twice, they skidded rightward through the sky.

But Asama was holding onto the cowling. She had reflexively lifted up her hips, so her butt did not hit the cowling and bounce. Also…

…''Ah.

She saw Naruze’s wings. The main wings were extended straight back as if to hold Asama on either side.

Was that supposed to help Asama stay balanced? Or was it used to control the broom?

Asama did not know that either.

However…

“————”

She thought she heard someone calling to her from the right.

She looked that way and saw Naito and Mitotsudaira.

Mitotsudaira had strapped herself on using luggage belts.

They were crossed in front of her like seatbelts, so they formed an X fairly high up on her. Seeing that, Naruze wrote something on a Magie Figur and passed it back to Asama.

“Tortoise shell?”

Asama chose not to respond, but this was going to end up in a doujin either way.

Naito’s broom flew up alongside Naruze’s.

“————”

But her voice could not reach them.

Of course, that meant nothing to Naruze whose wings clearly nodded.

…''Here we go.

Their broom and Naito’s broom crossed paths as they flew in a gentle curve toward Tama.

They descended toward their destination in perfect harmony.

The aerial ship of Musashi always had work to do, even at night.

With maintenance, construction, transport, guard, and government work, there were always people working a wide variety of jobs in the streets at night.

So along the main roads, the shops stayed open even as the curfew approached.

There was one that stayed open all night long. That illuminated wooden space was located on Tama.

It was the bakery/café known as the Blue Thunder.

There were a few customers inside.

There were no families or groups of friends at this time. Everyone was stopping by to refuel on the way to work, so the counter in the back filled up first.

Among them, someone stood in front of the register counter for bread sales.

It was Tenzou.

Watanabe had given him a mission.

…''I must report to Watanabe-sama if Naito-dono and Naruze-dono show up here at night.

Of course, he could not stake out the place forever. So…

“Excuse me. I am from the 1st Special Duty Unit of the Chancellor’s Officers.”

Tenzou produced a sign frame for the automaton at the counter while making sure the others could not see.

It displayed his identification. It provided the emblem of the 1st Special Duty Unit, his name, his ID number, and a stamp confirming that he was on an approved mission.

He wanted to make sure no one else saw this to ensure no one mistakenly thought the store was involved in some kind of crime. But…

…''This automaton…

Thanks to the 1st Special Duty Unit’s information network, he knew this was an unidentified automaton. And that the Blue Thunder’s manager had claimed to be her guardian to ensure her safety.

''But,'' thought Tenzou. ''Toori-dono has started coming here to see this automaton.

Yet Tenzou was fairly certain that boy had not come here even once since that incident 9 years before.

…''Should I just chalk this up to people changing with time?

That said…

“…Who are you?”

Tenzou only had one thought when the automaton asked that out of the blue.

…''Sh-she really is a lot like her…

He was hesitant to say who that “her” was.

Their class had set up a mental dividing line between the events of 9 years ago and now, so there was no point in bringing it up again here.

But the automaton asked a question.

“If you will not answer me, then I will have to guess. Is that okay with you?”

“…Huh? Guess?”

He just about asked what that meant.

But the automaton slowly raised her right index finger, pointed at him, and gave him a sharp look.

“…Yamamoto.”

That was wrong.

It was not even close, so Tenzou fell silent. Then the automaton nodded twice.

“…What do you need, Yamamoto-sama?”

“Eh!? You took that as a yes!?”

“Then I shall introduce you to our new product.”

The automaton expressionlessly moved her right arm around toward the bread shelf behind her.

The movement must have exceeded the limits of the shoulder joint because a metallic scraping came from the shoulder and the arm came off.

The arm was covered with black plastic and she had swung it with plenty of force, so it crashed into the floor.

Tenzou heard the undeniable sound of something heavy hitting the wooden floor.

…''Eh?

He had difficulty reacting because it was all so sudden, but…

“A-are you okay!?”

He leaned forward to look behind the counter.

Just then, something like a giant spider leaped from behind the counter and at his face. He had no time to dodge, so it latched onto his face.

“Nwohhhhh!?”

He quickly grabbed it, pulled it off, and slammed it down onto the counter.

“Oh, that is my arm. I am still having issues with control, so it moves around on its own when it comes off.”

A right arm used its hand to crawl every which way along the counter. The connector on the end produced a hissing sound like a snake and P-01s looked over at Tenzou.

“Now, Yamamoto-sama, allow me to introduce our new product.”

“…Eh!? You’re still doing that!?”

“Of course we are. The Blue Thunder is a leftov-…a bakery and café.”

“Y-you almost said something devastating, didn’t you!?”

“Now, now,” said the automaton while the right hand began checking the edge of the counter as if licking it. It may have been looking for a spot to jump down.

But P-01s did not seem to care.

“The thing is, we have a new product today.”

“I’m, uh, not really…”

He meant to say he was not interested.

But P-01s tilted her head and looked up at him.

“Do you not want the new product?”

“How about, um, I try it some other time?”

Why was he trying so hard to be polite? But the automaton nodded in understanding. She then pulled a paper bag from below the counter.

“So you do not want to try it right away. Then I will wrap your leftov-…your newly-released product so you can try it tomorrow. …That will be 500 yen.”

Naruze put her ''schale besen'' away in its phase space and opened the Blue Thunder’s door.

She heard the door’s bell ring and she sensed Asama, Margot, and Mitotsudaira behind her.

“Is our order ready!?”

As soon as she stepped inside, she saw Tenzou hanging his head while paying 500 yen to P-01s.

She shut the door.

“Oops,” said Asama as her chest bumped into Naruze from behind. “Wh-what is it, Naruze?”

“That is some nice reference material pressing into my wings, but Tenzou is in there being a loser.”

“Ga-chan, the start of that sentence doesn’t lead into the end, but you say Tenzou’s being a loser?”

“Judge. He’s definitely being a loser. I could tell right away.”

“Oh.” Mitotsudaira nodded. “You mean P-01s. There’s no helping that. Tenzou can never defeat that type.”

Naruze wondered if anyone could defeat her, but she still had a lot of her life left to live. She guessed that she might run across the truly unexpected at some point. And…

“I had a feeling going in there would get us caught up in it.”

“You are correct there, Naruze. We should wait a bit.”

“In that case,” said Margot as she put her broom away in its phase space and opened a Magie Figur. She was probably sending Naomasa the output readings from the flight here.

Naruze did the same while Asama took care of some shrine management work.

“Me too then…”

Mitotsudaira opened a sign frame to manage her corporation.

…''Are we all like this?

Everyone had some kind of foundation for themselves.

For Naito and Naruze, rising in the delivery business rankings would only give them a short career that did not make much money. Compared to that…

…''One of them is Musashi’s Shinto representative and the other is first in line to ruling the Far East…

Naruze was not jealous of those positions. She knew how much work went into them.

And while she could go for a flight to blow off some steam if something happened, people with more important positions did not have that luxury.

“Oh, is that why they blast things with arrows and eat tons of meat?”

“Wh-what kind of realization is that!?”

“It’s about your circumstances. …So do you think we can go in yet?”

Naruze glanced at the others.

The three of them looked up from their work to return the glance.

Their eye contact told her to open the door, so she placed her hand on it and pushed it open.

Straight ahead, the ninja and the automaton had two glasses and a bottle on the counter.

Margot grabbed the doorknob from behind Naruze and shut the door.

Finally, Margot spoke without turning back toward the others.

“Yes. That was a good decision.”

“It was, Margot. A very good decision.”

“Wh-what was that just now?” asked Mitotsudaira.

“Water.”

“Water!?”

“Yeah, water.”

Margot was wise to not elaborate.

But Asama tilted her head and spoke.

“We can’t get in like this…”

“And it’s been a while since we got here, so why haven’t any of the customers inside come out?” asked Mitotsudaira.

“Either they’re afraid moving will get them targeted too, or they came to the Blue Thunder because they enjoy watching this.”

“I see.” Asama opened a sign frame to check the time. “Oh, the evening 8:30 bell is about to ring.”

The morning 8:30 bell meant the start of the work day while this one indicated the start of the night hours.

It came in advance to the final bell at 10:00 and it informed everyone it was time to head back home. It had apparently started out as the sound of a cannon being fired, but the academy bell was used on the Musashi.

And once the 8:30 bell rang, night guards made up of the Chancellor Officers and volunteers began patrolling the city.

While it came shortly before time to sleep, that bell produced a lot of movement.

Before the city went to sleep, people moved through the roads. Naruze quite liked that atmosphere. Eisen closed for the day between 6 and 9, so she would often descend to the city or travel between dinner and the bathhouse while listening to this bell.

She often stayed up all night, so this bell told her the night was beginning.

But today, she would be flying up above those patrolling guards on her modified ''schale besen''.

…''Am I being overly self-conscious if I’m afraid I’ll stand out?

Regardless, she had to complete her business as quickly as possible.

She reached for the doorknob and pushed the door open.

“It’s probably fine by now. …Let’s go!”

The ninja and the automaton were facing each other with a row of empty plates on the counter.

Naruze wordlessly and quietly closed the door.

She had tried to avoid being noticed, but she had a feeling the automaton had started to turn in her direction.

She heard Mitotsudaira’s voice behind her.

“N-Naruze? Did something happen?”

“Judge. …She’s started something new.”

“Eh? Something new? What does that mean?”

“…Asama, if you’re that interested, then stop by here tomorrow. But do it alone.”

“I see,” said Asama just before they heard the automaton’s voice from beyond the door.

“I know you are there, Nargat-sama, Narooze-sama.”

“…I think she’s gotten our names so wrong they’re actually almost right again, Ga-chan.”

“Shh. Don’t react.”

Then they heard another voice from beyond the door.

“Oh, Naruze-dono, Naito-dono.”

…''Why are you calling us!?

'''Mal-Ga:''' “I’m going to draw a sequel now!”

'''10ZO:''' “Is that a combined threat and confession to a crime!?”

But Asama and Mitotsudaira stepped back from behind her.

“Why are you keeping your distance?”

Naruze grabbed Margot’s shoulders and turned around.

And something happened just as they took a step toward the road where Asama and Mitotsudaira were.

“…Eh?”

She sensed something cold to the left.

It was like the night air had come to stop and become a cold mass.

It was the advance warning of something breaking the sound barrier and flying their way.

In this case…

…''A cannon blast!?

That should not have been possible.

And yet it flew down the road and scored a direct hit.

Inside the Blue Thunder, it was sound that washed over Tenzou.

Next to the counter was a two-person table by a window that bordered the road. That glass shattered and the front door hopped up vertically.

The road-side wall clearly strained diagonally, but it was not actually destroyed. The movement was from it snapping back into shape after the straining was over. He heard the roof’s slates falling thanks to the building’s shaking and a few pieces of firewood fell from the storage shelves below the ceiling.

And the explosive blast outside gathered up the glass shards.

“Excuse me!!”

Tenzou clapped his hands and stomped his right heel on the floor in front of the counter.

Immediately, a row of floorboards rose up to form a wall.

This was one use for the ninja technique known as Tatami Flipping.

The wall defended against what tried to get in through the entrance, so glass shards and window frame fragments struck the underside of the floorboards.

…''Did I block it all!?

Just as he wondered that, a small light bounced up overhead.

It was a shard of glass.

It was the size of a knife and it had ricocheted off the raised floorboards. It flew up to the tall ceiling and passed by over his head.

“Oh, no…”

As the wind died down, Tenzou quickly turned around just in time to see someone there.

It was the Blue Thunder’s manager.

The middle-aged woman wore a blue apron and the glass shard was flying toward her.

“Ohh, ohh.”

She lightly caught it between her right index and middle fingers. She then served a customer the bacon steak on the plate in her left hand and she looked to Tenzou.

“Tenzou-kun, can you fix the floor? If not, I’m sending the 1st Special Duty Unit a bill.”

“Ah! Not to worry! I can indeed fix it!”

…''I can’t do anything careless in front of her.

As he thought that, the manager smiled at him.

“I guess the bill for the window will have to go to Almirante. As for what’s happening out front…”

Yes.

What had happened?

An alarm and a fire bell belatedly started to ring and a sign frame appeared next to Tenzou’s face.

It was from Watanabe and it instructed him to provide a report on the situation. However…

…''Out front…

“Yeah,” said the manager. She faced the front of the shop despite the raised floorboards blocking the view. “Tomo-chan really doesn’t hold back…”

“A-Asama-dono did this!?”

'''Asama:''' “I heard that! And no, I didn’t!”

''She had to correct me?

What did this mean?

The automaton named P-01s tilted her head.

“At least things are lively around here.”

Mitotsudaira saw something within the ringing alarms.

Something had flown in from the right. That meant from the bow since they had been facing the Blue Thunder.

When she looked back in that direction, she saw a valley of pale light created from a row of defense barriers in front of all the stores along the road.

It was likely an artillery shell that had flown in from the faint darkness beyond that.

Naito commented from behind her.

“That was a physical currency shell that’s banned these days. I think it was a re-pressed 1230s mark.”

“I’m not sure what that means, but it must have been made of silver,” said Asama who stood to their right.

…''When did she get there?

Mitotsudaira had sensed a moving presence just before the attack hit.

A moment later, Asama had been facing the bow with her right hand held straight forward.

As a result, the ground was badly torn up in front of her.

That was the side effect of blocking the flying object with a defense barrier.

The destructive power had been sent skyward and a deep scar had been left in the ground.

Asama’s defenses were of course powerful.

Nothing at all had happened to the ground at her feet or at the feet of her companions.

But the damage directly below her outstretched hand stretched back to either side in an upside-down V-shape.

It was like they stood at the sandbank in the middle of a river of destruction.

Which meant…

…''It wasn’t on the level of a quasi-anti-ship cannon, but it at least rivals an anti-god of war cannon?

“Uh, I guess I should ask: Tomo, are you okay?”

“Umm, why do you ‘guess’ you should ask? …But, yes. It was a silver shell, and silver is well suited for purification. It seems to have been made to detonate when it hit by transferring its momentum into destructive power, so I purified that cleanly off to the left and right.”

But…

“I was in a hurry and I wish I could have stopped it with a proper barrier. I protected everyone, but there was some damage to the surrounding stores.”

The contents of her calm analysis were frightening.

After all…

“…That means we were indiscriminately fired on, doesn’t it?”

“No, this wasn’t indiscriminate,” replied Naito.

She used her wings to step toward the bow. She passed by Asama on the left and hopped over the damage to the ground.

Similarly, Naruze passed by Asama on the right and advanced.

And Naruze asked a question of the darkness toward the bow.

“With the alarm and fire bell ringing, we’re going to hear guard sirens before long. …Musashi is a refuge for Technohexen, so is there any reason to make the life of a Technohexen here more difficult?”

She then spoke a name.

“Wild Kamelie.”

Naito raised her eyebrows somewhat and felt a cold sweat in her heart.

…''She’s making her attack now?

This was a clear choice on the woman’s part.

They had been naïve to assume the battle would come tomorrow since that was the day to apply for the tester rights.

They had planned to challenge her to the battle in the early morning when the skies were not crowded. That was the polite thing to do for challengers like them and they had assumed Wild Kamelie would not want to disturb Musashi’s sky.

But she had different plans.

She had given them time to gain their ''schale besen''s, but she had challenged them before they had finished fine-tuning them.

Without that fine-tuning done, their brooms were unstable. They did not have the right power balance or even appropriate center of gravity adjustments.

Their old brooms would have been easier to ride and more comforting.

…''But they wouldn’t give us enough speed.

The ones they had now would give them speed, but they were essentially masses of unpredictable thrust.

They had carried Asama and Mitotsudaira on a low-speed flight which was relatively safe. But in the high-mobility of combat, an improperly-adjusted acceleration system could send the broom flying uncontrollably.

Wild Kamelie had made her attack now because she knew that.

“But we can’t say she’s playing dirty.”

This was a battle. One on which they had bet a turning point in their lives.

They could always retry or crawl back up after defeat, but winning would open up their future.

The battle had begun from the moment they had strengthened their brooms to catch up with their opponent.

Upgrading their equipment was the same as working to overcome their opponent’s combat techniques.

So…

“Defeating our upgraded equipment is the same as defeating us with combat techniques.”

Official battles did have rules, but…

…''If you need those to protect you, you aren’t really the top of the rankings, are you?

Wild Kamelie had fallen victim to several “accidents” and been targeted in corporate conflicts.

If those had defeated her, she could not just say the rules did not apply to them.

To be ranked #1 meant to overcome any and all challenges.

“So that initial greeting was meant as a kindness.”

Naito had to agree with Naruze there.

“Let’s do this.”

They would fine-tune their brooms as much as possible while in flight.

Then they would do as much as possible in the fight.

“Judge, let’s go, Margot.”

They saw a light on the distant bow.

It was an acceleration light to send someone up into the sky where the sirens and alarms rang.

It struck the Musashi’s floor.

“…That was fast!”

A line of light rose into the dimly-lit night sky with an orange tail trailing behind it.

Wild Kamelie was telling them to fly after her.

Asama saw the two Technohexen turn back toward her.

No, not just toward her. Toward “everyone”, which included Mitotsudaira.

By now, the others would be arriving from the Asama Shrine on foot. And as a representative of that “everyone”, Asama spoke.

“Don’t worry.” She clapped her hands so the sound reverberated through the air. “May any hardships experienced in the sky be purified.”

Naruze and Naito’s expressions changed at that. Naruze’s eyebrows rose in a small smile.

“You’re not going to pray for our victory?”

“Shinto is about purification. All Shinto can do is purify away any excess burden on you so that you can draw out your true strength.”

So…

“Achieving victory is up to the two of you, Naito and Naruze.”

“Asama-chi,” said Naito with her teeth showing through the corners of her mouth. “We’ll be back with that victory.”

With that, wind exploded before Asama’s eyes.

The two of them spread their wings, held their brooms like spears, and launched themselves into the sky.

The black and white Technohexen pursued the camellia flower.

<noinclude>
{{HorizonNavbar
| [[Horizon:Kimitoasamade 4A Chapter 4|Chapter 4]]
| [[Horizon:Kimitoasamade 4A Chapter 6|Chapter 6]]
}}
</noinclude>

Horizon:Kimitoasamade 4A Chapter 4

2018-01-10T23:31:56Z

162.158.134.31: Found one typo.

==Chapter 4: Dancers Waiting for Night==
[[Image:Horizon_Kimi4A_113.jpg|thumb]]
''Are we waiting?

''Or are we preparing?

'''Point Allocation (Before the Performance)

Naito heard the beginning of the sound.

Turning Point produced the tuning sound that played before the intro to Kimi’s new song.

Tuning was important.

Especially given the location.

…''Places like this can be difficult.

Shrines seemed like an open space, but they were not really.

It seemed like the sound would disperse through the sky and air to produce a dead sound void of reverberation, but the shrine building and gravel ground would reflect the sound back.

By playing low notes and high notes while adjusting the volume, you would come to understand which sounds were alive and which were dead so you could reshape things into the optimum form.

Kimi’s Turning Point was raising the volume of all the different sounds to match the special space of the Asama Shrine.

It was a thorough tuning that seemed to weave the sounds together.

Only Kimi would be able to do this since she offered songs at the Asama Shrine. She probably had a library of patterns set up from her past performances, but…

“Is it a bit tricky with a new song?”

Naito asked Kimi that and the dancer smiled thinly.

“Do you want a stage version?”

…''Wow.

Naito had been trying to work her way up to asking that, but Kimi caught on immediately.

Naito did indeed want the tuning library for a theatre ship’s stage.

What were the acoustics like on a theatre ship’s stage? How did the sounds die there?

They had originally been planning to rehearse on the ship. They would have recorded the data from that performance and created a tuning pattern that matched their instruments.

That had been the plan.

But thanks to the mysterious phenomena, they had only been able to rehearse on Shinagawa’s cargo plaza.

So they would have to get the theatre ship tuning right the first time.

The third years could probably manage that. All of those bands had performed in the previous year’s Gagaku Festival. They could tune based on the previous year’s library.

However, Naito and Naruze were different. They did not have data from the previous year.

…''But…

Naito thought, ''There is a way for us to obtain a tuning library for a theatre ship.

And that was…

“Kimi.”

Naruze spoke before Naito was finished thinking.

Her eyebrows were somewhat raised as she opened her mouth.

“You activated Turning Point when we defeated the Non-God Sword on the Tanigawa Castle, didn’t you? …Could we have the tuning data from that?”

Her tone was sharp and Kimi immediately responded to the question.

She turned her palms upwards and held out her hands.

And with a full-face smile…

“Giiiive me something!!”

She was so direct it was impossible to dodge. It seemed a Technohexen’s willpower was useless against a crazy person. That seemed like an important lesson, but she was also fairly certain she had learned this lesson several times before.

But Naito said what she had to say.

“An ‘object’ wouldn’t work, would it?”

“Oh? Then will you show me something?”

She knew what Kimi was saying.

Yes. That girl was a performer. But…

“Huh?” asked Adele. “But Kimi-san is a performer…so wouldn’t it make perfect sense for her to give you tuning data in exchange for some kind of ‘object’?”

Someone had an answer to that: Asama.

She smiled toward Adele and raised her right index finger.

“You see, Adele, Kimi’s tuning data is not a performance.”

Asama had gotten started.

“Listen,” she began. “You can provide an offering in exchange for a performer’s performance, but the tuning data that Naito and Naruze are trying to get from Kimi is not a performance. They need to show her-…”

“Their boobs!!!”

“…You can just ignore her. Yes, you don’t need to feel down, Adele. You don’t need boobs to get Kimi’s support. Um…what was I saying again?”

Asama’s response was impressive in its own way. But they were getting nowhere fast, so Naito said it herself.

“As a performer, Kimi-chan will give us the tuning information if we show her some kind of performance.”

“Judge. That’s right. …But I know you two can do something that would entertain me, so do your best.”

“Eh?”

Naruze gave Naito a puzzled look, as if to ask if they had anything like that.

Naito did not know the answer either, but if they had Kimi’s guarantee, then they had to have some kind of good performance.

…''What is it?

Kimi was telling them to do their best, but her tone made it clear it would not be that hard to find. They simply had not noticed it. But…

“Then let’s get started.”

Kimi had finished her tuning and the actual music started.

This began her new song titled Dance of Joyful Awakening.

Kimi raised both her hands in front of her and opened her throat.

“—————”

She began.

Mitotsudaira straightened up when she heard Kimi’s voice.

…''This…

“Now, it is time to rise and shine. Your long slumber is coming to an end.

“Good morning, foolish masses. Good morning, Musashi.”

She was speaking.

These were not lyrics carrying a melody.

Just like a knight’s song, she was establishing the story with a talking portion. Then the actual lyrics began.

“I remember my dozing dream.

“In the dim light of my closed eyes.”

They were short sentences, but they came quick with only short breaths between them.

“I remember the light.

“In the brief time we were together.”

It was a dance song.

Not a knight’s song.

It began with talking and created a story, but it was not the song of a knight or a bard.

…''How is she so good at this!?

Kimi had taken the structure of older songs and used it for a modern dance song.

She added the speaking portion to something other than a knight’s song to give it more of a story.

She seemed to be saying that the story format was not just for knights.

…''And what is this she’s singing about?

The music could only be called bright and shining, but the words…

“I remember that parting.

“That sudden farewell.”

It was of course not a knight’s song.

The lyrics Mitotsudaira heard sang of a parting in the past.

But it was not a dark thing. The opening had established this as a song of awakening. The music was like a bright light and it was not looking back at the past; it was remembering the past while moving forward.

It was a song of the present. And to prove it…

“I remember what came after that.

“All the time we have spent together.”

“Kh,” groaned Mitotsudaira as she clenched her teeth.

She also heard voices of “ah” or “oh” from those around her.

…''Judge. You understand the story Kimi is telling, don’t you?

It was about ''him''.

No, it was technically about ''her life with him'' from the past to now. So…

“I hate the dark, so I wake up.

“I pull the blanket close and open one eye.

“I want to go somewhere bright.

“So I call and call and you hold my hand…”

Kimi sang of herself sleeping in a dimly-lit bed.

She wanted to go somewhere bright and called for him, so he took her hand.

“You open the window and bathe in the sun.

“A ring of light surrounds your hair.

“There is a smile on your face.

“There must be one on mine too.”

Mitotsudaira understood. She wanted to go somewhere bright, but she could not move once he took her hand. So he opened the window to brighten the place where they already were.

And those siblings would probably smile for no real reason while lying half-asleep on the bed.

Then another talking portion arrived to comment on that fact.

“Ha ha. This is such a luxury.

“Happiness fills everything for just this moment.”

The talking confirmed what Mitotsudaira had been imagining and showed her even more.

Of course, what Kimi said did not explicitly state what the story was.

But anyone who knew those two would imagine the same thing from it. Kimi showed them that by adding a question.

“…Don’t you think?”

It supported Mitotsudaira’s imagination even further.

That guidance was nearly a bluff, but it worked on those girls who really had been imagining it. But…

“I am thinking of the horizon.

“I always hold such high hopes.”

…''Eh?

That lyric made Mitotsudaira think of something else. And…

“I am thinking and appreciating.

“My friends and you.”

…''Ah.

It happened again. There was no mistaking it now.

Those were puns.

Or a play on words. She had used one word to sound like another. And in this case…

…''She made it sound like our names.

Friends sounded like Tomo, appreciate like Mito, and high hopes like the summit. And simplest of all…

…''Horizon.

What had she been appreciating and hoping for from those words in relation to him?

But Kimi did not sing any more on that subject.

“When I look across the classroom,

“I see a nice and lively atmosphere.

“But I pat you on the back,

“To take that bright, bright time in my hand…”

At that point, Kimi clapped her hands once.

She began to dance.

She had only been doing some light swaying and stepping up to that point, but now she twirled around, showed her back, and opened her mouth to speak.

“Heh heh. I am always serious.

“This is fun, but let’s reach even greater heights, okay?”

The story continued. It had shifted from the morning awakening to everyday life. Those two still had their bright time together, but it was now shared with everyone else.

“Now, follow me, you lacking girls. C’moooon!”

She swung up both arms and Turning Point burst.

An incredible amount of light rained down and illuminated the entirety of the shrine grounds. Below that, Mitotsudaira saw the dancer holding white cloths in her hands so they streamed behind her as she bathed in the light and danced with a smile on her face.

“I think of the future.

“You place your arm around my shoulders afterschool.”

This was not about their date the other day. It would be about a date with him some other day. After all, the previous talking portion had established this as an ode to everyday life with him.

…''Honestly.

Mitotsudaira lightly swayed in time with the dance’s rhythm.

…''Does she have to show off so much when I’m having trouble coming up with my own story portion?

She had the lyrics that Kimi had written music for, but now she was thinking about discussing it with Kimi and rewriting them.

This went beyond the story. The wolf wanted to create a knight’s song that broke free of her old shell and looked to the future.

Asama saw Mitotsudaira’s shoulders droop as if she had come to accept something.

She likely had a variety of thoughts, but she had come to an understanding or resigned herself to something as she listened to Kimi’s song.

“I think of walking alongside you,

“As our laughter blends together.

“I think of dinner,

“And laundry and cleaning.”

That was a very Kimi-like lyric structure. She added in a series of words to confirm their meaning and show the change between them.

That had a way of leaving the core of her meaning inside your mind. That friend looked wild, but…

“I think of our everyday,

“As we hold hands and fall asleep.”

…''Uuh.

''You don’t hold his hand as you fall asleep every day, do you? Do you!?

Mitotsudaira was glaring at Kimi and clenching her fist, so Kimi’s guidance here was perfect.

“I wake up and see the moon in the window.

“When I call out, your voice answers me.

“There is a smile on your face.

“There must be one on mine too…”

''That’s right,'' thought Asama to agree with Kimi’s words. Those siblings were always looking to the same thing, as if they were sharing their enjoyment and sorrow. And then the final lyrics rang out.

“You follow your dream.

“I smile and accept that.

“Let’s go together to the horizon and beyond.

“Let’s continue on forever and ever and ever…”

Nothing was as crass as asking if the play on words was intentional. That was something they shared in secret. Even if the story was stated and confirmed, the most important parts were left unsaid as a shared secret.

That dance song inspired joy and was inspired by joy.

Thus it was the Dance of Joyful Awakening. It was very much Kimi’s song.

As the last note finally faded, Kimi shook her hair and smiled.

The song was over.

Naomasa stated her own impression while seeing Adele applaud emotionally and Suzu applaud joyfully.

“They say going to a lot of trouble for a guy makes a woman beautiful.” She smiled bitterly and added something else for Kimi who was wiping away the sweat with a towel. “But going to a lot of trouble for family is just in a woman’s nature.”

“Is that what you have to say to ‘us’?”

Someone asked that while standing up.

It was Naruze.

She pointed at Naomasa with her pen and asked something else.

“I can ask how the plan to reinforce our brooms is going, right?” The Technohexen sighed and glared at Kimi. “After showing us that, it’s obvious we have to make quite a performance to pay for that data. …I don’t mean for this to count as that, but we do have something neat to show you. Okay, Naomasa. Can you bring those out now?”

“Don’t ask how it’s going and then immediately demand the result.”

“I got the order right. I just sped things up between those steps,” said Naruze. “So how about it? Are our brooms ready?”

“…Of course they are.”

Naito saw Naomasa take a sip of sake.

Then she looked to Naruze who was already scooting over toward Naomasa. As a winged species, she had to make sure her wings did not knock over the food and bento boxes as she did so.

She kept her wings pointed out from the center of the mats as she circled around to Naomasa’s side.

Naomasa glanced up at the others, and…

“What? Are you all that curious about it?”

The slight flush to her cheeks probably was not due to the sake. Everyone was focused on her because of the Technohexen’s brooms.

…''We did try to keep it a secret that we had her modifying them.

But from the way it all worked out, everyone probably knew. They had not demanded it be kept secret, so while the information would not have left Class Plum, it would have been shared with the class.

In that case, there was no point in hiding it.

“So what are they like?”

“Look.”

Naomasa opened two small sign frames and tossed them to Naito and Naruze.

When they caught them on their palms, Naomasa explained in her usual disinterested tone.

“I’ve put them in the engine division’s shared phase space locker. I used my own privileges, but it’s apparently pretty expensive, so remove them and take them with you ASAP.”

“Could you explain what you did before we thank you?”

“It’ll only be a general explanation.”

Naomasa scratched her head.

And she opened two more sign frames. Naito initially thought they were widescreen, but they were even longer than that.

They displayed images of the brooms at half of life size.

Naomasa first held up Naito’s broom.

“With Naito’s, the front end tends to wobble at high speeds, so…”

“You held it in place?”

“No, I surrounded the brush on the tail so it would provide straighter speed. …That probably increased the top speed, but the front end issue is probably meaningless now. I wanted to transfer turning to the front grip, but I didn’t have time. I instead designed the stabilizing wings to double as a grip like you said, so when turning, grab the front and do it with your ass. You’re used to that, right?”

“Oh, yes, yes. Understood.”

''Wow, I’m trying to act tough,'' thought Naito, but that was just who she was.

If they had achieved stability by adding weight to the front, the broom would have needed a lot more power. That would be fine if she just wanted a stable flight at mid-level speeds, but…

…''That’s not what this is about.

She was not riding the broom for transportation.

She was riding it to fly.

And she was able to read most of the modified points with a glance at the sign frame. Then she looked at Naruze’s next to it.

“For Ga-chan’s, you focused on acceleration and tight turning, didn’t you? It’s more about initial speed than top speed.”

“My guidelines are more important the closer they are to the enemy, so I would appreciate enough acceleration and tight turning to zip all around them.”

"Even if Naito's emphasizes top speed, the high speed range was pretty much the same as with Naruze's, so I made them the same there. When you enter that max speed range, you activate the...after reflex was it?"

"Yes, but that wears down the brush. But as long as I don't use that, Ga-chan and I are the same speed."

"Had you not noticed that?"

Once Naomasa mentioned it, she realized that was true.

Flying on a broom was an analog technique. The spells had originally only been there to make the broom fly, so the settings spells for the restriction and release of power or speed had come later.

According to Naruze next to her...

"I always thought Margot was working to match my speed. Because I tend to fly out ahead. ...Looks like I was mistaken."

"Oh, um, I do work to match your speed. I intermittently use the after reflex acceleration to raise my speed. Without that, I can't keep up with your initial speed."

"Eh? Is that what you're doing?"

When Naito nodded, Naruze's shoulders drooped.

"I just thought you had a really good broom."

"That's just how it works. Schwarz Techno acceleration spells are pretty rough. The broom itself is using reduction repulsion to fly, so it starts out slow and has trouble building up speed. But if you add on an acceleration spell, the broom tends to hop up below you."

Hearing that, Naruze narrowed her eyes and looked up. She wrinkled her brow and finally responded.

"I remember you mentioning that a long time ago..."

Naito also remembered saying it, but she chose to respond differently now.

"Did I?"

"Yes, you did." Naruze smiled with her eyebrows slightly raised. "When I offered to slow down because I always fly out ahead, you said that was fine because it let you see my butt."

''Crap. That I don't remember. But it's true, so I guess it doesn't matter. And I'll sometimes intentionally slow down to get a good look from behind, so I guess it really doesn't matter.

She also saw Asama spit out her sake, so she just accepted it.

...''As long as it made someone laugh.

She had a feeling that was not laughter, but oh well. Meanwhile, Naomasa poked at the sign frames with a finger.

"I did modify them like you told me to, but I'm honestly not used to working on Technohexen devices."

"So even you had trouble with the combination of machine and spells, huh?"

"I didn't say I had trouble with it. I said I'm ''not used to'' it."

She corrected Naito.

Naito thought about this correction from Naomasa.

...''So many people in our class just refuse to admit defeat.

But Adele tilted her head.

"What do you mean by a combination of machine and spells?"

"Ohh... This can be a pain to explain, so I'll just run through it real quick. For example, you know it takes a lot of reinforcement spells and whatnot for a broom to fly, right?"

"In other words," said Naruze to continue for her. "The broom normally has spells built into it so it's best flown in its base state."

"Oh, I get it."

Adele seemed to have caught on. That would be thanks to the repair work she was doing on her mobile shell. Asama also nodded, but Kimi was more suspect. Naito had a feeling she was just going along with the others' reaction.

Mitotsudaira, however, tilted her head.

"What does that mean?"

"Judge. Ga-chan and I are experts at using spells to modify the broom's ''base state''."

And...

"Masa-yan is an expert at attaching machines to modify the broom's base state."

But...

"Ga-chan and I don't really understand machines that well. And Masa-yan, um..."

"I'm not used to spells."

"Right, right. That's what I was going for," said Naito. "So doing both is really difficult."

"Is that so? ...But for both the spells and the machines, you can take readings and adjust them accordingly, can't you?"

"Flying through the sky is pretty unstable, Mitotsudaira. The directional control balance still does things we don't expect and can change entirely depending on the weather conditions or air currents. ...We aren't following a flat and straight path. It's more accurate to say we're flying forward with a technique that could send us rocketing any which way at any moment." Naruze held up the sign frame displaying her feather broom. "We are taking readings. Naomasa is helping us with that and should have included the optimum parts for our needs. But whether they give us what we want is up to the adjustments we'll be making from now on."

"I want to make sure it's balanced well from front to back."

If they could do that, they could at least fly straight and make ascents and descents.

Mitotsudaira then nodded.

"That sounds like a lot of work."

"No, no. We can't really call it that. Or rather, it just comes with the territory. ...But there is one place that has managed to mix the two aspects really well."

"Where is that?"

Naito saw the wolf's eyebrows rise slightly.

The knight had likely realized the reason why their enemy was so formidable.

So Naito gave the answer. She spoke the name of what they hoped would be their next destination.

"Edel Brocken."

Heidi stopped drinking her sake when she heard Naito's answer.

Until now, she had been focused on the same thing she always did at times like this: figuring out a way to safely sell Asama's sake. But...

...''Hmm...

She was interested in this topic because of how it could benefit ''her''. She was of course familiar with the Edel Brocken brand and with Wild Kamelie, their tester in Musashi.

Wild Kamelie was ranked first in the delivery business. She used her high-speed deliveries to work as a messenger. And she limited her deliveries to letters and documents, refusing to carry anything else.

At first glance, that sounded like a simple job.

But she had an excellent reputation and charged high prices.

Those high prices were paid for both her speed and safety.

Of course, Wild Kamelie was not flying at safe speeds.

But if you hired her, your delivery was guaranteed to safely reach its recipient.

...Corporate conflicts and espionage by other nations does happen on the Musashi.

So there occasionally were "accidents".

But Wild Kamelie would slip past all of that.

She had more than just social status.

She was the pride and face of Musashi's delivery business.

So what if Naito and Naruze took her top ranking?

"—————"

''God, what a pain,'' was Heidi's honest thought on that. A change in the delivery business's internal ranking would not affect the corporations, nations, and other clients' trust in Wild Kamelie.

But it would be devastating for anything that relied on her strength.

So any clients who build up their brand name by having her use their products would instead rely on the new Rank 1.

...''Which means...

''How many of those clients does Wild Kamelie have?'' wondered Heidi as she began a search.

"Hiii!"

Naruze glared at Heidi when the girl raised her hand.

She had probably thought up some business deal related to the match with Wild Kamelie, so Naruze nodded once and gave her answer.

"Absolutely not."

"P-please reconsider!"

"You understand each other?" asked Naomasa as Naruze continued.

"You're asking for some influence over our delivery rights once we take Rank 1, aren't you?"

"Of course! We'll handle all of your advertisements! Your names will be known far and wide!"

"No, thanks. You would only hurt our reputation."

"Huh? Now wait just a minute." Heidi tilted her head. "Have we ever done anything that would hurt someone's reputation? I'll sue you for defamation!"

"How about what you're doing right now!?"

When everyone else shouted back at her, the merchant immediately pretended to cry.

"I-I can't believe you all... B-business is poor right now, you know?"

She was incredibly easy to read.

Naruze sighed and spoke to the merchant.

"You received a bunch of money to let the Konishi Company stay at the port, didn't you?"

"Eh!? Did I say that? Are you sure you aren't misremembering!?"

"Suzu."

Suzu nodded.

"Yes. You said that."

Heidi collapsed backwards.

"Goddammit!"

She really was easy to read, but surely she was not like this during business dealings.

In any case, the sulking merchant rolled onto her side, opened a sign frame, and began a divine transmission.

"Fine then. I'll just find a way to make some money from Wild Kamelie's clients when she makes a mistake."

"Relying on someone else's mistakes is not a winning business strategy."

"A true merchant turns it into a winning strategy."

There was no longer any negativity in her voice. She had likely found something of interest and begun to act on it.

"Nothing keeps you down, does it?"

When Naruze said that, Margot turned toward her and away from the sign frame of her modified broom. Her eyebrows were somewhat raised for once and she spoke in a mildly scolding tone.

"Y'know, Ga-chan. Nothing keeps you down either."

"Really?"

"Yes. You might start feeling down, but you bounce back higher than you began. And you take everything so seriously that it can get dangerous."

Naruze could not think of any examples of that happening, but she did understand one part of it.

"I'll agree I take things seriously."

Everyone glared at her, but she chose not to worry about it.

"Just so you know, I do take things seriously. In a doujinshi, I make sure the combination begins within 3 pages, I always include a proper ending, and I never forget to write an afterword."

"Ga-chan, you really don't let anything keep you down, do you!?"

She chose to view that as a compliment.

But they had yet to really prove themselves.

The two of them had looked through most everything on the sign frames in front of them.

"Margot, what do you think?"

"Hmm, it's honestly hard to tell without actually riding it."

"Yeah, you are the type to not read the manual."

Naruze could hardly believe someone like that could pull off that Schwarz Hexen flight that essentially used explosions of acceleration, but according to Margot...

"If you can't adlib, I doubt you could ride something like this very well."

That may have been why she was such a good match with Naruze, who was the exact opposite.

"In that case," said Naruze while picking up the opening spell sign frame Naomasa had given her. "After checking the manual real quick, let's bring them out."

A chilly wind blew down from an elevated area.

The wind blowing down the tall wooden staircase would gather at the bottom of those academy stairs.

Night had begun on the Musashi and a few people were gathered at the bottom of those stairs.

One of them wore a black uniform with both the top and bottom shortened.

"Okay, 1st Special Duty Unit, gather here for the meeting of night guards."

The black-haired girl wore an armband that said "1st Special Duty Officer — Watanabe Yoritsuna" and the boys and girls seated in front of her straightened up and turned her way.

Everyone but Watanabe was down on their knees but with their toes pressed against the ground.

They were seated but prepared to move at any moment.

Watanabe nodded at them all.

"Okay, did anything weird happen on your way here?"

"Judge."

"Yes, Tenzou-kun. What was it? Did Crossunite-sensei do something again?"

"No, um, when I left the house, my idi-...Crossunite-sensei was collapsed on the floor with a smile on his face, his eyes rolled back in his head, and a paper that said 'How to Make Legal Herbs' in his hand. But that happens so often I would not call it weird."

Watanabe nodded.

"Did you call the guards?"

"No, because they've started telling me, 'Again? Please work this out within your family from now on'..."

"Hm. You still need to call them. Enough calls and you can still get him thrown in a cell."

"I see," said Tenzou with a hand on his head.

Watanabe then tilted her head.

"So what happened?"

"Judge. Just between those of us here, I saw Vice Chancellor Oosuga and Ohiroshiki from my class being taken to a guard station together."

"Yeah, they apparently got into a serious fistfight inside a food stand. The report came to us too."

"So that's what happened. ...Is it true the Chancellor was with them too?"

"Um, yes. She was caught red-handed trying to swap out her skirt with the contents of the register while the other two fought. She apparently insists that she was 'bartering'."

Everyone hung their head in silence and Watanabe continued.

"The Student Council is pretty normal, but I'm the only normal one in the Chancellor's Officers, so keep that in mind when dealing with them."

She then raised her right forearm and opened her smiling mouth.

"...Waterfall."

When she said that, sign frames opened in front of everyone. They were small, only as large as the space between their eyes, and they did not emit light.

They were used to display private or secret information and opened when a password was spoken.

Tenzou viewed the sign frame which was drawn with transparent thin ink.

The image was drawn with a gradient of thin ink, but each shade of gray was assigned a color on a virtual chart. Anyone on the 1st Special Duty Unit needed to see the image in full color the instant they saw the transparent thin ink image. However...

...''Get too used to this, and doujinshis printed in thin ink become a lot harder to read.

The artist was not familiar with their shades-to-colors chart, so once he was accustomed to viewing things like that, his mental image would see the skin as green, dark red, or striped blue and yellow.

He still remembered the fear he felt when various body parts or the "man beam" had looked pink or blue.

''It can be so hard to deal with.

...''But full color doujinshis is too much to ask for, so I tend to go for the porn games instead.

With that thought, Tenzou settled down and viewed the image. It displayed...

"Wild Kamelie."

Watanabe quietly spoke the individual's name using a ninja technique.

Tenzou was familiar with her.

She was ranked first in the delivery business and she was Edel Brocken's current tester in Musashi. Naito and Naruze had recently moved up to Rank 2, so they would eventually challenge her over that Edel Brocken tester position.

Since those two might challenge her, he had looked up some information on her.

...''But I doubt Naruze-dono would want it.

''Naito-dono would probably accept the information, though,'' he added.

But...

"Generally, Technohexen battles are in violation of Musashi's aerial laws and city security laws. She is not a student, so self-defense is the only legitimate reason for her to fight. Even if they are only competing over the delivery business's internal rankings, we cannot overlook this as the Chancellor's Officers in charge of protecting the city."

As Watanabe spoke, the image of Wild Kamelie changed.

She was now wielding a ''schale besen''.

...''And firing through a transport ship.

He did not know why, but...

"She once sunk an M.H.R.R. corporate transport ship after it 'lost control'. We avoided disaster because one of Konishi-san's large transport ships caught it down below, but if something like that happens again, it would harm the Chancellor's Officers' reputation."

A third year girl next to Tenzou raised her hand.

She then stood up.

"If we are acting on a legal basis, shouldn't the 2nd Special Duty Unit handle it? We primarily do intelligence work, so trivial fights don't really seem like our business."

"The 2nd Special Duty Unit is in Aki. Negotiations related to the festival are underway there, so they will be on guard duty for the time being."

"Yes," said someone else nearby. "If we are going to perform a largescale mysterious phenomena purification of the Musashi using the theatre ship, then K.P.A. Italia wants to rob us of our forces so that will fail."

"It's a political issue. ...If all goes well, we'll be able to show off Musashi's power without any interference from other nations. And," added Watanabe. "We can also show off our resolve."

...''Our resolve?

No one immediately nodded at what Watanabe said.

She provided no explanation for the word resolve, so everyone made their own interpretation and responded after a short pause. They all faced her, and...

"Judge."

"Yes, yes. Don't think about it too much. But there's a good chance Wild Kamelie-san here will be fighting two of our students pretty soon. ...Tenzou-kun."

"Ah, judge."

He stood up.

...''I guess it's interrogation time.

In a way, this was where he had to show off his ''resolve''.

He had to make up his mind and convey what information he had, no matter who it was about. ''Yes, even if they are my friends... Actually, are they even my friends? H-hmm...

"What is it, Tenzou-kun?"

"Oh, um, I was just realizing how very difficult this is."

"Now, now." Watanabe waved a hand dismissively. And, "We've already seen their combat abilities in the other day's Hidden Dragon battle and during their recent training early in the mornings."

The thin ink image displayed a shot of those two performing aerial combat training with Urquiaga. It was shot from a distance.

...''Uqui-dono is surprisingly nimble.

Tenzou was used to seeing the two Technohexen flying, but it was more unusual with Urquiaga. However...

"We can all determine their combat abilities from these images, can't we? So, Tenzou-kun, I'd like for you to give us information other than that."

For example...

"Where do those two often go? What stores or restaurants?"

Asama received a divine mail from Tenzou.

The Asama Shrine's barrier was closed, so any incoming divine transmissions would pass through her first. So she checked who it was sent to.

"Um, Naito and Naruze? ...You have a divine mail from Tenzou-kun."

"Huh?" Naruze frowned. "What's that ninja up to now? Is he aiming for Margot just because he loves busty blondes?"

"Hey, Ga-chan? Let's not suddenly start drawing a doujinshi based on Tenzou."

Naito then turned toward Asama.

"Could you read the message? I don't want this weird atmosphere to hang over us."

"Oh, yes," said Asama with a nod.

She went on to read the message from Tenzou verbatim.

" 'What stores or restaurants do you two often visit?' "

Tenzou saw an immediate reply.

The message connected him to a local divine chat, so he could see them posting in real time.

'''Mal-Ga:''' "Tenzou, I hope you're fine with going uncensored."

'''Gold Mar:''' "Wow. Attacking from below!?"

'''Asama:''' "Tenzou-kun, there's a difference between courage and recklessness."

'''10ZO:''' "Wait! You're...you're taking this in some weird direction!!"

'''Wise Sister:''' "Heh heh heh. Then tell us what that was supposed to mean. Ready, set, go!"

Tenzou realized the truth was the only option here.

'''10ZO:''' "I am at a 1st Special Duty Unit meeting and we decided we should know where those two are if we want to ensure Musashi's safety!"

Asama was aware she was glaring as she sent the divine transmission to everyone. And...

"You heard him."

"Couldn't Tenzou-san have come up with a better excuse?"

It was wonderful how quickly Adele reached that conclusion.

"Judge," said Mitotsudaira next to her. "Last month, didn't he try to confess to the blonde girl working at a Murayama udon shop, but couldn't work up the courage to say anything, ate 5 bowls of udon, and left? No one asked him about it, but on the way back, he still felt the need to insist he had succeeded by showing her his love of her udon."

"He is so pathetic..."

"And wasn't it the manager that actually cooked the udon? I saw him once, but he was an incredibly muscular man with tons of chest hair and he was reading a horse racing newspaper."

Asama saw Naruze nod at Adele's comment and then use Asama's divine transmission assistance.

"I'll be making an outside connection."

"Oh, yes. Go right ahead."

"Um, but what does this mean?" asked Mitotsudaira. "Why would Tenzou do this all of a sudden?"

"Heh heh heh. You don't know? The Spring School Festival and Gagaku Festival are coming up! Who doesn't dream of bringing someone there!?"

''I see,'' thought Asama. And when she wondered who she would bring with her...

...''Yeah, it would just be Kimi and Mito like always.

At best, he might be dragged along by Kimi and join them.

He loved these lively events, so there was no helping that. But...

"What is Tenzou-kun going to do...?"

Tenzou saw a second-year girl raise her hand. She held a sign frame and walked over to Watanabe.

"Um..."

Watanabe nodded as she whispered in her ear.

The girl returned to her position and Watanabe turned to face Tenzou.

"Tenzou-kun, it seems a freely-distributed adult doujin based on you is being uncensored on-...no, I got that backwards. An uncensored adult doujin based on you is being freely distributed on the divine network. What did you do?"

'''10ZO:''' "Wait! What did you do!?"

'''Asama:''' "Eh? I-I didn't do anything. I only opened up the divine transmission environment for Naruze."

'''10ZO:''' "That's something! Something major! And Naruze-dono! Why do you always make adult doujins of people to harm them!?"

'''Mal-Ga:''' "Sob, sob. Margot, that pathetic ninja is cruelly calling me an adult doujin terrorist..."

'''Gold Mar:''' "There, there, Ga-chan. But Tenzou can't help it. He isn't used to being drawn in those like Asama-chi is."

'''Asama:''' "Huhhh!? I'm not used to that at allll. What are you talking aboooout!?"

The damage had spread, so why didn't it seem to have diluted any?

At any rate, asking those cruel people was a waste of time, so Tenzou raised his hand.

"Uh, I believe their most recent hangouts are the Blue Thunder and the Asama Shrine."

"Hmm. Then we'll have to make sure no ground battles occur there."

When Watanabe said that with her arms crossed, a first year sitting at the edge raised their hand.

"Will there be a ground battle?"

"When the Rank 2 and 3 fought at the Asama Shrine the other day, it was a ground battle. ...Although they fought inside a barrier, so it didn't cause any damage outside," explained Watanabe. "Also, Wild Kamelie was apparently the leader of a Technohexen unit that fought demons in the area from eastern M.H.R.R. to the border of Eastern Europe's Russia. She uses high-speed attacks and gunner spells and she's more of a lone wolf than anything."

Watanabe's words echoed quietly around them.

"She is a Technohexen of an older age."

"Huh?"

Asama heard Naomasa voice her confusion.

"There are old and new Technohexen?"

It was Mitotsudaira who responded.

"I remember my mother telling me that druids and shamans qualify. But..."

She trailed off and faced Naito with the ends of her eyebrows lowered.

Asama knew why she would give Naito that doubtful look.

"Wild Kamelie-san has a black broom...so she's a Schwarz Hexen just like Naito, right? Are there old and new versions of that?"

"Well, yes. There are actually many different types of Schwarz Hexen...and Technohexen in general."

Naito spread her mouth horizontally and waved a hand dismissively.

And next to her, Naruze pointed at Asama.

"Asama is a shrine maiden, so she would be classified as a shaman. Shinto is polytheistic and its gods have the primitive origin of being born from natural phenomena, so it's actually a fairly old type."

"Using that sort of classification, I suppose it would be. To put it another way, we 'have a long history'."

"Judge. In Europe, you have the shamans who led the various rites and then the druids and elementalors that grew from that. You could call them the old magic users. But..." Naruze shrugged. "When the Tsirhc religion spread across Europe, Rome made it their national religion, the churches built a cooperative support system, and the musicians were obligated to assist each other. The old magic users had been entirely separate without any kind of system like that, so the people moved on to the more convenient option and those magic users faded away," she explained. "But tightening down on it too much would lead to resistance, so some level of flexibility was necessary. Y'know, how that works, right? Like with clothes?"

Asama thought about that.

...''Is that how it works?

It seemed wrong to her.

"I don't want my clothes to shift out of place, so I keep them pretty tight. Or rather, my body presses against them on its own..."

Everyone stopped moving.

Confused by this unexpected reaction, Asama also stopped moving.

Adele was the first to move again. She silently approached the barrel of sake and dunked her cup in it instead of scooping the sake out with the ladle.

"J-just so you know, the bagginess of my clothes since starting high school isn't because I can't find ones that fit! It's to match the connections for the mobile shell!"

Asama had apparently reopened an old wound. But as they tried to work out what to say and oddly found everyone's eyes focused on everyone else's chests, Kimi walked up to Asama's left side.

She tilted her head.

"Asama, do you really keep your clothes that tight?"

"Yes, I have several divine protections in place since I don't wear a bra...but to avoid stiff shoulders, I tighten them to fit my body and distribute the burden under the arms and on down."

"Hmm," said Kimi before suddenly reaching for Asama's back.

"Eh?"

Before Asama could do anything, the control component on her back sent instructions to the hard point parts on her sides.

Those two parts instantly slid down somewhat. This tugged the shrine maiden inner suit toward her sides, which seemed to cause the shape of her breasts to show through even more clearly than usual.

[[Image:Horizon_Kimi4A_155.jpg|thumb]]

"Oh, dear."

With Kimi's voice and a popping sound from the collar and chest of the suit, the chest came open.

"Kyaaaah!"

"Heh heh. What's this? You're using a divine protection to maintain their shape, aren't you? That's the kind of boobs care I like to see!"

"Y-you...!"

Asama held her chest while the thin ''obi'' part came undone and the suit below it split all the way down to below her navel.

Kimi must have given a random instruction because the wide parts tried to slide further back and she had to quickly stop them.

"Wh-what are you doing, Kimi!? And stop sketching this, Naruze!"

"That's a trick I've never seen before. I need to try it with Margot sometime."

"No, I think you need a whole lot of inner pressure for it to work. Oh, but, Ga-chan, not many people would be able to do that to Asama-chi, so keep that in mind when using the material."

That was true. A Musashi resident's hard point parts managed their divine protections for life support and other things and they were linked to things like the financial system necessary for everyday life. They were locked down when removed, but when worn, they could only be controlled by the wearer and...

"Outside of emergencies, the only other people who can use mine are my dad, Kimi, Toori-kun, and Mito."

Asama watched as everyone except Kimi immediately formed a scrum.

''Eh?'' she thought while sweating.

...''D-did I say something wrong!?

The term "two in a row!" came to mind, but it was too late now.

With an odd impatience in her heart, she called out to the others.

"Umm..."

Mitotsudaira looked up from the scrum and held out her right palm.

She was telling her to wait. When the wolf sank back into the scrum, Naito began speaking.

"...Why would she let him do that?"

"What, is she saying she's ready to do it at any time?"

"I will defend her since I was on the list too, but I do think there is something wrong with her brain if she doesn't even question that decision."

"D-don't worry... Toori-kun wouldn't...treat her...badly."

...''Suzu-san, they're going to take that the wrong way!

Asama wondered if she should warn her.

But as the others began nodding to each other, Kimi breathed through her nose and spoke.

"Well, I imagine she just hasn't changed the settings since we were kids and had things set up to test out the divine protections we made."

"Yes... Well, I guess that is part of it..."

There were a lot of reasons like that, so it was hard to sum up succinctly.

But everyone seemed to accept that and Naruze nodded as their representative.

"Don't worry. We understand."

As soon as she said that, blood burst from the Doujin Technohexen's nose. From both nostrils.

Everyone cried out as Naruze held her nose from below.

"D-don't worry, Asama. We understand, so...yes, there's nothing to worry about."

"Now I'm two or three times ''more'' worried!"

"Calm down," said Naito as she passed Naruze a reduction cooling spell. "Let's get back to what I was saying about tightening down too much being a bad idea. ...Tsirhc may not allow heretics, but they do allow pagans. That's what led to the whole Reformation, but while the church was corrupt and using the inquisition to get away with their corruption, some pagans were treated like monsters and were persecuted due to the ancient dragon invasion."

And...

"That led to all the various old magic users being called Technohexen."

''Most everyone knows that much,'' thought Naito.

But the rest was more specialized knowledge.

"And then, with the Technohexen hunts and whatnot, the Technohexen grew defiant and Tsirhc's Reformation began at about the same time, so they began reassessing it all."

"You mean the Peace of Augsburg, don't you? The Protestant advocate, Luther, spoke with the Catholics and got them to accept Protestantism."

"Right, right. The Technohexen hunts continued after that as part of the history recreation, but they reaffirmed that pagans were acceptable and the Technohexen began 're-paganizing' themselves."

The Technohexen said that Tsirhc had been trying to split the Technohexen between the old and the new, just like Tsirhc had been. But...

...''Some things just wouldn't work without that division.

Everything had two sides to it, with different advantages and purposes.

The whole could not be supported with just one or the other.

And the persecution of Technohexen had continued even as they "re-paganized" and lived among the people.

That was why Naito and Naruze had ended up with Musashi, but...

"Anyway, when we 're-paganized', the Technohexen needed to show our worth so the people would accept us."

"Like what?" asked Adele.

Naruze responded while drawing a hat on her Magie Figur. It was a white bonnet.

"The simplest example would be Weiss Techno. ...Those are additive spells that specialize in positive things like healing and regeneration. It is primarily made up of healing spells, so it is useful in supporting the Tsirhc religion."

"And Schwarz Techno is reductive, so the Schwarz Hexen often joined the national defense organizations and other combat groups to hunt down resisting Technohexen or fight against mysterious phenomena."

"So," said Naruze. "It was split into Weiss and Schwarz. And the Weiss Hexen and Schwarz Hexen who follow that rule are what you could call the new Technohexen."

"Then what about Wild Kamelie...?" asked Mitotsudaira with a frown. "Is she the old kind of Technohexen without that division?"

"Exactly. Most of the Technohexen from Europe are that way. Wild Kamelie's techniques tend toward the Schwarz Hexen side of things, so that's what she's registered as on the Musashi. But..." Naito nodded. "I expect her to use both spell types in battle, so...we can't let our guard down even with the two of us together."

Musashi's nights truly began at 10.

That was the curfew, so the gates between wide blocks and long blocks closed then.

Of course, people still had jobs to do and cargo had to be transported, so it was still possible to move between blocks with permission. There were just far fewer people after 10.

But things were different for visitors from outside. The curfew strictly applied to them unless they had a Musashi resident escorting them.

And the Musashi currently had a lot of visitors from Aki. Thus, a warning was broadcast across Asakusa, Shinagawa, Takao, and Oume after 8 at night.

"This is a notice from 'Shinagawa'. It is now past 8 PM. In another hour, the visitors on the Shinagawa derrick mast observation platform and on the bow deck will not have enough time to return to Tama on foot. ...I can imagine some of the horrible things which will happen to you if that occurs, but you would be better off not knowing. Over."

"That was blunt!" said the cargo workers on Shinagawa.

"That's 'Shinagawa'-san for you! She's so cool in a careless sort of way!"

"And she's so much cooler on the days when 'Musashi'-san is being difficult!"

"Her criminal law attacks are nice, but this is the side of her I like best!"

Someone stood on the derrick mast observation platform that overlooked that discussion.

She was a slender girl, but she had firearm equipment hanging from her skirt.

"I would prefer to avoid having the name Suzuki Magoichi listed in the arrest records..."

She smiled bitterly and looked down from the railing, but then she looked to her left shoulder.

There was nothing there, but then three ''insha kotob'' appeared there.

They floated and rotated while displaying something: wing-like rifle symbols.

She called to them as they spun around her face as if to get a good look at her.

"Yatagarasu. Remember this place."

She narrowed her emotionless eyes and looked out horizontally.

"Because we could set history in motion from a position higher than this."

Magoichi rested her elbows on the railing and pulled her hips back.

She looked up into the sky.

The stealth barrier surrounding Musashi's night was a vast presence.

...''It makes this feel like its own little world...

She felt like the outside world had disappeared, but that was incorrect. The transport and diplomatic ships that connected the Musashi with the outside were opening holes in the barrier to move in and out and informational toriis in the city displayed the sky and scenery of the outside world.

The people of Musashi saw this as a "location" that connected to the outside world.

...''It's so complicated.

It felt enclosed and protected to the people outside.

But did the people inside only see it as a room they could easily move in and out of?

If so...

"The other nations may hold a mistaken view of Musashi."

Magoichi thought from her position as a name inheritor.

She thought about how the leaders, officers, and other high-ranking members of other nations had to view Musashi.

The Far East was currently under the other nations' provisional rule, their lord was in Mikawa which was a neutral area between the Testament Union Tsirhc nations and P.A. Oda, and Musashi was the only official territory they were allowed.

...Because they had no military power, their reservations and the Musashi relied on the other nations for their continued existence.

The Musashi was seen as somewhat creepy and pitiable, like the Flying Dutchman that had become a ghost ship and wandered the sea for all eternity.

But now that she was here, she found it to be a lively and peaceful world.

She wanted to compare it to the ark found in the Vetus Testament, but...

"They have almost no status as a nation."

They could not exist in history.

They should not exist, but they did anyway because they were convenient.

"Just like Mikawa's ley line reactors or the Technohexen."

But what would make the world understand that?

...''Musashi would have to take a more proactive stance.

Would that ever happen?

She knew enough of its history to assume not.

In its 160 years of provisional rule, Musashi had never resisted. However...

"Yatagarasu."

Magoichi called out to the ''insha kotob''s.

"If our actions here led Musashi to act...that would be stressful."

The ''insha kotob''s spun around in response. All three of them did.

And Magoichi thought of the Musashi like a war god.

It had not actually received the divine protection of a war god.

...''But it's elevated.

Magoichi was from a desert people. She had wielded her guns in an endlessly flat expanse of sand and defeated her distant enemies.

In the flat desert, the slightest rise or dip was a crucial factor. If she could have viewed or fired on her enemy from above, she would have won a unilateral victory and felt like she had a war god on her side.

So she sought the sky. And that was what she saw horizontally from herself now.

"—————"

It was the sky. Magoichi looked up from her elevated position.

She saw the dim white defense barrier. That wall seemed to protect the Musashi, but did not fully do so. She narrowed her eyes and spoke as she looked up at it.

"Is that what Musashi would view as a war god?"

She saw a point of black in the sky.

It was a Technohexen's color.

She was so high in the sky that even a sniper like Magoichi could barely make her out.

A single Technohexen was stopped atop a black ''schale besen''.

...''Just like a hawk eyeing its prey.

"Now, then."

Magoichi turned around, as if turning away from the sky.

To return to her inn on Murayama, she chose the stairs to descend the derrick mast.

On the way, she spoke quietly.

"What do you call something that chooses to target a war god?"

Naruze felt the tactile feedback.

She had just pulled her feather broom out from the locker that the engine division kept in a phase space.

...''Oh?

It was heavy.

But that was not just due to its weight.

...''It pulled straight out.

The feather broom did not waver as she pulled it out into the air. It followed the angle of her original pull, so it appeared almost exactly horizontally. It pulled out with the weight and accuracy of something on rails.

Then she viewed the device in front of her.

"You sure treated us to something nice..."

