Baka-Tsuki - User contributions [en]

Fangaku

2025-09-18T10:57:07Z

Kemm:

{{Status|Active}}
{{Web_novel|English}}
[[Image:fangaku_v1_cover.jpg|thumb]]
The '''''Fangaku!! Tokyo Depths School Life Speedrun''''' (ファン学!! 東京大空洞スクールライフRTA) series is a web novel written by Kawakami Minoru (川上稔) and illustrated by Satoyasu (さとやす). It takes place between [[City Series]], another of the author's light novel series. It conforms the LINKS series of the universe.

==Story Synopsis==

A multi-level dungeon-style cavern called the Tokyo Depths appeared below Tokyo. Some of the students of Tokyo Depths Academy work to delve deep inside the Depths to learn the secrets hidden within.

The story follows a student who transfers into Tokyo Depths Academy after waking up as a dark elf one morning.

== Web Novel ==

This web novel is currently hosted on Dengeki Bunko's Kakuyomu [https://kakuyomu.jp/works/16817330662159451369 page].

==Updates==

==''Fangaku!!'' by Kawakami Minoru==

===Fangaku!! Tokyo Depths School Life Speedrun 01===
[[File:fangaku_v1_cover.jpg|right|225px]]
*[[Fangaku:Volume1 Illustrations|Illustrations]]
*[[Fangaku:Volume1 Preface|Preface]]
*[[Fangaku:Volume1 Initialization|Initialization]]
*[[Fangaku:Volume1 Prologue|Prologue: Have You Ever Woken Up and Found You’re a Dark Elf?]]
*Act 1: For a Tutorial, Watch Some Dragon Busting
::[[Fangaku:Volume1 Act1 Prologue|Prologue]]
::[[Fangaku:Volume1 Act1 Chapter1|Chapter 1]]
::[[Fangaku:Volume1 Act1 Chapter2|Chapter 2]]
*Act 2: How About You Try Dying Just Once?
::[[Fangaku:Volume1 Act2 Prologue|Prologue]]
::[[Fangaku:Volume1 Act2 Chapter1|Chapter 1]]
::[[Fangaku:Volume1 Act2 Chapter2|Chapter 2]]
::[[Fangaku:Volume1 Act2 Chapter3|Chapter 3]]
::[[Fangaku:Volume1 Act2 Chapter4|Chapter 4]]
::[[Fangaku:Volume1 Act2 Chapter5|Chapter 5]]
*[[Fangaku:Volume1 Afterword|Afterword]]
*[[Fangaku:Volume1 Retake|Retake: Waking Up to Confusion, Showing Up to Confusion]]

<br style="clear:both"/>

===Fangaku!! Tokyo Depths School Life Speedrun 02===
[[File:fangaku_v2_cover.jpg|right|225px]]
*[[Fangaku:Volume2 Illustrations|Illustrations]]

<br style="clear:both"/>

===Fangaku!! Tokyo Depths School Life Speedrun 03===
[[File:fangaku_v3_cover.jpg|right|225px]]
*[[Fangaku:Volume3 Illustrations|Illustrations]]

<br style="clear:both"/>

== Project Staff ==

*Supervisor:
*Project Manager:

=== Translators ===

'''ACTIVE'''
*[[User:Js06|Js06]]

=== Editors ===

'''ACTIVE'''

== Series Overview ==
*ファン学!! 東京大空洞スクールライフRTA 01 (17 October 2024, ISBN 978-4-04-915874-8)
*ファン学!! 東京大空洞スクールライフRTA 02 (17 February 2025, ISBN 978-4-04-916138-0)
*ファン学!! 東京大空洞スクールライフRTA 03 (17 June 2024, ISBN 978-4-04-916407-7)
*ファン学!! 東京大空洞スクールライフRTA 04 (17 October 2024, ISBN 978-4-04-916408-4)

[[Category:Light novel (English)]]
[[Category:Dengeki Bunko]]
[[Category:Minoru Kawakami]]

Fangaku

2025-09-18T10:55:05Z

Kemm: /* Series Overview */

{{Status|Active}}
{{Web_novel|English}}
[[Image:fangaku_v1_cover.jpg|thumb]]
The '''''Fangaku!! Tokyo Depths School Life Speedrun''''' (ファン学!! 東京大空洞スクールライフRTA) series is a web novel written by Kawakami Minoru (川上稔) and illustrated by Satoyasu (さとやす). It takes place between [[City Series]], another of the author's light novel series. It conforms the LINKS series of the universe.

==Story Synopsis==

A multi-level dungeon-style cavern called the Tokyo Depths appeared below Tokyo. Some of the students of Tokyo Depths Academy work to delve deep inside the Depths to learn the secrets hidden within.

The story follows a student who transfers into Tokyo Depths Academy after waking up as a dark elf one morning.

== Web Novel ==

This web novel is currently hosted on Dengeki Bunko's Kakuyomu [https://kakuyomu.jp/works/16817330662159451369 page].

==Updates==

==''Fangaku!!'' by Kawakami Minoru==

===Fangaku!! Tokyo Depths School Life Speedrun 01===
[[File:fangaku_v1_cover.jpg|right|225px]]
*[[Fangaku:Volume1 Illustrations|Illustrations]]
*[[Fangaku:Volume1 Preface|Preface]]
*[[Fangaku:Volume1 Initialization|Initialization]]
*[[Fangaku:Volume1 Prologue|Prologue: Have You Ever Woken Up and Found You’re a Dark Elf?]]
*Act 1: For a Tutorial, Watch Some Dragon Busting
::[[Fangaku:Volume1 Act1 Prologue|Prologue]]
::[[Fangaku:Volume1 Act1 Chapter1|Chapter 1]]
::[[Fangaku:Volume1 Act1 Chapter2|Chapter 2]]
*Act 2: How About You Try Dying Just Once?
::[[Fangaku:Volume1 Act2 Prologue|Prologue]]
::[[Fangaku:Volume1 Act2 Chapter1|Chapter 1]]
::[[Fangaku:Volume1 Act2 Chapter2|Chapter 2]]
::[[Fangaku:Volume1 Act2 Chapter3|Chapter 3]]
::[[Fangaku:Volume1 Act2 Chapter4|Chapter 4]]
::[[Fangaku:Volume1 Act2 Chapter5|Chapter 5]]
*[[Fangaku:Volume1 Afterword|Afterword]]
*[[Fangaku:Volume1 Retake|Retake: Waking Up to Confusion, Showing Up to Confusion]]

<br style="clear:both"/>

===Fangaku!! Tokyo Depths School Life Speedrun 02===
[[File:fangaku_v2_cover.jpg|right|225px]]
*[[Fangaku:Volume2 Illustrations|Illustrations]]

<br style="clear:both"/>

===Fangaku!! Tokyo Depths School Life Speedrun 03===
[[File:fangaku_v3_cover.jpg|right|225px]]
*[[Fangaku:Volume3 Illustrations|Illustrations]]

<br style="clear:both"/>

== Project Staff ==

*Supervisor:
*Project Manager:

=== Translators ===

'''ACTIVE'''
*[[User:Js06|Js06]]

=== Editors ===

'''ACTIVE'''

== Series Overview ==
*ファン学!! 東京大空洞スクールライフRTA 01 (17 October 2024, ISBN 978-4-04-915874-8)
*ファン学!! 東京大空洞スクールライフRTA 02 (17 February 2025, ISBN 978-4-04-916138-0)
*ファン学!! 東京大空洞スクールライフRTA 03 (17 June 2024, ISBN 978-4-04-916407-7)
*ファン学!! 東京大空洞スクールライフRTA 04 (17 October 2024, ISBN 978-4-04-916408-4)

[[index.php?title=Category:Light novel (English)]]
[[index.php?title=Category:Dengeki Bunko]]
[[index.php?title=Category:Minoru Kawakami]]

Fangaku

2025-09-18T10:54:13Z

Kemm: /* Fangaku!! by Kawakami Minoru */

{{Status|Active}}
{{Web_novel|English}}
[[Image:fangaku_v1_cover.jpg|thumb]]
The '''''Fangaku!! Tokyo Depths School Life Speedrun''''' (ファン学!! 東京大空洞スクールライフRTA) series is a web novel written by Kawakami Minoru (川上稔) and illustrated by Satoyasu (さとやす). It takes place between [[City Series]], another of the author's light novel series. It conforms the LINKS series of the universe.

==Story Synopsis==

A multi-level dungeon-style cavern called the Tokyo Depths appeared below Tokyo. Some of the students of Tokyo Depths Academy work to delve deep inside the Depths to learn the secrets hidden within.

The story follows a student who transfers into Tokyo Depths Academy after waking up as a dark elf one morning.

== Web Novel ==

This web novel is currently hosted on Dengeki Bunko's Kakuyomu [https://kakuyomu.jp/works/16817330662159451369 page].

==Updates==

==''Fangaku!!'' by Kawakami Minoru==

===Fangaku!! Tokyo Depths School Life Speedrun 01===
[[File:fangaku_v1_cover.jpg|right|225px]]
*[[Fangaku:Volume1_Illustrations|Illustrations]]
*[[Fangaku:Volume1_Preface|Preface]]
*[[Fangaku:Volume1_Initialization|Initialization]]
*[[Fangaku:Volume1_Prologue|Prologue: Have You Ever Woken Up and Found You’re a Dark Elf?]]
*Act 1: For a Tutorial, Watch Some Dragon Busting
::[[Fangaku:Volume1_Act1_Prologue|Prologue]]
::[[Fangaku:Volume1_Act1_Chapter1|Chapter 1]]
::[[Fangaku:Volume1_Act1_Chapter2|Chapter 2]]
*Act 2: How About You Try Dying Just Once?
::[[Fangaku:Volume1_Act2_Prologue|Prologue]]
::[[Fangaku:Volume1_Act2_Chapter1|Chapter 1]]
::[[Fangaku:Volume1_Act2_Chapter2|Chapter 2]]
::[[Fangaku:Volume1_Act2_Chapter3|Chapter 3]]
::[[Fangaku:Volume1_Act2_Chapter4|Chapter 4]]
::[[Fangaku:Volume1_Act2_Chapter5|Chapter 5]]
*[[Fangaku:Volume1_Afterword|Afterword]]
*[[Fangaku:Volume1_Retake|Retake: Waking Up to Confusion, Showing Up to Confusion]]

<br style="clear:both"/>

===Fangaku!! Tokyo Depths School Life Speedrun 02===
[[File:fangaku_v2_cover.jpg|right|225px]]
*[[Fangaku:Volume2_Illustrations|Illustrations]]

<br style="clear:both"/>

===Fangaku!! Tokyo Depths School Life Speedrun 03===
[[File:fangaku_v3_cover.jpg|right|225px]]
*[[Fangaku:Volume3_Illustrations|Illustrations]]

<br style="clear:both"/>

== Project Staff ==

*Supervisor:
*Project Manager:

=== Translators ===

'''ACTIVE'''
*[[user:Js06|Js06]]

=== Editors ===

'''ACTIVE'''

== Series Overview ==
*ファン学!! 東京大空洞スクールライフRTA 01 (17 October 2024, ISBN 978-4-04-915874-8)
*ファン学!! 東京大空洞スクールライフRTA 02 (17 February 2025, ISBN 978-4-04-916138-0)
*ファン学!! 東京大空洞スクールライフRTA 03 (17 June 2024, ISBN 978-4-04-916407-7)
*ファン学!! 東京大空洞スクールライフRTA 03 (17 October 2024, ISBN 978-4-04-916408-4)

[[Category:Light novel (English)]]
[[Category:Dengeki Bunko]]
[[Category:Minoru Kawakami]]

Fangaku

2025-09-18T10:52:17Z

Kemm:

{{Status|Active}}
{{Web_novel|English}}
[[Image:fangaku_v1_cover.jpg|thumb]]
The '''''Fangaku!! Tokyo Depths School Life Speedrun''''' (ファン学!! 東京大空洞スクールライフRTA) series is a web novel written by Kawakami Minoru (川上稔) and illustrated by Satoyasu (さとやす). It takes place between [[City Series]], another of the author's light novel series. It conforms the LINKS series of the universe.

==Story Synopsis==

A multi-level dungeon-style cavern called the Tokyo Depths appeared below Tokyo. Some of the students of Tokyo Depths Academy work to delve deep inside the Depths to learn the secrets hidden within.

The story follows a student who transfers into Tokyo Depths Academy after waking up as a dark elf one morning.

== Web Novel ==

This web novel is currently hosted on Dengeki Bunko's Kakuyomu [https://kakuyomu.jp/works/16817330662159451369 page].

==Updates==

==''Fangaku!!'' by Kawakami Minoru==

===Fangaku!! Tokyo Depths School Life Speedrun 01===
[[File:fangaku_v1_cover.jpg|right|225px]]
*[[Fangaku:Volume1_Illustrations|Illustrations]]
*[[Fangaku:Volume1_Preface|Preface]]
*[[Fangaku:Volume1_Initialization|Initialization]]
*[[Fangaku:Volume1_Prologue|Prologue: Have You Ever Woken Up and Found You’re a Dark Elf?]]
*Act 1: For a Tutorial, Watch Some Dragon Busting
::[[Fangaku:Volume1_Act1_Prologue|Prologue]]
::[[Fangaku:Volume1_Act1_Chapter1|Chapter 1]]
::[[Fangaku:Volume1_Act1_Chapter2|Chapter 2]]
*Act 2: How About You Try Dying Just Once?
::[[Fangaku:Volume1_Act2_Prologue|Prologue]]
::[[Fangaku:Volume1_Act2_Chapter1|Chapter 1]]
::[[Fangaku:Volume1_Act2_Chapter2|Chapter 2]]
::[[Fangaku:Volume1_Act2_Chapter3|Chapter 3]]
::[[Fangaku:Volume1_Act2_Chapter4|Chapter 4]]
::[[Fangaku:Volume1_Act2_Chapter5|Chapter 5]]
*[[Fangaku:Volume1_Afterword|Afterword]]
*[[Fangaku:Volume1_Retake|Retake: Waking Up to Confusion, Showing Up to Confusion]]

===Fangaku!! Tokyo Depths School Life Speedrun 02===
[[File:fangaku_v2_cover.jpg|right|225px]]

===Fangaku!! Tokyo Depths School Life Speedrun 03===
[[File:fangaku_v3_cover.jpg|right|225px]]

<br style="clear:both"/>

== Project Staff ==

*Supervisor:
*Project Manager:

=== Translators ===

'''ACTIVE'''
*[[user:Js06|Js06]]

=== Editors ===

'''ACTIVE'''

== Series Overview ==
*ファン学!! 東京大空洞スクールライフRTA 01 (17 October 2024, ISBN 978-4-04-915874-8)
*ファン学!! 東京大空洞スクールライフRTA 02 (17 February 2025, ISBN 978-4-04-916138-0)
*ファン学!! 東京大空洞スクールライフRTA 03 (17 June 2024, ISBN 978-4-04-916407-7)
*ファン学!! 東京大空洞スクールライフRTA 03 (17 October 2024, ISBN 978-4-04-916408-4)

[[Category:Light novel (English)]]
[[Category:Dengeki Bunko]]
[[Category:Minoru Kawakami]]

File:Fangaku v3 cover.jpg

2025-09-18T10:52:08Z

Kemm: V3 cover

== Summary ==
V3 cover

File:Fangaku v2 cover.jpg

2025-09-18T10:51:46Z

Kemm: V2 cover

== Summary ==
V2 cover

Talk:Horizon:Volume 10A Prologue

2025-07-31T11:34:02Z

Kemm: Created page with "I wonder what snack does she mean (since clearly that's bad history).--~~~~"

I wonder what snack does she mean (since clearly that's bad history).--[[User:Kemm|Kemm]] ([[User talk:Kemm|talk]]) 11:34, 31 July 2025 (UTC)

Talk:Fangaku

2025-03-06T14:33:22Z

Kemm: Created page with "Is this a new stage in Kawakami-sensei's worldbuilding? --~~~"

Is this a new stage in Kawakami-sensei's worldbuilding? --[[User:Kemm|Kemm]] ([[User talk:Kemm|talk]])

Talk:Kyoukai Senjou no Horizon

2024-09-27T23:50:41Z

Kemm: /* The Timeline's looking pretty good ( to those still following ) */

==Character Introduction==

Could someone translate the character introduction first because it's quite hard to keep up with the sheer number of characters in the novel --Decemdies 15:41, 18 November 2011 (CST)

Since the translators are busy irl (including myself), you can use the [http://kyoukaisen.tumblr.com/charaprofiles character infodump] for the time being. (Credits to Zeroblade).--[[User:Suiri Megami Alice|Suiri Megami Alice]] 05:13, 18 November 2011 (CST)

Oh yeah,now that's a lot of help.Thanks(Zeroblade too).--[[User:Decemdies|Decemdies]] 13:58, 25 November 2011 (CST)

==Editing required?==

Just wondering whether you need an editor to look over the translated sections and improve on the sentences and everything like that. If you do, i'll try to look through what's been translated so far, though i really can't keep to a regular schedule, so if you do accept my help, at best it'd be quite infrequent, especially during school. But yeah, it all depends on whether you'd like my help or not. [[User:Skarlath|Skarlath]] 07:06, 2 December 2011 (CST)

Please yes. I'm begging you on my knees. Fix my Japanglish. -[[User:YoakeNoHikari|YoakeNoHikari]] 17:58, 2 December 2011 (CST)

Ahahah well ok then, i'll start immediately after exams finish, which is in a couple of days time. So sometime next weekend i'll try to see what i can do. But i'm going to remind you again, i'm not the best at sticking to a schedule... [[User:Skarlath|Skarlath]] 21:43, 2 December 2011 (CST)

Yeah, like I'm awesome at sticking to a schedule, (what schedule?) At any rte, I have exams too, so I'm not really going to be t/ling; take your time : ) -[[User:YoakeNoHikari|YoakeNoHikari]] 01:39, 3 December 2011 (CST)

Well anyways, please take a look at the discussion page for the prologue...and i'd like all translators for this series to look at it and tell me what you think. [[User:Skarlath|Skarlath]] 08:08, 3 December 2011 (CST)

== Need Another Editor? ==

Hey there I'd like to help with this project, I just graduated from High-School, Iwork a couple times a week and I've got enough free time to Edit the Bible long text that is this prject so if you need any any extra help I'm available.-[http://baka-tsuki.org/project/index.php?title=User:Nightmare637 Nightmare637]

== Resuming? ==

I hope that with the coming of the second anime season this project gets resumed...

== still in progress? ==

Is the translation still in active progress?

^ [[User:Imwaski|Imwaski]] ([[User talk:Imwaski|talk]]) 01:17, 4 September 2013 (CDT)

== Light novel? ==

Are you sure they fall into this category? Length-wise, they are technically doorstoppers... --[[User:Kemm|Kemm]] ([[User talk:Kemm|talk]]) 06:23, 16 September 2013 (CDT)

Oh no, they're light in the sense that reading them will make you enlightened. A Buddha of skintight suits~ --[[User:Nackbjorn|Nackbjorn]] ([[User talk:Nackbjorn|talk]]) 10:31, 1 January 2014 (CST)

Technically the "light" part of the term Light Novel refers to the relative complexity of the kanji, not length , something Middle-schoolers and High-schoolers should be able to read. That said, I hear this series is called "The Dictionary".[[User:SonodaYuki|SonodaYuki]] ([[User talk:SonodaYuki|talk]]) 19:27, 2 January 2014 (CST)

== Is it too late to edit chapters that have already been collected into epub form? ==

I just started trying my hand at editing, and I've seen a few typos in the first and second volumes but I don't want to mess them up if they're supposed to be "frozen" now. --[[User:Txtracer|Txtracer]] ([[User talk:Txtracer|talk]]) 01:52, 16 November 2014 (CST)

Don't worry, you can edit all you want, we can make a new version of the ePUB after that. I was thinking to do a new editing, so you will have my gratitude if you fix the bad grammar and typos there. [[User:Strike Forcer|Strike Forcer]] ([[User talk:Strike Forcer|talk]]) 07:02, 19 November 2014 (CST)

:I'll jump on those as soon as I get through with 3-A, unless you'd like me to tackle them sooner. Just let me know. --[[User:Txtracer|Txtracer]] ([[User talk:Txtracer|talk]]) 20:59, 21 November 2014 (CST)

== English [UK] vs. English [US] ==

Is there a preference for one method of spelling over the other? Whichever one is chosen, it should probably be consistently followed...being American I'm not an expert on UK spellings but I'll do my best if that's the preference. --[[User:Txtracer|Txtracer]] ([[User talk:Txtracer|talk]]) 03:38, 6 December 2014 (CST)
:I think that js06 uses US spellings. [[User:Strike Forcer|Strike Forcer]] ([[User talk:Strike Forcer|talk]]) 10:15, 7 December 2014 (CST)

== Sommelier vs. Connoisseur ==

I've noticed that the translators have been using "sommelier" a lot to describe Toori's boob fixation. A Sommelier is someone who is able to analyze and classify wines by sense of smell. I think the term Connoisseur is more likely to be what was intended; a connoisseur is someone who is an expert and enthusiast on some subject, and Toori is certainly that when it comes to mammary glands.

:You can blame Kawakami for that one. He uses the word sommelier himself. -[[User:Js06|Js06]] ([[User talk:Js06|talk]]) 12:10, 1 January 2015 (CST)

::After some further research it turns out "sommelier" is probably OK to use as a description of Toori's interests, although IMHO it is a less familiar term than "connoisseur" which I think works better anyway (a sommelier is a trained professional while a connoisseur is an amateur enthusiast). But if that's the actual word he's using then I suppose we should use it too. --[[User:Txtracer|Txtracer]] ([[User talk:Txtracer|talk]]) 00:45, 2 January 2015 (CST)

:::...and then I see he actually used "connoisseur" in Volume 3(A) Chapter 17. Wah! Consistency is the hobgoblin of lesser minds and editors... --[[User:Txtracer|Txtracer]] ([[User talk:Txtracer|talk]]) 01:02, 2 January 2015 (CST)

== Mito-tsan ==

Another thing I've noticed is the use of -tsan instead of -san with Mitotsudaira in the short version of her name. I've been taking the t off because I'm not familiar with that usage, but is -tsan actually correct? If so, I'll put it back.

:-tsan is one of the cutesy non-standard honorifics Naito tends to use. -[[User:Js06|Js06]] ([[User talk:Js06|talk]]) 12:10, 1 January 2015 (CST)

::ok, I should leave it alone then. I'll revert those. --[[User:Txtracer|Txtracer]] ([[User talk:Txtracer|talk]]) 00:38, 2 January 2015 (CST)

== Song of Passage ==

I found it weird that for the rest of his series the author uses existing songs as a background theme (like ''Silent Night'' or the US hymn), but for this one instead wrote a new one... or so it seemed. By chance, I found that the Song of Passage is a variation the nursery rhyme of a children game very similar to ''London Bridge is falling down'' (that is, two children hold each other's hands up and the rest of players pass through the arch while the song is sung, at the end of which the arch is lowered;kids that get trapped by the arms, lose), and its tune is used for the japanese "blind-alerting" traffic lights (that is, traffic lights with a speaker that emit sounds when it becomes green for people).

The full lyrics of the original song, plus translation:
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Toryanse !! Tooshidouka (Song of Passage)
|-
| '''Toryanse, toryanse.<br />Koko wa doko no hosomichi ja?<br />Tenjin-sama no hosomichi ja.<br />Chitto toshite kudashanse.<br />Goyo no nai mono toshasenu.<br />Kono ko no nanatsu no oiwai ni<br />Ofuda wo osame ni mairimasu.<br />Iki wa yoi yoi, kaeri wa kowai.<br />Kowai nagara mo<br />Toryanse, toryanse.''' || '''Toorimase toorimase<br />Ikaba izuko ga hosomichi nareba<br />Tenjin moto he to itaru hosomichi<br />Goiken gomuyou toorenu totemo<br /><br />Kono ko no too no oiwai ni<br />Ryou no ofuda wo osame ni sanzu<br />Iki wa yoi nagi kaeri wa kowaki<br />Wa ga naka kowaki no tooshi kana<br /><br /> '''
|-
| ''Let me pass, let me pass.<br />What is this narrow pathway here?<br />This is the narrow pathway of Tenjin Shrine.<br />Please allow me to go through.<br />Those without good reason shall not pass.<br />To celebrate this child's seventh birthday<br />I've come to make the offering of this talisman.<br />Going in is fine, fine, but returning will be scary.<br />It's scary, but<br />Let me pass, let me pass.'' || ''Let us pass, let us pass<br />Where does this narrow path lead?<br />This is the narrow pathway to the gods in heaven<br />Your thoughts do not matter; you cannot pass<br /><br />To celebrate this child’s tenth birthday<br />I must make an offering with these talismans<br />Going in may be pleasant, but returning is scary<br />Can I pass despite my fears?<br /><br /> ''
|}

The author clearly made the changes to depict the distortions that happen when reenacting history, but it's interesting to know from where things come.--[[User:Kemm|Kemm]] ([[User talk:Kemm|talk]])

== Kyoukai Senjou no Horizon XXI ==

Does anyone know what the issue is with the XXI OVA? They plain skipped from the end of the second season to about the current point in the novels (i.e. farther than we have read, ergo spoilers) and somehow the premise reminds me of some game-like plot (?). I ask here because trying to find about it on my own rendered nothing but quite the big spoiler from 10-C. --[[User:Kemm|Kemm]] ([[User talk:Kemm|talk]])

== The Timeline's looking pretty good ( to those still following ) ==

https://files.catbox.moe/due1ry.PNG
I believe someone's working on clean looking epubs for the latest translated volumes, and for everything else too...it won't be too long till everything is translated (It might not be index speed, but it's something)
On another note, is there a reason for the absence of NEXT BOX HDD ( the behind-the-scenes after volumes ) and Girls talk 4? are they not part of the grand plan?
:No idea. As a side note, someone did integrate Js06's translation of CITY's SF into the illustrations (I have yet to check the quality, though). I do wonder where exactly did they find the raws, though, as my numerous searches with different engines only resulted in dodgy offers to sell the original paper book, as well as the (closed since forever) original site to buy it (Satoyasu's personal website), and in my experience I tend to find things other people give up as a lost cause...--[[User:Kemm|Kemm]] ([[User talk:Kemm|talk]])

Didn't Satoyasu simply move from http://www.tenkystore.com/ to https://www.tenky.co.jp/? Clicking some stuff takes me to dengekibunko.jp, where I assume I'll find the exclusively digital CITY-SF volume. Though Of course, what with Kadokawa and hackers, the site yet persists in its remaining down*
(see: *The site you are trying to access is currently undergoing emergency maintenance.)
Fortunate for everything else, you can get them instantly on bookwalker...
Ah, also, I just remembered something...When Kawakami had a somewhat large following, in that particular channel of that particular image board, a user by the name 'Crytos Pop Heart Von Poppy Popsly Et a Lionsdown' ( I use his name on an online battle simulator I frequent, hence why I remember it ) regularly uploaded all manner of Kawakami novels, short and long alike. I think its all been archived 'there', so feel free to check it out. Alternatively, the Kadokawa website shut down will likely last little more than a few more months, then CITY SFs availability will come.
:As far as I know, SF wasn't a digital exclusive, but a digital-order-exclusive physical doujinshi. The only links to Dengeki Bunko come from the showcased books (On a Godless Planet and Horizon NEXT BOX). Neither SF nor Tokyo were released via Kadokawa, but as doujinshi (I believe at least Tokyo was sold during a Comiket or something, while SF, as far as I'm aware but I may be wrong, could only be purchased from Tenky Store, but both had a limited print run). Proof of their status as doujinshi is the fact that the covers show a distinctive lack of Dengeki Bunko's seal. You won't find them at any official publisher's page nor any regular bookstore. Heck, I even followed VIRTUALCITY-Ex.'s (the name for Tenky at Pixiv) rabbithole until Melonbook's list of Kawakami's works (and Meloonbook sells even pretty old doujinshi), but nothing. As I said, the only sources are found are dodgy resellings that are quite overpriced. --[[User:Kemm|Kemm]] ([[User talk:Kemm|talk]])

Talk:Kyoukai Senjou no Horizon

2024-09-24T16:18:01Z

Kemm:

Horizon:Volume 9B Chapter 55

2024-09-11T18:22:13Z

Kemm: Typo corrected.

==Chapter 55: Approaching Demon and Woman==
[[File:Horizon_9B_p0765.jpg|thumb]]
''At this point

''That is no longer attack

''Or defense

'''Point Allocation (Current)

●

Sparks flew in a variety of colors.

A great form dressed in black was always at the center, a slender form also dressed in black crashed into him, and a woman in white made bladed attacks.

The slender one’s role was to always be targeted while the black one and the white one attacked with great speed and flat blades.

Metal loudly clashed with metal. Twice from the slender one’s hands and once each from the black one and the white one.

And they were all moving with dizzying speed.

The great black one ran without seeming to run, pursuing the slender one along the lengthy battlefield.

He wasn’t really in a hurry. He simply stepped forward and approached his enemy in the span of a breath. And when he also launched an attack…

“How about that!?”

Rapid strikes from the sword in his right hand pushed back his opponent.

But the slender one did not fight it. When she was being pushed back, she jumped. When he launched a barrage at her, she leaped backwards, putting some midair distance between them.

Then the woman in white leaped in.

With the halo behind her, she constantly wielded the two great swords ejected from the space behind her, sending out a flurry of attacks that glinted in the moonlight.

She would not stop.

But the slender one fought back, trailing sparks as she moved forward.

She avoided a pincer attack, fell back, and made her way around with the edge of the battlefield behind her.

The battlefield became nothing more than the wind of movement, the din of swordplay, and flying sparks.

Light had vanished from one end of the long battlefield, so the flying sparks drew out the path of the trio’s attacks while changing color.

In the light, they were white.

In the dusk, they were red.

In the moonlight, they were blue.

The occasional decorative roofs added their own colors in places.

But those watching and listening to the endless cacophony eventually noticed something.

“Hey,” someone said in shock. “The density of their attacks is growing.”

●

…''This is so much fun!

Shibata felt like rolling up his sleeves.

This girl fascinated him. She reacted to his attacks and didn’t forget to make attacks of her own.

And most importantly, the more he and Oichi tried to get in a finishing blow, the more she increased the density of her responses, growing stronger.

It was fascinating.

''What happened to that initial lukewarm response?

''This back-and-forth without even a split-second to relax is way more like it.

She hadn’t gotten close enough to him to call these “ideal movements”, but she had the excellent movement fundamentals common in those with movement spells.

And she still had strength to spare.

Because she still wasn’t pushing herself too far.

He still hadn’t seen the signs of someone who had reached the limit of their skill and was trying to push past that.

That meant this small fry still wasn’t drawing on her full strength.

“But not cause she’s underestimating me.”

He had a feeling she was restraining herself.

That restraint left her enough in reserve to react if he tried to attack with his greater skill.

It was like she only realized that great skill was even possible once the attack was made.

Most likely, she didn’t know how far she could go.

Shibata had heard she defeated Celestial Dragon Katou Danzou at the Siege of Bitchu Takamatsu Castle before summer break.

''That guy’s a hell of a fighter too. To the point I don’t see why he bothers with that illusion crap,'' thought Shibata. ''Then again, I’m using a Testamenta Arma and Mikal.

But how much violence was contained in the humanoid form of a Celestial Dragon? A guy on that level would definitely have mastered the ideal movements while in humanoid form.

Yet this girl had overpowered him and emerged victorious.

''I see. That explains why she isn’t afraid of me.'' Looking at pure power, a Celestial Dragon would be stronger than him. And those illusions had to be more powerful than any weapon, including Shibata’s super gear.

''I just can’t figure out why Naru Naru-kun said she had lost her edge.'' But…

“That’s it.”

She had lost her edge, so she went up to the mountains and trained.

But she hadn’t yet applied her new skill in battle.

That was why she didn’t seem to be taking this seriously.

That wasn’t what she was doing.

…''This is fun.

This wasn’t like training with Sassa.

He was accompanying a skilled fighter as she reworked her skill from the ground up.

''You lost yourself in a slump cause you’re a small fry. So you forgot how to fight and you decided to start with your movement since that’s what you know best.

''Your intuition hasn’t returned yet, has it?

That settled it.

“Yeah.”

He would bring her back.

At the very least, he would bring her to the point where she could defeat a Celestial Dragon.

''I’m stronger than you, so I’ll battle you to make sure you don’t pick up any bad habits.

''I’ll rework you from the ground up to make you the strongest you can be.

''That’s bound to be fun and fighting you after it’s over will be even more fun.

“So don’t die.”

''Just this once, I’ll play the upperclassman role and look after this baby bird until she takes flight.'' So…

“Fight me!”

●

Fukushima clashed with a great pressure and cutting edge.

Shibata’s attacks were fast and unceasing. He had great strength, after all. After he swung Kamewari in one direction, he would immediately swing it back the other direction with only his arm strength. It looked forceful, but for him a full-sized sword had to be a lot like a knife. It almost looked like anything less than Kamewari would be insufficient for him.

And whenever her attacks let up…

“Get her, Kamewari.”

A smashing attack would sweep across the space at a variety of heights.

He seemed to be cautioning her to not hold back. So…

“Hah!”

She would answer with a breath and pick up the attack.

She was confident that trying to move away from him would mean death. Furthermore…

“Hah…ah, yahhhhhh!”

Oichi didn’t hesitate to inject herself into the series of attacks. She never got in the way of Shibata’s attacks and would take the most optimal position if Fukushima left an opening.

Sparks flew. A metallic scent hung in the air.

Fukushima realized she had blood flowing down her arm and cheek.

But it soon flew off into the air thanks to her speed.

This time and space didn’t let her worry about or even think about the bloodshed.

She could move her body to match her split-second reflexes and predictions because…

…''Yes.

Because of her time in the mountain.

This was just like matching her movements to an unseen river current. She had learned how to make instantaneous decisions and wield instantaneous power against a constantly changing environment.

This was the same.

She wanted to thank Sassa next time she saw him. And tell him how helpful training in that spot had been. So…

“––––––”

She decided she could allow herself one thing.

●

Niwa realized the sound had changed.

She was atop the fortress wall of ships on the south end of the Shibata camp. She had chosen a transport ship built tall for cargo because it gave her a view of Kitanosho Castle, allowing her to watch the end of the festival.

But something had changed. The mehter around her had noticed it too.

“Um, Niwa-sama…”

“Yes, the sound has grown clearer.”

Before, it had primarily been the tone of metal crashing into metal. On occasion, there had been the unique sound of metal being honed, which was more like simple noise.

But this was different.

It was a solid but efficient sound, a lot like a brass instrument.

It was repeating, overlapping, and incessant, but it was oddly orderly.

That was not the sound of a fighter rejecting their opponent. It was the sound of a fighter reading their opponent’s power and matching their own actions to it. Which meant…

“Has his opponent started using ideal movements!?”

●

Shibata thought as he sent out attacks which were deflected while the enemy leaped in toward him.

…''She’s not as stupid as Naru Naru-kun!

He smiled bitterly as he used Kamewari’s pommel to deflect his opponent’s blade and keep her away. She was getting a lot closer now.

After all, her movements had suddenly changed.

She was flying.

He had simply been feeding the baby bird before, but now he found she had grown wings.

And she was giving them some test flaps.

“––––”

The battle sounded so much nicer now.

…''That’s right.

These were ideal movements.

She had taken a step beyond her earlier attacks.

She must have realized how she was restraining herself. And in the moment, she changed.

…''So you’re not an idiot.

''This goes beyond simply restraining yourself. How’d you change so damn quick?

But when she changed this much…

…''This is all the more fun!

He could tell she was still testing out what she could do. The nice sounding tones he heard now were from her defense. Attacking and approaching would require a different action.

Would she soar?

Right now, she was carelessly flapping her wings, taking flight, and repeating the process.

''You need more than that. Bring it all together.

''Direct your whole body skyward and flap your wings to send yourself higher. No, I know what I’ve gotta do to motivate her.

“I’ll blast you, dammit!”

''Now, what’ll it be?

●

Fukushima realized the time for testing was over.

Shibata’s horizontal attack flew in from ahead on the left.

At the same time, Oichi threw her sword from overhead on Shibata’s right.

…''What!?

The thrown sword was rotating. The shifted center of gravity caused it to draw out a curve that would drop it behind Fukushima.

That kept her from moving back.

And Oichi had already drawn her next blade. She made a full horizontal swing from below with one sword and the new one would probably swing in to cut Fukushima through from the right.

Fukushima couldn’t move back and Shibata’s blade was coming from the front left. If she dodged that in either vertical direction, Oichi’s full swing from below would hit her, but if she dodged to the right, Oichi’s horizontal swing would get her.

A blade would reach her no matter where she went. But strangely she didn’t hesitate.

Simple attack and defense weren’t going to work against these opponents.

So she knew what she had to do.

“Continue ahead.”

●

Oichi saw something odd.

She was swinging up her right sword from below.

At the same time, she swung her left hand horizontally and leaped, using the upwards-swinging sword as an anchor. She added in a spin while shifting to her next attack. Or she meant to.

But her opponent was coming. Coming straight in.

The girl was not hit or cut.

It wasn’t that she had tremendous speed or anything.

Strangely, it looked like she was only walking toward Oichi, giving a quick greeting as she passed by.

So when she stepped on the guard of the upwards-swinging right sword, Oichi felt no weight.

But the girl continued forward.

She used Oichi’s attack as a stepping stone and spun herself around backwards with her spear held between her arms.

“––––”

The backwards spear attack struck Shibata in the left chest.

●

The slash sent pieces of Shibata’s uniform scattering.

He had hard demonic skin, but the blade managed to pierce it.

The average depth of the wound was 12cm and the length was 63cm. It drew out an arc which was deepest near his collarbone, but it did not reach the bone. And…

“Ha!”

When the demonic man laughed, dark blood sprayed forth. A few first aid insha kotobs appeared, but the result was the same.

Fukushima’s blade had reached him. That was all that mattered.

●

Fukushima remembered something.

…''That was the same as the attack I hit Danzou-dono with.

The force of the attack and everything else were different than with the Celestial Dragon.

Yet it was the same. She was facing an opponent just as – if not more – formidable than that.

“Kh.”

The powerful momentum of her backwards spin caused her to rotate a few times after landing. But…

…''I reached him!

She had accomplished something. That fact led to another fact.

“Now we’re talking!”

The demonic man came at her along with his words.

She could tell he was smiling.

Now he was taking this seriously.

●

Fukushima knew this would come down to an instant.

So many memories flooded her mind.

Her opponent was fired up but injured.

He had more strength than he knew what to do with and, if he would ever have an opening, it would be now.

She had strength too.

…''So…

She threw out her fear and raced toward her opponent.

●

Fukushima’s target was Oichi.

She stuck to her original plan of eliminating that nuisance before she attacked Shibata.

She leaped to the right to place Oichi between her and Shibata.

Oichi responded by swinging both her blades.

Her left sword swung in from the left.

Her right sword slashed down from above.

Fukushima chose to approach that woman.

Even if she landed an attack, one of those intersecting slashes would strike her. So…

“…”

While holding Ichinotani diagonally as a shield, she threw the spear toward Oichi.

She literally launched the spear toward the intersection of Oichi’s attacks.

●

Oichi realized her attack had caught the spear.

…''What…is this!?

The enemy abandoning her weapon was a surprise, but the effect on her swords was a problem too.

The spear was oriented diagonally as it flew between the horizontally and vertically swinging swords. The angle pushed at the path of the horizontal blade while striking the slash coming from above.

The force of the double slash deflected the spear twice over, sending it spinning.

Fukushima soared in at that moment.

Oichi’s slashes had their speeds and trajectories altered by the spear.

But Fukushima’s spear was now rapidly spinning after receiving the speed of Oichi’s attacks.

And Fukushima grabbed the rotating spear at the center.

“––––”

In that moment, Oichi’s right arm flew off into the air.

Fukushima’s spinning spear had swung down on the right elbow that had propelled the sword from above.

Fukushima was already ducking below the horizontal slash.

Oichi was now swinging her left sword to the left.

Her Testamenta Arma glowed to repair her right arm.

But it was too late.

She spun to the left using the leftward-spinning sword as an anchor. She tried to put some distance between her and Fukushima.

She turned her right side toward Fukushima just in time for something to strike her right flank.

Fukushima had stopped her spear’s spinning in her arms and now the flat tip of the blade was held against Oichi.

Oichi heard the girl’s voice as she raced toward Oichi’s side.

“Extension device.”

The rapid strike shot toward Oichi’s right flank.

●

Fukushima did not feel the blow land.

…''What was that?

She had used the extension device to strike Oichi in the side while running. That should have slammed into the woman’s torso and launched her away, allowing Fukushima to focus on attacking Shibata.

But she was instead faced with a problem.

She had been stopped.

Her intent to attack had been momentarily halted.

Courtesy of Testamenta Arma: Animus Caritas – Novum.

Why had an attack against Oichi triggered that Testamenta Arma?

She didn’t bother asking the question. Because…

“Hey, now. Get outta the way while we’re flirting.”

In the instant Fukushima was frozen, she saw a hand supporting Oichi on the opposite side of where Ichinotani’s tip had struck.

That was Shibata’s hand.

His arm passed behind her to support her from the opposite side.

If Ichinotani had pierced on through Oichi, it would have injured Shibata’s hand too.

And Fukushima had seen Shibata’s hand support Oichi in the instant she had sent her attack toward Oichi.

No, Shibata had “let her see” it. He had saved Oichi. And…

“You’ve still got a long way to go before you can hope to stand up to the power of our love!”

Her movement resumed.

The extension device raced out. But Oichi had been pulled back by Shibata.

The attack had been dodged. And the very next moment, Shibata attacked from the side.

“Get her, Kamewari.”

●

Fukushima kept her stance low and ran.

Any evasion would be stopped, so she held Ichinotani close as it extended and she simply ''ran'' forward.

The smashing power soared by over her head just as she took her first step.

The port deck railing was instantly sliced through and the top of the transport ship past that railing was blasted into the sky like a wave.

And just as Fukushima realized she had dodged it…

“Take this!”

Shibata sent a kick right into her gut.

…''Kh!!

Her M.H.R.R. inner suit was designed for the Thirty Years’ War, so it was bulletproof and had some resistance against bladed weapons.

But a kick powered by demonic leg strength was something else entirely.

She could feel her body distorting. Her gut was warped in the shape of his boot.

That Kamewari blast was probably just so he could get off this kick. She had gotten in the habit of running while ducked low, so he had taken advantage of it.

And just as she realized she had been hit…

“Kah!”

She flew about 4m.

It was a direct hit.

●

The soaring slender form crashed into one of the decorative roofs hanging over the battlefield.

A path decorated with artificial flowers led toward the stage in the center.

Ordinarily, there would be mats set up below to provide a space for moon viewing.

The wavy red wooden roof was splintered by the flying body.

The continuous sounds of breaking wood were lighter than of smashing rubble and some artificial flowers scattered through the air.

The slender figure ended up with her back arched in midair.

“–––––”

When she crashed down onto the central stage, she bounced once and then lay motionless on her back.

Her spear fell next to her and simply spun once before falling over.

The roof splinters and artificial flowers surrounding her were all colored red.

<noinclude>
{{HorizonNavbar
| [[Horizon:Volume 9B Chapter 54|Chapter 54]]
| [[Horizon:Volume 9B Chapter 56|Chapter 56]]
}}
</noinclude>

Talk:Sword Art Online:There is but one ultimate way

2023-09-22T14:26:36Z

Kemm: Created page with "Given that Alice is called "synthesis Fifty" here, does that mean that there are 20 Integrity Knights that did not make it to the printed version? Are they just unused numbers..."

Given that Alice is called "synthesis Fifty" here, does that mean that there are 20 Integrity Knights that did not make it to the printed version? Are they just unused numbers or did some of them play a role, even if as mob characters? --[[User:Kemm|Kemm]] ([[User talk:Kemm|talk]])

Horizon:Volume 9A Chapter 6

2023-08-01T19:43:10Z

Kemm: you're -> your (feel free to revert if it was intentional)

==Chapter 6: Overeating Doll in Gion==
[[File:Horizon_9A_p0187.jpg|thumb]]
''Crash''

'''Point Allocation (Ah!)'''

●

Juana heard quiet groans coming from the Musashi group.

She wasn’t sure why that was, but she was happy the food was actually what she had said it would be.

That meant she was in control here.

In her relief, she had one thing to say.

“I think the idea of Musashi hiring us as mercenaries would be impossible.”

It was an extremely effective idea. The Musashi Vice President nodded when she looked her in the eye, so she must have been confident in it as well. But…

“Currently, Tres España ''would be able to'' accept that job under those conditions alone.”

Meaning…

“That is ''a good deal''. Yes.”

●

'''Me:''' “Okay, everyone! No making fun of Masazumi-sensei for being so confident in her terrible idea! Even Masazumi-sensei makes mistakes sometimes! And this just happens to be one of those times!”

'''Vice President:''' “O-oh, shut up! And is she really turning down the whole deal!? Why would she do that!?”

'''Unturning:''' “This has proven the fortune-telling properties of curry, hasn’t it?”

'''Horizey:''' “Oh, Masazumi-sama, Asama-sama? Do you have a moment?”

●

Asama was admiring the subtle flavor of the chawanmushi when Horizon suddenly asked for her attention.

Just as she turned around to see what this was about, Horizon raised her right forearm and opened her mouth wide.

“I’m not tirrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrred! I’m not sorryyyyyyyyyyyyyy!”

With a wholly unexpected shout, Horizon’s upper body crashed loudly down onto the table.

Asama stood up, ignoring the disturbed Tres España group.

…''Um, I think I know what this is.''

She stood next to Horizon and checked to find several cross-torii sign frames opened around Horizon.

''Yes, I was right.'' Asama propped Horizon up in a sitting position, but…

'''Asama:''' “She’s started her sleep time for the Logismoi Oplo initialization and rebuilding.”

'''Vice President:''' “For Stithos Porneia?”

Masazumi’s question led Asama to notice the unusual quantity of sign frames.

She had Horizon’s permission to monitor this process, so she ran a search.

'''Asama:''' “She’s also running Pheugos Gastrimargia we got at Nördlingen. But that one has been running in pieces for a while now, so it looks like this sleep time was mostly triggered by Porneia.”

'''Silver Wolf:''' “Why was that one run in pieces?”

'''Asama:''' “Maybe that’s more efficient?”

But no, that wasn’t it. The Logismoi Oplo installation progress bar on Horizon’s sign frames was rapidly filling.

…''What is this?''

She recalled how Horizon’s system for installing the Logismoi Oplo had clearly required less sleep time with each consecutive one.

Stithos Porneia was being installed far faster than the previous ones. How did that work?

'''Asama:''' “The previous Logismoi Oplo were installed all at once, which only gave the installation OS a single instance of experience for each one. But by installing Gastrimargia in pieces, the OS received multiple instances of installation experience, which has sped up the installation of Porneia.”

“Makes sense,” said Naomasa.