Overall, it looked like a flat boxy quill covered in armor of a similar texture. It seemed a little bigger than its original size.

Naomasa remained seated and took a drink before speaking.

"I didn't mess with the seat, but I added reinforcements below it. It shouldn't feel any different when seated and you won't be able to tell anything has changed, but you should notice more support from below once you get up to speed."

"...Will they run?"

"I completed a combat proof according to engine division standards."

"I see." Naruze nodded. "So the test run is just for us to get used to them."

"You can complain after flying around some. I'll make some adjustments once you get back. ...So don't hold back once you get up there."

"Judge," she said and Margot smiled after pulling out her own broom to the right.

She turned toward Asama.

"Asama-chi, can you open up the top?"

"You're doing it already?" Asama did not even try to hide her exasperation, but she did clap her hands. "Then how about we all stop by the Blue Thunder? ...I doubt everyone would be satisfied with just the food we have here. We can put in an order on the way and pick it up once we get there."

"Heh heh. And we could always order wine or beer."

"No, no," insisted Asama. Then Naruze made a suggestion while spinning her broom around.

"Want a ride? Although Margot and I can only take one person each."

"Oh, you'll do that?"

Asama was all for it. That seemed a bit casual for a Shinto shrine maiden, but...

...''That might be who Asama is outside of her religious rules and official obligations.

Instead of criticizing Asama, Naruze found herself impressed by her own observant eye.

She had become more accepting of a wider range of behaviors from other people.

...''Hmm...

She felt like she had gone soft and that displeased her. So...

"Um, Margot, you take Mitotsudaira. You can carry a lot more that way, right?" Naruze was aware she was selfishly taking control. "Now, let's get going. This is our first time using these new versions, so don't expect us to fly like normal. ...This won't be nearly as exciting."

<noinclude>
{{HorizonNavbar
| [[Horizon:Kimitoasamade 4A Chapter 3|Chapter 3]]
| [[Horizon:Kimitoasamade 4A Chapter 5|Chapter 5]]
}}
</noinclude>

Horizon:Volume 6B Chapter 29

2018-01-06T00:57:04Z

162.158.134.31: Some minor errors removed.

==Chapter 29: Shrine Maiden at a New Home==
[[Image:Horizon6-B251_251.jpg|thumb]]
''No

''Um

''Uh

''Well

'''Point Allocation (Excuses and Doubling Down)

Asama felt regret.

…''I think letting Adele escape was a mistake.

That girl really was one of the fastest in Class Plum. She had made a quick dash away, but Asama knew she had to be nearby.

She could see a tail of black hair sticking out from behind a storage cabin five buildings away.

…''That’s Suzu-san hiding, isn’t it?

Suzu would never choose to hide, so someone had to have prevented her from continuing on this way. That was most likely Adele.

Of course, with 5 buildings between them, she would have to talk very loudly for them to hear her. ''Suzu-san could probably hear me since she has good ears, but that’s fine. I know she’ll accept me and she won’t tell anyone.

''But,'' thought Asama while setting the divine chat to everyone except Toori and Kimi.

'''Asama:''' “Is anyone spying on me?”

'''Almost Everyone:''' “…”

That silence was suspicious.

Once you started down the road of doubt, you could never escape it, but with her class, her suspicions were justified. So…

'''Asama:''' “Hello, everyone within 10 meters who isn’t moving.”

'''Mal-Ga:''' “Huh? What’s that supposed to mean?”

'''Asama:''' “Well, I used the location data gathered by the Asama Shrine – oh, but I can’t see it myself since it’s personal information – and had a sign frame automatically sent to everyone who matched those conditions.”

She had sent it, but it was a trick.

…''I hope someone is dumb enough to self-destruct by asking about the sign frame…

However…

'''Almost Everyone:''' “…”

No one fell for it.

''I’m impressed,'' she thought, but in a way, it seemed to reveal just how expertly awful everyone in their class was.

'''Asama:''' “…Everyone. Why are you all so cement-like when it comes to finding other people’s weaknesses?”

'''Marube-ya:''' “Eh? What are you talking about, Asama-chi? Are you doubting us because of some kind of persecution complex?”

'''Asama:''' “Hmm.”

When they put it like that, she could not really deny the possibility.

She knew Adele and Suzu were 5 buildings down, but perhaps no one else was spying on her.

'''Asama:''' “Yes, maybe I am overthinking this.”

'''Marube-ya:''' “Right, right. We’ll be there soon, so you should probably try being less negative.”

''I see.

'''Asama:''' “If you aren’t there, then you won’t mind if I detonate those sign frames, will you?”

'''Mal-Ga:''' “…Asama, I think we can still talk this out.”

'''Asama:''' “You give up too easily!”

Six black wings flew from a rooftop two buildings away. They were moving as far away from her as they could.

''It’s impressive how they like to double down on their awfulness,'' thought Asama with a sigh.

…''But it looks like my doubts were justified.

'''Asama:''' “Then let’s start with Heidi.”

'''Marube-ya:''' “Eh!? Wh-why would you do that? You’re supposed to do this in aiueo order, right!? And that would put Toori-kun and Kimi-chan first. Wow, and you would be next Asama-chi. C’mon, Asama-chi, blow yourself up!”

'''Asama:''' “Any complaints if I start with Heidi?”

'''Almost Everyone:''' “Go right ahead.”

'''Marube-ya:''' “Ah! Dammit! What is with all you poor people!? Do you want money that badly!? Then I’ll place a curse on you that gives you long-term employment, effectively ending your life right there! Liiiifetiiiime employyyyymeeeeent!”

'''Worshiper:''' “…I’m pretty much employed already and isn’t that curse usually seen as a blessing?”

'''Marube-ya:''' “F-fine then! I’ll place a curse on you that makes you all fat!”

'''Almost Everyone:''' “What does that have to do with being a merchant!?”

'''Asama:''' “Okay, okay. Here we go, Heidi.”

'''Marube-ya:''' “You’re going to blow me up that casually!? Bring it on! Shiro-kuuuun! Solve this with money!”

'''Money Lover:''' “If you insist.”

A prostration arrived via divine transmission.

'''Money Lover:''' “Asama, how much do you want?”

'''Asama:''' “The thing is, I don’t really need much money.”

'''Money Lover:''' “And you call yourself human!? Normal people get turned on by talking about money!”

'''Almost Everyone:''' “Only you do!”

'''Marube-ya:''' “Ignore the poor people and focus on Asama-chi, Shiro-kun! That girl is satisfied with her life because of those giant boobs of hers!”

'''Asama:''' “Actually, they’re a lot of trouble. They make my shoulders stiff and block my view all the time…”

“Adele!” shouted Suzu’s voice from 5 buildings down. “C-calm down, calm down.”

Asama felt bad about that kind of collateral damage, but…

'''Asama:''' “I have realized something after seeing Mito’s mom for the past few days.”

'''Smoking Girl:''' “Hm? What’s that?”

'''Asama:''' “People say mine are ‘giant’, but they’re actually pretty normal. Yes.”

'''Silver Wolf:''' “You can’t compare yourself to her!”

''No, no. Compared to the world at large. Yes, the world at large.

'''Asama:''' “Okay, it’s time, Heidi.”

'''Marube-ya:''' “That’s a complete non sequitur, Asama-chi! And c’mon, let’s settle this with money! You’re supposed to be nice to us when we offer you money. Now, let’s try that again!”

'''Gold Mar:''' “Is that some high-level provocation?”

''That’s how I saw it too.

'''Asama:''' “Okay, Heidi. Care to explain what you’re doing at such close range?”

'''Marube-ya:''' “Eh!? Because this looked like a lucrati-…whoops, no, forget I said that! Umm.”

'''Hori-ko:''' “You needed to take a dump, didn’t you?”

'''Marube-ya:''' Kh…! N-no, um, uh.”

'''Hori-ko:''' “We had curry and meat last night, so I was forced to have quite a challenging battle this morning. But fighting that logic battle while listening to the birds in the Sanada forest could be difficult.”

'''Flat Vassal:''' “Well said, Vicereine Horizon!”

'''Hori-ko:''' “So Adele, who is suspected of owning not a dog but a bug, agrees with me on that?”

'''Flat Vassal:''' “Um, uhh…”

'''Asama:''' “Okay, here goes.”

'''Marube-ya:''' “W-wait! Yes, I’m…I’m taking a dump right now, so stooooop! If you wait just a minute, I’ll move away!”

'''Sticky King:''' “Doesn’t that excuse do more damage to her life than the original accusation?”

'''Obscene:''' “Hmm, that is a struggle I will never know since I let things evaporate as a gas.”

But that was one enemy gone.

…''That leaves…

'''Silver Wolf:''' “Tomo, aft.”

She looked aftward and saw a small point of light atop the giant raised wall that doubled as a windbreak and as the stern management facility.

It was a familiar light.

'''Asama:''' “Naito, can you check to port?”

Naito had summoned Schwarz Fräulein to watch Asama through a sniper telescope spell.

But Asama had just spoken to her via divine transmission.

…''To port?

She looked.

Musashi was floating in the Houjou sky facing south, so left meant east. She could see the coast stretching toward Edo in the distance.

But there was nothing out of the ordinary there. She could see a few silhouettes moving along the Edo horizon, but those would be Hashiba’s Edo occupation forces.

…''Are we eventually going to fight those?

''That will be a big deal,'' she thought. It would be on the same level as the armada battle, but they wouldn’t have any rules saying who the winner had to be.

It would be a serious fight. However…

“There’s nothing there.”

Just as she said that into the divine transmission, she looked in her telescope spell’s frame and saw Asama raise her hand and swing it to the right.

She was saying to dodge in that direction.

…''Huh?

''First look and now dodge? What’s with this?'' wondered Naito.

Just then, her telescope spell Magie Figur shattered as an arrow flew in from Asama’s direction.

'''Gold Mar:''' “Ohhhhhh! Don’t scare me like that!”

'''Mal-Ga:''' “Wait, Asama! What are you doing to Margot!? If something happens to her, I’ll submit the next one without censorship bars!”

'''Bell:''' “Th-that will…only provoke…provoke her.”

'''Asama:''' “Well, I thought it would be too cruel if I fired without actually letting her see me shoot, so I gave her a warning. Also, I shot her telescope spell, not her.”

'''Azuma:''' “Um, how far away was that?”

'''Novice:''' “Looking from the side, it seemed to be about 700 meters. With spell-assistance and Asama-kun’s skill, that was probably an easy shot. Anyone within range of her aim should be on their guard.”

Suzu sensed some familiar presences moving away from various parts of Musashino.

…''Ah, that’s the sound of Urquiaga-kun flying…

They were all interested in this. Part of that would be to tease her or just out of curiosity, but…

…''They must be worried…how Asama-san and Toori-kun’s…relationship will turn out.

Everyone knew about this on some level.

At Mikawa, she had gotten truly angry with him for once.

It happened when he had activated the ether supply spell.

She always called him “hopeless”, but she could not write him off as “hopeless” where it really mattered.

Everyone understood what that meant. So…

“Nn…”

''Go for it,'' she thought while watching Asama breathe in.

The girl looked around and then turned toward Suzu.

“————”

It felt like Asama had intentionally overlooked her.

But then she faced the door again and opened her mouth.

And just as she prepared to say “Toori-kun”…

“Oh, Asama, you’re here.”

The door opened.

A naked apron stood before Asama.

Asama hid her luggage behind her back.

“Umm, are the others here?”

“Not yet. Nate was already here, but she went on a patrol or something. And Horizon stopped by with some bread.”

His words made her blush in her heart. While Horizon was to be expected…

…''He didn’t include Nate in “everyone”!

Was that because she was more like family?

And Asama knew she had to be in that category as well. Which may have been why he said what he did.

“C’mon in, c’mon in. Oh, use the bottom shoe rack.”

She saw that was the same rack that held his and Kimi’s shoes.

Using the same spot sent her heart racing and she left the door open.

After taking a breath, she removed her shoes and entered the café.

…''Oh, there’s Mito’s luggage.

She nonchalantly placed her own luggage next to it.

Then he spoke with a smile.

“Thanks.”

“No, it’s nothing…”

They were close enough that they did not need to thank each other for every little thing. It was always “the usual”, “hopeless”, or “necessary”. So…

“Isn’t this the usual-…”

She trailed off as she realized something.

She stood at the entrance to something outside of “the usual”.

That was why he had thanked her for coming. That was why he had said something he usually would not have.

…''Does that mean…?

He was glad she had come here.

“—————”

That thought made her gasp.

“U-um, Toori-kun?”

Asama frantically stepped down onto the entranceway’s solid dirt floor.

And…

“Um, uh.”

She shut the door.

'''Gold Mar:''' “Oh, she’s sealed them in.”

'''Mal-Ga:''' “The Chancellor is in trouble now… And I already gave my imagination a workout with Mitotsudaira’s time earlier.”

'''Silver Wolf:''' “Um, what were you imagining?”

'''Flat Vassal:''' “Oh, come to think of it, Suzu-san didn’t listen to the sounds inside.”

'''Bell:''' “I-it would have been wrong…to listen. A-and I knew…Mitotsudaira-san would be…fine.”

'''Silver Wolf:''' “I’m actually still far from fine, but that’s a separate matter… But isn’t this like my king holding consecutive interviews? I hope they’re okay.”

'''Hori-ko:''' “Yes, when that boy is forced to negotiate on his own, he will do awful things to win, like the topknot or rock-paper-scissors.”

'''Tachibana Wife:''' “Master Muneshige, isn’t aiming to win by any means necessary a valid strategy for negotiations?”

'''Tachibana Husband:''' “Ha ha. It is indeed, Gin. …What matters most is to use everything available to you and to grasp victory in the end.”

'''Tachibana Wife:''' “…Thank you very much.”

'''Almost Everyone:''' “Ohhh…”

Asama shut the door and returned from the hard dirt to the actual café.

…''Ah, I did that without putting my shoes back on.

But she had bigger issues.

She needed to reform herself here.

She looked up and saw him. The naked apron was an issue, but…

“Toori-kun?”

“Yeah, what is it?”

Well.

“I carry a lot with me.”

That was why she had placed a lid on it all.

Not everything below the lid would be enjoyable.

Did he really understand that?

“I would be a giant pain in the butt. Believe me.”

“No, you wouldn’t.”

“But…”

“You’re talking about the Asama Shrine and your position there, right?”

She was.

Shrine maidens were allowed to marry, but to the god she served, that meant she no longer put the god first.

That would place a restriction on the power she was given and prevent her from doing what she could before. Which would mean…

…''I couldn’t stay by his side and help him to my fullest.

She had to be by his side, but it would be dangerous if she was.

That sounded contradictory, but there was no helping that.

And as far as her official position was concerned, it would be dangerous for the Asama Shrine Representative to lose power now.

Could she really take that step when there was no other heir?

“I…”

''I really am,'' she thought, ''doing something I shouldn’t be, aren’t I?

So she opened her mouth.

…''Should I really be here?

She tried to ask that. He had thanked her before, but she found herself uncertain if that was really what she wanted to do.

“I would be a burden, wouldn’t I?”

Because…

“I’m trying to leave myself in your hands because of your and Horizon’s open invitation and because of what Mito’s mom said. …So I would be a burden, wouldn’t I?”

“Why?”

He tilted his head forward.

He acted like he really did not know what she meant.

So she wrinkled her brow and explained.

“Listen, Toori-kun.”

“Yeah?”

“This time, I’m forcing something onto you without really thinking it through. Um, to put it more poetically, I’m leaving my feelings in your hands. Isn’t that what you would call a burden?”

She asked.

He crossed his arms, frowned, and tilted his head.

“Hmm…?”

“What is that ‘hm’ for?”

“Well, Asama? Um.”

“What is it?”

…''Why am I answering like normal!?

Kimi would probably die of laughter if she heard this. In fact, she had to be in her room, so she was probably burying her face in her pillow to suppress the noise.

''I can’t believe this,'' thought Asama.

Why did she always feel things unrelated to being the Asama Shrine Representative or a shrine maiden when she was around these people?

…''Trying to act dignified is useless with them…

She silently sighed at the fact that she just had to accept it and he straightened his tilted head. But his “hm” expression remained.

“Asama, do you think you would be a burden on me?”

“Yes, I’m forcing all of this onto you…”

“We’re the ones that told you to come join us, so you’re not forcing anything on anyone, are you?”

He was right about that. And she remembered what Horizon and the others had said the night before.

…''They wouldn’t be able to get along very well without me with them…

Part of her wanted to suggest they hire a good maid, but they likely saw something other than that in her. She felt that was what it meant to leave your daily life with someone and take responsibility for that, but…

“Toori-kun, you wouldn’t think of me as a burden?”

“I would be grateful to have you with us. Do you know why that that?”

“No, um…why would you be grateful?”

“Because I can’t imagine living without you.”

“Y-you’re just flattering me with that!”

“Now, now,” said the idiot while raising both hands to calm her.

He wanted to live with her.

“I think you coming to live with us is a cause for celebration and I can’t see any reason why it would be a burden. Besides, I’m like a bunny: I’ll die from loneliness. So how should I put this…?”

“What?”

“I can just be myself around you.”

So…

“Everything would be way easier with you here, so I’d be really happy.”

“Well, um, I…”

She too had accepted the odd fact of life that he would come visit her.

And she realized something else too.

“Toori-kun?”

“What?”

“I don’t think of you as a burden either.”

That was it.

“I’m the same. I want to depend on having you around.”

His eyes widened a little at that.

Then he smiled.

“Then this isn’t something you feel obligated to do. You’re really coming here.”

The tension left his shoulders.

“In that case, I’ll take responsibility for every little thing that makes it hard for you to live here.”

Asama was dumbfounded.

“————”

She said nothing because she did not know how to respond.

And he said more while scratching his head in a fairly unreliable way.

“I’m sure there will be some tricky stuff with the Asama Shrine. …But I’ll do something about it.”

“Th-that’s not possible.”

“It is. If it wasn’t, I wouldn’t have asked you to come here. Also,” he said. “If things aren’t working out, we have everyone else.”

“…Everyone else?”

“Judge. Even if you can’t do your Asama Shrine stuff anymore, you can work at what you can do while everyone else makes up for what you can’t do. …I get the feeling they wouldn’t do that for me, but there’s no way they could just ignore you if you were in need.”

“Relying on people like that…isn’t how I do things.”

“Then,” he smiled. “I’ll do something about it, so you help me out.”

She thought about what he meant.

…''You idiot.

A quiet laugh escaped her mouth because of what this idiot was saying.

“You say you’ll take responsibility but now you’re telling me to help you take responsibility?”

“You wouldn’t be satisfied with yourself if you didn’t, would you?”

He pointed at her luggage which she had placed right alongside Mitotsudaira’s.

“You gathered your courage and came here. …If that will cause problems, we can think about it and do something about it. You couldn’t irresponsibly just ignore those things, right?”

That was true.

But she belatedly felt heat in her cheeks and said something.

“Um, Toori-kun?”

“Hm? What?”

“A lot about this is still up in the air, so there is something I can’t come out and say at this point.”

The groundwork was not complete, so she would lose a lot if she took action now.

So even if she had “entered” this home, she wanted to confirm something about herself first. And once she knew it was okay for her to truly “enter” this home…

…''It starts there.

[[Image:Horizon6-B273_273.jpg|thumb]]

That would be the final lid.

She had already opened it and seen what was inside and she was aware of that fact, but…

“Once I can convince myself and feel more at ease with this…I’ll say it for myself.”

She would speak the words that allowed and permitted herself everything.

“So can you wait until then?”

She had said it.

''I said it,'' thought Asama.

Her gaze gradually lowered.

She could not look at him head-on.

But when she looked down, she saw his naked apron.

…''I-I worked up the courage for something like an attempted confession and this is the view I get!?

''Also,'' she added while thinking back on what she had just done.

…''That was backwards!!!!

It was normally the guy who was supposed to say that.

That was clearly backwards.

In a game, it was the line the protagonist said to the heroine. Saying he would be back for her once he had grown worthy of her was generally a death flag or an NTR flag, but it was that sort of pretentious line.

''But,'' she thought. ''It was still backwards!!

“—————”

She could not believe it.

She was hanging her head more out of exasperation with herself than from bashfulness.

She was aware she had closed her lid and was automatically selling herself too highly.

And in the process, she had ultimately reversed their positions.

…''Now I’ve done it…

But there was another way of looking at this.

“Asama.”

She looked up and saw him there. With his usual expression.

“Then this is our little secret, okay?”

“…Yes, I suppose so.”

That was right.

From now on, she would carry this secret in her heart.

Mitotsudaira probably had something like this too.

Horizon, Kimi, and the others would as well.

Everyone knew those things existed.

And her latest secret was this.

…''Oh, then Mito, Kimi, and Horizon will more or less know what it is…

But a secret was a secret.

They had confirmed that they were prepared to follow through with their respective feelings, but she had not yet actually confessed. However…

“Toori-kun?”

“Ah? Yeah?”

“I-I still haven’t really told my dad about this and I didn’t bring as much luggage as Mito, but, um, this is an important time period.” She breathed in and continued. “So I will be staying here for a while. So like we said before…”

A smile escaped with her words.

“I would appreciate it if you could just be yourself and depend on having me around.”

'''Flat Vassal:''' “She isn’t coming out…”

'''Mal-Ga:''' “So starting in the middle of the day is an option for them. I’ll have to add that to my list of possibilities.”

'''Righteousness:''' “Hey, I just finished prepping Righteousness. What are all of you doing?”

'''Hori-ko:''' “Judge. Naruze-sama fled after a bomb threat, Heidi-sama is def! – ecating, Naito-sama was sniped at, and Mitotsudaira-sama screamed.”

'''Righteousness:''' “Could someone explain properly?”

'''Flat Vassal:''' “Yeah, that’s not much of an explanation is it? Umm, to put those in the proper order, the 5th Special Duty Officer screamed, the 4th Special Duty Officer was found by Asama-san while preparing a porn doujin on the roof, and the 3rd Special Duty Officer was sniped at. Oh, and the Treasurer’s Aide is doing battle in the bathroom to avoid getting blown up.”

'''Righteousness:''' “Could someone ''else'' explain properly?”

'''Flat Vassal:''' “B-but, Satomi Vice President! That was a serious answer!”

'''Righteousness:''' “I didn’t want a serious answer; I wanted a good one!”

'''Sticky King:''' “Calm down, Yoshy! Good answers are hard to come by in this world!”

'''Obscene:''' “That’s right! The pursuit of them is a noble thing, but not if you refuse to accept the truth because of it. You must be able to flexibly accept the more bizarre answers as well!”

'''Unturning:''' “But when they’re too bizarre, they can be rather incomprehensible.”

'''Uqui:''' “…Narumi, choose your words better.”

'''Almost Everyone:''' “How about denying what she said!?”

'''Marube-ya:''' “And I’m not really pooping!”

'''Smoking Girl:''' “It probably doesn’t matter anymore, but…Suzu.”

'''Bell:''' “Oh, right. …You can…go in. Because…I can hear…a knife.”

'''Gold Mar:''' “Murder?”

'''Bell:''' “N-no, not like…that. …It’s the sound of…Asama-san…cooking.”

Suzu smiled and nodded at the sound reaching her ears.

She tapped Adele’s shoulder with the same tempo.

It had to be the sound of Asama slicing up an eggplant.

But Suzu was more focused on the strength and rhythm of the sound than the action it represented.

“That’s a…good sound.”

Yes.

“It means Asama-san…is happy.”

Fukushima heard the distant sound of something being struck.

She must have been asleep. Her eyes were staring at something dark.

It was not night. Her eyelids were closed.

She had come to, starting with her ears.

She was still enough asleep that she had to consciously open her eyes. And…

“—————”

When she opened them, she found the sky was still blue.

…''Oh?

She was lying on her back. However…

…''I thought I was in the wheat field with the waterway running through it.

She had pursued and fought Sanada’s Miyoshi Nyuudou.

And she had made a mistake in the end and self-destructed.

She had known she would be trapped by the enemy’s counterattack if she kept going, so she had caused her acceleration spell to malfunction and send her flying.

That had been a crude method, but she felt it had been her best option to escape that battle.

As a result, she had been thrown into the wheat field.

“—————”

Except not.

This was not the wheat field.

She lay face up on the grassy dirt ground.

A gentle breeze blew in from below her feet and it carried the scent of river algae.

…''I must be near that small river.

What was her state as she lay there?

…''Now, then.

She shifted her focus to her surroundings and found there was a resilient pillow below her head and something softer than a pillow resting on her forehead.

The overhead object obstructed her view. It was also heavy and sweaty.

''What is this?'' she wondered as she lifted it up. And…

“Kyah.”

She heard Kiyomasa’s voice and the overhead object shook.

That was when Fukushima caught on.

“So this is Kiyomasa-dono’s chest.”

“Y-you’re awake?”

“Testament. Where are we?”

“This is a path running alongside the wheat field. I am healing and examining you.”

Kiyomasa’s answer told Fukushima something.

“…So the enemy really did escape.”

No, that was not it. There was something else she had to say.

“So I let the enemy escape.”

<noinclude>
{{HorizonNavbar
| [[Horizon:Volume 6B Chapter 28|Chapter 28]]
| [[Horizon:Volume 6B Chapter 30|Chapter 30]]
}}
</noinclude>

Horizon:Volume 6B Chapter 28

2018-01-04T22:52:13Z

162.158.134.31: I think this line was supposed to be a thought, so removed the lone quotation mark.

==Chapter 28: Emotional Girl Within the Construction==
[[Image:Horizon6-B229_229.jpg|thumb]]
''How’s this going?

''Is she okay?

''Ohhhhhhh

'''Point Allocation (L-let’s calm…down)

Mitotsudaira entered the Main Blue Thunder and did not come back out.

Asama intently watched that fact.

…''Umm.

That meant Mitotsudaira had entered the Aoi home.

There was nothing odd about that. After all, they were holding a meeting in the Main Blue Thunder and Mouri and Houjou’s representatives would be in attendance.

So there was nothing odd about an officer like Mitotsudaira to be there.

''But,'' thought Asama. ''Mito lost her mansion and she had that luggage.

That meant she had ''entered'' the Aoi home as a knight.

…''She’s taken that first major step…

First major step toward what?

And was Asama simply shocked, or was she actually jealous? However…

“Huh?”

The door opened and someone stepped out.

It was Mitotsudaira.

…''She’s leaving?

''It can’t be,'' thought Asama as she saw Mitotsudaira without her luggage.

Did she have business somewhere, had she forgotten something, or had her king asked something of her? However, the visible profile of her face showed her eyebrow raised and her lips smiling. There was no sign of negativity there.

But she descended the step and held her nose a bit high.

“Now, then,” she said in a carrying voice. “I’m a little worried about leaving my king in there all alone, but I need to patrol the area.”

With that, she began walking along the road to port.

She was leaving here.

Asama and Adele were left alone again and Adele chose to speak.

“Asama-san.”

“? What is it?”

Adele was smiling at her.

“I forgot something, so can I head back real quick?”

“W-wait a second, Adele! You’re running away, aren’t you!?”

“W-well, it’s just that the 5th Special Duty Officer was clearly being considerate in a certain sense!”

“Now I kind of have to ask: in what sense?”

Asama asked that with a smile and Adele averted her gaze.

And she answered quietly.

“In the sense of knowing when to give up…?”

…''Wow, now that’s accurate.

Well, that was probably how it looked to those who were not a part of it themselves.

And that was why Asama felt like she would be selling herself short if she simply went along with it.

…''Ah, I’m really a pain in the butt, aren’t I?

If even she saw it that way, it had to be pretty bad for the people looking in from outside.

However…

“Huh?”

Horizon walked up from the port stern.

She carried a basket of bread on her back and held some largish luggage in her hands.

“Vicereine Horizon kind of looks like Musashibou Benkei right now, doesn’t she?”

“She does…”

Horizon walked up to the café’s entrance.

Asama and Adele ducked down.

Adele spoke in a mixture of curiosity and seriousness.

“Is Vicereine Horizon hesitating over a lot of things like the 5th Special Duty Officer was?”

Meanwhile, Horizon casually opened the door and walked in.

It happened right before Asama was about to respond to Adele’s question.

“…”

“…”

“…”

“…That was casual.”

“Yes. …She didn’t even knock.”

“…I think that plan was a failure.”

“Horizon can be awfully masculine, after all.”

Then the door opened again.

The first thing that came out was a right arm crawling along and holding up the now-empty basket. Asama had a thought as she watched that arm wriggle rapidly to port.

…''That is quite the visual…

That was something she never would have seen on the Musashi half a year before. Although that was the normal state of things.

But then Horizon herself came out. And they heard the idiot’s voice from inside.

“Huh!? Where are you going, Horizon!?”

“To continue my work at the Blue Thunder. I must serve the customers with a memorable afternoon.”

“Eh? So if I go there, you’ll serve me!?”

“Ho ho? So you would be happy if I served you as a job? And for money?”

“Dammiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit!! Couldn’t you phrase that in a nicer way!?”

“You sound like an entertainer wishing he could get laughs just by climbing up on stage.”

“You’re only getting harsher!!”

“No. If we were ranking this, that one would be a 5.”

“Out of how many? Is that high or low?”

“…Which would you prefer?”

After rejecting his question, Horizon continued.

“Besides, you talked big during the study camp about being reliable enough to support two or three girls as soon as we got back, but here I find you all alone frying bacon in the nude. What is that supposed to prove? And what happens if you got hot oil on your dick?”

“Dammit! Dammit! I don’t even know where to start with that one, but Nate already showed up! See, there’s her luggage! Well? Don’t got a comeback for that, do you!?”

“That luggage does not smell like meat, so I can only assume it is an illusion you have created.”

“Every once in a while, even Nate does things without meat.”

“I see.” Horizon gave a thumbs up and entered the café. “As far as your reliability goes, I will accept Mitotsudaira-sama’s willpower and recognize Mitotsudaira-sama’s decisiveness.”

“Huh, huh? What happened to your judgement of me?”

“Oh, dear. What a self-centered boy.”

“Wait! I’ll have you know I’m a laughs-centered entertainer! Got that!?”

The right arm returned and gently shut the door.

…''That was incredible…

Adele gave a deep nod while ducking down next to Asama.

“I feel like the truth resides in Vicereine Horizon’s words.”

“…Then the truth must be a very inconvenient thing for life in general.”

But Horizon started walking toward the Blue Thunder, so the two watched her leave.

…''Now, then.

Asama sighed in her heart as she tried to figure out what she should do.

Mitotsudaira walked.

She had no destination in mind. Only…

…''This is not good.

Her thoughts were directly linked to her body.

Her gait was light and grew to a jog.

“…”

The next thing she knew, she had arrived at Musashino’s atrium park.

She had no intention of descending to the floor below. Besides, the port half of the atrium park had been destroyed during Torahide’s rampage and so it had become a large hole.

From her position, she could see that everything from that half of the park onwards, including the residential district, had been removed down to the third underground floor so it could be repaired.

There were some surviving districts on the port side, but…

…''It did a lot of damage.

By standing by the railing overlooking the atrium park, she could tell just how largescale the other night’s battle had been.

“It’s fortunate the Main Blue Thunder survived…”

She could not say their battle had been a good thing. The scene before her looked more like destruction than anything.

But she did think they had kept the damage to a minimum and they were making an attempt to ensure everything was being improved as it was repaired. Also…

“—————”

She placed a hand on her shoulder.

Her summer uniform’s shoulder was modeled after a ''kariginu'', so her skin showed through.

She could still feel the chill of the blade there and the pressure of the metal as it was pushed against her with surprisingly little restraint.

Then he had “tasted” her.

Both had left their “mark” on her skin. Leaving some kind of mark on her body felt so very important to her, but was that because she was a Glossolalian?

But more than that…

…''I am a knight.

She and her king had held a private knighting ceremony.

That was a shared secret.

Mitotsudaira thought, ''My king and I have a part of our relationship that only we share.

Of course, everyone knew that she was his knight and understood what that meant.

But only the two of them knew that it had grown deeper than that.

The battle was about to grow much harder for the king who had set their path. With that largescale battle approaching, he must have decided this was necessary.

She did not need to announce this as her king’s knight. She only needed to hold her head high and live her life as she had before.

It had been the same when she had decided he would be her king.

If that had been the ceremony to make her his knight…

“Hee hee…”

Then this had been the ceremony for her to place herself by her king’s side.

They would likely have more of those ceremonies in the future.

…''I look forward to it.

She rested her elbows on the railing and placed her hands on her cheeks.

They were hot.

She could tell she was smiling uncontrollably.

And…

“Nn…”

Her body was celebrating. Heat filled it and she felt restless.

Her loosened body felt a bit better when she pressed her knees together and stuck her butt back a bit.

“…”

She took a breath and let her body relax.

…''Honestly…

She sighed and sensed a short figure to her left.

It was a basket.

A closer look showed Horizon’s right arm was holding up the basket and looking around the area.

It seemed lost. It was only trying to get from Musashino to the Blue Thunder, but there was too much construction at the moment.

After checking to the left and right, the arm seemed to notice her. It faced her with its fingers sticking forward like a snake’s head.

“Umm, it’s that way.”

When Mitotsudaira pointed toward the path to Tama, the right arm nimbly twisted itself around and hurried in that direction.

It looked hesitantly back once, so she waved.

It waved the basket back and then hurried on its way without looking back again.

…''I did a good deed.

Part of her thought she could not afford to get used to things like this, but that was her fate if she lived here.

She looked over and saw Horizon on a temporary suspension bridge that crossed the atrium park while it was under construction.

She was likely going to the Blue Thunder.

She must have gone to the Main Blue Thunder after Mitotsudaira had left and she was now on the way back.

“I’m glad his knight did not show up after everyone else…”

''Nothing could have been more pathetic,'' she thought as she saw the right hand catch up to Horizon from behind.

Horizon noticed it and looked back.

“————”

The hand must have told her about Mitotsudaira because she came to a stop and looked Mitotsudaira’s way.

She raised her left hand and waved hello.

So Mitotsudaira did the same.

Then Horizon resumed walking and Mitotsudaira sighed again.

…''The heat inside me has calmed down some.

Rather than letting it cool, she may have simply grown accustomed to it.

When she remembered what had happened before, she felt the heat of a blush gently tickling her deep in her chest, but it was still a happy thing at that level.

She would allow that feeling to stay inside her forevermore.

“But…”

Her own lupine instincts scared her sometimes.

She was honestly impressed she had not given into her urges when her king had tasted her.

Even now, her body wanted her to do the same thing to her king.

If she had been sitting with her king right now, she might very well have rubbed her cheek against him and then all over his body.

She felt an odd temptation and allowance in her mind that told her there was nothing wrong with doing that.

She had only resisted earlier because her knightly pride had subconsciously kicked in.

It was said chivalry had been developed in the middle ages so fighters would not give into their more savage urges and so they would not do anything disrespectful to their king. She found here just how true that was.

While taking this short break from being a knight, she had grown a little bit wild.

''But,'' she thought.

…''My mother must have held back a lot when it comes to my father.

Mitotsudaira only had half Loup-Garou blood, yet it was this bad for her.

Her mother’s predatory urges had to be even stronger, so it had to be a lot worse. Based on the story of what had happened when they were just getting to know each other, she had to be restraining herself quite a lot now.

Of course, it was also frightening how defenseless her father could act.

He would eat meat and spend the night around her mother when she was in a worse state than Mitotsudaira now, so he was either as brave as can be or as dense as can be. ''Or does he actually want to be eaten?

Also, all of that seemed to have knocked a screw loose in both her parents, but was she only imagining that?

And when she compared her situation to that…

“…Huh?”

She realized something.

…''My king is the defenseless type too…!

At the very least, he did not doubt anyone who would kindly protect him. He would acknowledge that they were someone who might eat him, but he would trust that they would not.

That was probably why her mother had not eaten her father or her king. Because doing so would mean betraying the trust of someone she had protected.

The Reine des Garous’s pride would not allow her to betray the trust of someone weaker than her.

That was why she had decided to not eat Mitotsudaira’s father back then. ''Although what motivates her now may be a different matter.

“But then what about me?”

Something else occurred to Mitotsudaira.

…''I went there so that I could have him “take responsibility”, didn’t I…?

What did that mean?”

“Umm.”

…''Can I eat him…!?

She had to be considerate of a number of things. But if she ignored all that, this situation allowed her to be a predator. After all, that was supposed to be part of “taking responsibility”.

If she used her parents as an analogy, then wasn’t she currently at the point 7 seconds before that 24-day competition began?

Shocked, she shoved her face between the arms resting on the railing.

…''This is a bigger step than I thought!

She had thought she was ready for everything when she “entered” her king’s home, but she felt like she kept running across unexpected conditions and situations.

What she did not know was how much of this her king was aware of.

But whether he was aware of it or not…

“I know what my mother would say: ‘That’s what you’re after, isn’t it?’ ”

Mitotsudaira looked down.

With her head lowered between her arms, she could look down into the park below the railing.

Or so she assumed.

What she actually saw was her mother. Past the railing, her mother was dangling down from the railing’s support bar and looking back up at her.

And before Mitotsudaira could react at all…

“Nate, you’re ready to do it, aren’t you!?”

Her mother used just her arms to rapidly climb up the railing support bars.

She climbed to the top of the railing and flew in an arc while Mitotsudaira pulled her head back.

“That’s my daughter!”

She hugged her with all her might.

Suzu thought she heard Mitotsudaira scream.

…''H-huh?

It came from Musashino’s construction site, but she seriously doubted anything would happen at a construction site that could make Mitotsudaira scream.

Also, everyone was supposed to be in the Main Blue Thunder right now. The people who had gone to the Student Council Room would be late, but the non-officers and those quicker on their feet should already have been there.

'''Bell:''' “Toori-kun…is everyone…there?”

'''Me:''' “Oh, Bell-san? Well, Nate and Horizon stopped by before, but they left. So it’s just sis and me.”

'''Wise Sister:''' “Heh heh. I’m in bed right now thinking about where to seat everyone, so my foolish brother is taking care of the kitchen. Or in French for our guests, my fool-eesh frère dooz eet all! Wait, foolish brother! When I said ‘eet all’, I didn’t mean you get to eat it all! You’re the cook, so I can’t believe you would even think of doing that!”

'''Me:''' “Sis! Sis! That’s way too many difficult setups in a row there!”

''Toori-kun can never win with Kimi-chan,'' thought Suzu.

But something felt odd about this.

'''Bell:''' “Why isn’t…everyone…there?”

'''Hori-ko:''' “They all hate him… In a gal game, this is where the heroine rejects him in front of the school gate saying, ‘Walking home with you would gather too much attention and fill me with shame. You’re a creep.’ ”

'''Me:''' “That last part was from you, wasn’t it!?”

They were always really harsh with each other. However…

'''Wise Sister:''' “Let’s see. I think Asama and Adele should be arriving about now, so I wonder what’s keeping them.”

Suzu agreed with that.

They had some other highly mobile classmates like Naito and Naruze, so it would not have been surprising if they got there ahead of everyone else.

…''I wonder…why.

With that thought, Suzu arrived at the road to the Main Blue Thunder.

Just then…

“Oh, hey, Suzu-san. Hey.”

She heard Adele’s voice and felt a tug at her summer uniform’s sleeve.

…''Wah.

Suzu just about shouted out loud when someone tugged at her without advance warning that they were going to touch her. She only managed to restrain herself because of the note of tension in Adele’s voice.

Something had happened.

So she let herself be pulled behind cover.

They were between some water buckets behind a storage shed 5 buildings down from the Main Blue Thunder.

Adele was ducked down low there, so Suzu asked a question.

“Wh-what is…it?”

“Well, um, this is an important moment. …For Asama-san.”

“Asama…-san?”

When she focused on her ears, she did indeed sense that girl.

Asama stood in front of the Main Blue Thunder.

She was all alone with luggage in hand and she stood motionless in front of the door.

…''Ah.

Suzu sensed the size and weight of Asama’s luggage.

It was not the size she normally used to bring cooking supplies or studying tools.

She had brought a full change of clothes and other supplies for spending the night.

It felt a lot like she had repacked the luggage she had brought on the study camp.

Suzu nodded at and thought about what that luggage meant.

“I see…”

Knowing Asama, she had not come here today to stay in the Aoi home forever.

She had the Asama Shrine. And Asama herself had not fully made up her mind about herself.

She did not know what to do about the many possibilities before her eyes.

This had happened in the past too.

It had happened in elementary school and in middle school.

She would sometimes hesitate and she would often back off from whatever it was.

And she generally used the same excuses:

…''“That isn’t like me” or “I have the Asama Shrine”.

But that had changed somewhat once they reached high school.

She had started to change her viewpoint or way of thinking while remaining who she had always been and she had even started performing in a band. Also…

“Nn…”

Before, she would not have brought this sleepover luggage. When they had had meetings before, she had simply spent the night as she was.

Since she had brought the luggage this time, she had to have given it more thought.

Suzu knew Horizon’s words and his statements over the past few days had to have “shaken up” a lot of things inside Asama.

…''That was probably a lot of trouble for her.

But her hesitation was always dyed in a certain color.

…''She’s always…happy.

Asama had always performed her duties as the Asama Shrine Representative. And now that she knew she could change that “always” to her liking, her hesitation had become the entrance to a happy change.

Whenever she came into contact with something outside of her usual life, Asama’s voice would be full of life in a way Suzu loved to hear.

Suzu thought, ''Asama-san is always…so decisive, reliable…and cool. I wish I could have…such a powerful force of will.

''But I love how she acts…whenever she starts something new.'' It may have been disrespectful to think Asama was “cute” when that happened, but it was also surprising to find that side of her existed.

So this had to be the same.

But her hesitation was even greater than normal this time.

This could force her to change how she worked for the Asama Shrine. If that happened, her “always” would change.

“Is she…troubled?”

“I’m not sure. We saw the 5th Special Duty Officer go in earlier.”

“Eh? Mitotsudaira-san?”

But the siblings had said there was no one else in there.

'''Bell:''' “Toori-kun, where is…Mitotsudaira-san?”

'''Me:''' “Eh? She said she was going to stand guard and went outside.”

'''Bell:''' “U-um, a moment ago…I heard her…scream?”

'''Hori-ko:''' “Toori-sama, did you do something to make Mitotsudaira-sama scream? I see. You seem to have a modicum of guts, so I will promote you from ‘pathetic insect’ to ‘insect’.”

'''Me:''' “That’s not any betterrrrrr! Not better at allllll! And it wasn’t me!”

'''Hori-ko:''' “Then I shall keep your rank as-is.”

'''Me:''' “I suppose so, but why do I suddenly want that promotion now…?”

The scream was still a mystery, but since no further problems had come up, it was probably all right.

However…

…''Asama-san…

Suzu felt it was best not to mention her. So…

…''Go for it.

Suzu focused her ears in Asama’s direction and clenched both her fists.

Go for it.

<noinclude>
{{HorizonNavbar
| [[Horizon:Volume 6B Chapter 27|Chapter 27]]
| [[Horizon:Volume 6B Chapter 29|Chapter 29]]
}}
</noinclude>

Horizon:Kimitoasamade 4A Chapter 3

2018-01-02T22:56:57Z

162.158.134.31: Two words were missing letters.

==Chapter 3: Gift Giver in the Shrine Bar==
[[Image:Horizon_Kimi4A_085.jpg|thumb]]
''That is less of a breather

''And more of an earnestness for a different matter

'''Point Allocation (Refocus Your Feelings)

The Musashi's sky was transitioning from evening to night.

At this time, there was a greater contrast between the whiteness of the stealth barrier wall and the darkness outside it. And someone noted a certain fact while looking up into that sky.

"There are an awful lot of delivery workers out today."

That comment came from Sakai as he descended the stairs in front of the academy.

He was followed by "Okutama". She was using a "Tama"-style frame instead of a "Musashino"-style frame and she used her gravitational control to sweep the stairs behind her with a broom.

"I have determined that is due to the coming festival, Sakai-sama. People are likely making their final preparations. Over."

"Everyone has so much work to do, don't they?"

Sakai then turned his skyward gaze toward the bow.

A line of aerial buoys floated above Asakusa. They were normally used to inform foreign ships of the Musashi’s route, but these had a different purpose.

"The delivery workers' Null Vier. Are they setting it up for anyone to try? ...Tamako, have they ever done that before?"

"According to 'Asakusa', the head of the delivery business decided to make it as exciting as possible since their rankings have changed so much this year. Over."

"Almirante-san, hm?" Sakai opened the ''inro'' hanging from his neck and dropped the ''kiseru'' parts into his hand. He quickly assembled them. "The Technohexen in our academy's 2nd year who are named after Naitou and Naruse are ranked 3rd, aren't they?"

"They moved up to 2nd the other night. Over."

"Did they? Then they might just make it to 1st next time."

"...Sakai-sama." "Okutama" glared at his back. "Why are you such a sore loser? Over."

Just as she said that, a silver line dropped from the sky. It instantly pierced her apron and stabbed into the stairs.

"...!? Over."

She tried to back away, but the back of the blade held the cloth in place. She was unable to move and Sakai looked back curiously.

He spoke when he saw the sword still vibrating as it stood from the stairs.

" 'Musashi'-san, will you not be visiting today?"

A sign frame opened in response.

It opened from the sword's pommel and displayed an image of "Musashi". She turned to face "Okutama", made sure that other automaton had been held back, and then faced Sakai once more.

"Musashi" bowed.

"My apologies, Sakai-sama. Even if overthrowing one's lord is common in this age, my management skills were clearly lacking if the captain of just one ship felt she had 'defeated' you in any way. ...You may slay her with the sword before you if you like. The choice is yours. Over."

" 'Musashi-san', you know very well I would never choose to do that."

Sakai crouched down to be on eye level with the sign frame and "Musashi" did not respond for several seconds. Eventually, she lightly brushed back her hair.

"I have determined you are someone who would strike someone down if necessary. Over."

"I just hope I haven't gotten rusty." He smiled bitterly. " 'Musashi'-san, the scabbard."

"Judge. Over."

When he heard her response, Sakai stood up and raised his left hand.

A moment later, a red-lacquered scabbard fell into that hand.

Once he heard it slap into his hand, he moved his fingers to spin it around. He then pulled out the sword piercing the automaton's skirt.

"And it's sheathed. ...Tamako."

"J-judge."

He tossed the sheathed sword to "Okutama". And without even checking to see if she had caught it, he picked up the sign frame displaying "Musashi".

"Use that to be my bodyguard."

"Sakai-sama, you are being too easy on her. Over."

"No, no. I'm going to have her watch my black disk of Future Destructor Jiraida."

Hearing that, "Okutama" hung her head a bit and "Musashi" went through the motions of a sigh.

"Sakai-sama, the festival begins tomorrow. I have determined we will be very busy, so please do not waste her time. Over."

"It sounds like it's going to be quite the festival."

"What makes you say that? Over."

"Well, earlier, Torii's group sent in their decision for the band order during the Gagaku Festival."

Sakai turned away from "Okutama" and descended the stairs.

"Which band do you think got the last performance?"

"Sakai-sama, when you ask for information I have yet to receive, I can only tell you that I do not know. Over."

"I see," said Sakai.

He glanced over at "Musashi" who followed him in the sign frame and then looked up into the stealth barrier sky that had some faint scarlet in it now. He finally gestured toward the bow with his chin.

"Well, I want to eat dinner on the bow deck, so take care of that, 'Musashi'-san. We can go over some things then."

Asama operated a sign frame while looking up into the evening sky covered by the Musashi's stealth barrier.

She was creating a barrier to surround the Asama Shrine.

That barrier prevented others from entering or leaving and it kept sounds and images from getting out.

"Okay." She took a breath and clapped her hands. "We will now submit the 1647 Term 1 Post-Exams Party held by the girls of Class 2-Plum!"

Mats were laid out across the shrine's grounds and the girls of Class Plum were seated on them. They all raised their sake cups and their voices as one.

"Submit!"

They all took a breath and began placing bags of snacks and bento boxes on the mats. Meanwhile, Naomasa set down a wooden container of fried rice and walked to the main shrine with her sake cup in hand.

Hanami was floating above a bench placed in front of the main shrine.

A sign frame appeared behind Hanami:

"Direct Connection: Sakuya: Connected"

Naomasa placed her sake cup on the bench below Hanami.

"Take care of it." She clapped her hands and spoke to Hanami. "I might be at the wrong place for this, but make it a prayer for safety."

"Clap."

Hanami clapped her hands and some ether light rose from the sake cup.

At the same time, the words "Received: Intermediary: Ame-no-Ma: Confirmed" appeared on the sign frame behind her.

Sakuya acted as an intermediary for her prayer to the technician's god Ame-no-Ma.

Naomasa saw a sign frame appear next to her in response. It was...

...''A formless spell charm.

The charm was made of ether instead of paper. Since it was not physically attached when used, the engine division could use that kind without interfering with any moving parts. That made them more valuable, but...

"Asama-chi, just how valuable is this sake?"

"I don't know... I made it myself, so I've never run an official calculation. But if it worked as a substitution, I must have gotten better at it."

"Is that how it works?" asked Masazumi.

Naomasa knew very little about that transfer student, but...

...''Is she going to be someone important when she grows up?

Naomasa did not know if the two of them would have any kind of lasting connection, and she was not the type to go out of her way to build one. But she did think it would be mutually beneficial if they had some things in common.

"This is Asama-chi's ''kamizake''."

Masazumi looked down at her cup, so Asama clarified.

"It has been purified, but if it still bothers you, you can use it as an offering like Masa did."

"No, um." Masazumi tilted her head. "Kami Sake? Is that a special Shinto drink?"

Hearing that, Naomasa put her false hand on her chin.

...''Ahh.

This would be a pain to explain, so she looked to Asama who smiled bitterly.

"Simply put, saliva is used as a catalyst for the fermentation of the rice. So in this case, ''kamizake'' means chewed sake. It's possible to continue using the same seeds, but the older they get, the more you have to purify, so we remake them every year."

"Oh." Masazumi narrowed her eyes toward the cup in her hands. "My mom would put chewed herbs in when making sake, but I never knew why until now. ...I just always assumed it was some kind of custom or etiquette."

"Nobu-tan! Nobu-tan! Are you hogging all of the sake made from your wife's sake seeds again!?"

"Of course I am, you fool! This is my wife's ''kamizake'' that has been aging in my hidden sake cellar! It is truly priceless! And nothing is more expensive than that which is free!"

"Th-then, Nobu-tan! What happened to your plan of extracting saliva from Masazumi-kun's leftover food and producing ''kamizake'' from that!?"

"Heh heh heh. Have a sip of this sake here, Koni-tan."

"...Mh. It's so good! Is this Masazumi-kun's ''kamizake''!?"

"No, it is mine, you fool! Oh, but Masazumi is my daughter, so you could say it is nearly Masazumi's. Oh? Koni-tan? Why the glum look, hmmmmmmmmm?"

"C-curse you. You tricked me into an indirect kiss with you, didn't you!?"

"My mom didn't drink, so I assume she sent it to my dad."

Suzu sensed Masazumi somewhat curling her back while turning away from the others.

...''Is she...laughing?

It was the joyous laughter of someone who had run across something nostalgic. It just happened to include tears as well, so Masazumi felt the need to turn the other way.

And...

"Sorry. The air here sure is damp."

"Oh, it's fine. ...Because I can use that for a doujinshi."

"Wait! What are you planning!?"

"I mean..." Naruze nodded, juggled her pen between hands, and sometimes raised her left shoulder to check on it. "''Kamizake'' is given to the person you like and waiting until later tell them what it is, right? Well, that or feeding it to them mouth-to-mouth."

Asama waved her hand to say that was not what it was for, but was it really not?

"Asama-san...do you not...think about...that kind of thing?"

"N-no, I don't. Because this is holy sake. Yes."

Hearing that, Kimi took a drink from her cup.

She puffed out her cheeks, swished the sake around, and then swallowed it.

"Phew..." She relaxed her sitting position and held a hand to her cheek. "Asama just roughly violated my mouth... She pumped it full of her hot stuff and rubbed it all around..."

"You made that joke before, didn't you!? Didn't you!?"

"But, Tomo, this ''kamizake'' really neutralizes the scent of my mouth," said Mitotsudaira. "If possible, I'd like to drink some when we have yakiniku."

"That's right, Asama-chi! Let's sell it! People sometimes try to order some in secret, you know!?"

That sounded incredible, but Suzu suspected it was not actually a good thing.

Besides, this topic always had the same conclusion.

Asama waved her hands back and forth.

"It's for friends. Only for friends. I haven't even given any to my dad since elementary school. It's for girls only."

"Oh? I've wondered before: what does your father think of all this?"

"He has my mom's sake seeds, so he's fine."

"Ohh..." said Suzu and all the other impressed girls.

...''Asama-san's dad...must have really gotten along...with her mom...

Suzu had heard a bit about Asama's mom from her own parents. She had married into the Asama Shrine that supported Musashi, so of course she had gathered attention.

Her memories of Asama's mom began with the woman who had given them snacks when they visited Asama at the shrine.

She had been a pretty person.

Suzu recalled the shockingly pretty presence she had sensed when meeting her and she had tensed up when the woman had touched her. It had naturally been him who had spoken upon noticing her unease.

"Oh, if you're going to touch Bell-san, you need to make a noise like this to give her some warning."

The woman had laughed lightly.

...''And she said, "Like this, then?"

When she had taken her hand, Suzu had sensed something strange.

She had felt cleaner.

Since her parents ran a bathhouse, she was confident in how clean she kept herself. That had been around the time she had realized the daughter of bathhouse owners could not look worn-out and filthy.

But this had been different.

It had been a permeating purification that moved beyond the surface.

Something like a wave had passed from her hand to her back.

...''Yes.

And the woman had said, "Someone takes very good care of you, don't they?"

Suzu had found that embarrassing.

She had understood what it was that had left her body.

The people who lived at the shrine were said to purify impurities.

She had thought she was keeping clean, but she had been wrong. There had been something deeper inside.

So when she had gotten home, she had asked her parents something.

"If I want to...purify the inside...of my body too...what do I need...to do?"

That was how she had started helping out at the bathhouse her parents ran.

It had always made her happy when she visited the Asama Shrine and Asama's mom had complimented her. It had also made her happy when she realized the woman was surprisingly careless and would laugh like normal.

It had made her sad when she had died.

...''But Asama-san...is still here...

She was the same.

When Suzu took a drink of the sake she had been given, she could sense it.

The impurities within her were purified starting from her mouth and left her through her back and feet.

She could not drink it all at once.

She could only take one small sip at a time.

It made her soul tremble.

...''Kimi-chan is...incredible...

It was amazing that the girl could drink it in such an exaggerated fashion. That likely meant she had no impurities within her.

Asama also drank it like normal, although that might not mean as much when she was the one who had made it. She would occasionally lose control of herself, but Shinto generally accepted male-female relationships and encouraged baby-making.

"...Nn."

Suzu thought to herself while taking another sip.

...''Asama-san is...so pretty.

She was approaching the same prettiness her mom had had.

Suzu suspected she would one day surpass even that.

...''I need to...do my best too.

Suzu was the same age.

She felt a desire to grow in some way like Asama had. So...

"..."

Suzu took a large gulp of the sake to test herself.

...''Wow.

This was apparently not how she was meant to grow.

People were not meant to push themselves too hard.

She trembled and felt like the core of her body was leaving her from throat to hips.

She felt a little woozy.

Adele approached from the side and supported her from behind with an arm.

"Whoa, Suzu-san! ...Oh?"

"Eh? A-Adele...?"

"Well, um..."

While supporting her, Adele moved her arm up and down Suzu's body a bit. And...

"Oh, uh, well, I guess we'll have a clear answer during next year's class trip."

"A-about what?"

Adele paused for a second, but then she smiled.

"Not to worry! I'll do my best too!"

Was she referring to the mobile shell repairs she was obsessed with lately?

If so, Suzu needed to support her. So...

"R-right. Good...luck."

...''Umm, mobile shells are...a type of armor...right?

But the latest trend was lightweight, high-speed models, so she had heard the armor was very thin and flat.

So she knew what she had to say:

"Flat and...hard is...best, isn't it?"

"...Eh!?"

For some reason, both Adele and Mitotsudaira spoke up.

Mitotsudaira turned toward Asama.

"Is it!?"

"H-how would I know!? ...Masa!"

"Are you sure you're all talking about the same thing?"

Suzu thought it was cool how simply Naomasa excluded herself from these discussions. Meanwhile, Kimi crossed her arms and raised her empty cup toward Asama.

"Another. ...And you were saying you hadn't let your dad drink this since elementary school, right? Was that on your mom's orders?"

"Hmm, I guess you could say that. She said I should stop since I would be a grownup soon."

"A grownup...!"

Adele held her hands in front of her chest and pantomimed some curves, so that may have been what that was about.

But Masazumi asked a question while taking a drink from her cup.

"You said you aren't going to sell it, but what would happen if someone tried to?"

Asama thought about that.

"Good question..."

The security settings were mostly unchanged from when her mother was in charge. So...

"If someone without my authorization tries to drink it, the sake will teleport such that it flows up their urethra, a rule violation alarm will sound across the entirety of Musashi, a Sakuya Surefire Red-Hot Rod will be shoved up their butt, and the sake will turn to no more than water."

"...Wouldn't that last part be enough?"

Masazumi had a point. But...

"That was constructed from generation to generation, so it's added up. Removing them would mean getting our ancestral spirits involved and they see it as 'protecting their descendants'... Oh, but my mom and I didn't add anything."

"...Asama-chi. Could we use that for assassinations? It would work great!"

Lately, Heidi seemed to be becoming something other than a merchant.

But anyway...

"You can take it home with you if you want. But be careful because it would be something of a disaster if someone else tried to drink it. Using it while cooking would be the most dangerous thing."

"What if you're cooking just for yourself?" asked Naomasa.

"Then it should be fine. And the black algae creatures break down filth instead of drinking it, so they shouldn't be affected if any washes down the drain. Any rats that drink it won't be so lucky, though."

"This is pretty much a chemical weapon, isn't it?" said Naomasa.

"Then you can just drink it here like you always have."

"That's right." Naruze took a sip. "We have a party and some sake. So if the drinking is mandatory, you know what comes next, don't you?"

Someone spoke up in response to that.

It was Kimi and she stood up.

"Can someone sing a song? I'll dance to it."

She whirled around and designated a singer.

"Mitotsudaira. ...C'mon."

"Eh? M-me!?"

Mitotsudaira was of course surprised, but Asama also found this to be unexpected.

"Mito, you've already finished a song?"

"The conditions were the same as with you, Tomo. I wrote the lyrics and then Kimi gave it a rough melody."

That response came with a sidelong glance that placed pressure on Asama as well. She was supposed to write two songs. She had already given some of it to Kimi, but...

...''Oh, right. There's only 3 days left, isn't there?

She could not say that Mitotsudaira had finished her song quickly. It was Asama herself who was slow.

The astonishment arrived after a short delay and she began sweating in her heart. And then...

"Heh heh."

''Here it comes,'' she thought. Kimi had gotten a refill for her sake cup and she now placed her elbows on Asama's shoulders. She then wrapped her arms around Asama and narrowed her eyes.

"Oh, noooo."

Asama glared back as Kimi laughed smugly.

...''Honestly...

"What do you mean 'oh, no'?"

"You don't know?" Kimi lowered her eyebrows in a smile and then sucked in a breath. "Silly girl! Listen! Why do you think I had fun making you say dirty words while you two were studying for the exams!?"

"Don't ask me."

"Heh heh. Because I was spending night after night preparing for the Gagaku Festival and writing your songs instead of studying! Surprised!?"

"Very." Asama's expression remained flat. "Yes...surprised that anyone would be dumb enough to goof off during our study sleepovers when we can't participate in the Gagaku Festival if we our exam papers are covered in red marks."

"Eh!? What? You're going to attack me over that!?"

"I would rather not, but yes."

"In other words, you just can't keep your hands off of me, can you!?"

''Why would it mean that?'' she wondered, but since Naruze passed her chopsticks to her left hand and raised her pen in her right, that must have been how it sounded. Meanwhile, the idiot spoke loud enough for her voice to reverberate through the shrine grounds.

"N-no! Asama is going to attack me inside this Shinto stealth field! Now say it! Say, 'Look, it's all red because of all the fun we had night after night... I would really rather not, but today I need to lecture you and Toori-kun.' "

"Toori-kun has nothing to do with this."

"Eh? But after you and Mitotsudaira would go to sleep, I would chat with him via divine transmission while I worked on the songs and he worked on his porn games. He completed a loup-garou knight one while I made Mitotsudaira's song."

"What have you been doing!?"

Asama completely understood the knight's protest, but...

"Don't tell me he was completing a shrine maiden one while you worked on my song."

"Oh, what are you talking about, silly girl? While completing one? Of course not."

"Are you sure?"

"Judge. ...I mostly finished it while the game was installing. My foolish brother said it took so long because it had a lot of images."

"Th-that's even worse! Couldn't you have at least done it while he was playing it!?"

"Tomo! Tomo! You're losing sight of your own argument here!"

Mitotsudaira was right.

But that idiot aside, the exams had been their greatest concern and they were complete. Warning Kimi about her idiocy here would accomplish nothing.

...''Fine, then.

"Yes. ...The exams are complete, so let's refocus ourselves."

"Heh heh. That's right! Now that the exams are complete, we need to refocus ourselves! Right!?"

Why did her own idea sound so infuriating when that idiot spread her arms and restated it? However...

"Otherwise you can never erase the fact that you drew the Sailboat! Right!?"

Asama's face went entirely pale and she looked up.

She had questions like "when did see that?" and "she's bluffing, right!?", but...

"Heh heh heh. Acrobatic~"

The idiot sister bent over and did a handstand.

She apparently did not intend to respond no matter what Asama said. Asama tried to hide her blushing face, but then she felt sweat on her neck and back.

...''I-it's kind of dark out, so hopefully no one will notice!

And then...

"Asama...-san...?"

Suzu spoke to her.

She had likely detected the blush based on its heat.

"Are you...okay?"

...''Oh, no!

Suzu's considerate nature would be a threat here.

"I-I'm perfectly fine. Just a little drunk is all. Y-yes!"

"Isn't it highly unusual for you to get drunk?"

That may have been true, but it would be dangerous to admit to it.

So she ignored the eyes on her, and...

"Umm, how much of your song have you finished, Mito?"

She was less curious than she was in desperate need of a new topic. Also...

"We'd like to hear it too," said Naito.

"That's right," agreed Naruze.

That was important since Asama, Mitotsudaira, and Kimi had already heard their new song.

But Mitotsudaira sighed and shrugged.

"To be honest, there's one part I haven't figured out yet."

"Eh? ...But you've sent the lyrics to Kimi to write the music, haven't you?"

Kimi was the one to answer that.

She nodded first.

"You mean what you're going to say during the intro and interlude, right?"

"...Say?"

"Judge," replied Kimi. "Knight songs always have an 'introductory statement' or MC portion in addition to the lyrics, don't they?"

"Now that you mention it..."

The knight songs that Mitotsudaira sang at karaoke had a few unique features.

Due to the time period they came from, they all demanded a male vocal range, they included a roar of praise for their king or nation, and...

...''They have a story.

Before the song began, they would state what kind of story the song would tell. And in the middle, the developing contents of the lyrics would be explained.

"It's a lot like a stage play," said Mitotsudaira. "With just the music and lyrics, you could be singing about any battle or triumphant return. It is the statements in the beginning and middle that reveal the background to the song."

"Why are the lyrics made to be so generic?" asked Naomasa.

"There is a simple reason for that: kings change and orders of knight are disbanded or reestablished due to fluctuating numbers. If those things were specified in the lyrics themselves, you would have to remake the entire song. Also..."

Also...

"This is not limited to knight songs. The bards who spread gossip and folksongs do not create new songs about each new area they travel to. ...They take a generic song and add the appropriate 'story' portion for that nation or region. It's all part of a performance to make it sound like a cohesive whole. ...It's not quite a tradition, but old songs tend to work that way. That is why the story portion is important when writing a song in that style."

"And you haven't come up with yours yet?"

“Judge. I know what I want to sing and convey, but I haven’t decided how exactly I will do that. Without the story, it is my own knight song. With it, it is a story that includes me. I am not good at improvising.”

“Heh heh. If you could improvise, you could add an adlibbed story to a romantic tune in the medieval bard’s special attack; the Love Song.”

“Again with this!?” said Mitotsudaira while baring her fangs toward Kimi.

But Asama understood why Mitotsudaira could not sing here.

“You want to include that story part when you first publicly perform the song, don’t you?”

Mitotsudaira heard Naomasa say “I see” and everyone else voiced their own understanding.

She had been asked to sing a song to help liven up the party.

But if they understood why she could not do that…

…''It means they’re expecting something from me and don’t think I’m going to half-ass this.

The Cerberus on her head gave three simultaneous cries in response to everyone’s understanding. The Cerberus must have picked up on her feelings and seemed to be telling her to calm down. Everyone smiled a bit at that.

But she also saw Uzy twirling around above Kimi’s head. The Mouse held an acoustic spell sign frame. It was a spell circle bearing the word “microphone”.

Kimi grabbed the sign frame and stuck it in her cleavage.

“Now, Mitotsudaira, put it in your mouth!”

“What are you talking about!?”

The idiot sister responded to her shout by kissing and licking it. Then she looked back at Mitotsudaira.

“It was actually a strawberry milk flavored ''chitose-ame''…! Well!? Surprised!?”

“…Um, I honestly have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Silly girl! I was doing the bit where the servant warms her master’s cough drop with her body heat so it will melt more quickly! Asama! Since Mitotsudaira won’t lick it, you come here! Let’s press our boobs together to the double cough drop! You really missed out, Mitotsudaira… This has a divine protection on it that makes your boobs grow if you lick it.”

Adele stood up fast enough to flip over the table in front of her, but Naomasa grabbed her waist with her prosthetic arm and had her sit back down.

Beyond them, Asama was making an “ignore her” gesture and Mitotsudaira had to agree.

So she took a breath and spoke.

“If something like that does exist, could you just leave it there for me so we can skip the licking part? I can pick it up before I head home.”

“Eh!? You actually believed me!?”

Mitotsudaira raised her fist, but the idiot and Uzy escaped with long strides.

However, she left behind the sign frame.

And another dozen or so sign frames appeared behind Mitotsudaira.

This was Turning Point, the spell that Kimi used, and it was already in standby mode.

“…Who is going to use this?”

“Eh?”

Kimi sounded confused.

She swayed back and forth as she walked back over Mitotsudaira’s way.

“Me, of course. We need a song and dance here and my plan fell through, so it’s my responsibility to provide a replacement.”

“You’ve already completed your song for the Gagaku Festival?”

“Of course I have.” Kimi agreed as readily as breathing and gave a smiling wink. “So I’ll be performing a new song here. It’s titled Dance of Joyful Awakening.”

<noinclude>
{{HorizonNavbar
| [[Horizon:Kimitoasamade 4A Chapter 2|Chapter 2]]
| [[Horizon:Kimitoasamade 4A Chapter 4|Chapter 4]]
}}
</noinclude>

Horizon:Volume 6B Chapter 23

2017-12-21T23:09:45Z

162.158.134.31: Fixed a sentence that had an additional 'a'.

==Chapter 23: Entangled Ones in the Open Heights==
[[Image:Horizon6-B055_055.jpg|thumb]]
''The unexpected

''Occurs at unexpected times

'''Point Allocation (Table)

Ootani engaged in a sword fight.

He formed a data blade in each hand. The enemy's weapons were anti-ghost, but he had to strike down the enemy regardless. Thus, he adjusted his output to maintain a high anti-physical object setting.

...''I cannot keep this up for long.

Strings of text danced along the ether paper wrapped around his body and it scattered into the air around him.

That glowing detritus surrounded him and was swept away by the wind as he struck at his opponent with dual solid noises.

The Mito Lord's sword technique was rough.

But not from a lack of skill.

She was not contained by any standard form and she used speed and strength to forcibly create the best possible actions for herself.

Thus, there was no "waiting" in her attacks.

At times, there was no pause for breath between attacks.

That left no apparent opening. If he was to match her movements and behavior to "strike at an opening", he would have to intervene in her speed and strength.

"You are like a beast...!"

Light scattered as the series of slashes constantly targeted his vital points.

Each individual attack was soft.

She was using the chains instead of her human joints. A wrist could only bend and turn so far, but these slashes were launched with whip-like speed and would even spin around. Also...

...''The length of the chain adds to her reach...!

Those factors, combined with the Mito Lord's bursts of speed, led to a series of slashes.

She was a lone wolf, but she might as well have been a full unit of troops.

Her swords flew in gently but heavily.

She was using even more strength than necessary to defeat him.

Her sword technique had undoubtedly been developed through battle with an enemy more powerful than him. She mixed speed with brute force and included no attempt at trickery.

He dealt with all that while moving to get his blade through.

If the only opening was found by intervening in her speed and strength, then that was what he had to do.

Most of his power was being used for evasion and blocking the enemy's swords. His thought speed was causing him to heat up, so he had very little power left to spare. Thought was only useful after he had gotten his body to move appropriately.

Also...

"Mouri...!"

Mouri-01 was aiming a pistol his way from the edge of the deck. She would occasionally fire at him while one-armed and kneeling.

She only fired one shot at a time to ensure she did not hit the Mito Lord, so she predicted when he would attack and sent an accurate shot then.

She too would be using high-speed thoughts to take aim. Her firing pose was fixed in place because she could not divert any thoughts to moving her body.

But Ootani did have a method available to him.

He had hijacked her right arm which was still in the air.

He would have preferred to target the Mito Lord with it, but...

"...!"

He returned fire on Mouri-01.

He did not need rapid-fire here. His goal was to make her move. While moving, she could not take such careful aim to fire on him.

Also, he could not reload the pistol held by the stolen right arm.

He had to preserve the ammunition and endure.

...''Yes.

Ootani thought, ''I am enduring this great pressure from the enemy.

Mouri-01 heard a sound.

"Ko."

It sounded a lot like a hand drum, but it was not the tone of a musical instrument.

It was Ootani. He deflected the silver wolf's attacks with his two swords and occasionally stuck his blades in and materialized them. And while tearing at the wolf's clothing and skin, he produced a sound.

"Ko, ko ko ko...ko."

It was laughter. It sounded like confusion or like a mimicked laugh.

But it was neither confusion nor mimicry.

...''You have little experience.

The only information they had on Ootani came from the Testament. He would have been tested within P.A. Oda, but this had to be his first actual battle.

As an automaton, Mouri-01 realized something from that situation.

New experiences were valuable things. So...

"Ko ko, ko, ko."

She heard that awkward laughter.

"Mito Lord!"

And she sensed danger.

The vision of her high-speed thoughts saw the glow of Ootani's body intensify.

His ether was heating up. It was only a slight increase in light, but...

...''He is rejoicing...!

He felt joy in this situation.

Ootani laughed.

He had originally intended to criticize Houjou, Mouri, and Musashi and to attack the Musashi Chancellor if necessary. That was going too far for someone who would be lost at Sekigahara, but he thought that was best for now.

And if it was the best course of action, then it was justice. However...

...''This great pressure is wonderful...!

He would meet his end when an ally betrayed him at Sekigahara and destroyed him. He would lose his forces and commit suicide rather than let the enemy lay a hand on him.

He must eventually be hopelessly surrounded like that.

Compared to ''that''...no, when thinking about ''that'', ''this situation'' was worth heating up over.

He was facing several enemies in enemy territory.

...''Hm.

Someday, eventually, one day, and in the near future, he would fulfill his duty at the center of an even more intense scene.

He was no more than an artificial being.

Hashiba and the others who had created him likely had a number of thoughts on the matter, but a program had one primary purpose: to execute the code given to them.

The absolute code carved into his body was a single name: Ootani Yoshitsugu.

That was a wise and brave commander praised by Hashiba and a good friend of Ishida Mitsunari.

But he had later been inflicted by a serious illness and used his actions to call out to Mitsunari. He had temporarily sided with Matsudaira, but ultimately fought for the Western Army at Sekigahara.

The rest he had reviewed countless times.

His code would be completed at Sekigahara.

But he could only speculate about what had yet to occur.

Even after being assembled and rolled out by Hashiba, what knowledge he had of his eventual fate came from simulations carried out by his high-speed thoughts.

But this was different.

This was an enemy. The pressure of this enemy would eventually multiply to hundreds or even thousands of times this size and attack him.

"Ko, ko ko ko...ko ko."

He laughed from his throat. Yes, when encountering the unknown and learning of their possibilities, what they must accomplish, and what form would satisfy them, humans would laugh.

Ootani laughed and he was thankful. He was thankful for this battle in which the enemy immediately struck back when he interrupted their meeting to criticize them.

He was thankful for this opponent that made his future feel real to him for the very first time.

"Thank you very much."

With those words, he drew a sword.

This was not one of the blades he had held in either hand. It came from the center of his chest. He split his armor body open like it was a book.

"Come forth."

There was light and it was not shaped like a standard Far Eastern or Western sword.

It was the foundation of his power as a data entity. The sword-length object rose up from his own body.

"Tsuruga Masamune."

It was a ''daito''.

As soon as he wielded it, the sky glowed. Something arrived from overhead.

"Oh? Trying to make it a sure thing, are you?"

A great number of crosses dropped like a waterfall.

Mitotsudaira fell back.

The dense pack of barrier ''signe cadre''s were more like a solid mass than a wall.

This attack was meant to crush Ootani rather than restrict his movement.

They were Catholic and Mitotsudaira knew who had ordered for them.

"Looks like we can't go easy on you!!"

It was Terumoto.

Her group had already fallen back to the rear of the deck where Mouri-03 and the other automatons protected them. After Mitotsudaira saw her king and the others there too, she focused on the objects falling from the sky.

"————!"

She had the silver chains throw the two swords toward Ootani.

But she did more than throw them.

She sent them to either side of him to restrict any evasive actions now that he had drawn a sword from his chest.

But Mitotsudaira saw something in the instant the crosses completed their fall.

Ootani raised the sword he had just drawn.

Light exploded on the Mouri diplomatic ship's deck.

The cascade of barrier ''signe cadre''s was entirely deflected and scattered at once.

But that was not the intended result.

"They were broken...!?"

That was exactly what had happened.

Everyone there saw extraordinarily large destruction.

The only sounds were the roaring of air and the shattering of light.

As the glowing detritus and shards scattered, they built up for an instant and then exploded all the more powerfully.

All that remained were the many shards and glowing dust of the ''signe cadre''s and...

"Is that...?"

From close range, Mitostudaira saw something in the light.

A warrior stood at the center of the destroyed crosses.

Ootani Yoshitsugu was unharmed.

Mitotsudaira saw that Ootani Yoshitsugu had taken no damage.

The crushing attack from the sky had caused him no injury or hindrance.

...''How did that happen?

Ootani was created from light shaped like wrapped paper and from scattering writing. He appeared to be standing there, unchanged from before. The only changes were the absence of the sword in front of his chest and...

"...?"

There was something within the scattering and falling light.

No, the objects in the light were not yet fully formed.

Something was slowly taking form in the air behind him.

They were arms.

Long, slender arms made of bluish-white light stuck out of the empty air behind him. There were three of them and the length to the first joint was at least 3 meters.

They were all identical in shape.

They had machine like joint structures, they looked like they would creak when they moved, and the end was combined with a blade. The overall shape reminded Mitotsudaira of something.

...''A god of war!?

During the recent commotion at the Date clan, Masamune's god of war, the Seiryu, had supposedly had just its arm appear out of empty air.

Could Ootani actively eject just a portion of a god of war like that? But Mitotsudaira had to wonder what was at the other end of those arms. Also...

...''How would a data entity pilot a god of war?

The god of war would be made from a program as well.

So how would Ootani use it?

Just as she wondered that, Ootani made his move. He raised his right hand and swung the wrist downwards.

"...Now, then."

She heard his voice.

She responded by moving forward.

She had no idea what she could accomplish here, but she could at least contact him using the silver chains. So...

...''I will stop him!

But Ootani gave his god of war an unexpected movement.

"Assault them, Tsuruga Masamune."

One of the three arms slammed its giant blade straight down.

It pierced the deck like a stake.

A moment later, Mitotsudaira lost something: her footing.

The deck below her racing feet suddenly...

...''Disappeared!?

Mitotsudaira's feet started to flail through the air, so she forced them forward instead.

The movement produced a solid sound from her heels and it brought her to a stop. That meant the deck existed below her feet.

Her footing had not disappeared.

But the long platform in the sky had definitely shaken. As if it had been hit by an impact, it lost power and fell lengthwise a bit.

And that was continuing. The diplomatic ship intermittently spat out writhing motions and shook violently.

The shaking was accompanied by the groaning of metal.

...''What is this!?

Something was happening to the ship.

No. She could guess what was happening here. She was just unsure if she should trust her intuition since she had never seen or heard of something like this happening before.

How could she explain this situation?

"Lady Terumoto!" A ''belle de marionnette'' spoke over the ship's speakers. "Someone has locked down the ship's control system! We cannot control the ship! Currently..."

A shock ran through the ship's port side, which bordered the Musashi.

The vibration was powerful enough for the deck to creak and continuous metallic sounds reached them from the left.

...''Is this...!?

"The port ether cannons are preparing to fire. The ether fuel restriction has been released! ...They are capable of firing!"

"Oh, dear. Now this is a problem. Could I ask something of you?"

Gin heard the Reine des Garous's voice.

A battle was underway on the Mouri diplomatic ship overhead.

...''It sounded like quite an exciting battle. But now...

Sixteen hatches opened along the side of the diplomatic ship and short-barreled ether cannons stuck out.

Gin had already pulled out Cuatro Cruz due to the emergency situation, but she asked two questions just to be sure.

"Master Muneshige, is there no way for us to board the ship as belated reinforcements or to take the easy route and just sink the ship?"

And...

"Is it possible for the diplomatic ship to fire on us?"

"Well, Gin. ...For your first question, while they have announced they cannot control the ship, Lady Mouri Terumoto has not given us permission to board. So if we act, it could still lead to diplomatic issues."

"I see," said Gin as Muneshige continued.

He looked up into the sky where a row of sixteen cannons was visible on the diplomatic ship's port side.

"Generally, a diplomatic ship's weapons are locked down and unusable when it arrives. For an ether cannon, the fuel supply is cut off, the core shell creation mechanism is locked, and the other nation confirms this. However..."

"Those locks are meaningless now that the ship has been hijacked by a virus like Ootani Yoshitsugu."

"Judge. To respond to the unexpected, even a diplomatic ship cannot be left entirely defenseless and unarmed. While engaged in diplomatic relations, it will carry enough weaponry to escape from an enemy nation. But at this close range..."

Adele gave a shout while looking at the Reine des Garous who opened a sign frame to arrange for something.

"Everyone, take defensive action!!!!"

The ether cannons erupted.

Asama saw light launched toward the Musashi from the port side of the shaking diplomatic ship.

It was the light of ether cannons.

These were light cannons that used an ether core shell. They could make an attack with just the firing mechanism and ether fuel, so they could be made quite small and could be installed without using up much ship space.

That was why small ether cannons were used in diplomatic ships and in the cannon batteries of large, fuel-rich ships. However...

...''Isn't a simultaneous attack pretty dangerous!?

At such close range, the Musashi would have a hard time reacting. Asama began calculating out how many defense barriers would be put up in time.

"Oh?"

But Horizon spoke from behind her.

"Those are not going to hit."

"...Eh?"

Confused, Asama watched the light streaking through the sky.

The sixteen lines of light were high power and flew in straight lines.

...''And they're headed toward...

They were fired forward from the diplomatic ship's port side, which took them toward Musashino's bridge-shaped ship's bridge about 800 meters away.

Given the shell speed, they would arrive in just over two seconds.

But something was apparent even to Asama.

Musashino was not responding at all.

She produced a sound in her mind due to that utter lack of reaction or even acknowledgment.

...''Ah.

She was certain they would not hit. If the Musashi was not reacting, then the attacks were not on a collision course.

At the same time, the light raced through the sky.

The 16 beams shot past Musashino's bridge at about 30 meters directly above it.

"Musashi" viewed the Mouri diplomatic ship from atop Musashino's bridge.

She did not question the ether cannon blasts that had passed by overhead.

"If they do not hit, then they are not a problem. ...Of course, they were still dangerous as transport ships use that altitude."

She opened a sign frame.

It displayed the port side of the Mouri diplomatic ship.

There were sixteen cannons at the top of the white ship's hull. Their hatches were currently open.

Zooming in revealed ether cannons within.

"Normally, firing horizontally would have hit Musashino's bridge. The ship is under the enemy's control, so another method would be necessary to avoid a hit. Over."

"Musashi" saw Mouri's decision on the sign frame.

They had lost control of those ether cannons when Ootani Yoshitsugu hijacked them. So what had altered their firing trajectory?

"It would seem our help is truly indispensable. Over."

Beyond the opened hatches, people stood beside the cannons.

They were automatons.

Mouri's maid automatons were clinging to the cannons, two per cannons.

They had used their gravitational control and physical strength to forcibly alter the cannons' aim.

When she saw that, "Musashi" lightly lowered her head toward those fellow automatons in the distance.

"Judge. We should do that as well. Over."

"Great decision, Mouri-01!"

Voices intersected from the rear and center of the deck.

One came from Mouri Terumoto who stood with her arms crossed in front of the ''belle de marionnette''s who were guarding their guests.

"It is an honor for you to say so...!"

The other came from Mouri-01 who smiled near the center of the deck with a pistol in her left hand and her right arm still missing.

Terumoto then opened her mouth wide to speak.

"That was a gun salute to celebrate the conclusion of our meeting! Rejoice that Musashi's negotiations with Mouri went well!"

'''Mal-Ga:''' "How are we supposed to rejoice?"

'''Gold Mar:''' "Yay... It didn't hit us... Yay... Like that?"

'''83:''' "What an unpleasant way of putting it."

Asama saw Masazumi hang her head and raise her opened hands to shoulder height a few times.

...''Oh, she's raising her hands in celebration.

'''Asama:''' "Being a politician must be tough."

'''Vice President:''' "This is not a politician's job!"

But someone else took a step forward.

It was Toori and he was doing a wiggling dance of celebration.

"Hey, Teruko!"

"My name isn't Teruko, you moron!"

Both of them seemed kind of awful in that exchange. Regardless, he continued speaking while grinding his hips side to side.

"Does that gun salute mean our diplomacy went well!?"

"Huh?" Terumoto frowned but then spread her mouth horizontally. "Course it does!! Why else would we fire a gun salute!?"

Masazumi was still hanging her head, but she clenched her fists. Receiving that statement seemed to have helped her motivation recover.

But someone raised their voice in protest.

"Lies!"

It was Ootani Yoshitsugu who still had a long god of war arm and blade stabbing into the deck.

He swung his left arm down.

"I will fire the port-side cannons once more."

Terumoto immediately responded to that.

"Prepare for a second gun salute!"

"It is no use." Ootani knew what she intended to do. "I will add a trajectory setting next time. ...They will each curve downwards at a different angle to ensure they hit the Musashi."

Masazumi sensed danger.

...''A trajectory setting?

He would set up the ether cannons, so their beams would curve downwards after being fired.

If he did that, changing the angle of the cannon would accomplish nothing. The ether cannon beams would hit the Musashi.

And that would prove that Terumoto was lying.

A hit would be very bad. These were sixteen ether cannons at close range.

'''Vice President:''' "I guess this is goodbye, everyone..."

'''Smoking Girl:''' "Hey, don't just assume this is going to end like that."

'''Musashi:''' "In an emergency, we will respond as best as possible even with a close-range attack. However, I must ask you all to defend yourselves as best you can. Over."

'''Flat Vassal:''' "...Why is everyone looking at me!?"

'''Wise Sister:''' "Heh heh. But even if we defend against this, it will prove that Mouri was just saying that and their statements will be nullified. I wonder what Mouri's boss thinks about that."

''That's true,'' thought Masazumi.

They were here to negotiate, so she had to deal with Ootani using her words.

"Mouri Terumoto!"

Masazumi called out to Terumoto who stood in front of her with automaton guards.

"Listen! Mouri Terumoto, calm down and deal with this! Got that!?"

"Testament, I know, I know. Just leave it to me!"

That was reassuring. You could really tell she supported a major nation.

...''Will this work?

Just as Masazumi wondered that, Terumoto pointed and yelled at Ootani.

"If you think you can do that, then prove it!!"

"Waiiiit!!"

Masazumi immediately took issue with that.

"Don't you know what will happen if that hits the Musashi!?"

"Ahh!?" Terumoto turned toward her with a frown. "Can ''you'' say what will happen!?"

Come to think of it, not very well.

After a moment, a divine mail arrived. It was from Neshinbara and the subject was "I wrote up what would happen!", so she held the sign frame up in both hands.

"Zgodragyagwaaaaahhhn. With a deafening explosion, dark and black smoke rises from the Musashi's deck but is soon swept away by a swift wind. Behold: The cannon-fire light is an angelic stairway from the sky. It carries the force of sixteen lightning strikes and is equivalent to having the sky crashing down upon us."

"You're completely monotone."

Masazumi smashed the sign frame against the floor.

Behind her, Horizon placed a hand on her shoulder, but she brushed it off.

"It would be very, very bad!"

"I see." Terumoto pointed at Ootani. "You're a very, very bad person! And the Musashi Vice President agrees!"

"Th-there is no need to be mean. And are you still going on with that nonsense!?" Ootani pointed at Terumoto. "You are showing no concern for the innocent people the ship's guns are aimed at! I can only call that evil!"

"Says the one aiming the guns at them!!"

Masazumi and all the other non-Mouri people made that retort.

But Terumoto was not listening. She puffed her chest out proudly.

"Then what are you going to do about it!? Well!? Tell me, you iiidiot!"

"Mouri Terumoto! Don't provoke him! ...Hey! Houjou!"

Masazumi turned around and found Ujinao looking at a sign frame map of the Suwa region. She had a hand on her cheek and would occasionally sigh as she did her best to ignore the reality around her.

Ujinao was useless. And the idiot behind her...

"Hey! Seijun! Is it all gonna fall apart!? It is, isn't it!?"

"Toori-kun, stop trying to make things more exciting and try to calm down! Masazumi is about to persuade Terumoto-san!"

'''Vice President:''' "Don't ask the impossible!!"

'''Silver Wolf:''' "Oh? Th-that's not where this was headed?"

'''Me:''' "Hm... So some things are impossible even for Seijun..."

'''Tonbokiri:''' "Masazumi, if it comes to it, I can board the ship and resolve this, so do not worry!"

''Now I'm worried,'' thought Masazumi. So...

"Mouri Terumoto! If you fire on the Musashi...I would find it truly regrettable!!"

'''Almost Everyone:''' "That's meaningless!!"

'''Vice President:''' "Shut up! 'Truly regrettable' is a level higher than 'very regrettable'!"

But while they argued, Terumoto responded.

"Fine, then. I guess we can't get Musashi caught in the middle of this. You're a foreign nation after all."

She maintained a serious expression and sighed once before turning toward Ootani.

"Hey, you listening, Ootani Yoshitsugu? Let's make a deal," said Terumoto. "I'm demanding it, so stop this nonsense, bow down, and apologize, you idiot."

"Don't provoke hiiiiim!!!"

"That's right! Everything you say seems meant to provoke me into a fight!" Ootani raised his right hand and tightly held the blade there. "Why are you so intent on fighting!?"

"Says the one who picked a fight with us!"

But saying that was not going to stop those two belligerent people.

Ootani swung his raised right hand to port, as if to deter any movement from Mitotsudaira.

"I will shoot!"

"Then do it, you moron!!"

"Testament!"

Ootani lowered his right hand.

Two of the three sword arms behind him stabbed into the deck.

"Fire...!"

The diplomatic ship shook from the port side.

Asama opened a defense barrier against the blast from port.

...''Wow...!

The wind was more powerful than she had expected. A few automatons turned around and bowed toward her for erecting the barrier. The gust that swept across the ship from port was just that strong.

There was also light as ether light sprayed into the port-side sky.

The ether cannons had been fired. But...

"...Eh?"

Asama realized something while protected by the defense barrier.

The others there with her also noticed it.

To her right, Toori tilted his head.

"...Nothing happened to the Musashi."

That was right.

Beyond the blast and light, the Musashi had not erected a single defense barrier.

And it was unharmed.

''How did that happen?'' wondered Asama.

The ether cannons had definitely been fired. The wind and light had definitely been there.

...''And the sound...

...was there too.

The din of destruction rang out from the port side.

She heard breaking metal, bursting flames, and frames snapping in a chain reaction.

But as she listened to that noise, a question occurred to Asama.

...''If the Musashi is fine, why am I hearing destruction?

She would come up with the answer soon enough. But before she could draw in that answer and convert it into words, Terumoto spoke. She scratched her head and sighed as she did so.

"Oh, whoops. I got ahead of myself and screwed up."

Meaning...

"I was so eager to fire a second gun salute that I did it with the hatches closed. ...They detonated inside the hatches, so those cannons aren't gonna work anymore."

...''That's crazy!

Adele gasped as she watched from below.

After the first attack, the Mouri diplomatic ship had begun work on the port side. The automatons had activated the emergency manual override for the hatches and shut them using gravitational control.

The hatches were made from armor panels, so even they had difficulty closing them. They applied the gravitational control from the inside and outside to fully close the metal doors.

"It is fortunate we were able to borrow a transport ship. We managed to collect all of the girls working on the outside."

The Reine des Garous was pulling in a mooring line that extended up from the deck.

The other end was connected to a transport ship bearing the crest of Musashi Ariadust Academy. As she gently pulled that toward them, the automatons on its deck were all looking to the sky.

They were looking at Mouri-01 who stood on the port side of the diplomatic ship. However...

"Excellent job, everyone."

"Testament!"

They bowed toward the divine transmission and a few of them took each other's hands to confirm each other's memories.

While Adele viewed that, the Satomi Student Council President sighed and spoke next to her. She did not even try to hide the exasperation in her voice.

"They had the cannons misfire to destroy their port-side cannons. I have to admit that eliminates the threat to the Musashi, but it's still crazy. ...That had to have done considerable damage inside their ship."

"No, this is perfectly fine. Just look."

The Reine des Garous turned toward them with a smile.

And sure enough, when Adele looked back up toward the diplomatic ship...

"...Huh?"

A few sign frames had appeared around the ship.

And they said...

"Emergency...?"

Ootani realized what they were up to.

The misfire and self-destruction on the port side had done more than just eliminate the threat to the Musashi.

...''It can't be...!

Just then, two of the arm swords behind him exploded.

The sudden occurrence was accompanied by dual sounds resembling splitting ice.

They self-destructed.

Those two arms had injected a virus in order to take control of the ship and perform the firing control.

If they had shattered and scattered as light...

"You took back control of the ship...!?"

"Not quite," replied Terumoto.

He turned around to find the Mouri leader with her arms crossed. She took a breath before continuing.

"There was internal damage to the ship's port side. It's only mid-level damage, but it will cause serious problems with the ship's flight. Thus, the ship's control OS entered emergency mode and cut off the autopilot. As a result..."

He knew what had happened.

"It shifted to manual control...!?"

But Terumoto had a similar answer here

"That's not quite it either."

Because...

"This ship was originally under my control. With that misfire, it merely became entirely manual. Meaning..."

Meaning...

"This ship has been mine all along."

''That's crazy,'' thought Masazumi for the umpteenth time that day.

But Terumoto had accomplished what she set out to do.

...''She forcibly created an emergency to remove control from Ootani.

'''Smoking Girl:''' "The emergency override is an automatic system that takes priority over any part of the control OS to ensure the safety of anyone onboard. ...Ootani may have hijacked the control system, but in an emergency, the override system takes precedence over the control system and the controls revert to manual. ...That uses a separate command hierarchy, so Ootani was unable to intervene."

"But," said Naomasa before saying the same thing Masazumi had thought.

'''Smoking Girl:''' "That was crazy."

'''Vice President:''' "I don't want to hear that from the engine division that intentionally let Isa's bombs detonate."

'''Smoking Girl:''' "That was within acceptable bounds. ...So it didn't count as an emergency."

''Still sounds crazy to me.

...''But it's true we've made progress.

"Hey! What are you gonna do now, Ootani Yoshitsugu!?"

Terumoto was free now. Ootani's virus could no longer overturn their persuasiveness. So...

"...You are too naive."

With those words from Ootani, Masazumi saw three different movements.

The first was Mitotsudaira who had sensed something and accelerated toward Ootani.

The second was the third sword arm behind Ootani piercing the air instead of the deck.

And the third...

"Princess!!"

Mouri-01 cried out as it happened.

There was light. The third ''daito'' floating behind Ootani exploded.

Mouri-01 reflexively entered self-lockdown mode.

The other ''belle de marionnette''s also ceased exchanging data with the outside.

Ootani's ether was a virus. Any contact with it and they would be hijacked.

However...

...''Eh?

Mouri-01 realized something. The firewall of her locked-down OS was not detecting any external access attempts. Which meant...

...''Oh, no!

Ootani's ''daito'' had been a feint. There had been no program contained in it, so it was only a flash grenade meant to blind them.

And what would he target while they were kept from moving?

"Princess!!"

Mouri-01 shouted that title once more. Once her vision returned, she saw Ootani sprinting across the deck.

He was moving toward their Princess, the Musashi Vice President, and the others there and he was only 20 meters away.

Masazumi saw Ootani approaching.

He was racing toward them and had his hands at the ready.

"Prepare yourselves...!"

The blade of light formed in his hands quickly grew.

The line of light attempted to reach them and take off their heads.

"————!"

Just as she gasped, Masazumi sensed light from an unexpected location: behind her.

Ootani's blades were right in front of her, yet something appeared from behind her.

"A second blade of light...!?"

Light clashed with light, the one prepared for the clash was destructive, and the one caught off guard was destroyed.

Ootani's blade was sliced through by the intercepting light.

Someone had rushed past Terumoto and smashed his light with a short sword held in a reverse grip. It was...

"An automaton!?"

Ootani's doubt came from his trust in his own virus.

The feint using the bright flash had been a ruse taking advantage of how frightening that virus was.

But the person who charged in front of him now freely used both arms and viewed him through a pair of glasses.

"Testament. ...Due to my poor work, I am a 'shut in' who is not given the same jobs as the others."

But...

"The one area in which I am competent is combat. I, Seki Masasada, will protect this place."

And she was not the only one.

Another blade of light targeted Ootani's.

"Not so faaaaaast!"

There was a voice.

It was a male voice and it suddenly came from right next to Ootani.

Three meters away from him was an automaton.

But this one was different from the Hexagone Française maids on the deck.

"...A Houjou maid automaton?"

"Indeed. ...But more importantly, Ootaniiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!"

The automaton opened their mouth wide and stuck out their tongue.

"You are in the presence of Houjou Ujiteru, so how about showing your faaaaaaace!? ...Ootani Yoshitsugu!"

Masazumi saw it.

The automaton claiming to be Houjou Ujiteru used their light-emitting sword to slash at Ootani's face.

Light scattered and something became visible on Ootani's face. It was shaped like...

...''A mask?

No.

It was made from light and, based on its thickness, it was clearly his actual face.

However, it had no eyes, nose, or mouth. The smooth egg-like shape had holes in it.

One where the right eye should be and one where the mouth should be.

Were those a sight device and a speaking device?

The sight one curved upward in a shallow arc, perhaps to gather images on the left and right. The speaking one instead curved downward in a shallow arc.

It looked like he was smiling.

But he covered his face with his right hand. Specifically, he covered the blank left side of his face.

"Now you've done it...!" He spoke calmly. "So I shall count you as an enemy!"

"Then this is goodbye!"

With that shout, someone arrived behind Ootani. It was...

...''Mitotsudaira!

Mitotsudaira did not let this moment escape her.

...''This enemy is dangerous!

He used brand-new and unknown technology on the battlefield. So what was the best way of opposing that threat?

"Removing him!"

She threw a weapon at him.

It was the table.

She used a silver chain to swing the giant board like a racket and slam it into Ootani.

Ootani saw the enemy's decision.

He had not set himself to interact with the approaching table, so it would not hit him.

Or it should not have.

It did.

...''What!?

His entire body took damage, like he had crashed into a wall.

And as his data entity body distorted, he noticed the trick to this blow.

It was the chain.

Her chains could make ether attacks, so she had wrapped one around the table so it could hit him.

A chain on its own he could handle. Even if it hit him, a blow from the chain's tight arm could be negated by purging the point of impact. Even if it grabbed or wrapped around him, he only had to separate his body into multiple pieces.

However, he had not expected an attack like this.

By wrapping the chain around the table, the blow gained great weight and surface area.

...''Oh, no...!

Before he could release his virus, his body was ripped from the floor. Nothing he tried to do made it in time. And...

"Kh...!"

In something like a baseball hit into the opposite field, he was launched into the sky.

Mitotsudaira watched the ball fly from her full swing.

There was no need to run after him. He had flown plenty.

"He's flown off the ship. ...That's a home run!"

The warrior scattered light as he flew and someone launched an additional attack toward him.

A duo was rapidly ascending from the Musashi in the sky behind them.

"Margot, Naruze! It's in your hands now!"

There was no response.

Only the boom of cannon fire and...

"Herrlich!!"

The Technohexen word of praise joined the projectile that collided with the airborne light.

In the final moment, Ootani understood the logic of what had happened.

From the Mito Lord's attack to the Technohexen cannon blast...

...''I left the Mouri ship and entered Musashi airspace!

The light of cannon fire came from a roll of coins given anti-ghost properties by Technomagie. And the projectile flew as a single whole instead of separating. They had chosen fire for the anti-ghost element.

It was going to hit.

Just before it did, Ootani saw something in the visual scan carried out by his high-speed thoughts. One of his enemies did something different from all the others.

It was Mouri-01.

The one-armed automaton had held a pistol in her left hand before.

But no longer.

She had a ''signe cadre'' open and she was using it to send instructions.

...''What is she doing?

Had her high-speed thoughts noticed his own?

She looked up at him and changed her expression.

Her lips showed the first signs of a smile.

Once a moment had passed, the actual smile would appear, but for now, it was only the beginnings of movement in her cheeks and the corners of her mouth.

Nevertheless, Ootani understood. The words scrolling along her ''signe cadre'' and that expression told him everything.

"You are streaming this battle to Kantou, aren't you!?"

Mouri had fought this battle for a specific purpose.

...''To reveal their stance to the Kantou nations...!

Mouri was not well known in Kantou. Since they were combined with Hexagone Française, they were seen as a major western nation, but not much else was known about them.

The Kantou nations would find it difficult to trust Mouri if they said they were liberating Kantou.

That was why.

Mouri Terumoto would choose inaction at Sekigahara and betray the Western Army despite being its leader.

Ootani would sacrifice himself for the Western Army at Sekigahara.

From the moment he came here and opposed her, Terumoto had already been looking ahead to Sekigahara and planning to liberate Kantou beforehand.

As a result, she had cooperated with Houjou and Musashi while driving back Ootani, a representative of the Western Army at Sekigahara.

There was only one possible conclusion.

"...The absolute beginning of the Kantou Liberation...!"

Musashi, Mouri, and Houjou had shown the Kantou nations that there was no avoiding it now.

As for Ootani...

...''I was careless!

He took a defensive stance.

He began summoning the god of war parts he could call out instantly.

But the Technohexen attack was accurate.

"————!"

He was hit in midair.

<noinclude>
{{HorizonNavbar
| [[Horizon:Volume 6B Chapter 22|Chapter 22]]
| [[Horizon:Volume 6B Chapter 24|Chapter 24]]
}}
</noinclude>

Horizon:Volume 6B Chapter 22

2017-12-19T23:30:04Z

162.158.134.31: Attempted to correct some errors.

==Chapter 22: Justice Bringer in the Open Heights==
[[Image:Horizon6-B019_019.jpg|thumb]]
''Where did you come from?

''Where are you going?

'''Point Allocation (The Destination of Your Will)

Light split in the wind.

On a long deck floating in the blue sky, light would burst at set intervals.

The shattering objects on the Mouri diplomatic ship were barrier sign frames that gathered on a certain point.

There was also noise. A great downwards din rang from the center of the shattering barriers.

They were footsteps. The pace was leisurely, but they were so loud it sounded like they would break through the deck.

The shattering barriers moved forward with the footsteps.

The barriers clung to something as it broke through them and continued forward.

It was walking.

Or was it trying to run but slowed to a walk?

Either way, the footsteps made definite progress while sounding like those of someone climbing a mountain.

The barriers shattered and turned to spray, like they were being tossed aside by the footsteps.

A noise much like shattering brass instruments scattered through the air in the footsteps' wake.

And another sound joined those.

It was an alarm.

A female voice joined the continuous blaring of a whistle.

"An enemy has appeared on the upper deck! Bodyguards, secure and evacuate the diplomats! Rear guard, return fire on the enemy!"

The barrier was broken.

The barrier that appeared to take its place was also destroyed.

As the light repeatedly shattered and dispersed, a figure walked through the center of it all.

"The enemy is Hashiba's Ootani Yoshitsugu! He is Special Duty Officer class!"

Masazumi was protected along with Terumoto.

Mouri-01, who had stood by Terumoto's side, walked around the negotiation table and stood in front of her.

...''Is she fighting back?

No. She held a hand toward Masazumi, and...

"Fall back! ...Princess!"

"Yeah, I've got it."

Terumoto grabbed the nearby idiot by the collar, tossed him backwards, and turned back toward Masazumi.

"Let's fall back."

"Hey, hey, Asama," said the idiot. "What is that? Is it history's first whatever-it-is?"

"Yes. It is definitely an ether lifeform, but my scans indicate it is a pseudo-program. The mold and everything else are artificial, so it seems to be an artificial personality created by programizing ether."

Despite their frantic movement, Horizon held a pot of tea as she asked Asama a question.

"So is it something like an automaton made of ether?"

"It has a personality, so whether it counts as an automaton or not would depend on whether it has a 'core' to act as a soul. If even that was created artificially, then it would be history's first data entity automaton."

Masazumi did not understand at all.

'''Vice President:''' "What does that mean?"

'''Asama:''' "Um, to put it simply, he's a doll. Mouri-01-san and the others protecting us here are physical dolls, but that Ootani Whatever-san is a data doll made from ether."

'''Vice President:''' "Data...made from ether?"

'''Wise Sister:''' "It's the difference between your real wife and your wife in a porn game! Now do you get it!? You can brag about a real wife, she'll do things for you, and you can do plenty of lewd things with her, but you can't brag about a porn game wife, other people can complete her route too, and the lewd is self-service! It's an important difference! Got that?"

'''Vice President:''' "No!"

'''10ZO:''' "In the past, I would have responded to Kimi-dono only for her to say something 100 times worse back, but now I actually agree with her..."

'''Mal-Ga:''' "Are you saying you do plenty of lewd things with Mary?"

In a blue Far Eastern summer uniform, Mary found Tenzou on Musashino's deck.

She held a paper cup in each hand.

"Here, Master Tenzou. I bought us some drinks. You like the watermelon candy kind, right?"

"Oh, j-judge! You didn't need to do that!"

"It was nothing, Master Tenzou. And you're on the job by keeping an eye on things up above, aren't you? But why does everyone look so concerned?"

"Yes, that," said the two Techohexen equipped with Scharz Fräulein and Weiss Fräulein.

Of the white and black, Naruze asked Mary a question.

"Tenzou just said he does plenty of lewd things with you."

"Why would you tell her thaaaaat!?"

Tenzou shouted at the Technohexen and Mary said "my" and placed a hand on her cheek.

She smiled and started to say something, but then she blushed.

"Like I said during the Battle of Kanagawa, I'm fine with a lewd ninja as long as it's Master Tenzou," she said. "Also, it makes me proud as a woman that he is viewing that side of me as well. It means he likes me on the outside and not just on the inside. And in a way, the outside is simpler to alter than the inside, so I can kind of cheat there."

"Cheat? What do you mean, Ma-yan?"

"Judge. I can use makeup."

'''Smoking Girl:''' "Tenzou, you haven't been giving Mary a life that sends her to the samples corner, have you?"

'''Flat Vassal:''' "It's unusual for the 6th Special Duty Officer to get involved in these discussions!"

'''10ZO:''' "Up above! There's a bit of an emergency underway up above!"

'''Scarred:''' "Oh, I-I'm sorry, Master Tenzou. You're trying to work, aren't you?"

'''Almost Everyone:''' "Tenzou's bullying her...!"

'''10ZO:''' "How could you possibly reach that conclusion!?"

"That's just how we do things," typed Mitotsudaira as she moved away from her king.

She did so to protect that king and the others.

She moved behind Mouri-01. That placed her across the table from Ootani.

They were on Mouri's diplomatic ship, so she courteously allowed Mouri-01 to lead the defense.

But that automaton's top priority would be Terumoto.

While falling back, Mouri-01 entered a quick command into a ''signe cadre''. And as her light footsteps sounded on the deck...

"I am supplying a new barrier!"

It was a Holy Spell. A long, narrow ''signe cadre'' that resembled a spear pierced Ootani vertically. In quick succession, 16 of those cross shapes stabbed down with audible striking sounds. They pierced not just through Ootani's torso but from his shoulders to his sides, from his upper arms to his elbows, and from his thighs to his knees.

"I have restrained his joints!"

Mitotsudaira saw Ootani stop moving beyond the table.

...''Did she restrain him!?

The question in her heart was soon answered.

"This is entirely meaningless. I know how to respond to most all of it."

All of the ''signe cadre''s shattered.

16 lights scattered through the air after the ''signe cadre''s piercing Ootani were destroyed.

A large movement of his had done it.

The warrior made of light had taken a pose for running toward them instead of just walking.

A new ''signe cadre'' dropped from overhead to pierce Ootani once more. The cross-shaped barrier accelerated down instead of simply dropping and he responded by further lowering his preparatory stance.

...''Here he comes!

Beyond the table, Ootani was attempting to use his brief moment of freedom to race forward.

But then Mitotsudaira saw Mouri-01 move.

While falling back such that she covered for Mitotsudaira, she used a long step to lower her hips.

She had turned to the side with her left knee forward.

She slid back a bit and took a seated firing pose.

Mitotsudaira realized she was unarmed, but...

...''She's going to produce a gun, isn't she!?

Automatons could launch or fire bullets with their gravitational control.

According to the records, the Honda family's Kazuno had used her gravitational control to fire cannons and wield swords during the Battle of Mikawa.

Now, metal components spilled from the inside of Mouri-01's skirt.

They were the parts to a rapid-fire matchlock pistol.

There were multiple rapid-fire mechanisms and chambers among the pieces she sent individually into the air.

And while she sat in preparation and swung her hand out...

"————"

The components came together in an instant, like they were being pulled into place by strings.

They fit together with the sound of lightly vibrating metal.

And Mitotsudaira heard a voice. It was Mouri-01's and it was used to confirm her enemy.

"Master Ootani Yoshitsugu," she said. "According to the Testament, you are one of Hashiba’s great commanders and a Ministry of Justice official in charge of trials and executions. The fear brought by that role gave you the Urban Name 'Slayer of a Thousand'. ...You have a close friendship with Ishida Mitsunari and fight fiercely for the Western Army at Sekigahara," said Mouri-01. "But after the betrayal of an ally, you are surrounded and your forces obliterated. You ultimately commit suicide on the battlefield."

Mitotsudaira thought about what she said.

...''Isn't that going to be a really short career?

Mitotsudaira reminded herself they had just held a meeting with Mouri and Houjou.

As a result, they would be fighting the Siege of Odawara, the Tensho Jingo Conflict, and the Siege of Bitchu Takamatsu Castle. It also looked like they would be fighting the Keichou Campaign against Hashiba's forces.

If they completed the history recreation to that point, they would be in striking distance of the Honnouji Incident, in which Nobunaga was assassinated, and the Battle of Sekigahara, which occurred after Hashiba's death.

Sekigahara was not that far off.

And yet ''here'' they had a combat data entity that would see his end at Sekigahara.

...''My king.

Mitotsudaira glanced over to see her king looking at Ootani.

He squinted a bit and scratched his head at what Mouri-01 had said.

He looked somewhat displeased, or like he could not accept something. That filled Mitotsudaira with relief. Part of her thought he was being too kind to an enemy, but that was best for their king.

It was her duty to protect that kindness.

''Yes,'' she thought. ''It might be inappropriate to look at it like this, but I'm closest to him right now and he needs me more than anyone at times like this.'' So...

"...!"

She saw attacks intersect before her eyes.

Mouri-01 and Ootani faced each other across the table.

The first to move was Mouri-01 as she crouched down and fired below the table.

Ootani responded by diving below the table.

...''That's crazy!

He was moving toward the bullets.

But he had already swung his blade.

The sword at his hip was made of light, and...

"It's growing...!?"

It clearly grew.

As he swung the blade with a snap of his elbow, it extended to about 5 meters.

The sword was made of the same bluish-white light as his body and it sliced through the table's legs. Specifically, the two on Mouri-01's side.

Ootani placed a hand on the other end of the table.

He had the momentum of his run, so this slammed the legless side of the table diagonally against the floor.

From Mitotsudaira's side, the table looked like a ramp and light burst from its surface.

That was Mouri-01's bullets. They had anti-ghost spells applied and they were deflected by the slant of the thick table.

The sound of a hammer on wood sounded six times, but it accomplished nothing.

Mouri-01 raised her gun and looked back toward Mitotsudaira.

"This is the problem with bringing along valuable items."

"True enough."

Mitotsudaira replied, but the battle continued.

The momentum of the table's collapse sent it sliding along the deck.

Then barrier ''signe cadre''s dropped from the sky and pierced the table.

It was an anti-ghost barrier, so it had no effect on physical objects. It would have an effect on Ootani who was below the table and pushing it toward them, but...

"...!"

Seven of the barrier spears shattered.

But the other nine remained in the table. They had not shattered.

'''Asama:''' "The auto-targeting somewhat missed because he was hiding below the table!"

The nine crosses had their minimum altitude set at the deck and they all approached Mitotsudaira and Mouri-01 while shaking from the table's movements.

'''Hori-ko:''' "Our anti-ghost attacks don't work on him, but he can interact with physical objects? Isn't that cheating?"

'''Novice:''' "Well, Ootani Yoshitsugu has always seemed pretty overpowered, so it's kind of unavoidable."

'''Vice President:''' "That's not what I want to hear when he's chasing after me!"

''Imagine what it's like on the front line.

Just then, the accelerating table gained an even larger speed boost.

Mitotsudaira knew what that had to mean.

...''Did he kick the table!?

Mitotsudaira did not know how strong a data entity would be. In fact, no one here did.

But if he could push that heavy table, build up its speed, and kick it away, his strength far surpassed that of a human.

And Ootani came into view once more.

A warrior decorated with wrapped paper stood beyond the table.

His body was leaning horizontally after unleashing a sideways kick. He had swung his arms to keep his balance.

The accelerated table was a counterattack against Mouri-01 who had taken a seated firing pose.

Mouri-01 remained in that seated firing pose. She could not dodge like that and the table acted as cover, hiding Ootani from her.

''What is she going to do?'' wondered Mitotsudaira.

But then she heard a quiet voice. It was Mouri-01's.

"Everyone, I leave this to you."

She called out to someone with an almost carefree tone.

Mouri-01 formed many thoughts in her artificial brain.

She did not know all of what Ootani Yoshitsugu could do. But there were two areas in which she was certain she had an advantage.

...''My thought speed and memory capacity as a ''Belle de Marionnette''!

She knew that Ootani Yoshitsugu was an ether lifeform and a data entity. From a theoretical standpoint, his thought speed would be equal to the greatest speed at which ether could be constructed: infinite speed. Automatons were the same in that regard, but since he was made purely from ether, he would have less thought speed resistance.

But he was a program and an individual. His thought logic was supplied entirely by the program constructing him. That meant he had to calculate everything himself and could not have someone else handle it.

''Belle de Marionnette''s were different. Their artificial brains were equipped with circuits for calculating several thoughts separately and they could use their shared memory to leave processing tasks with other ''Belle de Marionnette''s.

He used serial processing that was like running quickly down a long road.

They used parallel processing that was slower but allowed them each to rush down a short road.

Looking at the time from the beginning to the end of the processing, he could never outdo them.

Then there was the issue of memory capacity.

The amount of data that could be used for remembering things was controlled by their memory devices and the size of those devices.

Ootani Yoshitsugu was humanoid, so his memory capacity could not leave ''human-sized'' territory.

Meanwhile, the ''Belle de Marionnette''s had shared memory, so they could stock up their decisions.

That meant they could use their high-speed thoughts to make many decisions and select the best one from their stock.

Mouri-01 had already informed her fellow ''Belle de Marionnette''s of the current situation and been given a stock of many decisions.

They used simple words as a key, so she listened the others' suggestions:

"Lady Mouri-01, you should jump over the table and make an aerial attack!"

"How about you and Lady Terumoto dodge and let the table sweep aside the other nations' leader!?"

"Staying there, clinging to the table, and sliding along with it would probably feel great!"

These were split-second decisions. Some gave consideration to actual tactics, while others were more absurd. But she would not know whether or not any one of these was truly useless until the situation played out.

So Mouri-01 stocked up all of those thoughts in her shared memory.

And she used her high-speed thoughts to judge the time limit.

...''The table will reach the critical collision point in another 20 seconds within my accelerated thoughts.

She had to make a decision by then.

She used her high-speed thoughts to calmly view the moving scene before her eyes.

...''Now, then.

''I need to choose,'' she thought.

The decision that Mouri-01 made in her high-speed thoughts was one that allowed her to dodge and attack.

She would raise her hips but swing her body backwards.

...''I will stand on the table...!

She would fall back because she had no reason to move beyond the approaching table.

If she could stand on the table and fall back along with it, the expensive furniture would act as a shield. It would be especially effective as a barricade against Ootani Yoshitsugu thanks to the barrier ''signe cadre''s piercing it.

This was not a problem.

In order to match her speed to the table's, she would need to adjust how quickly she raised her hips.

She would use the standing motion to leap backwards.

If she had been standing, she could not have immediately leaped backwards. She would have needed to lower her hips first.

But while sitting, she could use her knees and hips as springs to launch herself backwards.

She had not planned for this.

She had just so happened to remain seated while gathering everyone's opinions.

''But,'' she thought. ''I did not panic and immediately reach the decision that I needed to stand up. Does that mean I am developing some combat instincts within me?

...''This is interesting.

She had gone through training and fought in battles, but she had not expected for a machine like her to use her "instincts" against someone on the level of a Special Duty Officer. Henri was often thinking about humans, but what was wanted of ''Belle de Marionnette''s may have been surprisingly similar.

"Now, then."

Mouri-01 ended her high-speed thoughts.

She moved. The command she had decided on was sent to her body.

She matched her speed to the table's.

"..."

And she kicked.

Just then, Mouri-01 saw light grow from the approaching table.

It was a blade.

Ootani Yoshitsugu's glowing sword stabbed through the table and raced toward her chest.

Ujinao sensed it all.

Ootani and Mouri-01's attack and defense intersected in an instant.

Ujinao understood what had happened.

It was a strange battle.

Their locations were impossible to predict based on their starting points and the result.

...''Oh?

First, Ootani kicked the table forward and Mouri-01 attempted to fall back while standing on that piece of furniture. The table had been kicked with enough force for Ujinao to adjust the speed at which she fell back.

But a moment later, things shifted.

First, it was Ootani.

Ujinao's senses detected him shattering while still in his kicking pose.

This was not the result of cumulative damage from the barriers. She knew that thanks to the Asama Shrine Representative who had retreated to the side. The girl spoke up with a sharp voice:

"The enemy's ether reading has not diminished!"

Ootani had not shattered.

What had shattered was his shell – his lingering traces.

The contents were elsewhere after taking a different form.

Where were they and what form had they taken?

...''A sword!

Ujinao was familiar with swords, so she caught on quickly.

When Ootani had kicked the table, his hands had been empty.

Then where had his sword gone?

...''The bottom of the table!?

The table was clearly thick since it had withstood Mouri-01's gunfire.

Ootani must have stabbed his blade of light into the underside.

That meant he had not kicked the table so it would hit them.

It was to transport his body after reshaping it into a sword.

Ujinao stroked the sword on her right hip as she fell back.

"That does sound like something a data entity would do..."

Ujinao now knew what the enemy was.

...''The warrior part is not his true form!

Most likely, he was a program made of ether without a fixed form. He had only taken on the warrior form and equipment so he could move around more easily.

He could compress his data into whatever body part or piece of equipment he liked so it could be transported. So where was he now that he had abandoned his other parts?

...''The bottom of the table!

Ootani would appear from the sword like water welling up from a spring. So what would he do next?

"Mouri-01!"

Before Ujinao could provide a warning, a glowing sword pierced the table and raced out.

It stabbed into Mouri-01's chest.

Mitotsudaira saw Mouri-01 receive the attack.

The automaton had just raised her hips to fall back.

The glowing blade stuck out from the right side of her back.

It was a direct hit.

The sword entered below her right breast and left through her back.

It accurately stabbed out below the shoulder blade, so that attack would have split the lung and sliced through the heart.

At this rate, the table would crash into her, but...

'''Asama:''' "Kyaaaaah! Zubyaaaaaaaah!!"

'''Novice:''' "No, Asama-kun! That was more of a 'stab!' or 'shnk...!' "

'''Four Eyes:''' "I see you're going with fairly normal onomatopoeia now."

'''Novice:''' "Well, when I wrote 'ndozpubryazorizori———!', someone on an anonymous site said it was incomprehensible and took especial offense at the 'zorizori' part. And come to think of it, that was you, wasn't it!?"

'''Four Eyes:''' "That sounds like me, but I've posted things like that so often I don't remember that one."

'''Unturning:''' "You two sure are close."

'''Four Eyes:''' "...Are we?"

'''Novice:''' "Not again! Not again!! And there's kind of a battle going on!"

''That is true.

But there was new movement beyond the sign frame Mitotsudaira had glanced at.

Mouri-01's right arm had been severed at the base.

Her summer uniform's sleeve was partially torn and her right arm flew through the air, but...

...''Eh?

Mouri-01 was moving. And not because she was wobbling from the injury or unsteady from the force of the attack.

"Too bad."

Mouri-01 got up. She matched her speed to that of the approaching table, placed the sole of her right foot on it, and stepped onto the diagonal surface.

She did not falter as she began surfing on the table and Mitotsudaira realized something.

...''This is the same as Walsingham and Horizon...!

"She removed her right arm before the attack hit, didn't she!?"

That was exactly what had happened.

Mouri-01's right arm rotated itself through the air.

With the inner shoulder connector exposed, it sent itself out at a height of 3 meters.

This was gravitational control.

Her right arm aimed its pistol toward the blade sticking out of the table.

At the same time, she swung her left hand out.

The components of a second pistol spilled from the left side of her skirt.

The metal firearm was instantly assembled in her left hand and it aimed at the blade protruding from the table.

Ootani Yoshitsugu was a data entity, so the blade was a part of him and he would take damage if it was shot.

"You are mine!"

Gunfire rang out.

However, it came as a surprise to Mitotsudaira. First, it was only one shot. And second...

...''That was fast!

The timing was wrong.

Mouri-01's right arm had fixed itself in midair and its pistol fired a beat too soon.

And not at Ootani Yoshitsugu.

"Mouri-01!?"

Her own arm fired her own pistol at her own body.

Asama could not follow all the action.

She was a student and a shrine maiden. She did not understand the subtleties of close-quarters combat or the meanings of the various actions.

But there was one thing she understood better than Mitotsudaira or Ujinao.

She understood why Mouri-01's right arm had fired on her.

...''I know what that is...

While falling back, she saw Mouri-01 knocked to the left.

Asama watched her long blonde hair fluttering through the air and her right arm fixed motionlessly in the air.

"That is a virus program!"

That was Ootani Yoshitsugu's true form.

"He is not a mere data entity! He is a virus that uses divine transmission pathways to mess with and hijack divine transmissions devices and program-controlled machines!"

Mouri-01's right arm had been hijacked by Ootani Yoshitsugu.

Someone made a decision as soon as they saw that.

It was Asama.

She quickly confirmed the Musashi's purification information.

"...Any reports or records of an intrusion!?"

External virus programs attacked the Musashi on a daily basis. Nations, corporations, and individuals would attack them in the hopes of gaining the data within the Musashi.

To defend against those attacks, checkpoint gates were set up at various points around the divine network. On top of that, the divine transmission pathways were purified.

The daily tuning of the divine transmission and ether pathways did more than maintain the ship's infrastructure; it also eliminated any viruses that had made it through. The process was performed periodically, but Asama tried to do her own check whenever she had some spare time.

...''In addition to viruses, it also prevents stagnation, mysterious phenomena, and divine transmission interference.

The Asama Shrine had been in charge of this for many years, so they could generally perform the tuning with a single command.

Everything impure or malicious was purified and most of it was returned to ether.

At the same time, people's personal divine transmission histories were checked for anything "extra" that had made it in from outside. For example, there was an idiot who kept hitting the "enter" button for a European uncensored religious art site which was clearly a scam, an idiot who viewed a porn game walkthrough site crawling with viruses, and an idiot who regularly browsed a porn site that stole your personal information. Of course, it was all the same idiot.

Recently, she had installed Hidden Nobility, stealth monitoring software used by shrine experts, on his sign frame and PC, but she was a little worried she was turning their national representative into a porn spy.

At any rate, she had confirmed that Musashi was safe. But had they only won because they could pour so much more power into their defenses? It was possible Ootani had appeared here because he could not touch the Musashi.

...''But we should probably inspect all of the transport ships.

She immediately sent word to her father.

'''Asama's Dad:''' "Okay! I'll head to the port and check it out!"

''How many do you think there are?

But the situation was still underway.

Mouri-01 had been sent flying and the table had accelerated toward them.

And up above, Mouri-01's pistol aimed their way.

"Watch out...!"

Asama activated a defense barrier and started to move forward.

With him and Horizon falling back, she thought it was her duty to move in front of them. However...

"Wait, Asama," he said. "You can't move out in front."

"You mustn't, Asama-sama!"

Two hands reached out from behind to stop her.

They were Horizon's.

And as she wrapped her arms around the shrine maiden, her hands grabbed ahold of her breasts from behind.

...''Eh?

Asama did not often experience such a solid grope.

Ootani heard a scream.

It came from beyond the table he had pushed forward as a barricade and weapon.

He thought it had to be Mouri-01's, but...

"Kyaaaaah!?"

...''Why is the Asama Shrine Representative screaming!?

Hashiba had informed him that infighting was extremely common for Musashi, but he had never expected it here.

He was glad he belonged to the peaceful Hashiba forces. He had heard Shibata's forces were also quite cannibalistic, but...

...''Musashi is frightening indeed if their "survival of the fittest" attitude is stronger even than the Shibata forces!

Laughter echoed from the Musashi's deck.

It was Kimi. She was lying on her side atop her bench and she had one arm over her bare breasts and one holding her stomach.

"Heh heh heh. Now that's a nice and deep groping! Can anyone do that for me!? Oh, I'm sure you can, Mito's mom, so you don't need to try! C'mon, Adele! Or Suzu! Come here and start groping!"

"Eh? Eh?'

"Why me!? And things are looking dangerous up there!? What are we supposed to do!?"

"Good question."

"An excellent question."

"A good question."

"A very good question."

Kimi, the Reine des Garous, Narumi, and Gin all spoke at once.

Kimi looked to the Reine des Garous, who looked to Narumi, who looked to Gin, who...

"Master Muneshige."

"Judge. ...That ship is under Mouri's control, so we cannot jump onto it from outside. It would automatically take defensive actions against a foreign intruder. ...And Mouri probably wants to avoid owing us a favor when we have a battle tomorrow. So we can only entrust this with the people already there."

"A very good summary."

"A good summary."

"An excellent summary."

"Good summary."

After hearing their answer, Adele finally shouted up at the diplomatic ship.

"5th Special Duty Officer! Good luuuuuuck!!"

Ootani saw Mouri-01 fly out from behind the table and into the air on the right.

Her flight would be partially due to her kicking off of the table. With an automaton's thought speed, reducing the impact to minimize the damage would be a simple task.

But Mouri-01 held a gun in her left hand.

From his perspective, it was the outside arm. She would have difficulty turning around enough in midair to aim his way and, even if she did manage to shoot him, whether it was a devastating hit or not would be entirely up to luck.

So he decided now was the time to act.

He would kick the table again to slam it against the opponents who were falling back.

He aimed left, toward the Houjou and Mouri representatives.

He had to stop them with the table while he took care of his true target.

His true target was Musashi's Chancellor.

...''He is Hashiba-sama and Mitsunari-kun's greatest foe!

He would be an enemy of Hashiba's forces at Sekigahara and the Osaka Campaign.

Slaying him here would be a valuable result.

"Mouri! Houjou! You are attempting to toy with the history recreation for your own futures! So I intend to exterminate that playful attitude at the root!"

With that, he pushed hard on the table.

While lifting his body forward, he struck the table with his shoulder and...

"Here I go!"

He kicked the bottom of the table.

In that instant...

...''Huh!?

His control system for visual data saw something.

The Mito Lord was charging straight toward him.

It only took an instant.

Ootani thought the Mito Lord was going to jump over the table. Either that or use it as a stepping stone to circle behind him.

But he was wrong.

The Mito Lord matched his pace from directly ahead and then raised her right knee.

And...

"Here...!!"

She hit the table with a crushing kick immediately after he kicked it.

And her kick sent it down toward him with enough force to break the two remaining legs.