'''Smoking Girl:''' “When installing each piece, the OS must have built and tested a different installation processing algorithm. Think of it like dividing your forces into a few different teams and having each team attack Gastrimargia separately to figure out the best way to install it.”

'''Novice:''' “How advanced is this OS…?”

'''Smoking Girl:''' “You say that, but we do the same thing. When working toward a large goal, we don’t try to do it all at once – we try to complete the smaller objectives that lead up to the overall goal. I don’t know if this was conscious or not on Horizon’s part, but something inside her decided sleeping for long periods was inefficient and the OS found a more efficient solution while listening to what Asama-chi had to say.”

That was probably it. And while Horizon leaned back in her chair…

“Zzzzggggzzzzgzgzgzgzgzzgg!”

'''Gold Mar:''' “Is she snoring or grinding her teeth?”

'''Asama:''' “Maybe her posture is the problem.”

But her upper body couldn’t stay balanced, so it would either flop down onto the table or lean back in the chair.

While Asama tried to figure out what to do, the arms detached, checked side to side, and then propped up their master.

“Are you alright?” asked Asama.

The arms turned her way and nodded with their wrists.

Apparently they were. Which was good enough for Asama. There was still some occasional snoring, but how deep was Horizon’s sleep during this process? She couldn’t quite remember.

And why was the Tres España group glaring at them with lips pursed?

Masazumi spoke up to smooth things over.

“I ask that you pay a lot of attention to this. As much attention as you can. Got that?”

''Are you trying to gather their attention, Masazumi?''

●

Masazumi thought to herself with an air of “anyway”.

…''What was wrong with our earlier offer?''

Tres España had a war with Hexagone Française coming up, so they had an urgent need for a supply line and for safe travel between the west and east. After all, the new school term had started and the nations could resume their international history recreations.

Hexagone Française could launch a war against Tres España tomorrow – or even today.

Masazumi knew why it hadn’t happened yet.

…''Because the Honnouji Incident is stopping them.''

''But that would mean,'' she thought, ''Tres España’s situation is all the more dangerous.''

“You have it good, don’t you?”

“In what way?”

“How do you plan to return to Tres España from here?”

It was a simple question but a useful one.

The Tres España Vice President finally gave an answer.

“If we focus on safety and travel through Shikoku as your mercenaries, it should take around 6 hours one way. With only high-speed ships, it should take less than 4 hours.”

“And if you don’t travel through Shikoku?”

Masazumi saw the Tres España Vice President smile a bit when asked that.

“In that case,” she said. “Tres España’s main fleet ''will stay put'' back home and ''abandon us''.”

●

Juana made this decision after realizing a certain fact.

Musashi was using the mercenary offer and trade with Shikoku as a tool to negotiate with them. That would ensure Tres España’s safety during the Honnouji Incident and help establish friendly relations between the two of them down the line.

But Juana realized they were not looking beyond that when it came to Tres España.

…''Their discussion begins and ends with Honnouji and the trade afterwards.''

Which meant Musashi was not seeing something else.

'''Juana:''' “I do not think Musashi is giving any thought to what Tres España will try to do after Honnouji.”

'''BA3:''' “You think so too, Ju? I was thinking the same thing.”

The support of the 2nd Special Duty Officer made the decision all the easier.

Tres España had to take a certain stance with Musashi here. So when using their Kyou rules…

“We can agree to a mercenary contract with Musashi.”

That was a complete rejection of everything they had been discussing.

●

Juana saw the entire Musashi group – including the arms – look to their Vice President.

After a pause, the Vice President noticed their gazes.

“Wh-why are you all looking at me!? Keep looking! Take a good, long look!”

Apparently they were using their Kyou rules with each other too.

●

'''Me:''' “And with that, Seijun-kun is a big, fat loserrrrrrrrr!”

'''Unturning:''' “What happened to knowing a lot about that region?”

'''Scarred:''' “Don’t be so mean, everyone. She only made a slight misunderstanding. Like Master Neshinbara does. Isn’t that right, Masazumi-sama?”

'''Vice President:''' “I know you’re trying to help, but you are ''not'' helping!”

'''Novice:''' “Ha ha ha ha ha ha! Now do you understand the excruciating hellfire I must suffer on a daily basis!? It’s what you deserve! I’m so happy to have someone who understands me!”

'''Gold Mar:''' “Why would anyone want to understand that?”

'''Flat Vassal:''' “So they just rejected everything all over again, didn’t they? After rejecting that stuff about safe travel the Vice President was talking about.”

'''Asama:''' “But why reject it all when there are other advantages? That is, even if the safe travel really isn’t useful to them. Yes.”

'''Vice President:''' “Fine, see if I care that they rejected my idea! Dammit! Goddammit!”

●

''Oh, no,'' thought Masazumi. ''I’m being targeted by a group far more frightening than our enemy.''

…''Our class does not hold back.''

But that meant she could do the same thing, so was it a win-win arrangement? ''No, I suppose not.''

Tres España had said they could send an escort fleet from their homeland to provide them with safe travel. It turned the idea on its head, but it was doable.

…''Taking on Tres España’s main fleet would be too great a risk even for the other powerful nations.''

Masazumi’s mistake had come from thinking about things in terms of the Musashi. That was her story, anyway.

“Now, then.”

She slapped her cheeks once to refocus herself. She had something to think about now.

'''Vice President:''' “Asama is correct that our offer has other advantages. So why do you think Tres España fully rejected the mercenary idea?”

'''Art-Ga:''' “Maybe you overlooked something important again?”

'''Vice President:''' “That ‘again’ was not necessary!”

'''Circle Be:''' “I’d like to get my opinion in before Seijun makes this anymore uncomfortable. I think Tres España would benefit from trade with Shikoku. Because once their war with Hexagone Française begins, England will ally with France and they’ll be in serious trouble. Spain mainly deals in woolen goods and ceramics, but they need someone to sell those things to and someone willing to sell them the food they need.”

So…

'''Circle Be:''' “To make a long story short, it would benefit them greatly to build up food reserves now.”

'''Vice President:''' “So hypothetically speaking…”

Masazumi tried asking an expert.

'''Vice President:''' “What would happen if Musashi supplied Tres España during their war with Hexagone Française?”

'''Worshiper:''' “It wouldn’t accomplish much other than improve our reputation.”

Ohiroshiki set down his bowl of chawanmushi to speak.

'''Worshiper:''' “The Musashi can transport a large city’s worth of supplies as a trade ship, but we’re still only talking about a city. We can’t hold enough to fully support a large nation. Also, the Musashi is meant to trade while traveling around the Far East, so if we concentrated on a single nation, it would likely damage the Far Eastern economy.

“Conversely, the transport ships ordinarily used for trade can transport far less than the Musashi, but they can supply an entire nation with their numbers and regular visits. If Tres España wants to build up their reserves, they could receive far more using Shikoku and Tres España transport ships than if they relied on the Musashi alone. It would be safer too.”

'''Nagaya-Stable:''' “Here, I’ll send you the numbers proving it.”

The document from Ookubo compared how much the Musashi could carry against the amount of trade needed to support a city with a population of 20 thousand. It went on to determine how many cities the Musashi could support in that way.

The numbers indicated that the Musashi would be inadequate once the number of cities reached the 6-8 range. The document gave a range because of seasonal differences and the different routes the Musashi could use to reach Tres España. The biggest loss came from taking the route from England.

…''England can’t provide any food, so we would only be carrying steel, fuel, and things like that.''

Masazumi thought back on when they were in England before the Armada battle.

'''Vice President:''' “Which regions of Tres España are busy with trade right now?”

'''Circle Be:''' “They know they have to fight France, so probably all of them will be busy right up to the last second. They have a lot of cities centered on Shimonoseki, so they should have well over the number of 20-thousand-population cities mentioned in that document. So I expect they’re already gathering reserves with more transport power than the Musashi could provide.”

“Judge,” someone replied from outside: the Tachibana Wife.

'''Tachibana Wife:''' “Tres España excels at expansion into the ocean, so they have a lot of major cities on the coast or alongside large rivers. Their focus on decentralization and privatization has allowed their satellite cities and cities ruled by regional governors to develop and grow in number.”

'''Vice President:''' “So even if the Musashi did provide trade, we would only be giving some extra help on top of that, if not just doing what they could have done on their own.”

'''Flat Vassal:''' “But at the same time, doesn’t this mean the Musashi is valuable as a way of providing nearly eight cities’ worth of supplies all at once?”

''I see,'' thought Masazumi, but not because she had never looked into this before.

There was no need to look into it because she had asked the committees to provide a report on what was likely to happen in Europe, especially following the Honnouji Incident.

But Tres España was acting more quickly than that report had predicted.

That meant ''they had some kind of plan.''

●

''That’s it,'' thought Masazumi. Tres España was a large nation. And they would have had plenty of time to think over things during summer break.

She had been astonished by Tres España’s planning abilities in the past.

Their Chancellor and Vice President were both the plotting type. Plus, their entire nation trusted them and had come together to rebuild. The power of their king would fall as their decentralization grew, yet they seemed to have grown stronger after losing the Armada battle. That was because the people supported their nation’s actions.

…''In that case…''

The people were the source of Tres España’s power. But those people needed a stable source of food and other necessities.

'''Vice President:''' “But at the same time, Tres España will be enemies with England and Hexagone Française again soon.”

'''Nagaya-Stable:''' “Do you know why Hexagone Française hired us at Nördlingen and did the Protestant’s a favor even after they defended against M.H.R.R. at Paris? After the break, they have to fight a two-front war against M.H.R.R. and Tres España during the second term. That’s also why they wanted to be on good terms with Sanuki.”

“Right,” agreed Masazumi before arriving at a realization.

'''Vice President:''' “Do you think Hexagone Française can monopolize trade with Sanuki?”

'''Nagaya-Stable:''' “I’m sure they’ll leave enough for their previous connections and for Musashi.”

That was basically a yes. So…

'''Vice President:''' “Is it possible Tres España wouldn’t gain that much even if they stayed in Shikoku?”

Everyone looked her way when they heard that.

'''Art-Ga:''' “Didn’t someone just act all smug about how the most important thing about Tres España going to Shikoku was their ability to trade with Shikoku?”

She’d done it again.

●

Juana saw the entire Musashi group – including the arms – looking at their Vice President.

Eventually, the Vice President noticed them.

“Wh-why are you all looking at me again!? Keep looking! Take a good, long look!”

Was this a running gag in that joke-obsessed warrior nation?

●

'''Me:''' “And with that, Seijun-kun is again a big, fat loserrrrrrr!”

'''Wise Sister:''' “Heh heh. That’s two Ls! The first one was a single L! This one is a double L! And the next one will be a trupple L!”

'''Asama:''' “Um, Kimi. We already know you’re an idiot, so please calm down.”

'''Unturning:''' “But, in all serious, what happened to knowing a lot about that region?”

'''Scarred:''' “Don’t be so mean, everyone. Everyone has a bad day from time to time. Like Master Neshinbara does. Isn’t that right, Masazumi-sama?”

'''Vice President:''' “Your help still isn’t helping!”

'''Novice:''' “I’d like to know how many versions of this unhelpful help are related to me!”

'''Gold Mar:''' “I have a feeling you’d want to die if you knew the answer.”

'''Silver Wolf:''' “Anyway, Shikoku is right in front of Hexagone Française. It also borders K.P.A. Italia, but Tres España would still have a hard time of it if Hexagone Française took control of Sanuki, since that’s one of the bigger locations for a base.”

'''Circle Be:''' “If that happened, couldn’t Shikoku defiantly strengthen their trade in Matsuyama or Iyo to the west and trade with Tres España from there?”

'''Vice President:''' “Tres España’s Far Eastern side already goes there to trade with Shikoku, so that is probably what would happen. So I was thinking they could expand on that if they worked as our mercenaries.”

Masazumi had Tsukinowa quickly open a map of Shikoku.

Matsuyama and Iyo were on the northwest end and Sanuki was near the northeast end.

'''Worshiper:''' “When focused on food trade, Sanuki produces and stockpiles a lot of wheat since they need to make so much udon. However…”

Ohiroshiki added a line connecting Sanuki with Iyo and Matsuyama on the map.

'''Worshiper:''' “There is no set trade route here. And even if there was, it would be managed by Hashiba since they conquered Shikoku, but no east-west trade route has been established along the northern coast of Shikoku. That makes it difficult for Sanuki to share their plentiful food reserves.”

'''Vice President:''' “That’s the problem with the Far East’s Warring States period. Europe had its merchant guilds, but the Far East’s commerce leagues weren’t very well developed.”

“So,” she said.

'''Vice President:''' “If Musashi were to stop at Sanuki, Tres España could act as our mercenaries and travel the line between Shimonoseki, Matsuyama/Iyo, and Sanuki. That would probably create the beginnings of a trade route and I wouldn’t have thought Tres España would turn down an opportunity like that.”

'''Silver Wolf:''' “In other words…it looks like Tres España is choosing to ‘hide out at home’ for some reason?”

Mitotsudaira was right. Every nation was on the move and Tres España had to deal with both Hexagone Française and England, but they weren’t even considering a way of securing a trade route.

…''They must already have a plan ready.''

Their Vice President probably even had a rough budget calculated out.

'''Flat Vassal:''' “Do you think Hexagone Française and England know that Tres España has a plan in the works?”

'''Silver Wolf:''' “Since they will be enemies during the second term, both sides will be doing their best to keep their information from each other. And even without that, international history recreations weren’t allowed during the break. It would be silly to think any nation didn’t use that time for planning.”

'''Vice President:''' “Right. And we know more or less what Hexagone Française is planning.”

'''Unturning:''' “Why do we know that?”

'''Still Got It:''' “My, my! Information leaks are such frightening things!”

'''Silver Wolf:''' “Says the source of the leak!”

''And we’ve leaked things back them, now that I think about it.''

But after their time at the candy house, they knew Hexagone Française was on their side.

…''Then there’s the other nation Tres España has to watch out for.''

'''Vice President:''' “Does anyone know what’s going on in England these days?”

●

Mary had been following the goings-on in England as best she could.

And even if she hadn’t been, she received periodic divine mails from Milton and the others. But instead of private messages, those were starting to be official messages published by Oxford’s Liaison Committee and the Committee HQ communications officials, generally indicating England’s position regarding some other nation.

That meant she still had some value to England as a name inheritor.

…''Which means I need to be careful about opposing England in any way.''

She had defected and given up her inherited name for the time being, but if she did oppose England, it could act as a barrier to her returning at a later date. The messages were probably part of her sister, Jonson, and the others being careful about that. She appreciated their concern and, if it could help determine Musashi’s overall policy, all the better.

She gave Tenzou a nod before answering.

'''Scarred:''' “Ever since the Armada battle, England has been strengthening their ties to the Protestants in Holland and elsewhere. They have also been maintaining diplomatic relations with Hexagone Française.”

'''Art-Ga:''' “A simple explanation is a wonderful thing.”

'''Novice:''' “M-mine are for experts only! Of course they’re going to be a little more complicated!”

'''Four Eyes:''' “You do realize you’re the only ‘expert’ in your brand of nonsense, don’t you? Oh, but if you don’t, that means even you are a beginner in your nonsense. Thank you, Toussaint. I’m on the verge of coming up with a good line.”

If this would help Shakespeare’s writing, then this was culturally relevant too. ''Another thing to be happy about.''

But with the second term starting, England had to be searching for something more to do.

'''Scarred:''' “Before Elizabeth’s age – which would be when my name’s origin was still alive – England worked with Tres España to hold Hexagone Française in check. England’s policy in every age is to never make an enemy of all their trade partners and to always preserve their supply routes.”

Mary’s sister was great at navigating that balancing act and it was convenient for both sides if England remained “neutral” among the European nations.

Meanwhile, Tres España’s only obvious external threats were neighboring Hexagone Française and England. This was partially because it was located out on the edge of Europe, but…

'''Scarred:''' “Tres España will be hindered by the fact that they got involved in the fight over control of Europe and worked with M.H.R.R.”

'''Uqui:''' “They probably never imagined the power of the great ruler who once controlled so much of Europe would decline so much in the Protestant Reformation. As a result, the territory Tres España held on the north coast of M.H.R.R. declared independence as Holland and now they have to deal with Hexagone Française.”

'''Silver Wolf:''' “Since Tres España is located on the edge of Europe, if Hexagone Française and England turn on them, they will effectively be cut off from their European trade routes, won’t they?”

'''Flat Vassal:''' “After the Armada battle, a new trend rises to prominence: pirates running rampant on the ocean and England’s privateers specifically targeting Tres Españan ships.”

“In that case,” said Mary.

'''Scarred:''' “Because England needs to cooperate with Hexagone Française, I expect they will choose to follow their history recreation.”

Which led to another conclusion.

'''Scarred:''' “I expect Tres España will choose a path outside the history recreation or outside the usual way of following it.”

●

Juana realized the Musashi group had entered a long period of thought like her side had earlier.

…''They are a perceptive bunch.''

This was her first time facing them at a meeting like this. Their previous meetings – both near England and more recently at Kyou – had been battles.

Now she finally had a chance to speak with them, but it reminded her what Velázquez said about fighting them at England.

'''Juana:''' “The Secretary said they can turn anything into their ally.”

'''Flores:''' “But there’s nothing here that can be their ally.”

“Testament,” replied Juana. Then she opened a cadena firma and spoke to all the others.

'''Juana:''' “We need to establish our relationship with Musashi now. We need to keep an appropriate distance between us since we don’t know what our future holds. That should be best for now.”

●

Masazumi considered the issue.

'''Vice President:''' “All of this is so strange.”

'''Unturning:''' “Yes, I am seeing a lot of strange things here…”

What was that “…” supposed to mean? Regardless…

'''Silver Wolf:''' “Masazumi, could you just tell us what’s so strange?”

''Probably a good idea,'' she thought.

'''Vice President:''' “If anything, we’re more on Hexagone Française and England’s side. We’ve met with Hexagone Française on several occasions, not to mention traveling there. For England, we have Mary with us and we basically have an alliance with them. Meanwhile, Tres España is more our enemy than anything. We’ve fought them several times and this is our first meeting with them.”

But…

'''Vice President:''' “Even if this was mostly happenstance, I have to wonder why the Tres Españan Vice President set up this meeting at all. And why she doesn’t want to make it official.”

'''Gold Mar:''' “Oh.”

'''Vice President:''' “ ‘Oh’ what, Naito?”

Naito placed the lid on her chawanmushi bowl before answering.

'''Gold Mar:''' “I can think of one reason for a meeting like this.”

'''Vice President:''' “Yes?”

“Judge,” replied Naito.

'''Gold Mar:''' “What if it’s too keep something hidden and prevent us from looking into it?”

●

…''Huh!?''

Why would you hold a meeting to keep something hidden?

'''Gold Mar:''' “I get the feeling that wasn’t their original intention. But after assessing something about us, I feel like they decided to keep whatever it is hidden.”

'''Vice President:''' “The way they’ve rejected everything we’ve suggested does give that feeling, doesn’t it?”

Could that be it? What if that was the truth behind this meeting? But before Masazumi could pursue that thought further, the Tres Españan Vice President opened her mouth.

“I do not want to start on the main topic of this meeting, so shall we continue?”

…''Why now!?''

'''Art-Ga:''' “Oof. Out of time. If only you weren’t so slow, Masazumi.”

'''Vice President:''' “A-and all of your cannibalism doesn’t count!?”

'''Asama:''' “Um, Masazumi, this isn’t going to alter reality, so shouldn’t you pay attention?”

That was true, but it didn’t mean Masazumi had to like it.

“As I am sure you will not agree, in our current situation, wouldn’t Tres España be better off receiving P.A. Oda’s help to support Musashi’s actions?”

In other words…

“How about we not go to war?”

●

'''Gold Mar:''' “Has she gone crazy? Didn’t Seijun threaten her earlier to show her that isn’t an option?”

''No,'' thought Asama. She wasn’t an expert on diplomacy, but…

'''Asama:''' “I think this is a bluff. But we are short on time too, so we have to play along with the bluff.”

That thought was interrupted by more from the Tres Españan Vice President.

“Of course, this war will be Musashi’s responsibility. …And this is not based on the Kyou rules.”

…''Eh?''

“You aren’t using the Kyou rules?”

“Testament,” she nodded. “Your Vicereine required us to use the Kyou rules earlier, but she has essentially left the meeting. Thus, we are no longer required to follow those rules.”

So…

“You said repeatedly that we should go to war, didn’t you, Musashi Vice President? I am now saying that we will do just that. And if anything happens to us here, you are the ones who requested this first. We are only defending ourselves.”

The instant she said that, a wind blew in. It was strong enough to set the jinmaku flapping.

Asama knew what this wind meant. It contained a salty scent, which could only mean…

'''Tachibana Wife:''' “The Tres Españan fleet is preparing to take off! And they are aiming their cannons horizontally!”

<noinclude>
{{HorizonNavbar
| [[Horizon:Volume 9A Chapter 5|Chapter 5]]
| [[Horizon:Volume 9A Chapter 7|Chapter 7]]
}}
</noinclude>

Talk:Horizon:Volume 8C Chapter 73

2022-11-24T15:35:55Z

Kemm: Created page with "It's interesting (and infuriating) how japanese people see Western cuisine as a whole from a very small sample with some misconceptions, then extrapolate from there; they also..."

It's interesting (and infuriating) how japanese people see Western cuisine as a whole from a very small sample with some misconceptions, then extrapolate from there; they also take their own dishes out of context and compare apples with pranges. While mainly among the poor it was vey common to just mix whatever they had on hand in order to stave off hunger, there are a lot of creative dishes, and even among the commoners it was not unusual in the least for each region to have not only a huge array of local dishes, but also basic broths, stocks and base recipes which were then used as a base for more elaborate dishes in the same way Asama describes the "more varied" japanese cooking. A broth made with chicken bones isn't used in the same way as one made with beef bones, with pork bones or with fish bones, neither are those used in the same way as ones made with meat-on-bone or just meat.--[[User:Kemm|Kemm]] ([[User talk:Kemm|talk]])

Talk:City Series:Volume7a Prologue

2022-10-28T11:14:47Z

Kemm: always forgetting that last ~

Any attempts at tracking the illustrations lead me to fact sheets about the novels or to a couple of them (not figurative; not even sure if both of them are the same just posted on different sites) on sale through overpriced auctions. --[[User:Kemm|Kemm]] ([[User talk:Kemm|talk]])
:From what I've been able to find, it seems that this novel, along with Zenon City Tokyo, was only available through mail order by buying it from TENKY's (Satoyasu's) shop, currently offline (or at least I suppose that that login screen with a football/soccer video as background is not the shop), so trying to find a source for the illustrations doesn't seem quite plausible.--[[User:Kemm|Kemm]] ([[User talk:Kemm|talk]])

Talk:City Series:Volume7a Prologue

2022-10-27T22:14:56Z

Kemm:

Talk:City Series:Volume7a Prologue

2022-10-11T10:53:46Z

Kemm: Created page with "Any attempts at tracking the illustrations lead me to fact sheets about the novels or to a couple of them (not figurative; not even sure if both of them are the same just post..."

HEAVY OBJECT:Volume19 Chapter 1

2021-11-06T00:25:26Z

Kemm: Just desserts=you get what you deserve; just deserts=there's nothing there.

==Chapter 1: The White Witch Takes Flight >> Attack on the Ocean Border of the Northern Restricted Zone==

===Part 1===

''Mariydi Whitewitch.''

''On charges of disobeying orders, unauthorized combat outside of the operation zone, and attacking an unidentified craft not designated an operation objective, you are to be detained by Royal Air Force Inc.''

''You are relieved from all duties until an accident investigator from your Sky Blue Inc. arrives from Los Angeles. At that point, a court martial will be held in accordance with Capitalist Corporation military regulations.''

…''I’m sorry, but that’s all I can tell you.''

“…”

She was a small girl of around 12.

Her long blonde hair was splayed out on the floor while she lay motionless in the fetal position. This 5m cubic space made of a special alloy was her entire world at the moment.

This was the Northern Restricted Zone and it was currently February.

She was indoors, even if the building wasn’t exactly luxurious, but she could see her breaths. In this environment, turning off the heater was more than enough to function as torture. Yet if she tried to complain, the general public would scoff at the idea of a war criminal deserving anything as nice as a heater to warm her cell.

It was surprisingly hard to find sympathy when it came to the true necessities.

“Mariydi. Mariydi Whitewitch.”

Someone in the next cell over knocked on the metal wall, but only weakly. He was starved for entertainment, but solitary confinement had drained him of all his strength. He had a habit of ending up in these cells. He was a known troublemaker within the Royal Air Force PMC. His instincts may have told him either his mind or body would break if he didn’t distract himself from the cold.

“Heh heh heh,” laughed the vulgar man. “So what’d you do this time? I’m sure a picture-book lady knight like you’s got a good story. Especially if it got you a night in the same filthy detention barracks as me.”

“Oh, shut up. I’m in here for the same thing you are: breaking the rules.”

The small girl grumbled back without getting up from the hard floor, but that only drew the man’s attention.

“You think you’re on the great Klarheit Rubyhunter’s level? You wish. I’ll have you know I’m in here for emptying three bottles of vodka before flying a nondescript stealth fighter. And now that I’ve sobered up, I’m in the mood for a fairy tale, so hurry it up.”

Mariydi felt fairly certain this man needed counseling with a doctor, not a date with a cell, but the battlefield was always cruel. Not everyone would get the care they needed.

She gave in and sighed, disgusted that she could see the breath. She sat up and her long blonde hair fell on her shoulders. But she was less interested in talking than she was in getting her cheek off of the cold floor.

“I disobeyed orders and left the Northern Restricted Zone.”

“What led you to do that?”

“I happened to detect a Longshot CM flying at low altitude toward a large safe country city. That’s the type of cruise missile that snakes along in an S-shape to slip past the ground-based radars. If I hadn’t shot it down, Warsaw would’ve been wiped off the map. It had an FAE warhead.”

“Ah ha ha hya ha!!”

Klarheit guffawed in legitimate amusement.

Mariydi had been altered by the same technology used for Pilot Elites, but she hadn’t been involved in any esper research. Still, she could easily picture the man holding his sides and rolling in his cell beyond the thick metal wall.

“I had no idea that kind of fairy tale was going on while I fought the tremor in my fingers in this frigid box! Goddamn, I chose the wrong time to get thrown in here again. If I’d joined you, I could’ve used the nearly 10 Gs to enjoy the best drink I’ve had in a while!!”

“You like drinking while holding the stick and doing the cobra? It takes a certain kind of talent to drink while experiencing gravity as strong as on Venus.”

“The high Gs constrict your blood vessels, so the alcohol hits your body different. Don’t worry, you’ll understand once you’re older. Once you’ve had a drink while dancing with the angels in heaven, you can never go back.”

Humans had the weird ability to pour any amount of effort into their personal hobbies and entertainment. But maybe Mariydi had no right to judge his obsession since she had never had any alcohol to drink. The sharp-eyed girl had been personally obsessed with coffee and chocolate since she first had them. Although that was less an intentional obsession and more just something that happened on its own. She could guess that alcohol was the same thing for some people.

Then she heard a heavy metallic creaking.

That was not the door to any of the cells in here. It came from further away. Most likely, that was the entrance at the very end of the hall.

“The emperor has arrived in his new clothes.”

Klarheit’s mockery proved accurate.

Solid footsteps approached with the precision of a ticking clock. The face Mariydi spied through the door’s slit made it clear this was someone who had never had any difficulties in her life and handled everything with digital financial data. The woman wore a professional tight skirt suit.

This emperor was in fact an empress, which changed the lush’s attitude entirely. He even made a poor attempt at a whistle.

The cold woman either wasn’t interested or was tuning him out entirely because she placed a hand on her hip in front of Mariydi’s cell door.

“You are the criminal, Mariydi Whitewitch, I assume?”

“Until the court martial, I think you’re supposed to say ‘alleged’. I fully expect that court martial to be rigged against me from the start, but still.”

“I am Samantha Beeskiss, an accident investigator from Sky Blue Inc. It is my job to supervise all court martial proceedings, indict any employee behavior that would harm the company’s bottom line or public image, and to defend you in your court martial which is sure to involve a lot of classified information.”

Was that supposed to be comforting? This was one of the problems with the Capitalist Corporations where the companies held judicial and legislative power.

How could Mariydi expect a fair trial when her attorney was also tasked with protecting the company? The woman was openly announcing she worked on the side of plaintiff and defendant at the same time. Even a fair judge could be manipulated any which way if the prosecution and defense were colluding behind the scenes to control how the trial played out. She could do just about anything in her position.

The woman swiped her finger across a tablet she held like a clipboard. Maybe all the legal calculations were made by the machine and her only real job was to wait for the flat tablet to give her the result. If so, that was just plain sad. She would think she was on the path to a successful career without realizing she was just a pawn.

The computer age had arrived for aerial combat as well. No one flew a fighter jet without any assistance. But pilots still had their pride. They had the pride of a falcon telling them only they could take control of that unruly mechanical beast and bend its flight to their will.

“There are a few things I wish to confirm before the court martial.”

“As my defense attorney, or as the prosecutor?”

“On February 3, 19:20 local time, you ignored ground command’s instructions and left the operation area during Operation Freefall, a joint operation with Royal Air Force Inc. And at around 19:30, you attacked and shot down an unidentified craft flying rapidly outside the Northern Restricted Zone, without even confirming its affiliation first.”

“You can find all the records in my flight recorder.”

“Only wreckage was found from the unidentified craft. The investigation on the surface continues, but it is not looking promising. That means you may have shot down a civilian craft.”

“Nonsense. That was a Longshot CM flying at low altitude for Warsaw. Missiles don’t answer your hails last time I checked and if I hadn’t shot it down then, 1.8 million people would have been roasted.”

“With no way to objectively prove that, the current situation is not in your favor.”

How was she supposed to find objective proof while stuck in a cell and unable to contact anyone? But Mariydi wasn’t stupid enough to ask that out loud. The company clearly wanted to get the trial over with and bury the entire incident ASAP.

“Did that missile scare you that bad?” she asked with a snort of laughter.

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“That Longshot CM weaved right past all the ground radars. That means it could also slip past one of your precious Objects. The Sky Blue executives, or maybe someone even higher than that, want to preserve this peaceful age, so they don’t want the fear of missiles making a recurrence. Because…”

“You should fix your habit of speaking based on unfounded speculation and delusions. Unless you’re trying to anger the prosecutor into making a ‘mistake’.”

“The fear of missiles leads right to another fear. The fear humanity supposedly conquered with the adoption of those monstrosities you call Objects. This one was only FAE, but they could always load a more powerful warhead in one. Like – oh, I don’t know – a nuc-”

The metal door gave a scream.

Samantha Beeskiss may have drawn her sidearm and shot the door.

And without batting an eye, she continued speaking.

“Do try not to spread careless rumors. It leaves a poor impression.”

“…”

“You shot down an unidentified craft without permission and without even attempting to identify it. Those are the facts. Any baseless speculation beyond that has no place in a court martial.”

''This world is diseased,'' thought Mariydi.

People claimed they had overcome their fear of nukes, but nothing could be further from the truth. They wouldn’t have spread “nuke resistant” Objects all over the world if nukes really were a relic of an older age.

They were terrified, so they did everything they could to defend themselves.

And they failed to realize their actions were based in fear.

Almost like someone guzzling pain killers every day and then claiming they needed the medicine because their stomach was constantly upset. And when someone pointed out the source of their fear, they would react violently.

Just like people reacted very differently to self-deprecatingly calling themselves stupid and being called stupid by someone else.

“Heh heh. You claim you shot down a Longshot CM that can slip past a radar network? You had better hope the court martial accepts that a fantasy like that exists.”

“It did exist. I know because I shot it down myself.”

“Personally, I would find it more believable if you claimed you had captured a ninja on the battlefield.”

The woman on the other side of the door didn’t seem to care what happened to Mariydi.

The look on her face said she had no intention of protecting a Sky Blue Inc. employee. She was here to protect the company, not Mariydi.

She pulled out a satellite phone with a thick antenna.

“This is Samantha. The interview is complete. Even if it is just a ritual required for the paperwork. God, I hate the Northern Restricted Zone. I can’t wait until I’m back on the company plane where I can take a shower and- eh? What’s that? Hello? You’re breaking up.”

“Hey.”

“The court martial will proceed as scheduled. Yes, a secret trial with a predetermined outcome. Now, if you will- what? Um, hello?”

“Hey!!”

Mariydi shouted through the door’s slit and Samantha clicked her tongue and removed the satellite phone from her ear.

“Yes? Are you under the false impression that I am accepting complaints?”

“It’s not that. …Are you having signal trouble? With one of the PMC’s specialized satellite phones?”

“Yes, what of it?”

“That’s not good.”

Mariydi Whitewitch looked up at the ceiling and groaned.

Climbing under the bed wouldn’t do any good. She thought for a moment and moved to the very corner of the cell, which would structurally be the sturdiest part, and curled up as small as she could manage.

“Like, really not good!! If the interference is coming in intermittent bursts instead of gradually but steady, then this isn’t the aurora. You need to get down too! Hurry!!”

“?”

Samantha Beeskiss looked puzzled and probably never did realize what Mariydi was talking about.

Now, what was it Mariydi had mentioned several times now? The enemy was using cruise missiles that took a curving, low-altitude path that could slip through the gaps in a radar network.

And needless to say, a flying object could interfere with an EM signal.

Even if they had been programmed to avoid the stationary radar network, they had no way of avoiding more irregular communication signals.

===Part 2===

The result was simple enough.

On that day, 104 cruise missiles struck Capitalist Corporations Royal Air Force Inc.’s Jotunheim Air Base.

===Part 3===

The ceiling suddenly dropped to half its height.

The flickering fluorescent lights went out, but was that darkness actually a blessing in disguise? No, the unseen pressure still bore down on Mariydi.

The thick metal door was blasted into the cell and chunks of reinforced concrete bigger than Mariydi flew through the air in lieu of an explosive blast.

(!? I don’t know who’s behind this, but the morons actually did it!!)

That had been a lot of missile blasts. She couldn’t see the situation outside, but the sound told her these weren’t equipped with FAE warheads. If they had been, she would have been dead too. Were those too valuable for the enemy to use them here?

She didn’t hear any sirens.

She hoped that was just her own hearing going out temporarily. She didn’t want to find out the base had been so thoroughly destroyed it couldn’t even sound the alarm.

“Damn.”

She couldn’t just wait in here.

The ceiling fell down further, crushing more than half the surface area of the cell’s floor. The simple bed made of pipes and the porcelain toilet cracked as they were deformed beyond recognition. It was obvious what would happen to a human caught in that.

“Hey.”

Then Mariydi heard a groaning voice.

That meant her ears were functioning, a realization that made the icy girl click her tongue.

The voice came from beyond where the cell’s door had been, but the voice was the unusually cheerful one of the man from before. This was Klarheit Rubyhunter, problem child (…child?) of Royal Air Force Inc.

“Ha ha. We’d better thank the big man upstairs. Those infuriating doors are sitting wide open!!”

“Hold it, you drunk. You haven’t left your cell, have you? Breaking out will get you shot.”

“Sticking around’s not exactly an option.”

Mariydi let out a visible breath and tilted her head.

“The place is on fire.”

She had to look up at the ceiling that was half crushed down by so much pressure.

“And what are we supposed to do about that!? My cell’s exit is sealed up with concrete rubble!”

“A normal soldier’d be screwed, yeah. But not you. Curl that tiny body up like a kitten and climb through the gaps. You can’t afford to wait until the concrete is red hot.”

“What happened to that educated woman!?”

“Couldn’t tell you for most of her, but there is an arm in a Sky Blue arbitrator’s sleeve on the floor over here. Still holding that tablet even.”

The important part was Mariydi wouldn’t be shot the instant she evacuated her cell for her own safety. She took a deep breath to calm herself, got down on all fours, and lowered her head. The exit looked like the toothy maw of a dragon, but there were indeed a lot of gaps between the concrete rubble.

(I hope this is safe. I hate leaving things up to chance. Your calculations are meaningless.)

She stuck her head in a triangular gap and slowly crawled through.

She found a surprise inside.

A thick liquid dripped down on her.

“…”

When she stopped and silently looked up, she found herself eye to eye with someone.

Samantha Beeskiss had been crushed to the point that she was basically part of the concrete rubble now.

“Uh.”

Another attack must have hit the base because the world shook violently around them. Mariydi never did hear what Samantha was trying to say. The jagged concrete pieces slammed together, chewing up the still-living woman.

Claustrophobia pushed in at Mariydi’s heart from all directions.

But backing away wouldn’t solve this. If this hole was sealed, she would be stuck in her cell while the flames and smoke cooked her to death. Her corpse might not rot for three weeks if she was turned into human bacon, but at 12, she wasn’t yet old enough to worry about the condition of her skin.

She clenched her teeth to bear with the rusty smell surrounding her.

She kept crawling to reach the other end of the creaking hole.

Then she heard a dull cracking sound and something else collapsed.

[[Image:HO_v19_BW1.png|thumb]]

The electrical system must have shorted out because several explosive sounds and flashes of light followed.

“Bwah!!”

Once she finally reached the other side and arrived in the hallway, she found a lanky man with a stubbly chin and messy blond hair looking down at her. That would be Klarheit Rubyhunter. He was skinny but did not look remotely healthy, which may have been thanks to his self-admitted alcoholism.

“Ha ha! Stained with the blood of your enemy!? I thought the legendary ace was supposed to look more presentable than that.”

“I’m just glad that well-dressed woman’s gut didn’t burst. I’d have been covered in her shit, puke, and guts then.”

That was the extent of their conversation about Samantha.

Soldiers never lost much sleep over the death of a superior officer they weren’t fond of.

The space in the hallway felt luxurious after her cell. She took a deep breath, filling her lungs with the chilly subzero air.

She grimaced at the smoky smell.

The fire didn’t appear to be all that bad, but she still held a hand to her head and groaned, feeling like she had just been handed a cup full of chlorinated tap water after running a full marathon.

“That was more than just one missile that hit. What are things like out there?”

“We’ll know soon enough.”

The hallway was better than her cell, but it was still badly damaged. First of all, the lights were out. Even the lights for the emergency exit and fire alarm were dead. Thick cracks ran through the concrete walls, fluorescent lights had fallen from the ceiling, and sparks flew where wires came into contact. At this point, it was no surprise the fire alarms and sprinklers weren’t working. Some more fundamental system had been destroyed in Royal Air Force Inc.’s Jotunheim Air Base. The whole building could collapse at any moment, but Mariydi felt a great tension and pressure when she considered checking on things outside.

(I was the only one being punished. If Ice Squadron was following their original schedule without their leader, then they would have joined Sky Blue’s Aurora Wing to help defend the mine. So don’t worry. My idiots are up in the sky. They weren’t caught in this bombing, so they’re all fine.)

“Hey, hey.”

The man called out to her like their surroundings didn’t bother him in the slightest. That seemed inappropriate, but maybe it just meant he had nerves of steel.

“So what do you think’s going on here?”

“What do you mean?”

“I get that the real threat is the cruise missiles making a comeback in the age of Objects. You’re not the lying type and I’m glad you had your point proven so eloquently here. …But here’s my question: was this just an emotional act of revenge? Or was there some coldly calculated objective behind the attack?”

For a moment, she was a little surprised by how calculating this man was. Klarheit Rubyhunter was far sharper than she would have expected of a drunk.

She let out a visible breath before answering.

“Whoever fired that missile realized they can’t use their secret weapon as long as the Capitalist Corporations hold the skies. And someone must have seen me land here at Jotunheim Air Base after I shot down the missile.”

“So the bastards’ plan isn’t over yet?”

“They seem to have plenty of missiles, but they might not have many FAE warheads. So they blew away the air base to clear the way for their next attack. Damn, that means Warsaw is still in danger!”

She belatedly wished she had Samantha Beeskiss’s satellite phone. The tablet had still been in her severed arm, but its screen had cracked, rendering it useless. The woman was trouble alive and no help dead. In an age where phones and tablets outnumbered the population of the earth, Mariydi would have to deliver her report on foot. She would have to cut across a runway larger than a soccer field and deliver the bad news to the control tower. All while praying she wouldn’t be shot on sight.

With that in mind, she took a peak outside through the bent door.

The biting cold of the Scandinavian night reached her soft cheeks.

What she found was even worse than she had feared.

She instinctively ducked back inside after hearing a sound just as loud as the cheers at a hard rock concert. Something was severely wrong at this air base. For one thing, the runways were supposed to be illuminated at all times, similar to baseball field lit up for a night game, so why was it all wrapped in darkness?

After ducking back inside, she clicked her tongue.

“Why are a ground unit’s tanks driving right over the fence!?”

“So this wasn’t just a long-range bombing? We’re looking at a full-on war here?”

Mariydi heard a quiet sound.

Noticing a soldier casually peeking inside, she slammed a hunk of concrete larger than her fist into the man’s face. And this particular hunk had a piece of rebar thicker than her pinky sticking out. She gave the blunt weapon enough force to knock him over and splatter the contents of his skull across the floor.

The stubbly man behind her took a glance at the dead man’s guns.

“A 9mm handgun and an assault rifle with its aiming assistance computer spread out across multiple parallel processing components instead of concentrated in the scope? So we’re dealing with the Legitimacy Kingdom?”

“But he’s picked up some ‘loot’.”

Mariydi grabbed a familiar Capitalist Corporations communicator and mobile device. They were both covered in blood. He had probably intended to bring them back with him, check them for valuable data, and score some points with his Legitimacy Kingdom military.

Mariydi kept an eye on things outside while she unlocked the communicator in the usual way. The LCD screen’s backlight was terrifying in the dark, but she had no choice at the moment.

“CT, CT!! This is Mariydi Whitewitch of Sky Blue Inc. I’m currently at the front of the detention barracks. Are you willing to hear me out now? This attack was meant to clear the way so their cruise missile can reach its target!! And it looks like it’s the Legitimacy Kingdom that wants to bring us back to an older age.”

“Ksh, ksh, manually…changing…radar angle…ksshh!!”

The signal noise was really bad.

Mariydi clicked her tongue. She had seen this before. The noise in Samantha’s signal had preceded the first downpour of missiles.

It wasn’t over yet.

“Another attack is on the way! This is a message from the base commander! Anyone pilots remaining on the ground are to board any craft they can reach on the runways. If you can fly, escape to the sky. I repeat, every last person who can fly needs to escape into the sky!! Ksshh!!!!!”

The transmission ended at the exact time a great tremor ran through the base.

Only afterwards did Mariydi realize one of the tanks’ 120mm guns must have hit the control tower.

(Damn.)

She gnashed her teeth, but then the drunk cried out in surprise while aiming the stolen assault rifle out from a gap in the bent door.

“Whoa!? Why the hell are our own people firing on us!?”

“Because you’re making all that noise firing a Legitimacy Kingdom toy, you dumbass.”

She quickly had him lower the gun.

That had drawn some unnecessary attention on them and the Legitimacy Kingdom tanks and armored trucks were driving around the runways like they owned the place. Without some kind of plan, they would be turned to Swiss cheese or even mincemeat the instant they stepped outside.

Trying to fortify their position behind a thick wall was meaningless against a tank’s gun, so Mariydi Whitewitch crouched down and faced the dead soldier.

“Two smoke grenades, a signal flare, and…is this a smoke bomb? I would love to at least blind that tank…”

“Hold on. Do you have any idea how many runways there are out there? We’re talking about five times the size of a soccer field with no cover the entire way across. You can’t cover all that with smoke.”

He was right. The threat wasn’t over once they left the detention barracks unharmed. They had to survive long enough to board one of the aircrafts on the runways and fly out of here.

The control tower operator had said another attack was on its way, so they didn’t have long until hundreds of cruise missiles rained down on their heads.

However…

“How much ammo does that assault rifle have left?”

“Two magazines. That’s not enough for a surprise attack on an enemy base. That dead guy may have had a supply truck or one of those bovine robots with him.”

“Don’t worry about preserving the battery. With all those sensors, even an amateur can shoot like an expert sniper. The problem is how dark it is with the lights out. Aim carefully and fire. Your target is 600m away at 10 o’clock.”

“But that horrible grinding is coming from a Legitimacy Kingdom MBT!”

Mariydi snatched the rifle from sickly skinny Klarheit and swiftly aimed it.

She had been asking him to shoot that tank.

“Gyah!?”

Needless to say, an ordinary bullet could not defeat a tank. The alcoholic gave a pathetic scream when he heard the gunshot. He may have considered her action similar to throwing a pebble at a giant bear.

But she knew what she was doing.

The tank was soon surrounded by something like white cotton candy. She had shot the smoke bomb launcher attached to the side of the tank gun. That was essentially a giant smoke grenade. The smoke produced by those had chemicals and a metal powder mixed in to block sensors and radar in addition to ordinary vision.

The smoke bombs were meant as a lifeline to protect the tank from its natural predator, the attack helicopter, but covering the tank itself with the smoke would impede its own functioning. Using a smoke defense near infantry was a good way to run over your own people by accident. That was a lesson people often learned the hard way in the Northern Restricted Zone.

Mariydi couldn’t cover the entire base with smoke, but she could pinpoint target the tank that was the biggest threat.

“Let’s go.”

She used her other hand to toss the 9mm handgun to Klarheit, grabbed a plastic bottle from the ground, and duct-taped it onto the assault rifle’s muzzle. She doubted that would actually function as a suppressor, but if she didn’t alter the shape of the muzzle flash and sound of the gunshot, she could get shot by the other Capitalist Corporations soldiers.

With that done, she stepped outside.

Into the night.

The ground came in two varieties: ice-cold asphalt and soft Scandinavian soil where little grew.

The air base was quite large. And to efficiently operate the aircraft, it was made flat with all unnecessary obstacles removed, leaving almost nothing to use as cover. It was a very bad place for a firefight.

As Mariydi herself had pointed out, the outdoor lights were dead.

Even the backup power had been dug up. That succinctly told her just how badly damaged the air base had to be.

Before another tank could turn its gun their way in the darkness, Mariydi accurately fired the assault rifle into the smoke bomb launcher on its side. She could feel the squeezing of her heart when the muzzle flash shined as bright as a reporter’s camera.

A Legitimacy Kingdom soldier aimed her way while she was focused on the tank, but the alcoholic man blew that soldier’s brains out with his handgun.

The two of them swapped places and rapidly repeated the process.

If they ever fell even a second behind the enemy, they would lose their lives on this hellish battlefield. Again, there was no cover out here. The darkness was no help when the enemy had cutting edge sensors and all the muzzle flashes would reveal their silhouettes anyway.

And those lights were not like the large illuminated signs decorating a safe country city.

Each and every flash was paired with a bullet launched toward a living human.

Surviving here was like being asked to block a real bullet with a phony magic trick. As soon as the enemy saw through the trick, they would be riddled with bullets.

Unable to aim properly with its own smoke in the way, the tank fired its 120mm gun in the wrong direction. It ended up blowing away one of the Legitimacy Kingdom soldiers instead of Mariydi and Klarheit. Mariydi resisted the reflex to get down on the ground and jerked her chin over to indicate something.

“Look…that’s a Zig-27. Hey, what’s your job anyway? You said you like to fly with a liquor bottle in hand, but you aren’t gonna tell me you’re just a gunner who never holds the stick, are you?”