As a result, the table lost all support.

"...!?"

And it rapidly snapped shut.

Ujinao sensed something unbelievable.

...''Huh?

The table lost its legs and became no more than a board.

That was the Mito Lord's counterattack against Ootani's kick.

And she did more than just kick it back.

She dropped her heel down on it like an axe.

That blow struck the thick table and smashed the two legs supporting it. And as the sound of destruction filled the air...

"How about that!?"

There was nothing more than the tabletop below the Mito Lord's foot.

Ootani was below there.

He had to have been crushed. The table had been instantly flattened to the ground, so there was no way he could have escaped.

But she soon had her answer.

There was light.

A crushed wind whipped up from the gap below the tabletop the Mito Lord stood on, but...

...''That isn't it!

A humanoid figure grew from the center of the tabletop.

That warrior was Ootani Yoshitsugu.

As a data entity, he had deactivated the setting used to interact with the tabletop.

The table had not crushed him.

Ootani Yoshitsugu forcefully jumped up.

"Impressive...!"

With that, he swung his sword toward the Mito Lord.

The weapon grew as he swung it. It extended to several meters in order to slice horizontally through the Mito Lord's torso.

It hit.

And light shattered at the slash's destination.

The solid sound provided the answer.

Ootani's sword had shattered.

Ootani Yoshitsugu saw the shards of light scattering in the wind.

...''It shattered!?

That was exactly what had happened.

The sharp point made from his own body had grown long enough to easily reach the enemy, but it had been broken.

''Why?'' he wondered. ''I did not have the blade judge a hit until it was right on the verge of hitting.

"————"

To answer his question, he looked to the enemy.

His high-speed vision saw the Mito Lord standing in front of him.

He knew she had Loup-Garou blood. Reading the Chancellor's Officers Almanac was enough to find that information.

But even with Loup-Garou blood, she should not have been able to touch a data entity like him.

...''Then how...!?

Just as he asked that...

"————"

He detected an attack from behind.

It was the wind.

Some of his body had been scattered as a side effect of passing through the table.

It was that scattered portion of his body that sensed it. Ether and writing escaped the wrapped paper that seemed to contain his body and the wind carried it toward something.

...''Cross-shaped barrier ''lernen figur''s!?

Mitotsudaira moved forward.

She did so because Ootani had quickly ducked down.

He stayed low like a bug as two lines of light raced above his head.

They were blades. Cross-shaped ones made of ether.

They were two of the cross-shaped barrier sign frames that had been stabbed through the table.

They were anti-ghost and humans could not touch them.

Yet they flew through the air to reach her hand.

...''I have a way to hold the unholdable.

The trick was simple.

"Silver chains!"

The silver chains were a divine weapon. They were made from ether metal and they retained that power even after being formed into physical chains.

The two obelisks attached to her hip hard points had ejected a silver chain each.

But she wanted to avoid grabbing Ootani Yoshitsugu with the tight arms on the end because she did not know how much of an effect Ootani's virus would have.

So she grabbed the two barrier sign frames with the silver chains' tight arms.

When she had slammed the table down, the barrier sign frames had floated up from the table due to their minimum altitude setting. After they fell out, she grabbed two of them and launched them at Ootani.

He had dodged the slashes she made at his back using the silver chains, but based on his timing...

...''He's reliant on sight!?

Was there a reason why a data entity would insist on using a human form?

Asama would probably tell her if she asked, but the explanation would probably be quite lengthy.

For now...

"I can finally take you on!!"

Mitotsudaira pulled back the silver chains and sent the twin swords toward Ootani.

<noinclude>
{{HorizonNavbar
| [[Horizon:Volume 6B School Rules|School Rules]]
| [[Horizon:Volume 6B Chapter 23|Chapter 23]]
}}
</noinclude>

Horizon:Volume 6B School Rules

2017-12-19T23:05:19Z

162.158.134.31: This is plural, removed the 'a'.

==School Rules==

Article 221
*Based on Article 10, when a war or any other action that will wear down a nation’s power coincides with an emergency or a planned history recreation, it is possible to replace it with duels by representatives to avoid the possibility of inadequate personnel or preparation.

<noinclude>
{{HorizonNavbar
| [[Horizon:Volume 6B World|World]]
| [[Horizon:Volume 6B Chapter 22|Chapter 22]]
}}
</noinclude>

Horizon:Volume 6A Chapter 21

2017-12-19T22:22:31Z

162.158.134.31: Missing space.

==Chapter 21: Debating Girls at the Debate Table==
[[Image:Horizon6A_677.jpg|thumb]]
''Are dreams

''Wide

''Or distant?

'''Point Allocation (One Day)

'''Flat Vassal:''' "...Eh? Why would a war with Mouri and Houjou liberate Kantou?"

Masazumi looked up when she saw Adele's question.

She took her eyes off of Terumoto and Ujinao and she stared into the distance.

...''It really is summer.

With that thought, she lowered her gaze once more.

She was glad they were outside. Being able to stare into the distance allowed her to reset her mood.

She suppressed her exhilaration and looked to her sign frame instead of Terumoto. And...

'''Vice President:''' "That is a good question, Adele."

Why would Musashi fighting Mouri and Houjou bring about the liberation of Kantou?

'''Vice President:''' "Because an existence with great authority will be created here."

It was obvious if you thought carefully about it.

Mouri had been insisting that Musashi transfer them the rights to Matsudaira's authority. With war as the alternative.

But Musashi could do the same thing. So if war did break out and Mouri lost, ''Musashi could have the rights to Mouri's authority transferred to them.

...''That means this war will result in Musashi, Mouri, and Hexagone Française merging or uniting in some way.

What would happen if Europe's conqueror and the Far East's future ruler were joined through the Siege of Odawara?

'''Vice President:''' "The result would be a nation carrying such a powerful history recreation that not even the Testament Union could restrain them. ...Hashiba will not like this war. If it qualifies as a history recreation, two powerful conquerors will be joined as one."

'''10ZO:''' "But what will Hashiba do about it?"

'''Vice President:''' "They will have to intervene."

It was a simple matter.

'''Vice President:''' "Hashiba is not present for the current Siege of Odawara. They are also failing to participate in the Siege of Bitchu Takamatsu Castle. That gives them the right to intervene in this war. And if they manage to defeat Musashi and Mouri in the process..."

Masazumi explained.

'''Vice President:''' "With the Testament Union under their control, Hashiba can rule over Mouri and Matsudaira to become the greatest power in the Far East."

'''Novice:''' "This was a good decision. Because even if Hashiba has a large force in Kantou, that is not Hashiba's main fleet. I doubt Hashiba's control of them is perfect. So while Hexagone Française holds Hashiba in place, Mouri and Houjou will quickly complete their war. Once they absorb Musashi, they intend to use that triple union to crush Hashiba's Kantou forces."

'''Righteousness:''' "...So that's what you meant by liberating Kantou!"

Yoshiyasu's surprise was to be expected.

'''Righteousness:''' "Houjou was plotting this right under Mlasi P.A. Oda's nose...?"

Ujinao nodded at the Musashi Vice President's words.

That was a future they could bring about with this war. Meaning...

...''To retake Kantou from Hashiba.

The great authority that would result from the Siege of Odawara would act as bait to lure Hashiba in to be attacked.

That was why they had gotten P.A. Oda's Takigawa involved.

She would not deny this was underhanded.

If they went this far, Hashiba was sure to have its Kantou forces intervene.

Given the exhaustion of Houjou's forces and Takigawa's situation, Hashiba would move in to take it all for themselves.

But that was precisely when Kantou would be liberated.

That was their plan.

The plan required the creation of such a great authority, so they had needed to push Musashi to war and urge them to transfer their authority.

It was certainly forceful.

But Mouri was prepared to risk their own nation's authority in exchange.

Hashiba would never overlook a fight for the combined authority of the Far East's future ruler and Europe's conqueror.

Hashiba would likely interrupt during the midpoint when the winner and loser were decided.

They would add to the large force occupying Edo and Satomi and they would send any free P.A. Oda personnel to Kantou.

This would be far greater than a battle on Houjou land.

''But,'' thought Ujinao.

''This is the only time at which we can liberate Kantou from Hashiba.

Their preliminary calculations said they could fight Hashiba if these three nations joined together.

Hashiba's main force would not be present.

So it would work.

...''And we will have revenge.

She thought back to when Musashi had fought the Battle of Mikatagahara. She had seen Edo and Satomi devastated and occupied.

The Houjou Association of Indian States was Mlasi and close to P.A. Oda. That had prevented them from acting carelessly. And their actions would not have changed the overall outcome.

But Edo and Satomi had been occupied.

So Ujinao had made a decision.

She had decided it was her duty to take Kantou back.

And she had concluded that it was the Kantou way to hope Musashi survived to the end.

If possible, she wanted to protect the ship ''he'' was aboard.

Her public face stubbornly insisted on war while her private face hoped for the opposite.

Was it a good or bad thing that he was not currently on the Musashi?

If it was a good thing, this would be easier on her.

So she spoke.

"What will you do, Musashi Vice President? ...Your decision here could earn your nation the right to rule this entire world."

"I am aware of that."

The Musashi Vice President faced her and spoke clearly.

And she raised the hands she had placed on the table.

She moved.

She turned toward the gentle wind – toward Terumoto.

Then she spoke to Terumoto.

"Do you still want war?"

Masazumi saw Terumoto nod in response to her question.

"Yes."

It was a solid nod. Her expression looked somewhat relaxed, but almost like...

...''Like she's saying "if you insist".

Masazumi understood why that look covered her face. Because...

"Mouri and Hexagone Française. ...I understand now why you want the right to rule the Far East."

"Oh, do you now?"

"Judge," replied Masazumi. And...

...''In a way, my next words will be the greatest "sign".

With that in mind, she slowly uttered the words.

"For the world. ...Not for 'the Far East', but for 'the world'. Isn't that right?"

Terumoto stopped moving.

She had intended to dodge the issue. She had intended to show no reaction whatsoever to whatever the girl might say. However...

...''Crap.

She could not use her vainglory.

The Musashi Vice President's line was too straightforward for her to dodge and she could not block it with her vainglory either.

"...Damn."

Terumoto covered her face with her right hand.

"Sorry!" she shouted. "My bad, Exiv! They caught on!!"

Laughter echoed from atop a mansion in central Paris.

It came from the Roi-Soleil. He sat on the roof, held his stomach, and laughed.

"Ha ha ha...! Oh, how funny!"

He allowed himself to laugh.

''We may be facing a major battle, my subjects, but please allow me to laugh like an idiot.'' Because...

"Terumoto, to think our shared secret would be discovered by our greatest enemy! It seems your vainglory failed to mask your own joy!"

''Honestly, Musashi's Vice President is something else.

"Terumoto, you are so cute. And pretty too. I know that brief look on your face in the instant your own unwanted joy removes your mask of vainglory."

The Roi-Soleil embraced the ''signe cadre'' and bent backwards.

"Just imagining it is making me tremble, Terumoto."

Asama saw Terumoto smash a nearby sign frame with a swift punch.

...''Wow...

'''Silver Wolf:''' "What an odd expression of love..."

'''Hori-ko:''' "I see. I could learn from her."

'''Silver Wolf:''' "Y-you don't have to use that on my king! You don't!"

But Terumoto sighed while the light of the shattered sign frame washed over her.

"Hey, Musashi Vice President. What will you do?"

...''Eh?

Asama did not understand Terumoto's question.

'''Asama:''' "Umm, Masazumi? What did you mean when you said 'the world' like you were turning into Neshinbara-kun?"

'''Novice:''' "No, Asama-kun! If it was me, I would say 'the world...!?' "

'''Four Eyes:''' "Oh? The next time I'm reading one of your books in front of you, I'll make sure to read lines like that aloud."

'''Novice:''' "Please no!"

But what had that meant?

Masazumi responded while her shoulders relaxed.

"Hexagone Française carries an incredible ambition. And they desire any and all power to make it a reality. This has led them to the right to rule the Far East, which can be seen as full authority over the current world."

What would they use that for?

Masazumi spread her hands and explained.

"Hexagone Française intends to leave for the outside world and conquer the true Europe."

The Roi-Soleil reached toward the broken ''signe cadre'''s shards.

Terumoto was beyond them. That was a fact. So on the rooftop, he grabbed the scattered shards of light and embraced them as if rubbing them on his body.

"Terumoto..."

Another ''signe cadre'' appeared nearby and immediately exploded.

The people working down below watched as the Roi-Soleil flipped along the roof seven times and fell off.

"Okay, everyone. Back to work."

They all returned to their respective work.

"If you've figured it out, you've figured it out."

Masazumi heard Terumoto say that.

Mouri's leader moved her right hand as if to scoop something up within it.

"The future we picture in our mind's eye is one of fully conquering the outside world. Because once Matsudaira's rule begins after Sekigahara, it will be difficult for the other nations to do much of anything in the Far East. ...Part of it is dependent on the coming age and Westphalia, but there will be conflict over how the history recreation of Matsudaira's rule can coexist with the provisional rule of the Far East. So..."

"You plan to leave for the outside world?"

"Testament. If any nation can settle the outside world, it would be Tres España and us. After all, you can't hope to settle the outside world without aerial warships and ''Lourd de Marionnette''s. And we have a lot of nonhumans, so we have greater odds of survival in that harsh land."

"B-but how much would really be gained by doing that...?" asked Asama.

Shinto provided support across the entire Far East, but they did not yet reach the outside world.

Asama could easily imagine the hardships of leaving those Shinto divine protections.

But Terumoto had an answer.

"How much would be gained? We could liberate the Far East from the provisional rule. And if we secure the land early, we get first pick and we can even take over the territory of other nations and lease or sell it to them. Do you have any idea how much we could profit from selling off pieces of the world? Also..."

Also...

"Well, from a more personal perspective, I want to see the world that Hexagone Française was meant to have. And from a more practical perspective, the outside world's Hexagone Française is nearly twice the size of the Far East. There is a desire to own at least twice as much land instead of ruling the Far East. If we became the true conquerors of Europe, our influence would reach much further. Especially if we implemented that land leasing strategy I mentioned."

''I see,'' thought Masazumi. The nations were testing out different methods of settling the outside world. It was still unknown how much success they would have, but they were at least making the attempt. However...

"Mouri Terumoto. ...Where did you get this idea?"

Attempting to leave the Far East was an absurd idea.

But Terumoto frowned when questioned about it.

"Don't you remember your negotiation in England? You're the one that said Musashi would support anyone who attempted to settle the outside world."

...''Oh, right! That!!

Masazumi felt a cold sweat in her heart. She had unwittingly pulled a trigger within an unexpected person.

But she did not deny her own words. And she understood what this meant.

...''That's right.

She had been addressing the entire world back then.

So if any nation would settle the outside world, Matsudaira would support them.

But Hexagone Française wanted to avoid as much risk as possible in that endeavor.

So they wanted full authority.

They wanted the backing of the entire Far East as they risked their nation on it.

But Musashi could not support just Hexagone Française after what they had said at England. If they did, England would protest since the meeting had occurred there.

That had of course been addressed to all of the nations, but Terumoto shook her head.

"Hexagone Française cannot allow England to take the lead. So while we drive Hashiba's forces out of Kantou, I thought we could also take your authority for ourselves."

Now.

"What will you do, Musashi? ...If we fight over each other's authority, Hashiba is bound to intervene to take it all for themselves. If we ally ourselves here, we won't wear down our forces and we won't create a single powerful authority, so Hashiba has to act cautiously."

"There's a simple answer to that." Masazumi raised a hand. "We go to war with Hashiba."

Masazumi saw countless sign frames well up around her.

They displayed everyone's faces, including Ookubo and Yoshiyasu's.

Neshinbara's was in the center and he swung his hands down.

On a count of three, he swung them back up and everyone responded in unison.

"That's not the answer!!"

'''Wise Sister:''' "Heh heh heh. Masazumi, you just couldn't hold it in any longer, could you!? Now raze Kantou and subjugate them all! It's high time they trembled in fear of a warmonger's impatience!"

'''Vice President:''' "No, wait! I have a real reason for saying that!"

'''Mal-Ga:''' You do realize your reason will be entirely meaningless to people with a different set of values, don't you?"

'''Vice President:''' "No, it isn't about that! We'll work with Mouri and Houjou to liberate Kantou!"

'''Silver Wolf:''' "But...how? We can't form an alliance."

Masazumi sent her voice to them all in response to Mitotsudaira.

'''Vice President:''' "Have you forgotten that our home base at Edo was occupied? There is a perfect history recreation for taking it back, isn't there?"

'''Righteousness:''' "Hashiba's second Korean expedition. ...The Keichou Campaign!"

Yoshiyasu came to a stop as she walked along Okutama's bow deck to meet the others.

...''It's finally happening! The Kantou Liberation is here!

She shivered despite standing in the summer sun.

"The Kantou Liberation. And the Keichou Campaign too..."

The Keichou Campaign was the history recreation of Hashiba's expedition to the Korean Peninsula that occurred at a later time.

The Hashiba forces had retreated from the peninsula when Hashiba died back in the Far East, but...

"We're doing the history recreation of that here...!?"

"Wait."

Masazumi heard Terumoto speak.

"Hey, how are you planning to liberate Kantou? We don't have the authority to take part in that history recreation. And we gain nothing from it. It would be a waste of our forces."

"Judge," agreed Masazumi.

There was an answer to both of Mouri's concerns. She began with the second one: what they would gain from it.

"Listen, Mouri Terumoto. Listen carefully. If you do everything in your power to help liberate Kantou, something otherwise impossible will happen: Every last Kantou nation will support Mouri. Do you understand what that means?"

"Huh? What does that matt-..."

Terumoto's expression changed.

Her eyes briefly widened and then she brought a hand to her chin and lowered her head.

After a while...

"So that's it..."

"Eh!? What, what!?"

The idiot started hopping side to side behind Terumoto, but Masazumi did her best to ignore him. ''Mitotsudaira, if you could remove him with your silver chains, that would be great.

Meanwhile, Terumoto looked up.

"That's not a bad idea. ...It's not the same as full authority over the Far East, but it's still significant."

"Yes," agreed Masazumi as a question reached her sign frame.

'''Bell:''' "Eh? Wh-what does...that mean?"

'''Wise Sister:''' "Heh heh heh. She's gone crazy! Masazumi's war power has filled her with a desire for war, so she no longer cares about the details! That's it, isn't it!?"

'''Vice President:''' "No, it isn't."

She heard a voice from below shouting "You're no fun!", but how far could that entertainer project her voice?

But one member of their class did understand.

'''Smoking Girl:''' "Suzu, think about the map. And not just of the Far East, of the entire world."

Yes. It was obvious when one viewed the full map of the world that was created from the records passed down since the Age of the Gods.

'''Smoking Girl:''' "The Far East is located east of the main continent. So if anyone tries to settle the outside world, the closest area is the east coast of that continent. Corresponding back to the Far East, that's Kantou. Meaning..."

Meaning...

'''Smoking Girl:''' "If Hexagone Française helps liberate Kantou, they will receive the support of the continent's eastern nations when they begin settling the outside world. ...Receiving the willing assistance of other nations can actually be less work than taking full authority and doing it yourself. Isn't that right?"

'''Vice President:''' "That's right. Traveling to the west end of the continent is sure to be a challenge, so having a bridgehead on the continent would mean a lot."

That just left one thing.

"Musashi Vice President, there is one problem."

Terumoto stated that "problem".

"How are we supposed to involve ourselves in the Kantou Liberation? Mouri has no right to do so."

"Then I have a request." Masazumi reached her right hand across the table. "I'm not asking for much and I won't ask for an alliance. But will you take my hand, Mouri Terumoto? Take my hand and I will tell you how you can participate in the Kantou Liberation. ...I apologize for acting all high and mighty when we're the ones asking you for help, but the decision is yours now."

Masazumi had spread her arms and held out a hand.

And she waited patiently for Terumoto.

Terumoto hesitated. Could she really be the one to decide everything here?

Her original plans had fallen apart and she was trying to work her way into the new flow of events.

Even if Mouri's forces would follow her command, this would greatly change their plans.

That was sure to cause some friction.

"——————"

''Damn,'' she thought.

...''I can't find any vainglory at times like this.

A little vainglory would handle this with ease, but what could she do without it?

''I'm kind of a pain in the ass,'' she thought while taking in a breath.

Just then, the person waiting by her side began to move.

It was Mouri-01. She held something up in front of Terumoto.

It was a ''signe cadre''.

The message written there was from the idiot back home.

...''Come on now.

She had assumed it contained instructions for her decision, since he was the national ruler, but...

"Terumoto, I would like a souvenir when you return."

Namely...

"I want to hear all about everything you do there."

"Fine then!!"

Terumoto swung her right hand.

With a snapping motion, she solidly slapped the Musashi Vice President's hand.

"This is how I show my agreement. I'm not about to shake hands like we're pals! Remember that!!"

Then she asked what she was most curious about right now.

"So how are you going to get us involved!?"

"We make a deal."

The Musashi Vice President's voice sounded dignified as she raised her hand which was red from the slap.

"Here, Mouri has asked Musashi for support because Hashiba's failure kept you from fighting the Siege of Bitchu Takamatsu Castle. In exchange, Musashi has a request for Mouri."

That being...

"As Satomi's protectors, Musashi must liberate Edo and Satomi via the Keichou Campaign, but our forces are not up to the task. So we would like to request Mouri's assistance."

''This means war,'' thought Masazumi.

They were fast approaching a major war that would reshape the map of the Far East.

"First, the Houjou battle."

There was a bit of a process for that one. After all...

"We are basing it on the Siege of Odawara, but we must also hold the history recreation of the Tensho Jingo Conflict that precedes it."

The Tensho Jingo Conflict was a battle that occurred immediately after the Battle of Kanagawa.

Houjou and Matsudaira would fight over the portion of Kantou left open when Takigawa left and they would ultimately make peace.

That looked like a draw, but it would actually give Matsudaira an advantage.

Houjou would use that battle to approach Matsudaira, but...

"If we are going to use that as the opening battle for the Siege of Odawara duels, we need to think of some way of handling that. The problem is related to your personnel if we really do fight this battle using duels..."

"Testament. If both the Tensho Jingo Conflict and the Siege of Odawara are fought primarily via duels, it will put too great a burden on us. We mostly only have four fighters: me, Kotarou, and two others. I would appreciate it if we were given some reinforcements."

"Then I'll provide whatever you lack," said Terumoto as she looked left, toward the stern. "Those are our ''Belle de Marionnette''s. Houjou has a lot of them too, but Houjou's mostly have identical, mass-produced personalities, while ours can act as individual commanders. So if we're gonna send you anyone, it should probably be them. ...How about it, Houjou? As the #1 ''Belle de Marionnette'' producer in the east, you'll probably be ashamed to ask, but do you want the help of our forces?"

Ujinao immediately nodded in response to Terumoto's question.

It looked like she had already given it deep thought, so she must have used the high-speed thoughts of a ''Belle de Marionnette''.

So Ujinao lowered her head toward Terumoto.

"Testament. If you are willing to spare some in the name of cooperation."

"Sure thing." Terumoto smiled bitterly. "Think of it as our payment for letting us fight our battle here. And we can't fight too hard in the Siege of Bitchu Takamatsu Castle, so helping out like this means a lot. Also..."

Also...

"If we win those duels, it'll give us an advantage in the negotiations afterwards."

...''Impressive.

This was what war was.

Masazumi accepted it as the cruelty of reality, and...

"I hope you aren't thinking of holding back in these duels just because we hope to work together toward liberating Kantou."

"Of course not. ...My policy is to take every win I can get. You know what that means?" asked Terumoto. "Let your guard down, and we'll take everything for ourselves instead of working together with you."

"We will make an effort to ensure we can thank you for the warning."

Ujinao nodded and opened a sign frame.

She called up a map of Odawara.

"I will also call for the P.A. Oda forces in our territory to make up for our limited personnel. Their enemy is you, Musashi. And Hashiba's primary goal will be to protect Takigawa while she shows off here." She raised her eyebrows somewhat. "And now that our respective positions are clear, let me tell you something else. ...Sanada and Hashiba are working out a way to have the Siege of Kanie Castle double as Sanada’s 2nd Siege of Ueda."

...''So that's what they're doing.

Masazumi was impressed by what Ujinao revealed. This was another major card played right at the end.

"Thank you for telling us that, Houjou Ujinao. ...Sanada is focused on the Osaka Campaign, aren't they? Completing the 2nd Siege of Ueda in advance will also benefit us, so we will accept that. And the Hashiba forces in Kantou are sure to take action during the Siege of Kanie Castle. When they do..."

Terumoto nodded.

"If Hashiba tries anything while we're fighting over each other's authority in the Siege of Bitchu Takamatsu Castle, we will respond immediately."

Just as Terumoto said that, an unfamiliar voice reached them.

"That would be a problem."

Except it was not even a voice.

...''Noise?

It was a lot like hearing words formed from loudspeaker static.

"Shall I interpret that as a declaration of war against Hashiba?"

Then it appeared.

It was light. A blue light stood about 20 meters to Masazumi's left.

It had a humanoid form and it carried a weapon.

...''A warrior!?

Asama saw the humanoid figure made of wrapped light. She also saw something react to it: sign frames.

They were from the Asama Shrine and the Mouri clan and they created something.

...''A force barrier!

Those were used to capture ether lifeforms and prevent them from attacking.

The ship's defense system and Asama's own techniques swiftly activated two or three of them which bound this figure.

And then...

"————!?"

The light burst.

The figure standing in the center of the barrier held a sword at his hip.

The barrier sign frames all shattered at once.

But a few of Asama's barriers were still intact. And she saw that the barriers were restraining and slowing the figure down, but he was not stopped altogether.

...''Wait a second! This barrier was designed to restrain something on the level of a small dragon!

Yet this figure could shatter that and continue moving.

He looked like a lightly-armored warrior. He was a young man wearing an M.H.R.R. uniform. But his entire body was glowing with a blue light and his arms, legs, and face were all covered by what looked like wrapped paper with writing all over it.

Writing of the same material scattered from the glowing paper. It rang like a small bell, but...

"...He isn't human! He's a program!?"

She questioned it because she had never seen anything like this before.

...''Is this a lifeform made from a program?

That was similar to a Mouse, but the data density was greater than a Mouse's and he had human movements.

Then what was he?

Whatever he was, he spoke as he was pierced by several of the barrier sign frames.

"It is a pleasure to meet you. ...I am Ootani Yoshitsugu and I was sent here by Hashiba-sama to oversee the Siege of Odawara."

While shattering the barriers and with writing spilling from his body, he bowed with a strained motion.

"I arrived in advance of my companions, but this ship proved difficult to board."

"Well, yeah. We'd activated the security. But what are you? You didn't drop down from above when you appeared. It felt more like you rose up from within the ship," pointed out Terumoto. "Which means through the ether pathways. Or if you are a program...through a divine transmission."

"Testament." Ootani nodded. "Technically, I am not a program. Because I am...a virus. Now," he said. "Let me hear your decision. Will you or will you not make an enemy of Hashiba-sama?"

<noinclude>
{{HorizonNavbar
| [[Horizon:Volume 6A Chapter 20|Chapter 20]]
| [[Horizon:Volume 6A Afterword|Afterword]]
}}
</noinclude>

Horizon:Volume 6A Chapter 15

2017-12-19T22:21:17Z

162.158.134.31: L should not be capitalized, from what I know. It hasn't been the previous times "vive le XIV" or "vive la Anne" showed up in V3.

==Chapter 15: Dragon in Transit==
[[Image:Horizon6A_463.jpg|thumb]]
''An ability

''Is something you are capable of

''A skill

''Is something you are recognized for

'''Point Allocation (Talent)

"Going to Houjou, right? ...Yes, I can take you part of the way."

Yoshiaki confirmed what Kani had said.

She would be carrying Kani partway to Houjou. That was the role she had been given the night before.

Weiss Fürstin was a high-power ''schale besen'', but an extra person would be no more than a burden. Any unfortunate movements could put them in danger during a high-speed flight, and...

...''It affects the fuel efficiency.

Yoshiaki had better fuel efficiency than Angie. Angie could be absentminded and she tended to get careless in her flying when the scenery was nice, so Yoshiaki sometimes had to share Weiss Fürstin's fuel with her.

Of course, Angie often discovered useful things when she was not focused on her flying, so Yoshiaki did not stop her from doing that.

But this was a little different.

They had to reach Houjou quickly.

'''Kimee:''' "Is everything ready for Kani to be dropped off at the other end?"

'''Kuro Take:''' "Testament. A supply ship will be leaving P.A. Oda territory and some personnel were sent to Houjou to prepare for the Siege of Odawara."

'''AnG:''' "...Huh?"

"What is it, Angie?"

"Oh, um." Angie was unsure whether she should respond via Magie Figur or to Yoshiaki. "Kime-chan, which should I do?"

"Just shout real loud."

"Ahaaaahn!!"

Angie placed her hands on either side of her mouth and shouted. Then she turned back toward Yoshiaki.

"Sorry, that wasn't what you meant, was it?"

"As long as it's calmed you down."

Everyone on the deck had fallen silent, but they did not care.

'''AnG:''' "Takeko. What did you mean when you said some personnel were sent to Houjou for the Siege of Odawara?"

...''Ah.

Yoshiaki had noticed that too.

What Takenaka had said made no sense. Because...

'''AnG:''' "We only learned last night that the Siege of Odawara is happening, right? So how could you have already sent them? ...Or are you saying they've already arrived?"

'''Kuro Take:''' "Testament. There are two people in P.A. Oda who can do that. Although one is a member of our Ten Spears."

"Yes," agreed Yoshiaki. "It shouldn't be a problem then. ...So it’s someone with a great warrior's righteousness. With us and this underclassman here, we should be able to fight as a decent Hashiba force."

"Eh!? Me too!?"

"If you do your job well."

"I will!" Kani showed off her teeth with a smile. "I will do my best and achieve results! ...Is there anything else I need to watch out for!?"

'''□□凸:''' "E-excuse me. H-how is this person so cheerful, or bright, or whatever you would call it? ...Huh? That's odd. Aren't I supposed to be that kind of character? So why does my heart ache like this?"

'''6:''' "So in a week, he'll be one of us, huh?"

'''Kuro Take:''' "Fukushima-kun? Make sure Kani-kun isn't influenced by us. She still needs to command and work alongside our other subordinates."

'''Llaf:''' "Testament. I am not sure I wholly understand, but are thou saying it would be dangerous if she became like us? It is true I have difficulty imagining Kani-dono using the Giant Breasts Defense like Kiyo-dono..."

'''Kiyo-Massive:''' "Um, I don't actually have that bizarre skill..."

'''AnG:''' "Yeah, we can't have her turning out like this."

'''Nari Nari Nari:''' "Why are you people always like this?"

'''Monkey Girl:''' "Mi-chan? I need to make some final adjustments, so please come here."

'''Nari Nari Nari:''' "Y-yes! Testament! I'll be right there!"

'''Kiyo-Massive:''' "Mitsunari-sama seems like the cheerful type as well."

''Hmm,'' thought Angie as she looked up into the sky.

She thought about what Kani had said, but...

...''Anything else she needs to watch out for.

"Well, make sure you don't get so focused on achieving results that you lose sight of other things. Like taking care of yourself."

She took a breath.

"The Ten Spears have to make it back alive, so we can't have our Kanitama not making it back, now can we?"

Everyone working on the deck silently turned her way, but she ignored them.

On the other side of Kanitama, Yoshiaki briefly froze, but she soon recovered.

She looked to Angie and gave a thumbs up. That meant it was not a problem and she approved of what Angie had said.

Meanwhile, Kani responded to her line.

"Understood! I will do everything my upperclassmen say!"

"Oh, how disciplined. So what would you say if I asked you to go buy us drinks?"

"Eh?"

Unsure what to do, Kani's eyes wandered back and forth.

Angie reflexively followed that eye movement, but...

"Oh, how about this!"

Out of nowhere, Kani held out a paper cup.

And it contained...

"This is a drink born of the Age of Discovery idea that pepper is a panacea which has had a recent resurgence! It's called Doctor Pepper!"

"If I remember right, that doesn't actually have pepper in it and just has 21 different chemicals."

"Eh!? Really!? I was tricked!!"

"Then you can drink it as a punishment."

Kani held the cup in both hands and started drinking it. And after two seconds...

"It's bad! It tastes so bad!"

"Can I try some?"

"No! I can't let an upperclassman drink something so bad! I'll drink it!"

"Putting it like that really makes me want to try it."

"Then it's good! It tastes so good! I want to let an upperclassman drink something so good! I don't want to drink it!"

Yoshiaki glared at her.

"Isn't that going too far in the other direction?"

Angie had to agree.

But Angie also gave a deep nod in front of Kanitama.

"Okay, Kanitama, let me see what you can do."

Everyone on the deck started chanting "Chug! Chug!" as Kanitama gulped down the contents of the cup. Meanwhile, Yoshiaki pulled three harnesses out of her luggage.

She raised Weiss Fürstin behind Kanitama's back, and...

"Okay, stay still for a bit. I'm going to attach the harnesses."

"I finished drinking it!"

"Good girl, good girl. ...Now don't move."

"Eh!? U-umm."

"There are two Katous, so just call me Yoshiaki."

Kani nodded at that.

"Good point! Takenaka-san told me to use 'Giant Katou' and 'Massive Katou', but that doesn't really work, does it!?"

'''AnG:''' "Takeko, who are you trying to pick a fight with?"

'''Kuro Take:''' "But it's true, isn't it? In a certain way."

Angie was not going to ask what that certain way was, but Kamitama had been attached to Weiss Fürstin in the meantime.

The girl was strapped on around her torso, her waist, and her thighs.

"Umm, Yoshiaki-san! What are these straps for!?"

"We're about to leave for Houjou, so I've attached you to Weiss Fürstin. Get it now?"

"But! What about my luggage over there!"

There was indeed a woven bamboo carrying case on the deck.

It was surprisingly large. While it was not as tall as Kani herself, it would reach as high as her chest.

"That's pretty big. What's in it?"

"My futon!"

"...I thought the case was pretty big, but now I'm impressed at how well you compressed it."

"Thank you very much!!"

"Okay, let's get going."

Kani looked over at her carrying case.

"Eh!? What about my futon!?"

"You can find one once we arrive."

Yoshiaki said that while lightly hopping up.

She landed halfway up Weiss Fürstin as it stood vertically. For a winged Descended Angel, the angle and height of a ''schale besen'' was never an obstacle. She immediately dropped down in the pilot's seat.

"Let's get going before the sun rises. The ascent is going to be a pain, but it will be easier once we're horizontal again."

"Testament. Will you be going out ahead, Kime-chan?"

Yoshiaki simply nodded.

And while sitting in the vertical seat...

"Let's get going."

"Eh!? What do you mean I can find a futon once we arrive!? You can't know there will be one there!"

"You'll just have to put some effort into it."

With that, a powerful wind blew.

Angie looked forward, but there was no longer any sign of Weiss Fürstin or Yoshiaki's blonde hair.

There was only a sound resembling a cannon splitting the air and the cry of acceleration.

When she looked up into the early morning sky, she caught a brief glimpse of Weiss Fürstin's acceleration light.

''It's so pretty,'' she thought, but...

"Whoops."

She had to pursue it.

She was supposed to be flying after Yoshiaki.

"So the Technohexen have left. I fought against and alongside them back before they were split between white and black."

A voice fell towards the dirt ground within Paris.

Someone looked up at two long strands of cloud rising into the sky which did not yet contain any sunlight.

"Sir Bernard, you have been commanding the dragons without taking any rest, so are you sure you don't need to sleep now?"

"When a dragon sleeps, they sleep for a long while. But this is human land. Something could go wrong."

An elderly man with his black hair tied back walked through the construction underway on the dirt road.

He was Bernard.

He turned to his right where a ''Belle de Marionnette'' followed one step behind.

"You said your name was Armand, didn't you? You seem to have helped quite a bit with the construction last night."

They were headed south to check over the city wall and the moat closest to Hashiba's camp.

"Today, we must fortify the inside of the moat. Armand, I assume you will be helping too?"

"With my wide-range gravitational control, yes."

Bernard nodded at that.

"Your strength rivals that of a large Terrestrial Dragon. I see the humans continue to create new technology."

"They may have created us, but it is up to us whether or not we will cooperate with them."

"Do you dislike humans?"

When asked that, Armand reached for his hat and looked into the sky.

"''Belle de Marionnette''s cannot judge things by emotions such as like or dislike."

"Then how do you judge them?"

"Incomprehensible."

"Oh?" said Bernard as he slowed his pace.

He chose as path toward the city wall as he continued.

"What about them do you find incomprehensible?"

"How they give meaning to their decisions."

Armand adjusted his hat so the brim lined up with the city wall and he shut one eye.

He then looked left and right as if checking on the wall's structure.

"Losing this battle does not mean the destruction of the human race. Nor will it mean the end of Hexagone Française. The same is true for Hashiba and M.H.R.R. 'Working together' is always an option. But humans seem to have an instinct to protect their territory and way of life."

"We have something like that too."

"Of course you do." Armand spun his hat around with his finger. "Because you're human."

"I am a Celestial Dragon."

The subsequent pause lasted a few seconds.

Finally, Armand asked a question.

"You are?"

"I am."

"You look human to me."

"I have transformed."

"How?"

"Like this."

Bernard lowered his hips and thrust his right hand forward.

And while spinning around...

"Trans — Form!"

He nailed the transformation, so he took a breath while everyone in the street applauded.

The old man from a bakery held up a container of hops beer.

"Mr. Celestial Dragon! I think the two of us could get along! You're far better than my daughter's husband!"

Someone shouted "Yeah, and I think your daughter agrees with you!" and everyone grew a lot more lively.

They had all been basking in the morning stillness while doing construction work or preparing for the day.

But with Bernard as the focus, they began looking up and exchanging glances. But they soon forgot about Bernard and began their usual interactions with each other.

"Oh?" Armand viewed his surroundings. "Sir, you've woken up the city just by paying a visit to the dragons at the city wall. And more importantly..."

"Yes?"

"Were you serious with that 'transform' thing?"

"Of course I was. It was the usual ceremony. When a dragon takes on a human form, it feels like converging in on yourself, but when returning to your dragon form, you need some kind of symbol to return to your proper body. Although that symbol differs from person to person. ...We all have 'molds'. We can play around by taking on other forms, but that can be dangerous if we do not maintain our focus while changing back. Human forms make it especially easy to lose sight of our 'mold'."

"I see." Armand nodded. "Where did you learn to do that?"

"800 years ago. ...Doing that made most of the humans flee, so it was popular among us dragons."

"So even Celestial Dragons don't like fighting, huh?"

"No living creature does."

"Wouldn't you do it if you knew 100% that you would win?"

Bernard responded immediately.

"I would not," he said. "That must never be the case."

Just then, the door to a nearby pub opened and the woman proprietor ran out with long strides.

It took her seven steps to reach them. She passed Bernard a bundle of skewered meat wrapped in leaves and smiled at him.

"I doubt that's anywhere near enough, but stop by tonight. We'll have plenty more for you then."

"—————"

Bernard remained silent, but he pulled out one of the meat skewers and stared at it.

And as everyone silently watched on, he bit into it.

"Ah."

The woman proprietor's eyes widened as he ate the skewer right along with the meat.

There was an odd crunching as he tore through the skewer with his teeth and then he audibly swallowed.

But he ate it.

After swallowing, he let out a breath and a snort.

He looked to the woman proprietor and spoke.

"If you used a little less salt, it would taste nicely like blood."

Everyone cheered at his assessment.

The woman bowed respectfully, but then spun around and practically danced back into her pub. A traveling entertainer played his musical instrument in time with her dancing and someone raised a shout.

"The Landsknecht!"

"Indeed! We are the servants of god who will race to deadly lands for 4 ''gulden''...!"

"Does that mean Protestant mercenaries are going to assist Hexagone Française in our fight against the Catholics...!?"

This improvised story had no real meaning.

Bernard and Armand simply continued to the city wall. But their path produced a wave of cheers, respectful looks from children, and interested voices from women.

"Well, Sir Bernard? ...What do you think of this lively city that was built by the previous generation?"

"Anne of Austria, you mean?"

Gazes turned toward Bernard from the windows and buildings along the road.

He turned his sharp bestial eyes on them, but none of them seemed to mind.

"That's not gonna work." Armand laughed. "Hexagone Française has as big a nonhuman unit as England. We're used to having bestial eyes on us."

"I have a question."

"Yeah? What is it?"

"Did Anne of Austria create the people of this city?"

"No, she didn't."

"Then were you born this way?"

"I was only made about 10 years ago, so I can't tell you that. Well, it's possible the previous generation set things up for how the people here act, but that wasn't what clinched it."

"The current generation then?"

"Yes," said Armand as he put his hat back to normal and viewed their surroundings.

Construction was underway. The sounds of ''Lourd de Marionnette''s walking and of bellowed commands came from seemingly empty roads.

The color of approaching dawn filled the eastern sky.

However...

"As the construction continues, the stealth barrier makes it look like the city's people are disappearing," said Bernard. "This level of defense and effort is not something I saw in the past."

"No, no. It might look like a lot, but it was recorded by two Technohexen as they ascended into the sky earlier. The enemy probably knows a lot of what we're doing."

"You saw them recording it?"

"They made a vertical ascent, so it's a safe assumption. That allows easier focusing of the footage than when moving away or approaching."

Bernard nodded at Armand's explanation. He also chewed apart another skewer of meat, wooden skewer and all.

"A vertical ascent is a way of avoiding dragons."

"Explain. I could always use more tactical lessons."

"Very well. ...We dragons generally fly using our thrusters, but due to our weight, we have difficulty making vertical ascents. And as living creatures, we have to worry about our breathing and body temperature, so we cannot remain active for long at extreme altitudes without any kind of equipment. ...Technohexen are light enough to pull it off, so in dragon-controlled territory they usually make powered descents and vertical ascents instead of horizontal take-offs and landings."

"When those Technohexen were taking you all on last night, they made a vertical ascent beforehand, didn't they?"

"They must have had an excellent teacher."

"You're basically praising yourself there."

"I am not. I am merely stating a fact. ...The fact that dragons are superior to all."

Just as Bernard said that, the sun rose.

They were headed south, so the light rose into the sky on their left.

It appeared above the city wall, and...

"Good morning, my subjects!!"

They heard the Roi-Soleil's voice. It too came from the eastern city wall where the sun was rising.

The nudist was there.

Henri inspected the city while listening to the Roi-Soleil's morning greeting.

"Such wonderful weather today! As long as I remain in Paris, this land will always be filled with this pleasant atmosphere!"

His voice reached her on an eastern avenue and she saw the Roi-Soleil himself on the eastern wall.

But that was none of her concern at the moment.

She was not on bodyguard duty right now.

...''Because the musketeer unit must prepare for the defense of Paris.

She was working with the ''Belle de Marionnette''s under her command to check the simultaneous functioning of the defense and stealth barriers.

She stood before a 3m block of metal placed among the trees lining the road.

But this was no mere block of metal. It was a reinforcer for the Gallican terminal chapels set up around Paris.

Amplified by those, the terminal chapels opened the stealth and defense barriers.

They were made by the Europa business guild, so they looked like white half-arches. The stealth ones bore a relief of the Roi-Soleil and the defense ones bore a relief of Terumoto swinging a wooden sword.

When the two were set up together, the full arch seemed to depict the Roi-Soleil rejoicing as he was pummeled with a wooden sword, but that may have been Europa's way of rebelling.

At any rate, the Roi-Soleil's voice reached her ears as she measured the output to make sure it was sufficient. His words were accompanied by light harpsichord music.

"Now, everyone, it is time for some light morning exercise. First, some hip twists. ...Ooone, twooo, threee, fooour. Can you feel the Roi-Soleil Power welling up in your loins?"

''Quiet down, Roi-Soleil.

But this was a nice break for the people who had been working since late at night. A lot of them probably used his appearance as their sign to get to sleep.

...''There's no real reason to rush it, but it is important to do it together.

Protecting a city was not something a single group of personnel could accomplish. If the entire city was not working together, the enemy would break through somewhere no matter how much they fortified the actual city's defenses.

That was what had happened at Magdeburg.

Henri understood it well since she had been there.

Magdeburg had used deflection-style defense barriers and had set them up within the city walls as well.

But due to the persistent attack from the front and the constant pressure from the flooded river on the side, the barriers had bent and then broken.

But what would have happened if more people had remained behind in Magdeburg?

...''Is it meaningless to think about that now?

For a ''Belle de Marionnette'', past events were only used as a basis on which to predict future events.

But there was one thing not even that idea could make happen: allowing Roi-Soleil Louis Exiv to meet Anne of Austria.

What should she have done and when?

"————"

She did not know.

Of course, knowing would only lead to the regret of not having done so. Then she would once more search for a reason why she could not have done it.

Past distortions only led to never-ending guesses and assumptions because they were already over.

In that case...

...''Perhaps I should end this with what the Princess said.

''"We were glad to have you with us."

What had that meant?

For one thing, Terumoto's words concerning Anne's death had not reached Anne.

They only provided self-satisfaction.

But then why did Henri sense some logical acceptance of it?

If she could understand that, she guessed she would make more progress in the present instead of using so much processor time on the past.

She cursed her lack of memory space.

"Honestly..."

She looked up to the eastern wall and saw the Roi-Soleil stretching.

His hair formed a flare and he produced his own light on top of the morning sunlight.

"Heh. My subjects, now that we have completed our morning Soleil Stretches, let us begin the morning greeting. ...Good morning, everyone. It is I, the Roi-Soleil. Disappointed it isn't Terumoto, aren't you?"

Henri found herself disrespectfully agreeing with him.

He then frowned and nodded. He swung his head down thrice.

"I too would prefer Terumoto! Why have the likes of me rise so early in the morning!? I’ve risen in the morning? Is that supposed to be a euphemism, Terumoto!?"

"Hey, Mouri-01."

In a cypress bath with a view of the rising sun through the window, Terumoto rolled over with a towel on her head.

She rolled onto her stomach as if embracing the edge of the tub.

"I thought I would listen in on what was happening back there while enjoying this morning bath, but this is what I find? Just end the divine transmission."

"Testament. Should I play some music?"

Mouri-01 was mixing some shampoo and Terumoto put a hand on her chin.

"Hmm," she groaned with a tilt of the head. "The divine radio stations would be different here, wouldn't they?"

Mouri-03 responded to Terumoto's doubt by opening a ''signe cadre'' in the bath. She pulled a divine radio station broadcast list from a local newspaper company.

"The Shinto stations should be the same as ours, even if they're a little less unique."

At the same time, another ''signe cadre'' appeared.

It showed Mouri-02 down on the surface. She bowed with a large Shinto shrine behind her.

"These are the ones that have been approved back home."

A few select stations appeared.

Terumoto noticed some local ones in addition to ones that used the Shinto network to cover the entire Far East.

"Oh, there's a lot in the Fierce Monk style. I guess you have to be wild with the strings if you want to be popular."

"Terumoto, you really do like those rude songs."

"We can leave the polite stuff to Exiv. Mouri-02, thanks."

"Hee hee," laughed Mouri-01. "As your maid, it's a relief to see how well you get along."

"Is that so, is that so?"

Terumoto wiped off her face with the towel. She was wiping off the sweat. She then reached for Mouri-02's ''signe cadre'' which already had links attached to the list of stations.

"Okay," she said and a cheerful personality began speaking over the divine transmission.

"This week on the serial drama 'The Wu-rst', Sun Ce-kun fired his doctor for giving him the Wu-rst diagnosis, but now his mind is rapidly deteriorating. The next entry is titled Sun Ce Dies. I can't wait to find out what happens."

"Oh, this region would be pro-Wu, wouldn't they?"

After flipping through a few different stations, Terumoto spoke to Mouri-01.

"Tell that idiot to be quiet since I'm in the bath."

"The bath!? You're in the bath, Terumoto!?"

Henri saw her leader jumping up and down like an overexcited elementary schooler.

He placed a hand on his forehead and bent backwards.

"Heh. First thing in the morning and you're already filling me with doubt, Terumoto! In these two days without you...or has it been three days? Either way! The Roi-Soleil cares not for details!"

'''Ar-Man:''' "Hey."

'''An-Ri:''' "Just keep quiet and watch. ...And the watching part is optional."

But the Roi-Soleil turned toward Paris with a ''signe cadre'' in hand.

"Listen, everyone! While all of you are working to protect Paris, Terumoto has gone to Houjou as a representative of Mouri and she is apparently taking a bath there!"

''Why tell everyone that?'' wondered Henri.

Just then the ''signe cadre'' exploded as the Roi-Soleil held it overhead.

He spun four times as he flew northward, but he soon returned to his original location. And he opened a new ''signe cadre''.

"Heh. Feeling shy, Terumoto? But I am willing to accept that side of you."

He now had an enormous afro, but he fixed it with a single stroke of his right hand.

He confirmed he was positioned right in front of the sun and then took a breath.

He spread his arms and legs while the sun slowly rose behind him.

And he shook his head so his flare hair whipped behind him.

"Heh. Watch, my subjects, as the sun and I become one!"

A ''Belle de Marionnette'' under Henri's command sent her a divine transmission.

"Lady Henri! The sun is aligned with the Roi-Soleil's crotch! ...There's no stopping him with Lady Terumoto gone, is there!?"

It had indeed been awhile since the Roi-Soleil's stopper had been absent.

But then he crossed his arms and put on a flat expression.

"Now, then..."

'''An-Ri:''' "Roi-Soleil, the sun has risen some, so it's shifted a bit out of place."

He stood up on his toes.

"Now, then..."

Henri decided it was best not to say anything more as he raised his right hand.

"Let us continue our talk, my subjects."

The people had begun to ignore him, but now they turned back his way.

With their attention on him, he nodded once and spoke softly.

"Everyone...it is very unfortunate that Terumoto is not with us today. We all feel the same way, so we are brothers and sisters in this matter, my subjects."

What he said made enough sense that Henri nearly found herself believing him.

But there really was no one to stop him without Terumoto around.

"Listen, my subjects. The climax is tomorrow. ...Hashiba is sure to attack us using methods the likes of which we have never seen. They have the power and the skill to do so. ...So do not hold back as you prepare the conqueror's city. We have vainglory and pride. But being proud does not imply a lack of skill. Make your preparations such that we can have pride in the skill we do in fact have."

Everyone had come to a stop.

Even the rumbling of ''Lourd de Marionnette'' footsteps had ceased. There was only one thing below the quiet morning sky.

The Roi-Soleil with the sun behind him.

The French nudist lowered from his tiptoes.

He took a breath and continued with a smile.

"The climax is tomorrow. But Hexagone Française's climax is not tomorrow. We still have much greater heights to reach as the conquerors of Europe. ...Then do you know whose climax is tomorrow, my subjects?"

It would be...

"Hashiba and M.H.R.R.'s climax. They face decline after conquering the Far East and after the Thirty Years' War and they also face the Oda clan's decline. We are merely accompanying them as their climax begins. ...It is unfortunate Terumoto could not be with us. We have the privilege of seeing the climax of a group fearing their own ruin and decline. This is a scene we will never see in ourselves, so it is entirely unnecessary as reference material. But it will help relieve my sorrow."

The Roi-Soleil slowly moved.

He pointed toward heaven and then to the east.

He breathed in and raised his voice.

"Vive la Anne!"

Henri then heard inhalations across all of Paris.

A moment later, everyone moved in unison. She even heard the rumbling and mechanical noises of ''Lourd de Marionnette''s beyond the stealth barriers.

"Vive la Anne...!"

"Enough!"

The Roi-Soleil swept his hand to the side.

In an instant, everyone held their breath and tensed up.

There was stillness, but it was more than mere silence. Everything that should have moved had stopped to forcibly create this motionless atmosphere.

But even without motion, there was intensity.

And the Roi-Soleil smiled as their gazes fell on him.

"I must apologize for using Anne as a tool to build morale. Not even the sun of pride can hope to match that lively star of guidance."

So...

"Let us follow that star's guidance, everyone. ... The moon will return before long, but we must prepare this sleepless fortress before then."

"Ridiculous... Let's stay an extra week visiting hot springs."

"Hee hee. Princess, did the Roi-Soleil's wonderful speech make you blush?"

"I'm not blushing," insisted Terumoto as she turned to look out the window.

Sunlight entered through it.

And since she had needed to turn around to see the sunlight...

"We were facing in the same direction."

She wiped off her face with the towel.

"He's the type to check on that kind of thing if he can. I'm the type to accept it if it happens to happen. But..."

But...

"I'm vainglorious. Even if I don't like being alone, I can't bring myself to say it. ...And he probably needs some more time to cool his head a little."

"Oh, dear. But, Princess?

"What?"

Mouri-01 poured out some more mixed shampoo as she answered.

"Do you really think the sun can cool?"

"The moon would never get along with him if he couldn't."

Terumoto looked the other way and messed with the divine radio stations.

"Hm? We can get Musashi ones on here?"

"Probably because they have their stealth barrier down. ...Princess, let me wash your hair."

"Sure, sure."

When she held out her head, her bangs covered her face.

Mouri-01 smiled with that head and a bucket of bathwater in front of her. She stuck her finger in the water to measure the temperature and checked the reading on the ''signe cadre'' that appeared above the finger. She nodded.

"Princess, it's a little hot, so I will redo it."

"Oh? ...No, this is pretty lukewarm."

"But it is a little hot for your hair. And you have official duties today, so I will add extra yuzu."

"Isn't that a little much?"

"It should help wake you up."

"Then you might as well. ...Okay."

Mouri-01 let the contents of a small plate drip onto Terumoto's hair and Terumoto made an amused comment as it soaked in.

"That's cold."

The morning light created a dimly-lit space.

It was a triangular pyramid tent.

"Kh..."

The Reine des Garous awoke below a blanket by the tent's edge.

Her daughter slept next to her, creating the scent of a "pack" that she had not sensed in a while. Her adorable daughter had a mixture of her and her husband's scents. That wolf had inherited so much but had also begun her own independent life.

But she was curious about one thing concerning her daughter's relationships. She was likely to find out about it today, but...

...''It's about her king.

She had a question there.

Just how important was her daughter to that king?

She thought she had some understanding of that.

''But,'' she thought as she rolled from her side to her stomach. And...

"Oh?"

There was an arm in her cleavage.

"————"

This was unusual, so she stopped moving.

There were in fact two arms there.

...''Oh, now I get it.

"That would explain the dirty dream about having my husband in there."

When she freed the two arms, they crawled back to their owner. On the way, they looked back and gave a reluctant wave, so she waved back.

"Now, then."

The Reine des Garous lifted her butt, stretched, and took a deep, deep breath. And then...

"Heh heh."

She silently moved across her daughter.

She looked to Musashi's princess on the other side.

...''Why is she sleeping with her eyes open?

The arms had already returned, but she remained entirely stiff as she slept.

And the Reine des Garous's daughter's king was beyond her.

"...I wonder."

Determining his relationship with her daughter would be easy. She only had to smell him from up close.

She had already done that plenty after abducting him in Hexagone Française, but...

...''If there hasn't been any progress, I'll have to scold you a little.

They had to be fighting a series of intense battles.

He would need a knight, so her daughter's scent should have grown stronger. But if it had not...

"Oh?"

She detected her daughter's scent, just like she had in the clearing the night before.

But it did not come from him.

...''His blanket.

Yes. Her daughter's scent came from the blanket covering him.

And oddly enough, it came from the bottom end.

"Sniff..."

When she sniffed it, she detected several scents on that king's blanket. From head to toe, there was a gradation of different people's scents.

Starting from the top end, she found the Asama Shrine Representative, Musashi's princess, the king himself, and lastly her daughter.

The four scents were lined up on the blanket.

And the Reine des Garous realized how the scents would end up on the blanket like that.

...''Oh.

Given the size, the king's feet would stick out if it was turned on its side. In fact, the same would be true for her daughter, their princess, and the Asama Shrine Representative.

But this king had chosen what he could do in that moment.

"...Testament."

The Reine des Garous felt a smile on her lips as she returned to her spot.

She no longer felt a need to smell him again.

For a wild wolf, giving someone a place to sleep held great meaning. When the forest had stopped feeling like home and she had nearly lost herself, she had met the person who had given her her current home.

Whether her daughter wanted it or not, there was someone who would give the girl a home.

Her daughter was being taken care of. So...

"I should probably spend the day making sure she is behaving properly. As the Reine des Garous's daughter, as a citizen of Hexagone Française, and as the second in line to the Far East."

She sat back down on her blanket.

Her daughter slept on her side like she always had. No, when she was little, she had slept with her belly defenselessly exposed. The Reine des Garous had always placed a blanket over her then, but now...

"You've grown into a proper knight."

She smiled.

"I look forward to seeing where you go from here."

Just then, the blanket on the other side shot up into the air.

That was the Asama Shrine Representative.

"Wah...!"

She pulled a sign frame out of her cleavage. It was vibrating, but it soon disappeared.

"Kimi! I don't need an 'it's purification time' message!"

She twisted around a bit, but then noticed the Reine des Garous.

"Ah," she said. "G-good morning. Um, uh..."

She frantically looked away and reached for the change of clothes folded next to her.

"I'll be at the bath for my morning purification!"

"Yes, go ahead. ...Take care."

The girl groaned a little and blushed.

But she soon stood up and kept her footsteps quiet as she left the tent. The Reine des Garous smiled as she watched the girl go.

...''That girl.

There had been a whitish mark of a dried liquid in the corners of her eyes.

She must have been crying below her blanket the night before.

A multitude of feelings had spilled out while she used a borrowed arm as a pillow.

<noinclude>
{{HorizonNavbar
| [[Horizon:Volume 6A Chapter 14|Chapter 14]]
| [[Horizon:Volume 6A Chapter 16|Chapter 16]]
}}
</noinclude>

Horizon:Volume 1B Character

2017-12-19T22:05:04Z

162.158.134.31: /* Characters */ Brought up to style with current translations.

==Characters==
[[File:Horizon1B_010.jpg|thumb]][[File:Horizon1B_011.jpg|thumb]]
*Aoi Toori: Protagonist. Musashi Ariadust Academy’s chancellor and student council president. Mr. Impossible.
*Aoi Kimi: Toori’s older sister and worshipper of the god of eroticism and dancing. Fundamentally high-tension and selfish in practice.
*Azuma: Child of the emperor and a half-god. All his abilities have been sealed and he lives on the Musashi.
*Asama Tomo: Daughter of the Asama Shrine, Musashi’s main shrine. Childhood friend and overall victim of Toori and Kimi.
*Itou Kenji: Cheerful incubus. Nude, bald, and muscular. Known as Itoken.
*Adele Balfette: From a vassal family that arrived from France. Glasses girl.
*Kiyonari Urquiaga: 2nd special duty officer. Flying half-dragon. Hopes to be an inquisitor. Known as Uqui.
*Ohiroshiki Ginji: Gourmet otaku with a Heart-sama style build.
*Tenzou Crossunite: 1st special duty officer. Ninja and errand-runner who always covers his face with his hat.
*Shirojiro Bertoni: Treasurer. Young leading member of Musashi’s commerce and industry guild.
*Naomasa: 6th special duty officer. Older sister type who works in the engine division. Smokes and laughs loudly.
*Toussaint Neshinbara: Secretary. Loves history, wants to be an author, and writes doujins.
*Nenji: Slime with about 3 HP. Manly.
*Nate Mitotsudaira: 5th special duty officer. Member of a knight family and inheritor of the Mito Matsudaira name. Half werewolf.
*Heidi Augesvarer: Treasurer’s aide. Shirojiro’s partner. Has a white fox named Erimaki.
*Noriki: Laborer boy who supports his family. Clumsy martial artist. Silent and unsociable.
*Persona-kun: Super macho man with a bucket helmet. Silent, strong, and kindhearted.
*Hassan Furubushi: Calpis logo-style Indian. Lives while eating and drinking only curry.
*Malga Naruze: 4th special duty officer. Black-haired six-winged Weiss Hexen. Member of the manga club.
*Honda Masazumi: Vice president of the student council. Diligent exchange student who arrived from Mikawa the previous year. Has various issues with her family.
*Miriam Poqou: Girl who stays in her room because she lives in a wheelchair.
*Margot Naito: 3rd special duty officer. Blonde-haired six-winged Schwarz Hexen. Always smiling.
*Mukai Suzu: Blind but always gives it her all. Acts as everyone’s stopper.

● '''Academy's Affiliates'''

*Sakai Tadatsugu: Musashi Ariadust Academy’s president. Used to be a very able person but was demoted.
*Oriotorai Makiko: High-speed battling teacher. Always wears a track suit.
*Yoshinao: King of Musashi who was sent from Hexagone Française. Has a veto right toward the academy and has the authority to manage Musashi.
*“Musashi”: Automaton that supervises the Musashi and overall commander. Her sharp comments are hard to put up with.
*Honda Futayo: Student of Mikawa. Daughter of Honda Tadakatsu. Her language is rough, preferring to use a samurai's personal pronoun and definite article.
*Sanyou Mitsuki: Class 3-Bamboo’s homeroom teacher. Looks up to Oriotorai. Somewhat sensitive and unlucky.
*Horizon Ariadust: Toori’s childhood friend and current ruler of Mikawa. Currently an automaton. Her emotions were taken as parts for the Logismoi Oplo.

● '''Others'''

*Oda Nobunaga: In recent years, an inheritor of the name appeared, but wary of the Testament Union's assassination, he does not show his figure in public.
*Innocentius: Pope-Chancellor. The head of the old faith and representative of K.P.A. Italia.
*Matsudaira Motonobu: Mikawa's ruler. He is a "Puppet Man", but he keeps his neutral state between the Testament Union and P.A. Oda.
*Tachibana Muneshige: Peerless in the West. Wielder of the Deadly Sin Armament 'Sloth's Lament'. First special duty officer of Tres España. A good, kind man and son-in-law.
*Tachibana Gin: Tachibana Dousetsu's daughter and Muneshige's wife. Both her arms are prosthetic. Tres España's third special duty officer. Has a rather calm personality.

<noinclude>
{{HorizonNavbar
| [[Horizon:Volume_1B_Table of Contents|Table of Contents]]
| [[Horizon:Volume_1B_Glossary|Glossary]]
}}
</noinclude>

Horizon:Volume 6B Character Introduction

2017-12-19T22:00:08Z

162.158.134.31: /* Characters */ I missed this one.

==Characters==
[[File:Horizon6-B010_010.jpg|thumb]][[File:Horizon6-B011_011.jpg|thumb]][[File:Horizon6-B012_012.jpg|thumb]]

● '''Musashi'''

*Aoi Kimi: Toori’s older sister and worshipper of the god of eroticism and dancing. Fundamentally high-tension and selfish in practice.
*Aoi Toori: Protagonist. Musashi Ariadust Academy’s chancellor and student council president. Mr. Impossible.
*Asama Tomo: Daughter of the Asama Shrine, Musashi’s main shrine. Childhood friend and overall victim of Toori and Kimi.
*Azuma: Child of the emperor and a half-god. All his abilities have been sealed and he lives on the Musashi.
*Adele Balfette: From a vassal family that arrived from France. Glasses girl.
*Itou Kenji: Cheerful incubus. Nude, bald, and muscular. Known as Itoken.
*Ohiroshiki Ginji: Gourmet otaku with a Heart-sama style build.
*Kiyonari Urquiaga: 2nd special duty officer. Flying half-dragon. Hopes to be an inquisitor. Known as Uqui.
*Shirojiro Bertoni: Treasurer. Young leading member of Musashi’s commerce and industry guild.
*Tenzou Crossunite: 1st special duty officer. Ninja and errand-runner who always covers his face with his hat.
*Toussaint Neshinbara: Secretary. Loves history, wants to be an author, and writes doujins.
*Naomasa: 6th special duty officer. Older sister type who works in the engine division. Smokes and laughs loudly.
*Nate Mitotsudaira: 5th special duty officer. Member of a knight family and inheritor of the Mito Matsudaira name. Half werewolf.
*Nenji: Slime with about 3 HP. Manly.
*Noriki: Laborer boy who supports his family. Clumsy martial artist. Silent and unsociable.
*Heidi Augesvarer: Treasurer’s aide. Shirojiro’s partner. Has a white fox named Erimaki.
*Hassan Furubushi: Calpis logo-style Indian. Lives while eating and drinking only curry.
*Persona-kun: Super macho man with a bucket helmet. Silent, strong, and kindhearted.
*Horizon Ariadust: Toori’s childhood friend and current ruler of Mikawa. Currently an automaton. Her emotions were taken as parts for the Logismoi Oplo.
*Honda Futayo: Former Mikawa student. Honda Tadakatsu’s daughter. Uses a strongly old-fashioned speech pattern.
*Honda Masazumi: Vice president of the student council. Diligent exchange student who arrived from Mikawa the previous year. Has various issues with her family.
*Malga Naruze: 4th special duty officer. Black-haired six-winged Weiss Hexen. Member of the manga club.
*Margot Naito: 3rd special duty officer. Blonde-haired six-winged Schwarz Hexen. Always smiling.
*Miriam Poqou: Girl who stays in her room because she lives in a wheelchair.
*Mukai Suzu: Blind but always gives it her all. Acts as everyone’s stopper.
*Tachibana Muneshige: Former Tres España 1st special duty officer. Amore. Currently working to regain his inherited name.
*Tachibana Gin: Former Tres España 3rd special duty officer. Muneshige’s wife and possessor of cannon-style false arms. Fifty times.
*Mary Stuart: Half-sister of English Queen Elizabeth. Well-endowed blonde. Living with Tenzou as his future wife. Owner of Ex. Collbrande.
*Mishina Hiro: Granddaughter of the engine division’s chief. Loves mechanical things. Naomasa’s underclassman. Her name is pronounced Hiro, not Dai.
*Mishina Shouichi: Mishina Hiro’s father. Taizou’s son-in-law. Head of Kantou IZUMO.
*Satomi Yoshiyasu: Satomi Academy’s student council president. Small but does not cry. Uses the god of war Righteousness.
*Ookubo Tadachika/Nagayasu: A rare Far Easterner with a double inherited name. A second year and head of the representative committee. Speaks in a fake-sounding Kansai dialect.
*Kanou: Ookubo’s maid. An automaton. Head of the public morals committee. A second year.
*Date Shigezane [Narumi]: Masamune’s cousin. Vice chancellor of the Date clan and uses a mobile shell named Unturning Centipede. Confident elder sister type.

● '''Academy Officials'''

*Oriotorai Makiko: High-speed battling teacher. Always wears a track suit.
*Sakai Tadatsugu: Musashi Ariadust Academy’s president. Used to be a very able person but was demoted.
*“Musashi”: Automaton that supervises the Musashi and overall commander. Her sharp comments are hard to put up with.
*Yoshinao: King of Musashi who was sent from Hexagone Française. Has a veto right toward the academy and has the authority to manage Musashi.
*Sanyou Mitsuki: Class 3-Bamboo’s homeroom teacher. Looks up to Oriotorai. Somewhat sensitive and unlucky.

● '''M.H.R.R.'''

*Hashiba Toukichirou: M.H.R.R. Vice President and monkey-masked automaton girl. The nervous bomber type.
*Olimpia: Innocentius’s older and younger stepsister. Current Pope-Chancellor.
*Matthias: Representative of M.H.R.R.’s Catholics. Student Council President. Younger brother of Chancellor and Emperor Rudolf II. Being a puppet is fun!
*Maeda Toshiie: Catholic representative. Treasurer. Samurai attendant that has become a ghost and is peacefully spending his days with his wife Matsu.
*Fukushima Masanori: Under Hashiba’s direct command. Ten Spears #1. Speaks in an old-fashioned way.
*Katou Kiyomasa: Under Hashiba’s direct command. Ten Spears #2. The busty blonde type and speaks politely.
*Takenaka Hanbei: Ten Spears #9. Hashiba’s tactician. Carefree long-lived girl. Dies before the invasion of Mouri according to the Testament, but has also inherited the name of Kuroda Kanbei.
*Katagiri Katsumoto: Ten Spears #10. Diligent boy who fills the negotiator role among others. Used as a plaything a lot, but he won’t let it get to him and will do his best like a man!
*Katou Yoshiaki: Ten Spears #4. Gold-haired, gold-winged Weiss Hexen. Speaks sharply, but surprisingly tends to act as a mediator.
*Wakisaka Yasuharu (Angie): Ten Spears #5. Black-haired, black-winged Schwarz Hexen. The carefree type, but she truly is carefree. She powers up the flow of things.
*Hachisuka Koroku: Shouroku. God of war pilot of the Hidamari Genbu. The cool kid of the Ten Spears.
*Kani Saizou: Extremely high probability of people misreading her name. The energetic aide to the Ten Spears. Fukushima’s underclassman. Nickname: Kanitama.

● '''P.A. Oda'''

*Sassa Narimasa: One of P.A. Oda’s Six Heavenly Demon Army and Five Great Peaks. Delinquent and assault type. But methodical.
*Shibata Katsuie: One of P.A. Oda’s Six Heavenly Demon Army and Five Great Peaks. Athletic type. Very troublesome after his recent marriage.
*Fuwa Mitsuharu: P.A. Oda’s local anti-Sviet Rus treasurer. Her, Toshiie, and Narimasa are known as the Triumvirate.
*Oichi: Shibata Katsuie’s wife. Gentle berserker.
*Mori Nagayoshi: Manliest young fellow in P.A. Oda. His head spins at the instant of impact.
*Takigawa Ichimasu: P.A. Oda ninja commander who excels at castle building and ship operation.

● '''Date Clan'''

*Date Masamune: Head of the Date clan. Inherits the power of the Dragon God. Chancellor and student council president of the Date clan.
*Katakura Kojuurou: Vice president of the Date clan. Full of intense highs and lows.
*Yoshihime: Masamune’s mother. Half demonic long-lived and half human. Principal of Sendai Date Academy.

● '''Mogami Clan'''

*Mogami Yoshiaki: Betrayal-loving daimyo known as the Fox of Ushuu. Shrewd leader who unified frigid Mogami in a single generation.
*Shakenobe: The Mouse that follows Yoshiaki-sama, mon!

● '''Hexagone Française'''

*Louis Exiv: Hexagone Française’s chancellor. Refreshing young man known as the Roi-Soleil. Has divine blood.
*Mouri Terumoto: Hexagone Française’s student council president. Delinquent type. Destined to be Musashi’s enemy as leader of the Western Army.
*Henri of the Three Musketeers: Female combat-style automaton. Acts as the leader and as Terumoto’s bodyguard. Uses large remote-controlled swords.
*Armand of the Three Musketeers: Male combat-style automaton. Uses broad-range gravitational control.
*Reine de Garou: Turenne. Hexagone Française’s vice chancellor. Mitotsudaira’s mom. All-around giant breasts.
*Mitotsudaira’s Father: The Reine des Garous’s husband. A victim who is full of happiness and readily cries. Not so much passive as always under attack. 24 days.
*Bernard: A mercenary commander from M.H.R.R., but an old man who inherited the name of someone who betrayed his home nation as a Protestant and moved from battlefield to battlefield, but is actually a Celestial Dragon and siding with Hexagone Française. It’s complicated.

● '''Houjou'''

*Houjou Ujinao: Chancellor and student council vice president of the Houjou Association of Indian States. A demonic long-lived, but has an automaton body.
*Kotarou: Ninja girl Mouse that accompanies Ujinao. Skilled but gets treated like a child.

● '''Sanada'''

*Sanada Nobuyuki: Sanada’s Student Council President and Chancellor. Unclear if he’s important or not and unclear if he’s strong or not, but he is the type to live a long time.
*Sanada Masayuki: Nobuyuki’s daddy. Principal of Sanada Academy.
*Unno Rokurou: Sanada Academy Ten Braves #7. Eccentric dancer. Uses a dancing style of swordplay.
*Kakei Juuzou: Sanada Academy Ten Braves #10. Tall skinny man who uses a remote-controlled shooting technique.
*Miyoshi Isa: Sanada Academy Ten Braves #4. AKA Isa Nyuudou. Girl who uses a remote-controlled god of war.
*Anayama Kosuke: Sanada Academy Ten Braves #5. Looks like a nice guy. Uses ninja techniques.
*Yuri Kamanosuke: Sanada Academy Ten Braves #6. Specializes in sword fighting.
*Nezu Jinpachi: Sanada Academy Ten Braves #8. Specializes in sniping.
*Mochizuki Yukitada: Ten Braves #9. Automaton who uses explosion spells.

<noinclude>
{{HorizonNavbar
| [[Horizon:Volume_6B_Table of Contents|Table of Contents]]
| [[Horizon:Volume_6B_Glossary|Glossary]]
}}
</noinclude>

Horizon:Volume 6B Character Introduction

2017-12-19T21:53:47Z

162.158.134.31: A few errors edited out.

==Characters==
[[File:Horizon6-B010_010.jpg|thumb]][[File:Horizon6-B011_011.jpg|thumb]][[File:Horizon6-B012_012.jpg|thumb]]

● '''Musashi'''

*Aoi Kimi: Toori’s older sister and worshipper of the god of eroticism and dancing. Fundamentally high-tension and selfish in practice.
*Aoi Toori: Protagonist. Musashi Ariadust Academy’s chancellor and student council president. Mr. Impossible.
*Asama Tomo: Daughter of the Asama Shrine, Musashi’s main shrine. Childhood friend and overall victim of Toori and Kimi.
*Azuma: Child of the emperor and a half-god. All his abilities have been sealed and he lives on the Musashi.
*Adele Balfette: From a vassal family that arrived from France. Glasses girl.
*Itou Kenji: Cheerful incubus. Nude, bald, and muscular. Known as Itoken.
*Ohiroshiki Ginji: Gourmet otaku with a Heart-sama style build.
*Kiyonari Urquiaga: 2nd special duty officer. Flying half-dragon. Hopes to be an inquisitor. Known as Uqui.
*Shirojiro Bertoni: Treasurer. Young leading member of Musashi’s commerce and industry guild.
*Tenzou Crossunite: 1st special duty officer. Ninja and errand-runner who always covers his face with his hat.
*Toussaint Neshinbara: Secretary. Loves history, wants to be an author, and writes doujins.
*Naomasa: 6th special duty officer. Older sister type who works in the engine division. Smokes and laughs loudly.
*Nate Mitotsudaira: 5th special duty officer. Member of a knight family and inheritor of the Mito Matsudaira name. Half werewolf.
*Nenji: Slime with about 3 HP. Manly.
*Noriki: Laborer boy who supports his family. Clumsy martial artist. Silent and unsociable.
*Heidi Augesvarer: Treasurer’s aide. Shirojiro’s partner. Has a white fox named Erimaki.
*Hassan Furubushi: Calpis logo style Indian. Lives while eating and drinking only curry.
*Persona-kun: Super macho man with a bucket helmet. Silent, strong, and kindhearted.
*Horizon Ariadust: Toori’s childhood friend and current ruler of Mikawa. Currently an automaton. Her emotions were taken as parts for the Logismoi Oplo.
*Honda Futayo: Former Mikawa student. Honda Tadakatsu’s daughter. Uses a strongly old-fashioned speech pattern.
*Honda Masazumi: Vice president of the student council. Diligent exchange student who arrived from Mikawa the previous year. Has various issues with her family.
*Malga Naruze: 4th special duty officer. Black-haired six-winged Weiss Hexen. Member of the manga club.
*Margot Naito: 3rd special duty officer. Blonde-haired six-winged Schwarz Hexen. Always smiling.
*Miriam Poqou: Girl who stays in her room because she lives in a wheelchair.
*Mukai Suzu: Blind but always gives it her all. Acts as everyone’s stopper.
*Tachibana Muneshige: Former Tres España 1st special duty officer. Amore. Currently working to regain his inherited name.
*Tachibana Gin: Former Tres España 3rd special duty officer. Muneshige’s wife and possessor of cannon-style false arms. Fifty times.
*Mary Stuart: Half-sister of English Queen Elizabeth. Well-endowed blonde. Living with Tenzou as his future wife. Owner of Ex. Collbrande.
*Mishina Hiro: Granddaughter of the engine division’s chief. Loves mechanical things. Naomasa’s underclassman. Her name is pronounced Hiro, not Dai.
*Mishina Shouichi: Mishina Hiro’s father. Taizou’s son-in-law. Head of Kantou IZUMO.
*Satomi Yoshiyasu: Satomi Academy’s student council president. Small but does not cry. Uses the god of war Righteousness.
*Ookubo Tadachika/Nagayasu: A rare Far Easterner with a double inherited name. A second year and head of the representative committee. Speaks in a fake-sounding Kansai dialect.
*Kanou: Ookubo’s maid. An automaton. Head of the public morals committee. A second year.
*Date Shigezane [Narumi]: Masamune’s cousin. Vice chancellor of the Date clan and uses a mobile shell named Unturning Centipede. Confident elder sister type.

● '''Academy Officials'''

*Oriotorai Makiko: High-speed battling teacher. Always wears a track suit.
*Sakai Tadatsugu: Musashi Ariadust Academy’s president. Used to be a very able person but was demoted.
*“Musashi”: Automaton that supervises the Musashi and overall commander. Her sharp comments are hard to put up with.
*Yoshinao: King of Musashi who was sent from Hexagone Française. Has a veto right toward the academy and has the authority to manage Musashi.
*Sanyou Mitsuki: Class 3-Bamboo’s homeroom teacher. Looks up to Oriotorai. Somewhat sensitive and unlucky.

● '''M.H.R.R.'''

*Hashiba Toukichirou: M.H.R.R. Vice President and monkey-masked automaton girl. The nervous bomber type.
*Olimpia: Innocentius’s older and younger stepsister. Current Pope-Chancellor.
*Matthias: Representative of M.H.R.R.’s Catholics. Student Council President. Younger brother of Chancellor and Emperor Rudolf II. Being a puppet is fun!
*Maeda Toshiie: Catholic representative. Treasurer. Samurai attendant that has become a ghost and is peacefully spending his days with his wife Matsu.
*Fukushima Masanori: Under Hashiba’s direct command. Ten Spears #1. Speaks in an old-fashioned way.
*Katou Kiyomasa: Under Hashiba’s direct command. Ten Spears #2. The busty blonde type and speaks politely.
*Takenaka Hanbei: Ten Spears #9. Hashiba’s tactician. Carefree long-lived girl. Dies before the invasion of Mouri according to the Testament, but has also inherited the name of Kuroda Kanbei.
*Katagiri Katsumoto: Ten Spears #10. Diligent boy who fills the negotiator role among others. Used as a plaything a lot, but he won’t let it get to him and will do his best like a man!
*Katou Yoshiaki: Ten Spears #4. Gold-haired, gold-winged Weiss Hexen. Speaks sharply, but surprisingly tends to act as a mediator.
*Wakisaka Yasuharu (Angie): Ten Spears #5. Black-haired, black-winged Schwarz Hexen. The carefree type, but she truly is carefree. She powers up the flow of things.
*Hachisuka Koroku: Shouroku. God of war pilot of the Hidamari Genbu. The cool kid of the Ten Spears.
*Kani Saizou: Extremely high probability of people misreading her name. The energetic aide to the Ten Spears. Fukushima’s underclassman. Nickname: Kanitama.

● '''P.A. Oda'''

*Sassa Narimasa: One of P.A. Oda’s Six Heavenly Demon Army and Five Great Peaks. Delinquent and assault type. But methodical.
*Shibata Katsuie: One of P.A. Oda’s Six Heavenly Demon Army and Five Great Peaks. Athletic type. Very troublesome after his recent marriage.
*Fuwa Mitsuharu: P.A. Oda’s local anti-Sviet Rus treasurer. Her, Toshiie, and Narimasa are known as the Triumvirate.
*Oichi: Shibata Katsuie’s wife. Gentle berserker.
*Mori Nagayoshi: Manliest young fellow in P.A. Oda. His head spins at the instant of impact.
*Takigawa Ichimasu: P.A. Oda ninja commander who excels at castle building and ship operation.

● '''Date Clan'''

*Date Masamune: Head of the Date clan. Inherits the power of the Dragon God. Chancellor and student council president of the Date clan.
*Katakura Kojuurou: Vice president of the Date clan. Full of intense highs and lows.
*Yoshihime: Masamune’s mother. Half demonic long-lived and half human. Principal of Sendai Date Academy.

● '''Mogami Clan'''

*Mogami Yoshiaki: Betrayal-loving daimyo known as the Fox of Ushuu. Shrewd leader who unified frigid Mogami in a single generation.
*Shakenobe: The Mouse that follows Yoshiaki-sama, mon!

● '''Hexagone Française'''

*Louis Exiv: Hexagone Française’s chancellor. Refreshing young man known as the Roi-Soleil. Has divine blood.
*Mouri Terumoto: Hexagone Française’s student council president. Delinquent type. Destined to be Musashi’s enemy as leader of the Western Army.
*Henri of the Three Musketeers: Female combat-style automaton. Acts as the leader and as Terumoto’s bodyguard. Uses large remote-controlled swords.
*Armand of the Three Musketeers: Male combat-style automaton. Uses broad-range gravitational control.
*Reine de Garou: Turenne. Hexagone Française’s vice chancellor. Mitotsudaira’s mom. All-around giant breasts.
*Mitotsudaira’s Father: The Reine des Garous’s husband. A victim who is full of happiness and readily cries. Not so much passive as always under attack. 24 days.
*Bernard: A mercenary commander from M.H.R.R., but an old man who inherited the name of someone who betrayed his home nation as a Protestant and moved from battlefield to battlefield, but is actually a Celestial Dragon and siding with Hexagone Française. It’s complicated.

● '''Houjou'''

*Houjou Ujinao: Chancellor and student council vice president of the Houjou Association of Indian States. A demonic long-lived, but has an automaton body.
*Kotarou: Ninja girl Mouse that accompanies Ujinao. Skilled but gets treated like a child.

● '''Sanada'''

*Sanada Nobuyuki: Sanada’s Student Council President and Chancellor. Unclear if he’s important or not and unclear if he’s strong or not, but he is the type to live a long time.
*Sanada Masayuki: Nobuyuki’s daddy. Principal of Sanada Academy.
*Unno Rokurou: Sanada Academy Ten Braves #7. Eccentric dancer. Uses a dancing style of swordplay.
*Kakei Juuzou: Sanada Academy Ten Braves #10. Tall skinny man who uses a remote-controlled shooting technique.
*Miyoshi Isa: Sanada Academy Ten Braves #4. AKA Isa Nyuudou. Girl who uses a remote-controlled god of war.
*Anayama Kosuke: Sanada Academy Ten Braves #5. Looks like a nice guy. Uses ninja techniques.
*Yuri Kamanosuke: Sanada Academy Ten Braves #6. Specializes in sword fighting.
*Nezu Jinpachi: Sanada Academy Ten Braves #8. Specializes in sniping.
*Mochizuki Yukitada: Ten Braves #9. Automaton who uses explosion spells.

<noinclude>
{{HorizonNavbar
| [[Horizon:Volume_6B_Table of Contents|Table of Contents]]
| [[Horizon:Volume_6B_Glossary|Glossary]]
}}
</noinclude>

Horizon:Volume 6A Character Introduction

2017-12-19T21:53:15Z

162.158.134.31: A few errors edited out.

==Characters==
[[File:Horizon6A_010.jpg|thumb]][[File:Horizon6A_011.jpg|thumb]][[File:Horizon6A_012.jpg|thumb]]

● '''Musashi'''

*Aoi Kimi: Toori’s older sister and worshipper of the god of eroticism and dancing. Fundamentally high-tension and selfish in practice.
*Aoi Toori: Protagonist. Musashi Ariadust Academy’s chancellor and student council president. Mr. Impossible.
*Asama Tomo: Daughter of the Asama Shrine, Musashi’s main shrine. Childhood friend and overall victim of Toori and Kimi.
*Azuma: Child of the emperor and a half-god. All his abilities have been sealed and he lives on the Musashi.
*Adele Balfette: From a vassal family that arrived from France. Glasses girl.
*Itou Kenji: Cheerful incubus. Nude, bald, and muscular. Known as Itoken.
*Ohiroshiki Ginji: Gourmet otaku with a Heart-sama style build.
*Kiyonari Urquiaga: 2nd special duty officer. Flying half-dragon. Hopes to be an inquisitor. Known as Uqui.
*Shirojiro Bertoni: Treasurer. Young leading member of Musashi’s commerce and industry guild.
*Tenzou Crossunite: 1st special duty officer. Ninja and errand-runner who always covers his face with his hat.
*Toussaint Neshinbara: Secretary. Loves history, wants to be an author, and writes doujins.
*Naomasa: 6th special duty officer. Older sister type who works in the engine division. Smokes and laughs loudly.
*Nate Mitotsudaira: 5th special duty officer. Member of a knight family and inheritor of the Mito Matsudaira name. Half werewolf.
*Nenji: Slime with about 3 HP. Manly.
*Noriki: Laborer boy who supports his family. Clumsy martial artist. Silent and unsociable.
*Heidi Augesvarer: Treasurer’s aide. Shirojiro’s partner. Has a white fox named Erimaki.
*Hassan Furubushi: Calpis logo style Indian. Lives while eating and drinking only curry.
*Persona-kun: Super macho man with a bucket helmet. Silent, strong, and kindhearted.
*Horizon Ariadust: Toori’s childhood friend and current ruler of Mikawa. Currently an automaton. Her emotions were taken as parts for the Logismoi Oplo.
*Honda Futayo: Former Mikawa student. Honda Tadakatsu’s daughter. Uses a strongly old-fashioned speech pattern.
*Honda Masazumi: Vice president of the student council. Diligent exchange student who arrived from Mikawa the previous year. Has various issues with her family.
*Malga Naruze: 4th special duty officer. Black-haired six-winged Weiss Hexen. Member of the manga club.
*Margot Naito: 3rd special duty officer. Blonde-haired six-winged Schwarz Hexen. Always smiling.
*Miriam Poqou: Girl who stays in her room because she lives in a wheelchair.
*Mukai Suzu: Blind but always gives it her all. Acts as everyone’s stopper.
*Tachibana Muneshige: Former Tres España 1st special duty officer. Amore. Currently working to regain his inherited name.
*Tachibana Gin: Former Tres España 3rd special duty officer. Muneshige’s wife and possessor of cannon-style false arms. Fifty times.
*Mary Stuart: Half-sister of English Queen Elizabeth. Well-endowed blonde. Living with Tenzou as his future wife. Owner of Ex. Collbrande.
*Mishina Hiro: Granddaughter of the engine division’s chief. Loves mechanical things. Naomasa’s underclassman. Her name is pronounced Hiro, not Dai.
*Mishina Shouichi: Mishina Hiro’s father. Taizou’s son-in-law. Head of Kantou IZUMO.
*Satomi Yoshiyasu: Satomi Academy’s student council president. Small but does not cry. Uses the god of war Righteousness.
*Ookubo Tadachika/Nagayasu: A rare Far Easterner with a double inherited name. A second year and head of the representative committee. Speaks in a fake-sounding Kansai dialect.
*Kanou: Ookubo’s maid. An automaton. Head of the public morals committee. A second year.
*Date Shigezane [Narumi]: Masamune’s cousin. Vice chancellor of the Date clan and uses a mobile shell named Unturning Centipede. Confident elder sister type.

● '''Academy Officials'''

*Oriotorai Makiko: High-speed battling teacher. Always wears a track suit.
*Sakai Tadatsugu: Musashi Ariadust Academy’s president. Used to be a very able person but was demoted.
*“Musashi”: Automaton that supervises the Musashi and overall commander. Her sharp comments are hard to put up with.
*Yoshinao: King of Musashi who was sent from Hexagone Française. Has a veto right toward the academy and has the authority to manage Musashi.
*Sanyou Mitsuki: Class 3-Bamboo’s homeroom teacher. Looks up to Oriotorai. Somewhat sensitive and unlucky.

● '''M.H.R.R.'''

*Hashiba Toukichirou: M.H.R.R. Vice President and monkey-masked automaton girl. The nervous bomber type.
*Olimpia: Innocentius’s older and younger stepsister. Current Pope-Chancellor.
*Matthias: Representative of M.H.R.R.’s Catholics. Student Council President. Younger brother of Chancellor and Emperor Rudolf II. Being a puppet is fun!
*Maeda Toshiie: Catholic representative. Treasurer. Samurai attendant that has become a ghost and is peacefully spending his days with his wife Matsu.
*Fukushima Masanori: Under Hashiba’s direct command. Ten Spears #1. Speaks in an old-fashioned way.
*Katou Kiyomasa: Under Hashiba’s direct command. Ten Spears #2. The busty blonde type and speaks politely.
*Takenaka Hanbei: Ten Spears #9. Hashiba’s tactician. Carefree long-lived girl. Dies before the invasion of Mouri according to the Testament, but has also inherited the name of Kuroda Kanbei.
*Katagiri Katsumoto: Ten Spears #10. Diligent boy who fills the negotiator role among others. Used as a plaything a lot, but he won’t let it get to him and will do his best like a man!
*Katou Yoshiaki: Ten Spears #4. Gold-haired, gold-winged Weiss Hexen. Speaks sharply, but surprisingly tends to act as a mediator.
*Wakisaka Yasuharu (Angie): Ten Spears #5. Black-haired, black-winged Schwarz Hexen. The carefree type, but she truly is carefree. She powers up the flow of things.

● '''P.A. Oda'''

*Sassa Narimasa: One of P.A. Oda’s Six Heavenly Demon Army and Five Great Peaks. Delinquent and assault type. But methodical.
*Shibata Katsuie: One of P.A. Oda’s Six Heavenly Demon Army and Five Great Peaks. Athletic type. Very troublesome after his recent marriage.
*Fuwa Mitsuharu: P.A. Oda’s local anti-Sviet Rus treasurer. Her, Toshiie, and Narimasa are known as the Triumvirate.
*Oichi: Shibata Katsuie’s wife. Gentle berserker.
*Mori Nagayoshi: Manliest young fellow in P.A. Oda. His head spins at the instant of impact.
*Takigawa Ichimasu: P.A. Oda ninja commander who excels at castle building and ship operation.

● '''Date Clan'''

*Date Masamune: Head of the Date clan. Inherits the power of the Dragon God. Chancellor and student council president of the Date clan.
*Katakura Kojuurou: Vice president of the Date clan. Full of intense highs and lows.
*Yoshihime: Masamune’s mother. Half demonic long-lived and half human. Principal of Sendai Date Academy.

● '''Mogami Clan'''

*Mogami Yoshiaki: Betrayal-loving daimyo known as the Fox of Ushuu. Shrewd leader who unified frigid Mogami in a single generation.
*Shakenobe: The Mouse that follows Yoshiaki-sama, mon!

● '''Hexagone Française'''

*Louis Exiv: Hexagone Française’s chancellor. Refreshing young man known as the Roi-Soleil. Has divine blood.
*Mouri Terumoto: Hexagone Française’s student council president. Delinquent type. Destined to be Musashi’s enemy as leader of the Western Army.
*Henri of the Three Musketeers: Female combat-style automaton. Acts as the leader and as Terumoto’s bodyguard. Uses large remote-controlled swords.
*Armand of the Three Musketeers: Male combat-style automaton. Uses broad-range gravitational control.
*Reine de Garou: Turenne. Hexagone Française’s vice chancellor. Mitotsudaira’s mom. All-around giant breasts.
*Mitotsudaira’s Father: The Reine des Garous’s husband. A victim who is full of happiness and readily cries. Not so much passive as always under attack. 24 days.

● '''Houjou'''

*Houjou Ujinao: Chancellor and student council vice president of the Houjou Association of Indian States. A demonic long-lived, but has an automaton body.
*Kotarou: Ninja girl Mouse that accompanies Ujinao. Skilled but gets treated like a child.

● '''Sanada'''

*Sanada Nobuyuki: Sanada’s Student Council President and Chancellor. Unclear if he’s important or not and unclear if he’s strong or not, but he is the type to live a long time.
*Sanada Masayuki: Nobuyuki’s daddy. Principal of Sanada Academy.
*Unno Rokurou: Sanada Academy Ten Braves #7. Eccentric dancer. Uses a dancing style of swordplay.
*Kakei Juuzou: Sanada Academy Ten Braves #10. Tall skinny man who uses a remote-controlled shooting technique.
*Miyoshi Isa: Sanada Academy Ten Braves #4. AKA Isa Nyuudou. Girl who uses a remote-controlled god of war.
*Anayama Kosuke: Sanada Academy Ten Braves #5. Looks like a nice guy. Uses ninja techniques.
*Yuri Kamanosuke: Sanada Academy Ten Braves #6. Specializes in sword fighting.
*Nezu Jinpachi: Sanada Academy Ten Braves #8. Specializes in sniping.
*Mochizuki Yukitada: Ten Braves #9. Automaton who uses explosion spells.

<noinclude>
{{HorizonNavbar
| [[Horizon:Volume_6A_Table of Contents|Table of Contents]]
| [[Horizon:Volume_6A_Glossary|Glossary]]
}}
</noinclude>

Horizon:Volume 5B Character Introduction

2017-12-19T21:52:53Z

162.158.134.31: A few errors edited out.

==Characters==
[[File:Horizon5B_010.jpg|thumb]][[File:Horizon5B_011.jpg|thumb]][[File:Horizon5B_012.jpg|thumb]]

● '''Musashi'''

*Aoi Kimi: Toori’s older sister and worshipper of the god of eroticism and dancing. Fundamentally high-tension and selfish in practice.
*Aoi Toori: Protagonist. Musashi Ariadust Academy’s chancellor and student council president. Mr. Impossible.
*Asama Tomo: Daughter of the Asama Shrine, Musashi’s main shrine. Childhood friend and overall victim of Toori and Kimi.
*Azuma: Child of the emperor and a half-god. All his abilities have been sealed and he lives on the Musashi.
*Adele Balfette: From a vassal family that arrived from France. Glasses girl.
*Itou Kenji: Cheerful incubus. Nude, bald, and muscular. Known as Itoken.
*Ohiroshiki Ginji: Gourmet otaku with a Heart-sama style build.
*Kiyonari Urquiaga: 2nd special duty officer. Flying half-dragon. Hopes to be an inquisitor. Known as Uqui.
*Shirojiro Bertoni: Treasurer. Young leading member of Musashi’s commerce and industry guild.
*Tenzou Crossunite: 1st special duty officer. Ninja and errand-runner who always covers his face with his hat.
*Toussaint Neshinbara: Secretary. Loves history, wants to be an author, and writes doujins.
*Naomasa: 6th special duty officer. Older sister type who works in the engine division. Smokes and laughs loudly.
*Nate Mitotsudaira: 5th special duty officer. Member of a knight family and inheritor of the Mito Matsudaira name. Half werewolf.
*Nenji: Slime with about 3 HP. Manly.
*Noriki: Laborer boy who supports his family. Clumsy martial artist. Silent and unsociable.
*Heidi Augesvarer: Treasurer’s aide. Shirojiro’s partner. Has a white fox named Erimaki.
*Hassan Furubushi: Calpis logo style Indian. Lives while eating and drinking only curry.
*Persona-kun: Super macho man with a bucket helmet. Silent, strong, and kindhearted.
*Horizon Ariadust: Toori’s childhood friend and current ruler of Mikawa. Currently an automaton. Her emotions were taken as parts for the Logismoi Oplo.
*Honda Futayo: Former Mikawa student. Honda Tadakatsu’s daughter. Uses a strongly old-fashioned speech pattern.
*Honda Masazumi: Vice president of the student council. Diligent exchange student who arrived from Mikawa the previous year. Has various issues with her family.
*Malga Naruze: 4th special duty officer. Black-haired six-winged Weiss Hexen. Member of the manga club.
*Margot Naito: 3rd special duty officer. Blonde-haired six-winged Schwarz Hexen. Always smiling.
*Miriam Poqou: Girl who stays in her room because she lives in a wheelchair.
*Mukai Suzu: Blind but always gives it her all. Acts as everyone’s stopper.
*Tachibana Muneshige: Former Tres España 1st special duty officer. Amore. Currently working to regain his inherited name.
*Tachibana Gin: Former Tres España 3rd special duty officer. Muneshige’s wife and possessor of cannon-style false arms. Fifty times.
*Mary Stuart: Half-sister of English Queen Elizabeth. Well-endowed blonde. Living with Tenzou as his future wife. Owner of Ex. Collbrande.
*Mishina Hiro: Granddaughter of the engine division’s chief. Loves mechanical things. Naomasa’s underclassman. Her name is pronounced Hiro, not Dai.
*Mishina Shouichi: Mishina Hiro’s father. Taizou’s son-in-law. Head of Kantou IZUMO.
*Satomi Yoshiyasu: Satomi Academy’s student council president. Small but does not cry. Uses the god of war Righteousness.
*Ookubo Tadachika/Nagayasu: A rare Far Easterner with a double inherited name. A second year and head of the representative committee. Speaks in a fake-sounding Kansai dialect.
*Kanou: Ookubo’s maid. An automaton. Head of the public morals committee. A second year.
*Date Shigezane [Narumi]: Masamune’s cousin. Vice chancellor of the Date clan and uses a mobile shell named Unturning Centipede. Confident elder sister type.

● '''Academy Officials'''

*Oriotorai Makiko: High-speed battling teacher. Always wears a track suit.
*Sakai Tadatsugu: Musashi Ariadust Academy’s president. Used to be a very able person but was demoted.
*“Musashi”: Automaton that supervises the Musashi and overall commander. Her sharp comments are hard to put up with.
*Yoshinao: King of Musashi who was sent from Hexagone Française. Has a veto right toward the academy and has the authority to manage Musashi.
*Sanyou Mitsuki: Class 3-Bamboo’s homeroom teacher. Looks up to Oriotorai. Somewhat sensitive and unlucky.

● '''M.H.R.R.'''

*Hashiba Toukichirou: M.H.R.R. Vice President and monkey-masked automaton girl. The nervous bomber type.
*Olimpia: Innocentius’s older and younger stepsister. Current Pope-Chancellor.
*Matthias: Representative of M.H.R.R.’s Catholics. Student Council President. Younger brother of Chancellor and Emperor Rudolf II. Being a puppet is fun!
*Maeda Toshiie: Catholic representative. Treasurer. Samurai attendant that has become a ghost and is peacefully spending his days with his wife Matsu.
*Fukushima Masanori: Under Hashiba’s direct command. Ten Spears #1. Speaks in an old-fashioned way.
*Katou Kiyomasa: Under Hashiba’s direct command. Ten Spears #2. The busty blonde type and speaks politely.
*Takenaka Hanbei: Ten Spears #9. Hashiba’s tactician. Carefree long-lived girl. Dies before the invasion of Mouri according to the Testament, but has also inherited the name of Kuroda Kanbei.
*Katagiri Katsumoto: Ten Spears #10. Diligent boy who fills the negotiator role among others. Used as a plaything a lot, but he won’t let it get to him and will do his best like a man!
*Katou Yoshiaki: Ten Spears #4. Gold-haired, gold-winged Weiss Hexen. Speaks sharply, but surprisingly tends to act as a mediator.
*Wakisaka Yasuharu (Angie): Ten Spears #5. Black-haired, black-winged Schwarz Hexen. The carefree type, but she truly is carefree. She powers up the flow of things.

● '''P.A. Oda'''

*Sassa Narimasa: One of P.A. Oda’s Six Heavenly Demon Army and Five Great Peaks. Delinquent and assault type. But methodical.
*Shibata Katsuie: One of P.A. Oda’s Six Heavenly Demon Army and Five Great Peaks. Athletic type. Very troublesome after his recent marriage.
*Fuwa Mitsuharu: P.A. Oda’s local anti-Sviet Rus treasurer. Her, Toshiie, and Narimasa are known as the Triumvirate.
*Oichi: Shibata Katsuie’s wife. Gentle berserker.
*Mori Nagayoshi: Manliest young fellow in P.A. Oda. His head spins at the instant of impact.
*Takigawa Ichimasu: P.A. Oda ninja commander who excels at castle building and ship operation.

● '''Date Clan'''

*Date Masamune: Head of the Date clan. Inherits the power of the Dragon God. Chancellor and student council president of the Date clan.
*Katakura Kojuurou: Vice president of the Date clan. Full of intense highs and lows.
*Yoshihime: Masamune’s mother. Half demonic long-lived and half human. Principal of Sendai Date Academy.

● '''Mogami Clan'''

*Mogami Yoshiaki: Betrayal-loving daimyo known as the Fox of Ushuu. Shrewd leader who unified frigid Mogami in a single generation.
*Shakenobe: The Mouse that follows Yoshiaki-sama, mon!

● '''Hexagone Française'''

*Louis Exiv: Hexagone Française’s chancellor. Refreshing young man known as the Roi-Soleil. Has divine blood.
*Mouri Terumoto: Hexagone Française’s student council president. Delinquent type. Destined to be Musashi’s enemy as leader of the Western Army.
*Henri of the Three Musketeers: Female combat-style automaton. Acts as the leader and as Terumoto’s bodyguard. Uses large remote-controlled swords.
*Armand of the Three Musketeers: Male combat-style automaton. Uses broad-range gravitational control.
*Reine de Garou: Turenne. Hexagone Française’s vice chancellor. Mitotsudaira’s mom. All-around giant breasts.
*Mitotsudaira’s Father: The Reine des Garous’s husband. A victim who is full of happiness and readily cries. Not so much passive as always under attack. 24 days.

● '''Houjou'''

*Houjou Ujinao: Chancellor and student council vice president of the Houjou Association of Indian States. A demonic long-lived, but has an automaton body.
*Kotarou: Ninja girl Mouse that accompanies Ujinao. Skilled but gets treated like a child.

● '''Sanada'''

*Sanada Nobuyuki: Sanada’s Student Council President and Chancellor. Unclear if he’s important or not and unclear if he’s strong or not, but he is the type to live a long time.
*Sanada Masayuki: Nobuyuki’s daddy. Principal of Sanada Academy.
*Unno Rokurou: Sanada Academy Ten Braves #7. Eccentric dancer. Uses a dancing style of swordplay.
*Kakei Juuzou: Sanada Academy Ten Braves #10. Tall skinny man who uses a remote-controlled shooting technique.
*Miyoshi Isa: Sanada Academy Ten Braves #4. AKA Isa Nyuudou. Girl who uses a remote-controlled god of war.
*Anayama Kosuke: Sanada Academy Ten Braves #5. Looks like a nice guy. Uses ninja techniques.
*Yuri Kamanosuke: Sanada Academy Ten Braves #6. Specializes in sword fighting.
*Nezu Jinpachi: Sanada Academy Ten Braves #8. Specializes in sniping.
*Mochizuki Yukitada: Ten Braves #9. Automaton who uses explosion spells.

<noinclude>
{{HorizonNavbar
| [[Horizon:Volume_5B_Table of Contents|Table of Contents]]
| [[Horizon:Volume_5B_Glossary|Glossary]]
}}
</noinclude>

Horizon:Volume 5A Character Introduction

2017-12-19T21:52:32Z

162.158.134.31: A few errors edited out.

==Characters==
[[File:Horizon5A_010.jpg|thumb]][[File:Horizon5A_011.jpg|thumb]][[File:Horizon5A_012.jpg|thumb]]

● '''Musashi'''

*Aoi Kimi: Toori’s older sister and worshipper of the god of eroticism and dancing. Fundamentally high-tension and selfish in practice.
*Aoi Toori: Protagonist. Musashi Ariadust Academy’s chancellor and student council president. Mr. Impossible.
*Asama Tomo: Daughter of the Asama Shrine, Musashi’s main shrine. Childhood friend and overall victim of Toori and Kimi.
*Azuma: Child of the emperor and a half-god. All his abilities have been sealed and he lives on the Musashi.
*Adele Balfette: From a vassal family that arrived from France. Glasses girl.
*Itou Kenji: Cheerful incubus. Nude, bald, and muscular. Known as Itoken.
*Ohiroshiki Ginji: Gourmet otaku with a Heart-sama style build.
*Kiyonari Urquiaga: 2nd special duty officer. Flying half-dragon. Hopes to be an inquisitor. Known as Uqui.
*Shirojiro Bertoni: Treasurer. Young leading member of Musashi’s commerce and industry guild.
*Tenzou Crossunite: 1st special duty officer. Ninja and errand-runner who always covers his face with his hat.
*Toussaint Neshinbara: Secretary. Loves history, wants to be an author, and writes doujins.
*Naomasa: 6th special duty officer. Older sister type who works in the engine division. Smokes and laughs loudly.
*Nate Mitotsudaira: 5th special duty officer. Member of a knight family and inheritor of the Mito Matsudaira name. Half werewolf.
*Nenji: Slime with about 3 HP. Manly.
*Noriki: Laborer boy who supports his family. Clumsy martial artist. Silent and unsociable.
*Heidi Augesvarer: Treasurer’s aide. Shirojiro’s partner. Has a white fox named Erimaki.
*Hassan Furubushi: Calpis logo style Indian. Lives while eating and drinking only curry.
*Persona-kun: Super macho man with a bucket helmet. Silent, strong, and kindhearted.
*Horizon Ariadust: Toori’s childhood friend and current ruler of Mikawa. Currently an automaton. Her emotions were taken as parts for the Logismoi Oplo.
*Honda Futayo: Former Mikawa student. Honda Tadakatsu’s daughter. Uses a strongly old-fashioned speech pattern.
*Honda Masazumi: Vice president of the student council. Diligent exchange student who arrived from Mikawa the previous year. Has various issues with her family.
*Malga Naruze: 4th special duty officer. Black-haired six-winged Weiss Hexen. Member of the manga club.
*Margot Naito: 3rd special duty officer. Blonde-haired six-winged Schwarz Hexen. Always smiling.
*Miriam Poqou: Girl who stays in her room because she lives in a wheelchair.
*Mukai Suzu: Blind but always gives it her all. Acts as everyone’s stopper.
*Tachibana Muneshige: Former Tres España 1st special duty officer. Amore. Currently working to regain his inherited name.
*Tachibana Gin: Former Tres España 3rd special duty officer. Muneshige’s wife and possessor of cannon-style false arms. Fifty times.
*Mary Stuart: Half-sister of English Queen Elizabeth. Well-endowed blonde. Living with Tenzou as his future wife. Owner of Ex. Collbrande.
*Mishina Hiro: Granddaughter of the engine division’s chief. Loves mechanical things. Naomasa’s underclassman. Her name is pronounced Hiro, not Dai.
*Mishina Shouichi: Mishina Hiro’s father. Taizou’s son-in-law. Head of Kantou IZUMO.
*Satomi Yoshiyasu: Satomi Academy’s student council president. Small but does not cry. Uses the god of war Righteousness.
*Ookubo Tadachika/Nagayasu: A rare Far Easterner with a double inherited name. A second year and head of the representative committee. Speaks in a fake-sounding Kansai dialect.
*Kanou: Ookubo’s maid. An automaton. Head of the public morals committee. A second year.
*Date Shigesana [Narumi]: Masamune’s cousin. Vice chancellor of the Date clan and uses a mobile shell named Unturning Centipede. Confident elder sister type.

● '''Academy Officials'''

*Oriotorai Makiko: High-speed battling teacher. Always wears a track suit.
*Sakai Tadatsugu: Musashi Ariadust Academy’s president. Used to be a very able person but was demoted.
*“Musashi”: Automaton that supervises the Musashi and overall commander. Her sharp comments are hard to put up with.
*“Asakusa”: Captain automaton of Musashi’s first port ship. Short hair.
*“Shinagawa”: Captain automaton of Musashi’s first starboard ship. Same model as “Asakusa”.
*“Okutama”: Captain automaton of Musashi’s rear central ship. Also takes care of odd jobs at Sakai’s home.
*“Musashino”: Captain automaton of Musashi’s front central ship. Leader on the bridge. Close to Suzu and Adele.
*Yoshinao: King of Musashi who was sent from Hexagone Française. Has a veto right toward the academy and has the authority to manage Musashi.
*Sanyou Mitsuki: Class 3-Bamboo’s homeroom teacher. Looks up to Oriotorai. Somewhat sensitive and unlucky.

● '''M.H.R.R.'''

*Hashiba Toukichirou: M.H.R.R. Vice President and monkey-masked automaton girl. The nervous bomber type.
*Olimpia: Innocentius’s older and younger stepsister. Current Pope-Chancellor.
*Matthias: Representative of M.H.R.R.’s Catholics. Student Council President. Younger brother of Chancellor and Emperor Rudolf II. Being a puppet is fun!
*Maeda Toshiie: Catholic representative. Treasurer. Samurai attendant that has become a ghost and is peacefully spending his days with his wife Matsu.
*Fukushima Masanori: Under Hashiba’s direct command. Ten Spears #1. Speaks in an old-fashioned way.
*Katou Kiyomasa: Under Hashiba’s direct command. Ten Spears #2. The busty blonde type and speaks politely.
*Takenaka Hanbei: Ten Spears #9. Hashiba’s tactician. Carefree long-lived girl. Dies before the invasion of Mouri according to the Testament, but has also inherited the name of Kuroda Kanbei.
*Katagiri Katsumoto: Ten Spears #10. Diligent boy who fills the negotiator role among others. Used as a plaything a lot, but he won’t let it get to him and will do his best like a man!

● '''P.A. Oda'''

*Sassa Narimasa: One of P.A. Oda’s Six Heavenly Demon Army and Five Great Peaks. Delinquent and assault type. But methodical.
*Shibata Katsuie: One of P.A. Oda’s Six Heavenly Demon Army and Five Great Peaks. Athletic type. Very troublesome after his recent marriage.
*Fuwa Mitsuharu: P.A. Oda’s local anti-Sviet Rus treasurer. Her, Toshiie, and Narimasa are known as the Triumvirate.
*Oichi: Shibata Katsuie’s wife. Gentle berserker.
*Mori Nagayoshi: Manliest young fellow in P.A. Oda. His head spins at the instant of impact.
*Takigawa Ichimasu: P.A. Oda ninja commander who excels at castle building and ship operation.

● '''Date Clan'''

*Date Masamune: Head of the Date clan. Inherits the power of the Dragon God. Chancellor and student council president of the Date clan.
*Katakura Kojuurou: Vice president of the Date clan. Full of intense highs and lows.
*Yoshihime: Masamune’s mother. Half demonic long-lived and half human. Principal of Sendai Date Academy.

● '''Sviet Rus'''

*Marfa Boretskaya: Female mayor of the floating city Novgorod. An undead demon.
*Honjou Shigenaga: Brave general who defends Sviet Rus’s lands. Uses the Honjou Shield.
*Uesugi Kagekatsu: Head of the Uesugi clan and demon king who has inherited the name of Sviet Rus’s king Ivan the Terrible. Uses a metal staff and lightning attacks.
*Saitou Tomonobu: Elderly Sviet Rus 1st Special Duty Officer. A “Zhong Kui” who can predict the flow of battle and his enemy’s movements based on his experience.

● '''Mogami Clan'''

*Mogami Yoshiaki: Betrayal-loving daimyo known as the Fox of Ushuu. Shrewd leader who unified frigid Mogami in a single generation.
*Shakenobe: The Mouse that follows Yoshiaki-sama, mon!

● '''Hexagone Française'''

*Louis Exiv: Hexagone Française’s chancellor. Refreshing young man known as the Roi-Soleil. Has divine blood.
*Mouri Terumoto: Hexagone Française’s student council president. Delinquent type. Destined to be Musashi’s enemy as leader of the Western Army.
*Henri of the Three Musketeers: Female combat-style automaton. Acts as the leader and as Terumoto’s bodyguard. Uses large remote-controlled swords.
*Armand of the Three Musketeers: Male combat-style automaton. Uses broad-range gravitational control.
*Reine de Garou: Turenne. Hexagone Française’s vice chancellor. Mitotsudaira’s mom. All-around giant breasts.

● '''Houjou'''

*Houjou Ujinao: Chancellor and student council vice president of the Houjou Association of Indian States. A demonic long-lived, but has an automaton body.
*Kotarou: Ninja girl Mouse that accompanies Ujinao. Skilled but gets treated like a child.

● '''Sanada'''

*Unno Rokurou: Sanada Academy Ten Braves #7. Eccentric dancer. Uses a dancing style of swordplay.
*Kakei Juuzou: Sanada Academy Ten Braves #10. Tall skinny man who uses a remote-controlled shooting technique.
*Mochizuki Yukitada: Ten Braves #9. Automaton who uses explosion spells.

<noinclude>
{{HorizonNavbar
| [[Horizon:Volume_5A_Table of Contents|Table of Contents]]
| [[Horizon:Volume_5A_Glossary|Glossary]]
}}
</noinclude>

Horizon:Volume 2B Character Introduction

2017-12-19T21:52:06Z

162.158.134.31: A few errors edited out.

==Characters==
[[File:Horizon2B_0010.png|thumb]][[File:Horizon2B_0011.png|thumb]]

● '''Musashi'''

*Aoi Kimi: Toori’s older sister and worshipper of the god of eroticism and dancing. Fundamentally high-tension and selfish in practice.
*Aoi Toori: Protagonist. Musashi Ariadust Academy’s chancellor and student council president. Mr. Impossible.
*Asama Tomo: Daughter of the Asama Shrine, Musashi’s main shrine. Childhood friend and overall victim of Toori and Kimi.
*Azuma: Child of the emperor and a half-god. All his abilities have been sealed and he lives on the Musashi.
*Adele Balfette: From a vassal family that arrived from France. Glasses girl.
*Itou Kenji: Cheerful incubus. Nude, bald, and muscular. Known as Itoken.
*Ohiroshiki Ginji: Gourmet otaku with a Heart-sama style build.
*Kiyonari Urquiaga: 2nd special duty officer. Flying half-dragon. Hopes to be an inquisitor. Known as Uqui.
*Shirojiro Bertoni: Treasurer. Young leading member of Musashi’s commerce and industry guild.
*Tenzou Crossunite: 1st special duty officer. Ninja and errand-runner who always covers his face with his hat.
*Toussaint Neshinbara: Secretary. Loves history, wants to be an author, and writes doujins.
*Naomasa: 6th special duty officer. Older sister type who works in the engine division. Smokes and laughs loudly.
*Nate Mitotsudaira: 5th special duty officer. Member of a knight family and inheritor of the Mito Matsudaira name. Half werewolf.
*Nenji: Slime with about 3 HP. Manly.
*Noriki: Laborer boy who supports his family. Clumsy martial artist. Silent and unsociable.
*Heidi Augesvarer: Treasurer’s aide. Shirojiro’s partner. Has a white fox named Erimaki.
*Hassan Furubushi: Calpis logo style Indian. Lives while eating and drinking only curry.
*Persona-kun: Super macho man with a bucket helmet. Silent, strong, and kindhearted.
*Horizon Ariadust: Toori’s childhood friend and current ruler of Mikawa. Currently an automaton. Her emotions were taken as parts for the Logismoi Oplo.
*Honda Futayo: Former Mikawa student. Honda Tadakatsu’s daughter. Uses a strongly old-fashioned speech pattern.
*Honda Masazumi: Vice president of the student council. Diligent exchange student who arrived from Mikawa the previous year. Has various issues with her family.
*Malga Naruze: 4th special duty officer. Black-haired six-winged Weiss Hexen. Member of the manga club.
*Margot Naito: 3rd special duty officer. Blonde-haired six-winged Schwarz Hexen. Always smiling.
*Miriam Poqou: Girl who stays in her room because she lives in a wheelchair.
*Mukai Suzu: Blind but always gives it her all. Acts as everyone’s stopper.

● '''Academy Affiliates'''

*Oriotorai Makiko: High-speed battling teacher. Always wears a track suit.
*Sakai Tadatsugu: Musashi Ariadust Academy’s president. Used to be a very able person but was demoted.
*“Musashi”: Automaton that supervises the Musashi and overall commander. Her sharp comments are hard to put up with.
*Yoshinao: King of Musashi who was sent from Hexagone Française. Has a veto right toward the academy and has the authority to manage Musashi.
*Sanyou Mitsuki: Class 3-Bamboo’s homeroom teacher. Looks up to Oriotorai. Somewhat sensitive and unlucky.

● '''Tres España'''

*Felipe Segundo: Chancellor and student council president. Hard-working middle-aged man.
*Juana: Vice president of the student council. Female teacher type. Logismoi Oplo user.
*Velázquez: Secretary. Long-lived. Painter and Testamenta Arma user. Middle-aged.
*Hironaka Takakane: Vice chancellor. Ghost. Baseball team captain. Testamenta Arma user.
*Tachibana Muneshige: Peerless in the West. Logismoi Oplo “Lype Katathlipse” user. Tres España’s 1st special duty officer. A fairly nice person and adopted into his family by marriage.
*Era Fusae: 2nd special duty officer. Long-lived. Ghost. Takakane’s wife. Track team captain.
*Tachibana Gin: 3rd special duty officer. Tachibaan Muneshige’s wife and false arms girl.
*Valdés Siblings: 4th and 5th special duty officers. Baseball team members.

● '''England'''

*Elizabeth: Chancellor and student council president. Fairy Queen. Ex. Caliburn user.
*Mary: Elizabeth’s elder half sister. Scheduled to be executed for attempting to assassinate the queen.
*William Cecil: Vice president of the student council. Competitive eater and weight user.
*Robert Dudley: Vice chancellor. Thin woman. Testamenta Arma user.
*Ben Jonson: Secretary. Black athlete poet. President of the literature club.
*Nicholas Bacon: Hammer user and trickster. Lord Keeper of the Great Seal of England.
*Charles Howard: Naval admiral. Wealthy common sense man. No combat ability.
*Thomas Shakespeare: Logismoi Oplo user. Half-lived race. Vice president of the literature club.
*Francis Drake: Hard Wolf and naval vice admiral. Testamenta Arma user.
*John Hawkins: Drake’s companion. Swimsuit man.
*Thomas Cavendish: Drake and the others’ underclassman. Mermaid woman.
*Grace O’Malley: Female pirate of Scotland. Elizabeth’s friend.
*Christopher Hatton: Lord Chancellor and Living Bones.
*F. Walsingham: Automaton leader of the public morals committee. Spymaster.
*Walter Raleigh: Far Easterner. Elizabeth’s wartime advisor.

● '''Other'''

*Innocentius: Pope-Chancellor. Leader of the Catholics and representative of K.P.A. Italia.
*Oda Nobunaga: A name-inheritor appeared recently, but that inheritor has not appeared out of fear of Testament Union assassins.

<noinclude>
{{HorizonNavbar
| [[Horizon:Volume_2B_Table of Contents|Table of Contents]]
| [[Horizon:Volume_2B_Glossary|Glossary]]
}}
</noinclude>

Horizon:Volume 2A Character Introduction

2017-12-19T21:51:18Z

162.158.134.31: I missed one.

==Characters==
[[File:Horizon2A_018.png|thumb]][[File:Horizon2A_019.png|thumb]]

● '''Musashi'''

*Aoi Kimi: Toori’s older sister and worshipper of the god of eroticism and dancing. Fundamentally high-tension and selfish in practice.
*Aoi Toori: Protagonist. Musashi Ariadust Academy’s chancellor and student council president. Mr. Impossible.
*Asama Tomo: Daughter of the Asama Shrine, Musashi’s main shrine. Childhood friend and overall victim of Toori and Kimi.
*Azuma: Child of the emperor and a half-god. All his abilities have been sealed and he lives on the Musashi.
*Adele Balfette: From a vassal family that arrived from France. Glasses girl.
*Itou Kenji: Cheerful incubus. Nude, bald, and muscular. Known as Itoken.
*Ohiroshiki Ginji: Gourmet otaku with a Heart-sama style build.
*Kiyonari Urquiaga: 2nd special duty officer. Flying half-dragon. Hopes to be an inquisitor. Known as Uqui.
*Shirojiro Bertoni: Treasurer. Young leading member of Musashi’s commerce and industry guild.
*Tenzou Crossunite: 1st special duty officer. Ninja and errand-runner who always covers his face with his hat.
*Toussaint Neshinbara: Secretary. Loves history, wants to be an author, and writes doujins.
*Naomasa: 6th special duty officer. Older sister type who works in the engine division. Smokes and laughs loudly.
*Nate Mitotsudaira: 5th special duty officer. Member of a knight family and inheritor of the Mito Matsudaira name. Half werewolf.
*Nenji: Slime with about 3 HP. Manly.
*Noriki: Laborer boy who supports his family. Clumsy martial artist. Silent and unsociable.
*Heidi Augesvarer: Treasurer’s aide. Shirojiro’s partner. Has a white fox named Erimaki.
*Hassan Furubushi: Calpis logo-style Indian. Lives while eating and drinking only curry.
*Persona-kun: Super macho man with a bucket helmet. Silent, strong, and kindhearted.
*Horizon Ariadust: Toori’s childhood friend and current ruler of Mikawa. Currently an automaton. Her emotions were taken as parts for the Logismoi Oplo.
*Honda Futayo: Former Mikawa student. Honda Tadakatsu’s daughter. Uses a strongly old-fashioned speech pattern.
*Honda Masazumi: Vice president of the student council. Diligent exchange student who arrived from Mikawa the previous year. Has various issues with her family.
*Malga Naruze: 4th special duty officer. Black-haired six-winged Weiss Hexen. Member of the manga club.
*Margot Naito: 3rd special duty officer. Blonde-haired six-winged Schwarz Hexen. Always smiling.
*Miriam Poqou: Girl who stays in her room because she lives in a wheelchair.
*Mukai Suzu: Blind but always gives it her all. Acts as everyone’s stopper.

● '''Academy Affiliates'''

*Oriotorai Makiko: High-speed battling teacher. Always wears a track suit.
*Sakai Tadatsugu: Musashi Ariadust Academy’s president. Used to be a very able person but was demoted.
*“Musashi”: Automaton that supervises the Musashi and overall commander. Her sharp comments are hard to put up with.
*Yoshinao: King of Musashi who was sent from Hexagone Française. Has a veto right toward the academy and has the authority to manage Musashi.
*Sanyou Mitsuki: Class 3-Bamboo’s homeroom teacher. Looks up to Oriotorai. Somewhat sensitive and unlucky.

● '''Tres España'''

*Felipe Segundo: Chancellor and student council president. Hard-working middle-aged man.
*Juana: Vice president of the student council. Female teacher type. Logismoi Oplo user.
*Velázquez: Secretary. Long-lived. Painter and Testamenta Arma user. Middle-aged.
*Hironaka Takakane: Vice chancellor. Ghost. Baseball team captain. Testamenta Arma user.
*Tachibana Muneshige: Peerless in the West. Logismoi Oplo “Lype Katathlipse” user. Tres España’s 1st special duty officer. A fairly nice person and adopted into his family by marriage.
*Era Fusae: 2nd special duty officer. Long-lived. Ghost. Takakane’s wife. Track team captain.
*Tachibana Gin: 3rd special duty officer. Tachibaan Muneshige’s wife and false arms girl.
*Valdés Siblings: 4th and 5th special duty officers. Baseball team members.

● '''England'''

*Elizabeth: Chancellor and student council president. Fairy Queen. Ex. Caliburn user.
*Mary: Elizabeth’s elder half sister. Scheduled to be executed for attempting to assassinate the queen.
*William Cecil: Vice president of the student council. Competitive eater and weight user.
*Robert Dudley: Vice chancellor. Thin woman. Testamenta Arma user.
*Ben Jonson: Secretary. Black athlete poet. President of the literature club.
*Nicholas Bacon: Hammer user and trickster. Lord Keeper of the Great Seal of England.
*Charles Howard: Naval admiral. Wealthy common sense man. No combat ability.
*Thomas Shakespeare: Logismoi Oplo user. Half-lived race. Vice president of the literature club.
*Francis Drake: Hard Wolf and naval vice admiral. Testamenta Arma user.
*John Hawkins: Drake’s companion. Swimsuit man.
*Thomas Cavendish: Drake and the others’ underclassman. Mermaid woman.
*Grace O’Malley: Female pirate of Scotland. Elizabeth’s friend.
*Christopher Hatton: Lord Chancellor and Living Bones.
*F. Walsingham: Automaton leader of the public morals committee. Spymaster.
*Walter Raleigh: Far Easterner. Elizabeth’s wartime advisor.

● '''Other'''

*Innocentius: Pope-Chancellor. Leader of the Catholics and representative of K.P.A. Italia.
*Oda Nobunaga: A name-inheritor appeared recently, but that inheritor has not appeared out of fear of Testament Union assassins.

<noinclude>
{{HorizonNavbar
| [[Horizon:Volume_2A_Table of Contents|Table of Contents]]
| [[Horizon:Volume_2A_Glossary|Glossary]]
}}
</noinclude>

Horizon:Volume 2A Character Introduction

2017-12-19T21:50:21Z

162.158.134.31: A few errors edited out.