The drunk suddenly veered away from her.

Her eyes widened.

“Hey!”

“There’s a bomber not far from here. If I get that sleepy-head’s engine up and running, we can rescue some of the non-pilots too. The cockpit only holds two, but it can hold over 100 times as many if we clear out the bomb bay. They’ll probably want to duct-tape themselves to the floor or wall and keep an oxygen tube in their mouth, though.”

Mariydi didn’t have time to stop him. By the time he was done talking, he was already off toward the slow and heavy bomber. The Rev-51 all-altitude, all-speed adjustable wing bomber had its long main wings flowing back from its fuselage, giving it the sharp silhouette of an arrowhead.

Mariydi watched him leaving in the darkness and sighed.

“I thought he was just some asshole, but he’s got a surprisingly good heart,” she whispered too quiet for him to hear.

Just then, the drinker was engulfed by an explosion and dust cloud caused by a tank gun.

Mariydi groaned, held her fingers to her temples, and then climbed up to the fighter’s cockpit. Without a ladder, climbing the unique streamlined nose was a lot like some quick bouldering. The secretly tearful girl bit her lip and kept her silence.

(This is always what happens when someone tries to be kind. War can be so cruel!!)

She did not have time to move the flaps and rudder for the preflight test. She skipped all that and simply ignited the engine, pushing the Zig-27 forward. Once it began accelerating, it was even faster than a red luxury car.

“Tch. Another headset-style oxygen tube. These things must work a little too well because I’m seeing them everywhere.”

The engine’s flames were a frightening thing in the darkness.

A tank gun broke through the wall of smoke to aim her way.

She launched all her emergency evasion flares while still on the ground. More and more of the round balls of light were expelled behind the fighter, bouncing along the runway. The bright lights and extra heat sources confused the tank gun, so it fired in the wrong direction.

She had nearly reached takeoff speed.

That was when a Legitimacy Kingdom infantryman launched a personal rocket launcher.

It was a simple anti-tank weapon, so it was not guided. It was likely meant to destroy the runway ahead of her rather than hit the fighter itself. Just like you could stop a train by removing the track.

The asphalt was torn up and more than half of the runway’s usable length was taken from her.

She gulped and checked the airspeed gauge. She had not reached 200km/h yet. That was not enough for a stable takeoff with this large air superiority fighter, but she had no choice but to pull up on the stick.

The wheels lifted from the runway, grazing the jagged asphalt at the last second, and then the Zig-27 broke free of gravity. The accumulated lift quickly raised a hunk of metal heavier than a large truck. It might sound surprising, but fighter craft were very vulnerable when taking off. For the pilots who shared their craft’s fate, that moment felt as unstable and flimsy as a kite tossed about in the wind.

Nevertheless, she had managed to take off without dying.

She now had the advantage. The tanks and armored trucks may have been unstoppable on the ground, but now she could attack their fragile roofs from the sky. Now was her chance to strike back.

“Ksh. This is Lieutenant Colonel John Foxtrot in Capitalist Corporations Royal Air Force Inc.’s Ground Command Vehicle. With the CT destroyed, we have to skip the formalities, but I can see your signal on the screen. I’m glad at least one of you got out.”

“Ice Girl 1 to ground personnel. Raise your anti-friendly-fire cards and hold on just a bit longer. I’ll gift these bastards everything I’ve got hanging from my wings!!”

“That’s air-to-air equipment, so don’t worry about us. You’re from Sky Blue, so you have no obligation to stick with us. Ice Girl 1, do whatever it takes to survive. And I don’t mean in the current shoot-or-be-shot situation. Find a more fundamental way to get back at them. Ksh!! Protect the safe country. Save Warsaw. Ksh, so do whatever you need to do. I grant you authorization for it all. This is the final command Royal Air Force’s Jotunheim Air Base has for you in our joint operation. I’m glad we had this chance to work together.”

“Shut up and stop glorifying your deaths!!!!!! Money is everything in the Capitalist Corporations, so there’s no place for self-sacrifice here. Besides, this disaster is the direct result of me landing here, so I’ll clean up my own mess. Listen, I’m going to save all of you no matter what you say and even if you try to pull rank on me!! So-”

But she didn’t have time to turn around in a big circle and support the air base.

The night sky split open.

And not just in one place. More and more long, skinny contrails were drawn out from the same direction as a shower of cruise missiles poured down on the surface. Mariydi recklessly charged straight into the swarm of missiles, but shooting down just one of them wouldn’t change anything. The entire air base was filled with deadly explosions with the exception of the predetermined evacuation spots known only to the Legitimacy Kingdom soldiers.

After that bitter intersection, the dark world was dyed white below her.

Half the control tower had already been torn down, but now the sturdy fortress at the bottom was also obliterated. She hadn’t seen where the command vehicle was located.

These weren’t even FAE. The snooty Legitimacy Kingdom nobles must not have considered the air base worth using their prized weapon on.

But a home to so many soldiers was destroyed all the same.

Jotunheim Air Base was annihilated.

There was no point in providing air support now. And Mariydi herself could not relax either. She released chaff and made a turn to avoid anti-air missiles launched by the enemy troops who now occupied the pile of rubble below.

“Kh.”

She clenched her teeth, but she could not let herself die here.

She did not fear the attacks from the surface, but she no longer had anywhere to land. She was hundreds of kilometers from the closest PMC air base. She didn’t know if her fuel would last that long and she didn’t know what areas were enemy territory or where their anti-air network was located. While she did some swift calculations in her mind, she noticed a dot on her radar.

That wasn’t a missile. It was too big and slow.

Times like this were so irritating when she was tightly strapped in. She turned her head to look back and satisfy her curiosity.

“Hey! You there!?”

She received a transmission in violation of military regulations. It was the same voice she had first heard in her cell.

She clicked her tongue.

“Ice Girl 1 to unidentified craft. How in the world are you alive!?”

“That was a tank gun, remember? An armor-piercing round that fires on a single point. These things happen all the time in the Northern Restriction Zone. If it isn’t a specialized high-explosive round, it’s surprisingly easy to survive even within the lethal range of the blast. And with you gathering all the attention, taking off was a breeze.”

Mariydi heard the roar of an engine very different from a fighter craft.

It came up alongside her.

She now shared the sky with a bomber that weighed more than seven times what her Zig-27 did. Needless to say, this meant Klarheit Rubyhunter had managed to get that 215ton Rev-51 into the air during that frenzied battle. He made it sound like nothing, but his luck may have been greater than Mariydi’s own.

“How many people did you collect?”

“85.”

That may have ben a drop in the bucket for an air base of more than 2000 when including everyone from the pilots to the perimeter guards. Big picture, this had been a devastating defeat.

But Mariydi Whitewitch smiled a little with her hands on the stick.

They had managed to save some lives in this battle.

She could just imagine those monsters howling with rage.

“Ice Girl 1 to unidentified craft. …I won’t let those 85 die no matter what.”

“Call me Oversize. Even if I just made it up.”

“Really? Trying to brag about having a big dick now of all times?”

“Get your mind out of the gutter, you dirty girl. I’m talking about the size of the bomber. Anyway, my massive antenna just intercepted a secret transmission. Its encrypted and I can’t tell you what it says, but I can tell you where it was transmitted from. That’s gotta be the Legitimacy Kingdom HQ where they’re sitting back and enjoying the fireworks show they ordered. Ooh, I just found some whisky hidden next to the seat. Ha ha! Guess I’m not the only one who likes stealing a drink above the clouds. Yet I’m the only one who gets in trouble for it. How’s that for unfair, eh!?”

“Hold on, what did you just say?”

“Hweh? I’ve got 13 years’ experience as a dancing drunkard, so I’ll be fine.”

“Not about the booze!! Oversize, are you thinking of fighting while dragging that huge ass around with you!? You need to get to safety! Or are you going to get those 85 people killed!?”

“Don’t give me that, girly. Did you forget our final orders from the CT? They knew that was their final moments on this earth. They said they’d changed the radar angle, so those officers would’ve seen the all those missiles approaching the base. They could run a countdown until their death, accurate to the second. But those respectable dumbasses choked down any final message they might’ve had for their families or lovers and suppressed their shaking long enough to tell us pilots we were free to fight. Don’t tell me their determination didn’t reach the heart in that little chest of yours.”

“…”

“C’mon, don’t go soft on us now, Ice Girl 1. Even a drunk like me knows you’re sharper than the rest of us. So use us. Remember, this ain’t a transport plane or a spy plane – it’s a bomber. And you might think of the 85 people in here like precious baby birds you need to handle with care, but every last one of them is begging to be given some way to fight. They’re willing to rush in front of the bullets as a human shield if it’ll get back at the bastards who did this to our base. You weren’t the only one who heard that final order, you know? And a Capitalist Corporations PMC doesn’t need to see the money come in on their bank account before they act. Don’t deny these adults their pride with your childish reluctance.”

Those were the grounded members of the air force.

The personnel the drunk had collected were the businessmen in nice clean jackets and the experts who processed data at a computer on the ground.

For meals they would eat lamb sauté or fish à la meunière in a nice dining hall (because they could push for living condition improvements in a way the Legitimacy Kingdom and Faith Organization could not), so they never had to eat simple rations out of a packet. They were officially known as soldiers, but most of them ended up retiring without ever holding a gun outside of training.

(But I guess a soldier is still a soldier.)

They still had their fangs.

They weren’t going to back down after seeing their base obliterated by such a merciless surprise attack.

They knew they were essentially throwing away their lives immediately after having them saved, but they felt they had to do something for their colleagues who had not made it on board a plane.

Mariydi rubbed her thumb along the protective cover at the top of her control column.

“What is that bomber loaded with?”

“250kg of smart bombs and a full set of ASMs. Oh, and listen to this. In a happy bit of irony, I’ve got a nice big FAE bomb in here. The scary part is how all this is after unloading half its capacity. Hic, and for anti-air defenses, I’ve also got the machinegun and some shortrange AAMs. Ugh, I could really go for a snack right about now.”

“I see.”

The idiot appeared to be drinking already, but Mariydi smiled.

There was nothing to hold them down as they flew through the clear night sky with the round moon shining on everything.

She too wanted to do whatever she could to strike back.

“Understood, Oversize. I’ll clear the path you need to drop everything you’re carrying.”

This attack was only the beginning.

With the air base gone, the primary cruise missile would be flying straight for Warsaw.

They needed to strike back before that happened.

Protect the safe country. Save Warsaw.

Do whatever you need to do. I grant you authorization for it all.

Her final order from Jotunheim Air Base was still in place.

===Part 4===

The Rev-51 bomber was much larger than Mariydi’s Zig-27 fighter, so it came equipped with a high-spec radar and computer. Based on its analysis of the encrypted transmissions, the Legitimacy Kingdom cruise missile launchers were divided between three locations. The launcher vehicles were spread out in a fan shape with the HQ sending them orders located at the center.

“Oversize to Ice Girl 1. Which one should we destroy?”

“All of them.”

(I really want some hard rock to listen to. I miss my music. Damn, am I not so different from that drunk after all?)

The enemy was aware of their presence too.

When many more dots suddenly appeared on Mariydi’s radar, it wasn’t because some stealth fighters had blasted their engines to rapidly accelerate.

(Did they reuse the launchers to launch the fighters themselves straight up from the ground?)

She was honestly impressed while she sucked some oxygen in through the tube at her mouth. The use of mobile launchers meant the Legitimacy Kingdom waned to hide their location as much as possible, so they couldn’t’ have an anti-air unit flying around overhead where various types of radar could detect them. But this system gave no thought to the high Gs it would subject the pilots to. Were the pilots considered disposable?

“Damn the Legitimacy Kingdom,” said Klarheit. “Did they lure in some drugged-up delinquent soldiers with some kind of extralegal reward? Ha ha! Are their supply crates labeled morphine? Or is it some cocktail designed to boost their fighting spirit?”

“That’s hardly funny coming from a guy who reaches for a liquor bottle while flying at Mach 1.4.”

The scrambled fighters had created a total of 8 dots rushing toward Mariydi and Klarheit on the radar.

This was the Northern Restricted Zone, so they couldn’t expect anything as polite as a transmitted warning and a warning shot demanding they leave this airspace immediately. As soon as the enemy had a lock, the missiles would be flying. Once they were visible, the hornets would be fighting to the death with their sharp stingers.

“Ice Girl 1, engaging.”

“Oversize, ditto.”

Mariydi opened up the throttle and flew out ahead of the bomber. Klarheit intentionally reduced his speed to keep his distance.

Both sides now perceived this chunk of the night sky at 7000m up as a hotly contested battlefield.

Again, there were eight enemies here.

They approached head on while sticking in formation.

Aerial battles were all about technology, but superior numbers still gave an undeniable advantage. And Mariydi was restricted by her need to protect the bomber as she fought. In dogfights, you were swiftly shot down if you became trapped and unable to move.

If she fought normally, she wouldn’t have a chance.

But she had been trained in the Northern Restricted Zone, so she would never fight normally.

“Attack gun.”

With that casual announcement, she fired her machinegun instead of an AAM.

The close-range bullets had almost no chance of hitting a target outside of missile range.

But it could still restrict her opponent’s movements

A line of tracer rounds passed just barely off the left side of the 8-craft formation. She didn’t have to hit. She just had to scare them into not turning that direction.

The distance between them rapidly shrank as they flew head on.

The first to get a radar lock was Mariydi.

“Attack Bravo.”

(Well, they can only launch their smallest fighters with those launchers, so their radars and such are so much weaker than this large air superiority fighter.)

“Attack Charlie.”

She did not hesitate to press the button on her control column.

An AAM was released from below her main wing and it rocketed through the night sky. Attack accuracy was reduced when flying head on like this, but Mariydi had set something up in advance.

The machinegun fire had restricted the enemy’s evasive action.

And the close formation prevented them from making any sharp turns toward the others in the formation. Unless they wanted to collide with them, of course.

The line of machinegun fire and their allies trapped one of the enemy fighters in place, so its dot on the radar soon blinked out.

“And Attack Delta. Strike.”

But it wasn’t over yet.

She was fortunate to have gotten an attack in before they spread out. The mangled wreckage of the destroyed fighter struck the other fighters flying only a few meters away. The single missile ended up causing a second and third Legitimacy Kingdom fighter to explode.

“Whew!! That might be a new record in cost performance,” noted Klarheit.

“Pay attention. I’m flying straight in, so now they’re going to attack me.”

It was like watching a deadly flower blossoming.

Five fighters had emerged from the wreckage intact and the radar showed them breaking from their formation and flying in large arcs to surround her.

She didn’t even need the radar at this point.

They were probably really after the Rev-51 bomber, but the small Legitimacy Kingdom fighters were soaring through the air close enough for Mariydi to see them with the naked eye. They were the delta wing style the Legitimacy Kingdom loved so much.

(Hm? Those are a lot smaller than the S/G-31s they normally use. Are these the S Cu-25 interceptors that are built small enough to take off from the highways and have their specs reduced to keep the costs down?)

But Mariydi could not afford to satisfy her curiosity. She took a sharp turn and took up position behind one of the five.

“Oversize, they’re headed your way too!!”

“What, giving me all the glory? Hic.”

The Legitimacy Kingdom’s small S Cu-25s had expected the bomber to be big and slow, so they frantically twisted out of the way. A line of light pursued the fleeing fighters like fireworks. Those were the tracer rounds of the air defense autocannon installed on the Rev-51’s belly.

Each bullet was the size of a hammerhead and more than 3000 were fired every minute. The attack was like a rotating waterfall of light, but it wasn’t enough to bring down a maneuverable fighter.

One of the small delta wing fighters must not have wanted to take damage from an aircraft it considered inferior because it carefully stuck to the bomber’s tail.

That was the most dangerous position to have the enemy in a dogfight.

But Klarheit Rubyhunter seemed to be smiling.

“Whoopsie-daisy.”

With that silly exclamation, he spread the movable wings as far as they would go and pulled the nose nearly vertical. That special maneuver was known as the cobra, something you would have to be crazy to do in a bomber. A fierce mass of air flowed back from the bomber’s main wings, shaking the enemy S Cu-25 with an invisible blow. The fighter temporarily lost its lift and stalled.

Its nose pointed down and it fell in a tailspin.

Delta wings had a variety of advantages, but one disadvantage was how unstable they were when they slowed down to match the bomber. An aircraft that could take sharp turns was also an aircraft that – for better or for worse – easily lost its balance.

“I’ve got a lot more wing to move the air than your tiny-ass fighters, so get behind me and you might just get a taste of an artificial blast of wind. Have fun in the localized turbulence.”

And he was not done yet.

One of the same skinny AAMs Mariydi used was launched from the giant bomber’s belly. Modern transport planes and bombers were equipped with counter weapons like that, but they had almost zero chance of actually shooting down a fighter gunning for them.

But things changed when the fighter had stalled and started falling in a tailspin.

Unable to take evasive action, the Legitimacy Kingdom delta wing fighter exploded.

“Attack Delta. Strike…is that the right jargon? Ha ha. I just shot down a fighter with a bomber! I think I’m setting some records up here too.”

“Celebrate once it’s all over!! Oversize, 7 o’clock and 11 o’clock!!”

“Then it’s time for some of that smart combat that’s all the rage these days. Ice Girl 1, lend me your eyes and ears.”

Mariydi clicked her tongue before silencing an enemy fighter with a missile and then pulling hard on the stick.

The Rev-51 bomber’s machinegun and missiles were far from perfect. Its oversized fuselage got in the way, creating blind spots. And with its great weight and slow turning, it couldn’t tail an enemy the way a fighter could.

One of the S Cu-25s seemed very pleased with itself after hiding in the blind spot below the bomber’s giant left wing, but Mariydi’s Zig-27 passed below the bomber and sent some radar waves its way.

“Attack Alpha, Attack Bravo, lock on.”

“Got it, Ice Girl 1. Link complete. Ditto on that Attack Bravo.”

An AAM launched from the bomber with impossible timing and at an impossible angle. The delta wing fighter that thought it was hiding in a blind spot was accurately caught and blown to smithereens.

Mariydi’s fighter had shared its radar lock data with the bomber and the bomber had used that to launch the missile.

“Attack Delta. Strike,” said Mariydi and Klarheit in unison.

The feature had been controversial with the pilots, but modern technology allowed aircraft to make locks based on ground radar data and even for their missiles on their wings to be launched remotely by a command from an aircraft carrier. The pilot didn’t even have to press the launch button.

“Oversize to Ice Girl 1. Have you noticed their weird habit of getting way too close and trying to shoot AAMs? I never could’ve shaken that one with the blast of air otherwise.”

“What about it?”

“Look above us. They’re afraid of the aurora and the magnetic storm. But their cruise missiles worked perfectly over such a long distance, so we know those don’t affect their equipment all that much. If they’re acting weird because the weather ‘might’ do something, I’m guessing these are outsiders.”

Of the initial 8 fighters, Mariydi had shot down three in the initial head-on engagement, one had been shot down by the bomber’s blast of air and AAM, one had been shot down by Mariydi, and one had been shot down by their joint effort.

Only two S Cu-25s remained.

Mariydi Whitewitch’s thumb toyed with the control tower.

“Ice Girl 1 to Oversize. I’ll take care of the rest. You prepare for your bombing run.”

“Hang on, are you sure? It’ll be 1-against-2 for you. I’d really rather not see our cool blonde lady take a pounding from both ends by two burly macho men.”

Instead of dignifying that with a response, she shot down one of the enemy fighters with machine gun fire as she flew past.

That left just one, so it was 1-against-1.

“Attack Gun. Strike. …I shouldn’t have to rely on a bomber’s acrobatic flying in the first place. Just let me do my job.”

“Roger that, Ice Girl 1. Ugh, I should probably take another drink for good luck. No, let’s make it two.”

Had this guy mastered the Asian art of the drunken fist to the point that he had incorporated it into aerial combat? Even an ace pilot like Mariydi was astonished by his skill (not that she was ever going to tell him that), so the fact that he did it all while drinking was even more unbelievable.

The Legitimacy Kingdom had to have noticed their attack target by now. But in a one-on-one battle, the last remaining fighter was forced into a duel with Mariydi and could not pursue the bomber.

Meanwhile, the Rev-51 remained steady and began its attack procedure.

“Weapons selection: smart bombs. No issue with wind direction or anything else. Speed and angle within acceptable bounds. Okay, I’m starting. On your mark, standby.”

They shared their targeting data with each other.

The metal and heat sensors revealed the vehicles and soldiers on the otherwise dark ground.

(That’s a lot. They have an entire small camp set up in the forest.)

Well, they had launched more than 100 cruise missiles in a single attack. Those missiles weighed 1.2 tons and were large enough to carry explosives skimming just off the ground. Even with three launch sites, they needed the container-style launchers, spare munitions, cranes and tractors for reloading, an encrypted communication unit, power and fuel supply, a simple barracks and mess hall, and guards. All in all, it may have worked out to a small village.

Mariydi’s monitor displayed the bomber’s ground attack markers. The predicted hit point and the blast range were shown as a red ellipse and urchin-like spikes. Everything along the bomber’s path was covered by the estimated range of the flames, blast, and shrapnel. The line of predicted destruction soon filled her small screen. All of the shapes highlighted in white were covered.

“Three, two, one, shoot. …No effective countermeasures. GPS guidance is functioning. All bombs following predicted line.”

The actual ground was engulfed in flames just like the monitor had predicted.

The chilly night air of the Scandinavian February was scorched.

Mariydi was 7000m up, so she could not hear the screams of terror and rage from the bastards who had mercilessly targeted a safe country full of noncombatants and launched a surprise attack on the air base standing in their way. But she was satisfied seeing the night’s shadows swept away, the forest’s conifers torn from the ground, and the giant launcher trucks blasted into the air while they broke apart.

“Whew!! Strike check. All bombs detonated successfully! Nice, this is what I call an eco-friendly war!!”

Even in a cutting-edge dogfight where everything was highly digitized, a rattled pilot was still a deadly liability. Mariydi saw the enemy fighter stiffen for a moment when the ground troops were eliminated, so she tore through its engine and delta wing with her machine gun.

“Attack gun. Strike. That’s the last of them. Revenge is so hollow.”

“Hee hee. You sure know how to play the cool ace. I can practically see the smug grin on your face.”

“You didn’t use up all your bombs on this, I hope? We still have plenty of targets left. Woof, woof.”

“You’re having the time of your life out here, aren’t you?”

===Part 5===

Even if they seemed to have the upper hand, this was a risky tightrope walk. The fact that the bomber was being drawn into dogfights was devastating for an escort mission. But when they were attacked from multiple directions, Mariydi alone had no way of protecting the bomber. Klarheit just had to make up for it with his skill.

(I really wish we could find some more fighters somewhere.)

“Hm, they were flying somewhere near here, weren’t they?”

“Huh?”

“Ice Girl 1 to Oversize. Let’s move on to the next target: the second of the three CM launch sites. And I have one request for you.”

“Oh, that’s unusual. Not just gonna boss me around this time?”

“Your bomber is loaded with flares and chaff for defense, right? Let one of them launch a missile your way on my signal. That will change everything for us.”

“Hey, you aren’t drinking too, are you? I’m the key to this whole operation! I mean, getting me shot down ''would'' change everything for us, but not for the better!!”

“That’s why you’re supposed to dodge the missile, you stupid drunk. Listen, do as I say or you’ll regret it later. This is the ant and the grasshopper.”

The Legitimacy Kingdom forces would already know one of their launch sites had been bombed to oblivion. Mariydi’s radar screen already showed some new dots. The ground launchers had sent up several fighters while reducing the pilots’ lifespans by popping all the capillaries across their bodies.

She detected 6 for now.

Stealth fighters tended to be about evenly matched since everyone designed them similarly, so in the Northern Restricted Zone, people tended to prefer ECM-equipped crafts these days. But an ECM scattering IR and jamming signals also made it hard to get an accurate reading on the numbers and location of the enemy.

Every technology had its pros and cons.

There was little benefit to jamming when too far away for the enemy to get a lock.

Fighters were also being launched from the launch site Mariydi and Klarheit weren’t currently targeting. The greater distance created a time delay, but if those joined the others, the Legitimacy Kingdom would have more than 15 fighters.

The Zig-27 was larger and higher quality, so it had the advantage in pure specs. But it would be overwhelmed and devoured by the smaller and cheaper S Cu-25s when there were this many of them.

“Here they come, here they come, here they come,” said Klarheit.

“Not yet. Lure them in further. Fly due south from coordinate 147-552 to coordinate 153-552. Your instruments are good, so don’t lose your sense of direction in the clouds.”

“They’re choosing to attack a lot sooner than before! That shows they’re more cautious now! I can’t show them any kind of opening this time. Fear is the worst trigger for war there is!!”

“I understand all that, Oversize. But this is the threshold.”

“Huh?”

“Too much fear works against you. It’s like opening an access point for people to manipulate you.”

Mariydi tilted her control column to twist her fighter around and make a large turn to the left.

She intentionally moved from the bomber to set things up for the enemy to attack.

“Hey, they’re really sending their radar my way? I’ve got an alert! They’re locked on!!”

“That’s what we wanted. C’mon, get your countermeasures ready.”

This was such a tense moment that Mariydi forget to even breath oxygen through the headset-like tube.

If the enemy didn’t do what she wanted, they would be caught in the straightforward battle the enemy wanted. There was nothing they could do in a pure 2-against-15 battle. Especially when one of theirs was a bomber.

“Don’t lose your nerve. Get the one at 3 o’clock to launch a missile. If you dodge that, a new path will open up for us.”

“That’s a lot easier said than done, you selfish princess. Here it comes – Defense Bravo!! The missile’s on its way!!”

Lots of round dots of light were scattered like something from a fireworks show.

The Rev-51 bomber had launched its defense flares.

However, that was not a perfect defense. If it didn’t work, the AAM would mercilessly tear open the bomber’s belly.

The semiconductor-controlled explosive drew out a sharp line of white smoke while shooting by directly above the bomber. If not for the flares, its proximity fuse would have activated, blowing away the bomber with the blast.

“That was way too close!!!!!!”

“But it didn’t hit. Provide precise reports, Oversize. Cancel successful. Active.”

“Don’t act like this is easy!! And what does dodging this one missile change!? I’m about to piss myself already!”

“Take it up with your guts and your drinking habit. And if you want to know what this changes, just keep watching.”

Now that he had dodged the missile launched at exactly the timing and angle she had wanted, the battle was theirs.

Overcoming that one life-or-death gamble gave them the cards they needed to safely break through 100 crises.

“I’ve noticed that the Legitimacy Kingdom AAMs don’t seem equipped with a self-destruct device. When they miss, they keep flying until they run out of fuel and fall to the ground, which is pretty dangerous really.”

She doubted they lacked the technology, so it was probably a meant to reduce the weight or cost. Fortunately, it created an opening for her.

Simply put…

“We’re at the very edge of their airspace. And if a dodged missile crosses the invisible line on the map, the people in the adjacent area will conclude they’re under attack. Even if it was just those morons in the Legitimacy Kingdom being too cheap for basic etiquette,” explained Mariydi with a mischievous grin. “You see, my Ice Squadron was sent to fly with a different wing since I was a suspect, but if I give those idiots a justification, I can drag them into our fight. And that gives us some more escort fighters.”

New radar waves were released onto the battlefield and several AAMs flew in from the side, obliterating the Legitimacy Kingdom’s S Cu-25s.

Mariydi’s plan had succeeded, but the response had been too quick.

She could guess her squadron had been waiting on the very edge of their airspace, champing at the bit for her to open the door and let them in.

Soldiers could not act just because they wanted to.

Just like everyone at Jotunheim Air Base had risked their lives to give Mariydi the freedom to fly, there was a necessary etiquette for seeking assistance. But now that she had acquired the key, there was no way they could lose.

“Ice Sword 2. Attack Delta. I repeat, Attack Delta. Strike!!”

“Ice Horse 3 to Ice Girl 1. I take it you’re inviting us to join your late-night orgy?”

“Sky Blue Inc.’s Ice Burn 4 here. Aurora Wing’s commander is the boring sort of guy who’s always flipping through the textbooks to check over everything. I doubt the old guy’s even grown any hair down there.”

Their mouths were as foul as ever.

And Mariydi had learned not to get after them for it because they would falsely claim they learned it from her.

A puzzled voice arrived from the bomber.

“Wait, ‘burn’ doesn’t seem to fit the Ice theme very well.”

“Ice Girl 1 to Oversize. We couldn’t come up with anything better. I suggested calling him Ice Pail 4, but he begged me not to.” Mariydi smiled a little. “I’ve removed your collars. It’s a simple job: use the bomber’s smart bombs and ASMs to pay them back for what they did. Care to join us?”

“Ice Sword 2. Wow, inviting us in just in time for the fun part?”

Including Mariydi, they now had four escort fighters, which gave them a lot more options. After all, these were four large and high-quality Zig-27s. Ice Squadron’s fighters could all shoot down the enemy fighters with their AAMs, but so could the slower Oversize with the datalink sharing the interception system and lock data with the fighters.

The maneuverable fighters would get a lock and the bomber would use the superior firepower provided by its greater weight capacity.

The enemy formation was rattled by the unexpected counterattack, so now Mariydi’s team was on the offensive.

The first formation of 6 had been destroyed by the time Ice Squadron had gathered together. Once the second formation of 9 from the further launch site was wiped out, the launch sites were defenseless.

The bomber passed by above the fleeing enemy ground unit and explosive flowers blossomed in its wake. Each one was a mass of scorching heat and shockwaves measuring more than 100m across, so these were the kind of flowers that would blossom in hell itself. Afterwards, they only had to repeat the process.

“Strike check. Oversize to fighters. All bombs detonated successfully. That’s the third launch site gone!!”

“Ice Girl 1 to Oversize. This isn’t over yet.”

They had only been taking out the outer edges of the fan shape.

The HQ that had sent out the coldhearted launch command remained at the center.

They weren’t going to show mercy just because they had torn off the HQ’s arms and legs. The Legitimacy Kingdom troops had mercilessly crushed Royal Air Force Inc’s. Jotunheim Air Base even after knowing they couldn’t resist. So Mariydi’s team had to thoroughly crush them to pay them back in kind.

“Oversize to fighters. Hey, I spotted something interesting on the ground observation cameras used for the strike check. I’ll share it on your monitors.”

“Hold on, don’t share some gross image. I don’t want to see dismembered corpses splattered across the ground by your smart bombs.”

“It’s not that. Check out this severed arm.”

How was that not a dismembered corpse?

This image had come from the high speed camera attached to the bomber’s belly. In a newly-cleared portion of the conifer forest, human silhouettes had been caught in the flames after the bombing ignited some gas and ammunition. But Klarheit had drawn a circle around something there.

The uniformed right arm lay there minus the man it belonged to.

But what mattered was the unit insignia.

“Do you know what this means?”

The insignia depicted a large pair of scissors cutting a thick chain. Mariydi groaned unusually loudly when she saw it.

“Goddammit, the Chain Cutters? Everyone, be on your guard!”

“Hic, friends of yours?”

“They’re infamous. They handle the Legitimacy Kingdom’s dirty work and they made their worldwide debut to rave reviews after learning all the tricks of the trade in the Northern Restricted Zone. They’re from the army, but they have no trouble targeting land, air, or sea. Their job is to ‘cut’ supply lines. They don’t care if their target is made up of armed soldiers or not. If someone’s carrying supplies that will work against their side, they’ll ‘cut’ that chain even if it’s a volunteer group or a medical team. Some of our own Capitalist Corporations soldiers and civilians have fallen victim to them. The ancient Egyptian pyramids can’t accept any tourists for the next 30 years thanks to all the landmines the Chain Cutters scattered out there. They did what they came to do, withdrew, and left an estimated 40 thousand live explosives still buried in the sand. Really, it’s probably more than that.”

“Are their army origins why they hired an outside air defense team that’s afraid of the aurora?”

“Ice Sword 2 to Ice Girl 1. So you’re saying these are some bastards well worth killing?”

“Yes. And I said they can handle land, air, or sea, right? This isn’t over. If they brought along the toys they use to cut air supply lines, we’ll be seeing more than just those rentals. Something else is coming.”

That was concerning, but they couldn’t turn back just because of a “maybe”. This wasn’t a pleasure flight where they could leave after giving the enemy a black eye to send a political message. This was a real battle that wouldn’t end until one side or the other was reduced to burning wreckage.

When two sides encountered each other on the battlefield, only one side would return alive.

That was how aerial combat worked. The Chain Cutters had trampled on that logic of aces.

And cowards like that were bound to get creative when their lives were on the line.

So what exactly would they use?

(…)

Mariydi thought while the others sent transmissions back and forth.

“Ice Horse 3 to Oversize. Thanks for looking after our cute commander. Now, I’ve got a question. Is it safe to assume the enemy HQ is really inside that fan shape?”

“Oversize. Their transmissions say so. I can’t decrypt them, but I can tell where they’re coming from. There’s this…synchronicity, would you call it? Anyway, they’ve been talking back and forth with the perfect timing. And it isn’t linked with the launch sites’ actions.”

“Ice Burn 4. …But that puts it out over the ocean.”

Ice Burn 4 was correct.

They were approaching the Bay of Aegir. The Northern Restricted Zone was famous for its many bays and straits, but this was the “inland sea” located between the north of the European mainland and the Scandinavian Peninsula. It was famous for having become a dangerous tinderbox thanks to all the oil and rare earths located there. The very center of the fanned-out launch sites would take them out over that dark sea.

This sea was littered with a lot of artificial objects.

In addition to the large survey ships and drillships were the offshore oil platforms, ocean wind power plants, solar power plants, and countless transport ships for all the resources extracted from the ocean floor. The Rev-51 bomber’s shared data highlighted so much in white that it was easy to forget they were out over the ocean.

But one thing was more conspicuous than all the rest.

“Oversize to fighters. I found it. 50km to 10 o’clock. It’s an FSPO.”

“A mining megafloat?”

Mariydi cut off her nonproductive thoughts and quizzically joined the conversation.

“Technically no. The Plant Castle is a Legitimacy Kingdom corporate energy complex. Instead of a specialty shop targeted to the individual, it’s more like a shopping mall with anything anyone might want.” Klarheit Rubyhunter chuckled. “It’s all based on the oil they suck up from the ocean floor, of course, but they also have solar panels and wind turbines spread across the ocean around them, making the place look like a huge-ass flower. I don’t know when they killed whoever was in charge and stole it from the civilian company, but now it functions as a monstrous power generator larger than a soccer field. Set up an electric-powered toy like a rapid-fire beam cannon or railgun and I bet you’d be able to use it at full specs.”

Mariydi was half impressed and half exasperated.

“A stationary cannon? How do they intend to protect themselves from the massive shockwave and radiated heat?”

“I’m sure they have their ways. It might be a makeshift setup, but their lives are on the line here. So maybe they have ablative armor that melts away and keeps the heat off of them. They’d have to replace it for each and every shot, but it was nothing but puny plastic that protected the space shuttles from the thermosphere.”

“Ice Sword 2. You must be joking. You mean they’re protecting their precious you-know-what with no more than some thin rubber?”

“Ice Burn 4 to Oversize. How can you be sure they’re on that float when there’s so much artificial crap in this ocean?”

“What, are you not picking up anything on your passive radar? They’ve been locking onto me for a while now. They’re probably using the atmospheric pressure difference to identify and track the aircraft flying through the sky.”

Just as Mariydi grabbed her Zig-27’s stick again, a lightning-like flash burned into her retinas. There was no way to dodge an anti-air laser beam when it flew at the speed of light. The image she saw burned into the night sky was only the afterimage created by her disturbed senses.

That was not something you could consciously avoid.

And atmospheric pressure tracking used the disturbance her fighter caused in the air itself, so ECMs and jamming wouldn’t help.

The Ice Squadron had only survived thanks to the bomber they were escorting.

It had opened its bomb bay just before the laser beam was emitted. An extra-large FAE bomb had been dumped out into the empty sky. That tactical weapon ignited an aerosolized explosive and scorched an area 2km across with ultra-high heat while consuming all the oxygen in the area, but that was enough to alter the atmospheric conditions.

A sharp change in air density caused by a temperature difference could lead to optical refraction, aka a mirage.

Not even cutting-edge technology was magic. It could not overturn a physical phenomenon known about for well over a century.

If the laser had not unnaturally bent just before hitting, someone in the Ice Squadron would have died. And it might have been Mariydi.

“Whew!! Oversize to fighters. If you don’t want to die, I’d recommend keeping your heads down and scattering. Atmospheric pressure tracking is easily influenced by obstacles. And don’t expect my timing to be that good a second time!!”

“You do know, Oversize, that you’re their top priority target, don’t you!?”

“Why do you think I need some hard liquor to get through this, idiot? I’ve dropped quite a few already, but I’ve still got literal tons of explosives in my belly here. Ain’t no way I’m flying sober through anti-air fire when we haven’t secured air superiority yet. I don’t want to be the grand finale of the fireworks show!!”

The dark ocean was devoid of light.

And it was covered in artificial structures, mostly for oil extraction and mining.

Flying at low altitude was tantamount to suicide, but that was why it was the only path to survival for Mariydi’s team. All the impurities in the sea breeze and ocean spray would help refract the lasers and all the various plants and transport ships could be used as cover to hide from the enemy fire.

“Oversize to fighters. At full power, Plant Castle produces more than 980 thousand kilowatts. That means the float easily supplies as much as a city. But this is the Northern Restricted Zone known for its fjords and the beautiful aurora. They make too much electricity, so they’re apparently having a hard time finding buyers.”

“Ice Burn 4. 980 thousand? Isn’t that about the same as the average nuclear plant?”

“Ice Horse 3. It’s still less than an Object’s reactor, but it would be enough to power one or two of their secondary cannons. Plus, this is the Legitimacy Kingdom’s infamous Chain Cutters. They might have another trick up their sleeve.”

That proved accurate.

They heard something being launched with explosives and several more dots appeared on their radars around the plant. Mariydi initially assumed they had launched more S Cu-25 interceptors with their missile launchers, but this seemed different.

Four fighters were flying in the sky protected by laser beams.

But while still out of range and without even locking on, they each launched two smaller dots from their wings. But these were not missiles. The mystery flying objects flew alongside the fighters for a bit before setting off on their own to surround the battlefield like hounds pursuing their prey.

The previous S Cu-25s had not done this.

The flower of death bloomed and surrounded Mariydi’s squadron like great jaws spreading wide.

“Ice Sword 2 to Ice Girl 1. Are these their aces?”

“Ice Girl 1. The enemy crafts are unknown, but those are probably remote-controlled UAVs they sent out ahead of them! Don’t let them get a lock!!”

Mariydi had done this herself.

The Zig-27 fighter and Rev-51 bomber had shared targeting data to shorten the lock on procedure and shoot down an enemy fighter using the bomber’s missile.

Were these unknowns doing the same with fighters and UAVs? Were they following the procedure described in airshow pamphlets for UAV-linked fighters developed as a countermeasure against stealth aircraft that absorbed or redirected radar waves to vanish from the control tower’s screen?

(No…)

She couldn’t forget the laser beam from earlier. If one of those short and stumpy UAVs locked onto them, the targeting data would be shared with the stationary optical weapon and they would be immediately shot down.

Now they couldn’t keep the laser weapon from getting a lock by focusing on the stationary Plant Castle and using the transport ships and mining platforms as shields. They were dead as soon as the UAVs spied on them from above.

(They’re light and they don’t have to worry about the G limits of manned aircraft. On the relatively flat ocean surface, we’ll have a hard time losing them. No, don’t give up. Even if a UAV gets a lock, we can still avoid death if it can’t get the data back to the fighter or float. That means chaff or jamming could work.)

“Oversize. Yippee! I just discovered something even worse.”

“What is it now!?”

“I can’t see what’s inside the encrypted military transmissions, but the civilian ones are a different matter. The European air routes are all abuzz. From the look of it, I’m guessing requests are coming in to clear the passenger plane air routes for a military craft that doesn’t show up on civilian air traffic control radars. What do you wager the odds are this has something to do with us?”

“Can you tell the overall route being cleared?”

“From Warsaw’s international airport to the Information Alliance’s Snorri Air Base in the Northern Restricted Zone. They’re crossing between civilian and military airspace like its nothing, so there’s no way this is a civilian passenger plane. Probably a secret transport plane. But the routes are already being redirected, so it’s going to pass over our heads before long.”

Mariydi nearly forgot about the more immediate threat.

This would mean…

“The bombing of Warsaw…wasn’t their main objective?”

“The transport plane probably belongs to the Information Alliance. They’re the only ones who could safely land it at Snorri Air Base, after all. And they’re experts at using charity and propaganda to improve their image to all the families back home. Any other world power and the civilian airports would be complaining a lot more about a military request like this.”

“Does that mean the Chain Cutters’ cruise missile bombing of Warsaw and attack on Jotunheim Air Base were all so they could target this Information Alliance transport plane? They wanted to alter their targets route to lure it into their ‘lair’.”

Samantha had stubbornly refused to accept the existence of the cruise missile, but not so with the Information Alliance. Unfortunately, they were terrified of it.

“Oversize to Clever Girl. Super aces like us can get by, but how’s a slow transport plane supposed to get past that anti-air laser? It’ll be vaporized by the very first shot.”

“Ice Sword 2. So what’s it carrying that they’re so desperate to get rid of?”

“Ice Horse 3. Probably some VIP’s priceless treasure, like a nightmarish piece of art, a classic car that breaks every exhaust regulation, or someone’s mistress.”

Needless to say, Mariydi Whitewitch was part of the Capitalist Corporations military. The Legitimacy Kingdom and the Information Alliance were both her enemy. If she encountered them on the battlefield, she wouldn’t hesitate to draw her weapon and put two bullets in their chest with a quick double tap, so she had no obligation at all to save them.

But.

This was not a 1-on-1 battle. Mariydi could not stand the way those nobles loved to arrogantly pummel a defenseless opponent after making sure they couldn’t fight back. Yes, that was a logical and efficient way to wage war. Mariydi’s great disgust and revulsion with it may have come from being an ace pilot who flew through the sky wordlessly conversing with her rivals who had polished their skills just as much as she had.

That was why she didn’t hesitate.

She was fighting to get back at the Chain Cutters for destroying Royal Air Force Inc.’s Jotunheim Air Base. She did not know what was inside that transport ship, but she knew allowing it to pass through this airspace unharmed would cause great damage to the Legitimacy Kingdom. That was bound to have a greater effect than dropping missiles and bombs on the heads of the enemy soldiers on this “small” battlefield.

“Ice Girl 1. Let’s end this before the unidentified but presumably Information Alliance transport plane enters this airspace. How much time does that leave us? These Legitimacy Kingdom bastards have left their own ideals of chivalry behind, so let’s remind them that there are still storybook heroes fighting out here.”

“Ice Horse 3. I more see this like a quick draw in a Western.”

“Ice Burn 4. Either way, it means you like getting into 1-on-1 fights, doesn’t it? Please try not to do that every single time.”

“Oversize to fighters. If you want to discuss your dreams at the bar, then get moving. I can’t see that plump turkey on my radar, but based on the talk coming from the civilian airports, we have less than 20 minutes.”

A warning icon flashed at the edge of the multifunction monitor and an artificial voice loudly repeated a warning over and over.

A UAV with a long, skinny shape similar to an AAM flew over Mariydi’s head as if drawing out a cross. A normal fighter in that position couldn’t attack because its missiles couldn’t turn fast enough to hit, but that didn’t apply to the UAV.

“Defense Bravo. They have a lock on me!!” shouted Mariydi.

Immediately, she saw a flash as bright as welding light and the nearby oil platform was melted and blown away by the laser beam.

By sharing the radar targeting data, it didn’t matter that kind of obstacle was in the way.

Mariydi only survived because the impurities in the air bent the laser beam ever so slightly. But she wasn’t going to breathe a sigh of relief quite yet. She would be swallowed up by all the rubble if she didn’t soar through at low altitude with a speed more than three times that of a luxury car. The civilian facility was crumbling that fast. She roared with raw anger while flying directly below the platform collapsing like a large surfing wave.

“Damn them!”

“Ice Sword 2 to Ice Girl 1. The plants around here are mostly automated, so there won’t be any human losses unless that directly hit the control room where the operator works.”

Meanwhile, the Zig-27s and Rev-51 continued on their way forward.

They lived in the Mach world, so 50km was nothing.

“Ice Horse 3 to Ice Girl 1. What’s our target!?”

“The antennas and other communications equipment. We need to sever the link between the Plant Castle’s stationary laser beam and its fighters and UAVs!!”

Sensing danger, Mariydi raised her Zig-27’s nose.

She rose from the ocean surface and entered an attack run that would take her directly above the megafloat that’s many smokestacks made it look like a castle floating on the ocean.

(I’m trying to use air-to-air equipment for something it’s not designed for. It’s one big piece of metal, so I can’t lock onto individual parts with radar or IR. I guess that leaves photo recognition, so I’ll aim for the conspicuous parabolic antenna!!)

The special antenna was made of a few round plates with a diameter of more than 5m each. They were gathered together like honeycombs or a revolver’s cylinder. She forcibly sent the AAMs toward the target. It felt more like dropping them into the air than taking aim and firing.

But it didn’t work out.

The missiles burst in empty air before reaching the antenna.

“?”

“Ice Sword 2 to Ice Girl 1. They’re still active. Something got in the way!!”

That hadn’t been a laser beam. She knew that because she hadn’t seen the bright light produced when metal was forcibly sliced through.

The enemy had some other trick up their sleeve.

“Ice Horse 3. Freefall bombs don’t work either. They detonate before reaching it.”

“Ice Burn 4 to Ice Girl 1. Could they be boosting the radar output to deadly levels!? I see Legitimacy Kingdom soldiers fried to a crisp on the smokestacks’ spiral staircases!!”

Mariydi’s squadron flew by above the Plant Castle.

They descended nearly to the ocean’s surface again to avoid a counterattack from the laser beam while they took a large turn to get their noses pointed toward the stationary target again.

“Oversize to fighters. It’s probably that radar at the very top. It’s normally used to link targeting data with the fighters or UAVs, but in a pinch, they can instantaneously boost its output to create a solid EM barrier. Missiles and even unguided bombs don’t work when the fuses themselves malfunction.”

“Ice Sword 2 to Oversize. Could we destroy it with our machineguns!?”

“Probably not. I’m still waiting for the highspeed camera footage to be analyzed, but that antenna is pretty damn thick. If it has a layered structure and is more than 80cm thick, then it’s as tough as a tank’s front armor. A machinegun sweep isn’t going to tear it in two.”

The target they most wanted to destroy was preventing their attempts. They wouldn’t get anywhere without coming up with a countermeasure.

“Oversize to fighters. I just picked up a nasty transmission from the Eastern Euro Weather Station! If the weather radar is being blocked by the unseen transport plane, then we have less than 10 minutes to go!!”

(How can we neutralize that EM barrier and hit that antenna with a missile or bomb?)

After some thought, Mariydi threw out that idea.

(No, don’t get caught up on that one idea. Our objective is to neutralize the Object-class anti-air laser beam, destroy the Chain Cutters, and let the Information Alliance transport plane pass through here and land safely at Snorri Air Base. We can’t get fixated on the antenna and EM barrier. Remember what war is all about. We’re Capitalist Corporations soldiers.)

“Ice Girl 1 to Oversize. Send me your precious highspeed camera’s footage.”

“What exactly do you want? I’ve got a nice profile shot of your cute face through the canopy.”

“The small UAVs that separated from the fighters. And you said the 85 people curled up inside your bomber were office workers, didn’t you? Connect me to them. I want an expert opinion.”

“?”

A few photos appeared on her multipurpose monitor and she quickly checked the distinctive tail and air intake.

(I guess they wouldn’t have the lot number printed on there for me to see. But these look more like cruise missiles than airplanes. And since they’re from the Legitimacy Kingdom, I bet the Elivan Company made them.)

An explosive roar passed by nearby.

With the laser beam weapon keeping Mariydi’s squadron out of the sky, only the Chain Cutters’ interceptors were flying there. Their main purpose was to pass targeting data to the stationary anti air laser beam cannon, but they could still fight on their own too.

They could use their machineguns to drive Mariydi higher where the optical weapon would get her.

Mariydi knew she was being targeted, but she did not hesitate to speak.

“Listen, Oversize. Your communication equipment is more powerful than mine, right? You need to launch the magic bullet over the airwaves and outside the Northern Restricted Zone. Send this: ‘To Victoria B. Input Number 1502-9163-XXXX-0853 to 6374-0081-XXXX-4517. Start with 1000 and increase if necessary.’ ”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Just do it. Then we win!!”

An alarm rang in her cockpit.

A Chain Cutter interceptor was targeting her from the sky, well aware that she couldn’t counterattack.

“Ice Girl 1 to Oversize. Wake up those desk jockey soldiers. A bomber will be loaded with a huge computer to calculate out the weather conditions and Coriolis force and whatever else needed for accurately dropping bombs, right? Combine that with your heavy-duty communications equipment and prepare to make a cyber attack.”

“How!? This isn’t the movies! Where are we supposed to find a way into the Legitimacy Kingdom network!?”

“That’s easy.” Mariydi tapped her multipurpose monitor and it displayed all the necessary information. “I just bought the entire Elivan Company that worked to develop those things. As their largest shareholder, they can’t hide their internal data from me.”

Mariydi had contacted an accountant she had waiting in a boring safe county. Her command had been to disguise her identity, access the Honolulu market (since that was currently open and located in a blank region that was unofficially affiliated with the Capitalist Corporations), and buy that Legitimacy Kingdom defense company.

A trick like that would be discovered in only a few minutes with a large company closely linked to the military.

But for those few minutes, she could access all of their company secrets as the owner of the company. High speed internet allowed people to steal so much more information these days.

“Wait, the largest shareholder? How much money did you spend on this?”

“People always say I’m a workaholic who doesn’t know how to spend my money, so it just ends up piling up in my bank account. To be honest, I’m astonished I still remember my account number at Victoria Bank.”

She was an ace pilot, after all. She wasn’t on the level of a Pilot Elite, but she saw fighting as her purpose in life and had no real desire to spend the money she made. So just how many zeroes would you find on her bank statements?

“This is how the Capitalist Corporations wages war, Legitimacy Kingdom. We’re the kind of fools who buy bullets with money and then die for money.”

The 85 office workers were still soldiers.

The Rev-51 bomber’s communications equipment and computer were a treasure trove.

Once they had the vulnerability in the UAV network, they demonstrated their specialized talent in deskwork to quickly hack in and neutralize the UAVs.

“Oversize to fighters. The twigs back there want you to know they’ve severed the enemy’s datalink, so the sky is ours again!!”

Mariydi pulled up on the stick and her engine roared to an unnatural extent. Her Zig-27 shot nearly straight up from the ocean surface for a head-on confrontation with the Chain Cutter interceptor leisurely taking aim above.

They passed each other close enough for Mariydi to get a clear look inside their cockpit.

Except there wasn’t a clear canopy to protect a pilot.

She only saw the cold glitter of rounded metal and a camera lens flashing with a complex shutter, so she sighed in disappointment.

“You’re remote ''too''?”

She pulled the control column’s trigger with an icy expression.

Since their enemy was from the army, the pilot was a complete amateur. Worse, they were down on the surface controlling it over the network.

An ace had nothing to discuss with someone so reliant on the machines and the manual. She simply chewed up the enemy craft with her machinegun.

She did not even look back after passing it by. She only heard the explosion behind her as the lifeless weapon was destroyed.

With a lightning-like flash, an anti-air laser beam shot up from the Plant Castle, but its aim was less accurate than before. Laser weapons could be bent using any kind of difference in air density. That could come from a temperature difference, the moisture, the salt density from the sea breeze, smoke particles, or anything really.

All of that could be revealed by the computer the bomber used to calculate where to drop the bombs so they would land within 20cm of their target after falling more than 30 thousand meters. And that information could then be shared with Ice Squadron.

“Ice Girl 1. Let the hunt begin. We’re going to sink Plant Castle,” calmly said Mariydi.

Now it was their time to attack from above.

In addition to the anti-air laser beams, Plant Castle had a powerful radar which could neutralize missiles and bombs by triggering a malfunction in their fuse, but their attacks could get through as long as that couldn’t target them. They chose to use their machineguns and took aim at the large storage tanks that existed on any oil facility.

Several lines of tracer rounds dropped from the sky like glowing dragons swinging their heads.

A massive explosion set the float’s soldiers on fire while dumping them into the ocean. If that was fuel oil, the seawater wouldn’t be enough to extinguish them. The entire facility slanted to one side and a portion of it began to flood. Yes, they could eliminate the stationary laser weapon by sinking the float below it. More than 10 thousand tons of petroleum and gas ignited at once, triggering an enormous explosion. It was enough to form a mushroom cloud over the ocean.

But the enemy was fighting for their lives now.

One soldier took aim with the tube resting on his shoulder even as he burned like a torch.

That was a personal SAM.

“Shit!!”

Tension ran through Mariydi. The accuracy of those missiles wasn’t exactly great and it was stopped after crashing into a giant smokestack collapsing from the earlier blast. But shards sharper than nails still poured down on her. A fighter was full of flammable things like bullets, missiles, the engine, and the fuel tank. Even with the armor, a cloud of shrapnel could still be deadly at her speed.

But just before it reached her, a larger form moved in between. That was the Rev-51 bomber piloted by Klarheit Rubyhunter.

“Whoa there.”

“What are you doing, Oversize!?”

“That’s my line. Don’t screw it all up right at the end like that. Then again, this makes you a lot more adorable than if you were just cold and flawless.”

The bomber flying only a few meters away had very obviously lost its balance. It was falling. She saw horrific black smoke trailing back from its tail. From her position, she couldn’t tell if its automatic fire extinguishing system was working or not.

“Oversize!!”

“Ha ha. This was bound to happen sooner or later. …Sorry, cough, but the alcohol isn’t enough to mask the pain anymore.”

“Wait, were you dying from the moment the tank gun detonated near you on the runway?”

“If the 85 people I’d saved had begged me to let them out cause they didn’t want to die, urp, I might’ve hesitated. But those dumbasses said they wanted to fight to the bitter end.”

No, the bomber wasn’t falling.

Klarheit definitely still had his hands on the stick. He knew he couldn’t gain any more altitude, but he was directing the Rev-51’s great mass toward the burning Plant Castle.

He took the exact opposite course of Mariydi’s squadron as they withdrew up into the sky.

“I’m here to play, Chain Cutters!! You wiped Jotunheim Air Base off the map just cause it was in your way, but my teacher and my friends were there. Agh, not to mention that counselor lady who actually had it in her heart to worry for a worthless guy like me. That base might’ve been hell at times, but it was also a small village. It was our hoooooooooooome!!!!!”

Nothing could stop him.

Instead of stabbing straight down into it, the bomber’s belly slid along the float’s flat surface, scattering sparks everywhere and crushing all the soldiers in its way.

Mariydi was flying through flames and smoke at supersonic speed, so she couldn’t see it through to the end. Almost like there was a river flowing between the living and the dead.

And this wasn’t over yet.

Why had Klarheit and his passengers aimed there? The answer showed itself soon enough. A new dot appeared on the radar from the giant float.

It was an escape tiltrotor.

Since it had taken flight, Oversize must have just barely missed it. A lot of people had died on both sides, but Oversize’s determination had been easily sidestepped by the Chain Cutters’ leading members who were now escaping to safety as if sticking out their tongues.

They hadn’t learned their lesson. Those people would find new soldiers, train them, rid them of all their morals, and cause further tragedies.

The girl strongly and quietly adjusted her grip on the control column. When Mariydi Whitewitch spoke again, her voice was a low growl.

“Ice Girl 1 to all. That’s our top priority. Hunt them down.”

But then something unexpected happened.

A white beam of light shot from the burning and sinking Plant Castle to slice through the night sky.

That was the anti-air laser beam.

But it was not aimed at Mariydi’s squadron. The optical weapon shot straight toward the tiltrotor and burned through the aircraft as it took off, leaving its panicking and burning subordinates to die.

It was vaporized.

The ending was almost anticlimactic.

[[Image:HO_v19_BW2.png|thumb]]

Mariydi knew of only one thing that could have manipulated the Chain Cutters’ laser beam cannon like that. Someone must have taken control of a UAV, locked onto the tiltrotor, and given its occupants their just desserts.

“Ksh…this…Oversize…ksh.”

Mariydi sighed.

Her Ice Squadron sharply changed direction and all four Zig-27s flew toward the burning float.

It felt nice fighting to protect rather than to kill.

“Ha ha. I give a dramatic dying speech and then I don’t even manage to die. Anyway, we could really use some additional air support. Fire those machineguns down here to keep those ants from swarming this dropped sugar cube!”

===Part 6===

It ended surprisingly easily.

The unexpectedly light resistance was likely the result of multiple factors.

The top level of the Chain Cutters had been killed in the tiltrotor, preventing them from operating as an organized group, the Plant Castle float they used as their HQ was sinking, and the Chain Cutters could not allow themselves to be captured by an enemy nation where they would be forced to confess to their past crimes after leaving the Northern Restricted Zone. The diplomatic damage would be too great.

So most of them retreated.

Some were too badly burned to move and others disarmed themselves and used lights or smoke bombs to reveal their location so they could surrender to the Capitalist Corporations, but both those groups were found floating in the cold ocean with a bullet between the eyes or through the heart. Bullets fired by Legitimacy Kingdom guns.

“Ice Sword 2 to Ice Girl 1. I only have machinegun ammo left and I won’t have enough fuel to return to base before long. The Capitalist Corporations naval police have collected everyone trembling in the ocean around Oversize. We did our job, so we can leave the ocean cleanup to them.”

“I wonder…”

Mariydi breathed in some oxygen from the tube at her mouth and turned to look at something other than her squadron.

While the four Zig-27s of Ice Squadron prepared to withdraw, another aircraft flew slowly by overhead. It was a large Information Alliance transport plane.

“I wonder what’s in that thing. So many people died on both sides, but that turkey wasn’t even scratched. Even though it’s nearly defenseless and at the center of it all.”

“Ice Horse 3 to Ice Girl 1. We did our job. The rest is someone else’s problem.”

<noinclude>
{{HEAVYOBJECT Nav|prev=HEAVY OBJECT:Volume19 Prologue|next=HEAVY OBJECT:Volume19 Chapter 2}}
</noinclude>

Maou na Ore to Fushihime no Yubiwa:Volume 5 Chapter 2

2021-02-16T12:54:12Z

Kemm: nice job noticing a typo, but what a bad luck to correct it with a misspelling/typo

==Chapter 2: Monster tamer's training camp==

Meh, let’s skip all that yadda-yadda.

It’s been decided that we’ll be entering an open training camp for monster tamers.

What in the world are the details to end with such a crazy development?

For now, let’s go into detail.

The dispute of “who will marry me?” that occurred when mom suddenly came back home intensified disregarding the will of the person in question.

Then, planning to somehow coping with the situation, mom suggested “we’ll participate in the training camp for newbie monster tamers held tomorrow, and then if you become the MVP you can engage in a relationship with my son, under the condition that it’s just platonic, without physical relations”.

And so we reach the present.

I’d have liked to retort “no matter how platonic you say the relationship is, how can you let your own son to go out with a monster girl!?”, but, if I think about it, mom has had a child with a demon.

… In regards to that, no comments.

Perhaps to mom there’s little difference between a human girl and a monster girl.

I don’t want to boast, but I’d say that the Kusumi household… Compete for the first-second world ranking for families with open-mindnessness towards romance between humans and monsters I think.

… It’s really nothing to boast about!

Next day. 7 in the morning.

Before me, who had woken up early to participate in the camp, appeared someone I missed.

“Wassup! Chiharu! Long time no see!”

“Oo… Youhei?”

When I opened the entryway’s door (front door?), there was my familiar spiky-head<ref>I think I’ve translated it before as “aloof” or “morose”, but it would seem that attaching “atama” after “tsuntsun” (usually “aloof, morose”), turns it into “spiky-head” (think of Kamijou Touma). I’d be thankful if someone changed them.</ref> classmate.

It was Sakurazaka Youhei.

“Oioi. Chiharu, yoh—.

Though it’s our long-awaited summer vacation, where have you been until now? No matter how many times I called your cell, it wouldn’t connect. Dont’cha see you had me really worried?”

“… Ahaha. Sorry, sorry.”

I just went to the Netherworld for a bit.

That, of course I couldn’t add.

Nonetheless, it really has been a long time, isn’t it?

Last time I saw Youhei would be… At the yo-yo balloon fishing booth for the Saegusa festival.

“Then, Youhei, what brings you here so early in the morning?”

When I inquired, Youhei, with a face that said “nice of you for asking!”,

“Kukuku. Chiharu. Don’t say anything and just look this!”

“…Mm. What’s this?”

Saying that, Youhei took out a DVD with the raunchy title of ‘Do you like pretty female college students? YES! Big breasted maid’s ecchi service!’

“Iya~. I went through great pains to grab a hold of it.

Being Chiharu, of course you know, don’t you? The shocking AV<ref>Porn “movie” (that is, anything from movies with lots of sex scenes to just taped sex).</ref> debut work of the girl who was formerly from that famous idol group! Right after it went into sale, it sold out and it’s sold on the internet at a premium price of ten times its market value!?”

“I-Is that so…”

What would you call beauties and what would you call big breasts?

It’s not like I had any complaint against the woman on the package.

I just think that if we speak of beauty, it's not like her features are neater than Zonmi's, Kyouko's or Iris's, and if we talk about big breasts, she’s not on the level of Manami, mom and Lilith-san.

“… Fuh! It may be foolish to explain so much to you who has the data of over a hundred thousand porn mags stored into his head, nicknamed Adult Index<ref>I’ve just made a reference to Index with Youhei’s hairdo; now the author makes another.</ref>.

Of course, being Chiharu, you’ll know this much, won’t you?”

“Ah, yeaaah…”

I must not tell.

I must not tell him that, having all of my porn mags and DVDs disposed of by the hands of Zonmi, I’ve completely quitted that hobby.

“What, no ‘sorry but could you lend it to me’? Let’s go to your room now for an appreciation meeting!”

“Wait!? Now!?”

Since today I have some important business… Right when I was about to stop him with that, I noticed something weird.

The Youhei that till just a while ago was hyped up trying to come into the entryway was like… When the AV you’ve rented thinking that there were high schoolgirls… As you play it on your home TV, there are mature women.

That… Grim expression of someone who has suffered personally the absurdity of this world…

“? Chiharu-sama. Is there a guest?”

“…”

Lilith-san, wearing as usual a maid outfit, tilted her head as if puzzled.

Thought it’s a scene that I’ve grown quite accustomed to, for a third person who doesn’t know what’s going on it seems it’s a bit too stimulating.

“Boobs… Boobs, boobs, boobs!”

“Calm down, Youhei! Can’t you speak nothing but boobs!?”

“Chichichi-Chiharu! What’s this, oi!? Could it be that big-breasted pretty maids do exist in reality!?”

“… Chiharu. A guest? I’ll never thought that but, have you forgotten today’s plans?”

“Oniichan, don’t bring unknown people home!”

“…”

Naturally it’s the natural development.

Noticing the disturbance, after Lilith-san, all the residents of the Kusumi home appeared before us one after another.

Confronted with this scene, Youhei, as if he had gotten a revelation… With a face tinged with sorrow,

“… Chiharu.

I, y’know… Have been wondering since long ago.

Why, though they say you can’t buy porn mags until you become 18… If you are still a virgin when you become 18 they make a fool of you.

I… Having had a conduct more irreproachable than no one…

Protecting my chastity<ref>”Ren’ai kinshi rei”, lit. “command of romance forbidding”, a very known policy that talent agencies have, forbidding their performers from havinv a love life (especially females), since many hardcore fans believe them to be “tainted” if they do and enter into a rage (that can range from private showings of reject to wanton aggression).</ref> even though I’m not an idol…

…

……

That’s right.

I’m not the one who’s wrong! It’s the world!

Fufufufu. Fuhahahahahaha!”

“C-calm down Youhei! Your eyes are totally glassy!?”

Just when I calmly pointed that, Youhei’s expression was gradually filled with despair,

“Ugaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah”

He completely broke.

“I… Even though I thought of you as a friend… You’ve disappointed me, you ungrateful bastard!

Someone like you… Someone like you is not humaaaaaaan!”

“Gohaah!?”

For some reason, he hit me.

… No, y’know?

As Youhei said, surely could it be that I’m not human?

But, y’know, if you tell me so directly, of course even I will be hurt!?

“…”

Though my body that has monster cells healed in a blink the damage from Youhei’s punch, my psyche, which after all it’s just that of a kid, will take some time to patch up.

<center>× × ×</center>

“Oh, we’re here, we’re here.”

We, who have entered the monster tamer training camp on mom’s suggestion, are at Fujinomiya town, in the Shizuoka prefecture.

We’ve reached Mt. Fuji’s foot.

Though I feel that if you looked it up on the net, to arrive here from Tokyo it seems that it’d take quite the time and money, that’s where being a tamer comes handy.

If we ride on Kyouko’s back, fully transformed into a Nephilim, naturally travel costs are free.

Looking down from an altitude of several hundred meters<ref>I’d say “several three hundreds of feet”, but it’d be easier to say “somewhere between 300-3000 ft.”</ref>, we could already discern a group of people that appeared to be the participants on the camp.

At a glance, the young boys and girls looked peaceful and harmonious, it doesn’t feel strict.

There were quite more people than I had expected.

There are currently approximately around 300 people gathered.

“Haru. Do I descend around here?”

“That’s right. Please do.”

As soon as I said that, Kyouko started dropping in altitude.

Then, from the dark dots<ref>i.e. people that look as tiny as ants.</ref> we could see on the ground, for some reason we could hear cries of commotion.

“Uwah!? What’s with that monster!? It’s suddenly coming down from the sky!?”

“Hey. Could it be that monster is a Nephilim!? I saw it in the Monsterpedia<ref>It says “monster encyclopedia”, but if we have a word, we have a word.</ref>!”

“Don’t joke… A Nephilim, you say… That’s not a monster a newbie can make a pact with… !?”

“…”

It seems that Kyouko and me are the core topic.

I didn’t know.

Are Nephilim such powerful monsters that would become an obvious topic of conversation between monster tamers?

Surely, since I’ve been saved  many times by Kyouko’s battle prowess, if we speak of understanding, I understand it, but…

“Haru. It’s around here.”

“Yeah. So it seems.”

Following Kyouko’s instructions, I jumped down from the Nephilim’s back.

After that, Zonmi, Iris, Lilith-san and Manami also jumped down from Kyouko’s back.

“Whaaaaat. Since I’d heard it was a monster tamer training camp, I went and came, but there’s no one that looks strong, isn’t  there, oniichan?”

“… And you, an ordinary person<ref>Please, check your definitions, Chiharu-kun.</ref>, says that?”

Nevertheless.

Sincerely speaking, I feel like what my sister has said is not necessarily wrong.

The monsters the tamers that appear to be the camp participants have brought with them don’t look strong in the least.

Like a monster with a slime-like shape or a giant bat that is two meters<ref>Around 6 feet.</ref> long.

They give the vibe of the small fry that comes out in the dungeon of the starting quest of an RPG.

By the way, sister.

Since you stuck with us like it was just only natural, not even I had noticed until just now, but why are you here!?

“… Humph! I concur with what little sister-kun has just said. I can’t feel from the fellows gathered here even one thousandth of thy magic power.

Being in such a place is just a waste of time.”

“Erm… Iris-san? Could you please stop with the statements that look for a fight promptly after arriving?”

Even though I thought of making tamer friends since I'm participating in this event… Being so badly conspicuous will spoil everything.

But, however.

Other than my worries, somehow it seems that there’s an unexpected source of antagonism.

“I mean, why does this guy, despite being a newbie monster tamer, has that many contracted monsters?”

“No, no. What’s more envious is the level of the girls around him! What’s with that pretty girl squad!? I thought they were an idol group or something…”

“No matter how much I think, he’s chosen his monsters based on looks. Really, he’s the worst.”

“Gueh. For reals? Scary… Don’t come near.”

“…”

Uheh.

Despite not even a minute having pass since arriving, I couldn’t avoid this…

… I’m not one to talk, but I’m astonished of my negative image.

Could it be that making friends out of my fellow monster tamers is nothing but a pipedream?

That presentiment crossed my mind before five minutes had passed since reaching our destination.

<center>× × ×</center>

Thirty minutes later.

After a simple opening greeting, at last the monster tamers training camp started.

Letting the outsiders Lilith-san and Manami go rest beforehand at the cottage reserved as our lodging for tonight, we started with the real training.

“Hello, kouhai<ref>Someone who has entered the trade/company/school/whatever later than the speaker; opposite of senpai.</ref>-kun! I’m the one who will give you man-to-man guidance over this camp, Asakura Yuina♪”

“Y-yes. Please take care of me.”

It seems that this camp has a system where each group receives guidance from a middle class monster tamer senpai, and the objective is for the newbies to clear the three tasks they're given.

… Then, if we speak about why I receive one-to-one guidance from a middle class monster tamer senpai, as you can guess, it's because I’m being avoided by my fellow tamers.

As I couldn’t even find one newbie to form a group with, I’ve been forced to make a one-man group.

To give a simple to understand example… It feels like when, unable to find someone to pair with during gym class, you’re forced to pair with the teacher.

“I’ve heard rumours about you! Aren’t you that legendary monster tamer… Kusumi Kanae’s son!?”

“… Do you know about mom?”

“Of course!”

<nowiki>*GRAB*</nowiki> Followed Yuina-san as she grabbed both my hands.

At any rate, from a while ago, this person… Has been in pointlessly high spirits.

And the distance she takes when talking is awfully close.

Due to her speaking from nearly point-blank range, I could see Yuina-san’s cleavage from the neck of her shirt, but since it’s rather convenient for me, I better keep silent.

“Kanae-san is said to be the strongest even among the currently ten high rank monster tamers… She’s the person I admire.

She’s a woman with such a strength without comparison that once she even displayed by herself a battle power matching that of two thousand monster tamers.

Hey, say. Kouhai-kun? Once this camp ends, could you get me Kanae-san’s autograph!?”

“… Ah. Yes. No problem.”

“Really!? Thaaaaaanks!”

“!?”

Overcome with emotion, Yuina-san *HUG* hugged me.

Amazing…!!

This is, not a monster’s… Not my blood-related relative’s… The feeling of a normal girl’s breasts… Isn’t it… !?

Yuina-san… If we compare her with the girls around me, like Zonmi or Kyouko, the level of her looks fares a bit poorly, but conversely she was a girl whose simple<ref>As in, not detailed, naïve.</ref> cuteness becomes her charming point.

So to speak… The face of a pretty but not too pretty girl?

If Zonmi or Kyouko are peerless beauties chosen from an audition of tens of thousands people, Yuina-san would be of the type which there are two or three at every school… The extremely commonplace pretty girl you’d find anywhere.

This kind of down-to-earth cuteness personally touches quite deep my heartstrings…

“““…”””

Between this and that, to me… This could be the first time in my life that I’ve been able to enjoy the sensation of a normal human girl that’s not a monster or family.

From behind me I felt a frightening magical power filled with murder intent.

“… W-wrong? This is… You’re wrong?”

“Yes? But I  have not said anything yet… Why so alarmed? Could it be you are self-aware of having done something wrong?”

“No… It’s not like that…”

“It’s fine. Since it’s not like you’ve done nothing wrong, Haru, why don’t you have more confidence? It’s fine. Since it’s not like you’ve done nothing wrong, Haru.”

“…”

“Kukkuku. Monster tamer. If thou sayest to not deem your business… Thou canst keep being entranced by those two lumps of fat. But then… That choice may cost thou thy life.”

“… I’m deeply sorry.”

Unable to endure the pressure from the three monsterettes, I kowtowed with enough force to sink the ground.

[[File:Maou na Ore to Fushihime no Yubiwa 5 p055.png|thumb]]

“???”

As if amazed by my action, Yuina-san tilted her head.

<center>× × ×</center>

“… I see. We have to move this container to the place that flag is set up?”

Having started with the camp, our first assigned task was a test of power and stamina.

Before our eyes there’s currently an iron container of about three hundred kilos<ref>Around 661.4 lbs.</ref> of weight and two meters<ref>Same as with the bats, around 6 ft.</ref> long in all its sizes.

It seems that if we manage to bring this container to a place in the mountainside where a flag is set up, we’ll clear the mission.

“That’s right♪ Of course, you must cooperate with your monster partners! However… Be careful since there’s a time limit.”

“… Time limit?”

“Yup. The distance since this starting point to the mountainside is around 3,000 meters<ref>9 842.5 ft.</ref> I wonder?

The time allotted to newbie monster tamers is one day. In other words, if you can’t take it to the goal in exactly 24 hours from now, keep in mind that you’ll be disqualified on the spot.”

“… Understood.”

Though it is a hard trial, believe it or not, we’ve been put through many ordeals.

With us four’s strength, I think that we shouldn’t be disqualified for running out of time.

As if foreseeing my internal relief, Yuina-san *fufufu* let out a suspicious jiggle.

“By the way, every year 3 out of 10 newbies retire at this trial.

The fastest record left by past newbie monster tamers was 1 minute 20 seconds… However, since the one who left this record was Kanae-san and she’s a legend, you don’t have to mind it.

As further reference, I’ll tell you that the average among mid class monster tamers is around 4 hours. The average time for top class monster tamers is about 10 minutes. Since, upon the completion of this task, kouhai-kun may be promoted, fight on!”

“Understood.”

Newbie monster tamers, 24 hours.

Mid class monster tamers, 4 hours. Top class monster tamers, 10 minutes?

There’s quite the time difference between ranks.

“Leave this to me!”

As I was carefreely thinking about those things, Kyouko stepped up without hesitation in an awfully forceful manner.

“OK. I don’t mind.”

Thinking about it, entrusting Kyouko, who excels in power the most among us four, may be what makes the most sense.

After this there are two more trials left.

If we entrust Kyouko completely with this trial, my other monsters may preserve their strength for the oncoming trials.

“Ehehe. It’s my time to shine… Look at this!”

After announcing that, Kyuoko took off the bracelet she was wearing in her arm and tossed it up.

What now.

The bracelet changed shapes in a flash and became a giant halberd.

“Aaah. Now that you mention it, there was that option<ref>lit. “option setting, configuration, setup”, like if she was a doll/action figure or a device.</ref>, wasn’t it?”

Still… That was from when I fell into the big pinch of my three partners, Zonmi, Kyouko and Iris, trying to make a contract with me by force.

Somehow it feels it was very long ago… It’s the same as when Kyouko used this halberd to send a huge truck flying.

So, Kyouko thrust the halberd against the container, made it turn in midair,

"Secret technique: moonsault!"

She yelled in a loud voice.

Uwah. I missed it so much that tears came out.

“!?”

And, while I was lost in nostalgic remembrances, something surprising happened.

The iron container that Kyouko had thrown into the air, with the same momentum went up without falling. It went up. It went up.

<nowiki>*BEKIBEKI!*</nowiki>

The tossed container, drawing a nice parabola, hit the flag that acted as a landmark and utterly smashed it.

““““…””””

Everyone present became dumbfounded.

This Kyouko… She’s been polishing her trademark power and it’s higher than before.

“Fufun♪ And? Have you gotten a better opinion of me? With this I’ll win the MVP of the camp!”

“For real?…”

Surely, this… Is this the trial that takes a day for your typical newbie monster tamer?

“Yuina-san. By the way, what’s the time?”

“E-ermmm… 1 minute 24 seconds!? T-this… is incredible!”

“Che. I didn’t reach Kanae-san’s time?”

“How disappointing. Four seconds more? Had you cut the useless chatter at the start, you could have supassed it.”

“Well, even if you fuss over the record, it can’t be helped. And that record, Kanae must have set it back when she was a newbie monster tamer.”

“… Eh? Eh? You lot! How can you be so calm!? Even though I think it was just by chance, haven’t you just set up a record that will be recorded in the monster tamers’ history!?”

“Eeeh. But I rather than the record… Want to be recorded as precious in Haru’s mind<ref>Pun with “kiroku” (record) and “kioku” (memory); moreover, the first kanji is the same.</ref>.”

“… Were you trying to say something clever!?”

“Ouch!”

As Kyouko has gotten carried away by the good mark she had struck, I flicked her forehead.

<center>× × ×</center>

The second task we were assigned was a trial of resilience and presence of mind.

The rules are simple.

Roughly, it’s like a treasure search game where we have to retrieve a magic power stone hidden in the depths of a cave.

Moreover, the cave was filled with traps and, according to Yuina-san, the level of difficulty was on a whole new level compared with the first task.

“… Chiharu. Could you please leave this to me?”

“Understood. This time it’s Zonmi’s turn.”

Well, suitable, what we call suitable, she is.

Though since my biggest concern is the development where someone gets injured by one of the traps of the cave, in Zonmi’s case, who has the recovery ability of the undead tribe, that’s no worry.

“Kouhai-kun. Since a while ago, haven’t you been relying too much on girls?”

“… I have faith in them.”

To the question Yuina-san asked me with eyes of contempt, I spat a sentence that’d make me look good.

“Fu-n. Well, I think that what you need right now, kouhai-kun, is some margin.

This second task that kouhai-kun is about to challenge, the newbie monster tamers able to clear it each year are 5 out of 10, and moreover only less than one percent at the worst clear it unscathed.

Before a task where, if you become just a bit careless, at worst you’ll lose your life, we’ll see how much can kouhai-kun’s monster advance.”

“…”

Even if you say you’ll lose your life… Firstly, against the ghoul clan who's about half-dead, I don’t think that’s so much a threat.

And, if possible, I’d like to think this was a misunderstanding.

Am I thinking too much of it?

Since we’ve seen Kyouko’s recent feat, I don’t feel like it strengthens Yuina-san’s prediction.

<center>× × ×</center>

Since then, we waited about an hour.

“Fuu… It has taken me more time than I thought.”

From inside the cave, we heard Zonmi’s voice.

“That’s… Eh? Even though just an hour or so has passed since the start… You say you’ve already cleared it!?”

Yuina-san, raising a shocked voice, cast a side glance at Zonmi, who appeared with magic power stone in hand.

“… He?”

“… Heyhey.”

Of course we were taken aback.

All over Zonmi’s body, for some reason… Axes, knifes, arrows, spears.

Pieced by a high number of all sorts of lethal weapons from every age and place, it looked so ghastly that you’ll unconsciously try to mosaic it.

What the heck has happened here… Having known Zonmi for a long time, I understood.

After all, the cave’s interior is dim.

Not having a sense of pain, Zonmi, without noticing herself that she had activated the traps, should have found the treasure inside the cave.

As a result, she’s become like a new species of land urchin… Or so.

“You have guts to trick people, middle rank monster tamer. There weren’t any traps nowhere, you know?”

Said Zonmi covered from head to toe in blood and with her innards leaking out.

“Hii!?”

Staring at a so disgusting appearance, Yuina-san’s legs unconsciously gave up and she fell to the ground.

<center>× × ×</center>

“… Kukuku. Kusumi Chiharu. You’ve become conceited. I’ll kill you. You… Some day I’ll kill you.”

The last task was a trial of overall combat power.

It was a one-on-one direct confrontation with the middle rank monster tamer in charge.

However, since a true one-on-one is very disadvantageous to the newbie monster tamer, it seems that it could be cleared just by making the opponent fall down once.

If we speak about Yuina-san’s condition, as you see, it clearly has suffered a sudden change compared to when we first met.

Even though before she called me “kouhai-kun♥” in a friendly way and smiling like an angel, now she called me by name. By my full name, at that.

Even I, who’s slandered as thickheaded by those around me, could somehow guess the reason for Yuina-san’s complete change.

Since, despite being no more than a newbie monster tamer, I have been doing nothing but setting records until now, Yuina-san’s pride as a middle rank monster tamer has been hurt.

“Summon—ogre.”

So, Yuina-san, oozing with animosity, summoned a huge giant monster.

From head to toe, it would measure around 7 meters<ref>About 23 feet.</ref>?

It was a full impact monster brandishing an axe.

I see.

Really different from the monster contracted to the newbie monster tamers that I saw before at the entrance ceremony.

Yuina-san’s summoned monster was just what you’d expect from a mid rank monster tamer and it looks like it has quite the combat power.

“Monster tamer. Shan’t thou leave this to me?”

“…”

Well. Yeah.

I think that if we go by turns, it’s so.

However, of all people, for it to be my strongest contracted monster, Iris's, turn with this timing…

“… All yours, but could you please just make it fall? Don’t go all out too much?”

“Umu. I know.”

Hearing our conversation, Yuina-san directed us a smile of self-sufficience.

“… Aha. Kouhai-kun. Isn’t this a mistaken choice?”

“… It could be.”

As I meekly affirmed it, Yuina-san returned to the same angelic smile from our first meeting.

“Well♥ There’s no helping it. I’ll let that little girl to become Oo-chan’s opponent.

This is why you are a beginner.

Oo-chan. Don’t be too serious and cut kouhai-kun’s cutie some sl… eh, ogyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!”

“…”

That… finished in a blink of time.

The flames spewed by Iris engulfed Oo-chan the ogre whole in a flash and rendered it unable to fight in no time.

“Erm… Senpai. Don’t let it bother you. I’d dare say that it’s we who are abnormal, not you who is weak…”

I told some comforting words to my senpai, who has burst into tears from the shock.

However, somehow it seems that my comforting backlashed and instead hurt senpai’s pride even more.

“Buuuu. No more! I… Had I known I would be in charge of such kids, I'd have rather not come to the camp…”

Said Yuina-san with tearful eyes.

“Remember this! You… Monster fetish pervert harem boy!”

“…”

Monster fetish you say.

I’m not one to talk, but that’s a mean thing to say.

Even I, if possible, would rather… Date someone like you, a regular cute human girl…

This time I somehow silently awoke to the revelation of “my popularity is limited to just monster girls and blood-related family”.

<center>× × ×</center>

Having finished in less than two hours the program originally scheduled for a week, I went to the cottage prepared as our lodging.

Zonmi, Kyouko and Iris, it seems that those three have some monster-exclusive additional curriculum, and though we had planned to take another course of action, it’s difficult to think that any assassin would come aiming for my body.

Still, due to the stance of it being to make double sure, until I reach the cottage, Zonmi will be at my side.

“Nevertheless… We’ve finished too soon. The monster tamer training camp…”

Though the things to lose were many, I don’t think there was anything to be gained.

“That too can’t be helped.

Although your title, Chiharu, is that of a newbie monster tamer, I believe your true power is already close to that of a high rank monster tamer.”

“Mmmm. Is that so?”

Actually, around where would my true power rank among monster tamers?

I can’t quite grasp the position.

In my case, the foe I fought against first… The black suited man was someone who could already be called a high rank monster tamer, such intuition left me utterly stupefied.

“For newbie monster tamers to take the promotion test, they need at least one year of experience. Being you, Chiharu… Once you finish your training period, you can be promoted in no time to a high rank monster tamer.”

“That’d be good.”

By the way, what kind of life do those people who work as monster tamers lead?

I went and asked that to Lilith-san.

The people who become monster tamers, eventually everyone without exception gets affiliated to a phantom company that belongs to the IMA, and socially wise they earn a social position no different from that of your regular black collar worker.

There’s also the thing where newbie monster tamers, for a year, receive no wages as (during) their training period, but after that, it becomes so they are entitled to receive wages according to their personal ability or something?

If they become high class monster tamers, it seems they’ll receive a remuneration on par with the CEO of a company listed on Tokyo Stock Exchange’s First Section<ref>The section for large companies.</ref> (around 10,000,000 yen<ref>$90,000-95,000.</ref> of annual income?).

…I have nothing to say about such an excessively realist amount of money.

On top of such a fairy-tale-like occupation as monster tamer actually existing, in many ways it brings livelihood.

<center>× × ×</center>

“Welcome home, hubby.”

After bidding farewell to Zonmi, I arrived at the cottage we are lodging in.

I casually opened the cottage’s door.

“Hubby. Will it be Manami? Will it be MANAMI? Or will it be ma-na-mi?<ref>Pun on “will it be dinner? Will it be a bath? Or will it be me(watashi, stressing all syllables)?”, which will be explained soon after. She just changes everything for “Manami”, but the first is in kanji, the second in katakana and the third in hiragana, stressed.</ref>”

So, what first entered into my view when I entered the room was my sister wearing a naked apron as if it was a natural thing.

“… What are you doing?”

When I inquired with a look of contempt, Manami *JIGGLE* puffed her chest.

“I thought ‘No~ I’ve been forever stuck in the little sister role~’.

So for today, Manami has decided to change the plan and act as the loving newlywed wife receiving her husband home and serve you, oniichan.”

“…”
Decided, you say…

Like always, impulsive from head to toe, aren’t you…

“Well then. Hubby. Dinner is ready, the bath is ready and the night service is ready. From which will you start?”

“… There are many things I want to say to you, but get dressed first.”

As I spat that, Manami looked at me with upturned eyes and let out a sugary voice.

“… Mou. Hubby, you-mea-nie.”

“… Shaddap.”

Though my sister does and says a lot of disgusting things even under normal circumstances, due to this weird setting, the annoyingness was increased threefold.

I don’t have to go along anymore with my sister’s eccentricities.

And then I realized that someone who should be here wasn’t.

“? Speaking of it, where has Lilith-san gone?”

If my memory serves right… We should have arranged for her to take care of the cottage along with Manami until the end of the camp.

“Aah. If it’s about miss titties… I mean, the second wife, she’s hiding in that shadow there, I think?”

“… Second wife?”

What kind of jokes is she spouting…

However, when I saw Lilith-san hiding in the shadow of a pillar, my doubts got blown away in an instant.

“Errrm… Lilith-san. What are you doing?”

“Hii!?”

Right when I made eye contact with her, Lilith-san put a frightened face.

What the heck… Today she’s in a state where it’s very difficult to find a place to look at her.

Naked apron.

It’s a naked apron.

… Thinking about it calmly, I’ll say again that seeing my sister in a naked apron before felt ridiculous.

Different from my sister’s usual state with that deeply rooted sorry character that makes you uncomfortable, Lilith-san’s naked apron figure was astounding in many senses.

W-what’s with this destructive power?

… I think that in a morals’ textbook I read at elementary school it said that when in trouble, no one better than friends to rely on.

By picturing in my brain Youhei dressed as a bunny girl, I barely managed to keep my reason.

… No, however.

Lilith-san’s voluminous chest size that fills the apron to the brim, and defenselessly exposed well-fleshed plump behind seem to hide the power to promptly blow up my reason if I get careless for just an instant.

“Ehehe. How’s it?

Hubby. Until the zombie and the rest get home, it’s your chance!

We are ready to accept any pervy command that oniichan… I mean… Hubby asks for!”

“… Kuh!”

What’s this. This feeling…

It may be because I got excited by the vision of Lilith-san’s naked apron.

It’s like when you prepare to someone the peppers they hate and the Salisbury steak they love; the novel dish of ‘meat-filled peppers’ and they can eat both of them<ref>The dish exist and I’ve eat it a number of times. Hollow the peppers. Cook minced meat ''au goût'' (in this case, like a Salisbury steak w/o the steak shape). Fill the peppers with the meat. Put it in the oven. BTW people who really hate peppers only eat the meat and still leave the peppers aside, along with the parts of meat that have touched the peppers.</ref>…

[[File:Maou na Ore to Fushihime no Yubiwa 5 p077.png|thumb]]

If I cooled my head and thought about it, I could make some sense in an instant of the weirdness, but right now, I, seeing my sister in a naked apron, ended up thinking “this may be it”.

“Yeeeees…! The personal route is hopeless, but if we enter the harem route<ref>Galge slang; “personal route” or “heroine route” is the plot development were the MC choses a heroine, while “harem route” is exactly that (the MC chooses 2+ heroines at the same time, and it works)</ref> it may become that Manami and oniichan get joined…!

This is the last chance! Manami!

If you lead oniichan through the harem route, taking advantage of the turmoil, you can even have sex with oniichan…!”

Because of that ominous speech my sister muttered, I could come back to my senses.

“… Hah!”

Darn.

Was that my sister’s aim!?

She was about to trick me into that malignant set!

“Sob… Chiharu-sama.

Please spare me. I, so as to clean the succubi’s image… I vowed to keep my body pure<ref>Her choice of words is weird since she’s admitted that she had been raped many times, which, with that mindset, means that her body has been already “defiled”. (Reader: Please check back on the original Japanese text, because I also thought that choice of words to be strange, considering how lightly she spoke of it, as the original meaning may be "Sexually Assaulted" which Lillith may have fought off, or "Molested" which is something Japanese women unfortunately experience on crowded public transportation systems. Seriously, this has been bothering me since I first read it.) (It says 暴行, which means (1)assault (2)rape, followed by "received", which would mean that she was either assaulted and she fought off or assaulted and raped; I chose "raped" because there's nothing in context at that point that makes anyone think otherwise)</ref>…!!

If I went to engage into misconduct now, I won’t be able to look the past me in the eye…”

“If you hate it, should you be in that state…?”

“Eeeerm. That’s… You see…”

As Lilith-san kept looking for someone to help her, my sister promptly raised her voice to obstruct her.

“Miss titties. I think you’d better speak no more~”

“…!”

“Fufufufu. It’s nothing… Should Manami show oniichan ‘that’ that she has recorded on her cellphone or shouldn’t her~”

“!?”

“But, oniichan will surely receive a shock~.

By no means would miss titties with her innocent character misuse her position as a maid to do this and that to oniichan’s laundry…”

“Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"

When Manami started to speak.

“!?”

Lilith-san suddenly let out a scream that resonated inside the cottage, obstructing my sister’s words.

Following that, Lilith-san, so that Manami didn’t say anything more, making full use of her own identity quickly blocked my sister’s mouth.

“… Mogaa… Mogaa!!”

At her wits end, Manami, with her face pressed against Lilith-san’s boobs… In the end, suffering from lack of oxygen, with a final “chin!”<ref>Sound effect; you know the scene.</ref>, she passed out as if her soul had come out from her mouth.

Hmph, hmph.

Those boobs… Are useful, aren’t they.

Am I thinking too much?

I think that there had been an event like this one before…

This way, thanks to an unexpected internal break up (?), I managed to avoid succumbing to my sister’s allurement.

<center>× × ×</center>

Two hours after that.

Having reunited with the monster trio who had underwent an additional curriculum, we ate with relish the dinner prepared by Lilith-san.

Lilith-san, just as one would expect from a professional maid, is the one who cooks the best from among us.

Ever since Lilith-san freeloads at the Kusumi home, the household chores seem to have become lighter.

After eating dinner, I took a light shower to wash off my sweat and quickly went to bed.

Since then six more hours have passed.

I’m troubled. I don't feel like sleeping at all.

It has been nearly three hours since I laid in bed and closed my eyes.

Even though the time is around 2 o’clock, thinking about what to do from now on makes my chest hurt and I’m unable to sleep.

Really, what can I do…?

Having to choose just one of the charming girls around me…

Once this camp finishes, they will, from me… Request some kind of answer.

Nevertheless, still, if I forcibly dodge it, I may postpone the problem, but… Really, until when will it work?

Though somehow or other… Even if I try to postpone the answer, I have the hunch that we’ll soon near the limit.

Giving up on falling asleep, I got up from bed.

When I set foot in the living room to drink water or something since my throat was dry, I noticed on the edge of my vision the figure of a girl standing at the cottage’s balcony.

When I opened the sliding window, the nice and cold night breeze flowed into the living room.

“… Manami. What are you doing?”

I called out when I recognized her.

This night I can’t leave Manami alone.

Somehow… That obscure thought passed through my heart.

“Nothing. Nothing really. Just looking at the stars.”

“… The stars?”

When I looked up like Manami said, surely tonight, with the clear sky without a single cloud, looked like the perfect chance to gaze at the stars.

A superb view that you can’t see at the city that reflexively makes you hold your breath.

“Heeeh. Even Manami does stargazing.”

As I spouted my honest feelings, Manami, looking at me with scorn,

“… Oniichan. Do you think your little sister is something like a creature of unknown nature that crawled out from the depths of the hell?”

“Eh? Am I wrong?”

At least to me, my little sister… I perceive her as an inhuman being more monstrous than the monsters.

“Of course you’re wrong!! Clearly Manami will be hurt if she’s told such a thing!”

“… No. My bad. Of course I was joking.”

I know.

As it looks like, we’ve been siblings for more than 10 years.

I know that my sister has an unexpected girly side.

“Oniichan. Do you plan to decide who you'll be lovers with during this camp?”

“… Mm. More or less.”

“Just to make sure, is Manami not among the candidates?”

“…”

That’s correct, but since I feel that that’s too cruel, I made it as if I hadn't heard and kept silent.

“Is that so—? Does my first love end here—?”

<nowiki>*SIGH*</nowiki>

Muttered my sister guessing those feeling of mine.

It seems that, even without words, she’s able to guess my intentions.

… No.

I’d say my sister is a girl more sensitive than anyone and able to read the mood better than anyone.

“Somehow or other… Ever since Zonmi-san came to our house, I had the feeling it would be like that.

Oniichan, someday… Won’t you end up going to a place where my hands won’t reach, so it seems?”

“… Zonmi-san?”

Unexpectedly, my sister called Zonmi, whom she only called zombie, by her true name for the first time.

“… Aha. Surprised?

Is not very like Manami, and though it feels revolting, now that my love has been set as unrequited it’s come to me as having no need to regard her as a rival.

With this chance, why don’t I change for reals the way I call her?”

“Haha…!”

Let’s say that it comes to that, I think that Zonmi will be stumped.

<center>× × ×</center>

Thereafter.

We gazed the twinkling stars without saying a word.

It really has been a long time since I last spent such a solemn time with my sister.

I think I’ll tell for a while a story from long ago.

I think you’ll think of it as unexpected of what I’ll tell you, but just five years ago… When Manami went to elementary school, just with looking at the faces of other people, she was a girl too afraid of strangers.