==Characters==
[[File:Horizon2A_018.png|thumb]][[File:Horizon2A_019.png|thumb]]

● '''Musashi'''

*Aoi Kimi: Toori’s older sister and worshipper of the god of eroticism and dancing. Fundamentally high-tension and selfish in practice.
*Aoi Toori: Protagonist. Musashi Ariadust Academy’s chancellor and student council president. Mr. Impossible.
*Asama Tomo: Daughter of the Asama Shrine, Musashi’s main shrine. Childhood friend and overall victim of Toori and Kimi.
*Azuma: Child of the emperor and a half-god. All his abilities have been sealed and he lives on the Musashi.
*Adele Balfette: From a vassal family that arrived from France. Glasses girl.
*Itou Kenji: Cheerful incubus. Nude, bald, and muscular. Known as Itoken.
*Ohiroshiki Ginji: Gourmet otaku with a Heart-sama style build.
*Kiyonari Urquiaga: 2nd special duty officer. Flying half-dragon. Hopes to be an inquisitor. Known as Uqui.
*Shirojiro Bertoni: Treasurer. Young leading member of Musashi’s commerce and industry guild.
*Tenzou Crossunite: 1st special duty officer. Ninja and errand-runner who always covers his face with his hat.
*Toussaint Neshinbara: Secretary. Loves history, wants to be an author, and writes doujins.
*Naomasa: 6th special duty officer. Older sister type who works in the engine division. Smokes and laughs loudly.
*Nate Mitotsudaira: 5th special duty officer. Member of a knight family and inheritor of the Mito Matsudaira name. Half werewolf.
*Nenji: Slime with about 3 HP. Apparently male.
*Noriki: Laborer boy who supports his family. Clumsy martial artist. Silent and unsociable.
*Heidi Augesvarer: Treasurer’s aide. Shirojiro’s partner. Has a white fox named Erimaki.
*Hassan Furubushi: Calpis logo-style Indian. Lives while eating and drinking only curry.
*Persona-kun: Super macho man with a bucket helmet. Silent, strong, and kindhearted.
*Horizon Ariadust: Toori’s childhood friend and current ruler of Mikawa. Currently an automaton. Her emotions were taken as parts for the Logismoi Oplo.
*Honda Futayo: Former Mikawa student. Honda Tadakatsu’s daughter. Uses a strongly old-fashioned speech pattern.
*Honda Masazumi: Vice president of the student council. Diligent exchange student who arrived from Mikawa the previous year. Has various issues with her family.
*Malga Naruze: 4th special duty officer. Black-haired six-winged Weiss Hexen. Member of the manga club.
*Margot Naito: 3rd special duty officer. Blonde-haired six-winged Schwarz Hexen. Always smiling.
*Miriam Poqou: Girl who stays in her room because she lives in a wheelchair.
*Mukai Suzu: Blind but always gives it her all. Acts as everyone’s stopper.

● '''Academy Affiliates'''

*Oriotorai Makiko: High-speed battling teacher. Always wears a track suit.
*Sakai Tadatsugu: Musashi Ariadust Academy’s president. Used to be a very able person but was demoted.
*“Musashi”: Automaton that supervises the Musashi and overall commander. Her sharp comments are hard to put up with.
*Yoshinao: King of Musashi who was sent from Hexagone Française. Has a veto right toward the academy and has the authority to manage Musashi.
*Sanyou Mitsuki: Class 3-Bamboo’s homeroom teacher. Looks up to Oriotorai. Somewhat sensitive and unlucky.

● '''Tres España'''

*Felipe Segundo: Chancellor and student council president. Hard-working middle-aged man.
*Juana: Vice president of the student council. Female teacher type. Logismoi Oplo user.
*Velázquez: Secretary. Long-lived. Painter and Testamenta Arma user. Middle-aged.
*Hironaka Takakane: Vice chancellor. Ghost. Baseball team captain. Testamenta Arma user.
*Tachibana Muneshige: Peerless in the West. Logismoi Oplo “Lype Katathlipse” user. Tres España’s 1st special duty officer. A fairly nice person and adopted into his family by marriage.
*Era Fusae: 2nd special duty officer. Long-lived. Ghost. Takakane’s wife. Track team captain.
*Tachibana Gin: 3rd special duty officer. Tachibaan Muneshige’s wife and false arms girl.
*Valdés Siblings: 4th and 5th special duty officers. Baseball team members.

● '''England'''

*Elizabeth: Chancellor and student council president. Fairy Queen. Ex. Caliburn user.
*Mary: Elizabeth’s elder half sister. Scheduled to be executed for attempting to assassinate the queen.
*William Cecil: Vice president of the student council. Competitive eater and weight user.
*Robert Dudley: Vice chancellor. Thin woman. Testamenta Arma user.
*Ben Jonson: Secretary. Black athlete poet. President of the literature club.
*Nicholas Bacon: Hammer user and trickster. Lord Keeper of the Great Seal of England.
*Charles Howard: Naval admiral. Wealthy common sense man. No combat ability.
*Thomas Shakespeare: Logismoi Oplo user. Half-lived race. Vice president of the literature club.
*Francis Drake: Hard Wolf and naval vice admiral. Testamenta Arma user.
*John Hawkins: Drake’s companion. Swimsuit man.
*Thomas Cavendish: Drake and the others’ underclassman. Mermaid woman.
*Grace O’Malley: Female pirate of Scotland. Elizabeth’s friend.
*Christopher Hatton: Lord Chancellor and Living Bones.
*F. Walsingham: Automaton leader of the public morals committee. Spymaster.
*Walter Raleigh: Far Easterner. Elizabeth’s wartime advisor.

● '''Other'''

*Innocentius: Pope-Chancellor. Leader of the Catholics and representative of K.P.A. Italia.
*Oda Nobunaga: A name-inheritor appeared recently, but that inheritor has not appeared out of fear of Testament Union assassins.

<noinclude>
{{HorizonNavbar
| [[Horizon:Volume_2A_Table of Contents|Table of Contents]]
| [[Horizon:Volume_2A_Glossary|Glossary]]
}}
</noinclude>

Horizon:Volume 5B Chapter 60

2017-12-19T21:37:04Z

162.158.134.31: Corrected two errors.

==Chapter 60: Reunited Ones in a Place of Passing==
[[Image:Horizon5B_915.jpg|thumb]]
''When something you will eventually understand was right in front of you

''Did you think to touch it or not?

'''Point Allocation (Without Fear)

When they discovered the Double Border Crest, Asama quickly checked on everyone’s defensive divine protections. However…

…''None of them have activated.

Mary’s, Masazumi’s, and Horizon’s had not reacted like they had in Novgorod. After confirming that, she looked up once more.

Masazumi slowly backed away from the bookcase where a two-meter symbol was drawn in black across both the books and the case. It was…

“An incomplete lewd mark!”<ref>Referring to [https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Omanko_mark.svg this].</ref>

“No.”

“Don’t be silly!” insisted Kimi. “Someone started to draw it nice and big, but then they just added the one horizontal line, told everyone to imagine the rest, and fled, leaving it to future generations to complete it!”

“What possibly reason would someone have to do that?”

“You really are silly! Don’t knock it until you’ve tried drawing one yourself! I’ll draw one on the Asama Shrine sometime, so look forward to that! And listen! You can help out with a smile! Smiling lewd!!”

“Are you trying to turn us into a heretical shrine, Kimi?”

Only then did Asama realize something about this Double Border Crest.

“This wasn’t made just now, was it? There’s no ether reading.”

A closer look showed the crest and writing were in ink. There was even a chalk outline and a preservation charm attached. Also a nametag reading “Nobuyasu”.

Masazumi frowned when she saw that.

“Was this Lord Nobuyasu’s ‘suicide’?”

“Whoever arrived here after his ‘suicide’ must have recreated and preserved the scene.”

''That would have been Principal Sakai,'' silently agreed Asama, but if there had been a Double Border Crest here…

“Judge. I understand perfectly.” Horizon nodded, looked to the others, and clenched her right fist. “It was Lord Nobuyasu’s ghost that has been drawing these lewd marks. When he committed suicide here, he attempted to draw the lewd mark while committing ''seppuku'', but someone showed up and he died before completing it. Ever since, his ghost has been wandering the Far East attempting to draw the lewd mark. ‘A ciiiircle….a horizontal liiiiine…ohhh, someone showed up…curse yoooou…’ And so he ends up using his ghost powers on whoever interrupted him.”

Kimi collapsed onto her side, but Asama decided it would be safer to wait until later to rouse her.

Asama then spoke to Horizon.

“A weird ghost like that doesn’t exist.”

“But if we let him fully draw it just once, his regrets will vanish and he might be able to rest in peace.”

''Maybe so,'' she thought, but at the same time…

“We’ve taken a step forward on this mystery, but I feel like we only have more questions now. I mean, we had no idea Lord Nobuyasu fell victim to the Double Border Crest and the Princess Disappearances.”

“That’s right,” said a sign frame.

It was a divine transmission from Neshinbara.

'''Novice:''' “The one thing we’ve really learned here is that the Princess Disappearances might be connected to Shimabara…or rather, the Catholics. Of course, it probably also uses Shinto tech, but I think Shimabara is the keyword. And I bet the Shimabara survivors and Lord Motonobu met up there.”

'''Silver Wolf:''' “If so, what was Lord Nobuyasu doing here after he was given the place?”

'''Flat Vassal:''' “And what did ‘I won’t leave you’ mean?”

“Well…” trailed off Neshinbara.

That was when Toori looked up at the ceiling.

“Horizon’s dad was trying to become friends with whatever the Princess is, right? …And separately, her uncle was doing a bunch of stuff here and was taken away by the Princess,” he said. “Then wouldn’t he have been doing stuff related to the Princess and the Apocalypse separate from Horizon’s dad? …So our next task will be to record what kind of place this was and investigate that data while following in her dad’s footsteps. Isn’t that right?”

When he put it like that, it was simple.

That would lead to what had been done here and the Shimabara connection. If those things would act as distractions that kept them from starting, he was telling them to get moving even if they could not see where they were headed.

Tenzou, Narumi, and the others stated their agreement or nodded and Asama smiled a little when she saw those reactions.

…''Honestly.

Everyone had nearly come to a stop after sensing a mystery here, but he had summed it up so simply.

''He’s always such an idiot, but he really is our king,'' she thought.

Then Tenzou and Adele raised their hands. Tenzou displayed a diagram of the room on a sign frame.

“Judge, we have a decent picture of the place now. This place is probably missing a lot, but we still need to investigate what it was for.”

Meanwhile, some dust fell from the ceiling.

“We should probably hurry. This land has already collapsed. And the Celestial Dragons most likely intend to destroy these ruins. I am concerned about Futayo-dono and Gin-dono’s battle, so we should hurry back to-…”

He trailed off and Suzu gave a shout in his place.

“Just…hurry…!”

Asama gasped and looked up.

They had heard distant tremors this entire time, but an especially loud rumble shook everything now.

The white dragon had roared back in the main ruins.

And that dragon cry was answered by a creaking in the floor. A tilt slowly propagated below their feet.

“We must hurry!”

Tenzou took Mary’s hand and took the lead toward the entrance.

Horizon was still viewing the Double Border Crest with interest, but Asama grabbed and pulled on her hand.

“Kimi! Kimi! Enough fainting! Please just get uuuup!!”

Futayo was racing.

Each time they fought and attacked, more of the ceiling fell and the floor shifted and burst upwards.

The ruins had already been tilted toward the collapsed hole, but thanks to the battles with the two Celestial Dragons, the foundation’s lifespan was shrinking fast and everything was prepared to crumble away.

The battlefield may have been falling apart, but…

“That is no reason to end this battle!”

“Indeed. A reason to fight is all that is needed to create a battlefield…!”

The dragon no longer hesitated to use his six wings. He raced forward with his multi-stage acceleration to pursue them at full power and take up the most advantageous position.

But the two girls were holding their own. Even now, they were pursuing the white dragon who had taken the lead and put some distance between them. Based on the previous pattern, Sasuke would make a high-speed turn and fire a dragon cannon on them. They wanted to catch up before that and move in close while he fired the dragon cannon. So…

“Gin-dono…!”

“Judge,” replied Gin as she moved out ahead.

Her Racing Words was effective for pursuing the running dragon.

With a tremor, the dirt floor swelled up from the collapse of the stone floor below. It formed piles and cracks, but…

“…!”

Gin ran with her hips low. Her body was moving forward, but her center of gravity was low and she read the changes to the floor as she went. Her style was to maintain her balance so she could enter an attack stance at a moment’s notice.

Futayo would sometimes spin her spear vertically, but she tended to hold it at waist height while running. That may have been part of the reason her sense of balance was so rough. So when she saw someone with a controlled stance like Gin’s…

“You are so cool, Gin-dono…!”

“Don’t say things like that in the middle of battle! Now hold out your hand!”

''She scolded me again.

But Gin was kind. If Futayo held out her hand, she would grab it. And…

“Here we go…!”

Racing Words brought Futayo right up to the white dragon.

Gin’s task was to pass her speed to Futayo.

Once Racing Words had enough momentum to catch up to the dragon, she left that with Futayo’s Soaring Wings. Gin knew Futayo would manage somehow from there, but…

…''She is so dumb.

Futayo did not let go of her hand. Gin first thought she was so focused on the battle that her hand had tensed up, but that was not the case. She was simply squeezing Gin’s hand back.

As if to say it was only natural for them to fight as a pair.

Gin had no choice but to use Racing Words to catch up to and run alongside her.

They had to win this like that.

And to do so, Futayo needed a safe head-on path so she could send out her cutting power.

Their enemy would not allow that. The dragon already knew that cutting power could hit. If they took that head-on path, he would either fire his dragon cannon or move to crush them. So…

“I will take up a useful position. …There will not be time to switch places, so please follow me.”

With that, Gin retrieved the speed she had passed to Futayo.

Hand in hand, she used Racing Words to pursue the dragon’s movements.

The white took the lead and the red pursued.

When the white made a forceful turn, the blue made a short turn along the inner angle.

The blue took the red’s hand and the red took the blue’s hand.

They sometimes let go and sometimes switched out hands, but they never moved apart.

Their hands would part, but they themselves would not. And yet the two girls never looked to each other. They both kept their eyes squarely on the white dragon running out ahead of them and they reached their hands into empty space.

Those hands grabbed each other.

One was a giant prosthetic hand and the other a slender flesh-and-blood hand. The size and weight were mismatched, but they formed a perfect bond and became the center of the girls’ acceleration and attacks.

When the red fired, the white swung his body and leaped left and right.

When the white fired, the blue would dodge it with a forward burst of speed.

And once they were close to the white again, the red moved forward and accelerated.

The red and blue frequently swapped between left and right, circled around the hall as they went, were pulled toward the dragon who cut across the hall, and drew out something like a compass diagram on the circular stage.

They circled around and around.

The three of them pursued each other while drawing endlessly varying arcs and using acceleration and stretching motions similar to gliding.

The ceiling fell and the floor jutted up, but those were merely decorations for the compass diagram.

“Ohh…!”

“————!”

Their voices and roars never ceased as they ran.

With the white in the lead, the three accelerators raced along the longest line of the circular diagram.

Sasuke watched the enemy’s movements.

The red girl pursued him and the blue girl charged forward from there.

They both used different types of acceleration, but their goal of bringing him down was the same.

They had seemed on such bad terms, but they had finally achieved complete coordination.

…''That’s right.

The humans who had faced the dragons in the past had been like this.

800 years ago, 400 years ago, and now, the human race was always clasping their hands together.

That was something the dragons could not do.

They might gather together, but they were always solitary. Because their individual powers were too great, it was easier for them to act independently.

Battles between humans and dragons always came down to this.

The enemy was keeping up with his high-speed turns.

He was drawing a line over the full diameter of the hall to put some distance between them. Then he would turn around and fire a dragon cannon. But those two were almost literally right on his tail.

Because they were using his speed, that speed did not give him an advantage. If he did not attack or take some action to shake them from his tail, they would simply hunt him from behind.

''In that case,'' he thought.

To test them, he raced toward the wall as if to run right into it.

He did not turn or lower his speed. And he had only one thing to say.

“How about this…!?”

Gin pursued the white dragon. She cast Racing Words several times, along with…

…''Cooling spells!

She was terribly exhausted. She had cast reduction spells and strengthening spells, but she was exhausted from before as well. Her sweat was simply torn away by her speed, so she could not take that loss of moisture lightly. However…

“I will pursue him!”

She was in the support role. She had to pull Futayo along and allow her to reach the enemy.

So she did not think anything of it when she saw the enemy charging toward the wall. She did not question it even when she knew they were going to crash into the wall like this.

She was the daughter of a warrior family.

During combat and during battle, she was prepared for whatever might happen.

…''Musashi Vice Chancellor!

She continued forward to leave this in that girl’s hands.

She only had to pursue the dragon with all her might and pull Futayo along with her.

And the racing dragon took action in front of her.

When his nose was less than 30cm from the wall, he turned to the right.

His tail was raised and he swung it around while twisting his body to the right.

Gin and Futayo took the left course. The tail would probably fly after them, but this was safer than continuing forward on the dragon’s guidance.

…''We need to force ourselves directly across from him…!

But the tail arrived. It descended from the air behind them on the right as if to strike them.

That swing increased his turning speed. The high-speed attack would also sweep them out of the way. Gin could tell it was aimed between them and the wall.

There was a way to dodge it: deactivate Racing Words and flee backwards.

But then they would lose their chance to strike the enemy and the dragon could target them after turning.

''So,'' thought Gin. ''It all comes down to this.

She moved in.

She did not reduce her speed at all as he ran into the 30cm valley created between the wall and the dragon.

Gin forcibly charged in from outside and performed an accelerated slide that was much like drifting.

She had used a rapid series of Racing Words.

She had repeatedly locked the spell onto her hips, stomach, and shoulders to avoid the tail and pursue the dragon’s turn. She soared many times over as she forcibly moved forward.

She turned to lead with her left shoulder and her right hand held Futayo’s left hand.

She did not let go. If she did, they would lose any chance of standing before this dragon again. That was how close they had come and how quickly they were pursuing.

…''We can do this!

The dragon raised his tail. He swung it upwards while making sure it did not hit the wall. He likely intended to use it for a two-stage acceleration forward. So…

“…”

Gin fully activated her strengthening and cooling spells.

She used up almost every spell she possessed. Ether light shards washed over her body and she felt like her blood had cooled, but she definitely moved…

…''Forward!

She passed by the wall before the dragon could perform his two-stage acceleration.

A moment later, the dragon took a sudden action. As he turned, he swung his hip toward the inner angle.

It was a simple matter. Since they were moving around him on the outer angle, he was preparing to slam his body against them and the wall. And…

…''Is this…!?

“…!!”

It was a direct hit.

Sasuke heard the destruction of metal and felt the impact in his side.

He might have thought he had crushed one of the enemies, but…

…''I did not!

After his side hit the wall, he pushed off of it with his great strength to complete his turn.

And there he saw a sign of the enemy.

There were definitely two crushed forms embedded in the wall.

They were the red girl’s left prosthetic arm and her large cannon.

It was the arm that he had crushed and the cannon that had pierced the wall. The enemy had used that destruction and piercing to escape his attack. So where had the enemy gone? He instantly swung his head left and right.

“Behind me…!?”

The front was not the only way to directly face him.

They could attack his central line from behind as well.

After escaping his crushing attack with their high-speed run, the blue girl had used her acceleration to run along the wall and move out behind him.

He understood why the red girl had bothered to let him crush her arm and cannon. She had known he would turn his entire body to look if he felt that tactile feedback.

From there, they just had to circle opposite the arm and cannon to directly face his central line from behind.

“…Kh!”

Sasuke tried to turn around. He tried to raise his body and turn so the enemy behind him could not attack his central line.

A shell flew toward him.

It came from dead ahead. The cannon stabbing into the wall had fired on him.

It targeted his throat.

…''What…!?

The red girl, Tachibana Gin, had not simply escaped or sacrificed her body.

She had pulled the blue girl along while aiming for the weak point below his throat.

Gin’s body shook as she braked after circling to the opposite position.

She was definitely at her limit now. As soon as her speed dropped, sweat poured from her body.

“…Kah!”

A scorching breath escaped her lungs. But this was enough. If the dragon raised his head in preparation to turn, she would target his throat. If he lowered his head instead, she would fire on the cut on his forehead.

And once that impact stopped him, Honda Futayo could fire her cut in safety.

The dragon had just raised his head. That meant firing on his throat.

It was sure to hit.

And it did. The sound of impact rang out and the dragon’s throat armor was destroyed.

Honda Futayo began to move forward.

But the dragon moved. And in a way they had never seen before.

…''Huh?

The dragon leaned his head back using the impact to his throat.

…''Is that…?

“Honda Futayo! Fall back!” shouted Gin. “The white dragon is performing a backflip!!”

The white dragon raised his entire body in a backflip.

This required all of his great strength.

And it produced a great rumble that was sure to speed up the destruction of the crumbling hall.

“Oh…!”

His tail moved between his legs and shot forward as his entire body flipped through the air.

A white ring appeared in the crumbling space.

A moment later, Sasuke released a midair dragon cannon from his back and fired it on the Musashi Vice Chancellor.

She responded by raising her spear.

She intended to break the beam of light.

That was likely possible.

She raised the spear tip to pierce the center of the dragon cannon with an instantaneous movement.

But that was not enough. After all, she was by the wall.

Thus, he had not been targeting her.

The dirt floor and wall that were pierced by the shattered dragon cannon were his true target.

It was not a direct hit, but the split and destroyed dragon cannon reflected off of the wall and floor. And immediately afterwards, something occurred right next to her.

“An explosion of the scattered dragon cannon…!”

The Musashi Vice Chancellor and her supporter were swallowed up by an attack much like the dragon cannon released from his entire body.

Sasuke landed. He twisted his body around and planted his four legs on the ground so he was facing his opponent.

He was in the center of the hall and he looked forward to see the final destruction he had wrought.

The wall was destroyed and the air was filled with dust and light fragments.

More than wind, it was a wavering of the air that joined the destruction which scattered everywhere like a blizzard.

And he spoke.

“Well done.”

He understood. The dragon knew all too well what it meant that his enemy was not in that scene of destruction.

So where were the Musashi Vice Chancellor and Tachibana Gin?

“Above me?”

He saw a blue figure and a red figure in the air above him. They were quite high up. As high as he had reached during his backflip.

The enemy had dodged his attack. They had used the fragments of the floor and wall created when the explosion reflected off of them.

…''They used their acceleration spells to kick up off of them…!

Futayo felt an axis of movement in her feet.

She kicked off the fragments to move through the air.

This was the technique Muneshige had shown her when Houjou attacked. She had tried to mimic him, but…

…''This is difficult!

Stepping through the fragments would be far too easy. In fact, she had done so several times, but Gin had pulled on her hand each time and brought out an Arcabuz Cruz to act as a foothold.

“Honestly,” muttered Futayo. “I can never thank you enough, Gin-dono.”

“There is no need to say anything.”

''I made her mad again.

But Futayo could see the enemy dead ahead. She saw his center line, but not from the front or the back.

From above. And…

“Honda Futayo…moving in!”

The dragon no longer moved his legs as he gathered strength in his body.

He was going to release his dragon cannon from his full body as she fell.

She had no intention of letting it hit her. So…

“Here we go.”

“Eh?” said Gin, but Futayo was unsure why.

Futayo moved in while pulling on Gin’s hand. She now stepped on the bottom side of their previous footholds.

She used her acceleration to race straight down.

Soaring Wings’s speed sent them down far faster than in freefall.

Futayo sensed light.

It was a destructive power. The dragon’s breath.

But she saw her target just before that light reached its peak.

There was a crack in the white dragon’s back. That was…

…''The sign that my father overcame this dragon.

She set her sights on that. And Gin forcibly let go of her hand.

“…”

The girl silently pushed on Futayo’s back, wordlessly telling her to accelerate forward and down.

And Futayo raised Tonbo Spare while narrowing her eyes at the intensity of the coming light.

“Bind…!”

It was time to overcome that sign left by the Peerless in the East.

“Tonbo Spare!”

The light burst and all of it was instantly blasted from the hall.

Everything grew clear and only three things remained.

One was a dragon with his back shattered and the other two were girls facing him from a short distance.

The girls had both fallen to their knees as if expressing their thanks for the standing dragon.

But the corners of the dragon’s mouth were raised.

He was smiling.

And he turned his injured forehead to view his back.

A moment later, an immense amount of ether light sprayed from his back.

The light danced through the cleared hall, but the dragon did not fall.

“Well done.”

He smiled as he spoke to the girls who stood up once more.

“I hope you manage to overcome the past and all else that stands in your way…!”

<noinclude>
===Notes===
<references/>
{{HorizonNavbar
| [[Horizon:Volume 5B Chapter 59|Chapter 59]]
| [[Horizon:Volume 5B Chapter 61|Chapter 61]]
}}
</noinclude>

Horizon:Volume 6A Chapter 18

2017-12-12T00:03:12Z

162.158.134.31: Superfluous words accidentally left over in translation removed.

==Chapter 18: Eaters on the Riverside==
[[Image:Horizon6A_553.jpg|thumb]]
''A happy breather

''Lasts the span of a breath

''So it changes into something else

'''Point Allocation (A stake?)

Masazumi took a breath below the blue sky.

She was in a park within the Okutama nature district near the academy.

The forest surrounded a small clearing that contained a meeting room known as the Residence of the Deceased.

She sat on a wooden bench and the atmosphere was quiet with the exception of the playing children brought here by their parents.

...''I sometimes come here to read.

She could relax here because it had no connection to school or to herself.

The transport ships in the sky told her she was back on the Musashi, but this park still felt like it was away from home. After all, those awful classmates of hers were nowhere to be seen or heard.

Being able to relax and enjoy the feeling of being an outsider may have been nice. But...

"I should have asked Crossunite to collect this paperwork from the academy."

The others were all in this Okutama nature district. They were setting up a tent for their luggage and finishing up the rest of the study camp.

They were probably still on their morning work.

...''I thought this would just be playing in the water, but there's a surprising amount to do.

Oriotorai had instructed them to clean up the nature district.

The girls were in the artificial river doing laundry and maintenance while the boys were in the forest for pruning and cleaning.

As a school event, the study camp doubled as a way to provide a public service.

'''Novice:''' "...After putting this much effort into the work, we can insist we were doing our study camp even if Crossdressing Honda-kun can't stop talking about war."

'''Tachibana Husband:''' "Gin, should I help you with the laundry like usual?"

'''Tachibana Wife:''' "Master Muneshige, you're making me sound like a failure of a wife..."

'''Tachibana Husband:''' "Oh, sorry. I only ever help with hanging it up to dry. Because I can reach higher."

'''Gold Mar:''' "...How loving."

'''Mal-Ga:''' "Yes, it makes me want to egg them on..."

Masazumi saw that sort of thing beginning as she began her own work.

...''I have to prepare for the meeting this afternoon.

She had previously held a meeting with Hexagone Française and Houjou at IZUMO and Magdeburg. Tsukinowa managed those records, but she had only given him the bare minimum to take along on their study camp.

Just in case, there was a console in the student council room that could be accessed for important manners, but...

"I probably set things up too strictly because I'm a beginner at this kind of thing."

Once she was used to it, she would probably be able to set things up to be called in remotely.

...''It might be best to have Asama set these things up.

Speaking of Asama, she had been acting weird earlier.

Well, Masazumi's classmates were always acting weird, but...

...''She was fixing lunch and doing Aoi and Horizon's laundry so quickly...

And yet she had seemed a bit blunt overall. When Masazumi, Horizon, or anyone else offered to help, she would only stammer "Oh, um, yes" and flee.

She clearly had something on her mind, but...

...''I just hope it isn't some weird brain disease.

Masazumi felt justified in worrying about that here. But...

"...Ah."

She heard a voice in the distance.

It was a song: the Song of Passage.

Horizon was probably the one singing. Masazumi's mother had sung it to her as a lullaby and she remembered singing along with it. So...

"Let me pass."

She breathed in when she heard it.

It was time to go.

This was no time to be taking a breather.

Everyone was working, even if just for the study camp, so she had to as well.

...''It's comfortable here, but this is no time to be basking in that atmosphere.

She felt like her mother was pushing her onward as she stood up.

She looked to the Residence of the Deceased meeting room that was shaped like a hexagon from above.

"If Houjou wasn't preparing a ship, this might have been a good place for the meeting."

With that, she began walking. First to Remorse Way. That would take her close to the nature district river the others were at.

''The river smells different,'' thought Narumi.

The Okutama nature district was in between the Asama Shrine and the academy.

Some of the girls seemed familiar with the area, so the Schwarz Hexen spoke from the open riverside.

"That rock over there would work as a washboard. ...Oh, and I'm not talking about Mito-tsan."

"I-I feel like we had this exact conversation last time we were here!"

They all still had plenty of energy.

They cheerfully did the laundry and prepared for lunch. Narumi was working with Tachibana Gin and 6th Special Duty Officer Naomasa to perform maintenance on the river's inner blocks.

It was a simple task. While the nature district's river had rocks, it was primarily made from a series of blocks. So they had to remove, clean, and reattach the purification blocks and stream management blocks on the bottom and sides. It was the same thing over and over, but...

...''There's so much to learn.

For example...

"I see Musashi's stacked structure allows you to replace pieces from above or the sides. Is everything fully replaceable because you secure durability by the block?"

That showed just how flexible Musashi's design was, but it also showed it had not been designed for combat.

Tachibana Gin nodded while working alongside her.

"If the structure allows removal and attachment from the top or sides, then the armor must be weaker in those places. During the Armada battle, they avoided damage with water barriers and transport ships, but they would be in trouble if those areas were hit by the light bullets that Houjou used the other day."

It was possible they would have to fight Houjou the following day.

Narumi hoped they could avoid a fleet battle. The Musashi had stronger defenses than most ships, but that was almost entirely reliant on the automaton-controlled defense barriers.

...''But our new tactics and new weapons have brought us to a point where those defense barriers and high-speed abilities just aren't enough.

Something about her thoughts amused her.

...''I've really started to side with Musashi, haven't I?

She had not even been here a full month yet, but the fact that she lived here made her aware this was her home.

The academy in particular made it feel different from a trip or a job.

The textbooks, curriculum, and class structure were all different from her old home. It had all seemed strange at first, but once she grasped their purpose and how they worked, she had quickly grown accustomed to them. After all, to understand those things was to understand her new home.

She did wonder if this was a form of brainwashing, but she appreciated that the people around her were just the right amount of crazy.

That allowed her to believe it was all natural and just the way of things, not anything calculated.

And there was of course no reason to hold onto that doubt when she lived with someone who was undoubtedly a complete idiot.

"What is it, Date Vice Chancellor?" asked Tachibana Gin.

But Narumi was unsure what the question meant.

"What is what?"

"Hee hee. Your face is red," said the Reine des Garous from the other side. She had rearranged the large stones on the riverside as if to create a garden and she was now admiring her handiwork. "Your boyfriend complimented your swimsuit earlier, didn't he?"

"It's a real shame. This was the only thing available at the store I went to."

It was a pain how the woman said "my, my" with a bitter smile. Narumi had her own work to do.

Those various issues with the idiot half-dragon would continue as long as they lived together. She had no right to find fault here. What mattered was that they made preparations for life and then lived that life. So...

"Maintenance here helps manage the Asama Shrine's water quality, doesn't it?"

"Judge. This water passes through the purification tank below the Asama Shrine and it is used as an ether fuel catalyst and in the ether pathways. What we are doing here is limited to the water flowing on the surface, but maintaining things upstream seems meaningful to me."

"The underground portion is our duty in the engine division," said Naomasa. "The surface area is supposed to be managed by the Musashi, but the automatons have been busy lately."

"I am glad to hear all that."

This was more than just cleaning. With that in mind, Narumi reached for a seam at the bottom of the water.

Similarly, Tachibana Gin stuck her hand in a seam 5m downstream.

They looked up at each other.

"Okay, let's remove this one. ...Asama Shrine Representative! You can stop controlling the water flowing into the Asama Shrine after this block, okay?"

Asama prepared for lunch while speaking with Narumi.

She normally had Horizon and the others' help, but she was only doing it with Kimi today. Most of the preparations were complete, so it was time to divide the cold vegetables and meats into individual servings for everyone.

Even Kimi took things seriously when at a cutting board. It may have had to do with her sense of balance, but her movements were light and yet the blade moved swiftly through what it needed to cut.

Asama preferred to go slow and steady with this kind of thing, so Kimi was making faster progress.

She would sometimes find an extra fruit and then quickly peel and shape it with her knife.

"Look, look! It's Mitotsudaira's hair!"

"Who is going to eat that!?"

"Don't worry. I'll slice it up and put it in the salad."

Mitotsudaira was holding up and glaring at her own hair, but Asama pretended not to see it.

Horizon walked up from behind with sliced daikon radish.

"Asama-sama. I cut them all to the same size as requested."

"You didn't have to be that precise...but thank you."

"It was nothing," insisted Horizon while Naito and Naruze approached with a basket of sliced bread. They were both wearing swimsuits.

"Is there a stove we can use?"

"We've cooled off a fair bit after getting out of the water and doing some work."

"Yes, yes. The one on the right is open. I can give you towels if you need them."

"Judge." Naito raised her right hand and looked to Asama. "A new swimsuit?"

"Eh? Oh, yes. It's a Shirasago prototype."

[[Image:Horizon6A_563.jpg|thumb]]

It was a two-piece Shinto outfit and it was technically not a swimsuit.

"This is actually a support guard meant to be worn below your equipment. The one I wore at Sanada was a general-use one and this is a special-use one."

The swimsuit was primarily made from rectangular parts and they had the Shinto colors of white and red. But...

"Asama-chi, don't those look like Shinto charms?"

"Yes, but that's a good thing. The cloth portion acts as a pocket and you can store actual charms in them. ...That lets you swap out the charms for general defensive capabilities."

"In other words...it comes awfully close to being a bandaid swimsuit."

"I have no idea what that means and I think I would rather not know. ...Anyway, the data taken from this will provide feedback for future equipment."

Hearing that, Adele raised her right hand while doing laundry in the river.

“Won’t that mean all the products are made for giant breasts?”

“I seriously doubt it…”

Asama continued cooking during that exchange.

…''Cooking outside makes for a nice breather.

Once steam and noise began rising from the pot on the stove next to her, everyone returned to the riverside after getting to a stopping point in their work.

After finishing the laundry, Adele and Suzu returned to the river to play.

Mitotsudaira’s mother, who had been moving large stones and such to prepare for the block maintenance, joined the others who left the river. Asama thought she might be sunbathing, but the woman put on a shirt made from the top of an inner suit.

“Oh, dear. Is that chicken leftover from last night? My daughter was eating it, if I recall.”

“Eh? Oh, yes. I’m a little embarrassed to admit it, but I kind of want to use it all up here.”

“Heh heh. I can help then. Oh, and I mean help eat it.”

There was no chance of any leftovers now.

Next, the boys returned from the forest.

They had all been tending to the forest.

They were removing fallen trees, chopping down unneeded branches, and looking after the road. It was common work, but it helped reduce the Musashi’s weight and revealed or prevented traps in the forest like the ones Sanada’s Isa had set up before.

This work had been neglected during the remodeling in the Ariake.

So they were doing it now.

Their underclassmen had apparently done the other regions while they were gone on the study camp. This nature district had been left to them because it was directly connected to the Asama Shrine.

The boys were surprisingly filthy.

“Hey, we’re back.”

“Heh heh. Foolish Brother? You’re all filthy, so go wash off in the river.”

“Judge, judge. Okay, everyone, let’s do that!”

Mitotsudaira’s mother smiled a little when she saw them running into the river.

“My, my. So much energy. …Is this scene visible from outside?”

“No. I’ve set up a transparent stealth and defense barrier around this area. Although the defense will only sound an alarm and capture any outsiders who try to get in.”

“That is plenty. It gives me some time to spend with Musashi’s main force, and…”

She looked down at the sign frame opened by Asama’s hands.

“You all need to prepare for tomorrow and beyond, don’t you? You can’t have anyone spying on that.”

The Reine des Garous gave a few mental nods of understanding.

She sat on a stone she had set down and she viewed the group as a whole.

The boys had held a simple strategy meeting in the forest. It had been a lot like chatting while picking up branches and raising fallen trees.

“What do we do about any gods of war that show up tomorrow?”

“That would depend on the scope and type of unit. If it’s a small number of individual gods of war…”

They then compared the information they already had prepared on sign frames. With the girls, the Technohexen had used Magie Figurs to exchange cannon control and acceleration control settings while slicing bread and the Tachibana daughter had lifted up the control blocks to test out her new prosthetic arms.

This was not an official training ground, so it was fascinating to see how that sense of combat entered the everyday atmosphere.

This should have been their time off, but their work had permeated it.

…''For example…

The Reine des Garous turned toward the Asama Shrine Representative. The girl was wearing a swimsuit and no special equipment, but…

…''She still immediately set up a stealth barrier on this scale.

She was operating a few different sign frames, but that was presumably because this was something of a test for her.

She was testing herself too. She was seeing what she could do.

And as the Reine des Garous watched her…

“Eh? …Oh, um…”

Their eyes met, the girl looked shocked, and then she looked to the dancer next to her.

She probably thought it had been a mistake to let an enemy nation know what she could do. But the dancer lightly raised her right hand which held a knife.

“Don’t worry about it, Asama. Letting them know will just intimidate them a little.”

“Right, right,” replied their king who was pouring water over his head in the river. He stripped off his work vest as he spoked. “Nate Maman, Asama can do more than just that. She has another job that’s way more important than setting up barriers.”

“…Her gunner job, you mean?”

Hearing that, the Asama Shrine Representative spread her mouth horizontally and tried to force a smile, but there was only one thing for the Reine des Garous to say.

“I’ve seen the records and your combat results are outstanding.”

“Eh? Umm, well, yes, how should I put this?”

“I think you must be one of the Far East’s greatest archers. …Where did you learn those skills?”

“Eh? From my daily research maybe? Or maybe from the mood on the battlefield? Umm…”

Everyone began whispering.

“…Ga-chan? Is this the first time someone has judged Asama-chi so seriously?”

“…I think so. And since she’s having trouble responding, she must see herself as an oddity just like the rest of us do.”

The Far East was apparently a strict place.

But something else had her interest.

She had spoken with them about a lot of things the night before, but her daughter’s king had not been there then.

She thought back to that discussion as she asked a question.

“What is it the Asama Shrine Representative can do?”

Her question contained a hidden meaning.

There was more than one answer for this.

For example, managing that king’s ether supply spell and making Shinto spell arrangements were both possible answers.

And that may have been why the Reine des Garous saw the girl stop moving and look down at her hands.

Behind her, Musashi’s princess mimed rolling up her sleeves toward their king, so she may have been prepared to immediately respond if he answered incorrectly.

But the king showed off his teeth with a smile.

“All sorts of things in everyday life. That’s a shared secret between Asama and me.”

The Reine des Garous smiled at that answer.

She placed a hand on her cheek and asked just to be sure.

“My, really?”

“Yeah,” he immediately replied. “She’s always done all sorts of things. Like laundry, cooking, and getting me released from the guard stations. She also complains about my behavior and other things I can’t ask other people to do.”

A solid sound rang out.

The Asama Shrine Representative had slammed the knife against the cutting board.

She had tried to cut through some vegetables and used too much strength.

She made an odd noise and gathered up the scattered vegetables.

“Asama, are you okay?” asked the dancer with a bitter smile.

The girl stopped her frantic movements and blushed.

“Oh, I just can’t believe this. I can’t believe it at all…”

She did not say what she could not believe, but she somewhat wrinkled her brow and then closed her eyes.

“Well, how should I put this? Those things are important to me too.”

“Really? It’s a huge relief to hear you say that.”

Hearing that, the Asama Shrine Representative nodded a few times while oblivious to the double thumbs up from the princess behind her.

Then she took another breath and resumed chopping vegetables, but her movements were much more mechanical now.

That must have taken a lot of courage for her. And she seemed to be belatedly wondering if she had said the right thing or not.

“—————”

Heat gradually filled her face and her head gradually lowered.

In response, Musashi’s Princess expressionlessly nodded.

“To be honest, there is a lot that would not function or that would go too far without Asama-sama. Similarly, there are things which would not be protected without Mitotsudaira-sama and things we could not get away with without Masazumi-sama or Futayo-sama. And without Tenzou-sama…no, that is a different matter.”

“Wh-what is that supposed to mean!?” protested the ninja.

“Hee hee. Master Tenzou, she is saying the things you do for everyone are too many to list.”

“That is quite the positive interpretation…” said everyone as Musashi’s Princess nodded.

“We can discuss this again tonight. But at the moment, I will say that I see the value in rooting for anyone who would join Toori-sama’s battle formation.”

After all…

“I am aware of my own weight.”

Their king turned around at that and he nodded.

“I’ve been thinking, Horizon. Don’t you have a fair amount of body weight?”

“I am a proper automaton, so my frame and everything else weighs about 80kg. Of course, each of those parts counts as an automaton component and gains a Tsukumogami ether divine protection, so that is reduced to about 50kg.”

After all that, Musashi’s Princess threw a stone at the king.

A direct hit sent him skipping thrice across the river.

“Why are you asking a girl her weight?”

“I-I didn’t ask! I just said you were pretty heavy!”

The Schwarz Hexen threw a coin-sized rock with a smile on her face.

“You are the worst.”

It hit the king in the forehead and he flipped around in midair.

“W-wait! Black Mal and Gold Mar! Does your weight even matter? I mean, you’ve got those wings, so-…”

The Weiss Hexen threw a coin-sized rock with a smile on her face.

“You are the worst.”

It hit the king in the forehead and he flipped around in midair. He stood back up with a splash.

“A-are you trying to send me to the other bank!?”

The Reine des Garous wanted to join in, but he did not send anything her way.

She realized that her daughter and the others had all finished their work. And the king’s sister…

“Over here, foolish brother! We’ve made lunch, so come and get it!”

By the time Masazumi regrouped with the others, they were already finishing up lunch.

On the way, she passed by Mary, Crossunite, Naito, and Naruze who were headed to the river to wash the dishes and pots.

Back on the riverside, she found the others taking a break.

“Oh? Masazumi. …There’s plenty of the pot-au-feu over there left. The gyozas were wiped out though.”

“Judge. I’ll gather some stuff for a Western-style meal.”

She piled up the excess bread and poured some pot-au-feu broth in a bowl in place of sauce. The other contents had sunk to the bottom of the pot, but…

…''There’s an awful lot of onion…

It had probably sweetened up while cooking, but she felt like that much would leave an aftertaste in her throat.

She decided to limit what she took of that and then started getting some jam for the bread.

“Huh? This jam is homemade, but who made it?”

Mary often brought some to the academy, but hers was always berry.

This was citrus. Which meant…

“Yes, I brought that,” said the Reine des Garous. “My husband made it.”

Mitotsudaira was eating some bread with the citrus jam on it, so she shrunk down when she heard that. She must have felt like her mother had realized what kind of flavor she liked.

Horizon was evenly cooking a whole chicken on one stove, but that was likely for Mitotsudaira.

The group that had finished eating was taking a break.

It looked like the first one to finish was Narumi who was drinking a cup of sake and snacking on some chicken skewers at the table in front of Mitotsudaira. It might seem like she was still eating what with the chicken, but that was clearly different.

She was drinking.

She and Urquiaga next to her were putting away the chicken at a rapid pace.

“I feel like my chilled body has finally heated back up. And I really shouldn’t get drunk right now, so I should probably stop here.”

“Narumi…have you ever been drunk?”

“Are you trying to lower my defenses?”

“And make things boring? Not a chance.”

“Judge then,” said Narumi while she downed the rest of her cup.

Then she took a certain action.

To get at the gizzard at the bottom of the skewer, she stuck the entire skewer straight down her throat.

“Oh,” said everyone when they realized what she had done. Even Masazumi sat down at a nearby table.

…''Is this what you call a hidden talent?

Narumi swallowed lightly as everyone watched her. And…

“——————”

She somewhat pursed her lips and pulled out the skewer which now had nothing on it. When she saw that, Adele responded while stirring up the bottom of the pot-au-feu to scoop up the contents.

“Amazing! Was that to keep your lipstick off of it!? Oh! Can I take all the onion!?”

“It was because of my lipstick and because I’m only wearing a swimsuit and a shirt. …And I’ve had enough pot-au-feu.”

Narumi smiled at Adele. And next to her…

“Narumi. I was hoping you would just eat the skewer along with it.”

“It seems this half-dragon is an omnivore.”

But Narumi’s eyes were on Mitotsudaira who had just been given some food by Horizon.

“Here is a chicken skewer larger than Narumi-sama’s. Now, Mitostudaira-sama, you can win this.”

“W-wait just a second! The skewer is 30cm long!”

“Yes,” agreed Narumi. “Sticking that in your throat would be like driving a stake down it.”

Mitotsudaira froze in place.

…''The word “stake” is something of a taboo around Mitotsudaira, isn’t it?

Kimi looked to Mitotsudaira while using a spatula to slice up the cheese gratin she was making on a grill.

That Rank 1 Musashi Knight eventually looked wordlessly down at the chicken skewer she held while smiling.

Kimi and Horizon both observed the girl.

“Horizon, I feel like I am waiting for a rare animal to make a move.”

“Shh. It’s all over if she notices us, Kimi-sama.”

But Mitotsudaira stopped staring at the chicken skewer and made her move.

She first held it up in front of her eyes. And…

…''Oh!? Is she doing it!? Is she really going to do it!?

She kept her mouth closed, but she moved the chicken skewer as if to stick it between her lips.

“…”

A few seconds passed.

The result was obvious to Kimi.

…''That isn’t normally going to fit in someone’s throat…

As Kimi nodded to herself, Mitotsudaira’s shoulders trembled.

She seemed to have noticed the silence around her.

So she looked back in shock and began explaining the movement of the skewer.

“Um, uh, seeing how far it would fit isn’t a vulgar thing to do, is it?”

Everyone just about gave her a sympathetic nod, but Azuma stopped tying up the unused firewood and asked a question.

“…Would it fit?”

'''Wise Sister:''' “Heh heh heh. You sex crown prince! You want to step into the lion’s den again, don’t you!?”

'''Asama:''' “I was going to say this is more of a wolf’s den, but I guess it’s the same thing.”

'''Flat Vassal:''' “You two are enjoying this on an entirely different level, aren’t you!?”

But Azuma’s question seemed to clue Mitotsudaira into her word choice.

She frantically waved her head and empty hand from side to side.

“Oh, n-no, umm.”

She corrected herself.

“I didn’t mean how far it would fit. Um,” she said. “I meant how much I could swallow.”

“…Eh? Ehh? S-swallow?”

That question came from Suzu. She spread her mouth horizontally and when Mitotsudaira heard her…

“Eh?” she began. “Ah!” she added with trembling shoulders.

Just then, Asama, who had put on a shirt and set up a stove spell, clapped her hands.

That pleasant sound gathered everyone’s attention.

“Don’t you remember, everyone? …For Mito, beef is a side dish, pork is the main dish, and chicken is a drink. Right!? Isn’t that right!? Mito, you just gulp it down, don’t you!?”

“Eh!? Y-yes, that’s right! Swallowing chicken is easy! The collagen in the skin makes it slide right on down!”

“Is she okay…?” everyone muttered before a large form stepped up.

It was Mitotsudaira’s mother, the Reine des Garous.

…''She sure is big.

Kimi thought that when she had to look up at all that volume. Kimi thought she had decent size herself, but if she was that large, she felt like she could create a brand new genre of dancing.

…''But does the Reine des Garous dance?

As that question rolled around in her head, the Reine des Garous walked over while humming. Then she took a large chicken skewer from the plate Horizon held respectfully up.

“Hm, hm, hm, hmm~”

She swallowed it.

She held the bottom of the stake-like skewer in her hand and stuck the rest inside her mouth.

Asama watched that casual skewer-swallowing.

The skewer had to be more than 30cm long. The pieces of chicken were also large, so they would be at least 5cm across.

But the Reine des Garous easily swallowed it all.

…''Eh!?

''No way!'' was Asama’s honest impression.

If you stuck that 30cm skewer in your throat, wouldn’t it pierce out the back of your neck?

'''Asama:''' “Oh, but Mito’s mom is a spirit-type species, so she would be fine even with a skewer sticking out the back of her neck, wouldn’t she?”

'''Silver Wolf:''' “You make that sound reasonable, but that’s not how it works at all!”

'''Hori-ko:''' “Then I will provide the correct answer: I believe Mitotsudaira-sama’s mother has teeth in the back of her throat and they are chewing up the skewer back there.”

'''Me:''' “Stop! Don’t say that kind of thing when I’m imagining something lewder!”

Everyone was their usual self here.

At any rate, they all gulped. And Suzu…

“—————”

…fainted and wobbled. Asama tried to prop her up while adjusting the stove.

“Ah…watch out, Suzu-san! Look, look. It’s an everyday human-skin cushion~”

But someone else moved at the exact same moment.

“Suzu-san!”

It was Adele.

Just as Asama grabbed Suzu, Adele leaped in from the side, trapping herself between Suzu’s back and the bottom of Asama’s breasts.

Adele’s head was buried in Asama’s chest and hidden behind Suzu.

It was some kind of ninja camouflage.

Everyone – including the Reine des Garous – froze as Adele held Suzu from behind.

“H-huh? I can feel it all even through the swimsuit. And there’s so much pressure from behind and above. What is this attack from both the front and back!?”

Asama felt more like this was protecting the girl, but it must have seemed different to Adele.

“Adele.” Asama’s tone was scolding. “You have a persecution complex.”

“E-even though I’m getting scolded when I did nothing wrong!?”

Regardless, they could not stay like this, so Asama removed Adele.

She also saw Suzu take a breath and return to her senses.

Suzu then turned her pale face toward the Reine des Garous.

“A-are you…okay?”

The Reine des Garous let go of the skewer. And she lightly spun around the skewer sticking out of her lips.

“Nn.”

That noise was likely meant to be a “yes” to Suzu’s question.

Asama glanced over to see Mitotsudaira just as dumbfounded as her.

But as everyone watched on, the Reine des Garous grabbed the skewer again.

She winked at Asama and bent her head back a bit.

“Heh hehh.”

With a nasal laugh, she pulled the skewer from her lips.

She bit down on something in her cheek and pulled out the 30cm skewer.

It was fully intact and glistening wetly.

“Ohh…!”

Horizon and then everyone else applauded.

But the size of the skewer and her head simply did not match up. It clearly should have pierced out the back of her head.

“Um, mother, how did you do that?”

“Oh, dear. Do you think you’re going to need that oral technique of mine, Nate? …Yes, it is necessary when you want to swallow a stake.”

“…No. I was just curious.”

“My, my.” The Loup-Garou mother placed her empty hand on her cheek and held up the skewer that had been in her throat.

She turned her head to the side. She then moved the skewer so it passed by the side of her mouth and alongside her cheek.

It was not quite an X-ray view, but the skewer passed by next to her face.

“Listen. At this point, it would hit the back of your throat, right?”

“Judge,” they all agreed.

The Reine des Garous then stopped the hand holding the skewer.

She used her empty hand to brush back her hair and show off her neck.

After that, she extended her head forward a bit. It was a simple action similar to raising her chin, but…

“If you angle the stake a bit, it can pass from your mouth to your throat in a straight line. Yes, just like that.”

“Eh?”

''Like that?'' wondered Asama as she looked in the direction Mitotsudaira’s mother pointed.

While sitting next to Horizon and Toori, Kimi was swallowing a skewer to the base.

[[Image:Horizon6A_583.jpg|thumb]]
“K-Kimi! Wait!”

Kimi turned toward Asama’s voice.

“Hohoo, hohoo.”

With that odd noise, she did the same thing the Reine des Garous had.

She tilted her head back and pulled out just the skewer.

She then took a breath with the flavor of chicken in her throat. She noted how fragrant a flavor it was while she smiled at the others.

“That’s a basic technique.”

“It really is,” agreed the Reine des Garous.

They were both aware that this was not a competition. This performance of theirs was something else.

…''A game. Using everyone else.

'''Silver Wolf:''' “Kimi…what is that, um, sense of camaraderie you have with my mother?”

There was only one answer for Mitotsudaira’s question.

Kimi exchanged a glance with Mitostudaira’s mother and they both turned toward her at once.

They both held the tip of their skewers between their lips, held them gently between their fingers, moved them in and out a few times, and then used their tongues to push them out. Lastly, they spoke at the exact same time.

“Heh heh. …You’re such a child.”

“She really is,” added the parent, which made Mitotsudaira’s shoulders shake.

“Wh-what is that supposed to mean!?”

But the mother paid her no heed.

“Listen,” she said while looking to each of the girls in turn. “There is an angle to your throat. But you have a lot of room in your mouth, so if you wrap your tongue around the stake from below and push up on it to angle it, it will go in easier. …But you don’t want to cause too much stimulation with your teeth, so keep that to a minimum, okay? One other trick is to think of it like swallowing air. That way you won’t gag.”

One part of that sounded rather ominous, but no one but Asama came to a stop, so it was probably fine.

Asama had gasped, but when she noticed no one else reacting…

“H-huh…?”

“What is it, Asama-san?”

“O-oh, it’s nothing. Nothing at allll. Ah ha ha ha. Also, um…” The shrine maiden forced a smile and clapped her hands. “There. I’ve changed the mood!”

As everyone glared at her, she tried to dodge the issue by speaking to the Reine des Garous.

“That was incredible! How did you learn to do something like that?”

“Well, I do it every meal back home.”

“You eat meat like that every meal!? I guess that’s Mito’s mom for you!”

“Yes, my husband is just so full of energy.”

Asama froze.

'''Wise Sister:''' “Asama, do you feel like you stepped on a landmine, were blown away, and landed on another landmine?”

'''Asama:''' “N-no, she might have meant that she eats yakiniku with her energetic husband! I’ll admit it isn’t likely, though!”

'''Silver Wolf:''' “Can you stop implicitly turning my family home into a sex kingdom!?”

However…

“Listen up.”

Mitotsudaira’s mother once more held the skewer between her lips.

She smiled and stuck out her tongue to push the skewer back out into the air.

“Once you can swallow this, the next lesson is how to apply pressure with your lips, suck on it, and move it in and out at varying speeds.”

“Mother! You’re taking this in a very inappropriate direction, aren’t you!? I knew I couldn’t trust you!”

“Eh? What are you talking about, Nate? You’re the one that started this. I was only helping out because you couldn’t do it yourself.”

“I did nothing of the sort!”

'''Asama:''' “Actually, it did look an awful lot like that was what you were doing, Mito.”

'''Silver Wolf:''' “Eh!? N-no, I didn’t go anywhere near this far!”

'''Unturning:''' “Hm… To be honest, I think I started this…”

They were all being very much themselves.

…''They really never change.

Kimi looked to her brother who was holding up and staring at a skewer.

“Foolish brother, are you going to do it!? You are, aren’t you!? Which will it be!? The butt!? The urethra?”

“Sis! Sis! Wouldn’t the front one be a bit of a challenge!? It’d probably clear up any kind of blockage, though!”

Masazumi gave them a displeased look because she was trying to eat, but they ignored her. However…

“Kimi! What are you trying to get my king to do!?”

The overprotective knight shouted at her.

And just as Mitotsudaira tried to approach with a meat skewer in one hand, the sound of metal on stone sounded from behind them.

…''Oh?

That was where the group washing things in the river had been.

Kimi looked back to see what this was about and saw Naruze there.

Her eyes and mouth were opened wide and she had dropped a freshly-cleaned pot on the riverside rocks.

Finally, she looked at the skewer in Mitotsudaira’s hand and the one the Reine des Garous had.

“W-wait, what are you all of you doing!? Why are you having this kind of fun while I’m not around!?”

“We are not having fun!!” insisted Mitotsudaira.

''Oh, I certainly am,'' thought Kimi with a tilt of the head.

Asama heard the Weiss Hexen’s crazed voice and saw her point at Mitotsudaira.

“Call me before doing this kind of thing! It’s great reference material!”

“She just called me reference material!”

But the black-winged girl was not listening. She instead embraced her partner’s shoulders.

“And just when Margot and I were in the water working up some bubbles and saying ‘Hee hee, it’s always so fun being able to cross your arms while washing dishes’ and ‘Ga-chan, you have bubbles on your nose’!”

“…Why isn’t that enough to satisfy you?”

“They’re two entirely different things! And what is with this!? Are you having a meat rod swallowing contest to celebrate our victory over Takigawa since her Urban Name is Demon Guardian?<ref>Demon Guardian and meat rod are pronounced similarly in Japanese.</ref> And why wouldn’t you want me to see? Do you not want to be in a doujinshi!?”

“I don’t think people normally do.”

Hearing that, Naruze leaped into Naito’s chest.

“Margot, Asama is making a sensible argument against me!”

“Yes, yes. It’s okay, Ga-chan. Asama-chi sometimes makes sensible arguments, doesn’t she?”

“I don’t think I’ve ever been criticized for that before!”

Tenzou and Mary walked up behind them carrying a pot and a mess kit.

Mary looked at Naruze who was pretending to cry and clinging to Naito, at the Loup-Garou mother and daughter and Kimi who were holding skewers, and at Asama.

“Um, what is going on here?”

''That’s what I would like to know,'' thought Asama, but she held her tongue.

Just then, Masazumi nodded after having moved far enough away to not be caught up in it all.

“How should I put this? …Mary, it has nothing to do with you and Crossunite.”

Asama agreed. Everyone exchanged a quick glance and nodded.

'''Silver Wolf:''' “W-we can’t bring up this ‘oral technique’ business with Mary!”

'''Hori-ko:''' “Very true. Mary-sama is an English Princess. We cannot get her involved.”

'''Unturning:''' “But it’s okay for the Mito Lord and Musashi’s Vicereine?”

'''Asama:''' “All right! Being the Asama Shrine Representative wasn’t enough to get counted!”

'''Almost Everyone:''' “Is that really a good thing!?”

Now that she thought about it, no. But there was something she had to say.

Asama put on a full-face smile and said to Mary the same thing Masazumi had.

“Y-yes, don’t worry, Mary. This is not anything you and Tenzou-kun need to think about.”

Mary felt a moment of relief at what Masazumi and Asama said.

Something was worrying the others, but they had been considerate enough to make sure she was not involved.

She appreciated that.

…''It shows how much the class cares about Master Tenzou and me.

''But,'' she added.

More than 2 months had passed since she arrived on the Far East’s Musashi. That was not a full year, but with each passing month, she had grown more accustomed to life here and come to understand the customs on the Musashi.

So she had a thought.

…''I can’t rely on their kindness forever.

She wanted to be a resident of Musashi on the same level as the others.

She did have her status as an English Princess, but she was prepared to fight on the front line or perform hard labor if necessary.

So she spoke up while grabbing a freshly-washed metal skewer used for cooking things over a fire.

“It’s all right, everyone. You don’t have to be so kind. …Do not say this has nothing to do with me or is something I don’t need to think about. I will work at it too!”

“…Ehh!?”

Everyone – including the Reine des Garous – voiced their surprise.

Everyone’s reaction told Mary she had been right.

They were surprised by her suggestion.

And that could only mean one thing.

…''They were discussing something quite difficult.

Their concern was clear when Mitotsudaira turned toward her with a chicken skewer in hand.

“U-um, Mary? Do you…know what we were talking about?”

“I do.”

Mary was decisive. She had not actually heard the discussion, but she could make a good guess what they would be discussing with the Houjou battle so soon.

After all, they were facing something even greater than the battle the other night.

…''The battles with the Sanada ninjas were entirely outside the ordinary. So…

“I am not sure how to put it, but this is a difficult thing that your average person could never do.”

“That’s true!”

Everyone turned to look at Kimi and the Reine des Garous.

But Mitotsudaira…

“W-wait just a minute! Mary, do you really know what we were talking about!?”

“Eh?”

Mary tilted her head.

They had to have been talking about Houjou.

Today was the travel day and she knew they would spend that day negotiating with Houjou. But negotiations could take a number of forms, so they would have been planning what exactly they would do. Mary chose the best words she could to describe those speaking methods.

“You were discussing oral techniques, weren’t you?”

“Eh!?”

This time, it was Mitotsudaira who tilted her head. And her face grew red.

…''Oral techniques!?

'''Mal-Ga:''' “Yessssssssssssssss!!”

'''Asama:''' “No comment! No comment!”

'''Novice:''' “Must you people always make a scene?”

But Mitotsudaira had definitely heard it.

And she could not exactly deny it.

“W-we were certainly talking about such…techniques. Y-yes, we were!”

She felt like she should not have asked this.

But Mary was her friend, so she worked up her courage.

“M-Mary? Um, just to be absolutely sure…could you repeat that?”

“Eh?” Mary placed a hand on her cheek. “Well, um,” she said. “Yes, I said oral techniques.”

Mary saw everyone react the same way to what she said.

Everyone in front of her and Naito and Naruze next to her all fell silent.

They said nothing.

And they did not move.

The only sounds reaching her ears were from the flowing river and the waterfall that fell down into the Asama Shrine’s atrium.

…''Uhh.

“Um, oral techniques are important, aren’t they?”

“Well, yes, I suppose they are!”

She was not sure what to make of that response. She began to wonder if she had said something wrong.

So she decided to check.

“Master Tenzou, oral techniques is the correct term, isn’t it?”

“J-judge! That gets the point across, I think.”

“You are the worst,” spat out Naruze, but Mary was unsure why.

Had she said anything to make the others suspicious? So…

“Um, is there anything weird about what I am referring to?”

“Hey, hey, Tenzou,” said the Chancellor. “Is yours weird?”

“I-is my what weird!?”

“Oh,” said Mary. “Master Tenzou is not weird at all.”

Hearing that, everyone formed a scrum and began whispering to each other.

“How are we supposed to respond to that…?”

“What kind of order is Tenzou using for these things?”

“I’m afraid we’re going to get more detail than we want, so could we stop this?”

After a few seconds, Musashi’s Princess stepped out and raised her right hand.

“Tenzou-sama, we are willing to give you this one, so rest easy. We will accept that yours is not weird.”

“What is with this weird nuance in everything you’re saying!?” shouted Tenzou.

Just then, a sign frame appeared over their heads. It displayed “Musashi”.

Mary always thought that automaton looked so dignified. When “Musashi” silently bowed, Mary bowed in return.

And then the automaton’s voice reached them.

“A ship is approaching from the southwest.”

It was…

“It has identified itself as a Mouri diplomatic ship belonging to Hexagone Française. Its representative is Mouri Terumoto-sama. She and the Houjou Representative have sent a divine transmission requesting a meeting. What shall we do? Over.”

Terumoto slowly spoke in the afternoon sky.

“Looks like we won’t be able to board the Musashi itself. I’ve always wanted to board it just once, to see what an aerial city ship is like.”

She was on the deck of the Mouri diplomatic ship.

Their ship was flying toward the front of the Musashi while sliding in toward its left side.

The ship’s shape made it difficult to lower their speed when flying straight ahead. The standard methods were to reverse the acceleration system or tilt the virtual ocean in the opposite direction to brake, but Terumoto did things differently.

She had the ship slide to the side so air resistance did the braking for them.

That was why her ship had its sails fully open, which was rare for aerial ships.

“Hey! Tilt the ship a little more! If the virtual ocean flows to the side, it won’t provide any resistance!”

“Testament, Terumoto-sama! We will show you what we can do!”

With those words from the bridge, the ship tilted.

…''Ohh.

The deck tilted enough that she had to brace herself to avoid falling over.

The virtual ocean, which covered from the bottom of the ship to the waterline, bent in the wind and tossed spray into the air.