[[File:Maou na Ore to Fushihime no Yubiwa 5 p087.png|thumb]]

It’s a story that now would be difficult to believe, but… Putting it bluntly, Manami, for the six years of elementary school, barely attended classes.

She read too much the mood of those around her.

Speaking from the result, that was the extent of my sister’s inborn strangeness.

When communicating with others, often it’s composed of a true intention and a façade, but my sister could see through the hearts of the rest as if she read minds.

I don’t know why my sister holds that special ability.

And then, the special skill of reading too much into the mood is, to an elementary school girl less of a merit and more of a demerit.

Why is that so?

Just because she had a figure nicer than others, she was thoughtlessly approached by her male schoolmates with ulterior motives.

Just because she had better abilities than other, her female schoolmates thoughtlessly were jealous of her.

The Manami from back then… Had to endure it all with that little body of hers.

… Since when was it?

When did my sister completely lose interest in people other than me?

Nothing but me was reflected in my sister’s eyes. They didn’t reflect.

Since who knows when, my sister, by directing all of her interest and concern to me, she could master the skill of keeping her peace of mind.

Does focusing too much on others make her lonely?

Does looking away too much from others make her lonely?

Really, which way would make her happy?

… Hey, Manami.

Tell me.

If, let’s say, I… Find someone dear to me and I become close to that person… What will be of your inner world?

“PANPAKAPAAN♪ Now one thing. Commemorating over ten years of unrequited love of your cute little sister, there’s an important announcement to you, oniichan!”

“… Yeah?”

After a bit of silence.

As if she had thought of something, suddenly, my sister blurted out that astounding thing.

“Oniichan. I… Have decided. Manami… Will become a monster tamer.”

“…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… Really?”

“Really really. Totally really♪

To tell the truth, I’ve been thinking about many things since we went to the Netherworld, but I think that this is the best way to be besides oniichan—.

If I can’t be by your side as a lover… From now on, Manami will be by oniichan’s side as your rival!”

“…”

I see.

Certainly, like that she can increase the time she’s with me even without entering into a love relationship.

Like always, a wild idea very much like my sister.

“But… Monster tamer, you say, that… I think it’s not in the line of going to ''Hello World''<ref>Japan’s governmental employing agency.</ref> searching for a job.”

I only have a faint recollection about that, but I think you need to have your special talent recognized by the International Monster Association and bestowed a Contract Ring.

“Tsk, tsk, tsk. How naïve, oniichan~. Now look at this!”

“!?”

What my sister produced saying that was, with the same design as the one I’m wearing… A silver glittery Contract Ring<ref>I think that he says “one” because the second is a “purified” Enforce Ring while the third is a red dragon clan’s relic with a unique design.</ref>.

“Manami!? You… From where the heck!?”

“It’s easy♪ This, y’know, I got it normally when I consulted it with Kana-tan?”

“… Wha?”

“In fact, it seems that it’s quite the valuable thing, but making use of Kana-tan’s connections, It seems that it was unexpectedly easy to get a hold of it♥”

“…”

Mom.

You… No matter how much you dote on your daughter, please don’t abuse your authority!?

“? Now that you mention it, I haven’t seen mom ever since we got to the camp, but… Manami. Do you know something?”

When I asked, Manami, shaking her head,

“Manami too doesn’t know, how’d I put it… Even Manami doesn’t know but 20% of what Kana-tan’s thinking about~.

But… This, I can tell you. Mom is hiding something from us.

Something she absolutely can’t tell us… Something very important—”

“? What the heck is it?”

“Well. Manami doesn’t know that much.”

Saying that with a face as if nothing had happened, Manami stretched with a grandiose “mmmm” and commented.

“Well, then, oniichan. It’s already late at night and Manami the good middle schooler girl kid has to go to sleep. Good night~”

“… Good night.”

Manami parted from my side in haste with quick feet.

Nevertheless.

At that time I caught a glimpse of my sister’s profile illuminated by the rooms lights.

My sister’s eyes, though I hadn’t noticed it until just now, were abnormally… Red and swollen by tears.

“…”

Sorry.

Sorry, Manami.

My sister’s world of thoroughly looking away from others; where she and me could be alone together that until now sustained her self… Had been completely smashed today.

However.

Even knowing that, still, the day I answer my sister’s hopes won’t ever come.

… But, y’know, Manami.

This I can tell you with confidence.

Just if.

If we weren’t brother and sister… Just a man and a woman living together in this world… I’d undoubtedly would had loved you as a woman without fail.

… Why is it?

Because I love you.

No matter what outrageous things we experience… I will always… Think of you as my cute little sister, the apple of my eyes.

A girl who, no matter how many times she was rejected, bravely whispered sweet nothings and devotedly serves you… Who would hate her?

…

……

While seeing off my sister’s back, who was clearly just fruitlessly pretending to be tough, I held such unspeakable feelings.

<center>× × ×</center>

At the same time.

The something Kusumi Manami had predicted Kanae was hiding.

That something, slowly, slowly, started moving.

However, Chiharu and his gang had no way to know that it had certainly started moving.

<center>× × ×</center>

This is the continent where the undead tribe lives, Living Lodge.

In it, there’s a midwinter land of perennial ices where not even a single monster lives.

The monster tamer that had tasted defeat in his showdown with Chiharu.

Lance Patriot was waiting in silence for his last moments inside an ice prison built by a dreadful power.

Cold.

It’s incredibly cold.

Inside the cell, there were sorry number of blankets prepared and a small quantity of embers not enough to sustain one’s live.

It’s seems that these undead bastards think that I won’t be so easily killed.

Are they waiting until I get my life slowly drained inside this cell?

It can’t be said that they are very courteous with people, such a revolting bunch, cursed Lance.

(… Well, since it's come to this, it’s not worth worrying about.)

Even if the cell had been reinforced with a special magic, Lance, who was once given the nickname of Tamer of Souls, held skill that gave despair to numerous monster tamers.

That in mind, there’s still the possibility of a jailbreak left, but… Surely now it doesn’t seem feasible.

(… Ahaha. There’s no need to be disheartened. Isn’t being defeated in battle a suitable fate for a rogue?)

When, his conscience growing dim, Lance let out a self-mocking smile.

“… ‘d grief. Such a troublesome undisciplined kouhai I have.”

Out of nowhere, a man’s voice was heard.

“Wha. You… How… !?”

Am I dreaming?

Who suddenly appeared before Lance was his superior monster tamer appointed by the Black Tamers.

The person called Clarie Shernfelt.

“Let’s leave the chit-chat for later. For now let’s scape.”

“… Useless. This prison is not something where a regular monster tamer can make it.”

“Ah, so. If… It’s not a regular monster tamer, they can make it?”

Right when the voice of a young girl was heard, the icicles surrounding Lance were reduced to dust.

“… Noelle!? Could it be that even you!?”

Noelle, both arms turned into those of a golem, spewed abusive language with sullen discontent.

“… Han! Could you not misunderstand? It’s not like I would care if you froze to death here, but… We are childhood friends brought up in the same institution<ref>Perfect modern tsundere act, with the finish touch being her literally saying “it’s the friendship of childhood friends brought up in the same institution” with the kanji chosen for “friendship” being that of “like”, which is usually employed as “love”; is she trying to imply something?</ref>.”

“… Why the heck are you lot here? Could it be… Under boss’s commands!?”

Receiving Lance’s question, Clarie, promptly shaking his head,

“Nope. Regrettably it is not that.

Boss, right now… Is supervising the final adjustments of the Arcadia plan and doesn’t have spare resources left for any other things.

So, this… Is just a whim of mine?

Will you fight with us, Lance Patriot?

Your necromancer power is needed for the realization of our boss’s plans!”

“…”

Lance was left mute by the outrageous reply that Clarie gave.

“… Clarie-san. Sorry for wasting your goodwill, but I don’t plan on leaving from here.”

“… An? Why the heck?”

“To put it simply, I’m afraid of fighting again.

Kusumi Chiharu.

… Fighting that guy was bad news to a nasty degree.

No~. He’s out of this world.

That guy is the ultimate strong person with victory granted to him since birth.

Clarie-san.

I’m… Genuinely frightened. If I were to taste that fear once more… It would honestly be better if I died inside this cell!”

“…”

It’s not just the simple loss of body heat.

Kusumi Chiharu. Remembering my battle with him, my body trembles with fear.

As if I shouldn’t had fought with him.

I sincerely don’t remember what happened after we released our limiters.

… But, the fresh memory of his own defeat brought up by Chiharu’s overwhelming power was deeply engraved in Lance’s mind.

“Being afraid… It’s the same for me!

Frankly, right now my limbs are trembling. But, y’know, if we flew away now, who will support boss?”

Saying that, Clarie handed Lance a cane with a magic power stone embedded.

“It’s fine. You can do it!

Show it… To the world! Our power! This… Is the last battle!”

“…”

What the heck is this guy saying?

If we speak of battle power, the man before him didn’t hold a candle to Lance.

However, maybe it was because of that.

The man before him has experienced a number of defeats beyond imagination, and maybe because of that he doesn’t fear in the slightest losing.

(In the end… Even losers have their losers’ pride. Something like that? It’s not like I have such a hobby, though…)

Without a word, Lance took the magic power stone-embedded cane that Clarie had handed him.

(As if I had taken out a fish bone that was struck inside my throat… A wonderful and refreshing feeling.)

Lance, smiling, took out the dragon bone powder he had hidden inside the depths of his breast pocket for if the worst case came, scattered it around him, lifted the cane in his hand and bestowed to it transient souls.

<nowiki>*RUMBLE RUMBLE*</nowiki>

Then, while raising a sound as if the ground trembled, appeared the shapes of uncountable Skull dragons.

“W-what’s this!?”

Seeing those grotesque existences suddenly appear before their eyes, the ghoul gaolers fell into a state of panic.

Because of the large number of summoned Skull dragons, the ice prison followed the way of destruction.

“We are the Black Tamers, able to make crying children to stop! We’ll show you! Us, we have our own justice!”

With the crumbling building at his back, Clarie proclaimed in a loud voice.

“… It’s because they say these lines seriously is why I can’t come to like {{Furigana|the Black Tamer’s|our}} men—. As if taken from an old hot-blooded student drama. It’s cold in many ways<ref>I kept “cold” because it was meant to contrast with “hot”-blooded; it means “lame”.</ref>.”

And, before the series of events that happened before her eyes, Noelle stated that awfully cold-hearted thought.
[[File:Maou na Ore to Fushihime no Yubiwa 5 p103.png|thumb]]
<noinclude>

==References and Translation Notes==
<references />

{{SimpleNav|e=6}}
</noinclude>

Maou na Ore to Fushihime no Yubiwa:Volume 1 Chapter 3

2021-02-16T12:43:06Z

Kemm:

==Chapter 3: The assigned mission==

The Ghoul that was suddenly delivered to my house — Zonmi Ra McKenzie.

The one that suddenly confessed to being a Nephilim — Kurose Kyouko.

Being currently trapped between the two of them, I was in a very dangerous position.

It was no joke, though it's not like I could tell how serious it was. If I found a green mushroom<ref>Mario reference.</ref> lying around, I'd pick it up and eat it.

Since I had to sleep soundly at the infirmary's bed until a while ago, the contents of the History lesson went totally over my head. Giving a quick glance at my surroundings, there was one female student giving me a glare as cold as ice. It was Zonmi.

It seems like my previous fleeing had somehow offended her.

Hu~m, I should do something about this. Nonetheless, this problem was already not something I could solve by myself. Surely, besides the fact that the conversation steadily grew out of proportion like that, the information was very scarce from the start...

I took a deep sigh.

Then, I remembered the conversation we had right before at the infirmary.

International Monster Association.

Quite a suspicious organization... But it piqued my interest. Giving it careful thought, that was the source of it all — it seems they are pulling the strings.

Maybe there I can find some kind of solution...

A ray of hope from the Heavens. I immediately looked for it, cell in hand. When in trouble, ask Google-sensei<ref>i.e. he's using the browser function on his cell phone to use a search engine.</ref>.

Results: 12,400 hits — It was faster than I thought.

It seems that the International Monster Association... In short, IMA, doesn't have a single head office, but instead they have set up a number of branch offices. Frankly, though I wondered if it was good to have all this information so easily accessible, I was thankful nevertheless.

After looking for the nearest branch office, I saved the address on my cell's memory. It seems that the place was in the area.

"Good! With this it'll be OK."

"... What's with it's 'oh-key'?"

Of course, this voice belonged to Zonmi. The umbrella she carried was sparkling.

With the point dripping red, I wonder whose blood it is.

"I think that this is not good too, I pondered about some things... A plan to overcome this situation."

"Hoho, you will finally make a contract with me, won't you?"

"How did you arrive to that conclusion! Nobody said so!"

No matter how many times you repeat it, I don't plan on getting such a shady job like monster tamer. Rather than that kind of job, I'd even wash corpses part-time.

"Or, how should I tell you? Why are you carrying an umbrella even if it's not raining?"

I'd been trying to ask it since a while ago. The water-blue umbrella in Zonmi's hand, it doesn't matter how you look at it, it's not one you could buy at a convenience store for 500 yen<ref>$5</ref>. Is this what you call "made on order"? It doesn't matter from where she brought it, in any case it's surely pretty expensive.

"What a foolish question. We ghouls are weak against sunli — any light-based attack. This is a necessary tool to protect ourselves."

In order to avoid saying "sunlight", she corrected herself like that.

"Hu~mpf. Then, when you face one of those... light-based attacks, what'll happen?"

"When the corruption advances too much, our life is in danger. For the same reason, heat is also a hazard; the season known in the Human World as summer sends to hospital 100,000 ghouls each year."

"Ugh..."

How should I put it, there are 100,000 ghouls?

That's a scene I don't want to picture.

"Ah! Could that be the reason why Zonmi, in the beginning, came to my house in only her underwear...?"

"Wha-wha-wha-what are you saying so suddenly!?"

"Wasn't that to reduce the body heat?"

"... Yes? Isn't that obvious!?"

"A~h, so that was it, like I thought. This solves another mystery..."

Seems like that cleared all the doubts in my mind.

Even ghouls have their problems. Surely, if they are confined in an airtight space for long periods of time, their body temperature would probably end up rising.

"... By the way, I'd like to ask you something as reference; until now, what did you think was the reason?"

"Hu~mph, I thought it was simply your hobby..."

BAM!

"Guah!"

I received a strong hit on my shin with the aforementioned umbrella.

A soothing nice sound resounded through the classroom.

"Ouch... Why, you idiot Chiharu... I got hit too."

Though I had the feeling that I could hear my buddy's moans from behind, I'd like to think it's the air.

That, wouldn't it hurt if it wasn't really a joke?

A lot of things happened and the end of classes drew near.

It was heart-breaking. I didn't know if mayhem would break before reaching there.

And in addition to that.

I was currently trapped in a real game of tag<ref>鬼ごっこ (onigokko) in Japanese, with 鬼 meaning "ogre"</ref> with two monsters that faced me each time with a "let's make a contract".

Once the lesson ended, I rushed to the toilet even though I didn't have the need.

At noon break, the lunch I ate while sitting on a toilet had a strong smell of ammonia .

This kind of moving endeavor, if I don't stop that trouble by today, will end up being the norm.

That's why.

With the signal of the end of classes, because of the aforementioned, I rushed out at full power.

"Ah! Hey, Chiharu! Why are you fleeing, you coward!?"

"Oy, Chiharu! You promised to come with me to catch monsters after classes!"

However, I didn't look back. I had the feeling that I shouldn't look back.

Let's follow what my father told me. Let's head once and for all to the International Monster Association. Though it'll be good if I find some kind of valuable information... The timely end of the noon break + the full speed I came with till here = not a soul around.

I was careful that Zonmi and Kyouko<ref>It said "Zonmitachi", but since they are 2 as for now, I'll better put both names instead of "the others".</ref> didn't chase me. I ended up quickly leaving the school.

I hurriedly finished changing into my outdoor shoes by kicking the ground.

Then, as I approached the school gate, I was struck by a heavily uncomfortable feeling.

There, there were trucks piled like bricks.

I blinked once. I rubbed my eyes.

It can't be, recently my eyes must be playing tricks to me.

Hahaha... It seems that somehow or other, the scene I'm seeing right now is not a hallucination.

The countless piled trucks were packed right before the gate, as if someone intentionally put them there to obstruct the exit. What a nonsensical view.

"Ha-ru~"

I looked at the source of the voice.

It came from far above. From the top of the piled trucks.

There, squatting slightly, was a slender girl. Blown by the wind, her ponytail swayed right and left.

"Kyouko..."

I couldn't do nothing but stood with my mouth shut.

Unbelievable. Could this all be Kyouko's doing...?

"Sorry, Haru. It's a dead end."

"Hey, hey, this better be a prank."

Is it because of the mood? This girl... gives a different feeling than usual.

The atmosphere froze from the tension.

"... Haru is a bad kid. Since you won't make a contract with me. That's why you ran away."

"Wait a minute! What are you planning to do!"

The time, after school.

Here and there were students going back home, it seemed that they would notice something strange going on.

"Though I think that Haru will somehow be somewhat fine, please don't die. Perhaps, since I can't go easy... I'll obligate you to make the contract by force!"

"Ehm... Hi?"

This is bad.

Kurose Kyouko.

Though it seems she has a reputation in the school of being an angel, right now her expression was, no matter how you look at it, that of a demon. She'll use any means to reach her goals... That's what her eyes were saying.

Then, as if she had thought of something, Kyouko removed her bracelet from her wrist and threw it to the sky.

I wonder what will happen.

The bracelet changed in a flash into a rod<ref>全属棒 (zenshokubou) or all-[included/affiliated/belonging] cane. I don't know how to translate this and I haven't found no info on it.</ref>, isn't that her weapon of choice?

That shape... It's something you usually see in games.

Its design was like a mix of a spear and an axe. Perhaps it's what they call a halberd.

I think Kyouko won't hesitate to thrust it from the top of the trucks,

"Secret technique: moonsault."

I had a hunch she muttered something like that.

The truck revolved in mid-air. Something incredible revolved in mid-air.

Though I don't think I know what to say, Kyouko, making use of her abnormal superhuman strength, as she started to make a piercing attack, she tossed with force the truck she was standing on.

Describing a beautiful arc, she turned in mid-air. She fell onto me like that.

Along with a thunderous roar as if the earth was splitting, a cloud of dust danced in the air.

"Wah!?"

I managed to narrowly dodge that. If my reaction was one second late, by now I would have become as flat as her chest.

"Ah~! Why did you avoid it...? Had it hit, you wouldn't have need to suffer."

Hey, hey. You must be joking... What ridiculous strength.

"What the heck! Didn't you want to make a contract until just now!?"

"... Maybe it's Haru who doesn't understand anything. To monsters, what the meaning of the contract with a tamer is... If it continues like this and that ghoul girl fetches the contract, I'll act like this."

"..."

That's right, Zonmi also said the same thing before.

But because of that, is it good this contracting by force...?

<nowiki>*</nowiki>GURUN*, Kyouko wielded the aforementioned truck.

That's bad, her reach is too long. I don't think I can avoid being hit.

And if I try to stop the attack, both my arms will end up totally smashed.

Like that, I had a single option left. I kicked the ground and dashed at full power.

"Ku..."

<nowiki>*</nowiki>GOTSUN*, a dull sound echoed through my bones. It seems like I couldn't avoid it by a paper-thin margin.

It seems that my left leg ended up taking serious damage. I don't think I can keep standing very long.

"Sorry, Haru. I really didn't want to show such violent behavior..."

"Why do you... Show me something like this, Kyouko!"

Or perhaps, could it be that it's bad manners to ask that?

However, I couldn't help but ask.

It's like that, after all? Till now, I was thinking of Kyouko as a human. I don't know nothing about Kyouko as a Nephilim...

"Right... For starters, why don't we talk about our clan?"

While looking from above me, my leg broken, Kyouko told with a serious tone.

"Us, the Nephilim clan, while being from the giant tribe, are a heretic breed born from crossbreeding between humans and fallen angels... In other words, we are incomplete beings that don't belong to either of the two.

Though our ancestors originally barely subsisted in a corner of the Netherworld, that became a good pretext. The persecuted Nephilim were chased off from their territory and ended up migrating to the Human world."

"... Really, to me it seems like other people's problems."

"They didn't have any other way. When I was born, the Nephilim clan had been already chased out of the Netherworld. That's why I don't know what the Netherworld looks like."

"..."

"Neither monsters nor humans, we are in between. If, once again, we had a chance to regain our place in the Netherworld... That would only be by making a contract with a monster tamer and attaining some achievements... Although that's my father opinion."

Kyouko laughed bitterly.

Ah, somehow I'm absolutely pitiable.

Kyouko shouldered the destiny of the entire Nephilim tribe.

On one hand, I felt like I was under a kind of joke... About contracts with monsters, that much I understand. Though maybe I noticed it too late.

"Well, then. Haru... This is the finishing blow. You'll be sleeping soon."

<nowiki>*</nowiki>FIUU*, the wind blew. The truck was swung mercilessly.

This time I definitely won't be able to evade. When I closed my eyes with resignation...

"You are truly a useless master, indeed."

Silver hair gently brushed by the wind. A dignified appearance.

Opening my eyes, a slender girl had stopped the truck with an umbrella.

"Zonmi!?"

She was Zonmi. Had she blocked this forceful contacting? Her umbrella blown off to nowhere, her arm bent in an impossible direction with a snap.

"Hey, you, is your arm OK?"

"Don't make light of a ghoul. A wound of this degree is only a scratch."

"..."

That's probably true. I don't think she's bluffing.

"I was holding back. Quickly, move from there... Or do you have a plan?"

"... Ah."

I nodded.

What she said back then... I was reminded of it.

I ran. I ran at full speed.

Luckily, it seems like my injured left leg has recovered considerably. Really, I'm grateful of the seemingly magical constitution of my body.

"Ha-Haru... Don't escape!"

She swung the truck downwards.

However, this time I wasn't that scared... I felt an inexplicable calmness.

<nowiki>*</nowiki>FLASH!*

Moving as nimbly as a cat, Zonmi blocked the descending truck with her body.

"... Thank you."

"It-it's nothing, you don't have to thank me. If you want to repay me, do it with actions!"

I looked at Zonmi, whose skull had sunk; let's keep a secret what those bits that could be seen were.

I sprinted towards the gate. Looking carefully at the crudely piled up trucks, there is a gap I could pass through by bending myself a little. Praying that it wouldn't crumble, I quickly passed through the trucks.

This... It's seems like I won't go home empty-handed.

As I sensed a heavy pressure, I headed to the station as fast as I could.

Though I was curious about the course of Zonmi and Kyouko's battle, nothing good would come for me.

International Monster Association. Though that's quite a suspicious name it has, I couldn't help but feel that it had the key to the problem.

I was running with a speed that wouldn't lose even to that of Melos when he wanted to save Selinuntius<ref>Both Melos and Selinuntius are characters of the story [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Run,_Melos! Run, Melos!].</ref>.

I boarded a train that arrived with good timing.

<center>× × ×</center>

After reaching my target destination, I was speechless.

If I thought that it'd be an easily recognizable place... There was the indispensable necessity for a home's dinner table, the local based retail shop "Sakurazaka butchery".

Seriously...? Is this my hometown...?

Looking at "Sakurazaka butchery" like the map told, it was a run-of-the-mill tattered and inconspicuous building. It seems that the International Monster Association's branch office was located on the third floor.

Since I asked... I hope I can get some results.

Filled with anxiety, I went up the stairs. While I was going from second to third floor...

... A pink snake appeared before my eyes.

With its swollen belly, it looked like a never-before-seen species.

Is this... A monster?

Twirling it's tongue, it seemed to be saying "follow me" without words.

What the heck... Could this be some kind of trap?

But, even if I worry, it can't be helped. As if following the snake, I passed through the door of the branch office. Inside there was such a mess that it resembled, for example, a so-called "jumbled bedroom of a college student". There were so many books and documents scattered everywhere that it was difficult to find a place to stand.

Taking a look inside, there was a person collapsed on top of a slightly large desk. It was a woman.

She had long eyelashes on her narrow eyes. A well-proportioned nose. Long, glossy and slightly wavy fair hair.

With an overall composed atmosphere, a person that gave the feeling of an unbelievably pretty young woman.

[[File:Maou_na_Ore_to_Fushihime_no_Yubiwa_p101.png|thumb]]

"You were... Let's see... Chiharu-kun, if I'm not mistaken?"

"That's right, but... Who are you?"

Though having one's own name disclosed gave a tinge of uneasiness... That much was crystal clear.

Knowing my name, this person surely... is somehow related to monster tamers.

"I'm Luka. Everybody calls me that.<ref>i.e. without honorifics.</ref> I'm the monster tamer entrusted with the protection of this area... It's fine if you call it a kind of recognition."

The monster tamer that guards this area... I've heard that there are many IMA branches throughout the world. Could it be that each one has a monster tamer in charge of each section?

"This is the branch office of the International Monster Association, isn't it? Isn't the public information about it a bit too open?"

"That's right. It seems like in the olden days they liked to be a little more concealed, but now it's different. Wouldn't you understand by looking at the situation outside? That's not something you can hide for long."

"... How did the world end up like that?"

"That's what we want to know, Chiharu-kun. Before long, the world will approach an unprecedented crisis. That's why this time we assumed the risk of recruiting a large number of Monster tamers. We expect your participation."

"..."

Though she is talking about a risk, even I knew that she meant the Monster rebellion or the reports.

Softening the traffic through the Abyss Gate that connects the Netherworld and the Human World.

Is that the extent of the risk we must assume...?

"Then, did you want to ask only that?"

".. No, I came here to day to ask something."

"Fu, fu; what do you mean?"

Luka-san showed a captivating smile.

I told her the whole story.

My election as a Monster tamer. Being stuck in the middle of a conflict between the Ghoul and Nephilim clans. The scattering sparks of the confrontation those two had just a while ago.

'Ah, this person must be consulted about things like this a lot.'

Luka's attitude while listening to my talk was enough to make you think like that.

However, only a little.

If there was something that piqued my attention, was the manner in which, in the middle of my speech, Luka-san contained her laughter... I wasn't saying anything funny.

"Yeah, I more or less understand... Chiharu-kun is still a child."

"I'm... a child?"

"Yeah, a child. Specifically, the kind of child that eats his hamburger with ketchup."

"What's with that evaluation standard!?"

"Adults eat plain oroshiponzu<ref>A Japanese sauce made of soy, citrus juice and grated radish.</ref>."

"What, I didn't know!?"

I was worried to be told that my common sense didn't resemble the common sense of the world.

"Then, in the end. Which monster do you choose?"

"Which one... Would it be a problem if I don't choose?"

"Yeah, I'd say a big one. You are seriously a good-for-nothing."

"..."

Those words hurt deeply as if they were arrows.

How do I say it... Luka-san is someone with a mysterious atmosphere.

Rather talkative and loving to joke, it was like her eyes could see through anything as if it were totally transparent.

"Well, why don't you try to change your way of thinking? Which one would you like as a girlfriend?"

"What's with that kind of twist?"

We're not making any progress... Concluding that, I tried to get right to the point.

"Frankly, I'd like that you taught me a way so that no one gets injured. Please teach me a way so that Zonmi, Kyouko and I will all be happy."

"How sweet. Don't you think you are asking for something unreasonable?"

"... I suppose."

"There's one way."

"There is!?"

Looking at her eyes, I understood. She's like Manami... Someone born under the star of extreme sadism. Perhaps, making fun of people is her only way to have fun.

"However, though it would be fine to teach you, there are conditions. Will you do me a favor?"

Luka-san let out a captivating laugh.

Sincerely, even though I was annoyed because I felt like I was dancing on the palm of her hand, I nodded reluctantly.

"In short words, since about three days from now I want to go on vacation, I'd like you to guard this area in the meantime. Could you? You seem like a reassuring comrade. You see, since while I'm entrusted with this task, I don't have the chance of traveling afar..."

"Wa-Wait a minute! Is it OK leaving that kind of serious duty to other people to do!?"

"Don't worry, don't worry. It's a special situation."

Even when you talk about it incredibly lightly, isn't that quite a serious duty...

"If something important happens like having to guide a newbie tamer, as long as you don't act unstylishly, that's fine. Be at ease."

"A newbie tamer... Hey, I haven't agreed to become a Monster tamer yet..."

"Is that so!?"

Luka-san began to talk like she had just remembered something.

Are you ignoring what I say...?

"I'll kindly give you some advice. As you know, newbie tamers have to choose one out of three monsters given that match their own aptitude, who will become their chosen partner. Do you understand the meaning of this?"

"Eehm, what's the meaning?"

"Right now, there are two monsters before you. Those two were both proposed as choices to you. As far as I know... Should there be one other more?"

"And that one... has yet to appear?"

"You should take that possibility into account. It seems... That your misfortune has only just started."

"... Don't say something ominous that seems like a line from a cancelled manga."

Though I was curious about the words Luka-san had said, I feel we should follow the track we were on for now.

To guard the area while Luka-san is gone... I don't understand well, but should I try to ask Zonmi and Kyouko to collaborate for the time being...?

With my chest filled with determination, I left that place.

<center>× × ×</center>

"I'm home!"

"..."

Zonmi appeared when I was changing out of my outdoor shoes at the entryway after returning home.

On top of the worn-out clothes I gave her, for some reason she was wearing an apron, but it was OK.

That's... Supposed to be a gag?

There was a large knife stabbed into Zonmi's forehead.

"Hey... Is your head OK?"

"Wha-Whaaat!?"

Zonmi raised her voice with her mouth open wide.

"What do you mean!? I'm normal, as you can see; don't lump me together with a pervert like you!"

"... No, it's not that. I mean this, this."

"Ah!"

<nowiki>*JAM*</nowiki>, I extracted the knife that was stuck into Zonmi's head.

If I remember correctly... The one stuck on Zonmi's head was my favorite.

"I mean, how couldn't you notice that you had a knife stuck in your own forehead...?"

When I pointed that out, Zonmi puffed her cheeks.

"It cant be helped, can it!? Since us ghouls don't bear such an illogical system like what's known as sense of pain!"

She rebutted angrily.

No, no, the sense of pain is something important. It's an important signal that our body sends us as an SOS... Though we could say... That ghouls were seemingly immortal from the start, they have no need of such a function.

"Well, who was the one who did such a horrible thing?"

Surely, that must not be self-inflicted.

While I had a hunch about who was the culprit, I had to at least ask.

"It was Chiharu's little sister. I don't know why, but she suddenly stabbed me."

"As expected."

Frightening.

Had Zonmi not been a ghoul, what did she plan to do?

Fiuu... I had been on the verge of shouldering a crime that would have haunted me my whole life.

"Well, I still have many questions..."

"Yes, like?"

"After that, how did you end your battle with Kyouko?"

Though I'm worried by my sister's insurgence, that comes first.

I couldn't see any big injuries on Zonmi's body, with the exception of her forehead, and since she has returned to my home, does that mean she had won?

"I have no excuse. I managed to corner her, but... In the end, she managed to slip out at the last second."

"... Is that so?"

More than enough.

That Kyouko that boasted such a superhuman strength as being able to wield a truck with one hand managed to slip out. Zonmi's true ability is probably more than I expected, though.

"Mmm... Mmmm!"

For some reason, I could hear my sister shrieking.

"Hey, Zonmi... By the way, what did you do with Manami?"

"If you mean your sister, didn't I restrain her with ropes so she didn't act violently?"

"..."

She calmly told me. What are you doing with other people's little sisters, you punk.

When I was about to voice that, Manami appeared tied in a turtle-shell bondage...

"Oo... Mmm..."

She probably tried to mutter "Onii-chan!", but I couldn't understand it due to the towel stuffed into her mouth.

Even if I was curious of where Zonmi could have learnt to tie a turtle-shell bondage when there's no chance for that within a normal lifestyle, right now that didn't matter.

"Wait, I'll help you right now."

"... Please, stop. Once you unbind her, what if she goes on a rampage again? To contain her brutishness, isn't it better to leave her like that?"

"Is my sister some kind of beast?"

Come to think of it, the transfer student introduced herself like that on her first day.

Zonmi truly hates humans...

I thought about that while I removed the towel from her mouth.

This situation... Rather than your run-in-the-mill teasing, somehow I got the opposite feeling.

"... Haaah! O-onii-chan! Who is that!? She didn't die even though I killed her, she's totally weird!"

"Calm down, Manami, aren't you the weird one? For starters, it isn't ethical to kill someone."

I don't know why, but I seem to be surrounded by people without a speck of common sense. Crap, now my head is hurting.

"You zombie girl! Don't get near my Oniiiii~-chan! Scram!"

"I'm not a zombie. I'm a proud ghoul, Zonmi."

Zonmi muttered a complaint.

Ah, of course she'd fuss over that.

"Well, about stabbing kitchen knives in people's foreheads... it's bad, OK?"

"Bu-but sheee~! She came all of a sudden and said 'I'll live together with oniichan'! I won't allow that!"

"Did you say that... Zonmi?"

"Yes. So that something like today doesn't happen again. At least until the end of our agreement, don't leave my field of view."

"..."

Certainly Zonmi could also help me with other things when going out of the house. I don't know when Kyouko will try to make a contract by force again.

"Listen, Manami... We don't have another option. Even though I don't want to go along with that, but the circumstances don't allow us to not live together..."

"Wha-what? You have to cohabit even when you don't want to go along?"

"We~ll, there are some deep issues..."

"Onii-chan... Could it be that she's your sex friend?... That's it! I won't allow it! Kill, I'll kill her! Onii-chan, untie me! I have to kill her!"

"What things are you saying?"

"Urk!"

I poked Manami in the forehead.

As you see, Manami has a tendency to easily go on instant rampage, but if you talk things with her, she has good sense... Though even I wasn't sure if that's really the case.

"Mmmph<nowiki>~~~</nowiki>! Onii-chan, how cheeky. For this, I'll whip you later a hundred times as a punishment."

As I expected, she has always been like this...

"Se-se-se-sex fr..."

For some reason, Zonmi's face was as red as a tomato and muttering something under her breath.

"Hurry, untie me quickly! Onii-chan is being tricked by this demon! I must open your eyes!"

"If I untie you, you shall listen to the circumstances."

"Mmm~"

I unbound Manami's ropes.

I'd wish that once I'm done no more troubles arise, but maybe that's wishful thinking...

<center>× × ×</center>

Later. After wasting a whole hour persuading Manami, we went to have dinner. Over the round table there was a menu of karaage accompanied by salad and miso soup that, while simple, suited our tastes.

I was surprised that Zonmi made all of this without help.

Something that was bothering me, it seems that Zonmi was wearing an apron earlier because she was preparing to make dinner.

The sweet oily aroma of the deep-frying greatly aroused our appetite.

"Ooh, this is delicious."

The outside was crispy while the inside was juicy. At the same time, a nice spicy flavor filled my mouth.

"Is that so? I learnt how to make it to suit your tastes."

"Mmm~. Onii-chan exaggerates! When he's in front of a beauty, he just makes a stupid grin! You glutton!"

"If that's so, try to eat too."

Showing her dissatisfaction, my sister threw the karaage into her mouth.

"...!"

"How's it, delicious?"

"Hmph. It's really not a big deal! The food onii-chan cooks is a hundred times more delicious!"

Despite saying that, Manami moved the chopsticks with amazing speed... This fellow's not honest.

Since we have no father and mom has been living overseas because of work forever, I was usually in charge of cooking. It wasn't my intention, but something inevitable.

It's not like Manami couldn't cook... But if I let her, I don't know what she would mix with it. No, I'm not joking.

"That was surprising. Zonmi, you cook really well."

"Of course. That's because to us monsters, food is an indispensable source of magical power."

"Eeh~, so it's like that."

It seems like magic replenishment works like normal nutrition.

"This miso soup, in particular. It doesn't lose to the one I usually make, even though the ingredients are all the same... Huh?"

"That miso soup alone was done by your sister. She stubbornly kept telling me 'I'll make it'..."

What the heck. I had a very unpleasant premonition.

"... Sorry. I'll go throw this out the sink."

"Ah! Onii-chan, meanie! This time I didn't put anything weird!"

"As if I would believe you! You have too many antecedents! Be sincere, have you put anything dangerous in it?"

"I really didn't put anything this time... Well, except for a handful of love..."

"... As I thought, I'm throwing it out."

"Uwaaaaaaaa! Time out, onii-chan! It was 30,000 yen for ten grams! I used up my meager savings to buy it!"

"As if I know!"

I had to take advantage of this momentum to get rid of the miso soup.

"Gyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!"

Manami emitted a strange sound like that of an uprooted mandragora.

"..."

Zonmi stared at us siblings' usual behavior with such a cold gaze that could almost freeze.

No, what am I saying? Really... what was that?

"... Well, then, have you come up with a plan to overcome that?"

"Yeah, about that..."

I told her about what happened earlier with Luka-san.

"Is that so? If that's what Luka said, we can trust that information."

"Eh, you know her? Is Luka-san a celebrity?"

"The Snake charmer monster tamer... Luka the Snake tamer. A competent monster tamer that's first in the list to become the next Maou. Having accomplished innumerable achievements, she's a charismatic celebrity even in the Netherworld."

I see. I thought she was someone with an extraordinary aura around her, but was she such an amazing person?

"To protect the area... Is it? Since, in the first place, it's not like anything big will happen, the degree of difficulty of that mission should be very low."

"... There shouldn't be any big incidents in this area."

"That's why, we shan't be negligent. For that, from tomorrow onwards, we have to successfully guard this area."

"Eh, but school..."

"It ended half destroyed during my battle with the Nephilim. It will be closed for a while."

"..."

I take back what I said.

Police, help! Something big has happened!

My chest is filled with feelings of guilt.

Incidentally, when I looked at Manami, 'Mph!', with her lips pursed, she looked displeased for some reason.

"Hey, in other words, isn't that a date?"

"Absolutely not, why don't you listen to what people say?"

"Liar! Even if you give this or that pretext, isn't that two people spending all day together? That's a date, after all!"

"Ha, ha, what things you say, Manami. Hey, Zonmi, say something..."

"Da-da-date... Date..."

Zonmi was looking down, her cheeks dyed red for some reason.

... Hey, why didn't you deny it.

"Mmmmph. See, like I said! I definitely won't approve it! It's too early to go on a date with oniichan, how audacious!"

"And what would you expect me to do, spending all day sleeping at home?"

Even if I conceded and called it a date, I don't know why I would need approval from my sister.

"I will also go with you. It's only fair."

"Sorry, I don't understand. First, there's no benefit from your tagging along."

"There are benefits."

"Isn't that at best a punchline with something like a low-acidity shampoo?"

"It's not... Or should I say I have doubts of your sense of humor..."

While she threw me a scornful glance, 'Ahem!', Manami cleared her throat and continued.

"Onii-chan, wouldn't it be bad if you somehow ended up shopping for clothes or underwear with this zombie?"

"Wah!"

The moment she heard Manami's words, Zonmi's body twitched.

"Ah~. Now that you mention it, her clothes are indeed worn out. As expected, we should buy her new ones."

"Don-don't worry, I don't need them. These clothes are more than enough."

"... Now that you mention it, it seems that somehow you were able to wear our school uniform, from where did you get that?"

"That... I got it from Luka. She also helped me with the school admission."

"Eeh, so it was like that...?"

I had been wondering till now, but that cleared it.

During the two days I hadn't seen Zonmi, she was at Luka-san's place.

"I mean, you zombie there, do you have a change of underwear? You don't perhaps keep wearing the same, right..."

When Manami asked that with scornful eyes, Zonmi's body twitched like a golden fish out of water.

"Hey... Could it be... You..."

"I-I didn't have another way! I couldn't ask anyone to buy me underwear! I-I simply kept wearing those I like... Hey, Chiharu! Don't look at me with those eyes!"

"Ha, ha..."

This means tomorrow we three will end up going shopping.

Of course, about guarding the area, however... I'm certain even a monk would be worried.

<center>× × ×</center>

Later.

Zonmi decided to take a bath, and meanwhile I secretly slipped out of the house.

My aim was, of course, to see how things were going on at Kyouko's side.

Leaving behind a note that said 'I'm going to the convenience store', I went out.

Right now I could be easily attacked but, nevertheless, I couldn't simply leave it be. Even assuming that Kyouko is a monster, it didn't change the fact that she's my childhood friend.

Walking by the street at night, after a short while I saw Kyouko's apartment. It was made of wood and you couldn't call it nice even as flattery. When I was a kid, I often came here to play, but recently I didn't have many chances to visit.

Will she be fine... that girl?

Don't worry. Even if she gives an impression of stern behavior, she's unexpectedly softhearted...

""Ah!""

While turning a corner on the road, I ran into a jersey-clad Kyouko.

"..."

Kyouko held a supermarket bag. At this hour... Perhaps she aimed for the last-minute discount goods<ref>In Japan, supermarkets start giving discounts to unsold goods a little while before closing time in order to get rid of them. For more info, go see or watch the ''Ben-To'' series.</ref> I know since I often also do the same.

"Yo!"

Same as before, There was an awkward mood, but since it was this time, I loudly greeted her.

"What a surprise. You are a shocking idiot... You won't live long."

"Yes, I'm an idiot, did you notice it at last, you idiot?"

Of course it's not like I didn't feel uneasy.

But, right now, I shouldn't leave Kyouko, her eyes full of doubt, alone. That's why,

"Hey, do you want to talk for a bit?"

I made up my mind and broke the ice like that.

I hadn't been to Kyouko's place since elementary school, it really has been five years.

"Ha, ha, ha, it hasn't changed in the slightest, your house."

"Stop it! It can't be helped if since the start we didn't have many things!"

Kyouko's room had only the necessary minimum furniture, living with a simplicity you wouldn't expect of a girl her age. At school, Kyouko gives a gorgeous impression. If those guys in class knew, they'd surely faint.

"Would you like something to drink?"

"Aye."

"Calpis, perhaps?"

"No, I don't like the calpis you serve here because it's watery!"

Silent kick (omitted).

"Barley tea, please."

"OK."

As we conversed like that, I was relieved.

Good, Kyouko hasn't changed.

At least it seems I don't have to worry being suddenly attacked.

Unintentionally, I remembered the times I came to this house to play in elementary school.

When was it?... Since playing with girls was embarrassing, my relation with Kyouko ended up straining. Also, could it be because of the deep memories this place held?... As this house hadn't changed in the last five years, I felt a strange sense of security.

A while later, Kyouko returned with cups on both hands.

"Say, don't you think I could attack you?"

Muttered Kyouko while lowering her back to the floor.

"Did you plan on attacking?"

"Well. You've seen my battle with that ghoul. There's no reason for that kind of thing. Sorry, Haru, that time... Somehow it ended like that."

"Is that so? That's good. Since I also want my first time to be with the girl I like."

Playing dumb, Kyouko chuckled a little.

"Haru, please look behind for a moment."

"Why so sudden?"

"It's fine."

Being told that, I turned back.

Let me see, I feel that recently things always develop like that... Especially today.

When I turned around after hearing a 'Now it's fine', I found Kyouko had removed her clothes.

Wearing nothing but her underwear, Kyouko's upper body, though unconsciously trembling, gave a sense of earnestness as she said the following:

"I'll show you from now on, my true form."

"... OK."

As soon as she told that, black things clearly sprouted from Kyouko's back.

Covered by thin hair, they became the shape of wings.

It would be difficult to compare them with something of this world, but if you force me to do it, they were closer to bat wings... They weren't things you could call lovely even as flattery. They were eerie wings that stirred up unpleasant and disturbing feelings.

"This is only a part, If you wish I can fully transform. Want to see?"

"No, that's OK..."

Better refrain from that. As what I'm seeing doesn't give a very pleasant feeling, if I see more than that my head will probably hurt.

"Since about when..."

As a shadow covered her face, Kyouko muttered:

"I was aware I wasn't a human ever since I was born... I didn't learn it. It was harsh. Even while concealing my true self, I couldn't become close to anyone..."

"... Why didn't you tell me until now?"

"I couldn't, this form... is revolting, right?"

"..."

I couldn't either deny or confirm it.

While one must be able to solve his own problems<ref>The literal translations is "one must finish no matter what laundry", which I take it means "one must solve his own problems, no matter how difficult they are"; if you know an equivalent English expression, feel free to change it.</ref>, I couldn't make an instantaneous decision.

"While it may seem a trifling matter to other people, I often pondered about what kind of person I was. Always wondering for what reason I was born."

"..."

"But, you know? Recently, at last, I had a chance to make good use of this power. That was when I knew Haru had been chosen as a monster tamer. I was glad. If I could display my power for the sake of someone close to me, I thought wouldn't it be a happy thing in the end?"

"Really?"

So she was thinking about those kind of things.

"But it's too late. It may be too late. Today, you know, when I gathered my strength and decided to open my heart, there was already another girl beside Haru. I was scared. I felt she had stolen the place I'd just found... that's why I made a fool of myself. Why did it end up like this?... In addition to this creepy things... I made myself be hated..."

Kyouko looked downwards, droplets dripping from her eyes.

... Now that I think, Kyouko has always been like this.

Really, who was it that she got this bad habit from, pretending to be tough with a composed face... She ends up shouldering all of her troubles alone.

That's why today I'm extremely happy.

This fellow has conveyed her true intentions to me.

I softly put my hand on Kyouko's head and gently stroked her hair.

"Aren't you always causing a ruckus? I got used to it long ago."

"But..."

Worried about Kyouko, I said.

"Kyouko, the elementary school graduation album. On the column of our dreams for the future, do you remember what I wrote I wanted to be?"

"... A stag beetle."

Those were records labeled as 'Dark History' on my internal memory folder.

"Correct, they have it good. They are free to eat nothing but watermelon. Moreover, they are cool because they have horns."

"... What do you mean?"

"Don't you understand? My dream hasn't changed since then, I still want to be a stag beetle! That's why, don't worry, your wings are honestly cool. They are not creepy at all."

"... Aren't you stupid. Saying these kind of things even though you are in middle school..."

"That's it, you hadn't noticed until now, stu~pid?"

That day, Kyouko cried.

What's more, they were happy tears.

Because of that, I got home late and was severely tied by the two girls awaiting there.

I cried too.

Since those two's punishment honestly wasn't a joke. Saying 'Human, it would be best if you died.', I feel you don't want to know the rest.

Perhaps, I won't forget in my life what happened today.

What I'm saying, I feel this is the most dense time in my life.

[[File:Maou_na_Ore_to_Fushihime_no_Yubiwa_p131.png|300px]]

<br style="clear:both"/>

<noinclude>

==References and Translation Notes==
<references />

{{SimpleNav}}
</noinclude>

Maou na Ore to Fushihime no Yubiwa:Volume 2 Chapter 2

2021-02-16T12:39:06Z

Kemm: She took the umbrella from no discernible place: nor her bag, nor her cleavage, nor under her skirt. Also, leave furigana alone, there is a reason for it.

==Chapter 2: Cooperative tactic!?==

Recently I feel like I’m losing my dignity as a man.

Speaking frankly, I’m being made fun of.

And that’s because.

The pretty freeloader ghoul girl that came suddenly ― Zonmi R. McKenzie.

The devil-like little sister that lurks inside the Kusumi home ― Kusumi Manami.

Currently trapped in the pace of these two, my life of being dominated goes by without issue.

Hey, hey.

What a situation I, whose catchphrase is “To hell with sissy main characters” and does not want also to be known as a “bossy husband in the flesh”, have ended in…

It’s an urgent matter that must not be left unresolved.

… Nevertheless.

A ghoul and my blood-related sister. That pair of selfish-to-the-core pretty girls that are constantly letting out sighs of ‘Something must be done about this personality…!’ are impossible to be kept in check.

In the end, I ― today like always I can’t help but being controlled.

“Chiharu. Are they going to celebrate a festivity soon in this town?”

Morning. While waiting for the bus in front of the station.

While standing to my right, the one who asked me that was Zonmi the ghoul.

Straight long silver hair reminiscent of white snow, slender limbs.

Her features without flaw, her dignified gaze gives her a cold aura ― a beautiful girl with the atmosphere of a cool beauty.

“Aah. You mean the Saegusa festival. It’s a big festival that encompasses the Tanabata Festival, a summer festival and a fireworks rally.”

The preparation being made in Saegusa city as the day approaches have greatly changed the town scenery.

Though there’s still time until Tanabata, the hastiest shops have already started to place the stalls.

“I see. It’s a festival overflowing with greed. By the way, Chiharu, are you planning on going with someone to it?”

“Nope. No one in special at this moment…”

“Is that so? That’s surprising.”

“… Izzat so?”

Could it be that inside Zonmi’s head I give an impression of having many friends?

Though that said, it’s not very wrong.

Zonmi, pondering about something for a moment,

“By the way, Chiharu, are you currently seeing someone?”

That’s quite the sudden question she has made.

“In the least. that’s not possible…”

Simply look at my usual lifestyle and you’d understand!

Even if I’ve been truthful, for some reason Zonmi’s expression harbors suspicion.

“Chiharu… It’s not good to lie to me. Wouldn’t it be better for you to tell me the truth?”

“I’m not lying…”

Isn’t that because I couldn’t get a girlfriend for 16 years?

“I see. I’ve got a gist of the situation.”

“Hoo, so you’ve finally understood?”

“Yes. There’s no ‘person’ you’re going out with, because it’s a ‘monster’ who you are going out with. Isn’t that what Chiharu means?”

“Wouldn’t it better be that I have neither a human girlfriend nor a monster girlfriend!?”

“… Muu.”

Even when I explained myself without delay, Zonmi seems like she’s still not convinced.

Why does Zonmi distrust me that much.

Or rather, that about a ‘monster girlfriend’ gives the impression of having a highly destructive potential…

“―Ah!”

I’ve just realized something.

“Could you be talking about the pendant?”

So it was that. I had totally forgotten that I’m wearing the pendant I found yesterday.

When I asked, Zonmi nodded with an embarrassed face,

“Yeah. No matter what, it doesn’t seem to suit Chiharu…”

“… Perhaps a little.”

I’m not someone who wears many accessories, for starters.

“Could it be something you received from a past lover?”

“Hardly, since as I’ve kept telling you, I’m a male virgin who’s been 16 years without a girlfriend.”

Don’t make me say it. It’s embarrassing.

“…”

“…”

“……”

“…… Wha?”

Even though I’ve said the truth, it seems as if the air around us instantly froze.

It seems that “male virgin” is a taboo expression to Zonmi.

“So it’s like that. It seems that I became oversuspicious. Of course someone that speaks with no delicacy… Won’t be able to get a lover. No doubt I must excuse myself.”

Zonmi looks like she despises me.

“… No problem.”

Looks like I’ve cleared her doubts, but… What the heck. This is surely very complex…

“Haah…”

I let out a deep sigh.

No matter what, I didn’t think this pendant would raise so much suspicion.

Do I look like an outsider to fashion?

Since it appeared out of nowhere inside my room and it surprisingly fit me nicely, I tried wearing it, but… Truth to be told, I didn’t think it would cause such a fuss.

Have I to conceal it under my shirt<ref>I don’t know whether what Japanese call Y-Shaatsu is a WHITE shirt or a short-sleeved shirt; I only know that the term does not exist on the main English-speaking countries. - In English speaking nations, what the Japanese call a Y-Shirt is called a button up shirt, or dress shirt. And English speaking countries have no clue why the Japanese call them Y-Shirts.</ref> so to prevent someone else from seeing it, getting suspicious and causing a riot?

“Getting back on track. So, you are not going to participate this year?”

“Nope. I had planned on going, at least…”

Maybe I’ll go together with my classmate Youhei… I believe that, him being him, it seems that he won’t let the chance escape.

“I have been asked by Manami, like a demon, day after day, but… Going to a festival with my little sister at our age is of course embarrassing… I think I better pass."

“I see. I think it’s a commendable judiciousness.”

“If you’re interested, would you like that us two went together?”

“… Wha?”

As it seemed that Zonmi became momentarily speechless and had her mouth agape, soon after she became panicked with her face pure red ―

“Whawhawha, what the heck do you plan by saying that!? Maybe, what you mean with those words… Do you have the intention to be on a date with me!?”

“… No. Nothing so flashy.”

My intentions.

“Wasn’t only recently that Zonmi came to Saegusa city? You’re still not familiar with this area.”

Needless to say, my aim is that if I have someone that I planned to go with, it will be easier to fend off my sister’s approaches.

“… Th-thank you very much from the bottom of my heart.”

Totally in disarray, Zonmi took a deep breath in.

“Sadly, I must decline. Because basking under the summer sun while taking a stroll in the middle of a crowd… Is life-threatening to a ghoul…”

“Ah―”

That’s right, didn’t she tell me before? That each year in summer 100,000 ghouls were sent to hospital?

If it’s like that, then there’s no way around it.

And recently it’s been abnormally hot.

To the human-hating + weak to heat Zonmi, an event like a festival could be like hell.

“Then… Though I can’t attend to the summer festival, what if we go somewhere indoors―”

“KyeeeeeEEEEEEEEE―――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――!!”

“!?”

The moment Zonmi started talking, a shriek like that of an uprooted mandragora was heard.

Glancing on the direction of the voice ― a pretty girl came out of a trash bin placed on the street.

Big and round eyes like those of a small chick.

Nicely developed big breasts.

Her black hair, pride of Japan, was arranged as a ponytail at the back of her head.

Kusumi Manami. The one that has suddenly come out of a trash bin is my little sister.

“What the heck is that, oniichan!? I demand an explanation! How come I don’t get what you mean at all!?”

“Calm down, Manami. Isn’t it you the one who has to give a explanation!? That thing you are doing… Is it a human jack-in-the-box!?”

However.

As if it was only natural, Manami turned a deaf ear.

Instead, she criticized her brother’s humor sense by letting out “Uwah. Don’t make that comparison” in a small voice.

"Why, while you turn down my approaches, are you making an appointment with the zombie? That’s totally weird!”

“…”

I do it in order to have a good pretext to turn down your approaches… That’s something I won't say even if you rip my mouth open.

How come. This situation… How can I get over it?

It seems like Manami is in the right this time.

If my invitations were turned down and I saw the other party asking out a total stranger… Even if I’m not Manami, it wouldn’t sit right with me.

There’s no option… I’ll use ‘that’.

The last resource when in trouble. It tends to work.

As it makes use of Manami’s feelings, though I don’t like it, I have no other way.

Brushing away my forelocks, I struck a somewhat exaggerated cool pose.

“Listen, Manami. This is totally for your sake…”

“Eh…”

Manami let out a little sigh with a befuddled face.

“… Wait a bit, what?”

Yosh. Hook, line and sink.

My little sister’s expression turned in a flash into that of a lovestruck maiden.

“I’m your brother, right? Since you are more important to me than anyone else… Ain’t I telling you to harden your heart? Next year, you’re also gonna be a high school student. Won’t it be troubling to you if you cannot let go of your brother by then? I beg you, Manami. Make your brother feel relieved and make a single friend before then.”

“…”

It’s really something I can’t endure. Due to Manami’s bad habit of having a much-too-strong sex drive, she had no one she could call a friend in elementary and middle school.

That’s why my words ― are my sincere true feelings.

Though it’ll be good that Manami learns to not cling to her brother for a bit…

“Understood… If that’s what oniichan says… Manami… Will try. From now on I’ll make a friend to go together with to the festival.”

“That’s it… Did you understand?...”

Shit. I got some tears in eyes.

As I expected, if you make Manami listen properly, she’s quite the sensible child…

“In turn, if Manami does as oniichan said and can make a friend to go with to the festival… There’s something I want as a reward. Will you promise me?”

“… Promise?”

“Not now ― once it happens, oniichan. Let’s go together to the festival.”

“Eh.”

What the heck does she mean by that.

After going to the festival with a friend, double booking by going together to the festival with me?

I mean… Isn’t that completely going back to the start line!?

“Hey, Manami… By saying you will make a friend in order to let go of your brother, isn’t that putting the cart before the horse?“

“Pretty please! This is the last I will ask of you! I want my last memory of middle school, by all means, to be going together to a festival with my brother…”

“…”

Since it’s unusual that Manami asks for something so meekly, I ended up rejecting it on impulse.

Thinking about it… Isn’t this to some extent better than keeping being insistently asked to the festival?

I don’t want to say it, but the chances of my sister that has been a solo player all her life to successfully make a friend in the lapse of a few days… Are far slimmer than the chances of survival of an ocean sunfish’s<ref><i>Mola mola</i>, a fish, wiki it.</ref> offspring.

“Understood. I’ll promise you that.”

After talking with a bit of a serious tone, Manami, with her feelings seemingly overflowing,

“I did iiit!! Oniichan, I love youuu!!”

<nowiki>*MUGYUUUUUUUUUUUUU*</nowiki>

Manami hugged me with all of her tender body.

Also, how much longer will you stay inside that trash bin?

Since the start, being hugged by my sister doesn’t make me very happy, but the stench like dead crayfish that comes from her hair adds up an extra layer.

If you’re going to be hugging, take out the rubbish from your hair.

“Chiharu, you adulterer.”

Zonmi badmouthed me, with a glare cold like a North Pole blizzard.

“…Ah.”

This is bad. Could it be that, this time, is Zonmi the one who has lost her temper?

Now that I say it, that’s right. I may have been insensible from my part to promptly make this kind of promise with my sister only minutes after having asked her out.

Being these two the women most near to me, unless you are very careful, the troubles won’t stop.

“Sorry. About this…”

“Jealous wench!”

By promptly making a follow-up, Manami didn’t let me continue.

“Shitty zombie! Read the mood! As you see, oniichan has chosen Manami♪ That’s why, get out♪”

“… Ku.”

Zonmi made a face as if she had bit a lemon,

“How many times do I have to say it to you so that you understand!? My name isn’t zombie. It’s Zonmi! I’m a descendant of the proud since ancient times ghoul clan, Zonmi R. McKenzie!”

She rebuked with her usual catchphrase.

It seems that Zonmi being a ghoul she can’t stomach being treated as a zombie.

“Haa… Still with that? I’m fed up with that sentence!”

“Hey. It’s a problem that you are fed up…”

“Straight to the point, zombie-san. Aren’t you excessively close to oniichan despite being a newcomer? Going together to school every morning, you surely feel important. Could it be~, despite not being going out you feel like you’re his girlfriend?”

“Wha-wha-wha-what are you saying!? If you say that, then you too!”

“With me, it’s fine! Since I’m oniichan’s little sister♪”

“… Is that reason enough? If it’s like that, than I’m Chiharu’s partner. ―So it’s only my natural duty to serve at his side.”

Saying that, Zonmi showed the silvery glittering contract ring.

Some days ago, I formally established an employer-employee relation using the ring.

For that reason, Zonmi and me are wearing matching rings.

Contrastively with Zonmi’s face of triumph, Manami’s factions got shrouded in darkness.

“Ring… Oniichan and the zombie are wearing matching rings…”

“…Ah!”

This is very bad.

A switch has totally been flipped.

“I won’t forgive you… Never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never!”

My sister’s brother complex has sincerely deplorably gone out of track.

That’s bad.

So bad that it’s on the level of making even monsters run away.

Even Zonmi has gone pale.

“Let’s go, Chiharu! It’s dangerous to stay here!”

“… Yup.”

Zonmi took my hand.

It seems we can’t afford to wait for the bus.

The instant we left the station as if we were in agreement, a tremendous killing intent was felt at our backs.

“Aaa, You’ve taken…”

“Eh…”

“You’ve taken―, You’ve taken the hand―――――!! You’ve taken oniichan’s hand――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――!!"

I carefully looked back.

There, Manami, with the face of a demon, had taken out of nowhere a couple of huge knifes with 40 cm. of blade length, and isn’t she shortening distances with us with ferocious speed!?

Man… I don’t know what’s what…

With this you can’t tell who’s the monster.

“Chiharu, raise your speed.”

“Y-Yeah!”

Zonmi was dashing while strongly pulling my hand.

―Zonmi is of course a monster, and seeing it like that makes me too quite the monster tamer.

Could it be due to producing magic power? As of recent, my physical ability has risen conspicuously, reaching a level that can’t be compared with a normal person.

That’s why ― I don’t have to worry about the chance in a million that my sister catches us―

That’s what I was thinking at the moment.

“Hya!”

As I thought I’d heard a little shriek, suddenly, Zonmi’s arm that was pulling on my hand ― was severed while fresh blood gushed out.

“Fufufu. At last, I caught you♪”

From behind… No, wrong. It was from the front.

Before we could have noticed ― there was my sister covered in the red of shed blood.

What an amazing feat, my sister not only defeated a monster tamer and his partner in speed, but managed to sever the right arm that Zonmi was using to pull my hand too.

Emm, where did she acquire such pointless combat ability?

Good grief, that’s bad for the heart.

Had Zonmi not been from the ghoul clan…. Wouldn’t that have been no laughing matter?

“Fufufu. Lass. How dare you cut my arm… Today for sure I won’t forgive you.”

“Bring it on♪ Everyone who gets close to onii-chan is an enemy♪ I’ll chop up your heart and body!”

“…”

Taking an {{Furigana|umbrella|weapon}} from nowhere, Zonmi faced my sister.

My sister being my sister, she faced Zonmi with the aforementioned huge kitchen knives while smiling ominously.<ref>If Manami isn't actually an Oni-Baba (Demonic Hag: Depraved. Loves kitchen knives and eating people. Highly territorial and jealous.) I will be very surprised.</ref>

Man… I don’t know what’s what anymore…

Ever since Zonmi became a freeloader in the Kusumi residence, every day has been like this.

Even if I’m so worried, can’t I even sigh!?

My spirits are almost as low as when I threw a tantrum because I stained my newly bought shirt with curry sauce.

Paying no attention to those two, I carefully got out of that place and went to school alone.

<center>× × ×</center>

“Then, have you heard, Chiharu?”

Lunch break.

My classmate from the seat next to mine, Sakurazaka Youhei, asked me with his cheeks stuffed with flavored bread.

This good friend of mine is a man of the currently styled ‘low fuel consumption hybrid’ kind, who likes 2D girls and loves 3D girls.

“It seems A-class has decided to do caramel apples.”

“Eeh. Is that so. Tanaka from C-class does frankfurts. And didn’t Yamazaki from D-class chose chocolate bananas?”

“Yep. Both of them have made low-lifeness reach a whole new level. It seems they are using the confusion to make girls eat rod-shaped foods, and like that fulfill their hidden intentions of seeing them make sexy poses.”

“…”

Regarding our talk till now, it’s about the stands that will be set up during Saegusa festival.

A stand even though we are in high school?

You may be wondering, but to set up a stall is something specially regarded as part of our school’s extra-curricular activities.

To tell the truth, the reason I decided to go with Youhei to the festival is the following.

“About your booth… It was yo-yo fishing, wasn’t it?”

“Yeah. Isn’t it the best? The guys around me won’t stop saying ‘Isn’t he too fired up!?’, being no match for me.”

“… As expected. Your idea is on a whole different line of those of the perverts from the other classes.”

“!!”

As soon as I remarked that, Youhei’s eyes got sharper.

“Ku, ku, ku. As I suspected. Chiharu… I supposed that, being you, you’d realize.”

“… You overestimate me. Anyone would notice if he used his imagination a bit.”

“Nope. Apart from you, no one has realized it.

That yo-yo fishing has become the best panty-seeing spot―!!”

“…”

As I see it, yo-yo fishing is the best panty-seeing spot owing to two facts.

First.

As we know, in the game known as yo-yo fishing, if you don’t lower your hips enough you can’t pick a yo-yo, but, on the other hand, girls strongly dislike to dirty their clothes by touching the ground with her butts.

For that reason, since while yo-yo fishing they can’t but keep their hips lowered on a halfway stance, that makes the perfect chance for panty-seeing.

Second.

The line of sight of the girls engrossed on yo-yo fishing, where is it aimed at… Of course, at the {{Furigana|prey|yo-yo}} before their eyes.

With this, no matter how wary the girl is, it’s difficult for them to realize their own defenseless stance.

By the way, due to the former, when you try to google ‘yo-yo fishing panty-seeing’, you get a truly astonishing number of search results.

Even if the monster affair has enlivened society… Even today, the world is at peace.

“Now that we are talking about it, Chiharu, do you have someone to go with to the Saegusa festival this year?”

“Still no luck…”

Since I was rejected by Zonmi this morning.

“So it’s like that. If you ask me with your all, I may let you man the booth for a bit.”

“What… the heck…!?”

If you are telling me that I will be able to see panties effortlessly… That’s too good to be true.

“In that case, I want you to promise me something.”

Youhei put on a very serious expression,

“Since you are with me, make it so neither Zonmi-san nor your sister go to the festival.”

“…? No problem.”

Though I find it very unexpected, Youhei’s suggestion is somewhat easy to achieve.

Truth to be told, Zonmi has already rejected me once, and I doubt Manami will be able to make a friend before the day of the festival.

“… May I ask the reason?”

“Chiharu… Me being still your best friend, I want us to be together!”

Hey, hey.

You seem to be saying that if I went to the festival with two girls you’ll stop being my friend.

“Understood. Though I don’t understand why, if it’s like that, I’ll prevent those two from going to the festival.”

“For real…! Are you serious, pal!”

I was surrounded by his arms and hugged.

Seeing it from outside, it gives a dangerous feeling, but even being hugged by Youhei, I think I kept my face from revolting.

Gu, fu, fu, fu, fu.

How long has it been since I looked forward to the day of the festival?

Saegusa festival? Now that I think about it, long ago, I often went with Kyouko, but lately the chances have remarkably diminished.

… Now that I think about it, has she planned to go with someone to the festival?

As I thought about that, once I reached my seat.

“Go-good morning! Haru!”

… Speak of the devil.

A clear soprano voice suddenly resounded inside the classroom.

Looking in the direction of the voice, there was my childhood friend.

The moment she set foot inside the classroom, my classmates spirits fired up like gunpowder.

“Uooooooooooooooooooo! It’s Kyouko-samaaaa!” “Our angel has come doooooooown!”

Even after Zonmi transferred, Kyouko’s popularity was as strong as ever.

No, I’d dare say it was even stronger than ever.

The source was the “Monthly Seiran<ref>Written as “sex revolution” instead of the “sacred orchid” on the name of the academy.</ref> underground magazine published each month by our school’s newspaper club.

According to the same issue, over these several weeks, haven’t some of the core members of the Kyouko Fan Club (KFC) taken the banner of revolution, established the Zonmi Fan Club (ZFC) and now both parties are in the middle of a bloody feud?

“… What a fuss are these humans making.”

Engrossed until a while ago by the karaage roll she had for lunch, Zonmi expressed blatantly her displeasure without listening to the current conversation.

“Eeerm. What’s the matter?”

When I tried to ask, feeling an ominous premonition on my back, Kyouko blushed,

“We-well. I made an obentou for Haru!”

She spat those surprising words.

Kyouko put before me a humongous three layered… No, four layered bento box, then she averted her gaze while bashfully entwining her fingers.

‘Heh. Humph. So it’s like that? Chiharu and the Nephilim, not minding that I’m the partner, have entered into an unusual relationship.’

‘I misjudged you! You rom-com bastard!’

I think I’ll hear those two’s words anytime now.

… No, rather I want to hear them.

I don’t know what feelings do they hide inside their chests, but those two secretly pierced me with their glances without a word. As I thought I heard the creaking of plastic being broken, next instant, the remains of a pair of chopsticks rolled over the desk.

If you have something to say, why don’t you say it!?

Chopsticks have no guilt!

“… Yeah, erm. Currently, Kyouko-sama is intermingling with Kusumi Chiharu. Urgent, I request permission for bloodshed.”

“Yeehaa! Serves you right, KFC! It’s obvious our angel is Zonmi-san!”

“…”

The dubious students from next class came dashing, being as noisy as they pleased.

Not that it matters, but KFC… Isn’t that fried chicken?

“What the heck… How come? Why did you make this bentou for me all of a sudden?”

“Eeerm. That’s, you see…”

A change in the surroundings, the air was filled with tension.

The classmates watched us intently as they drooled.

“I-it’s the same work doing one or two!”

“…”

I-it cameeee!

The king of responses that nowadays only happens in games!

Thanks for the treat. I’m full.

Thank you very much!

“What? Any problem? Since I made it for you, at least be thankful!”

“Ye-yeah…”

“Then, what are you going to do? Will you eat it or not?”

“I’ll eat it.”

“… Fuun. Y-you should have said that from the beginning!”

“…”

Aah. Of course I’d like to refuse.

Nevertheless, If I refuse Kyouko’s goodwill, she could not take it well. I’m scared of the retribution from the KFC members.

I don’t know if Kyouko’s plotting something, but it’ll be better to play along with her.

“Uwah!”

Next instant, Youhei’s shriek was heard.

No one present at the site when it happened could do nothing more than stare silently.

Speaking from the results, Youhei, who was until now seated next to me, has his head inside the garbage bin and is letting out anguished screams.

A catastrophe.

It’s a catastrophe.

“Yo-Youhei!?”

“This is bad! The infirmary! Someone take him to the infirmary!”

On the seat Youhei was occupying until a while ago, now is seated Kyouko, feigning innocence.

Dreadfully, probably Youhei’s appearance doesn’t reflect in her eyes.

Since she has used too casually her monster powers, no one present has noticed her wrongdoing.

… But that’s only natural.

It has been so fast that, despite having the dynamic vision of a monster tamer, I’ve barely noticed it…

“Come on. You can tell me if the bentou I made for you is to your liking!”

While trembling as if there was a poltergeist phenomenon going around, she opened the bentou box’s lid with unsteady hands.

If I have to talk about the contents ― they surely are of top-notch quality.

The fourth layer has white rice, while layers 1~3 seem to have been designed as side-dish areas.

Fried prawn. Hamburger steak. Karaage. French fries. Spaghetti. Pork cutlet. Curry pilaf. Yakiniku. Steak. Sweet and sour pork. Salad. Fried salmon. Mackerel with miso. Takoyaki… Etcetera, etcetera.

Like that, it was filled with multicolored side-dishes made to be well-received by men.

“Kyouko.”

“W-what?”

“Could it be… You want me to eat all of this?”

“Yeah. I tried to choose and make only what Haru liked, but…”

“…”

Sadly, it seems she has no ill will.

I don’t understand the exact reason, but since long ago her harsh efforts end all going on weird directions.

“Aah. Then. Bon appetite.”

I carefully reached out with my chopsticks to the hamburger steak.

“… How is it?”

“Yeah. The usual deliciousness.”

There’s no problem with the ingredient selection or their passing over the flames, and also there was no complaint about its quality.

I’d believe it if they said to me this had come from a restaurant.

“Izzat so? That’s good…”

Kyouko, letting out an exhalation of deep relief, gazed at me with a dazzling expectation,

Come, why don’t you try the next one? If you ask me, I’m confident on how the fried shrimp has come out…

She asked me as if it was only natural.

“…”

This flow of events… It gives me bad vibes.

I looked around looking for help, but each and every one of them conspicuously turned away their glances, so I couldn’t meet their eyes.

[[File:Maou na Ore to Fushihime no Yubiwa 2 p071.png|thumb]]

It seems I deserve it, it can only be called divine punishment.

“… What’s the matter? Could it be it doesn’t suit your tastes… perhaps?”

I couldn’t get rid of my suddenly meek childhood friend, her eyes tinged with uneasiness.

Since it has come to this, even I… Better to steel my stomach…

Having made my decision, I, with tearful eyes, I gulped down the hamburger and white rice as if stuffing them into my throat.

<nowiki>*MUNCH MUNCH* *MUNCH MUNCH*</nowiki>

Resolutely, I kept chewing.

My stomach capacity has reached its limits long ago.

It’s as if I could end up throwing everything up anytime if I so much let some air out.

However, I can’t go and give up.

This Kyouko, what the heck… What was she thinking, making so much bentou?

I don’t know the circumstance, but she wouldn’t have prepared so much bentou for no ordinary reason.

That’s why, I’ll eat it. I’ll keep eating it.

… After a while I could see the end.

Another bite.

Another bite… Only this last piece of pineapple from the sweet-sour pork and finished!

“… Blergh!”

Nevertheless, reality is not so kind.

Having my stomach reached long ago the limits of its capacity, its contents were thrown up in an explosion of a paste resembling egg icecream.

“Danger! Kusumi has been defeated!!”

“To the infirmary! Even if it’s Kusumi, take him to the infirmary!”

What. I see a beautiful river.

Could this be… The Sanzu river<ref>River that represents the border between life and death according to Japanese Buddhism. Lit. “River of the Three Crossings”, if you were a very good person, you cross it through a jewelly bridge, if you had a balanced karma, through a shallow crossing, and if you were evil, through a deep part full of snakes.</ref>?

He… y…

The one who’s waving to me from the other side… Is it Youhei?

I see. You also fell in a very flashy manner.

Youhei… I follow your steps.

“Good grief. How can you be this soft-hearted, Master…?”

While I was losing consciousness, I thought I heard Zonmi’s voice.

<center>× × ×</center>

As soon as Kyouko reached her apartment, she buried her face in her pillow and hanged her head.

“…The worst.”

If that’s not the worst, then what would you call the worst?

The nicely timed ‘handmade bentou tactic” had ended in utter failure.

For sure, it’s the fault of the size of the bentou, I got carried away and did too much, I think I have many things to reflect on.

Then, no wonder, it ended up making him faint…

All the same, I should have predicted it.

“Hah…”

I let out a deep sigh.

Like this, usurping the contract is but a pipe dream.

If I keep it like this, wont I be forced to make a contract with the partner that I don’t want?

With Chiharu ever after, is that a destiny denied to me?

Thinking like that, I felt my mood steadily going down.

“I’m going to support you! Kyouko-oneechan.”

From somewhere, the voice of a girl could be heard.

“Who!?”

That’s weird. When I got out, if I’m not wrong, I locked the door.

Right now, no one should be inside this room other than me.

No one should…?

Next instant, *BAM!*, the wardrobe’s door was opened with force.

Following that, a familiar human came out rolling like a pill bug.

Kusumi Manami. The one who has suddenly come out from inside my home’s wardrobe was Chiharu’s little sister.

“…”

Unintentionally, I held my head in my hands.<ref>Don’t know exactly how to express it. Something similar to a double palmface.</ref>

I don’t know what Chiharu thinks, but what’s inside the head of this little sister that’s rolling there was a mystery.

“… What are you doing? Manami-chan.”

Worried as I was, I could hardly squeeze out those harmless words.

“Don’t mind it, oneechan!”

“Don’t mind!? Isn’t that a full-fledged crime? Don’t you have something to say about that!?”

“Fufu. That’s that. Now, compared with oneechan’s problems, that’s trifling. Am I wrong?”

[[File:Maou na Ore to Fushihime no Yubiwa 2 p077.png|thumb]]

--Wha…

Since it was spot-on, Kyouko was unconsciously taken aback,

“Eeeerm. What do you mean by supporting me?”

I asked with a somewhat forced smile.

“Cheering on your love, of course♪ Kyouko-oneechan, don’t you love oniichan?”

“… What?”

“However. Oneechan’s recently abused template of tsundere childhood friend, is it a successful approach against oniichan? Is not, right?”

“… R-rather, about liking Haru, I don…”

“Aaa. Yeah, yeah. It’s fine to go with that character.”

“…”

“You like him, don’t you?”

“…”

It’s not possible to keep a secret from her, so it seems.

“… Yes. I like him. I love him.”

Just when I voiced that, I noticed my face heating up.

(What’s with… This situation!?)

Why am I confessing my loving someone to that someone’s little sister?

Why was she inside my room’s wardrobe?

As the questions kept popping up, feeling that she’d lose if she thought deeply about it, Kyouko gave up thinking.

“Yep, yep. Let’s go straight to the point♪”

“…?”

“That love, I’ll help you fulfill it!”

“Eh,”

“From today onwards, Manami will be love’s Cupid for you two! I’ll teach Kyouko-oneechan about love!”

“Eeeeeeehhhhh!?”

I didn’t understand the reason.

Isn’t it somewhat sad that I have to learn about love from a girl younger than me?

“Don’t worry. Since if you leave it to me, everything will be OK! Feel at ease, Kyouko-oneechan!!”

“Hah…”

I could only sigh. Since I can’t reply, it seems I’ve given my consent.

That’s weird.

Manami is a well-known bro-con. I don’t know what reason she’d have to help me with my love.

“Ufufu. Now I can make Kyouko onee-chan get in the way of that ghoul’s romance…!”

“You’ve let out your true thoughts!?”

I don’t understand a bit of what’s happening, but I can say a single thing.

That is, it seems that it’s my fate to be completely manipulated by these pair of siblings.

<noinclude>

==References and Translation Notes==
<references />

{{SimpleNav|e=6}}
</noinclude>

Maou na Ore to Fushihime no Yubiwa:Volume 2 Chapter 1

2021-02-16T12:36:38Z

Kemm: "people" doesn't have an "s", so it uses the 's genitive form

==Chapter 1: Her decision==

Living under the same roof as girls is a situation any healthy male high school student would have longed for at least once.

Let’s picture it:

<ul><li>Carelessly opening the bathroom’s door one day and encountering a shower scene with a nude pretty girl.</li><li>Turning on the TV one day, they show by chance a commercial for a horror movie and giving the reason of ‘since I can’t sleep by myself’ she ask you “Could you sleep with me…?” putting on puppy eyes.</li></ul>

Even I had a time when I longed for that kind of throbbity-throb (obsolete word)<ref>It says “''munekyun'' (obsolete word)” literally. <del>From throbbity-throb, I think doki-doki would be a better way to describe it.</del> ''Please do note that it includes the addendum "(obsolete word)" and that you cannot substitute a japanese word for a different japanese word when translating''</ref> situations.

But, reality is so cruel.

If you try looking under the lid, the much desired ‘lifestyle under the same roof’ is full of terrible things.

Why is it like that? The silver-haired blue-eyed beauty that suddenly came to live with me shows a curious guard where she doesn’t even show the “pa” in “pantyshot”.

And instead of becoming frightened with horror movies, it’s her existence that’s frightening!

The ghoul, Zonmi R. McKenzie.

Since I shoulder the commendable duty of a Monster tamer, I can’t do anything but being abused by the behavior of this arrogant girl.

“Welcome back. Chiharu.”

Once I finished my work as an executive committee member, when I opened my home’s front door, Zonmi greeted me with the looks of a vacuum cleaner-wielding apron-dressed newlywed wife.

“Eeerm… Is this some kind of shyness play?”

This is no place to play the straight man.

I don’t know what to say, before the entryway there are numerous familiar porno mags piled into a huge mount on the “Have they just published a new O• Piece<ref>One Piece.</ref> book!?” level.

“Since I didn’t know what to do while I waited until Chiharu returned home, I decided to clean your room. While I was at it, I decided to dispose of things I deemed unneeded, don’t mind it.”

“… Why so sudden?”
When I asked, Zonmi’s eyes lost their light and became those of a dead fish.

“Yoghurt strawberry sundae.”

“Urg!?”

“Chiharu. It seems you had plenty of fun this evening. Have you neglected your partner to have a fancy dinner with the Nephilim?"

“…!”

How careless. It seems that somehow or other today’s events have reached Zonmi’s ears.

How could Zonmi know about today?

Even though that question crossed my mind… As we are partners bound by the ring, we can pick up each other’s whereabouts.

“Eeerm. For that, sorry. You don’t have to worry one bit about that…”

“No problem. Since Chiharu is free to have dinner with whom he wants.”

“… Ha, ha!”

Nothing costs as much as what is given to us.

Somehow it seems that if I don’t repay Zonmi, I’ll lose the thing I value next to my life.

Nevertheless…

Pearls before swine. A waste of resources

Telling Zonmi about the porn mags?

It seems that the porn mags that have invaluable price to a guy in his puberty, to her are no more than trash.

“… Is that so? Thanks for expressly doing the cleaning. How should I put it, my room, was it filthy?”

“No. Chiharu’s room was very clean. It was a bit… artificial.”

“If you put it like that, it seems you’re trying to imply something…”

About my room being clean… That is, there is a bit of a meaning that I want to conceal the things I don’t want to be seen.

Since I think that from back when I was in elementary school, I’ve tried to lead a lifestyle based on cleanliness.

“I’m quite thankful for your selfless consideration, but don’t you think there’s something mixed in that’s not rubbish?”

[[File: Maou_na_Ore_to_Fushihime_no_Yubiwa_2_p015.png |thumb]]

“Ho, ho. If it seems like I made a mistake, pick the necessary things from here and bring them back to your room.”

“That being the case, since the book is not trash, I’ll bring them back to my ro… Ii!”

When I tried, totally composed, to pick up my bible of the ’Hundred top lewd athletes in the world’, my hand was brushed off as if it were natural.

“Chiharu, that’s rubbish, isn’t it?”

Though her face was smiling, Zonmi’s eyes weren’t.

“… Sorry, sorry. It seems I had something in my eye.”

“Is that so? That’s good, then. If that from before had been done seriously, I would have no other choice but mince up Chiharu’s body and take it out as burnable rubbish along with these magazines.”

“… Ahaha… Haha.”

“Come on, hurry and pick up those filthy things. We’ll dispose of them right away.”

“Wait a minute!? Why do I have to carry them myself!?”

Saying that to Zonmi, her cheeks turned a fiery red,

“D-do you mean you expect me to carry those filthy things!?”<ref>Sttutering and all tsundere.</ref>

She mouthed those words while looking down.

Filthy. That’s a mean thing to say…

Nonetheless, I’m a high school boy that has hit puberty.

It’s a sad thing, but I can’t deny it.

… Ku. Sorry. Porn mags…

After this, I will absolutely go to salvage you!

“Mm. What’s this…?”

Right after I lifted the mags.

<nowiki>*TUMBLE*</nowiki> Something fell from inside of one of them to the floor.

Actually, you could say that I could virtually pick it up.

Looking carefully it was — a pendant shaped like a key attached to a silver chain.

What’s that that I could virtually pick up?

I can’t recall where I got it from.

However, I think this seems like something absurdly valuable.

“Why are you slacking off? Let’s go!”

“… Understood.”

In the end, I secretly put it into my pocket so that Zonmi didn’t realize and hurriedly followed after Zonmi.

<center>× × ×</center>

Kurose Kyouko.

There’s nobody who hasn’t heard of her name at Seiran Private Academy.

My high-handed childhood friend. Those who see her for the first time may not hold such impression.

The truth is, she’s a person that minds her surroundings in order to put off a cool persona not used to deal with people more than necessary.

Attractive face and figure. A woman gifted with looks and brains.

A prize beyond reach; owned by nobody.

Since she gives that impression, loved by those around her, it makes her insanely popular.<ref>I was trying to keep the "ONFAIA-" from the raws, but, well.</ref>

However. She’s actually different.

Her social disposition has become quite dry — because she mingles with other people while hiding that she’s a monster. The truth is she’s way more lonely than the rest — she’s nothing more than a weak girl who thirsts for other people's warmth.

And nobody knows her better than…

Kusumi Chiharu. Kyouko’s childhood friend since elementary school.

“Yo, touch!”

“Uwaaaah! Run awaay! You’ll catch the Kurose germs!!”<ref>Similar to "cooties" in english-speaking countries; they are not real germs named with the name of the discoverer or first patient diagnosed, but fictitious germs that theoretically make you catch the "[name] disease" that suppossedly turns you into [name].</ref>

Around seven years ago. Kyouko, due to her father’s job, moved here, to Saegusa.

She was still in her third year of elementary school.

Back in elementary school. Kyouko was subjected to the teasings of her male classmates on a regular basis.

Because of that, the Kyouko from childhood, different from now — due to her complex personality, she looked like an easy target for bullying.

Though she had fine basic features, due to things like her naturally curly hair or her big rimmed glasses, her appearance didn’t show even a bit of her current refinement.

“Sob, sob… *hiccup*”

“Ahh, ahh. She’s cryiiing. She’s cryiiing.”

“Th-that’s fine! She’s a freak. Let her cry!”

The word “freak” her male classmates nonchalantly called her pierced Kyouko’s heart.

(That’s right… I’m a freak… Since I’m not human. It’s natural that I have to suffer…)

At the time, on a popular Sunday morning <i>tokusatsu</i><ref>It means “special effects” and it usually refers to transforming hero shows (lone or squad) where attacks and transformations are done with (usually poor) special effects and the monster of the week is either a puppet or an actor in costume; think about Power Rangers.</ref> hero show, fantastic beings like Kyouko were always being depicted in story as ‘foes’.

In Kyouko’s very young mind, she was vaguely aware that it was decided she couldn’t become the heroine or the main character of the story.

“How can it be fine!”

It was at that time. The first time she met ‘him’—

Kusumi Chiharu. She had known about him since before.

With outstanding reflexes, he also handled flawlessly his studies.

His looks that resembled closely those of a medium-sized dog full of charm weren’t bad too… If you had to say, it was a clear strike on Kyouko’s preferences.

Even while he didn’t lack many special traits, his popularity among the rest of the girls didn’t stem from that, but solely because of his unheard-of inside self.

“Wah, what’s this?”

“Po-pool bag!?”

What made a clean hit on the heads of the boy classmates that surrounded Kyouko was an out of season pool bag.

Strange. That’s weird.

Swimming classes in physical education have ended long ago—

When that doubt was risen inside Kyouko’s head.

“Gueeeh! It stinks!”

“What’s with this gas bomb!”

Coming from nearby, an offensive smell that made you choke.

It was without a doubt the worst stench that Kyouko had smelled up to date.

As if having wiped milk spilled on the floor with a cloth and then left it to rot — an unprecedented fetidness struck the guys.

“Hehe. My swimsuit has been inside for a month!”

“You’ve kept it there the whole summer holidays!?”

“Unbelievable… For reals. Isn’t that germ terrorism?…”

With the stench that couldn’t be withstood if used as a weapon at war, the boys were frightened by it.

“Shit. We’ll be back!”

As they realized they were at disadvantage, leaving behind a parting threat, fled at lightning speed.

— That was quite the quick curtain close.

Since the lad that had appeared so suddenly, in a single blow, had chased away boys once or twice as big as him.

“Hey, are you crying?”

“… Huh?”

She needed several seconds to realize that the hand that boy held out was turned toward her.

(I see… This person, he has come to help me…)

It seems this is the first time since birth someone outside her family has helped her.

“You… What’s your name?”

“Kurose. Kurose Kyouko… From class 3-2… And you?”

She knew his name from the start.

Nevertheless, by all means she wanted to hear it from his own mouth.

“I’m Chiharu. Kusumi Chiharu, From class 3.”

The smile on the lad’s face that showed his white teeth was extraordinarily dazzling.

<nowiki>*HEARTBEAT* *HEARTBEAT*</nowiki>

What’s it. This feeling.

My heart is throbbing, I can’t look at him straight.

Could it be love…? No. That’s surely…

After all, this person—

(I don’t know if he’s cool or uncool…)

Actually, I want to hold that hand right now and get back up.

However, the smell of rotten cheese that came from the lad’s hand greatly weakened Kyouko’s resolve.

(Sob. That this meeting becomes my first love… Don’t wanna…)

She can’t recover from the mental shock.

Kyouko’s complicated and mysterious maiden heart forced into disarray,

“… Moron. Moron, moron, moron!”

She brushed away Chiharu’s outstretched hand and started to hit him in the chest.

“Uwah!? What are you doing!?”

“Y-you. When you’re going to help a girl, at least make it be a bit cooler! Why have you done such a half-baked thing!?”

“… Yeah?”

“Don’t mind it! From now on, take your pool bag home every day and wash it! I-I beg you, have a bit more of cleanliness… <small>Since it is possible you are my first love.</small>"

Despite having run her mouth with impetus, in the end, she regrets her violent behavior.

(Uwaaa… What am I doing… To the person who has helped me, I’m being this rude…)

With her cheeks as red as apples from shyness, she stole a glance of Chiharu’s form.

Not even in his wildest dreams had he thought that a girl who he’s just saved would give him a sermon.

Chiharu made a blank face in puzzlement.

“… Well, sorry. I… Man, I messed up…”

As she apologized with teary eyes, Chiharu started to laugh as if he had remembered something.

“Haha. The heck, girl, look at your face."

“… Wha.”

“How funny. Kyouko, you said? If you don’t mind, let’s be friends.”

“… Yeah!? A-a-ah. Errm… Yes. Nice to meet you.”

This was the meeting of Chiharu and Kyouko.

Afterwards this day, Kyouko’s very life will take a dramatic turn — but that’s another story.

<center>× × ×</center>

“Surprisingly, I miss a bit those times…”

It was when she started to clean her room.

Kyouko, being what’s usually called a clean-freak, as soon as she found some free time, she had the habit of ending up doing everything she could to clean her not disordered in the least bedroom.

— Today she’s cleaning the shelves.

Full of determination, Kyouko started to diligently sweep the accumulated dust in detail, but, somehow — she found it.

Minatsu elementary, the graduation album.

That book, as if mimicking her own memories, had been put away at the back of the shelf.

Because, the better she could, she wanted to leave it in a place where it were not seen.

Were she to read it once more, the feelings hidden on the bottom of her heart would end up reawakening, and then — that was what Kyouko feared the most.

Since she’s a monster — it’s not allowed to have a human boyfriend.

The end of Kyouko’s first love came at the same time she graduated from elementary school.

Even for an instant, let’s assume that, luckily, the feelings were mutual… However, it’s decided that that love won’t come true. There can’t be a Happy End.

Once my repulsive true form gets revealed — will he still keep being like himself after all?

… Impossible. If he’s a hero, I’m a freak.

Us both are incompatible existences like water and oil.

Then, Kyouko came to avoid Chiharu.

The fleeting days of her first love, against her will, were locked deep inside her heart.

“Ahaha. Uwaa… The me back then was this clumsy…”

The first time she saw her ungraceful true form, Kyouko made a self-torturing smile.

Each photo brings her precious memories. The hand that turns the pages doesn’t stop.

“…”

Suddenly. Kyouko’s eyes got glued to a certain page.

It was the future dream corner at the very end of the graduation album.

‘Pro baseball player’, ‘florist’, ‘attorney’, ‘school teacher’, ‘bride’, ‘manga writer’, ‘game creator’

Surely the kind of jobs children dream with packed together like in a dance and written in poor writing.

From among them, one is remarkably conspicuous.

‘Stag beetle. Kusumi Chiharu’

Of course, it’s his dream.

I still don’t understand what this guy is thinking of.

Really, how could he write such a foolish dream? My understanding hurts.<ref>What hurts is not his head or brain (either physically or metaphorically), but the very act of trying to understand it.</ref>

Don't you understand? My dream hasn't changed since then, I still want to be a stag beetle! That's why, don't worry, your wings are honestly cool. They are not creepy at all.

…

…

Suddenly, it made me ponder his words.

… Perhaps he doesn’t know. How much the innocence that radiated from that sentence has saved me. It may seem like nonsense, but at that time I felt like I was treated as a human for the first time.

Not only did he accept the things called monsters, he stayed being himself.

And that made me unbearably happy.

<nowiki>*HEARTBEAT* *HEARTBEAT*</nowiki>

“Eh… Wha…”

What’s it. This feeling.

Warmth fills me from deep inside my body, I can’t stop the throbbing on my chest.

That that I had sealed in the depths of my heart five years ago, has now once again come back.

(I see… It’s not a problem that I love him…)

How could I not realize such an easy thing?

After all — the highest barrier that worried me has been cleared.

Besides learning that I’m a monster, he’s accepted me.

It made me happy not having to endure it.

I can’t stop the throbbing on my chest. As if leaving a well, my restrained feelings are gushing out.

(How?… How come I’m still in love with him?...)

Heat as if my body is burning. I want to hear his voice, I feel as if my whole body is throbbing.

Without repressing her excitement, Kyouko started to roll over the futon.

“Haru… Haru… I love you…”

To cool her burning body, she hugged tightly her pillow.

She doesn’t know herself what she’s doing, nor she wants to know.

“Kyouko… Are you there?”

“Eh…”

Her train of thoughts completely froze. For an instant, she was under the impression that the world had come to a halt, but that was not what had really happened. If time had stopped like that, who could have saved her?

Suddenly noticing her father’s figure, Kyouko regained her senses.

Realizing her own foolishness, *fiuuu*, she inspired a big chunk of air and,

“Wha-wha-wha-wha. At least knock, you stupid old maaan!!

Shouted loudly.

“No, how do I say it… Errrm, sorry… Are you busy?...”

“Do I seem busy to you!?”

“Sorry… Were you having fun?”

“That’s too grossss!”

“I-I’m truly sorry! So, please! Please don’t throw the bed at me!”

Possessing the power of a monster, Kyouko’s physical strength was surely not laughing matter.

<center>× × ×</center>

Kyouko’s father, Kurose Mikage, only came back home about once a week.

“Errrm, this… What have you just said…?”

“Yeah. Since it’s very important, I’ll say it as much as necessary. Congrats, Kyouko. Your new partner has been found. Furthermore, he’s an exceptional person the Association has high hopes for. These are good news as no other. Go make the contract asap.”

Letting out her emotions, Kyouko hit the table with a bang and,

“First thing… Currently, I’m officially on negotiations to make a contract with Haru. How is it possible someone else has appeared!?”

“Yeah. About the thing with Chiharu-kun, papa has gone to talk it over directly with the IMA and had it cancelled.”

“Eh…”

“What’s the matter? Kyouko. You have the talent. Even at such a young age, your battle capability is top-class among our clan. We can’t allow your talent to go to waste like this.”

“That… Doing as you please is troubling… Since I was to become Haru’s partner… We had made a promise to become partners later…”

“… By later, how much are we talking of?”

Mikage’s tone of voice became harsh.

“Don’t you know, Kyouko? The time needed by a rookie tamer like Chiharu to get his second monster…”

“That’s…”

Not saying anything else, Kyouko bit her lip.

Three years. For someone acknowledged as a low-level monster tamer, that was the average time until they receive a second ring and are promoted to mid-rank.

To Kyouko, a span of three years is outrageously long.