The wind became a salty mist, climbed up the side of the ship, and struck the sails.

The water resistance and wind resistance from the bottom and the top easily caused the ship to groan.

The joints of the hardened wood cried out and the mast bent with a deep sound.

But Terumoto showed off her teeth when she heard it.

“Okay, just like that! Make sure the ship isn’t tossed around by the recoil!”

“Testament!”

The sideways-sliding scenery showed the Musashi right in front of them now.

Their ship came just above the front deck of Musashino.

“Okay! Good job, everyone!!”

The ship slid through a braking turn and came to a stop.

Once it stopped, the ship rose up, but they controlled that as well.

The ship shook back the other way and plates could be heard shattering inside the ship.

But that was all.

Terumoto’s ship was 20m above Musashino’s front deck.

That was pretty high up, but it was still extremely close. As the sun shined down on that layout, Terumoto opened her mouth.

She crossed her arms and spoke.

“Musashi Representative! Get on up here! Let’s discuss our plans for tomorrow!!”

<noinclude>
===Notes===
<references/>
{{HorizonNavbar
| [[Horizon:Volume 6A Chapter 17|Chapter 17]]
| [[Horizon:Volume 6A Chapter 19|Chapter 19]]
}}
</noinclude>

Horizon:Volume 6A Chapter 16

2017-12-04T22:31:15Z

162.158.134.31: Removed superfluous word.

==Chapter 16: Those Looking up at the Azure Sky==
[[Image:Horizon6A_499.jpg|thumb]]
''The morning

''Divides people into two categories

'''Point Allocation (Energy Level)

The morning sun had risen.

The sunlight began to carry heat down to the forest below.

There were two large movements above the dark green roof of leaves.

One was the giant 8-ship aerial city ship turning to the south.

The other was a transport ship ascending from the forest and to that giant ship.

There was no optimal spot for viewing those movements in the sky.

They could be seen from anywhere.

But from the surface, a sign frame was visible on the ascending transport ship’s stern.

The large sign frame displayed the Marube-ya logo and a farewell message:

“To the people of Sanada: Thank you for allowing Musashi Ariadust Academy’s third year classes to visit. The ruins were crushed and smashed up a lot in a serious battle, but you should be able to look back on it and laugh in a few years. As a way of saying goodbye, the Marube-ya will be gifting you divine figurines from Musashi’s divine figurine manufacturer Decorative Kaikei<ref>The name is pronounced the same as the Japanese term for “cooking the books”.</ref> on a first come first serve basis! Hurry up and send a divine transmission to the following Inari compressed prayer!”

According to the Treasurer’s aide…

'''Marube-ya:''' “That will prevent Sanada from sending any anti-air fire toward the transport ship! We have plenty of inventory, so we’ll just hand out harsh evil god ones or Western ones that don’t sell.”

'''Novice:''' “Won’t that just make them want to attack us even more?”

'''Flat Vassal:''' “So this is goodbye to Sanada. Today is still the last day of the study camp and we still have a lot to do, but more than enough has already happened, hasn’t it?”

'''Hori-ko:''' “Judge. Adele-sama, I have determined you have had a rough time since the previous night. But while it happened quite a few times, most of it can be summed up by saying you were ‘slammed into things’. …Oops, this was one of those times when I should have been more tactful, wasn’t it?”

'''Flat Vassal:''' “Why do you always steer the conversation in such awful directions!?”

But during that exchange, there was movement on the surface.

Three figures stood in the forest and looked up at the transport ship.

“Anayama, how long are you going to stare up at them?”

They were three members of the Sanada Ten Braves. It was Anayama and…

“Because this is goodbye for a while, Nezu-kun, Yuri-kun. …I suppose we won’t see them again until Osaka. Whether we do or not will depend on how we’re used, but this is goodbye regardless.”

The Musashi turned and the transport ship flew above their heads.

Anayama looked up at the giant ship visible through the trees.

He felt like he had been watching it forever, but…

“This may be the first time I’ve seen it moving during the day and from this close.”

He watched the Musashi move below the sun.

…''And it’s close to the first time I’ve seen it from below.

Before, he had seen it moving along the national borders. He had observed it then and sold the information to other nations, but he had never focused on its presence ''to this extent.

At IZUMO, the Musashi had been in a dock. The same was true at the Ariake.

The only other time he had seen it moving would be when he jumped off of it at night during the Battle of Mikatagahara, when he jumped off after infiltrating at the Ariake, and when it had arrived at Sanada during the night.

He had associated the ship with the night.

But now that he was seeing it move during the day, it was leaving.

And in that sense…

“That ship may be a good match for ninjas like us…”

With that, he turned back toward Nezu.

“Nezu-kun, was that ‘…’ correct?”

“I think so. But you mustn’t be so accepting of our opponent. I would add a ‘How ironic…’ to the end.”

“I see! This is really tricky!”

“Are you two okay?” asked Yuri. The glasses girl had her long hair tied back. “Anyway, the young master said he was leaving.”

“Yes, he does have some people he needs to greet at our destination. It would probably be best to let him go on ahead. I don’t like leaving him without a bodyguard, but he has his pride,” said Anayama. “Also, Mochizuki-kun sent us a smoke signal message when she was cooking breakfast. Kakei-kun’s group is working with Hashiba to complete the history recreation of the 2nd Siege of Ueda in Houjou land.”

“…Kakei is doing that?” asked Nezu.

Anayama nodded.

…''I just hope he isn’t pushing himself too hard.

But what he said was different.

“Those three should be fine. And the young master has chosen to leave because he sees what they are doing for him. So the entire Nobushige faction will be going to Osaka. …Only the Nobuyuki faction and the people of Sanada will remain here.”

“So the young master is leaving…” muttered Nezu.

“Ah,” said Yuri as if she had just realized something. “But doesn’t it hurt our pride to leave the young master without a bodyguard?”

“Not to worry. Intelligence gathering is another part of our job. We need to look into the other clans of the east and west before we regroup with him.”

“…Testament. I’ll look at it like that.” Yuri lowered her shoulders but then she looked up into the sky. “The Musashi is moving.”

She took a few steps forward. The trees must have blocked her view of the ship.

She stepped out into the sun and narrowed her eyes toward the Musashi.

“I hate to admit it, but it’s really pretty.”

“Building that ship was the only way the Far East had to demonstrate its pride while under provisional rule.”

It was a white and black ship. It was armed now, but below the sunlight, those cannons and thrusters looked like decorations.

Nezu commented on it without even looking up. He brushed up his long bangs as he did so.

“It’s an enemy ship.”

“But it’s a symbol of the Far East.”

“It’s our enemy. When we became Unneeded, I felt a forced sense of resignation, but when Isa died, I felt a continuation of hostility.”

“…There it is. Nezu-kun, your words are always like a drawn knife.”

“You’re exaggerating.”

Nezu looked away and Anayama mimicked the movement a few seconds later.

“Like this!?”

“No. Like this.”

Nezu showed him an example. And with his gaze still cast downward…

“You don’t just swing your vision around. You have to decide on a destination in advance. That way you show you have real conviction.”

“Incredible, Nezu-kun!”

“You two…”

Yuri walked across the grass next to Nezu and let her shoulders droop.

“Can we get back now?”

She looked over, but found the two boys staring intently at her.

''Eh?'' she thought in confusion.

Then Anayama nodded and said “do it”.

Yuri frowned, but Nezu gave her a sharp look.

“…Fine.”

She sighed and angled her body as if to signal the end of this sudden turn of events.

“Like this?”

She hung her head and looked away like Nezu had before.

And she stopped.

After a few seconds, she straightened up again. He had a hand on his forehead.

“…Why don’t you get it?” he asked.

“I-it was my first time.”

“Yuri-kun, I’m impressed you can stay with Nezu-kun.”

“I-I’m not ‘with’ him.” She quickly shook her head. “We stay in separate rooms, we use separate wallets, and I don’t look after him.”

“But you want to do those things, don’t you?”

Yuri spread her mouth horizontally at Anayama’s question. Then she reached for the scythe swords at her hips.

“Say anything more and I’ll make you regret it.”

“Yuri, dig in your heels here and you’re going to regret it.”

“Nezu-kun! Nezu-kun! You have no self-awareness do you!?”

After saying that, Anayama did something other than continue speaking.

He laughed quietly. It was a relaxing laugh that changed the mood. And he looked up into the southern sky.

“Ohh, the Musashi has already finished turning.”

“And it looks like the transport ship is on route for the Okutama.”

“Testament,” agreed Anayama. “They’re going to continue their study camp like that. Most likely, their negotiations with Mouri will begin once they arrive in Houjou territory. I wonder what our trio is doing there. I hope they’re feeling good about the deal they worked out for the 2nd Siege of Ueda.”

Yuri thought about those upperclassmen who were not here with them.

…''Kakei, Unno, and Mochizuki.

They were the calm ones of the group. Unno could be more influenced by the mood, but she never forgot to focus on the big picture and she was a reliable upperclassman.

But Yuri had a question.

“Why are those three joining the Houjou battle for the 2nd Siege of Ueda?”

“To send us to the next stage,” immediately replied Anayama.

But Yuri was not sure what he meant.

“The next stage?”

“Testament. They are sending Sanada to Osaka.” He raised his thumb toward the sky. “Listen. During the Battle of Sekigahara, Sanada will be split in two. …Masayuki-sama and our young master, Nobushige-sama, will join Hashiba’s Western Army and face Matsudaira’s Eastern Army. The young master’s brother, Nobuyuki-sama, will join Matsudaira’s Eastern Army and face his own father and brother. Ueda Castle fights to stop Hidetada, who is Matsudaira’s heir, and Nobuyuki-sama’s forces.”

She knew that. Anyone in Sanada would hear it over and over again.

“But,” cut in Yuri. “During Sekigahara, Hidetada’s orders are delayed and he does not show up in time. And even though Masayuki-sama and our young master achieve victory at the 2nd Siege of Ueda, they are defeated due to the Eastern Army’s victory at Sekigahara.”

“Testament. That is correct. …But there are two things we must do first.”

Yuri listened intently to Anayama.

She realized she had fallen for his skills as an orator as a question entered her mind.

…''Two things we must do?

The sun had risen higher into the sky. She knew the cicadas would start crying soon and Anayama raised two fingers in front of her.

“First, Sanada must preserve and strengthen its forces. …The age is moving quickly now, so if a small nation like Sanada loses its forces, we will have no way of recovering in time.”

“…I seem to recall our strongest Terrestrial Dragon and two of our Celestial Dragons retired recently.”

“And we can’t have anything like that happen again. Those dragons are like a one-being army when they aren’t up against people like Musashi’s main fighters.”

Yuri was convinced by the heartfelt tone to his voice.

And he continued with a sigh.

“Listen. There is one other thing we must do: settle our relationships with the other nations. Sanada is constantly fighting and reconciling with Houjou, Uesugi, and Matsudaira. And that is something of a problem.”

“How is that a problem?” she asked. “That kind of fighting is part of the history recreation, so it’s our duty, isn’t it?”

“Yuri. …And what if that wears down our forces?”

She knew what Nezu was saying.

But it was still their duty based on the Testament.

“We just have to make sure we keep our losses to a minimum and-…”

“Sanada is a small nation, Yuri-kun.” Anayama cut her off. “The large neighboring nations will try to wear down our forces to make sure our history recreations do not get in their way.”

“You have no proof that they’ll-…”

“Then,” said Anayama. “During the Osaka Campaign, our young master and we reach Matsudaira’s camp during a charge. So what do you think they will do to mitigate that threat?”

“————”

“Do you understand now?”

She did.

They would wear down Sanada’s forces before the Osaka Campaign. That would weaken their ability to make a charge and help Matsudaira escape that threat. So…

“You think that’s what Matsudaira is going to do…?”

“It won’t necessarily be only Matsudaira, Yuri-kun.”

…''Then…

“What are our upperclassmen doing at Houjou?”

“They are trying to use the Houjou battle as a way of eliminating one of our battles with another nation. That way the other nation won’t be able to interfere with us.”

“…And that battle is the 2nd Siege of Ueda?”

“Correct.” Anayama smiled. “I think Kakei-kun’s group made an excellent decision here. The 2nd Siege of Ueda is a localized battle primarily fought while holing up in a castle. That is something ninjas excel at.”

“But how is that supposed to correspond with the Houjou battle?”

“From the castle’s perspective, the flooding of Houjou can be seen as ‘holing up in a castle’. And there is someone else who has a definite history recreation along those lines.”

Just as Anayama lowered the ends of his eyebrows while still smiling, the cicadas began to cry.

His voice joined the insects.

“Takigawa Ichimasu. Her Siege of Kanie Castle during the Battle of Komaki Nagakute is the same. And if Kakei-kun’s group supports her, Hashiba is sure to accept Sanada’s request. The request to have the Siege of Kanie Castle double as the 2nd Siege of Ueda. …That is how they have decided to support Sanada’s future.”

“Heyyyy, Kakei. How’s breakfast comiiiing?”

“Ah!? I can’t hear you!”

“You iiiidiot!”

“You’re the idiot!”

“Oh, so you can hear meee! You iiidiot! Yes, you! An iiiidiot!”

“I can understand the simple words! The waves are just really loud! Look!”

Kakei waved from a pier with his shirt off.

They were at the ocean.

…''The ocean!

They had lived in Kansai once, so he had seen the inland Mediterranean Sea before.

…''Far Easterners: the people who like calling the Seto Inland Sea the Mediterranean but don’t call Osaka Bay the Persian Gulf!

No one else might share that motto, but that was the way he saw it.

Regardless, this was different.

“It’s the Pacific! The Pacific Ocean!”

“Kakei-sama, stop showing out-of-character excitement and catch some fish for breakfast.”

“I’m ready to fire some bullets, but I’m not seeing any fish between the waves.”

He looked back toward the rock stove built on the beach at the base of the pier. Mochizuki was there in a track suit and Unno with a swimsuit in place of her top.

Mochizuki was cooking a pot of soup and…

“The rice will be ready soon. I steamed it in leaves, so I have determined it should be somewhat hard.”

“You’re incredible, Mochizuki,” said Unno. “Ahh, and it smells so good. Now if only we had some fish to go with it…”

“Stop putting pressure on me.”

But he could not see any good fish as the waves crashed.

He took a firing pose and remained motionless, but Unno pointed toward the beach.

“Over here! On the beach end of the pier! You need to aim where the waves are calmer!”

“There’s nothing but small fish around there. Do you understand that?”

“Throw out that pride! You need to face the reality of our breakfast!”

“My bullets won’t leave much left of a small fish. Do you understand ''that''?”

“Then couldn’t you use some other method?” asked Mochizuki.

''Hmm,'' thought Kakei.

He did carry around hidden needles, but…

…''Those are for giving to Nezu.

So he was hesitant to use them.

“What about those long needles you are often passing to Nezu-sama?”

Mochizuki was sharp, but Unno tapped on her shoulder.

And she gave a rare smile.

“Mochizuki, that’s a death flag.”

…''Don’t sound so gentle when you say that.

But Mochizuki…

“Once he gives all of those to Nezu-sama, he will die in his next battle, won’t he?”

“Yes, that’s right. And that’s why Nezu will count the thousand needles he’s been given, find that seven are missing, and get mad that it doesn’t add up.”

“You love making Nezu jokes as much as Anamaya does, don’t you?”

“Of course. He’s our cute underclassman.”

He knew what she meant by that. Nezu was a good underclassman who showed real trust in them. But…

“Make sure you don’t overlook his actual skill, though.”

“Says the guy who can’t even catch some breakfast.”

With that, Unno waved at him.

And in that instant…

…''Oh.

Something flew his way. He swung his left hand on reflex and grabbed some objects in front of his face. They wobbled from the snap of his wrist.

“Skewers?”

“They’re spare parts for my fan frames. Since they got broken a bit before.”

There were 7 of them.

They were the perfect weight. They were made of bamboo, but they must have been carefully selected because they were well balanced. So…

“I’ll be using these.”

“Yes, yes. Feel free. …You and Mochizuki did well last night, so I have to repay you for being no help.”

Kakei stopped moving at that.

Unno was talking about the negotiation.

They had discussed what had happened and what they were going to do. Unno had complained about not getting to join them, but…

“Well, if I’d been there, I might have been too aggressive with that Takigawa woman and messed up the negotiation.”

“Wouldn’t it have been easier for another woman to speak with her? Y’know, to pick up on some subtleties I probably missed.”

“…Kakei-sama, do you not recall my gender?”

“Ohh, sorry. Like really sorry…”

But despite all that, they had taken an “all’s well that ends well” stance.

And that was why she was lending him these bamboo frame parts now.

Of course, he was fairly certain she would have lent them regardless, but…

…''We have a way of making excuses for these things when we can.

They knew each other well, but they each specialized in different fields. They had their pride and they tended to avoid any sense of sharing anything.

They kept things that way because they were “Unneeded”.

What had things been like between them before that?

…''Well, it doesn’t matter.

But things had changed. They were starting down a different path for Sanada and for themselves.

So…

“Okay, let’s do this.”

Kakei raised the bamboo frame pieces.

''God. You listening?

…''Please, just watch me like always. I’ll lose all my dignity as a man if I can’t catch some fish.

He made that mental request and then released them.

It was more like sending them forth than throwing them. And…

“—————”

The bamboo frame pieces vanished from his hand.

And eventually…

“Kakei.”

He heard Unno’s dispirited voice.

“I thought you said you couldn’t catch small fish?”

Some pierced fish were flopping around at the surface by the beach end of the pier.

Kakei jumped into the water to retrieve his catch.

And then he walked up onto the beach.

“I knew we would have to wait for a while, but I didn’t think we would end up essentially camping out here.”

The saltwater reminded him of the inland sea when they were back in Kansai.

It had been a long time. The feeling of sand slipping between his toes as the waves receded really took him back. The taller waves may have been a trait of non-inland seas.

The wave eventually lowered from knee height to shin height.

“Here.”

He was using his hat to carry the fish and he dropped them in front of Mochizuki. She used her gravitational control to solidify the wet sand into a cutting board.

“Thank you very much.”

This meant they could finish cooking breakfast.

Kakei felt relief and an odd sense of amusement at that as he looked up into the sky.

This was the Odawara coast. They were in the east. And when he looked overhead…

“Is that Mouri’s aerial fleet in the west toward Atami?”

“It really looks like they’re trying to keep their distance from us.”

“They probably are.” Kakei looked to a spring water pool on the edge of the coast. “Even if the Siege of Odawara is being used for a number of different battles, there are basically three poles here.”

“Do you mean Houjou, Mouri, and Hashiba?”

“Testament. Even if we join in for the 2nd Siege of Ueda, we’re really only helping Takigawa-san of Hashiba. …Since Hashiba pretty much is the Testament Union now, we can make a deal for Sanada’s future by helping her.”

Meaning…

“If we can help Takigawa-san with her battle and also complete the 2nd Siege of Ueda, we can preserve Sanada’s forces, give them a path to Osaka, and bring them some peace.”

“But what are we going to do? Takigawa has lost most of her forces.”

Mouri’s aerial fleet was in the western sky and the Houjou fleet was beyond that.

Those were powerful forces, but just as Unno had hinted…

“Takigawa-sama has lost the Shirasagi Castle, so she will be acting as a ground force. And the three of us must act as the Sanada forces during the 2nd Siege of Ueda.”

“If we think of the Ten Braves as worth a thousand warriors each, then we should be good.”

Kakei rubbed his cheek as he said that.

The seawater was already starting to dry.

The sounds of the waves were dying down, but that just meant he could hear the cicadas in the forest and hills. The temperature was only going to rise.

…''Such a nice summer.

He stopped himself before adding the very un-ninja-like thought of “if not for all the battles”.

The ocean had him feeling more energetic than usual.

It would be dangerous if this made them miss Sanada land. And the three here would know that.

That land had accepted them as “Unneeded”. Their thoughts only turned in that direction when they had nothing else to rely on.

In other words, when their skills proved useless and they were in danger.

…''And we need to avoid a situation like that.

However…

“We don’t really know what the other two ‘poles’ will do,” said Kakei.

“Aren’t they going to fight their battles?” asked Unno.

“The third pole, Takigawa-san, will probably do that, yes.”

Kakei hesitated a moment, but he decided to head to the spring to wash his body.

He set off walking along the sand.

The beach did not extend very far back. Only about 20 meters.

He felt like he was grabbing at a thin cloth with the bottom of his feet.

“But, you see. Like Takigawa-san said last night, Houjou and Mouri are in a bit of a different situation from Hashiba. Especially Mouri. So if the two of them decide to work together…”

“We’ll be the only ones fighting?”

Unno was sharp.

But he did not know the answer here. There was only one thing he could say at this stage.

“That’s probably not how it’ll be.”

He did not know what Mouri and Houjou were thinking, but if they were after ''what he thought they were''…

…''Then I’m jealous.

Mouri, Houjou, and Musashi would bring about something quite ridiculous.

“They’ll be causing a battle on a much larger scale than the ones for Houjou and Mouri.”

Ahead of him, the spring water was overflowing onto the beach.

The water stained the white sand a burnt brown, creating what looked like a crack, but it disappeared partway through.

He moved his foot forward and stepped in the crack of overflowing spring water.

…''It’s cold.

“Hey.”

“What is it?” asked Unno.

Kakei rethought what he wanted to say.

He looked back to see Mochizuki dropping the fish meat from the sand cutting board and into the pot. Unno was watching it too.

The cicada cries were louder than the waves and Kakei spoke over both.

“I caught seven, so are we dividing them 2, 2, and 3 with the 3 going to me?”

“I supplied the bamboo frame parts.”

“And I cooked them.”

''Our girls don’t like to back down, do they?'' he thought while waving at them.

“You two figure it out.”

He walked into the spring. It was unexpectedly deep.

<noinclude>
===Notes===
<references/>
{{HorizonNavbar
| [[Horizon:Volume 6A Chapter 15|Chapter 15]]
| [[Horizon:Volume 6A Chapter 17|Chapter 17]]
}}
</noinclude>

Horizon:Volume 6A Chapter 15

2017-11-28T21:50:59Z

162.158.134.31: Typo fixes.

==Chapter 15: Dragon in Transit==
[[Image:Horizon6A_463.jpg|thumb]]
''An ability

''Is something you are capable of

''A skill

''Is something you are recognized for

'''Point Allocation (Talent)

"Going to Houjou, right? ...Yes, I can take you part of the way."

Yoshiaki confirmed what Kani had said.

She would be carrying Kani partway to Houjou. That was the role she had been given the night before.

Weiss Fürstin was a high-power ''schale besen'', but an extra person would be no more than a burden. Any unfortunate movements could put them in danger during a high-speed flight, and...

...''It affects the fuel efficiency.

Yoshiaki had better fuel efficiency than Angie. Angie could be absentminded and she tended to get careless in her flying when the scenery was nice, so Yoshiaki sometimes had to share Weiss Fürstin's fuel with her.

Of course, Angie often discovered useful things when she was not focused on her flying, so Yoshiaki did not stop her from doing that.

But this was a little different.

They had to reach Houjou quickly.

'''Kimee:''' "Is everything ready for Kani to be dropped off at the other end?"

'''Kuro Take:''' "Testament. A supply ship will be leaving P.A. Oda territory and some personnel were sent to Houjou to prepare for the Siege of Odawara."

'''AnG:''' "...Huh?"

"What is it, Angie?"

"Oh, um." Angie was unsure whether she should respond via Magie Figur or to Yoshiaki. "Kime-chan, which should I do?"

"Just shout real loud."

"Ahaaaahn!!"

Angie placed her hands on either side of her mouth and shouted. Then she turned back toward Yoshiaki.

"Sorry, that wasn't what you meant, was it?"

"As long as it's calmed you down."

Everyone on the deck had fallen silent, but they did not care.

'''AnG:''' "Takeko. What did you mean when you said some personnel were sent to Houjou for the Siege of Odawara?"

...''Ah.

Yoshiaki had noticed that too.

What Takenaka had said made no sense. Because...

'''AnG:''' "We only learned last night that the Siege of Odawara is happening, right? So how could you have already sent them? ...Or are you saying they've already arrived?"

'''Kuro Take:''' "Testament. There are two people in P.A. Oda who can do that. Although one is a member of our Ten Spears."

"Yes," agreed Yoshiaki. "It shouldn't be a problem then. ...So it’s someone with a great warrior's righteousness. With us and this underclassman here, we should be able to fight as a decent Hashiba force."

"Eh!? Me too!?"

"If you do your job well."

"I will!" Kani showed off her teeth with a smile. "I will do my best and achieve results! ...Is there anything else I need to watch out for!?"

'''□□凸:''' "E-excuse me. H-how is this person so cheerful, or bright, or whatever you would call it? ...Huh? That's odd. Aren't I supposed to be that kind of character? So why does my heart ache like this?"

'''6:''' "So in a week, he'll be one of us, huh?"

'''Kuro Take:''' "Fukushima-kun? Make sure Kani-kun isn't influenced by us. She still needs to command and work alongside our other subordinates."

'''Llaf:''' "Testament. I am not sure I wholly understand, but are thou saying it would be dangerous if she became like us? It is true I have difficulty imagining Kani-dono using the Giant Breasts Defense like Kiyo-dono..."

'''Kiyo-Massive:''' "Um, I don't actually have that bizarre skill..."

'''AnG:''' "Yeah, we can't have her turning out like this."

'''Nari Nari Nari:''' "Why are you people always like this?"

'''Monkey Girl:''' "Mi-chan? I need to make some final adjustments, so please come here."

'''Nari Nari Nari:''' "Y-yes! Testament! I'll be right there!"

'''Kiyo-Massive:''' "Mitsunari-sama seems like the cheerful type as well."

''Hmm,'' thought Angie as she looked up into the sky.

She thought about what Kani had said, but...

...''Anything else she needs to watch out for.

"Well, make sure you don't get so focused on achieving results that you lose sight of other things. Like taking care of yourself."

She took a breath.

"The Ten Spears have to make it back alive, so we can't have our Kanitama not making it back, now can we?"

Everyone working on the deck silently turned her way, but she ignored them.

On the other side of Kanitama, Yoshiaki briefly froze, but she soon recovered.

She looked to Angie and gave a thumbs up. That meant it was not a problem and she approved of what Angie had said.

Meanwhile, Kani responded to her line.

"Understood! I will do everything my upperclassmen say!"

"Oh, how disciplined. So what would you say if I asked you to go buy us drinks?"

"Eh?"

Unsure what to do, Kani's eyes wandered back and forth.

Angie reflexively followed that eye movement, but...

"Oh, how about this!"

Out of nowhere, Kani held out a paper cup.

And it contained...

"This is a drink born of the Age of Discovery idea that pepper is a panacea which has had a recent resurgence! It's called Doctor Pepper!"

"If I remember right, that doesn't actually have pepper in it and just has 21 different chemicals."

"Eh!? Really!? I was tricked!!"

"Then you can drink it as a punishment."

Kani held the cup in both hands and started drinking it. And after two seconds...

"It's bad! It tastes so bad!"

"Can I try some?"

"No! I can't let an upperclassman drink something so bad! I'll drink it!"

"Putting it like that really makes me want to try it."

"Then it's good! It tastes so good! I want to let an upperclassman drink something so good! I don't want to drink it!"

Yoshiaki glared at her.

"Isn't that going too far in the other direction?"

Angie had to agree.

But Angie also gave a deep nod in front of Kanitama.

"Okay, Kanitama, let me see what you can do."

Everyone on the deck started chanting "Chug! Chug!" as Kanitama gulped down the contents of the cup. Meanwhile, Yoshiaki pulled three harnesses out of her luggage.

She raised Weiss Fürstin behind Kanitama's back, and...

"Okay, stay still for a bit. I'm going to attach the harnesses."

"I finished drinking it!"

"Good girl, good girl. ...Now don't move."

"Eh!? U-umm."

"There are two Katous, so just call me Yoshiaki."

Kani nodded at that.

"Good point! Takenaka-san told me to use 'Giant Katou' and 'Massive Katou', but that doesn't really work, does it!?"

'''AnG:''' "Takeko, who are you trying to pick a fight with?"

'''Kuro Take:''' "But it's true, isn't it? In a certain way."

Angie was not going to ask what that certain way was, but Kamitama had been attached to Weiss Fürstin in the meantime.

The girl was strapped on around her torso, her waist, and her thighs.

"Umm, Yoshiaki-san! What are these straps for!?"

"We're about to leave for Houjou, so I've attached you to Weiss Fürstin. Get it now?"

"But! What about my luggage over there!"

There was indeed a woven bamboo carrying case on the deck.

It was surprisingly large. While it was not as tall as Kani herself, it would reach as high as her chest.

"That's pretty big. What's in it?"

"My futon!"

"...I thought the case was pretty big, but now I'm impressed at how well you compressed it."

"Thank you very much!!"

"Okay, let's get going."

Kani looked over at her carrying case.

"Eh!? What about my futon!?"

"You can find one once we arrive."

Yoshiaki said that while lightly hopping up.

She landed halfway up Weiss Fürstin as it stood vertically. For a winged Descended Angel, the angle and height of a ''schale besen'' was never an obstacle. She immediately dropped down in the pilot's seat.

"Let's get going before the sun rises. The ascent is going to be a pain, but it will be easier once we're horizontal again."

"Testament. Will you be going out ahead, Kime-chan?"

Yoshiaki simply nodded.

And while sitting in the vertical seat...

"Let's get going."

"Eh!? What do you mean I can find a futon once we arrive!? You can't know there will be one there!"

"You'll just have to put some effort into it."

With that, a powerful wind blew.

Angie looked forward, but there was no longer any sign of Weiss Fürstin or Yoshiaki's blonde hair.

There was only a sound resembling a cannon splitting the air and the cry of acceleration.

When she looked up into the early morning sky, she caught a brief glimpse of Weiss Fürstin's acceleration light.

''It's so pretty,'' she thought, but...

"Whoops."

She had to pursue it.

She was supposed to be flying after Yoshiaki.

"So the Technohexen have left. I fought against and alongside them back before they were split between white and black."

A voice fell towards the dirt ground within Paris.

Someone looked up at two long strands of cloud rising into the sky which did not yet contain any sunlight.

"Sir Bernard, you have been commanding the dragons without taking any rest, so are you sure you don't need to sleep now?"

"When a dragon sleeps, they sleep for a long while. But this is human land. Something could go wrong."

An elderly man with his black hair tied back walked through the construction underway on the dirt road.

He was Bernard.

He turned to his right where a ''Belle de Marionnette'' followed one step behind.

"You said your name was Armand, didn't you? You seem to have helped quite a bit with the construction last night."

They were headed south to check over the city wall and the moat closest to Hashiba's camp.

"Today, we must fortify the inside of the moat. Armand, I assume you will be helping too?"

"With my wide-range gravitational control, yes."

Bernard nodded at that.

"Your strength rivals that of a large Terrestrial Dragon. I see the humans continue to create new technology."

"They may have created us, but it is up to us whether or not we will cooperate with them."

"Do you dislike humans?"

When asked that, Armand reached for his hat and looked into the sky.

"''Belle de Marionnette''s cannot judge things by emotions such as like or dislike."

"Then how do you judge them?"

"Incomprehensible."

"Oh?" said Bernard as he slowed his pace.

He chose as path toward the city wall as he continued.

"What about them do you find incomprehensible?"

"How they give meaning to their decisions."

Armand adjusted his hat so the brim lined up with the city wall and he shut one eye.

He then looked left and right as if checking on the wall's structure.

"Losing this battle does not mean the destruction of the human race. Nor will it mean the end of Hexagone Française. The same is true for Hashiba and M.H.R.R. 'Working together' is always an option. But humans seem to have an instinct to protect their territory and way of life."

"We have something like that too."

"Of course you do." Armand spun his hat around with his finger. "Because you're human."

"I am a Celestial Dragon."

The subsequent pause lasted a few seconds.

Finally, Armand asked a question.

"You are?"

"I am."

"You look human to me."

"I have transformed."

"How?"

"Like this."

Bernard lowered his hips and thrust his right hand forward.

And while spinning around...

"Trans — Form!"

He nailed the transformation, so he took a breath while everyone in the street applauded.

The old man from a bakery held up a container of hops beer.

"Mr. Celestial Dragon! I think the two of us could get along! You're far better than my daughter's husband!"

Someone shouted "Yeah, and I think your daughter agrees with you!" and everyone grew a lot more lively.

They had all been basking in the morning stillness while doing construction work or preparing for the day.

But with Bernard as the focus, they began looking up and exchanging glances. But they soon forgot about Bernard and began their usual interactions with each other.

"Oh?" Armand viewed his surroundings. "Sir, you've woken up the city just by paying a visit to the dragons at the city wall. And more importantly..."

"Yes?"

"Were you serious with that 'transform' thing?"

"Of course I was. It was the usual ceremony. When a dragon takes on a human form, it feels like converging in on yourself, but when returning to your dragon form, you need some kind of symbol to return to your proper body. Although that symbol differs from person to person. ...We all have 'molds'. We can play around by taking on other forms, but that can be dangerous if we do not maintain our focus while changing back. Human forms make it especially easy to lose sight of our 'mold'."

"I see." Armand nodded. "Where did you learn to do that?"

"800 years ago. ...Doing that made most of the humans flee, so it was popular among us dragons."

"So even Celestial Dragons don't like fighting, huh?"

"No living creature does."

"Wouldn't you do it if you knew 100% that you would win?"

Bernard responded immediately.

"I would not," he said. "That must never be the case."

Just then, the door to a nearby pub opened and the woman proprietor ran out with long strides.

It took her seven steps to reach them. She passed Bernard a bundle of skewered meat wrapped in leaves and smiled at him.

"I doubt that's anywhere near enough, but stop by tonight. We'll have plenty more for you then."

"—————"

Bernard remained silent, but he pulled out one of the meat skewers and stared at it.

And as everyone silently watched on, he bit into it.

"Ah."

The woman proprietor's eyes widened as he ate the skewer right along with the meat.

There was an odd crunching as he tore through the skewer with his teeth and then he audibly swallowed.

But he ate it.

After swallowing, he let out a breath and a snort.

He looked to the woman proprietor and spoke.

"If you used a little less salt, it would taste nicely like blood."

Everyone cheered at his assessment.

The woman bowed respectfully, but then spun around and practically danced back into her pub. A traveling entertainer played his musical instrument in time with her dancing and someone raised a shout.

"The Landsknecht!"

"Indeed! We are the servants of god who will race to deadly lands for 4 ''gulden''...!"

"Does that mean Protestant mercenaries are going to assist Hexagone Française in our fight against the Catholics...!?"

This improvised story had no real meaning.

Bernard and Armand simply continued to the city wall. But their path produced a wave of cheers, respectful looks from children, and interested voices from women.

"Well, Sir Bernard? ...What do you think of this lively city that was built by the previous generation?"

"Anne of Austria, you mean?"

Gazes turned toward Bernard from the windows and buildings along the road.

He turned his sharp bestial eyes on them, but none of them seemed to mind.

"That's not gonna work." Armand laughed. "Hexagone Française has as big a nonhuman unit as England. We're used to having bestial eyes on us."

"I have a question."

"Yeah? What is it?"

"Did Anne of Austria create the people of this city?"

"No, she didn't."

"Then were you born this way?"

"I was only made about 10 years ago, so I can't tell you that. Well, it's possible the previous generation set things up for how the people here act, but that wasn't what clinched it."

"The current generation then?"

"Yes," said Armand as he put his hat back to normal and viewed their surroundings.

Construction was underway. The sounds of ''Lourd de Marionnette''s walking and of bellowed commands came from seemingly empty roads.

The color of approaching dawn filled the eastern sky.

However...

"As the construction continues, the stealth barrier makes it look like the city's people are disappearing," said Bernard. "This level of defense and effort is not something I saw in the past."

"No, no. It might look like a lot, but it was recorded by two Technohexen as they ascended into the sky earlier. The enemy probably knows a lot of what we're doing."

"You saw them recording it?"

"They made a vertical ascent, so it's a safe assumption. That allows easier focusing of the footage than when moving away or approaching."

Bernard nodded at Armand's explanation. He also chewed apart another skewer of meat, wooden skewer and all.

"A vertical ascent is a way of avoiding dragons."

"Explain. I could always use more tactical lessons."

"Very well. ...We dragons generally fly using our thrusters, but due to our weight, we have difficulty making vertical ascents. And as living creatures, we have to worry about our breathing and body temperature, so we cannot remain active for long at extreme altitudes without any kind of equipment. ...Technohexen are light enough to pull it off, so in dragon-controlled territory they usually make powered descents and vertical ascents instead of horizontal take-offs and landings."

"When those Technohexen were taking you all on last night, they made a vertical ascent beforehand, didn't they?"

"They must have had an excellent teacher."

"You're basically praising yourself there."

"I am not. I am merely stating a fact. ...The fact that dragons are superior to all."

Just as Bernard said that, the sun rose.

They were headed south, so the light rose into the sky on their left.

It appeared above the city wall, and...

"Good morning, my subjects!!"

They heard the Roi-Soleil's voice. It too came from the eastern city wall where the sun was rising.

The nudist was there.

Henri inspected the city while listening to the Roi-Soleil's morning greeting.

"Such wonderful weather today! As long as I remain in Paris, this land will always be filled with this pleasant atmosphere!"

His voice reached her on an eastern avenue and she saw the Roi-Soleil himself on the eastern wall.

But that was none of her concern at the moment.

She was not on bodyguard duty right now.

...''Because the musketeer unit must prepare for the defense of Paris.

She was working with the ''Belle de Marionnette''s under her command to check the simultaneous functioning of the defense and stealth barriers.

She stood before a 3m block of metal placed among the trees lining the road.

But this was no mere block of metal. It was a reinforcer for the Gallican terminal chapels set up around Paris.

Amplified by those, the terminal chapels opened the stealth and defense barriers.

They were made by the Europa business guild, so they looked like white half-arches. The stealth ones bore a relief of the Roi-Soleil and the defense ones bore a relief of Terumoto swinging a wooden sword.

When the two were set up together, the full arch seemed to depict the Roi-Soleil rejoicing as he was pummeled with a wooden sword, but that may have been Europa's way of rebelling.

At any rate, the Roi-Soleil's voice reached her ears as she measured the output to make sure it was sufficient. His words were accompanied by light harpsichord music.

"Now, everyone, it is time for some light morning exercise. First, some hip twists. ...Ooone, twooo, threee, fooour. Can you feel the Roi-Soleil Power welling up in your loins?"

''Quiet down, Roi-Soleil.

But this was a nice break for the people who had been working since late at night. A lot of them probably used his appearance as their sign to get to sleep.

...''There's no real reason to rush it, but it is important to do it together.

Protecting a city was not something a single group of personnel could accomplish. If the entire city was not working together, the enemy would break through somewhere no matter how much they fortified the actual city's defenses.

That was what had happened at Magdeburg.

Henri understood it well since she had been there.

Magdeburg had used deflection-style defense barriers and had set them up within the city walls as well.

But due to the persistent attack from the front and the constant pressure from the flooded river on the side, the barriers had bent and then broken.

But what would have happened if more people had remained behind in Magdeburg?

...''Is it meaningless to think about that now?

For a ''Belle de Marionnette'', past events were only used as a basis on which to predict future events.

But there was one thing not even that idea could make happen: allowing Roi-Soleil Louis Exiv to meet Anne of Austria.

What should she have done and when?

"————"

She did not know.

Of course, knowing would only lead to the regret of not having done so. Then she would once more search for a reason why she could not have done it.

Past distortions only led to never-ending guesses and assumptions because they were already over.

In that case...

...''Perhaps I should end this with what the Princess said.

''"We were glad to have you with us."

What had that meant?

For one thing, Terumoto's words concerning Anne's death had not reached Anne.

They only provided self-satisfaction.

But then why did Henri sense some logical acceptance of it?

If she could understand that, she guessed she would make more progress in the present instead of using so much processor time on the past.

She cursed her lack of memory space.

"Honestly..."

She looked up to the eastern wall and saw the Roi-Soleil stretching.

His hair formed a flare and he produced his own light on top of the morning sunlight.

"Heh. My subjects, now that we have completed our morning Soleil Stretches, let us begin the morning greeting. ...Good morning, everyone. It is I, the Roi-Soleil. Disappointed it isn't Terumoto, aren't you?"

Henri found herself disrespectfully agreeing with him.

He then frowned and nodded. He swung his head down thrice.

"I too would prefer Terumoto! Why have the likes of me rise so early in the morning!? I’ve risen in the morning? Is that supposed to be a euphemism, Terumoto!?"

"Hey, Mouri-01."

In a cypress bath with a view of the rising sun through the window, Terumoto rolled over with a towel on her head.

She rolled onto her stomach as if embracing the edge of the tub.

"I thought I would listen in on what was happening back there while enjoying this morning bath, but this is what I find? Just end the divine transmission."

"Testament. Should I play some music?"

Mouri-01 was mixing some shampoo and Terumoto put a hand on her chin.

"Hmm," she groaned with a tilt of the head. "The divine radio stations would be different here, wouldn't they?"

Mouri-03 responded to Terumoto's doubt by opening a ''signe cadre'' in the bath. She pulled a divine radio station broadcast list from a local newspaper company.

"The Shinto stations should be the same as ours, even if they're a little less unique."

At the same time, another ''signe cadre'' appeared.

It showed Mouri-02 down on the surface. She bowed with a large Shinto shrine behind her.

"These are the ones that have been approved back home."

A few select stations appeared.

Terumoto noticed some local ones in addition to ones that used the Shinto network to cover the entire Far East.

"Oh, there's a lot in the Fierce Monk style. I guess you have to be wild with the strings if you want to be popular."

"Terumoto, you really do like those rude songs."

"We can leave the polite stuff to Exiv. Mouri-02, thanks."

"Hee hee," laughed Mouri-01. "As your maid, it's a relief to see how well you get along."

"Is that so, is that so?"

Terumoto wiped off her face with the towel. She was wiping off the sweat. She then reached for Mouri-02's ''signe cadre'' which already had links attached to the list of stations.

"Okay," she said and a cheerful personality began speaking over the divine transmission.

"This week on the serial drama 'The Wu-rst', Sun Ce-kun fired his doctor for giving him the Wu-rst diagnosis, but now his mind is rapidly deteriorating. The next entry is titled Sun Ce Dies. I can't wait to find out what happens."

"Oh, this region would be pro-Wu, wouldn't they?"

After flipping through a few different stations, Terumoto spoke to Mouri-01.

"Tell that idiot to be quiet since I'm in the bath."

"The bath!? You're in the bath, Terumoto!?"

Henri saw her leader jumping up and down like an overexcited elementary schooler.

He placed a hand on his forehead and bent backwards.

"Heh. First thing in the morning and you're already filling me with doubt, Terumoto! In these two days without you...or has it been three days? Either way! The Roi-Soleil cares not for details!"

'''Ar-Man:''' "Hey."

'''An-Ri:''' "Just keep quiet and watch. ...And the watching part is optional."

But the Roi-Soleil turned toward Paris with a ''signe cadre'' in hand.

"Listen, everyone! While all of you are working to protect Paris, Terumoto has gone to Houjou as a representative of Mouri and she is apparently taking a bath there!"

''Why tell everyone that?'' wondered Henri.

Just then the ''signe cadre'' exploded as the Roi-Soleil held it overhead.

He spun four times as he flew northward, but he soon returned to his original location. And he opened a new ''signe cadre''.

"Heh. Feeling shy, Terumoto? But I am willing to accept that side of you."

He now had an enormous afro, but he fixed it with a single stroke of his right hand.

He confirmed he was positioned right in front of the sun and then took a breath.

He spread his arms and legs while the sun slowly rose behind him.

And he shook his head so his flare hair whipped behind him.

"Heh. Watch, my subjects, as the sun and I become one!"

A ''Belle de Marionnette'' under Henri's command sent her a divine transmission.

"Lady Henri! The sun is aligned with the Roi-Soleil's crotch! ...There's no stopping him with Lady Terumoto gone, is there!?"

It had indeed been awhile since the Roi-Soleil's stopper had been absent.

But then he crossed his arms and put on a flat expression.

"Now, then..."

'''An-Ri:''' "Roi-Soleil, the sun has risen some, so it's shifted a bit out of place."

He stood up on his toes.

"Now, then..."

Henri decided it was best not to say anything more as he raised his right hand.

"Let us continue our talk, my subjects."

The people had begun to ignore him, but now they turned back his way.

With their attention on him, he nodded once and spoke softly.

"Everyone...it is very unfortunate that Terumoto is not with us today. We all feel the same way, so we are brothers and sisters in this matter, my subjects."

What he said made enough sense that Henri nearly found herself believing him.

But there really was no one to stop him without Terumoto around.

"Listen, my subjects. The climax is tomorrow. ...Hashiba is sure to attack us using methods the likes of which we have never seen. They have the power and the skill to do so. ...So do not hold back as you prepare the conqueror's city. We have vainglory and pride. But being proud does not imply a lack of skill. Make your preparations such that we can have pride in the skill we do in fact have."

Everyone had come to a stop.

Even the rumbling of ''Lourd de Marionnette'' footsteps had ceased. There was only one thing below the quiet morning sky.

The Roi-Soleil with the sun behind him.

The French nudist lowered from his tiptoes.

He took a breath and continued with a smile.

"The climax is tomorrow. But Hexagone Française's climax is not tomorrow. We still have much greater heights to reach as the conquerors of Europe. ...Then do you know whose climax is tomorrow, my subjects?"

It would be...

"Hashiba and M.H.R.R.'s climax. They face decline after conquering the Far East and after the Thirty Years' War and they also face the Oda clan's decline. We are merely accompanying them as their climax begins. ...It is unfortunate Terumoto could not be with us. We have the privilege of seeing the climax of a group fearing their own ruin and decline. This is a scene we will never see in ourselves, so it is entirely unnecessary as reference material. But it will help relieve my sorrow."

The Roi-Soleil slowly moved.

He pointed toward heaven and then to the east.

He breathed in and raised his voice.

"Vive La Anne!"

Henri then heard inhalations across all of Paris.

A moment later, everyone moved in unison. She even heard the rumbling and mechanical noises of ''Lourd de Marionnette''s beyond the stealth barriers.

"Vive La Anne...!"

"Enough!"

The Roi-Soleil swept his hand to the side.

In an instant, everyone held their breath and tensed up.

There was stillness, but it was more than mere silence. Everything that should have moved had stopped to forcibly create this motionless atmosphere.

But even without motion, there was intensity.

And the Roi-Soleil smiled as their gazes fell on him.

"I must apologize for using Anne as a tool to build morale. Not even the sun of pride can hope to match that lively star of guidance."

So...

"Let us follow that star's guidance, everyone. ... The moon will return before long, but we must prepare this sleepless fortress before then."

"Ridiculous... Let's stay an extra week visiting hot springs."

"Hee hee. Princess, did the Roi-Soleil's wonderful speech make you blush?"

"I'm not blushing," insisted Terumoto as she turned to look out the window.

Sunlight entered through it.

And since she had needed to turn around to see the sunlight...

"We were facing in the same direction."

She wiped off her face with the towel.

"He's the type to check on that kind of thing if he can. I'm the type to accept it if it happens to happen. But..."

But...

"I'm vainglorious. Even if I don't like being alone, I can't bring myself to say it. ...And he probably needs some more time to cool his head a little."

"Oh, dear. But, Princess?

"What?"

Mouri-01 poured out some more mixed shampoo as she answered.

"Do you really think the sun can cool?"

"The moon would never get along with him if he couldn't."

Terumoto looked the other way and messed with the divine radio stations.

"Hm? We can get Musashi ones on here?"

"Probably because they have their stealth barrier down. ...Princess, let me wash your hair."

"Sure, sure."

When she held out her head, her bangs covered her face.

Mouri-01 smiled with that head and a bucket of bathwater in front of her. She stuck her finger in the water to measure the temperature and checked the reading on the ''signe cadre'' that appeared above the finger. She nodded.

"Princess, it's a little hot, so I will redo it."

"Oh? ...No, this is pretty lukewarm."

"But it is a little hot for your hair. And you have official duties today, so I will add extra yuzu."

"Isn't that a little much?"

"It should help wake you up."

"Then you might as well. ...Okay."

Mouri-01 let the contents of a small plate drip onto Terumoto's hair and Terumoto made an amused comment as it soaked in.

"That's cold."

The morning light created a dimly-lit space.

It was a triangular pyramid tent.

"Kh..."

The Reine des Garous awoke below a blanket by the tent's edge.

Her daughter slept next to her, creating the scent of a "pack" that she had not sensed in a while. Her adorable daughter had a mixture of her and her husband's scents. That wolf had inherited so much but had also begun her own independent life.

But she was curious about one thing concerning her daughter's relationships. She was likely to find out about it today, but...

...''It's about her king.

She had a question there.

Just how important was her daughter to that king?

She thought she had some understanding of that.

''But,'' she thought as she rolled from her side to her stomach. And...

"Oh?"

There was an arm in her cleavage.

"————"

This was unusual, so she stopped moving.

There were in fact two arms there.

...''Oh, now I get it.

"That would explain the dirty dream about having my husband in there."

When she freed the two arms, they crawled back to their owner. On the way, they looked back and gave a reluctant wave, so she waved back.

"Now, then."

The Reine des Garous lifted her butt, stretched, and took a deep, deep breath. And then...

"Heh heh."

She silently moved across her daughter.

She looked to Musashi's princess on the other side.

...''Why is she sleeping with her eyes open?

The arms had already returned, but she remained entirely stiff as she slept.

And the Reine des Garous's daughter's king was beyond her.

"...I wonder."

Determining his relationship with her daughter would be easy. She only had to smell him from up close.

She had already done that plenty after abducting him in Hexagone Française, but...

...''If there hasn't been any progress, I'll have to scold you a little.

They had to be fighting a series of intense battles.

He would need a knight, so her daughter's scent should have grown stronger. But if it had not...

"Oh?"

She detected her daughter's scent, just like she had in the clearing the night before.

But it did not come from him.

...''His blanket.

Yes. Her daughter's scent came from the blanket covering him.

And oddly enough, it came from the bottom end.

"Sniff..."

When she sniffed it, she detected several scents on that king's blanket. From head to toe, there was a gradation of different people's scents.

Starting from the top end, she found the Asama Shrine Representative, Musashi's princess, the king himself, and lastly her daughter.

The four scents were lined up on the blanket.

And the Reine des Garous realized how the scents would end up on the blanket like that.

...''Oh.

Given the size, the king's feet would stick out if it was turned on its side. In fact, the same would be true for her daughter, their princess, and the Asama Shrine Representative.

But this king had chosen what he could do in that moment.

"...Testament."

The Reine des Garous felt a smile on her lips as she returned to her spot.

She no longer felt a need to smell him again.

For a wild wolf, giving someone a place to sleep held great meaning. When the forest had stopped feeling like home and she had nearly lost herself, she had met the person who had given her her current home.

Whether her daughter wanted it or not, there was someone who would give the girl a home.

Her daughter was being taken care of. So...

"I should probably spend the day making sure she is behaving properly. As the Reine des Garous's daughter, as a citizen of Hexagone Française, and as the second in line to the Far East."

She sat back down on her blanket.

Her daughter slept on her side like she always had. No, when she was little, she had slept with her belly defenselessly exposed. The Reine des Garous had always placed a blanket over her then, but now...

"You've grown into a proper knight."

She smiled.

"I look forward to seeing where you go from here."

Just then, the blanket on the other side shot up into the air.

That was the Asama Shrine Representative.

"Wah...!"

She pulled a sign frame out of her cleavage. It was vibrating, but it soon disappeared.

"Kimi! I don't need an 'it's purification time' message!"

She twisted around a bit, but then noticed the Reine des Garous.

"Ah," she said. "G-good morning. Um, uh..."

She frantically looked away and reached for the change of clothes folded next to her.

"I'll be at the bath for my morning purification!"

"Yes, go ahead. ...Take care."

The girl groaned a little and blushed.

But she soon stood up and kept her footsteps quiet as she left the tent. The Reine des Garous smiled as she watched the girl go.

...''That girl.

There had been a whitish mark of a dried liquid in the corners of her eyes.

She must have been crying below her blanket the night before.

A multitude of feelings had spilled out while she used a borrowed arm as a pillow.

<noinclude>
{{HorizonNavbar
| [[Horizon:Volume 6A Chapter 14|Chapter 14]]
| [[Horizon:Volume 6A Chapter 16|Chapter 16]]
}}
</noinclude>

Horizon:Volume 6A Chapter 14

2017-11-27T23:58:39Z

162.158.134.31: 2 typos corrected.

==Chapter 14: Commotion Maker in a Closed Room==
[[Image:Horizon6A_425.jpg|thumb]]
''A friend while asleep

''A friend while awake

''What makes that change?

'''Point Allocation (Lifestyle)

The ceiling had changed from bluish-black to purple.

Night was turning to dawn, so the color of the sky was changing.

The purple turned to light scarlet, white grew yellow, and it finally became blue.

Those color changes happened most quickly in the east.

And the wind was blowing.

The faintly sunlit air swept through the chilly sky.

It was a morning wind traveling from east to west.

It made its presence known by creating white lines of cloud in the morning sky.

Someone was watching the movement of that wind.

They watched from down on the floor.

The sky was visible through a white frame that had lost its paper sliding window.

"Na-chan, are you awake?"

"What a pain..."

"That's not really an answer to my question."

"You need to get up already, Toshi. It's morning."

Narimasa and Toshiie were conversing while lying on the floor.

They were in a karaoke room. A billiards table in the center of the room had been sliced in two and violently beaten and the balls were embedded in the walls.

The remains of what had once been musical instruments were strewn across the stage.

"Before he left, Shibata said 'they won't notice it's broken if I do this' and tied the broken guitar together with its own strings, but it's clearly broken and it looks like a vessel used for some kind of strange ritual."

"Yeah, it doesn't even have a neck anymore. And the brass instruments are completely deformed and lying in a pile, but what is Mori doing? His head is stuck in that horn's opening, but is he sleeping?"

"I imagine he is."

The ''lernen figur'' on the stage was asking them to request a song.

When he saw the timer saying they had 2 hours left, Narimasa muttered a comment.

"I wonder how things are going in Kantou."

"That's a good question," said Toshiie from the floor. "I bet the sources of our names felt like this back in the Age of the Gods. What do you think, Na-chan?"

"How should I know?"

"Yeah, I suppose you're right," said Toshiie before something occurred to him.

...''Hm?

"Na-chan."

"What?"

"If you can dismiss questions about the past with a simple 'how should I know?', can't you do the same for current things?"

''Is he going to reject the idea?'' wondered Toshiie.

He assumed Narimasa would just tell him to shut up. However...

"That would certainly make things easier."

Toshiie was unsure how to respond at first.

It took him 5 whole seconds to think about what Narimasa's reply meant.

"That's incredible, Na-chan! I think this is the first time I've seen any sign of growth from you!"

"It was so surprising you had to pause first?"

"Don't worry about it, don't worry about it! Should I make some ''sekihan''!? Or how about some black curry since you're from the Black Horo Unit!? Even if I can't eat curry myself!"

"Shut up. There's still some sake left."

Toshiie smiled bitterly at Narimasa's "shut up".

"Anyway, how has your mindset changed?"

"Not knowing things is definitely easier."

Narimasa crossed his arms below his head and looked out the window, but...

"Na-chan, I can't see out the window with the sofa in the way. And Michi is sleeping on the sofa with a sake bottle in her arms."

"So that's what that lump in the blanket is." Narimasa sighed. "It's about what you were saying before."

"That you just achieved growth for the first time ever?"

"Before that. About my...my..."

"My-da? Yes, that is my name."

Narimasa glared at Toshiie.

...''Come to think of it, how does Na-chan keep those sunglasses from falling off while lying down?

But he was looking up at the ceiling right now.

"My name's origin. The people from the Age of the Gods. They would've had a lot less freedom and it couldn't have been easy, but I think they would have worked to eliminate the kinds of negative thoughts we're having now."

"Why?"

"Because they didn't have divine transmissions."

Toshiie could not respond for three full seconds.

And then he nodded.

"So you've finally figured out how to use your brain, Na-chan. You're growing so fast it's kind of scaring me."

Narimasa glared at him again.

But he did understand what Narimasa meant.

"It's hard to believe, but they really only had smoke signals and whistles to communicate over a distance. Other than that, they would have to write a letter to be delivered by foot or horse. ...Information on the outside world was generally acquired from traveling merchants, diplomats, travelers, and ninja spies. Immediate notice of events was unthinkable, the time lag was bad, and information was often incomplete."

As a Treasurer who managed trade, he could not imagine controlling a nation without the ability to instantly check on information.

"It's amazing the world didn't just collapse like that. If someone attacked another nation over baseless suspicions and it triggered a chain reaction, the entire world would decline."

"We see similar things happening in the history recreation, don't we?"

"That's true."

''That's an elementary question, but Na-chan probably never studied any of this,'' he thought.

So he explained.

"The Far East has always had divine transmissions for the history recreation. Even back when it was called the Divine States, the Shinto network existed, so they were allowed to have 'oracles'. You know, the idea of 'hearing a disembodied voice'. The Divine States was allowed divine transmissions very early on as a recreation of that. ...And they tried to do the same thing in the Harmonic Divine States. The Harmonic Divine States was a copy of the Divine States, so the basic structure of the Shinto network was also copied there."

But...

"The Harmonic Divine States was of course a collection of many nations. To secure their own interests and to protect their own data, they tended to restrict their networks to their own nation and maybe their allies."

"Well, that's not very helpful. What were they thinking?"

"If you have multiple people living in a large room, they're going to divide it up, aren't they?"

"My room is pretty small."

"What about your shelf for music gold disks?"

Narimasa paused for a second before answering.

"Yeah, I guess I do divide those up. ...Or I at least don't randomly mix them together."

"Really...? Oh, I'm not surprised. I just didn't really expect it," said Toshiie. "Anyway, once Tsirhc came about, they set up a network that crossed national borders. And that gave the church a lot of power, so the religious differences became an issue in the history recreation, causing something of a mess. But even then, it was hard to increase the population and there were a lot of losses due to clashes with dragons and other nonhumans, conflicts of interests, and the history recreation."

"Humanity needs to get its act together."

"That's why we decided to do so."

"Why do I get the feeling we haven't managed it yet?"

"Because we kind of haven't."

That was when Toshiie realized what Narimasa had wanted to say.

"The people from the Age of the Gods would have been done for if they were too negative, wouldn't they?"

"Yeah. They couldn't use divine transmissions to immediately work out misunderstandings, look ahead, or see if someone was okay."

This was Narimasa's main point.

"Would those people have agreed that not knowing was easier?"

"It's hard to say," Toshiie heard Narimasa say. "Since they never had divine transmissions in the first place, they wouldn't know how difficult they had it. They would think of it was normal and just live like that."

"Then I wonder what it was like for us."

"Not us. ...The original bearers of our names."

"Testament," agreed Toshiie. "They probably trusted each other easily but also resented each other easily. As in, a misunderstanding would readily lead to a grudge, but they would also return to being friends once the misunderstanding was cleared up. That was normal for them and the other person was the same, so there would be no point in finding fault there."

"I probably would have fit in pretty well there."

"Na-chan, you can actually hold a pretty strong grudge."

Just as Toshiie said that...

"L-let me join that conversation!"

The tentacle rose up on the stage.

The tentacle standing straight up looked a lot like something else.

"Hey, Toshi. There's a dick over there."

"It looks that way to me too, but those generally don't have a horn over the tip."

"Eh? Wh-what are you two talking about!? And Master Maeda, Master Sassa! Why is it so dark!?"

The tentacle with a horn on the end began frantically shaking his head back and forth.

And there was only one way to view that.

"Hey, Toshi. There's a horny dick swinging around over there."

"It looks that way to me too, but that's not the usual kind of hidden talent shown off after a major conference."

"Eh? Wh-what are you two talking about!? But more importantly, I'm having trouble seeing because it's so dark. Is it night time!? Or is there something wrong with my vision!? Wait, maybe I've been so blinded by love I've lost sight of everything else..."

"Hey, Toshi. There's a horny dick hanging its head over there."

"It looks that way to me too, but doesn't that contradict the horny part?"

The tentacle turned their way.

"Wh-what are you two talking about!? Please don't say anything so indecent!"

"Yeah, but, Mori, your head is covered, isn't it?"

"H-how rude! I have an adult shape!"

"Who gave him alcohol last night? He's clearly still drunk."

'''Great Upperclassman:''' "Huh? You got a problem with thaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?"

"God, you're annoying..."

But the horn suddenly swayed.

"Ah...oh, no! I'm having trouble breathing... I-I might be a goner. If only I could have spent my final moments nestled against my beloved's breast..."

"Hey, Toshi. The dick is suffocating. Blow into that horn to give him some oxygen."

"Don't be ridiculous, Na-chan. What if I accidentally breathed in?"

"I thought you two respected me, so why do you keep calling me a dick!? That's so dirty!"

"Just to be clear, Mori, I never said it."

"And have you ever seen what you look like?" asked Narimasa.

"I have!" insisted the horn. "Every evening after my bath, I perform some skin care in front of the mirror! Because no one would want anything to do with me if I was a dirty tentacle! This region is cold, so if I don't apply cream to myself daily, I will crack, bleed, and end up like an RPG mid-boss. So just yesterday, I was applying some cream and scented oil when I started to get in an indecent mood, but I restrained myself!"

"Mori, you are quite a character."

"Oh, you flatter me."

With that, the dick collapsed to the floor with the sound of slapping flesh.

He had probably succumbed to suffocation.

Narimasa commented on the scene.

"Hey, Toshi. The dick just fell over."

"Yeah, it was oddly intense."

Just as they said that, Fuwa rolled over in the sofa beyond Narimasa and then fell right off. And on top of Narimasa.

Another sound of slapping flesh and a dull sound were louder than the simple one of impact.

"Na-chan?"

Toshiie called out to him and turned around, but then he noticed something.

Fuwa's sake bottle had hit Narimasa clean on the head, knocking him out.

And Fuwa herself was positioned with her head by Narimasa's feet and vice-versa.

"Michi?"

She lay on top of him in only a shirt and underwear.

Fuwa woke up.

"Ah?"

She remembered a lot happening the night before. Those boys had a tendency to get all gloomy, so she had sung songs to take control of the situation.

She had drunk a lot.

She had eaten snacks.

She had eaten real food.

She had sung some more.

She remembered drunkenly punching Shibata, but she could not remember why. She decided that meant it was only the result that mattered.

When she looked up, she saw the broken billiards table.

...''Wow, we are the worst.

She was not sure why, but that was her assessment.

"Well, it doesn't matter."

She felt something dried onto the side of her mouth. ''Sake? It's not vomit, is it? I'm not like Takenaka. We might both be glasses girls, but that's where the similarities end.

She wiped off her mouth.

"It is vomit..."

''Huhhh? Where did I vomit...?

"Ah."

''No. There's a bowl of pudding on the sofa. That's what this is.

"Oh, thank goodness... So I didn't spew in front of everyone."

"Michi, I hate to interrupt your little fact-finding mission there, but..."

"Oh, Maeda?"

She tried to look back, but then she noticed her footing was poor. Or her seat in this case.

...''What is this?

She sat up and looked down to see a crotch wearing men's pants.

Karaoke places apparently used really weirdly shaped cushions.

Then she realized she was only wearing a shirt and underwear.

That brought back another memory. She had drunk a lot, sang a lot, and then stripped off some clothing because it was hot.

But only her jacket.

Why had she stripped this far? She did not remember. The fragments of images left in her mind showed her in a karaoke competition with Oichi, drinking some more, and then a giant blank.

...''She must have stripped me.

''Lady Oichi is surprisingly thorough,'' she thought.

"Huh?"

Her thighs were cold and she realized they were bare.

"Wait."

She quickly reached for her hips and found strings there. She was wearing underwear.

...''That was a close one.

But when she quickly turned around to try to move away from Toshiie...

"Eh?"

She reached down to balance herself and struck something with the heel of her palm.

She looked down and saw Sassa.

And that blow had woken him up.

"Ow..."

"Don't wake uuuup!!"

Fuwa slammed down the bottom of a sake bottle lying nearby.

[[Image:Horizon6A_441.jpg|thumb]]
Fuwa heard a dull sound transform into a light reverberation.

The sake bottle had shattered.

And then something pushed up at her butt from below.

"You moron! What was that for!?"

"I told you not to wake up!"

"Huh?"

Narimasa glared at her from beyond the butt sitting on him.

"Hey, Fuwa."

"What?"

She decided she might as well be stubborn about this, but Narimasa pointed at her butt with a bored look on his face.

"What is this?"

"Huh!? You can't tell?"

"It's a butt."

"Yes, it is. Then why did you ask!? Is there something wrong with you, Sassa?"

"Move it."

When she heard that, Fuwa felt like a firing hammer had been cocked deep in her mind.

...''Hey, hold on.

"Y'know, Sassa?"

"What?"

"There's a girl's butt right here."

"Well, yeah. They don't tend to just disappear."

That pissed her off, but the hammer was still cocked.

So she spoke quietly.

"Aren't you going to get all flustered or blush or something?"

Sassa reacted to that with a glare.

"Why should I care when it's a girl who pisses herself?"

She swung a nearby empty bottle at him, but he twisted his head out of the way.

"Watch it, you moron!"

"After saying something so mean to a girl, you can't even accept one measly bottle to the face?"

"What I said was true!"

"Actually, Na-chan," said Toshiie. "I'd say you're the one at fault here."

"You're taking the girl's side!?"

"Stuuuupid! Stuuuupid!"

"You too, Matsu!?"

"Why wouldn't Ma-chan be on the girl's side? And calm down, Na-chan. It might seem strange for me to take the girl's side, but you're tough enough to take it, right?"

"...Whatever. Just move your butt, Fuwa."

Fuwa tilted her head.

"Move it yourself."

"Michi, that kind of sounds like a Sviet Rus name," said Toshiie.

"Movecherself?" repeated Matsu.

''Matsu sure is cute,'' thought Fuwa, but the glaring boy spoke quietly.

"I can't just touch a girl's butt like it's nothing."

Fuwa looked back at Sassa's face.

"...Eh? What? You think of me as a girl?"

"Wow, I can tell this will be annoying."

"Ohhhhhh? Hmmmmm? I seeeeee."

But the thoughts in Fuwa's head were different.

...''Wow.

''This isn't good.

She felt an odd feeling rising from below her chest, near the front of her stomach.

It felt like having her heart tickled.

''Not good, not good. What's so weird about calling me a girl? I guess it was just so sudden or...oh, it's because I'm dressed like this. Yeah, that's probably it.'' But...

...''Uh, oh.

She could not move.

But not because she only had her underwear to cover her butt. While that was certainly a part of it, what he could see now was due to an accident.

But if she moved, he would see more and not due to an accident.

It was not that there was anything in particular she did not want him to see.

She just was not mentally prepared to let him see any more than this.

It may have been her state of undress that led him to treat her like a girl, but...

"I just never expected Sassa of all people to say that."

She hoped he could not tell she was merely feigning calm.

But what was she supposed to do?

How could she move from this position?

"Well, Sassa? Do you like having a girl's butt sitting on you?"

As soon as she asked that, he slapped both sides of her butt with his palms.

"Kyahhh!!"

It was the surprise more than any pain that mad her hips shoot up.

Then Sassa scooted back to press his back against the sofa behind him. He was still glaring at her.

"Keep your ass off of me."

"Y-you idiot, why would you hit me hard enough to leave handprints!? Wow, it really is getting red!"

She really wanted to cry now.

Just then, something reflected the light as it rose up beyond the broken billiards table.

"Wh-who is defiling this space of holy love songs with a crude spanking!?"

''What is with that horn?

''Actually, on closer inspection...

"There's a dick wearing a brass instrument over there."

"Was that Lady Fuwa!? You mustn't call me that! A girl mustn't use dirty language like 'dick'!"

"Sassa, Maeda. The Oda clan's dick is denying his own right to exist."

"You really should stop saying that," said Narimasa.

"But, Master Sassa, you were calling me a dick just a bit ago! So why are you suddenly getting after Lady Fuwa for it!? Are you trying to show off to her how mature you are!?"

"He's showing off his maturity over the word dick?"

For the first time in her life, Fuwa saw a horn rise straight up.

...''What a ridiculous image...

Meanwhile, she heard his voice.

"Excuse me, but why do the three of you insist on calling me a dick!? I am not a dick! I am a tentacle! Am I a tentacle? Yes, I am! Do you understand now?"

"Yes, I understand. I really do, so calm down a little, Mr. Dick."

"God, you're both so annoying."

"And wait," said Fuwa. "Does this mean you two were repeating dick over and over with a girl sleeping on the sofa?"

"I never said it, Michi, and Na-chan only said it like five times."

"Th-that's too much already!" protested the horn. "That's as much as a grown man should say it in a whole month!"

"I didn't realize there was a standard amount, but I guess a dick would know best."

"Ha ha ha. Michi, Mori is just being modest. Isn't that right?"

"N-no one calls themselves modest!"

"But you've been taking pilgrimages to Tsirhc churches ever since arriving here, haven't you?"

...''Sassa, that's just called going to mass...

She decided to leave that unsaid. She also pulled a blanket up to cover her legs.

Then Mori nodded.

"The scripture recitations in a holy cathedral are so sublime. They make me feel so clean, unlike that 'cursed drum' I was forced to listen to for so long in the Dark Continent."

"Do any of the other worshipers say that a tentacle in a church seems like the final boss of a horror movie?"

"No, they do not! Why are you always so mean, Lady Fuwa!?"

The tentacle suddenly collapsed onto his side.

Fuwa frowned at the sound of slapping flesh.

"Suffocation?"

"There's no helping him," muttered Narimasa in response.

"That's a mean thing to say."

With a clear voice, someone got up on Maeda's right side.

"Matsu."

It was Matsu.

But she was not in her usual Mouse form.

She was human sized as she stretched up in a sitting position. She had a slender body instead of the Mouse form used to support Maeda as a ghost.

"Yes. It's me: Ma-chan."

Now that Matsu had returned to her original size, Toshiie remained lying down as he pulled her to him.

Narimasa turned their way.

"Hey, Toshi, are you sure about this?"

"We don't have any obvious battles coming up. And this form is more natural for Ma-chan anyway. She is admittedly cute when she's little..."

He placed his hand on Matsu's cheek as her black hair spilled down.

"But you’re so pretty like this...Matsu."

"Which do you prefer?"

Narimasa got a "god, you're annoying" look on his face and escaped onto the sofa.

But this was a precious time for Toshiie.

"Right now, I prefer you as Matsu."

Matsu nodded at that.

"Good job, Toshiie."

She rubbed his head.

''Does that compliment mean she isn't taking me seriously?'' he wondered, but this was comfortable enough for him to not care. But...

"Since you've become Matsu, can I assume something's happened?"

"Yes. Something major seems to have happened related to Hashiba."

"What do you mean 'related to'?"
Matsu turned toward Narimasa with a smile.

"Sassa? You're an iiiiiidiot. ...Anyway, Toshiie."

"C-curse this girl..."

Matsu turned toward Narimasa with a smile.

"Sassa? From what I've seen, you're popular with the girls because your negative thoughts make you the silent type. You seem to be raising flags all over the place, but since you're most worried about Takigawa, are you into older women? ...Anyway, Toshiie. Umm..."

Matsu turned toward Narimasa with a smile.

"And even with all your popularity, Toshiie and I got married first, so we were the winners. You're just a loser. ...Anyway, Toshiie. Ah, wait just a moment."

Matsu turned toward Fuwa with a straight face.

"Fu-chi, you should really consider a future with someone better."

"What!? Where did that come from!?"

"Ma-chan, even if it does build up over time, you shouldn't throw it all at them at once."

"But life is so much easier as a Mouse. I know it means I have to wait to talk like this, but...but everyone's so nice to me like that."

"Do you like having people spoil you?"

"Yeah, I love it."

"So do I. Na-chan refuses to cooperate, though."

They heard a voice saying "god, you're annoying", but they ignored it.

But Matsu's smile shrank as she got back on topic.

"The ley lines are on the move. ...It's like the ley line infrastructures of P.A. Oda, M.H.R.R., and cooperative K.P.A. Italia are moving toward Mouri."

She implicitly stated that she was not sure why this was happening, so Toshiie nodded.

"I guess Hashiba must be starting something. Something that had to be kept a secret even from us."

"What do you mean?"

"Takenaka probably put together an emergency plan and they couldn't afford having it leak out. They want to settle this quickly, so I bet they've put together a plan that wouldn't work if the enemy knew about it."

Toshiie nodded and Matsu nodded atop his chest.

"Praise me, praise me."

"You're so wonderful, Matsu. Not many wives could notice ley line movements."

"Good, good."

With that Matsu looked behind her.

A horn lay collapsed there, but he was causing noise since he would sometimes stir as if rolling over in his sleep.

"Toshiie, Toshiie. There's a dick with a horn on its head there! It's an emergency!"

"That is certainly an emergency." Toshiie lightly patted her on the back. "But, Ma-chan, girls shouldn't say dick."

Fuwa glared at him, but he did not care.

"Honestly, there's no getting a good night's sleep around here recently."

A grumbling voice came from the morning sky.

Six gold wings stood on the front of a ship's deck. It was Yoshiaki.

The six black wings next to her already held a long collection of metal.

"There's no helping that, Kime-chan. ...So, Kiyo? What should we do? What do you want us to take a look at?"

That was addressed to Kiyomasa who stood halfway down the deck.

She wore a shirt and black tights and she had her back turned while holding up a ''lernen figur'' displaying an arrival and departure sign.

There was someone else beyond her.

"Katagiri-kun, what should we do?"

When she called out to him, Katagiri's shoulders shook inside his uniform. He had apparently been lost in thought.

He quickly turned around and looked up at Kiyomasa, but he just as hurriedly looked back down.

"Katagiri-kun?"

"I-I can see your navel!"

"Huh?"

Kiyomasa sounded confused, but she also pulled down the bottom of her shirt. And then...

"I was thinking Wakisaka-sama and Yoshiaki-sama could take a look at Paris when they took off for Houjou."

"Oh, Testament. We could use a map of the area around Paris. They've probably turned the inside into a maze, so a look at that would be useful too."

An image of shimmering light appeared on the deck in front of Katagiri.

It was a map of Paris made from sunlight.

Kiyomasa viewed Katagiri's map of Paris from above.

...''Hundred Crest Land Survey's precision really has improved.

Hundred Crest Land Survey used light, wind, water, or sound to form images.

It was a spell used to give physical form to sensory data. If he could receive the input of his five senses, Hundred Crest Land Survey would activate. It was a lot like the difference between Internal and External Blessings.

If its precision had improved, then Katagiri's ability to visualize things must have improved.

That made her kind of happy, so Kiyomasa decided to inform the others.

'''Kiyo-Massive:''' "Katagiri-kun has gotten a lot better at visualizing things in his mind."

'''AnG:''' "Oh, dear. He's learned how to do those things in his imagination, has he?"

'''6:''' "I'll make sure he doesn't look at me for a while."

'''Kuro Take:''' "So who was it with?"

'''Kimee:''' "Isn't Nagayasu monitoring this kind of thing?"

'''Tsurugi:''' "Eh!? Is that why his blood pressure is spiking at about 2 o'clock every night!?"

'''□□凸:''' "Wait! What happened to my right to privacy!?"

'''Llaf:''' "Calm down. Katagiri-dono is not that kind of person. This must be some kind of mistake. Yes, everyone makes mistakes when they are young and Katagiri-dono is young! Thus, it should surprise no one that he would make that kind of mista-..."

Fukushima paused for a moment.

'''Llaf:''' "Where did I make a mistake in my reasoning? ...Oh, excuse me. I am being called to the counter."

'''□□凸:''' "After all that, I'm less important than her breakfast!?"

''What were they serving this morning again?'' wondered Kiyomasa as Katagiri raised a ''lernen figur''. It displayed a 3D map of Paris that was synced with and extracted from Hundred Crest Land Survey. Plus...

"I would appreciate it if you could get a look at the whole city from this angle before they set up their final stealth barrier."

The line he had drawn was shallow.

Katagiri was demanding they fly directly above Paris's wall and photograph it from a very shallow angle as if striking it with a chisel. Wakisaka and Yoshiaki received those instructions on the bow.

"Katagiri, what's the significance of the ''angle''?"

"That's a gap in the data stealth barrier that Paris has provisionally placed over itself." Katagiri held a hand over the Hundred Crest Land Survey Paris. "It's a gap between the city wall and the dome-shaped stealth barrier that doubles as a defense barrier. There's only a vertical space of about 1.2 meters and the shape makes it a lot like peeking below a diagonal piece of armor. It looks like they're going to fill in that gap from behind today, so now is our only chance to peek inside. ...From what I can tell, they have three layers of defense barrier on the inside, but I can't seem to figure out why they're wasting resources like that."

"Oh, that's probably because of this."

Kiyomasa raised her left hand vertically.

And when Katagiri turned toward her...

"Think of my hand as the inner barrier, okay?"

"Okay."

"Let me see, let me see!"

Wakisaka called over from the bow, so Kiyomasa took a half step to the side.

Kiyomasa raised her vertical hand a bit before speaking.

“Let’s say this is the defense barrier inside Paris.”

“Okay.”

“Then when we fire a shell at Paris, it would slip through that diagonal armor gap and reach Paris, right? Then what would happen to the shell?”

“It would hit the inner defense barrier.”

That was correct.

Kiyomasa nodded and smiled to Katagiri. But…

“Now, your question was why three instead of one. …Katagiri-kun?”

“Yes?”

“If you only had one defense barrier, how would you construct it?”

“Well…” Katagiri started thinking, so Kiyomasa’s smile grew bitter.

“You don’t have to think so hard about it.”

Katagiri had started giving a fair amount of thought to tactics. He had a bad habit of getting ahead of himself and making unwarranted assumptions, but smart people tended to do that.

It was because he was smart that he could discard the unnecessary thoughts.

Katagiri soon looked up in realization.

“I would make it strong!”

“Testament. That is the fundamental idea. Until the medieval period, around the 14th century, that was primarily how they were made.”

“Is it different now?”

“Testament.” Kiyomasa nodded. “What age began in Europe in the 15th century?”

“The Age of Discovery. When ships crossed the sea to travel to distant lands.” Katagiri seemed to catch on as he answered. “Cultures and civilizations mixed together and ship battles became primarily fought with cannons. …It was an age of artillery growth. By the time the Ottomans took Constantinople and stretched their reach far into the Mediterranean, Europe was primarily fighting with cannons. …Is that right?”

“Testament.” Kiyomasa raised her hand again and then stabbed her other hand toward it. “With stronger artillery, the defense barriers also have to be stronger. But on the inner wall, a certain phenomenon begins to occur.”

She moved her hand.

She spread out the fingers of the stabbing hand without having it break through the wall hand.

It exploded.

“Do you understand what that means?”

Katagiri’s eyes widened.

He understood.

“The outer walls are one thing, but if you make the inner wall too strong, any shell that hits it will explode. And that will damage the inside of the outer wall and any troops defending the outer wall.”

So…

“We stopped making solid defense barriers on the inside. Nowadays, we open several weaker barriers to softly catch the shells.”

Angie recalled a certain scene as she listened to Kiyomasa’s explanation.

…''That’s the same as the Musashi’s defense method.

That was the Far East’s largest ship. Its defense barriers were controlled by automatons and they were powerful enough for use in combat.

Of course, just one of them was not strong enough to block any nation’s main cannon blast. They needed to open several of them in a row.

…''But they managed to survive Tres España’s powerful ether cannons like that…

Musashi fell short in anti-air firepower, but they had solid anti-air defenses.

Before reaching the Battle of Mikatagahara, they had even survived a close-range attack from Matsunaga’s multi-ship Hiragumo.

Their defenses were incredibly strong against ship cannons or anything else with a detectable origin point and trajectory.

That was likely why Tres España had used a god of war unit to attack during the Armada battle. Gods of war could slip past the defense barriers, so they were ideal for attacking a ship like the Musashi. That was a testament to Felipe Segundo’s eye for tactics.

“Angie, are you thinking about something pointless?”

“Oh, yeah. Tes, tes. I am.” Angie lightly rapped her own head. “Whenever I get thinking like this, I end up settling on ‘well, whatever’.”

“I wish I could think that deeply about things,” said Yoshiaki while looking at her Magie Figur.

It displayed a map of Paris. And now that Katagiri had received Kiyomasa’s advice….

“Okay, I have one more request for you,” he said. “Can you target the gap between these inner defense barriers?”

“Testament, we’ll try.”

“Oh, you’re so cool, Kime-chan.”

“I only said try,” said Yoshiaki. “We might not succeed. …But I doubt we’ll fail.”

There was no smile on her face. She spoke plainly but boldly while raising a slender hand into the air.

And…

“Come here, Weiss Fürstin.”

With those words, the area around her grew brighter.

Ether light sprayed from her hand.

“Good girl.”

She pulled out a long piece of metal painted pure white. It was the pair to Angie’s Schwarz Fürstin.

And there it was.

The sun had yet to rise, but Weiss Fürstin had a bright sheen like sunlight was washing over it.

Yoshiaki viewed it, slowly grabbed it, and spun it around.

She held it vertically and then turned toward Kiyomasa. She spoke in her usual tone of voice.

“We’ll be going then.”

'''Llaf:''' “Thou are leaving early. I was hoping I could go see thee off.”

'''Kimee:''' “You just do your own thing, leader. You’re eating breakfast, aren’t you?”

'''6:''' “Where are you going?”

''She hadn’t heard?

…''That’s Shouroku for you.”

As Angie gave an impressed nod, Yoshiaki opened a new Magie Figur.

It displayed a map of Houjou land.

“We’re going to Houjou. We’ll be stopping for supplies a few times, but we’ll arrive during the day and stay at a hot spring for the night. We’ll eat boat-wrap sushi at the inn and then go to war tomorrow.”

'''6:''' “Will you bring me back something?”

'''Kimee:''' “Like victory?”

'''6:''' “Like hot spring manju.”

'''AnG:''' “We’ll be going to the ruins of the banana gator park, so we could buy you some gator meat.”

'''6:''' “No, thanks.”

'''AnG:''' “What about some bananas? You could be a monkey.”

'''6:''' “Are you mocking me, #4?”

“Shouroku is so unsociable.”

“I thought she might be off her game after yesterday’s high damage, but it looks like I was wrong. …So there’s nothing to worry about. She’ll be using Genbu to its fullest while she works today.”

“That’s right,” agreed Angie.

“Sorry I’m late, everyone!”

A powerful voice reached them from across the deck.

They turned around to see a short-haired spear girl running their way.

“Kaniko, was it?”

“Yes! I’m Kani Saizou!”

Kani ran up to them and then bowed at a perfect 90 degree angle.

“I look forward to accompanying you partway to Houjou!”

<noinclude>
{{HorizonNavbar
| [[Horizon:Volume 6A Chapter 13|Chapter 13]]
| [[Horizon:Volume 6A Chapter 15|Chapter 15]]
}}
</noinclude>

Horizon:Volume 6A Chapter 13

2017-11-25T23:36:31Z

162.158.134.31: Error attempted fixed.

==Chapter 13: Pre-Battle Decision Maker==
[[Image:Horizon6A_397.jpg|thumb]]
''Will the answer arrive at

''The harshness of correctness

''Or the joy of satisfaction?

'''Point Allocation (Battlefield)

Kakei heard Takigawa say she could not support or protect Sanada.

''Yeah, I had a feeling,'' he thought.

...''Damn.

He had managed to convince himself it might work, but it might not be possible after all.

Participating in a battle meant gaining the right to speak within that battle. So during the strategizing phase, it was possible to use your combat force to negotiate with another nation.

So he had thought he might be able to work out a deal with this large battle approaching. However...

"————"

It might not be possible after all.

...''Masayuki-san or the young master might be able to pull through in this tricky situation.

But what about the normal students and the villagers?

''Damn,'' he thought. ''I need to keep trying.

"Umm."

He opened a sign frame.

This was no time to worry about how he looked.

The other person had revealed her hand and was listening to him.

It was just that her current and future positions did not fit with their future.

Was there no way of changing that?

...''Damn.

They had been hiding in the forest, so they had been unable to gather much intelligence. And he could not access much information since he could only connect to the general Shinto network instead of the exclusive Sanada network.

The 1st Siege of Ueda had taken place in Sanada the day before, but...

...''We don't really know how that played out.

He also wanted to re-investigate the Siege of Odawara to get a new look at it.

"Takigawa-san."

"Yes?"

"We don't have authorization to open a divine transmission from this Houjou ship to the outside. Could I borrow your authorization? ...I want to take a look at the situation in Sanada."

"I see," said Takigawa while giving a nod of approval.

Her ''insha kotob'' was a Mlasi format, but...

"Oh, I can set up an interface."

Given that comment from the automaton behind him, it would probably be fine.

Kakei immediately faced his sign frame. His hands moved quickly across it and he used several divine transmission routes.

"Are you greeting Sanada?"

But just as she asked that...

"...?"

Kakei stopped moving.

He frowned and the hands racing atop the sign frame had come to a stop.

"What's wrong?"

"Takigawa-san. ...Was your authorization shut down?"

"No, mine is still up."

Her ''insha kotob'' was showing her data from P.A. Oda. She could access the popular P.A. Oda site called Janissary and the connection was fast. But...

"Sanada's divine transmissions have closed."

"Most likely, you would need to use a new password," explained Mochizuki. "In other words...with the 1st Siege of Ueda complete, Sanada has shifted to its state during Sekigahara and beyond."

Takigawa knew what that meant.

"Sanada has moved in the direction you feared it would."

Sanada was on the way to its ultimate destination.

Takigawa understood that as she took a breath.

...''This is our reality.

Kakei's group could do nothing to stop Sanada from moving in the direction they feared it would.

It was now unavoidable that Sanada would be exposed to attacks and interference from other nations.

Personally, she wished she could have protected them.

She felt like she could have accomplished that to an extent if she sent a divine transmission to Hashiba. After all, Hashiba had been the one to request the 1st Siege of Ueda.

But if she did that, Hashiba would probably grow overly considerate.

It might create an excess burden for her.

And the situation was dangerous enough as it was.

Takigawa was cooperating with Houjou and Mouri to eliminate one of the losses during Komaki Nagakute, but she would be acting separately from Houjou and Mouri during the actual battle. While up on the deck earlier, she had confirmed that P.A. Oda could not cooperate with those other two nations, and...

...''They're using us as bait to catch an even greater prize.

That was obvious enough from how Houjou and Mouri were acting.

And Takigawa could make a good guess what prize they were trying to catch.

It would be a major loss for Hashiba. It would also be a harsh battle for Matsudaira, but they would win big if they succeeded.

Takigawa felt certain that ''that'' was going to occur.

She had no way of stopping it.

''But,'' she thought.

"If only I had my own fighting force."

If only she had power.

"Then maybe I could fight some more and reduce this coming loss at least by a little."

"What are you-...?"

"A group will be coming to save me. I want a loss that leaves no regrets and reduces the burden on everyone else, but they will still come here and create an even greater loss."

"Can you trust in your comrades?" asked the automaton.

"Shaja. We know each other well enough for that."

So...

"I don't want to be a burden on them."

And just as she said that...

"Wait."

Kakei raised his hand.

She looked up to find he was not looking at her.

His eyes were on his sign frame and his mouth was open.

She heard a trembling voice.

"There is one thing I would like to check on."

Namely...

"The 1st Siege of Ueda. ...I would like to reconfirm who requested that battle and what Sanada was supposed to gain from it."

"Huh? We went over this. It was on Hashiba's request and Sanada Nobushige's faction gets a warm welcome out of it."

"That's right," said Kakei. "But as far as I can tell, 'the people of Sanada' aren't included in that. And 'a warm welcome' doesn't specify anything and doesn't guarantee anything. Of course, Hashiba is..."

"...not the kind of person to go back on a promise."

Kakei silently nodded.

"Then I'll let go of one thing."

That being...

"That 'warm welcome' is probably about the Osaka Campaign. So I won't insist you allow the young master's group to participate in the Osaka Campaign."

...''Not bad.

Takigawa was silently impressed.

What Kakei had done was simple.

He had split the conditions of his negotiation in two and backed off from one of them.

Kakei probably had not gathered his thoughts beforehand. He was also inexperienced as a negotiator. That was why he only now said something for the first time.

"Please protect the ''nation'' of Sanada."

This demand was likely born from Hashiba's request and the warm welcome of Nobushige's faction. Before, he had been negotiating for the protection of Sanada as an extension of the Nobushige faction's warm welcome by Hashiba.

But he had just backed off from one of those.

He would let Hashiba handle the warm welcome of the Nobushige faction.

That had already been promised them, so backing off was not a problem.

In fact, it made the negotiation much simpler.

But it had changed what they were negotiating about.

After all, she had been negotiating ''while accepting Kakei's words at face value.

So...

...''Since I was accepting both demands at once, I have to give some ground now that he's backed off from one of them!

This was an official negotiation.

She had grown careless partially because of Kakei's limited negotiation experience.

She had also concluded she would end up rejecting any demands because she had no authority to grant them.

So she had discussed the "protection" Kakei demanded as if it applied to both the Nobushige faction and the nation of Sanada.

Kakei had now backed off from one of those.

He had compromised.

"...?"

The look on his face suggested he had not planned this.

He had narrowed down his argument without really knowing what he was doing.

There of course had to be a reason why he did that.

...''Was it that divine transmission!?

That had told him Sanada had shifted to their state during Sekigahara and beyond. Seeing that had shown him the resolve of Sanada's leaders.

That had erased the arrogant idea that he had to protect everything.

He was left with only the desire to protect the people who would not benefit from the warm welcome.

That had led to this unintentional negotiation trick, but the rules were the rules.

He had indeed removed one of his two demands.

That was a compromise, so...

"————"

Takigawa was unsure how to respond.

...''Huh?

Kakei realized the atmosphere had grown quite heavy.

That was thanks to Takigawa.

She had fallen silent and was staring at him with her arms crossed.

...''Crap... Did I do something wrong?

He had only been trying to make a clear division between the two aspects of this issue.

He had realized something when the Sanada divine transmission had been cut off.

...''I can't hope to match Masayuki-san or the young master.

They had enough resolve to get the normal citizens caught in the middle.

Kakei could not take things that far.

In a way, that probably meant he had not fully become a resident of the Sanada land.

He could not ask someone else to be a sacrifice.

He did not know if that was a good thing or a bad thing, but...

"Can't I at least ask for the protection of the people who can't fight?"

How about that?

The normal students were a different issue. As students, they would have to step forward if there was a war.

So even with the 2nd Siege of Ueda, there was no protecting them.

"Does this mean Masayuki-sama and the young master are trying to seize some sort of opportunity here? A Seize of Ueda, if you will?"

"Who thought it was a good idea to let automatons do that...?"

But even that silly pun gave him a quick break.

If possible, he wanted to do away with the 2nd Siege of Ueda altogether.

...''But I guess that wouldn't be possible...

But just as he thought that...

"Kakei Juuzou."

Takigawa suddenly called out to him.

Her eyebrows lay flat and she seemed to be glaring at him.

"I understand that you have abandoned Sanada's leaders and are trying to protect its people. And there is one method of accomplishing that."

"There is!?"

His voice echoed through the dining hall.

It was abandoned at this hour, so even with a floor of hardened dirt blocks, the sound reverberated strongly.

But Kakei did not care. He scooted his butt a bit to lean forward while sitting cross-legged.

"...What is it?" he asked.

It no longer mattered what he looked like or what people thought of him. With how he was feeling now, there was no point in even considering the inviolable rule of keeping a straight face while negotiating.

He simply had to ask and snatch away the information he needed.

So he listened.

"You said you are skilled warriors, didn't you?"

"Yes, I did."

"Then there is only one problem left for you." Takigawa pointed at him. "You all are in charge of the 2nd Siege of Ueda."

Kakei did not understand what he had just been told.

...''Huh?

He knew what the 2nd Siege of Ueda was. Anyone from Sanada would.

It was a battle between Matsudaira and Sanada.

During Sekigahara, Matsudaira's forces attempted to take control of the Nakasendou, an important travel route, but they were delayed by the Sanada father and son holed up in Ueda Castle. Sanada's opponent had been Hidetada, the son of Matsudaira Motonobu who would go on to be the second shogun. Sanada's forces had been led by Sanada Masayuki and his second son Nobushige.

Sanada knew the land better and was more skilled in negotiation and small-scale battles, so they would have the advantage and delay Hidetada's army until the Battle of Sekigahara was complete.

According to the Testament, the Matsudaira forces numbered 38,000.

In contrast the Sanada forces left 2000 in Ueda Castle and sent 1500 outside to fight.

They had defeated a force more than two dozen times their size. However...

...''That can be easily overturned with interpretations.

But Takigawa was saying to do that.

Who was she saying should do that?

"...Us?"

"Shaja, of course. ...If you were serious about your skill, then you should be able to lead a small force of 3500, right?"

Kakei gasped.

...''Hold on.

He had started this from a fairly unreasonable position, but it had just taken a very unexpected turn. It was true he had held a biased view that only the leaders of the nations could lead the history recreation. He could not deny that he had convinced himself that ninjas like them could act as negotiators, but could not move an entire nation.

''But,'' he thought.

Takigawa was suggesting that they stand on the main stage of history.

This would mean they were not "Unneeded".

She was telling them to act as individuals who remained in this world. Did that viewpoint come from her position in a large nation?

It did not matter. There was something else he wanted to know now.

"If we did do that, what would happen?"

"I would have an easier time holing up in my castle. ...That would create two battlefields: yours and mine. And that would split Musashi's forces."

In other words, they could divide the enemy forces. He thought about what that meant.

"...So our main role would be to keep the enemy busy?"

"That's right."

Kakei saw Takigawa nod, but then...

"Could you wait for a moment please?"

He heard Mochizuki's voice behind him.

...''Mochizuki?

His body tensed on reflex.

Mochizuki was an automaton. She was always looking for the best possible solution. So if she was interrupting...

...''Is there something bad about this?

"I would like to confirm one thing about what you said earlier, Takigawa-sama."

Specifically...

"You said that there is a problem, did you not?"

"Shaja. There's no point in hiding it, so I was just about to bring it up."

There was a problem.

Takigawa did indeed go on to explain what she had alluded to.

"Houjou will be giving me an aerial ship to act as Kanie Castle. Holing up in an aerial ship means to stay inside it and fight from there, so it's no different from how a warship is normally used. But I have already fought and lost to the Musashi in the Shirasagi Castle."

"And we're more of a ground force, so we're not suited for fighting on ships."

...''So that's it.

Kakei gave a sigh of understanding deep in his gut.

"Our battlefields don't fit together well and you don't think you can beat the Musashi."

Mochizuki understood the problem Takigawa carried.

...''It is true battling the Musashi would be difficult even if she is given a new warship here.

A ship or two was not enough for an opponent like that.

Now that the Musashi had Kanesada as a main cannon and was gathering plenty of secondary cannons, how many nations even had an aerial force capable of standing up to them?

But there was a reason Takigawa was stating this.

"Takigawa-sama, you wish to defeat Musashi, don't you?"

"————"

Takigawa gave her a silent look.

Then her mouth twisted in what was probably supposed to be a smile.

"Ha ha."

She vocalized a laugh, but it was no more than a series of sounds. She also placed a hand on her forehead.

"Of course I do. I went to so much effort and I still got utterly crushed in the end. ...Even though the Shirasagi Castle was one of the most cutting-edge warships in P.A. Oda."

"Then are you saying you wish to defeat Musashi without relying on the Kanie Castle you will soon be given?"

But there was indeed a problem here. Kakei spoke while looking back at her with a fuse in his mouth.

"Mochizuki, what do you think'll happen if we try to fight on or inside a ship?"

"A large flat surface like the Ariake would be fine, but we would generally be in an unfamiliar situation. Not to mention that Sanada has few aerial ships so we have insufficient training in that regard," explained Mochizuki. "So if we are to demonstrate the value Takigawa-sama wants from us, we must do so as a ground force."

"If she stops the aerial ship on the ground, won't it just make for a nice target?"

"Not necessarily. There are some locations that allow for a unilateral attack on the enemy. For example..."

Mochizuki prepared to give an example, but Takigawa took the words out of her mouth. And her tone made it obvious this was intentional.

"In the middle of a city. If we attack from within a bunch of normal citizens, we can claim the enemy is attacking civilians if they try to retaliate. That's pretty cowardly, though."

"Well, we can't be cowardly, can we?" said Kakei.

But they were on the right track.

They needed a location where Musashi could not attack them.

But also where no normal citizens would be caught in the middle.

...''Does such a location exist?

"...Mochizuki."

Kakei raised his right hand in front of her.

"Let me see the map of Houjou."

"Do you have an idea, Kakei-sama?"

"Nope," he said with his back turned. "But Houjou is like Sanada's backyard. They're our neighbor, so we've been keeping an eye on them for forever. We know Houjou land better than Takigawa-san over there."

So...

"Let me see the map. ...And, Takigawa-san?"

"What is it, Kakei Juuzou?"

"Well," he replied. "We will protect you."

Kakei felt a heat within him.

...''This isn't like me.

He wanted to say he wasn't this kind of person. But...

...''Am I?

"Sorry, but I'm gonna light this. I can just focus better with some smoke, so feel free to take off my head if I reach into my pocket."

Once he said that, several sign frames appeared in front of him.

They were maps of Houjou. Mochizuki had prepared them and they provided an overhead view of Odawara.

...''We have to find a location in here that prevents the Musashi from attacking.

Looking at the maps was enough for him to picture the terrain in the back of his mind. He had helped create these maps after all. And that told him something.

...''There isn't one.

The fuse smoke allowed him to calmly reach that conclusion.

Odawara was a mountainous peninsula, so it would be possible to hide an aerial ship there or construct some kind of natural cover to hide behind. But once they were found, they would be hit by a storm of cannon fire.

And it was devastating that they could not avoid the Musashi's main cannon by hiding.

He had seen the power of Kanesada up close.

That thing would be able to fire through a small mountain, so a natural fortress would only serve to keep them from escaping in time. So...

"————"

Was a city the only option?

No, that was not an option either.

Takigawa and Sanada's reputation would plummet if they did that. In the worst case, Hashiba would use that as an excuse to cancel any promises they had made.

...''In that case...

The safest location would be within the main battlefield. Near Odawara Castle would be especially good.

They knew the area around Odawara Castle would be intentionally flooded. By establishing the flooding in advance, the time spent fighting could be shortened.

So that was where they had to place the aerial warship that would be the Kanie Castle.

The Musashi could not fire its main cannon on the same battlefield to which their forces were deployed.

However...

"Takigawa-san."

"What is it?"

"...Can you guarantee that Houjou will assist us?"

"I honestly doubt they will. They seem to be working with Mouri...but as I said before, they only see us as bait. At the very least, they would not want us on the battlefield."

"I see," said Mochizuki behind him.

...''We're in such a difficult position here.

They could not borrow a spot on the battlefield.

Then what were they to do?

When viewed through the smoke, the maps of Houjou felt so far away.

But even when viewed from a distance, he could not find a good spot.

...''C'mon now. Pull yourself together.

If he could not find a good spot, they would lose everything.

He had to find it. If he did that, they would gain everything.

They would be able to say they were no longer Unneeded.

In Sanada, everyone had to be preparing for Sekigahara and beyond.

They were all facing that from within history. They were moving toward the history they would create and a future in which they survived.

''We have to help them from here.

The three of them here had to complete the 2nd Siege of Ueda that everyone in Sanada was cautious of.

If they could do that, it would greatly reduce the burden on everyone else. So...

"I will find it."

And...

"Takigawa-san. ...We will protect you and make sure you return to P.A. Oda."

After all...

"You need to return to Hashiba and tell her how well this trio from Sanada did."

And to do that, he needed...

"A location for the castle."

Just as he said that, Kakei realized he was in the process of sticking his hand in his pocket.

...''Whoops.

He quickly pulled his hand away from his hip. Then he realized the pocket was tightly closed.

"I have been using my gravitational control to ensure you did not put your hand your pocket," said Mochizuki.

"Oh, so my carelessness didn't nearly get me killed."

He smiled bitterly and his careless right hand knocked over the glass sitting on his tray.

The water spilled out, circled around the bottom of the parfait container, and spread out across the tray.

''Now I've done it,'' he thought. But then...

"...Ah."

He realized something.

Here was a location where the Musashi could not attack them and no normal citizens would be caught in the middle.

He had just seen it right in front of him.

Takigawa saw movement.

Kakei suddenly stood up and moved to the dining hall's window.

He was fast. It only took an instant. But by the time she turned to follow his movement, he was already showing her something: a sign frame.

It displayed the scenery below the ship, which meant Houjou land at the moment.

It initially showed only the colors of night, but that was quickly corrected for. An Amaterasu optical spell was applied to amplify the light sensitivity, so the scene on the sign frame looked like midday.

She first saw a forest there.

Near Odawara, a forest spread out from the mountainous peninsula. But...

"The map wouldn't show you this. This was made far too recently for that."

What was "this"?

There was a red light near Kakei's mouth. It was the light of his fuse.

That scarlet light illuminated a smile on his face.

"Takigawa-san, I've found it. This is where we'll hole up in our castle."

He zoomed in on the sign frame.

He zoomed in on the spot where the forest should end and the land leading to Odawara Castle should begin. On the sign frame Mochizuki had provided earlier, there had been a hill and a field there.

But it was different now.

"...A lake?"

"Not just any lake. ...An artificial lake."

It was...

"The water source for the flooding of Odawara Castle. That's what it was made for. We just have to place the Kanie Castle there."

Takigawa looked up when she heard Kakei's words.

...''Can we do that?

This was a method of fighting Musashi.

It was a means of sealing off their main cannon and forcing them into a head-on battle.

"You want us to put the Kanie Castle in the artificial lake?"

"I'm glad you understand," said Kakei. "It would take a lot of firepower to break that artificial lake's embankment. Like a blast from the Musashi's main cannon. And once that embankment breaks, Odawara Castle will be flooded in no time."

But...

"The battlefield has been placed away from any towns and people have been ordered out of the area. ...So even if that happens, the Houjou people will not be harmed. But Musashi can't afford to flood Odawara Castle. Houjou is pro--Matsudaira and seems to be plotting something, so that lake will be off limits to Musashi. Even if they do attack there, it can't be with their main cannon."

"So if we're in that lake, we can do whatever we want to Musashi?"

"They might fire their normal cannons and they might send in a ground unit."

"We can handle that on our own. ...And you'll be helping too, won't you?"

"Ha ha," laughed Kakei. "You said Kanie Castle was built on the sea, didn't you? This isn't the sea, but it's sort of the same thing, right? You all hole up there and we'll protect you from the outside. ...How about that?"

He held up the sign frame displaying the artificial lake and tossed it to her.

She caught it and spun it around with her finger. And...

"I'll have to negotiate with Houjou to have the Kanie Castle located there."

But this meant a lot.

"Now we have a way of striking back against Musashi. ...Isn't that right, Sanada? That will be enough to give you some sway with Hashiba. Let's keep this quiet. Of course, Houjou is sure to know all about it since we're discussing it here."

Takigawa stood up, took a breath, and realized the corners of her mouth were rising.

There was a tone of delight in the words that escaped her mouth.

"I'm finally prepared for this losing battle."

Ha ha.

"You can say you're ready a thousand times, but it's not so easy to actually feel it like this."

A long day ended for a few different forces.

The transport ship that would take the Musashi forces back to the Musashi arrived in Sanada early in the morning.

The Hashiba forces and Hexagone Française continued their preparations through the night and the night shift swapped out with the morning shift.

Houjou and Mouri brought their ships closer and exchanged private divine transmissions as they gathered in Houjou land.

The following day would be a day of preparation.

Each of those battle formations took a short rest to prepare for the battle the day after that.

<noinclude>
{{HorizonNavbar
| [[Horizon:Volume 6A Chapter 12|Chapter 12]]
| [[Horizon:Volume 6A Chapter 14|Chapter 14]]
}}
</noinclude>

Horizon:Volume 6A Chapter 12

2017-11-25T00:29:50Z

162.158.134.31: Added accidentally missing letters.

==Chapter 12: Sitters of the Late Night Shift==
[[Image:Horizon6A_371.jpg|thumb]]
''Impatience always rushes people

''Toward mercy or ruin

'''Point Allocation (Take the First Step)

Kakei took a breath in the Houjou ship's dining hall.

The breath prepared him for the coming negotiation.

"Now, then."

He could smell strong spices and there was a lot of a unique sort of humidity.

He sat cross-legged. Sitting on the floor in a dining hall was unusual, but the Houjou Association of Indian States must have been following the Indian style.

It was a way of reducing stress on the warship and thus helped keep morale high.

So even on a ship, Kakei felt dirt below his butt. Blocks of packed soil were used as floor panels. That seemed unsanitary for a dining hall, but...

...''Well, they'll be easy to replace, they'll absorb moisture, and they probably have some kind of disinfectant in them.

He performed that pointless analysis because he was a ninja spy.

But that was not his role here.

With Mochizuki behind him for support, he was here for...

"Let's get to the negotiations. You want to use three of the Sanada Ten Braves, so let's work out a deal."

Takigawa sat across from him. She too was cross-legged.

And she nodded. She did not smile, but she did not glare either. It was a flat expression.

"I intend to use you as mere mercenaries. ...That's what I've done so far. Isn't it a little odd to suddenly raise your price through negotiations?"

The corners of Takigawa's mouth rose a bit.

She was smiling.

And Kakei could only think of one reason why.

...''She's drawn out the starting line.

This was still the beginning and they should enjoy this. That was what she meant. She was facing a losing battle, but...

...''I do understand.

Gathering and adjusting battle forces was uniquely enjoyable. It was the same as trying to decide what weapon to use before heading to the battlefield.

You were constructing yourself, searching yourself, and arranging yourself in the best possible form. That process and its results were enjoyable.

Which meant one thing about what Takigawa had just said.

"Thanks, Takigawa-san."

"Thanks for what?"

"That's simple enough," said Kakei. "We're still trying to figure out what the other is negotiating for, but you're still willing to view our skill as a 'weapon'."

Kakei defined himself and the others.

"You are an important P.A. Oda retainer and you said we are a 'weapon'. A weapon is wielded by someone, so you've said that we're worthy of being wielded."

He defined them through his words.

Even if they were rejected or overturned, words were a definition.

And negotiations were composed of words.

...''Anayama-san was always talking about this.

Kakei belatedly wished he had done more negotiation training. And he was certain he would wish the same thing countless times over the next half hour or so.

"Mochizuki, back me up here, okay?"

"Shall I assist you? Shall I support you?"

"Can't you figure it out on your own?"

"Testament. Then I shall do what I have determined is best. ...Shall I negotiate in your place?"

"Wow, do I look that bad at this?"

But that was just who he was.

He knew he was not the kind of person who should be doing this.

But he also knew he had to do it here.

They could reach an agreement more easily in the current circumstances and that would benefit Sanada.

"We will assist you," he said to Takigawa.

"I will hear you out."

She did not accept the term "assist". That meant she would not view them as "assistance".

She was saying she had no intention of being indebted to them.

Her stance was that Sanada helping Oda and Hashiba was the natural state of things.

But he could not allow that.

He ignored her implicit rejection of the word "assist" and kept going.

"As a reward for our assistance, please have Hashiba protect Sanada until the Osaka Campaign."

That was what they truly wanted.

Takigawa picked up a nearby container.

It contained a yogurt drink. It was a whey drink with as much fat as possible removed from it, so it was supposedly quite refreshing when you were tired. The guy at the counter had said 'Refreshed! You feel refreshed!", but she was not sure how much she believed it. For one thing, it seemed odd to name the menu item Lassi Kimura<ref>The Japanese spelling is almost identical to Rusher Kimura.</ref> even if it matched some historical chef's name. Kimura apparently meant strawberry flavor.

But Takigawa took a sip.

...''Oh, it is refreshing.

With that in mind, she thought about Kakei's request.

"...You want protection for Sanada until the Osaka Campaign?"

"Testament. It's not a bad deal. Besides, the 1st Siege of Ueda was at Hashiba's request and Nobushige's faction is getting a warm welcome in exchange. We're only asking for you to protect Sanada as a part of that."

"It's not like you have any authority over Sanada." Takigawa spoke in a testing manner. "And that warm welcome was only for Nobushige's faction. Not Sanada as a whole."

"Oh, so you do understand. ''That's the point''." Kakei pointed at himself with his thumb. "I'm talking about Sanada's land. ...If you don't protect that, then it's all pointless. Think of it as a request from Sanada being delivered via you."

"What about the fact that you have no authority in this matter?"

"Testament." Kakei nodded. "Do you really think Masayuki-san and the others with authority are going to say no to having Sanada's people protected? It can be an empty promise, but we want to define our value as fighters."

He took a breath before continuing.

"That's what we really want."

"Listen," Takigawa heard Kakei say. "At the end of the Osaka Campaign, Sanada's forces charge on Matsudaira. We reach their main forces and make it all the way to the center."

She was aware of that. It was described in the Testament.

That had demonstrated Sanada's courage and established a high opinion of them in later generations.

"How about it?" asked Kakei. "If you protect us, all of Sanada's warriors can undergo special training for the Osaka Campaign during that time."

But he was not done speaking.

"For Hashiba, this is a Testament description they can use for a guaranteed attack on Matsudaira. And even if we happen to 'take Matsudaira's head' while we're at it, it can always be interpreted around."

How about it?

"During the Osaka Campaign, Hashiba has its forces worn down by Matsudaira. That means Hashiba will lose powerful people to betrayal and hesitation." Kakei sat up straight. "Sanada will not betray Hashiba. ...So can't you do as we ask here?"

...''Not good...

Kakei was sweating in his heart.

He had made some decent bluffs, but there was no way to guarantee any of it.

And he had hidden and glossed over everything inconvenient to them.

He was really hoping Takigawa could completely forget the first half of what he said.

Would that be possible?

...''No, I guess not...

"Kakei-sama, that was quite forceful, but I think you did express our main selling points."

Mochizuki used the brief pause to covertly speak to him using a ninja technique.

"Can't you look at this positively?"

...''A lot of help you are...

He was glad Unno was fast asleep in the bed she had been given. He hated to think what this would be like with both of them criticizing him.

But Mochizuki was right about one thing.

He had listed off their strong points.

"You know the biggest advantage of protecting Sanada, don't you?"

It was...

"Sanada is your surefire attack against Matsudaira during the Osaka Campaign. And on the same level as Shimazu during Sekigahara."

Kakei hid the lack of confidence in his heart as he formed the words. And he thought, ''Before long, P.A. Oda will have to perform the history recreation of Nobunaga's assassination during the Honnouji Incident.

Hashiba would conquer the Far East after that, but they would later decline.

The Hashiba forces would scatter and split into an east and west side after Hashiba's death.

Then the Battle of Sekigahara would be fought as a preliminary battle to the final showdown and it would all end at the Osaka Campaign.

So...

"You can preserve an entire nation of reliable forces for the final battle. Can't you do that for us?" said Kakei. "We will help you ''here''. We will fight on the front line and ensure you're capable of preserving us. And in exchange for preserving Sanada, we'll stubbornly protect you. Isn't that good enough?"

He was aware he was making up his argument as he went along, but deep in his heart, something else was apparent to him.

...''Most of what I'm saying is true.

Did that mean his god was watching over him?

But this was still important. After all...

...''Sanada is a small nation.

...''Small nations are in such a difficult position.

Kakei thought about the nation of Sanada.

It was a small, mountainous nation.

It was deep in the forest and deep in the mountains. The summers were short and the winters snowy.

But it was an important point along a major land shipping route.

That allowed them to engage in intermediary trade, but it also meant other nations invaded or intervened a lot, so they had to spend their accumulated money on defense and surviving the winters.

In that land, it was difficult to take back what had been lost.

So they could not afford to lose anything.

''That'' was the most important thing to them: Sanada's land.

After losing their old home and wandering around the Far East, it was in Sanada that they had felt "this is the place".

They had felt they could live there without losing anything.

"...Honestly."

Kakei looked at Takigawa.

She was an important P.A. Oda retainer, so she most likely knew their history.

After all, they had originally been P.A. Oda residents.

They were from Osaka.

A few people had already inherited names for some of the Hashiba's Seven Spears and the people connected to them, but they had attended a school meant to train candidates to inherit the other names.

Even if they left the school for individual reasons, the skilled ones had gathered focus and been given a helping hand. Since they would have been inheriting the names of people connected to Hashiba, it made sense that the nation would work to assist them.

A lot had happened with Kakei himself, but he had been selected as a likely candidate.

A total of ten had been gathered and they had all thought their various futures were assured.

But at some point, a new group of candidates had appeared and they had been defeated.

Then they had begun wandering.

They could have stayed and worked as leaders in a lower organization under Hashiba's direct command. But...

...''That just didn't seem the same...

There had been an alternative for them after they lost their role, but it had felt wrong.

They had wondered if they even felt at home there anymore.

They had later realized the answer was no.

But at the time, they had simply wanted something equivalent. And if they could not get that, they wanted a new home that let them confidently say "this is the place".

If only they could have felt at home and said "this is the place" about that lower position that had been prepared for them.

But they had found they could not.

Those defeated ten had all hoped to make a comeback and had all wanted the same thing.

They wanted some other place and some other time.

They had wanted somewhere where the place itself seemed to want them.

And once they had begun wandering, they discovered how large P.A. Oda was. No matter where they went, they never seemed to leave P.A. Oda.

After spending half a year crossing mountains and deserts, they realized something.

...''We came from such a gigantic place.

So what kind of future had they felt was in store for them as name inheritors close to Hashiba?

There was only one thing Kakei could say about that:

"We don't know what it's like to be accepted by a large nation."

That was right.

When you were needed by a large nation, you were also protected by its presence and its rules.

The nation's size alone would begin to make it inviolable. So...

"But small nations really do need people like us fighting for them."

They could not swap out their fighting force like a large nation could.

"If we're lost, it's all over," said Kakei. "So how about it, Takigawa-san?"

He threw the words out there and received an immediate response. It was a calm reply.

"Don't come begging to us, needle-thrower boy."

Takigawa formed her words.

The corners of her mouth rose as she looked straight at Kakei.

...''I see.

It was true P.A. Oda had run a school to train the next generation.

In fact, it still existed.

Every nation had something like that. The best students would be gathered and raised to dedicate themselves to their nation.

But sometimes even more excellent students would arrive from outside.

The Ten Spears were an example, as was Sassa.

Everyone did it and it happened everywhere.

Just like people would start using "better" cookware and clothing in their everyday life, the personalities known as "nations" would select the very best of whatever they needed.

How many years had it been now?

The students who had been expected to take the positions directly below Hashiba had all been replaced and the original group had left.

Takigawa had already inherited her name at the time and she had simply thought "these things happen" when she heard about it.

So...

"Sorry, but telling me about a smaller nation's inferiority complex isn't going to change my mind," she said. "Besides, large nations are run by the people too. So that's where my focus is: the people. The protection of a large nation's presence and rules is no more than an advantage that nation has. You may look at a small nation as its people, but in that case, the lack of protection due to the small nation's weakness and rules is no more than a disadvantage that nations has. ...Don't just assume it justifies your inferiority complex."

She took a breath.

"Just get to the point: What do you want and what can you do, Kakei Juuzou?"

Kakei began sweating profusely in his heart.

...''So I screwed it up!

No, he had to view it as a good thing that she was willing to hear him out.

''I sure get caught up in sentiment easily. I was giving off the wrong sort of presence, wasn't I? I hope I haven't caught Nezu's disease.

At any rate, she had asked him to speak.

...''But I just did a bunch of speaking.

No.

Before, he had been forcing their ''hopes'' onto her.

Now it was time for ''reality''.

So he knew what he had to say here.

"Mochizuki, Unno, and I will join you here."

This was the procedure.

He had to list what they could do and what they would need to prepare.

"I'll primarily need bullets and fuses. 3000 bullets should be enough."

"Isn't that a lot?"

"Will you give me more?"

Takigawa smiled at that. He was not sure why she smiled.

If she would give him more, he just had to take as many as he could get. But Takigawa looked at him and made a comment.

"That look on your face tells me you can do more than that."

"Let's leave that as a surprise. ...I do have one thing I've stubbornly prepared but have held in reserve. I really don't plan on using it against Musashi, though."

"Is that so?" Takigawa then looked behind him. "Next."

Mochizuki stood there.

The automaton was apparently ready to respond. She immediately spoke over his shoulder.

It was her usual calm voice.

"Can you prepare artificial hairs equipped with explosion spells?"

"You don't like making things simple, do you?"

Takigawa smiled bitterly and placed a hand on her chin. Kakei thought this was a sincere reaction.

He felt they were being honest with each other now.

...''Huh?

He mentally tilted his head.

He had thought he had angered Takigawa by creating an unnecessarily emotional atmosphere.

So why were they being honest with each other now?

...''W-well, I guess it doesn't matter.

He did not understand, but he was not going to find fault with a favorable result.

But this response was somewhat bad. After all...

...''Does that mean she can't prepare Mochizuki's explosion spells?

Mochizuki's explosion spells were unique. Since they were hidden in hairs, they could be taken anywhere. Since she could use her gravitational control on them, they could be thrown as projectiles or placed in flowing water.

Depending on how she prepared them, they could be used in other ways as well, but...

...''Either way, she needs a lot of them.

She seemed to have used up a large quantity in the battle on the Ariake. She had never said anything about it, but her supply was clearly running low since she had not used one to light the fire when they were cooking outdoors.

But there was a way.

Providing information here would not leave anyone indebted to anyone, so Kakei did not hesitate to speak up.

"Takigawa-san. ...Pass this along to Houjou. They produce a lot of automatons. While I doubt they'll have what Mochizuki is talking about, they should be able to make some."

"Shaja. ...That's a good idea."

"Then," said Takigawa before Mochizuki replied.

"Unno-sama will need materials to repair her metal fan swords and her folding fans. Also," said Mochizuki. "Yes, would it be possible to allow her to choose some flashy clothes?"

"...And here I thought I was in charge."

"Oh? Did Kakei-sama the Beast wish to talk about Unno-sama's clothing?"

"No, most of my memories of her have her wearing a track suit..."

"Ah, so you are a fan of the gym clothes genre."

"...Is it just me or have you gotten harsher lately?"

Mochizuki ignored Kakei's complaint.

It was true she had recently been unable to cook or clean as much as she wanted. She had mostly been destroying things with her explosion spells, but in addition to that...

...''My position as one of the Ten Braves means I often have other people taking care of me.

Whenever she found something she could do, someone else would do it instead, thinking they were being considerate.

As a maid automaton, people would leave the tasks to her, but they could not do that with one of the Ten Braves. Why were humans so influenced by titles?

Because she so often had to stop the task she had begun, her artificial brain tended to be cluttered with the garbage data left by the task shutdown procedure. That was meant to remain behind as experience, but she frequently had to free up that memory space and it was reducing her efficiency.

As a result, she had to reduce the burden by shortening the process. Long story short, it often meant sacrificing Kakei.

"Anyway, Unno-sama's spell should work at Odawara. If she can secure an elevated location on adjoining land, the geographic features should allow her to produce as much power as in Sanada land."

"I see." Takigawa crossed her arms and nodded. And she took a sip of her drink. "Ah. Maybe it's because of this heated conversation, but that really is refreshing."

She smiled a little.

Her shoulders shook as she took a slow breath.

"Now it's my turn to speak."

Her smiling eyes faced straight forward again. She re-crossed her legs and opened her mouth.

"Sorry," she said. "But your selling points aren't really doing it for me."

"Listen," said Takigawa. "You say that, if Sanada is protected, Sanada can strike back at Matsudaira during the Osaka Campaign. ...That is admittedly important. But you know what?"

There was something she had to say here. It was a matter of reality, not sentiment.

"Listen," she said again. "By the time of the Osaka Campaign, Hashiba is only a small force. Matsudaira rules the Far East by then. What good is striking back at that point?"

Kakei and Mochizuki remained expressionless, but that was to be expected with ninjas.

But that utter lack of reaction eloquently told her what was going on in their heads.

...''The truly skilled ones will intentionally let the mask slip at times like this.

But these were combat ninjas, so she could not expect that from them. That was the entire reason she had requested some combat forces from Sanada.

But they would be disappointed in themselves for how things were going.

Besides, she understood what this Sanada group was trying to say.

"You said Sanada is a small nation, didn't you?"

"Yes, I did."

"Shaja." Takigawa nodded. And, "Kakei Juuzou. ...Then you went on to say that Sanada is a presence capable of dealing a painful blow to Matsudaira during the Osaka Campaign."

"I wasn't quite that wordy about it, but...yes, I did."

"Then." Takigawa took a breath. "This is not going to be easy for Sanada, is it?"

Kakei's cheeks moved like he wanted to say something, but then they stopped.

...''That's right.

Takigawa knew the fate of small nations that were caught up in the Testament descriptions and history recreation.

After all, she was a P.A. Oda retainer.

She knew very well that small nations could be dealt with and easily trampled on by the whims of a large nation. She had done it herself at times.

Sanada was the same.

"With the 1st Siege of Ueda complete, Sanada has two major events left: the 2nd Siege of Ueda that occurs during Sekigahara, and the Osaka Campaign."

And...

"In the 2nd Siege of Ueda, Sanada Masayuki and Nobushige fight to stop a Matsudaira force headed for Sekigahara."

"You've sure studied up on this."

"I was managing Kantou up until recently, if you recall."

Takigawa smiled a little and realized she was being self-deprecating.

It was pathetic for two losers to fight over who had the superior position. But...

...''This is necessary.

They were anti-Matsudaira and they would remain as such until they stepped down from the stage of history.

She could not allow them to use their power incorrectly.

She was something of an upperclassman to them and had the support of a large nation. She could not accurately measure how open-minded she was, but she thought she was viewing all the major pieces that were moving history.

So she said it.

"Sanada will be under attack by the nations trying to join Matsudaira. And not just in the physical form of war. It will include political and economic attacks."

That was why Sanada Chancellor Nobuyuki, the older brother, had fled to Musashi the other day. His request for asylum had been put off until later, but that action still made it harder for other nations to make a move against Sanada's Chancellor faction.

The problem was the Vice Chancellor faction that included the Ten Braves. That was Sanada's main force and it included Masayuki, the father, and Nobushige, the younger brother.

...''They will be under attack by the other nations.

Sanada would of course be prepared for that. And they likely intended to survive the 2nd Siege of Ueda like that, but...

"Most likely, the main force will be moved to Osaka before the 2nd Siege of Ueda. Then the remaining normal students will carry out the battle."

And the main force would fulfill the history recreation during the Osaka Campaign.

She did understand why they would do that.

A note in the Testament said that, after the Osaka Campaign, the Sanada clan would experience some twists and turns involving succession, but they would eventually receive 100,000 ''koku'' of land in Matsushiro and gain stability.

A small nation tossed about by the age of warring states would finally have a definite destination.

It was known that Nobuyuki, the oldest son who had inherited Sanada, would live to the ripe old age of 93 and Takigawa had checked on all of this while she was managing Kantou.

She knew what would be the deciding factor in all this:

"The Osaka Campaign, hm?"

They intended to make their presence known in the Far East and to perform the history recreation accurately so that the Testament descriptions after that would also be followed accurately.

They were showing the willpower of a small nation.

And they would make sure they had a future.

That was why these two were here to negotiate.

They wanted their fellow Sanada residents to be protected to ensure they all had a future.

They wanted to protect the fighting force that would be worn down before the Osaka Campaign thanks to the attacks from other nations and the 2nd Siege of Ueda.

And it was of course about more than just their fighting force.

It would also be about the people who lived on Sanada land and about that land itself.

If they were to have a future, they needed to protect more than just a fighting force.

...''In that case...

This was not something Takigawa could decide on her own.

This was an issue requiring a decision from Hashiba herself or from an official with the authority to manage the regions involved.

But she was no longer in charge of Kantou and she had not contacted Hashiba about any of this. The battle she was about to fight would act as the Siege of Kanie Castle in order to eliminate one of the losses during Komaki Nagakute, but she had not actually gotten the Testament Union's approval.

She had been relying on the assumption that Hashiba would pick up on her intentions here. But...

"————"

The two from Sanada looked at her with strength in their eyes.

They had to know how little political power Takigawa Ichimasu had at the moment, but they were still relying on her decision.

Was Sanada really that important to them?

...''Honestly.

Takigawa had to wonder what the difference between them and her was. She thought about it in a positive light.

This had been a hopeless endeavor from the start.

However...

"I understand what you're trying to say."

"But?"

"You really won't be of any use to Hashiba at the Osaka Campaign."

That was the only possible conclusion there.

"If you are to be of some use to Hashiba, it would have to be at the 2nd Siege of Ueda that occurs during Sekigahara. ...That battle holds some Matsudaira forces in place, delays orders to march to the capital, and prevents them from participating in Sekigahara. So as a member of P.A. Oda, my advice is to focus on the 2nd Siege of Ueda instead," said Takigawa. "Besides, today...no, I guess it would be yesterday by now. Regardless, the 1st Siege of Ueda was just fought at Sanada. That means the 2nd one is up next, right?"

Takigawa stated her conclusion.

"Sanada. ...I cannot grant you what you want here."

<noinclude>
===Notes===
<references/>
{{HorizonNavbar
| [[Horizon:Volume 6A Chapter 11|Chapter 11]]
| [[Horizon:Volume 6A Chapter 13|Chapter 13]]
}}
</noinclude>