Since, perhaps by luck, Chiharu managed to corner a top-level tamer, he may be promoted because of that.

However.

“About that, once three years have passed, what assures you that you will be chosen?”

“…!”

“… Didn’t’ you said it yourself? To Chiharu-kun, as a tamer, the sensible choice would be that red dragon. From a tamer’s point of view, between a Nephilim and a Red Dragon… Which one is preferred, don’t you understand that?"

“…”

If you go by combat strength, Nephilim surely aren’t weak. On the contrary, they are monsters of the highest of ranks.

That and all, it can’t be helped to be overshadowed by red dragons.

The tribe of dragons is very coveted among monster tamers. Contracts with them are restricted to only a fraction of the tamers.

“Then, being such a talented tamer, in three years, it won’t be weird that a powerful monster, no least than a red dragon, becomes Chiharu-kun’s partner… If it’s like that, you’ll possibly be relegated to third place.”

“Th-that…”

‘won’t be’, she couldn’t say it.

To monster tamers, they like to get powerful monsters, that’s only natural.

Then. Supposing that, let’s say, that he could choose more powerful monsters, won’t he rather get them earlier?

(I don’t want to be a burden to Haru…)

With blurry sight and fuzzy thoughts, she wobbled as if she couldn’t find the floor.

“Of course daddy would like that you served besides Chiharu-kun.

To a monster, there’s no highest honor than to make a contract with a monster tamer. Since having the backing of the Association makes a huge difference.”

“…”

“Nevertheless, let’s get real. From the instant you weren’t chosen as first, your chances of becoming Chiharu-kun’s partner went south.”

“…!”

“You know? Please make a decision before a week. You absolutely can’t face the other part in such a half-baked situation.”

Without saying no more, Mikage got up. *Blam* At the same time the sound of the door closing was heard, Kyouko bent her knees, crestfallen.

“… I look stupid.”

It seems she can’t think of any alternatives.

The thing with the pact it’s no one’s fault but hers… She looks stupid.

Suddenly, Chiharu’s reflection crossed her mind.

… At a time like this, what would he think of?

If it’s him, he would probably face the adversity without care… He wouldn’t get defeated by something of this extent. It wouldn’t crush him.

Something. Isn’t there a way?

To take this hopeless situation to an end…

“Ah!”

That instant. A diabolic and heatless idea surfaced in Kyouko’s head.

It could work…

Contract usurpation.

Though, of course, it was not something Kyouko found commendable, she has no choice.

There’re chances of success.

It goes without saying that Chiharu’s current contracted monster comes from the ghoul clan.

The ghoul clan, contrary to red dragons, is hardly popular among tamers.

Besides, when Chiharu chose the ghoul as a partner, it was purely by chance, he didn’t have the intention to make the contract.

Let’s suppose.

If I could make him notice that my charms as a monster and as a woman are better than those of the ghoul girl, maybe…

“… Yosh.”

Let’s do it.

Even if I have to resort to this, I’m going to make Chiharu mine.

Kyouko raised her eyes and announced her determination, talking to no one.

“Be it love or contracts, I won’t lose!”

<noinclude>

==References and Translation Notes==
<references />

{{SimpleNav|e=6}}
</noinclude>

Maou na Ore to Fushihime no Yubiwa:Volume 1 Epilogue

2021-02-16T12:17:01Z

Kemm:

==Epilogue: After this and that==

The duty of a student is not battling a mysterious organization. Of course, studies come first.

After that. Two days have passed since that incident.

As Seiran Academy started its lessons once again, little by little we retrieved our original lifestyle. I can only say this now, but it's not bad to occasionally receive boring lessons.

Is this enjoying a peaceful lifestyle? After being put through such a dramatic experience, I feel it made me start to understand what the really important things are.

Now, the school building was half destroyed when Zonmi and Kyouko ran amok, but surprisingly there wasn't any retaliation for it after that.

Probably the IMA — or rather Luka-san, arranged something in secret.

If it's like that, it seems I have something to object to about the quality of Seiran Academy regarding its pupils.

Seems like there's no one who would demand the expulsion of two pretty girls. Since if there was someone, the ratio of male students would end up being excessive.

After school.

I visited the office of the International Monster Association.

"Sorry I called you all of a sudden. I wanted to talk to you tête-à-tête asap."

"No problem. I also wanted to talk to you."

"Oh, my. Could this be mutual love?"

"Won't you soon start talking seriously!?"

"Eh... But my heart isn't ready yet..."

Today marks the Nth<ref>as in "undetermined natural number", "n times", not "9th".</ref> time that Luka-san makes one of her incomprehensible jokes.

As usual, this person is being elusive and aloof.

"Let's put the jokes away. Even so, it's amazing~, you alone caught one of those <nowiki>'Black Tamer'</nowiki>'s guys~"

"That was not my power, but the power of those three."

"Fufu~n."

Am I over-thinking it? It seemed like, for a moment, Luka-san's expression was clouded by a tinge of sorrow.

"Say, would you believe me if I told you something?"

"... What is it?"

"Actually, that those three monsters gathered around you~, it wasn't an accident~ it was all planned by me~. This capable Luka, noticing your talent beforehand, felt that it was a waste that those superior monsters were left over, so she had the sudden impulse of calling them together all at once~."

"... Is that true?"

"Of course it's a lie. LI-E."

"..."

I was deceived.

The moment I go along with her, I end up taking it as true.

"Well, they are ready, the documents."

"Thank you very much."

What Luka-san handed me were the documents needed to become an official monster tamer — I had contacted her beforehand and asked her to get them ready.

This... is what draws the line.

From now on, I'll hold onto those three girls... That's the embodiment of my resolution.

"At any rate, you've grown; I don't recognize you, Chiharu-kun."

"Is that so?"

"Yeah. Frankly, when I first met you I thought you were but a good-for-nothing. Because... You know? The you that time was still hesitant about becoming a tamer."

"Ha, ha... It was like that."

"In fact, what has gotten into you? To willingly become a tamer~"

"It's easy. I want to protect and bring happiness to those girls I met."

"Fu, fu, is it Zonmi-chan? Is it Kyouko-chan? Or Iris-chan?"

"... Everyone. Zonmi, and Kyouko and Iris, I want all of the people involved in this incident to become happy... And, while I'm at it, Manami too."

Wavering for a moment on saying it, I finally added the existence of my little sister.

I was unwilling, but... If it weren't for her, right now maybe I'd still be trapped at Iris's den.

"Oh! Here comes the harem proclamation. You did it! Undress☆useless main character!"

"What kind of main character am I!?"

Sometimes it was difficult to tell the true meaning behind Luka-san's words.

"Hey, hey, By-the-way~, won't you include my name there~?"

"You are able to defend yourself by yourself!"

"Buu, buu. That's discrimination..."

I don't know if she was acting or what, but Luka-san looked like she was pouting.

Practical question, a little something I learned with my experience as a tamer.

This person... For reaaal!

That is, she's called first in the list to become the next Maou.

I don't know if she hides some sort of magic power... If I continue as a tamer, will the day come that I'll surpass her?

<center>× × ×</center>

Once I returned, when I opened my home's door,

<nowiki>*</nowiki>PAN! PAN! PAN!*

All of a sudden, the loud sound of poppers resounded.

"Onii-chan♪ Congratulations on getting a job~♪"

"Uo!?"

In no time, my sister jumped at my chest.

"... Hey, your breasts are touching me... Move aside."

"They aren't touching you, I'm pressing them."

I've somehow or other heard a line taken from a manga.

"... You guys, are you really blood-related siblings? In spite of that, isn't this somehow indecent?"

"No problem, since the indecent one is only Manami! rather, whoa?..."

The me who has returned home was greeted by an unexpectedly unbelievable scene.

... Perhaps, maybe this is the first time I met all of them at the same time.

The ones that greeted me poppers in hand were the ones at the center of this series of incidents, the monster girls. Zonmi, Kyouko and Iris.

As the three rivals thus gave signs of spending their days peacefully, that would be a touching scene worthy of seeing...

The one who spoiled everything was that fool of my sister.

"I-luv-u Hold!"

"Hey! Stop clinging to me by entwining your legs around my body!"

"...Ng—" "...Ng—"

"Don't look! You guys... Don't look at me with those eyes!"

Iris and Zonmi, to us siblings that were so unashamedly clingy, sent scornful gazes.

"Humph. As expected, humans are foolish beings. To think I had started to get a better opinion of them."

"... How unusual, agreeing with a red dragon. Getting seduced by women's bodies, becoming the Maou is but a pipe dream."

"..."

My value seems to have crashed to the level of Greece's national debt.

"... Fu, fu. I won't hand over my onii-chan to some newcomers."

My sister clung firmly to my body like a koala climbing a tree and let out an evil smile that could only mean 'Just like I planned...!'.

Could this girl possibly... Have done this on purpose?...

"... Well, why are all of you in my house?"

Somehow freeing myself from my sister's restriction, I finally could speak out that doubt.

As Kyouko heard it she wonderfully stuck out her chest,

"This is Haru's becoming a monster tamer commemoration & ghoul's contract celebration"

"... Ah—"

I see, in other words, this is a surprise party?

And, there's still something that doesn't make sense.

"Then, who was the one who suggested it?"

"..." "..." "..."

From the way those three looked each other without even a word, I could naturally deduce the answer.

"... A-as for me I don't mind who was, but, you see, I think it would be unnatural not to since this is of course a custom of the Netherworld."

"... Re-really?"

I see. It seems it was Zonmi's suggestion, who was more fired up than normal and looked like she was wearing make-up. What's more, she was wearing an excessively gaudy dress bought who-knows-where...

On second thought, we were both wearing matching contract rings.

Somehow or other, this looked like a wedding... It was a little embarrassing.

"Come on, come in quickly. Since we even have expressly ordered a cake for you two."

"... Ou."

Kicking off my shoes, I strode though the entryway's threshold.

My gait felt somewhat lighter than usual, could it be my imagination?

I think I'll talk about what will happen hereafter.

As a newbie tamer, right now I only have one ring assigned, but it seems that when I'm recognized for achievements, if I request to the IMA, from now on I can increase the number.

It seems that in no time, Zonmi, Kyouko, Iris — the day I can contract all three monsters at the same time is not far off.

By the way, additionally.

Luka-san's declaration of going on vacation was utter bullshit, it was instead an excuse for me to go here and there with Zonmi and Kyouko. Could all that unexpectedly be simply a plot of Luka-san whose natural gift was being chaotic?

Good grief, I'm really no match for that person.

"Eeh, why am I made to do this host impersonation?... I'm sincerely reluctant, but... People, let's all have a toast. Ah, Manami-chan stop nonchalantly adding something weird to your brother's glass."

"Tch. That's Kyouko-oneechan for you."

"What are you coming up with this time, you!?"

"Well then, for the plans for my contract with Haru—" "For my marriage with onii-chan—" "For the day my vengeance comes true—"

"""Cheers"""

"Aren't you doing too much as you please, you lot!?"

The person in question, Zonmi, seems like she still hasn't poured her drink.

Of course, as fellow monsters (though Manami is not a monster...), could it be that she's thinking about us all making a contract soon?

However.

Saying this is embarrassing, but... somehow I don't hate this kind of atmosphere of freedom.

Because—

All of them are laughing.

There wasn't even a speck that remained of their former battling from day to day.

All of them were energetically doing as they pleased.

And I... That I wanted to protect those smiles of them forever, that was what I wished from my heart.

"I-it's my once-in-a-lifetime big moment..."

"Ha, ha..."

That one, seems like she has taken quite the shock...

From now on, if I keep being a monster tamer, it seems I'll keep facing big hurdles. Maybe I'll experience unexpected frustration.

But. Even so.

For these girls, I feel I can overcome no matter...

[[File:Maou_na_Ore_to_Fushihime_no_Yubiwa_p249.png|thumb]]

"Hyau!?"

<nowiki>*</nowiki>Fshhhhhhhhhhh*

Together with a sound like escaping air, Zonmi gave a little shriek.

"Wh-who was it!? The one who shook this PET bottle!? Uuu, for this day... The dress I prepared expressly for this day..."

"Eeeh—, who was indeed—. Manami doesn't kno—w♪ Or, how should I say it, since you planned to seduce onii-chan by wearing those erotic clothes despite being a zombie... Isn't that divine punishment?"

"... Fu, fu, fu. Little sister, today of all days, I won't let it pass. How about I push you before a stray dog stark naked and in tortoise-shell bondage?"

"Kyaah—, I'm scared—. Save me, onii-chan—, the zombie is bullying me—"

"..."

I feel I can overcome any difficulties, but it may be only my imagination.

<noinclude>

==References and Translation Notes==
<references />

{{SimpleNav|e=6}}
</noinclude>

Horizon:Volume 8A Chapter 14

2020-11-09T16:53:04Z

Kemm: /* Chapter 14: Emissary from the Darkness */

==Chapter 14: Emissary from the Darkness==
[[Image:Horizon8A_355.jpg|thumb]]
''Ankoku-G''

''A!''

''K!''

'''Point Allocation (Everyone had the Same Thought)'''

AK looked around from below the illumination spell.

…''Ho ho.''

The Musashi students who made up the Far East’s main players were lined up on the stepped terrace.

He had never met any of them before. He was a monk diplomat, but he generally dealt with Mouri’s history recreation. There was not much interaction between Mouri and Matsudaira during this time period.

His own history recreation took a turn with the flooding of Bitchu Takamatsu Castle. He was the one to manage the reconciliation with Hashiba and he would move to Hashiba from there.

But that meant he only had the public information and documents related to Musashi’s people.

On the other hand, he knew one of them quite well from his personal life.

…''Her.''

“You there.”

A boy in glasses stood up in response.

“Do you need me for something, Ankoku-G AK?”

“Who are you?”

Everything ground to a halt at his question. ''But I really don’t know who he is. There are an awful lot of ''signe cadre''s popping up around him, so did I respond poorly there?''

On the other hand, the person he had actually been speaking to had ignored him entirely. She was eating udon and discussing its quality with her partner. ''Why the fuss? You can eat udon like this whenever you want in the Mediterranean region.''

“You there.” This time he named her. “You are Black Hair & Wings, are you not?”

He even smiled her way, but she still ignored him.

…''Hm.''

Anyone in the doujin world would know who he was. He generally wrote novels, but he had the incredible foresight needed to predict what the next trends would be and the impressive productivity to produce multiple genres at once. That was why some people had started buying his novels as a catalog of the latest trends.

He was a monk diplomat and he had connections to both Mouri and Hashiba, so a lot of others focused on his writings and more than a few saw him as their superior.

The current trends were Musashi and Hashiba. Since Mouri was a western nation, stories about allying with or opposing Hashiba were popular there. A lot of people found it odd for a Mouri author to write pro-Hashiba stories, but that was his history recreation. He just had to gain support through the power of his writing.

''On occasion, simply being pro-Hashiba is not enough and I need to weave in some of the events that occur after Hashiba’s defeat.''

And now here he was.

He had finally seen Musashi’s people for himself.

…''The most formidable one here is definitely Black Hair & Wings from the Musashi Manga Research Club.''

Stories about Musashi and the Kantou nations were popular at the events in eastern nations, so he would occasionally write those too. He produced novels and she produced manga, but they sometimes ended up with similar material and he had even written a character modeled after her.

She would be aware of that.

He did not like to brag, but he was influential. He was a name inheritor. When he showed interest in an author, they usual responded with gratitude or awe and tried to stay on good terms with him.

But he of course could not just come out and say he wrote porn based on her. He could not even hint at it by thanking her for her help. ''She could easily sue me for such a faux pas. It isn’t good manners.''

They were technically enemies. But no matter what they thought deep down, they had to remain friendly on the surface.

So for now, he simply spoke to her with a smile.

But she did not even turn his way.

“Oh, Margot. Could you pass me the pepper?”

She was outright ignoring him.

She could clearly hear him, but she was rejecting him. So…

“Madame Black Hair & Wings?”

He called out to her again.

“–––––”

She still ignored him. But someone did speak up from the side.

“Naruze, is he a friend of yours?”

It was the Musashi Vice President. He greatly appreciated it. They were not actually friends of course, but…

“We aren’t friends,” she replied.

Because…

“Why would I ever respond to someone who uses my penname outside of an event?”

Naruze heard Ekei say, “I see.”

“What are you even doing here?” she asked him. “Aren’t international negotiations banned during summer break?”

“Now, about my international negotiation.”

“I just said-”

She was cut off by Christina.

“His history recreation is ongoing from before summer break.”

If he had yet to complete some part of his personal recreation, he could continue it even if his academy had begun summer break. In fact, he could not begin summer break himself until he did complete it.

But what kind of history recreation was it?

“That’s simple enough,” said Naruze. A certain incident led to Ekei’s debut in the Warring States era. “The reconciliation at Bitchu Takamatsu Castle. He made peace with Hashiba as a representative of Mouri, so I’m guessing that isn’t complete yet. After all, Hashiba is in Kantou.”

Someone next to her reacted to that.

It was Margot. She lightly bumped her thigh against Naruze while passing her the pepper.

That was meant to ask “Have you noticed?”, but Naruze could not help but focus on the feel of her partner’s tights, the thigh within, and the body heat pressed against her own thigh.

…''It is summer, isn’t it!?''

She suppressed the reaction inside her and simply accepted the pepper. When she did, she touched Margot’s fingers and lightly tugged.

That was her way of saying “I know.”

And what was it she knew?

“You want to ride Musashi to Kantou, don’t you?”

In other words…

“You can’t let the Musashi stay in Europe. You want to eliminate it.”

Naito heard laughter.

Ekei waved his hand back and forth while shaking his head side to side.

“Eliminate the Musashi?” he said. “I wouldn’t go that far. I simply have business with Hashiba-sama in Kantou.”

''He does know what to say,'' thought Naito. But…

'''Gold Mar:''' “Ga-chan, why do you know this Ankoku baldie’s history recreation?”

'''Art-Ga:''' “Judge. I was thinking of holding my own event here if we were stuck here for summer break, so I looked into what was going on in the region.”

She probably already had a storyboard complete. She had a tendency to get started while still in the research phase. Naito was more of a thinker, so she appreciated having someone who would jump to action based on any information at all.

''But,'' thought Naito as she asked a question while waving to Masazumi behind her chair.

“How do you justify taking the Musashi to Kantou?”

“That is simple enough. Musashi is still working as a Hexagone Française mercenary on Terumoto-sama’s authority. So the Musashi will travel to Kantou to pick her up. Simple, right? And you will bring me with you. Oh, so simple.”

He brazenly explained the entire plan.

But Naito tilted her head while wondering what would happen if they did that.

“Since we have a mercenary contrac-”

Tsukinowa raised both front paws on Masazumi’s shoulder.

…''Oops.''

That was a close one. She just about admitted they had one. If she did that, odds were good he would simply demand they bring him, a Hexagone Française student, to Kantou. So…

“''If'' we did have a mercenary contract, then I would have a question.”

“And what is that?”

“A mercenary contract is a contract for mercenary work. Giving us an extra mission would mean paying us more, but are you prepared to do that? Who would be paying?”

“Terumoto-sama obviously.”

''This could be trouble,'' thought Naito when he so readily gave an answer.

'''Art-Ga:''' “I think this Ankoku baldie is pretty much working for Hashiba already.”

''Agreed,'' thought Naito. Because…

'''Gold Mar:''' “Seijun, can I ask something?”

Ekei’s statement was dangerous.

'''Gold Mar:''' “Do you think Teru can pay for that?”

''Not a chance,'' concluded Masazumi.

'''Vice President:''' “It would be one thing if he had said Hexagone Française would pay, but he named Terumoto specifically. An individual – and even a single Far Eastern reservation – does not have the money on hand to fund the Musashi.”

'''Horizey:''' “Hm? Does the Mouri clan not have much power within Hexagone Française?”

'''Vice President:''' “Why do you think it was such big news when Terumoto married the Roi-Soleil?”

“I see,” said a lot of them, but Adele spoke up while slurping up some udon.

'''Flat Vassal:''' “Ah, gh, ohhhh! Th-this is so good, wait, um, hold on.”

'''Asama:''' “Calm down, Adele. We’re in the Udon Kingdom, so you can eat udon like this every day if you want to.”

'''Flat Vassal:''' “Oh, s-sorry. It’s just been so long since I could chow down on something so good! B-but, you’re right! I can eat this every day now!”

'''Me:''' “Won’t this be the last time since we’re being sent back to Kantou?”

'''Flat Vassal:''' “Eh!? P-please don’t hit me with despair like that! Am I back to figuring out how many different ways there are to eat bread crusts!?”

'''Horizey:''' “Think about it, Adele-sama. Udon is made from flour and salt and bread is made from flour. So if you sprinkle salt on some bread, the contents of your stomach are no different from if you ate udon. And it will be even more similar coming out the other end. Now, learn to think of salted bread crusts as a tasty treat.”

'''Flat Vassal:''' “Wh-what is this, some kind of persuasive seminar!?”

'''Vice President:''' “Enough, just tell us what you wanted to say, Adele.”

'''Flat Vassal:''' “Judge! Um, right! If the Hexagone Française President is in Kantou but can’t pay, isn’t the mercenary contract null and void? So we can just stay here feeding our udon fever!”

'''Gold Mar:''' “If only.”

Naito looked up to face Ekei.

“Quick question: What would you do if Teru can’t pay?”

“That would never happen.”

“Huh?” said Masazumi.

“Terumoto-sama just liberated Kantou,” he said. “She saved Kantou, so she would make sure to pay instead of causing trouble for the Kantou nations.”

Gin and Muneshige were monitoring the situation in the Udon Kingdom while cooling down on the beach after dinner.

The divine chat was being sent to them on their sign frames.

“This Ankokuji Ekei is hard to read.”

“Judge. I assumed he was on Mouri’s side since he claims to be there to make peace for Mouri, but instead…”

He was putting Terumoto in a tough spot.

'''Asama:''' “Oh, Mr. Ekei is being displayed as an unaffiliated ‘Who’s This Weirdo?’ for Gin-san and the others. Out of respect for him, I will change that to Ankoku-G.”

''What about the AK?'' wondered Gin as “Who’s This Weirdo” changed to “Ankoku-G” on her sign frame.

'''Silver Wolf:''' “Tomo, you seem more childish than normal on the sign frame.”

'''Novice:''' “And what’s wrong with that!? It isn’t often she gives someone such an excellent nickname!”

That did not seem to be giving much thought to the future, but anyway…

“Should the Secretary really be saying that, Master Muneshige?”

“Ha ha ha. I’m sure it’s okay just this once.”

''That’s Master Muneshige for you. Always keeping a positive outlook.''

But she was curious about something related to Ankokuji Ekei.

“If he has sided with Hashiba, then what is his strategy here, Reine des Garous?”

She looked back to the beach dinner area. The person she addressed looked to her while holding a full roast leg of lamb.

“Oh, what’s this? Urgent business?”

“It is related to your leader.”

“My, my.” The Reine des Garous straightened up and then gave an immediate answer. “Terumoto doesn’t have that kind of money.”

''Didn’t think so,'' thought Masazumi.

That made this man’s intentions clear.

“Ankokuji Ekei, am I interpreting you correctly?”

“What do you mean?”

“Are you hoping to acquire a gift for Hashiba?”

Ankokuji’s expression changed in response.

He smiled a little. And based on the timing…

…''He wants to say that isn’t what this is.''

But that did not mean it was not. That was why she had kept Naito from admitting they were mercenaries earlier.

“Let’s continue this discussion as a hypothetical, just like with the mercenary business earlier.”

She remained cautious. She stated her assumptions before speaking.

“Let us say Musashi is currently working as a mercenary for Hexagone Française.”

She stated it as a hypothetical.

“We have been paid for leaving most of the Kantou battle to Hexagone Française and for the benefit they gained from the rescue of Lady Nagaoka at the Battle of Nördlingen. But I can see no way in which returning to Kantou now would benefit Mouri. If you wish to send the Musashi to Kantou, you would need an official request and payment.”

“My words qualify as an official request. Because I must visit Terumoto-sama and Hashiba-sama if I am to make peace at Bitchu Takamatsu Castle.”

He stated the nature of the job more clearly than before.

'''Gold Mar:''' “Wow, sorry, Seijun.”

'''Bell:''' “Eh? Wh-what?”

'''Art-Ga:''' “Margot failed to get that baldie to say earlier that he would be visiting both Terumoto and Hashiba.”

No, she had done well enough, but this was still a problem.

'''Unturning:''' “He may be the type to change the terms after the fact.”

'''Flat Vassal:''' “Change the terms…after the fact? What’s that mean?”

'''Silver Wolf:''' “If it looks like he’s going to lose, he’ll add on a new condition or reveal some new truth to change that.”

Houjou Ujinao had done that to escape when she was cornered in a discussion.

But in the end, Neshinbara had ended the discussion and turned it all around.

…''But this guy must use that as his primary tactic.''

'''Novice:''' “Judge. He’ll generally be making it up on the spot, so he can talk his way out of things and, if you follow him down that path, you’ll get further and further off topic. So if he does it, you have to put a stop to it by saying you only want to discuss things based on the initial terms. Otherwise he can continue shifting the focus of the conversation until he wins.”

'''Art-Ga;''' “But what if he uses that to claim he’s won?”

'''Novice:''' “You can ignore that.”

Neshinbara glanced over at Ankokuji as he continued.

'''Novice:''' “If our opponent or one of their people says something, we can still win whatever the originally argument was. That will leave them only able to use whatever new argument they came up with, so we just have to face each of those in turn to crush them all. And an argument thought up on the spot will be full of holes, so it will get easier with each consecutive argument. Plus, nyone watching on will have an easy time telling who’s winning.”

'''Almost Everyone:''' “…”

'''Novice:''' “What is it, everyone? Bowled over by my superior debate tactics? Then feel free to openly praise me. No, wait, that isn’t it, is it? Ha ha. Yes, you just think this pose is unbelievably cool, don’t you? No, wait, it’s about my bangs, isn’t it?”

'''Gold Mar:''' “Why is he lowering the bar further and further when none of us are saying a thing?”

'''Art-Ga:''' “Shh. If he’s going to get more and more pathetic on his own, I’m gonna see how low he’s willing to go before I deliver the finishing blow.”

She sure was tough.

But Neshinbara’s strategy only really applied to a clash of opinions.

In actual debates, people sometimes had hidden conditions ready to use.

Masazumi herself had a few escape routes prepared just in case.

Using them would not be ideal, but…

'''Vice President:''' “You can’t get away with it at a formal meeting, but we’re both prepared to overturn everything by saying ‘oh, I forgot to mention this one condition’. And if the other side uses that against us, we can escape by saying that was their mistake and thus the entire discussion doesn’t count. It’s pretty useful as a defensive tactic, but it can also be a risky move.”

It was a fairly tolerant technique since it could be used to insist you were not losing and it could be used to hide risk factors. However…

…''Holding a discussion with that in mind is a real pain.''

'''Vice President:''' “We have to do this while trying to reveal his hidden hand.”

For now, she took a breath.

She looked to Ankokuji and asked a question.

“Are you listening? Let’s say you can make an official request to send the Musashi to Kantou.”

Then…

“How will you pay for it?”

“Terumoto-sama will pay.”

“Is Terumoto ''capable of paying''?”

Before, he had escaped this obligation by insisting that she ''would'' pay, so this time Masazumi asked if she ''could'' pay.

Because there was no conceivable away that she could right now. But…

“She is.”

He did not hesitate to respond.

Masazumi felt an odd chill.

…''This isn’t good.''

But before she could put up her mental defenses, Ankokuji said more.

“What kind of question was that? Of course Terumoto-sama is incapable of paying.”

Everyone made eye contact with Masazumi after that one.

'''Scarred:''' “U-um, excuse me, but was that a yes…or a no?”

'''Art-Ga:''' “There’s a lot that would be a yes for Mary and a no for Adele.”

'''Flat Vassal:''' “Come to think of it, that applies to pretty much anything other than blonde hair, doesn’t it!?”

'''Gold Mar:''' “Does that mean Adele is blonde hair in its purest form?”

'''Flat Vassal:''' “Oh, maybe I never got a chance to upgrade anything because I can’t pay.”

'''Scarred:''' “No, you have plenty I do not, Lady Adele.”

'''Flat Vassal:''' “R-really!? Is it anything practical that can make me happy!? Like what!?”

'''Worshiper''''':'' “Doesn’t she just mean poverty, bread crusts, and video game friends?”

'''Flat Vassal:''' “That’s all stuff I want to upgrade to wealth, feasts, and real friends!”

''Balfette lives a rough life.''

And while it was not quite that bad, Mouri Terumoto was in a similar situation. She could deploy a largescale force as part of Hexagone Française, but not as a representative of Mouri.

“Wait,” said Masazumi. “Ankokuji, you have Mouri Terumoto’s authorization for this, I assume?”

“It is part of the history recreation.” He readily stated a new condition after the fact. “If Terumoto-sama does not obey, she will be in violation of the Testament Union. That is also why I have not begun my summer break. I cannot imagine she would not give authorization.”

“Oh, dear. He’s really putting Terumoto in a bind.”

The Reine des Garous sighed while serving the Tachibana Couple some lamb ribs. Her husband was enjoying some egg and goat milk pancakes and she would occasionally take some cream from his lips.

“If this is part of the history recreation – and limited to the Far East at that – Hexagone Française will have a hard time intervening in Mouri’s affairs. And that is exactly why Ekei can speak with Far Eastern Musashi.”

“Doesn’t that Ankokuji Ekei serve you?”

“Hmm,” groaned the Reine des Garous with a finger on her lips and a tilt of her head.

…''That is a tricky one.''

“I am Hexagone Française’s Vice Chancellor.”

“Are you saying you are not Mouri’s Vice Chancellor and thus have no authority over him?”

“Not necessarily.”

This was a difficult thing to explain. But…

“Mouri is under provisional rule. We in Hexagone Française view it as a cooperative thing, but they are effectively under our command. But some of their positions do have some level of autonomy.”

“What positions are those, Reine des Garous!?”

''I do like how energetic the Peerless in the West is.''

To thank him for that, she gave a prompt response.

“Their Liaison Committee that deals with Hashiba.”

Masazumi listened to Ankokuji as he crossed his arms and puffed out his chest.

“Hexagone Française did in fact predict the risk to themselves during the Thirty Years’ War. They needed to prepare a bare minimum of connections with M.H.R.R., the Catholic nations, and more so they could make peace if need be. In other words, a connection was created to share a certain amount of information as a line not to be crossed even if relations worsened. That would reduce the temptation to send in spies. Mouri’s Liaison Committee was given that task.”

“But you seem to have too much authority for a simple liaison.”

He laughed at her comment.

“I am a Mouri liaison.”

Which meant…

“Hexagone Française must make enemies of the M.H.R.R. Catholics and Hashiba before the rest of Europe, so we in Mouri must act separately from them and support them in secret. My authority and actions are meant to support Hexagone Française, so why would they require the influence of Terumoto-sama, a Mouri representative? If she carelessly stopped me, it could put Hexagone Française at risk.”

Masazumi mentally spread her mouth horizontally at that.

…''Why didn’t you say so earlier!?''

He really was big on revealing things after the fact. She had managed to guess he was not just a negotiator and was thus a liaison.

But his position was different from an ordinary liaison. He did the dirty work necessary to keep his nation safe. And if he was willing to ignore his superiors to do that…

…''He’s going to be trouble!''

'''Flat Vassal:''' “Um, I think I get what this means. Isn’t he pretty dangerous?”

'''Unturning:''' “Judge. He carries something extremely irritating.”

'''Vice President:''' “He acts independently for the good of his nation…which means those actions are classified material.”

Masazumi explained it to everyone.

'''Vice President:''' “We have nothing to corroborate what he says. Only he knows what kind of connection he has with Hashiba and we have no way of determining if what he tells us is true. But at the same time, he can wield the full authority of Mouri.”

This was the exact opposite of what happened with Nagaoka and the letter.

While Nagaoka’s words had determined the letter’s value…

'''Vice President:''' “We have no way of proving if anything he shows us has any real value.”

'''Horizey:''' “Masazumi-sama, shall I do something about this?”

Masazumi imagined it for 5 seconds.

What if she put Horizon in control here?

…''I can’t deny the result would be satisfying.''

She noticed the arms shadow boxing below the table.

They were ready to go. ''Is she planning a physical resolution to this? Is that what it means?''

'''Vice President:''' “No, you should probably hold off on that for now.”

'''Horizey:''' “I see. If you ever do need my arms during a negotiation, just let me know.”

''That is an offer I never could have imagined a year ago,'' she thought while watching the arms wave below the table and depart.

But the problem was still just as troublesome.

…''So he wants the Musashi to go to Kantou.''

That was not out of the question. They were only in the Udon Kingdom now so they could be out of the way. It was simply a location that would receive fewer complaints from the other nations during summer break.

“On the other hand, we can’t just send the Musashi out at a moment’s notice,” she said as a warning. “We would need payment up front.”

''Is that so?'' thought AK.

He had predicted this, so he knew exactly how to respond.

“Your payment…will come from Terumoto-sama. I am no more than her messenger.”

“But she isn’t here.”

“Then,” he said. “You can add it to her tab. She will pay you once you arrive in Kantou.”

“That isn’t good enough. It has to be paid up front. We can’t agree to anything else.”

''She fell for it,'' he thought.

She had fully taken the bait, so he made his next move.

“Then the answer is simple.” He smiled and scratched his bald head. “This is all Terumoto-sama’s responsibility for failing to prepare payment. A delay to my history recreation will delay not just Mouri’s but Hashiba-sama’s history recreation as well…and responsibility for that delay falls squarely on Terumoto-sama.”

“You idiot.”

Ookubo regretted not being there.

She was in a Satomi hot spring town. She was taking a break in a multistory teahouse after taking a bath.

…''I don’t know if the Vice President did that on purpose or if she’s serious, but she was a little too eager there.''

She had to have noticed that this man drew you in by hiding things.

“He was drawing you in by revealing the method of payment.”

Terumoto would pay.

But Terumoto was not there.

So she would pay it later.

“But you made a mistake when you said that wasn’t acceptable.”

…''You really are stupid.''

''Don’t just fall for his rhetorical tricks like that.''

People were quick to understand things they found easy to imagine. And the Vice President had let that happen here.

So…

“You let him place the blame on Terumoto.”

A simple payment negotiation had transformed into a discussion over how Terumoto would take responsibility. And…

…''We could take the lead and prepare traps in the financial discussion, but he has complete control when it comes to Terumoto.''

“Damn,” muttered Ookubo.

“Milady.”

Kanou was seated next to her. The hot spring’s heat must have built up within the automaton because the thermal exhaust ports were opened at her joints and elsewhere to expose them to the open air.

“Ankokuji-sama is about to make his move.”

AK spread his arms and looked up into the night sky for just a moment.

“I hate to do this, but you leave me little choice if Musashi must be paid up front. Mouri and Hashiba-sama’s history recreations will be delayed as I must miss this perfect opportunity where both are gathered in Kantou. And I must reluctantly place full responsibility for this failure on Terumoto-sama.”

Really, though.

“I have no choice but to head home and submit a full report to the Testament Union’s K.P.A. Italia headquarters on the way.”

“Wait,” said the Musashi Vice President. “What kind of report?”

“That is simple enough.” AK turned his head to look around him just once. “I must inform them that my continued history recreation must be halted on Terumoto-sama’s responsibility. And the reason why…well, you already know that, don’t you?”

He took a breath.

“Because Musashi unreasonably demanded that Terumoto-sama pay up front.”

Naito was not sure if she should stop eating the udon.

…''I’m not enough of a debater to join in here.''

But she more or less understood how things were going.

'''Gold Mar:''' “Simply put, he’s putting Teru in a bind while also putting Musashi in a tight spot?”

'''Asama:''' “But the situation seems extremely complicated.”

'''10ZO:''' “This is the gist of it.”

Tenzou summed it up on a sign frame.

*'''Musashi goes to Kantou → Musashi cannot take part in the Honnouji Incident and will encounter Hashiba in Kantou.'''

*'''Musashi does not go to Kantou → Ankokuji cannot make peace and the responsibility falls on Terumoto and Musashi.'''

That summary made one thing clear.

'''Gold Mar:''' “Isn’t Musashi in trouble no matter what happens?”

'''10ZO:''' “In that sense, Ankokuji-dono’s strategy is meant to attack Musashi first and foremost.”

'''Vice President:''' “Yes, that is what he has set up here.”

Hearing that, Naito turned toward someone: Christina.

She had brought Ekei here as an intermediary.

'''Gold Mar:''' “Is Chrippe so thoroughly specialized in gathering data she doesn’t really think about how much trouble something would be?”

'''Horizey:''' “Judge. She probably figured she could ignore that factor because Masazumi-sama would resolve everything with a war no matter what happened.”

'''Silver Wolf:''' “Masazumi? ''Are'' you planning a war against Ankokuji and Mouri as a whole?”

'''Vice President:''' “It’s summer break!”

“Calm down,” Naito said to the others. She had a better grasp on the situation now, so…

'''Gold Mar:''' “Seijun, can I ask him about something fairly basic?”

AK saw a raised hand nearby.

It was Black Hair & Wings’s partner who had responded to him when he arrived. Was she part of the on-site staff? ''A professional and personal relationship is the perfect material. Much appreciated.''

At any rate, she was asking him a question.

“Why not find another flight to Kantou?”

“That’s a good point,” said Black Hair & Wings without even looking his way. “If you want to meet Terumoto and Hashiba in Kantou, you can take a personnel transport ship instead of the Musashi. Why go out of your way to use the Musashi? They don’t want any trouble with the Azuchi, right?”

“I have no choice because Musashi is acting as a Hexagone Française mercenary.”

The blonde tilted her head at that.

“You say Musashi is a Hexagone Française mercenary. Judge, let’s say that’s true,” she said. “But that doesn’t mean the Musashi has to go anywhere Mouri Terumoto asks.”

Naito looked to the target of her question.

Based on his appearance, she guessed Ankokuji Ekei was middle-aged. The man placed a hand on his forehead and gave a small laugh.

“I work for Hexagone Française and Mouri is no different. I can consider myself more one or the other based on my current position, situation, and mood, but generally there is no difference. Anything else would mean Mouri had left Hexagone Française’s provisional rule. Ohh, now that is a scary thought. You weren’t luring me into claiming that, were you?”

“Of course not,” said Naito while realizing she had failed.

…''He managed throw up a smokescreen.''

Ekei insisted it was Terumoto and Musashi’s responsibility if he could not get to Kantou. In that case, Terumoto would be involved ''as part of the Mouri clan.''

But if Musashi refused to take him to ''Mouri Representative Terumoto'' as a Hexagone Française mercenary, he would make a different claim.

…''He’d say that Teru being a Mouri representative means ''she is part of Hexagone Française,'' and thus we have to go to her.''

''So which is it?''

Was Terumoto only with Mouri, or was she part of Hexagone Française because she was with Mouri?

It was all very unclear and felt like a double standard, but…

'''Gold Mar:''' “Can he get away with that interpretation?”

'''Vice President:''' “Unfortunately, he can. It would count as a double standard if Mouri and Hexagone Française had equal rights, but Mouri is in fact under Hexagone Française’s provisional rule.”

So…

'''Vice President:''' “Hexagone Française has the right to intervene in Mouri’s affairs, but Mouri can’t do the same to Hexagone Française. That one-way authority allows that double standard to exist depending on the specific conditions.”

''Ugh,'' silently groaned Naito before Neshinbara added his own thoughts.

'''Novice:''' “Basically, one advantage of the provisional rule is the ruling nation’s ability to claim everything beneficial about the ruled nation while refusing to claim anything that might bring trouble. The ruling nation can take credit for anything the ruled nation accomplishes, but the ruled nation is stuck with its own troubles.”

So…

'''Vice President:''' “That’s why it was such a big deal when Terumoto married the Roi-Soleil. It gave Mouri a route to present its opinions to the highest level of Hexagone Française.”

'''Silver Wolf:''' “Then can’t Terumoto pass this on to the Roi-Soleil?”

'''Horizey:''' “I sincerely doubt it.”

Horizon quietly spoke up.

'''Horizey:''' “Such wise and virtuou- gah!”

'''Asama:''' “Horizon! Did you just jam your finger after trying to type an unfamiliar word!?”

That was incredible, but it happened so fast Naito was not quite sure what the joke was even supposed to be.

But to sum up…

“Basically, Mouri has to handle this on its own?”

“Testament. That is correct. Besides, Terumoto-sama is not the type to rely on Exiv-sama to pay off her bills.” Ekei nodded while still smiling. “I believe she would insist on resolving this on her own.”

“Our Hashiba Liaison sure knows what to say.”

Terumoto was monitoring the situation in the Udon Kingdom based on what the Reine des Garous was sending her.

She was no longer on the ship’s deck she had been on so often recently.

She was now on a Miura Peninsula hill that gave her a view of Satomi on the opposite bank.

The maid dolls’ ''Lourd de Marionnette'' unit had set up a base on the Miura Peninsula, so the Mouri fleet’s main force had established a base here instead of descending to the Satomi side.

That was partially to avoid applying pressure to Satomi, but also…

…''This is our defensive line against the Azuchi.''

Satomi could not act as a shield. If the Azuchi invaded them again, its great size would crush Satomi at present. At best, they could pull off mutual destruction.

But with this formation on the Miura Peninsula, their ''Lourd de Marionnette'' unit could fire across the Uraga Channel or even cross it for a direct assault.

Mogami Yoshiaki on the Yamagata Castle did not seem that fixated on Satomi, but she seemed to have the same idea. If the Azuchi tried anything, she intended to load up the Satomi and Musashi forces and withdraw to the Miura Peninsula.

She would then return fire from the Miura Peninsula to buy time for Satomi. Even the Azuchi would have a hard time if it had no support and was being fired on from a ship using the hill’s slope as a shield.

The distance between them would allow for a temporary stalemate.

So…

“The Azuchi will not attempt another invasion to make up for their loss, Princess.”

“It feels like we’re the rook or bishop in shogi. Staying put can be meaningful too. But…”

Terumoto looked around the area.

This was the western slope of the Miura Peninsula. The forest was relatively intact compared to the eastern slope where the mechanical dragon and ''Lourd de Marionnette'' unit had fought and it provided cover against the enemy. The Hashiba ships had cleared an area for their counterattack, so the Pension Versailles and other ships had settled down in that same area.

Up on the ridge, they were having dinner while watching the lights in Satomi. Terumoto had lifted the ban on alcohol for the first time in a while. With plenty of Pacific fish and other meat, the ''Belle de Marionnette''s were having a great time.

They had clearly made way too much food, so Terumoto had instructed to have regular transports take it over to Satomi.

“The Azuchi will have a hard time leaving Kantou with us here.”

“If that was only vainglory, Hashiba would be free to go where they pleased,” said Mouri-01 with a bitter smile.

Terumoto scratched at her head.

“Refusing to give in isn’t easy, you know? But I can’t back down here and I have to keep up appearances.”

She grabbed something wrapped in ham from the plate Mouri-01 offered her and ate it. Mouri-01 held up the fork she was supposed to have used, but Terumoto did not care. She swallowed it after only two or three bites.

“Fried tofu? I wasn’t expecting that.”

“I tried making it after that meal on the Musashi.”

“The west makes the best tofu. It’s just softer, you know? Oh, but you do need to include two or three cooked beans to provide some texture when you’re chewing it. This is good enough, though.”

“Testament. I will perfect the recipe so you can serve it to the Roi-Soleil.”

“You just cook the tofu and wrap it in ham. Even he could do that,” said Terumoto. “Besides, this’ll be my triumphant return. He’s the one that has to come take my hand and escort me home. But that means I can’t have anyone making a mockery of me here. We need more than just vainglory, so they’d better do something about that bastard Ankokuji.”

“Testament. So what will you be doing?”

“Testament.” Terumoto nodded. “Tell Musashi to bring it on if that’s how it’s gonna be, Mouri-01.”

'''Mouri1:''' “Please pass that message on to Musashi, Vice Chancellor.”

'''Still Got It:''' “Testament, understood! Terumoto does seem to be in a pressing situation, so I will let Musashi know!”

'''Mouri1:''' “Oh, but the way she put it sounds a bit like she is picking a fight with them, so I would appreciate it if you took that into consideration.”

'''Still Got It:''' “Testament. You want me to phrase it more simply for them?”

'''Asama:''' “Mito, your mom just sent the following message: ‘If you really want to do this, feel free to do whatever you want to me.’ ”

'''Gold Mar:''' “Was that meant for her husband?”

'''Silver Wolf:''' “Wh-what is she saying!? Excuse me, mother!”

'''Still Got It:''' “You don’t get it, Nate? If you don’t want to be mocked, you have to keep at it for a good long time. Oh, but don’t forget that everyone loves wrapping that delicious thing in meat and that a little bean can make things all the more delightful.”

'''Silver Wolf:''' “P-please tell me you’re talking about food!”

Masazumi was not sure what any of that was about, but at least Mouri sounded peaceful.

''And isn’t that all that matters?'' thought Masazumi.

…''Wait, no, it’s not.''

She refocused her mind. Right now, she had to focus on Mouri Terumoto. If Terumoto ran into a financial problem, she would not let someone else pay for it, just like Ankokuji had said. So…

'''Vice President:''' “We lose if we have Terumoto pay.”

'''Flat Vassal:''' “But wait. Does the Mouri President really not have any money?”

'''Art-Ga:''' “How are we supposed to ask about that? Just straight up ask ‘hey, are you broke’?”

''No, we can’t do that,'' thought Masazumi.

“But we can check, so we probably should. Just not phrased like that.”

'''Still Got It:''' “Mouri-01, Musashi has a question for Terumoto: ‘This is an awkward question, but does Mouri see any problems with us traveling to Kantou?’ ”

'''Mouri1:''' “Testament. I will pass that on to her.”

'''Still Got It:''' “But that question is terribly indirect, don’t you think?”

'''Mouri1:''' “It is. I will rephrase it for her.”

“Terumoto-sama! We have a divine transmission from Musashi.”

“Great, so what do they want, Mouri-01?”

“Testament! They asked, ‘hey, are you broke’?”

“I’ll kill them!”

'''Asama:''' “Mito, another message from your mom: ‘I will now send you to heaven.’ ”

'''Art-Ga:''' “More authentic dialogue I can use!”

'''Silver Wolf:''' “Motherrrr!!”

'''Vice President:''' “Why do I feel like there’s an actual conversation going on here? Am I delusional?”

'''Me:''' “If this is your idea of a conversation, you could probably talk with a pond snail or a loach.”

''This is dangerous,'' thought Masazumi regarding Ankokuji.

…''Mouri Terumoto will almost certainly insist on paying if she’s asked to.''

But she did not have that kind of money while in Kantou on her own and the Mouri clan itself did not have enough of a budget to send the Musashi to Kantou.

But Terumoto would pay.

She would not go into debt over it. After growing up on a reservation, she would know just how dangerous moneylending was.

''So instead,'' thought Masazumi before Ankokuji interrupted.

“The most likely option would be selling the Mouri fleet.”

''He’s right,'' thought Masazumi.

Satomi had been considerably worn down by the Kantou Liberation and Houjou had been destroyed.

If the Musashi did not return to Kantou, their allies in Satomi would be in charge of Edo and Houjou in their place.

Mogami and Date were there too and the Kantou nations would not try to steal Edo and Satomi’s land…she hoped anyway. But Satomi would need power to have any real influence in Kantou. So…

'''Worshiper:''' “What if Musashi gives Satomi some reconstruction funding and Satomi uses that to buy the Mouri fleet? Then Mouri can use that money to call in the Musashi. And I will be respected by little girls the world over for coming up with such a brilliant idea.”

'''Unturning:''' “Kiyonari, why hasn’t he been arrested yet?”

'''Uqui:''' “Calm down, Narumi. We must first determine whether those little girls are elder sisters.”

''You calm down,'' thought Masazumi, but Ohiroshiki did have a point.

'''Asama:''' “That’s similar to the deal we worked out before, isn’t it?”

It was.

Musashi would pay out some money and then retrieve it from Satomi via Mouri.

Of course, the amount would fluctuate along the way, but the losses would be minimal. However…

…''That would be tricky.''

She prepared to explain why when someone interrupted from Satomi.

'''Tachibana Wife:''' “We have met up with the Representative Committee Head since this seems like an important meeting. And with that said, may I say something?”

Gin asked her question from the area in question.

'''Tachibana Wife:''' “If Mouri sells their fleet, how will they return to Hexagone Française?”

'''Horizey:''' “I am fairly certain Mitotsudaira-sama’s mother could run back.”

Mitotsudaira hung her head, but that seemed like a special case. And…

“Mouri can’t sell their fleet.” Masazumi spoke out loud so Ankokuji could hear. “If they did, they would have no means of fighting M.H.R.R. after returning to their home base.”

''Oh?'' thought AK with a mental nod.

…''Finally.''

This was what the Musashi Vice President had just said.

“You mean Mouri must retain an anti-Hashiba stance?”

As Mouri’s Hashiba Liaison, he could not overlook that comment. Because…

“So Musashi intends to continue its opposition to Hashiba and you intend to force Mouri to join you?”

<noinclude>
{{HorizonNavbar
| [[Horizon:Volume 8A Chapter 13|Chapter 13]]
| [[Horizon:Volume 8A Chapter 15|Chapter 15]]
}}
</noinclude>

Talk:Horizon:Volume 8A Chapter 14

2020-11-09T16:45:32Z

Kemm: Created page with "Every time I see japanese people taling about how bread is made, I get more and more convinced that they've mistaken "cake" for "bread". Salt is a basic ingredient for bread,..."

Every time I see japanese people taling about how bread is made, I get more and more convinced that they've mistaken "cake" for "bread". Salt is a basic ingredient for bread, and salt-free bread has to be marked as "salt-free". Noodle dough has the exact same composition as unleavened bread dough, and the only difference with regular (leavened) bread dough is the yeast.--[[User:Kemm|Kemm]] ([[User talk:Kemm|talk]])

Horizon:Volume 8A World

2020-10-30T14:27:21Z

Kemm: Seems like the changes to the other handles were definitive. Mishina Hiro's was still a typo, tho.

==World==
[[File:Horizon8A_016.jpg|thumb]]
[[File:Horizon8A_017.jpg|thumb]]

The Story So Far:

Okay, the great Shogun will explain what’s going on for you lot. This is the simplest way of putting it: I woke up to find I was a mobile shell, I was partnered with this weirdly enormous little girl, and after taking three artillery blasts, she was hanged by a vice-Shogun. And now she is eating a meal.”

So…who’s ever going to believe a story like that? Thinking back, ''I’m'' not even sure what was going on. Besides, I am a great Shogun and none of these modern people know how to show me the proper respect. I mean, yeah, I was assassinated after taking on multiple inherited names toward the end there, but still.

And now someone is banging on the outside of my head, but it’s gotta be that little girl. Stop that, damn you!!

Divine Chat Screenname List:
*Azuma: Azuma
*Asama: Asama Tomo
*Obscene: Itou Kenji (Itoken)
*Me: Aoi Toori
*Gold Mar: Margot Naito
*Righteousness: Satomi Yoshiyasu
*Scarred: Mary Stuart
*Silver Wolf: Nate Mitosudaira
*Still Got It: Reine des Garous
*Wise Sister: Aoi Kimi
*481: Mishina Shouichi
*Tachibana Husband: Tachibana Muneshige
*Tachibana Wife: Tachibana Gin
*Smoking Girl: Naomasa
*10ZO: Tenzou Crossunite
*Tonbokiri: Honda Futayo
*Sticky King: Nenji
*83: Hassan Furubushi
*Flat Vassal: Adele Balfette
*Vice President: Honda Masazumi
*Bell: Mukai Suzu
*Horizey: Horizon Ariadust
*Art-Ga: Marga Naruze
*Circle Be: Heidi Augesvarer
*347: Mishina Hiro
*Novice: Toussaint Neshinbara
*Musashi King: Yoshinao
*Four Eyes: Shakespeare
*Worshipper: Ohiroshiki Ginji
*Laborer: Noriki
*Unturning: Date Narumi
*Kagetsuna-kun: Katakura Kojuurou
*Fang: Oniniwa Tsunamoto
*Caretaker: Rusu Makikage
*Taki: Takigawa Ichimasu
*Great Upperclassmen: Shibata Katsuie
*O12: Oichi
*Lily Flower: Sassa Narimasa
*Omaeda: Maeda Toshiie
*Fuwaa: Fuwa Mitsuharu
*Mory: Mori Nagayoshi
*Nine Tail Girl: Mogami Yosahiaki
*Shigeko: Honjou Shigenaga
*KageV: Uesugi Kagekatsu
*Tomo-no-Bu: Saitou Tomonobu
*Nagaya-Stable: Ookubo Tadachika
*CAN: Kanou
*Llaf: Fukushima Masanori
*Kiyo-Massive: Katou Kiyomasa
*□□凸: Katagiri Katsumoto
*Kuro-Take: Takenaka Hanbei
*Kimee: Katou Yoshiaki
*AnG: Wakisaka Yasuharu
*6: Hachisuka Koroku
*An-Ri: Henri
*Ar-Man: Armand
*Super Justice: Ootani Yoshitsugu
*Nari Nari Nari: Ishida Mitsunari
*Kanitama: Kani Saizou
*Nine Horns: Kuki Yoshitaka
*Three Legs: Suzuki Magoichi
*Black Wolf: Kasuya Takenori
*Nabe3: Nabeshima Naoshige
*Asano: Asano Yoshinaga
*IT: Ikeda Terumasa
*Okaaa: Nagaoka Tadaoki
*Koni-ko: Konishi Yukinaga
*■――: Yagyuu Munenori
*Self-Destruct Girl: Christina
*Kohime: Shima Sakon
*Onitakemaru: Onitakemaru

Far Eastern Powers:
[Same map as before]

Relationships Between the Major Powers:
[Same as before]

Musashi’s Plans:

Toori: Sis! Sis! What are we gonna do during summer break!?

Kimi: Heh heh heh. Summer brother, the Musashi is in the Udon Kingdom, so we need to decide if we can just stay here or not. And we have to redo our final exams, so we have to think about that too.

<noinclude>
{{HorizonNavbar
| [[Horizon:Volume 8A Glossary|Glossary]]
| [[Horizon:Volume 8A School Rules|School Rules]]
}}
</noinclude>

Horizon:Volume 8A World

2020-10-23T18:10:13Z

Kemm: Changed two screen names to match the main story (Aidi and Horizon), as well as another one to match what's seen in the original page (Mishina Shiro; also matches with the origin). I believe Naruze's also different, but I didn't find yet any mentions.

==World==
[[File:Horizon8A_016.jpg|thumb]]
[[File:Horizon8A_017.jpg|thumb]]

The Story So Far:

Okay, the great Shogun will explain what’s going on for you lot. This is the simplest way of putting it: I woke up to find I was a mobile shell, I was partnered with this weirdly enormous little girl, and after taking three artillery blasts, she was hanged by a vice-Shogun. And now she is eating a meal.”

So…who’s ever going to believe a story like that? Thinking back, ''I’m'' not even sure what was going on. Besides, I am a great Shogun and none of these modern people know how to show me the proper respect. I mean, yeah, I was assassinated after taking on multiple inherited names toward the end there, but still.

And now someone is banging on the outside of my head, but it’s gotta be that little girl. Stop that, damn you!!

Divine Chat Screenname List:
*Azuma: Azuma
*Asama: Asama Tomo
*Obscene: Itou Kenji (Itoken)
*Me: Aoi Toori
*Gold Mar: Margot Naito
*Righteousness: Satomi Yoshiyasu
*Scarred: Mary Stuart
*Silver Wolf: Nate Mitosudaira
*Still Got It: Reine des Garous
*Wise Sister: Aoi Kimi
*481: Mishina Shouichi
*Tachibana Husband: Tachibana Muneshige
*Tachibana Wife: Tachibana Gin
*Smoking Girl: Naomasa
*10ZO: Tenzou Crossunite
*Tonbokiri: Honda Futayo
*Sticky King: Nenji
*83: Hassan Furubushi
*Flat Vassal: Adele Balfette
*Vice President: Honda Masazumi
*Bell: Mukai Suzu
*Hori-ko: Horizon Ariadust
*Art-Ga: Marga Naruze
*Marubeya: Heidi Augesvarer
*347: Mishina Hiro
*Novice: Toussaint Neshinbara
*Musashi King: Yoshinao
*Four Eyes: Shakespeare
*Worshipper: Ohiroshiki Ginji
*Laborer: Noriki
*Unturning: Date Narumi
*Kagetsuna-kun: Katakura Kojuurou
*Fang: Oniniwa Tsunamoto
*Caretaker: Rusu Makikage
*Taki: Takigawa Ichimasu
*Great Upperclassmen: Shibata Katsuie
*O12: Oichi
*Lily Flower: Sassa Narimasa
*Omaeda: Maeda Toshiie
*Fuwaa: Fuwa Mitsuharu
*Mory: Mori Nagayoshi
*Nine Tail Girl: Mogami Yosahiaki
*Shigeko: Honjou Shigenaga
*KageV: Uesugi Kagekatsu
*Tomo-no-Bu: Saitou Tomonobu
*Nagaya-Stable: Ookubo Tadachika
*CAN: Kanou
*Llaf: Fukushima Masanori
*Kiyo-Massive: Katou Kiyomasa
*□□凸: Katagiri Katsumoto
*Kuro-Take: Takenaka Hanbei
*Kimee: Katou Yoshiaki
*AnG: Wakisaka Yasuharu
*6: Hachisuka Koroku
*An-Ri: Henri
*Ar-Man: Armand
*Super Justice: Ootani Yoshitsugu
*Nari Nari Nari: Ishida Mitsunari
*Kanitama: Kani Saizou
*Nine Horns: Kuki Yoshitaka
*Three Legs: Suzuki Magoichi
*Black Wolf: Kasuya Takenori
*Nabe3: Nabeshima Naoshige
*Asano: Asano Yoshinaga
*IT: Ikeda Terumasa
*Okaaa: Nagaoka Tadaoki
*Koni-ko: Konishi Yukinaga
*■――: Yagyuu Munenori
*Self-Destruct Girl: Christina
*Kohime: Shima Sakon
*Onitakemaru: Onitakemaru

Far Eastern Powers:
[Same map as before]

Relationships Between the Major Powers:
[Same as before]

Musashi’s Plans:

Toori: Sis! Sis! What are we gonna do during summer break!?

Kimi: Heh heh heh. Summer brother, the Musashi is in the Udon Kingdom, so we need to decide if we can just stay here or not. And we have to redo our final exams, so we have to think about that too.

<noinclude>
{{HorizonNavbar
| [[Horizon:Volume 8A Glossary|Glossary]]
| [[Horizon:Volume 8A School Rules|School Rules]]
}}
</noinclude>

Talk:Iris on Rainy Days

2020-03-20T14:24:44Z

Kemm: /* Flower Series */ new section

Why am i anticipating this story with dread after having read the chapter part's titles? -anonymous#tripped
:LOL. I agree with you. I don't know why, but this LN looks promising. Hope it'll be upgraded into full project :) - [[User:RasteShelphyd|RasteShelphyd]] 19:57, 14 June 2011 (UCT)
LOL. Give the project a vote in the forums and poke your Japanese-speaking friends to translate it. In the meantime you can take a look at the prologue and the teaser of chapter 1. :) --DNK 17:12, 14 June 2011 (UCT)

Oh no, not another Planetarium >< <tears> --[[User:Gabgrave|Gabgrave]] 21:26, 12 January 2012 (CST)

At least we know what to expect in this series...in planetarian, key was cruel enough to tease us with the possibility of a happy ending. [[User:MerrickXasis|MerrickXasis]] 22:18, 12 January 2012 (CST)

Yeh Planetarium, it is really nostalgic. It was one of the few titles where I really cried reading it. And yes, it was extremely cruel that they gave us the hope of happy ending and then crushed it. Aaaah I would really like to have a choice in the end of Planetarium, where one of the possibilities would lead to happy ending.--[[User:KaprJarda|KaprJarda]] 18:21, 2 August 2012 (CDT)

"PDF for e-Reader" file doesn't exist. Can you reupload? [[User:Chipp12|Chipp12]] ([[User talk:Chipp12|talk]]) 09:02, 22 February 2013 (CST)

Kinda late, but it has been reuploaded. --[[User:Hunk|Hunk]] ([[User talk:Hunk|talk]]) 05:23, 2 May 2013 (CDT)

Added translated illustrations --[[User:Hunk|Hunk]] ([[User talk:Hunk|talk]]) 13:42, 8 February 2014 (CST)

== Russian Translation ==

Hello, nobody does not mind if I will translate Iris into Russian? --[[User:Rock96|Rock96]] 06:47, 13 January 2012 (CST)

Sure. Go ahead. [[User:Zephyrus|Zephyrus]] 06:58, 13 January 2012 (CST)

Thanks a lot. --[[User:Rock96|Rock96]] 07:07, 13 January 2012 (CST)

BTW, what tense did author use in the novel? Present or past? --[[User:Rock96|Rock96]] 04:51, 14 January 2012 (CST)

Judging from the story, present tense would be better. I started with present tense but found them confusing, so I switched back to past about half through the story =X. Maybe someone should edit it all to completely present or past? --[[User:Zephyrus|Zephyrus]] 07:22, 14 January 2012 (CST)

I see. Then I'll stick to present tense. I don't like it, though... I can help a little bit with editing, but I need to know tense which should be used for editing --[[User:Rock96|Rock96]] 07:31, 14 January 2012 (CST)

Well, it's actually just my preference. You can use past tense if you want. But many parts of the story are Iris' monologues, so those would need to be in present tense. Past would of course be used when Iris is thinking about her past. --[[User:Zephyrus|Zephyrus]] 07:40, 14 January 2012 (CST)

BTW, is there really need for spaces before paragraphs? They aren't shown in reading mode, after all. --[[User:Rock96|Rock96]] 04:08, 19 January 2012 (CST)

Not really. Just a habit --[[User:Zephyrus|Zephyrus]] 04:17, 19 January 2012 (CST)

== Vietnamese Translation ==

Hi, i would like to translate this novel into vietnamese. Hope you agree [[User:Nhinguyenminh|Nhinguyenminh]] 01:09, 4 February 2012 (CST)

Feel free to do so. [[User:Zephyrus|Zephyrus]] 09:39, 4 February 2012 (CST)

Thank you! :D [[User:Nhinguyenminh|Nhinguyenminh]] 00:20, 5 February 2012 (CST)

Excuse me, is Oval a town or a city ? In the part 1, it is a town, but in part 2, it is a city @_@ [[User:Nhinguyenminh|Nhinguyenminh]] 08:20, 5 February 2012 (CST)

It's a town. [[User:Zephyrus|Zephyrus]] 22:22, 5 February 2012 (CST)

Thank you. By the way, can you give me your e-mail or skype name? For easy contact XD [[User:Nhinguyenminh|Nhinguyenminh]] 07:50, 6 February 2012 (CST)

You can just send me a message on the BT forums. --[[User:Zephyrus|Zephyrus]] 08:47, 6 February 2012 (CST)

Oh. I see ^^ [[User:Nhinguyenminh|Nhinguyenminh]] 10:13, 6 February 2012 (CST)

== Flower Series ==

I seriously thought that I had written this here already, but this novel, along with Amaryillis of the Ice Country, belong to a series called "Flower". Iris would be the first intallment while Amaryllis is the third. There's one other novel, called ''Freesia of the Snow Wings'', but it seems like no one has picked that up yet.--[[User:Kemm|Kemm]] ([[User talk:Kemm|talk]])

Amaryllis in the Ice Country

2020-01-20T23:24:38Z

Kemm:

<vote type="1" /><small>{{furigana|'''Do you follow this series? Rate it!'''|Only available to registered users. [[Special:CreateAccount|Register here]]}}</small><br>

[[Image:AmaryllisCover.jpeg|thumb|300px|Cover art|class=serie_cover]]
'''''Amaryllis in the Ice Country''''' (氷の国のアマリリス) is a single volume light novel written by <span id="author">Takeshi Matsuyama</span> and illustrated by <span id="artist">Paseri</span>. It's part of the "Flower" series, along with [[Iris on Rainy Days]] and Freesia of the Snow Wings.

The ''Amaryllis in the Ice Country'' light novel is also available in the following languages:
*[[Amaryllis au Pays de Glace| French (Français)]]
(Note: Translation progress varies for each version.)

==Story Synopsis==
<div id="synopsis">
<center>In the distant future, the world was in ice</center>

<center>Humans live in the cryo facilities in the underground, waiting for the distant Spring,</center>

<center>The robots managing the facilities</center>

<center>Built a 'village' there, and lived there.</center>

<center>They dream that one day, they would live together with 'Humans'<span style="position:absolute; margin-top: -10px; font-size: 0.7em; margin-left: -45px;">Master</span></center>

<center>This, is the story of the Ice Country</center>
</div>
==Translation==
=== [[Amaryllis in the Ice Country:Registration Page|Registration]] ===
Translators are asked to [[Amaryllis in the Ice Country:Registration Page|register]] for chapters they want to work on.

=== Feedback ===
'''The series is currently hosted and translated [https://hellping.org/amaryllis-in-the-ice-country/ HERE].'''
'''Future updates will also be posted here on Baka-Tsuki.'''

== Updates ==
* July 18, 2017 - '''Volume completed'''

==''Amaryllis in the Ice Country'' by Takeshi Matsuyama==

<div id="volumes_list">
<div class="volume">
==={{pad|220px}}<span class="volume_title">[[Amaryllis in the Ice Country:Volume|Amaryllis in the Ice Country]]</span>===
[[image:AmaryllisCover.jpeg|left|220px|border|class=volume_cover]]
<table border="0" cellpadding="0"><tr><td>
*<span class="volume_chapter">[[Amaryllis in the Ice Country:Illustrations|Illustrations]]</span>
*<span class="volume_chapter">[[Amaryllis in the Ice Country:Prologue|Prologue]]</span>
*<span class="volume_chapter">[[Amaryllis in the Ice Country:Chapter 1|Chapter 1 - The Snow White in the Sleeping Forest]]</span>
*<span class="volume_chapter">[[Amaryllis in the Ice Country:Chapter 2|Chapter 2 - Masters’ Secret]]</span>
*<span class="volume_chapter">[[Amaryllis in the Ice Country:Chapter 3|Chapter 3 - The Prayer Festival]]</span>
*<span class="volume_chapter">[[Amaryllis in the Ice Country:Chapter 4|Chapter 4 - Broken Toy]]</span>
*<span class="volume_chapter">[[Amaryllis in the Ice Country:Chapter 5|Chapter 5 - Flower Medal]]</span>
*<span class="volume_chapter">[[Amaryllis in the Ice Country:Chapter 6|Chapter 6 - Funeral]]</span>
*<span class="volume_chapter">[[Amaryllis in the Ice Country:Chapter 7|Chapter 7 - To Live On, Or To Die?]]</span>
*<span class="volume_chapter">[[Amaryllis in the Ice Country:Chapter 8|Chapter 8 - Farewell, our fuel]]</span>
*<span class="volume_chapter">[[Amaryllis in the Ice Country:Chapter 9|Chapter 9 - To the Surface...... (1)]]</span>
*<span class="volume_chapter">[[Amaryllis in the Ice Country:Chapter 10|Chapter 10 - To the Surface...... (2)]]</span>
*<span class="volume_chapter">[[Amaryllis in the Ice Country:Epilogue|Epilogue - The Snow Thaws]]</span>
*<span class="volume_chapter">[[Amaryllis in the Ice Country:Afterword|Afterword]]</span>
</td></tr></table><br style="clear:both" />
</div>
</div>
==Project Staff==
*Supervisor: N/A
*Project Manager: [[User:Teh_Ping|Teh Ping]]

===Translators===
::[[User:Teh_Ping|Teh Ping]]

===Editors===
All editors who speak English proficiently are welcome.

== Series Overview ==
*氷の国のアマリリス / Amaryllis in the Ice Country (April 10, 2013, ISBN 978-4048915786)

[[Category:Light novel (English)]]
[[Category:Completed Project]]
[[Category:Oneshot]]
[[Category:Takeshi Matsuyama]]
[[Category:Hosted Projects]]

Iris on Rainy Days

2020-01-20T23:24:29Z

Kemm:

[[Image:Iris on Rainy Days - cover art.png |thumb|300px|Cover art]]
'''''Iris on Rainy Days''''' (雨の日のアイリス / Ame no Hi no Iris) is a light novel written by Takeshi Matsuyama and illustrated by Hirasato. The novel is ranked 10th in the "This Light Novel is Great! 2012 (このライトノベルがすごい! 2012)" ranking. It's part of the "Flower" series, along with Freesia of the Snow Wings and [[Amaryllis in the Ice Country]].

Iris on Rainy Days is available in the following languages:
* [[Ірыс у дажджлівыя дні|Belarusian (Беларуская)]]
* [[Ирис в дождливые дни|Russian (Русский)]]
* [[Iris on Rainy Days ~ Français|French (Français)]]
* [[Iris on Rainy Days ~ (Spanish)|Spanish (Español)]]
*[[Iris on Rainy Days ~ (Brazilian Portuguese)|Português (Brazilian Portuguese)]]
* [[Iris on Rainy Days ~ (Italian)|Italian (Italiano)]]
* [[Iris_on_Rainy_Days_(Indonesia)|Bahasa (Indonesia)]]
==Story Synopsis==
The story is centered around a cute android who initially had a happy life with her master who dearly loved her. But she was then struck by a series of misfortunes and ended up in a robot-equivalent of a concentration camp. Through experiencing and witnessing the sufferings towards herself as well as the people/robots around her, she eventually gained a better appreciation of life.

== Characters Introduction ==
<div>
<div style="float: left; width: 350px; margin: 5px 20px;">
<b>Iris Rain Umbrella</b>
[[Image:Iris_on_Rainy_Days_Iris.jpg|left|link=]]
A cute android who lives a happy and peaceful life with her master, Wendy von Umbrella, but then one day...
</div>
<div style="float: left; width: 350px; margin: 5px 20px;">
<b>Wendy von Umbrella</b>
[[Image:Iris_on_Rainy_Days_Wendy.jpg|left|link=]]
A famous scientist in robotics and Iris's master. She really likes teasing poor Iris.
</div>
<br style="clear: both;" />
<div style="float: left; width: 350px; margin: 5px 20px;">
<b>Lilith Sunlight</b>
[[Image:Iris_on_Rainy_Days_Lilith.jpg|left|link=]]
A joyful and friendly android who is also sharp-tongued. She quickly becomes friends with Iris.
</div>
<div style="float: left; width: 350px; margin: 5px 20px;">
<b>Volkov Galosh</b>
[[Image:Iris_on_Rainy_Days_Volkov.jpg|left|link=]]
A huge robot with a stuttering voice and slow and clumsy motions. He seems to get along well with Lilith.
</div>
<br style="clear: both;" />

== Translation ==

=== [[Iris on Rainy Days:Registration Page|Registration]] ===

Those who wish to contribute are asked to first notify a supervisor beforehand.

'''Translators are asked to [[Iris on Rainy Days:Registration Page|register]] which chapters they're working on'''

===Format Standards===
'''Every Chapter (after editing) must conform to the general format guidelines.'''
*[[Format_guideline|General Format/Style Guideline]]

=== Feedback ===
'''If you enjoyed the teasers, why don't you tell us in the [http://www.baka-tsuki.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=4412 Discussion thread] or in the [http://www.baka-tsuki.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=23&t=4661 Teaser Feedback thread] and give the project a vote'''

== Updates ==
*June 15, 2011 - Teaser page created. Forum translations by DNK uploaded.
*January 13, 2012 - Iris on Rainy Days project completed. Credits to Zephyrus for the single-handed translation.
*March 6, 2014 - SS My Homework completed.

==<span id="_by">''Iris on Rainy Days ([[Iris on Rainy Days Full Text|Full Text]] - [https://www.mediafire.com/folder/8u9gycc742jiu/iris ePUB])''</span>==

=== [[Iris on Rainy Days:Illustrations|Novel illustrations]] ===

=== [[Iris on Rainy Days:Prologue|Prologue]] ===

=== Chapter 1 – Dismantling ===
::* '''[[Iris on Rainy Days: Dismantling- 7 Days Before|7 Days Before]]'''
::* '''[[Iris on Rainy Days: Dismantling- 6 Days Before|6 Days Before]]'''
::* '''[[Iris on Rainy Days: Dismantling- 5 Days Before|5 Days Before]]'''
::* '''[[Iris on Rainy Days: Dismantling- 4 Days Before|4 Days Before]]'''
::* '''[[Iris on Rainy Days: Dismantling- 3 Days Before|3 Days Before]]'''
::* '''[[Iris on Rainy Days: Dismantling- 2 Days Before|2 Days Before]]'''
::* '''[[Iris on Rainy Days: Dismantling- 1 Day Before|1 Day Before]]'''
::* '''[[Iris on Rainy Days: Dismantling- Day of Dismantlement|Day of Dismantlement]]'''

=== Chapter 2 – Rebirth ===
::* '''[[Iris on Rainy Days: Rebirth- Day 1|Day 1]]'''
::* '''[[Iris on Rainy Days: Rebirth- Day 2|Day 2]]'''
::* '''[[Iris on Rainy Days: Rebirth- Day 8|Day 8]]'''
::* '''[[Iris on Rainy Days: Rebirth- Day 15|Day 15]]'''
::* '''[[Iris on Rainy Days: Rebirth- Day 32|Day 32]]'''
::* '''[[Iris on Rainy Days: Rebirth- Day 44|Day 44]]'''
::* '''[[Iris on Rainy Days: Rebirth- Day 55|Day 55]]'''
::* '''[[Iris on Rainy Days: Rebirth- Day 69|Day 69]]'''
::* '''[[Iris on Rainy Days: Rebirth- Day 73|Day 73]]'''
::* '''[[Iris on Rainy Days: Rebirth- Day 78|Day 78]]'''
::* '''[[Iris on Rainy Days: Rebirth- Day 83|Day 83]]'''

=== Chapter 3 – Execution ===
::* '''[[Iris on Rainy Days: Execution- The Previous Night|The Previous Night]]'''
::* '''[[Iris on Rainy Days: Execution- The Day|The Day]]'''
::* '''[[Iris on Rainy Days: Execution- battery=04:50:36|battery=04:50:36]]'''
::* '''[[Iris on Rainy Days: Execution- battery=04:46:03|battery=04:46:03]]'''
::* '''[[Iris on Rainy Days: Execution- battery=04:21:29|battery=04:21:29]]'''
::* '''[[Iris on Rainy Days: Execution- battery=04:10:52|battery=04:10:52]]'''
::* '''[[Iris on Rainy Days: Execution- battery=03:58:01|battery=03:58:01]]'''
::* '''[[Iris on Rainy Days: Execution- battery=03:45:32|battery=03:45:32]]'''
::* '''[[Iris on Rainy Days: Execution- battery=02:14:17|battery=02:14:17]]'''
::* '''[[Iris on Rainy Days: Execution- battery=02:01:40|battery=02:01:40]]'''
::* '''[[Iris on Rainy Days: Execution- battery=01:49:52|battery=01:49:52]]'''
::* '''[[Iris on Rainy Days: Execution- battery=01:28:13|battery=01:28:13]]'''
::* '''[[Iris on Rainy Days: Execution- battery=01:24:41|battery=01:24:41]]'''
::* '''[[Iris on Rainy Days: Execution- battery=01:16:56|battery=01:16:56]]'''
::* '''[[Iris on Rainy Days: Execution- battery=00:58:34|battery=00:58:34]]'''
::* '''[[Iris on Rainy Days: Execution- battery=00:43:08|battery=00:43:08]]'''
::* '''[[Iris on Rainy Days: Execution- battery=00:05:36|battery=00:05:36]]'''
::* '''[[Iris on Rainy Days: Execution- battery=00:00:00|battery=00:00:00]]'''

=== Chapter 4 – Letters ===
::* '''[[Iris on Rainy Days: Letters- News Report – "National Defense Force Suppresses Robot Breakaway"|News Report – "National Defense Force Suppresses Robot Breakaway"]]'''
::* '''[[Iris on Rainy Days: Letters- News Report – "Paper Slips at the Scene Identified as Children Literature"|News Report – "Paper Slips at the Scene Identified as Children Literature"]]'''
::* '''[[Iris on Rainy Days: Letters- News Column – Modern Robotics - "The End of a Certain Robot"|News Column – Modern Robotics - "The End of a Certain Robot"]]'''
::* '''[[Iris on Rainy Days: Letters- Professor Wendy von Umbrella's Letter|Professor Wendy von Umbrella's Letter]]'''
::* '''[[Iris on Rainy Days: Letters- Ralph Ciel's reboot experiment|Ralph Ciel's reboot experiment]]'''
::* '''[[Iris on Rainy Days: Letters- Iris' Letter|Iris' Letter]]'''

=== [[Iris on Rainy Days: Afterword|Afterword]] ===

==Short Stories==
* [[Iris on Rainy Days: My Homework|My Homework]]

==Project Staff==
===Translators===
:*[[User:Zephyrus|Zephyrus]]
:*[[User:Pudding321|Pudding321]]

===Editors===
'''ACTIVE'''

[[User:Rock96|Rock96]] - occasionally drop by and edit small parts.

[[User:shadowmaster850|shadowmaster850]]

'''INACTIVE'''

== Series Overview ==
*雨の日のアイリス / Ame no Hi no Iris (10 May 2011, ISBN 978-4048705301)

[[Category:Light novel (English)]]
[[Category:Completed Project]]
[[Category:Oneshot]]
[[Category:Takeshi Matsuyama]]

[[Category:Genre - Drama]]
[[Category:Genre - Psychological]]
[[Category:Genre - Romance]]
[[Category:Genre - Sci-Fi]]
[[Category:Genre - Slice of Life]]

Talk:Horizon:Volume 7C Chapter 63

2019-11-12T15:20:02Z

Kemm: Created page with "I have just made the connection right now, but that means I now have a doubt: the name of Takigawa is given here as "Ichimasu", while in Oda Nobuna no Yabou was given as "Kazu..."

I have just made the connection right now, but that means I now have a doubt: the name of Takigawa is given here as "Ichimasu", while in Oda Nobuna no Yabou was given as "Kazumasu"; both are written the same, so, which one is the correct reading (at least historically)?--[[User:Kemm|Kemm]] ([[User talk:Kemm|talk]])

Talk:Horizon:Volume 7C Chapter 53

2019-08-31T10:49:38Z

Kemm: Created page with "Done it again: 宜弟, besides being a pun on "yoroshiku" (宜しく), directly translated means "good brother" (or even "indeed, brother"), but can be read the same as 義弟..."

Done it again: 宜弟, besides being a pun on "yoroshiku" (宜しく), directly translated means "good brother" (or even "indeed, brother"), but can be read the same as 義弟 (younger brother-in-law). Weird.--[[User:Kemm|Kemm]] ([[User talk:Kemm|talk]]) 12:49, 31 August 2019 (CEST)

Talk:Horizon:Volume 7C World

2019-08-31T10:43:18Z

Kemm:

Fun fact: when the kanji for "sato" (village) is next to a kanji that indicates family relationship, it means "foster" (it most likely is not relevant to this case).<br/>
Fun fact #2: if we take it as the "younger brother" kanji standing in for "person", then it would mean "rural brother" (since with person is "countryfolk, people from the sticks").<br/>
--[[User:Kemm|Kemm]] ([[User talk:Kemm|talk]])

Talk:Horizon:Volume 7C World

2019-08-31T10:42:57Z

Kemm: Created page with "Fun fact: when the kanji for "sato" (village) is next to a kanji that indicates family relationship, it means "foster" (it most likely is not relevant to this case). Fun fact..."

Fun fact: when the kanji for "sato" (village) is next to a kanji that indicates family relationship, it means "foster" (it most likely is not relevant to this case).
Fun fact #2: if we take it as the "younger brother" kanji standing in for "person", then it would mean "rural brother" (since with person is "countryfolk, people from the sticks").
--[[User:Kemm|Kemm]] ([[User talk:Kemm|talk]])

Horizon:Volume 7B Chapter 33

2019-05-17T23:13:12Z

Kemm: Visual editing doesn't work right woth this.

==Chapter 33: Jumping Girls Above and Below the Arch==
[[Image:Horizon7B_197.jpg|thumb]]
''Cr-

''Cr-

''Cr-

''Cr-

''Craaaash

'''Point Allocation (Should I Have Done That…?)

Adele saw the transport ship slam into Futayo.

“She was hit!”

That was clearly a direct hit. The transport ship had been flying in at extreme low altitude to fire on them, so there had not been room for Futayo to fit below it.

She was hit.

She flew through the air while leaning backwards. The back of her head collapsed backwards, her navel pointed up toward the heavens, and she formed a large curve with her body.

“Eh?”

''Something isn’t right,'' thought Adele as she stood up. And then…

“Like this, Adele.”

Kimi lightly struck her hips. Or so she thought.

At the same time, Adele flipped back starting from her feet.

…''Wah!?

The next thing she knew, she was standing up.

The world was back to normal with her legs below her. But the hem of her summer uniform was falling from the tug of gravity. And more than that, her pulse was racing.

…''What was that?

“Heh heh. Futayo just did that same thing. In the instant of impact, she lifted her knees and lightly kicked off the transport ship’s bow. From there, she spun herself around in a 450-degree backflip.”

Kimi pointed toward the enemy transport ship. There was a straight line path up from the bow.

“Is the Vice Chancellor trying to run up the bow to reach the top of the transport ship!?”

That was exactly what she saw happening.

After swinging her long ponytail in a 450-degree circle, Futayo landed on the approaching transport ship’s bow.

“––––”

And she suddenly ran straight up the bow.

Futayo entered a fighting stance the instant she hopped up onto the transport ship’s deck.

But that stance was meaningless when it came to intercepting attacks and she could not afford to lose her speed, so she left the stance again. ''Adapting to the situation is an important skill.

So her charge was done freestyle. There was a good chance they would shoot at her, so she angled her body to the side and relied on her shoulder and skirt armor while holding Tonbo Spare up as a shield.

And she realized something while flying across the enemy ship’s bow.

“There is no one here?”

Was the ship deserted? It was still firing and the cannons were making minute adjustments to remain aimed at the Musashi transport ships.

But the ship could be controlled remotely, so if there was no one on the deck…

“Do they intend to ram us!?”

'''Tonbokiri:''' “You need to figure out what to do in a hurry! Thish ship…this sip…''this ship'' intends to ram you!”

Asama heard Futayo struggle to get the right words out.

And she exchanged a glance with the others on the transport ship.

“So what ''do'' we do?”

They all gasped as the enemy ship arrived right in front of them.

But despite the pressing situation, Asama heard Narumi while she tilted her head and tugged on Urquiaga’s sleeve.

“The two of us will be fine either way, won’t we?”

''Incredible!'' thought Asama just before something other than a collision happened.

Their transport ship was blown away. All on its own.

Suzu focused on the movement of the ships.

The ship debris had disturbed her senses a lot like chaff, but that was gone now. The long distance meant her senses were a little rough, but the models she had were plenty clear for her purposes as she moved the transport ships.

She had a single goal.

“Jump…over it!”

Of course, the transport ship had fairly low buoyancy. Even with the thick virtual ocean surrounding it, it took time for it to float. So if she was going to do this, she had to use speed.

…''Roll!

There were three methods necessary.

First, she caught the enemy’s cannon fire on diagonally-oriented defense barriers to knock the bow down.

Next, she created a diagonally-oriented virtual ocean with the lower end toward the bow and the higher end toward the stern.

That would cause the rear of the transport ship to float.

The next part was kind of rough. She sent forward the transport ship following the lead one.

“Suzu-sama. We will control the hits, so you need not hold back. Over.”

“O-okay!”

Suzu jabbed the lead ship’s raised rear with the next ship’s bow.

This caused a rear-end collision.

The second ship crashed into the bottom of the lead ship’s raised stern.

Instead of a roar, this simply caused a heavy noise and two things happened afterwards.

The lead ship skidded up and forward with its back end raised and the rear ship pitched forward.

Then the process repeated.

The second ship’s forward tilt lifted its rear and the third ship hit there and tilted forward as well. The fourth ship hit the third’s raised back end and the fifth and sixth ships did the same.

Soon thereafter, the first through fifth ships hopped up as if thrown forward.

They flew.

The Musashi ships passed by above the enemy ship that had tried to ram them from head on. And those five ships all performed a flip as they did so.

But the sixth and final ship had no one to ram it from behind, so it could not jump.

But the sixth ship had time instead. Unlike the ships in front, it had time to float up normally.

So it did.

That would allow the sixth ship to pass by above the enemy ship as well.

But the enemy ship made a hurried action.

From the moment the lead ship had hopped up, the cannons on its deck had been aimed upwards.

It did not have time to take aim then, but that would change when it came to the sixth ship. All of the enemy ship’s cannons were aimed skyward in order to target the lead ship.

And it opened fire.

Everyone saw it happening from the large boxy structure that was the flipping lead ship.

The cannons meant to target them opened fire.

The cannon turrets fired from close enough for a kiss.

“Hey! Adele! That’s your cue!! Become a shield!”

“A direct hit from that will peel off a lot of the armor! And what if I get stuck in the deck!?”

''That’s your worst-case scenario?'' everyone muttered while two overheated shells flew toward them.

“Wah!”

Everyone cried out and started to move, but then a brief but definite change came over the two shells.

They were split down the center to create four total pieces.

“Bind! Tonbo Spare!”

The cutting power destroyed them.

Futayo looked up at the spinning transport ship from the enemy ship’s deck.

The rotation had already moved the deck out of view.

Everyone was safe. She could not see any sign of damage from here.

…''That cut must have reached them.

''Although,'' she thought. ''That one was a freebie.

“I know I am not the only one of us who can intercept shells!”

There was something else she needed to focus on while on the enemy ship.

“I must destroy the cannons!”

With that, she accelerated. She ran across the enemy ship as if pursuing her allies’ ships passing by overhead.

“Soaring Wings!”

She provided herself further acceleration to move forward.

Futayo first destroyed one of the enemy cannons with a surprise cutting attack.

The enemy ship had three main cannons and a few secondary cannons on its deck. The main ones were the real threat. The secondary ones could be easily blocked with defense barriers, so she could ignore them.

Meanwhile, her allies could not get in any solid hits with their own defense barriers in the way.

That was why she had boarded the enemy ship.

''I must hurry,'' she thought.

Her race across the deck arrived at the second cannon installed at the center. The cannons had been attached to the transport ship’s deck in a hurry. The base was built up as a package and a 15cm cannon was affixed to that. The barrel appeared to be around 38 calibers long.

That cannon was attempting to fire on the transport ship passing above it.

She could not overlook that. Even if the enemy did not fire here…

“You never know what will happen as the battle continues!”

She ran and leaped past the cannon while activating Tonbo Spare.

“Bind!”

She slammed the cutting attack into it. And in that same instant…

…''Mh?

She sensed something like wind approaching from the stern ahead of her.

She knew what it was.

…''A flying shell!

This had the same intensity as the ones Gin had fired at her.

And Futayo saw the rearmost main cannon aiming at her rather than up.

Just as she had predicted, two of its shells were flying her way.

Narumi saw something atop the rotating ship as it passed over the enemy ship.

She saw the Musashi Vice Chancellor’s decision.

The girl took a certain action when the shells were fired at her from the stern.

…''Will she dodge out of the way? Or will she jump over them?

No, in the records of her battle with Sanada’s Celestial Dragon, she had used one of Tachibana Gin’s shells as a stepping stone and jumped off of it.

That was insane.

But the Musashi Vice Chancellor would do things like that.

Narumi could tell just how troublesome an opponent that girl would be if she ever had to fight her.

…''I really though she would dodge out of the way.

If she had done that, she would have been safe.

But that would have put the rest of them in danger. Even with defense barriers, this was far too close.

Narumi had thought the Musashi Vice Chancellor was that sort of person.

Heroes who made the battlefield their own had existed since antiquity.

They would run whichever way they pleased, bring down enemies wherever they passed by, and never take any damage themselves. They were heroes because they were an exceptional force on the battlefield.

Of course, that fighting style did not take those behind them into account. The others would have to protect themselves in order to respect the hero’s results.

The Musashi Vice Chancellor tended in that direction.

She would always rush forward, ignore the plan, and singlehandedly adlib her way through.

But that was not all she did.

She had prioritized protecting the others over herself.

That decision may have looked like she did not even consider the danger to herself.

But looking at the big picture, she had done the right thing. Their overall goal was to reach the end of this road.

If she had protected herself but the transport ships had not made it through, they would have lost the battle.

“Yes.”

But perhaps the Musashi Vice Chancellor had simply not forgotten something else.

…''The Satomi Student Council President asked us to show her the ocean.

Narumi shut her eyes.

The transport ship’s rotation settled down and the bottom descended to the road once more.

The enemy ship was already behind them.

The two shells would have flown the Musashi Vice Chancellor’s way from the stern of that ship, but…

“She really is troublesome.”

That girl was troublesome for more than just her grasp of their battlefield objective. She had such exceptional power and she fought as an individual, yet…

“She does not forget she has allies with her.”

Just as Narumi said that, an explosion erupted behind them.

The two shells flying toward the Musashi Vice Chancellor had exploded.

But not because they had hit her.

“They were destroyed.”

Something had torn into and eliminated the shells.

“The Mito Lord’s Ex. Collbrande.”

Futayo spun herself around while destroying the central cannon.

Smoke and scorched metal shards scattered below her flowing hair and swinging arms.

The shells aimed at her had been destroyed. That was thanks to…

“Mitotsudaira-sama!”

“Judge!”

But more than one voice responded with that word.

First, Mitotsudaira landed on the stern as if chasing after the Silver Chains and Ex. Collbrande.

She looked back a bit while Futayo spun herself around to build up acceleration.

“I will be going on ahead.”

She was not speaking to Futayo alone. The wolf was addressing her and…

“Naito-dono and Naruze-dono?”

“Judge! It can be hard to tell whether you’re moving too fast or lagging behind.”

With that, the Schwarz Hexen stepped up beside her.

And the Weiss Hexen lined up on her other side, placing her between the two Technohexen.

“How did you end up behind everyone after running out ahead?”

''Fair point,'' thought Futayo as she ended her spin and moved forward.

She ran.

As she kicked off the deck, the rear cannon up ahead suddenly transformed. The silver wolf had used her chains to spread and bend the cannon to either side.

This transport ship was no longer a threat. With just one exception:

…''It could ascend, turn around, and ram us.

That just left escaping.

The fourth ship was spinning by overhead. If she ran to the stern now, she would have plenty of time to reach the sixth ship as it landed.

The Technohexen called out to her while accelerating behind her.

“Are you hopping aboard, Nida-yan!?”

“You two go on ahead to guard its surroundings!”

“Judge!”

The Technohexen left. Up ahead, Mitotsudaira launched a Silver Chain toward the descending sixth ship.

The silver fingers grasped the back of the transport ship and the wolf looked back as the chain grew taut.

“You can jump on by yourself, can’t you!?”

Futayo raised her eyebrows at that.

…''No help for me!?

But she was Vice Chancellor. Even if Mitotsudaira was the Mito Lord, she was still only the 5th Special Duty Officer, so Futayo could not get her help when she did not need it.

In other words, she could jump on by herself. So she responded with her eyebrows raised in a smile.

“Of course!”

She had learned how to do this while training with Kimi.

She corrected her axis, aligned her center of gravity along a straight line, and passed her strength through a single point to leap.

She unleashed enough jumping force to fly a few dozen meters in a single bound. This was her version of the Hassou Tobi.

The silver wolf flew off ahead of her as the chain pulled her. Futayo matched her pace as she pursued.

…''Right, left, right, left.

“Mh?”

When she prepared to leap to the right again, the deck moved faster than her.

Mitotsudaira saw Futayo trip and fall off of the enemy ship.

…''What are you doing!?

The girl had screwed up.

No, it was Mitotsudaira who had screwed up, not Futayo.

Urging her to jump out some weird concern for her position as Vice Chancellor had been a mistake. Because…

…''Futayo is useless when she tries to use her head!

If Mitotsudaira had said nothing, Futayo would not have tried to think and would have used her wild instincts to jump, but Mitotsudaira’s words must have made her think something. And as a result…

“Silver Chain!”

She extended it, released it, and sent it out straight, but…

…''Will it not reach her!?

Just as she thought that, Futayo spun herself through the air and prepared her spear. She aimed it backwards, toward the stern of the departing enemy transport ship.

She deactivated Soaring Wings during her fall, and…

“Bind and cut…Tonbo Spare!”

The rear of the enemy ship was cut through.

Mitotsudaira saw what Futayo had accomplished.

She had cut.

A horizontal line was sliced diagonally down into the stern.

That shattered the ship’s rear armor.

Next, some light was destroyed.

The rear virtual ocean scattered and the ether forming it burst and exploded in the air.

The enemy transport ship left a trail of light behind, its rear shook, and its bow hit the road.

Sparks flew and a creaking sound echoed through the canyon created by the ruins while text appeared on Mitotsudaira’s sign frame.

'''Musashino:''' “I have determined that worked well. Without a stable current in the back, there will be a disturbance in its acceleration and it will be unable to fly properly. Over.”

That was not the only effect.

The explosion’s shockwave hit Futayo and sent her flying toward Mitotsudaira.

“Honestly…”

Futayo’s hand reached the end of the Silver Chain that Mitotsudaira had sent out for her.

She had it grasp the girl’s hand and pull her up.

“That was not how I expected that to go, but you did make the jump.”

“Oh?”

Gin heard her husband’s voice.

They had just taken a break and were preparing to begin the invasion of Satomi. Their transport ship was already on fire.

Their break was complete and they had shot down lots of enemy ship.

…''Master Muneshige appears satisfied and I am satisfied too.

After all, it had been so long since they had fought with no sign of the Musashi group nearby. It felt a little lonely to be the only ones fighting, but it was also a valuable time.

And Gin saw Muneshige look back at her on the burning deck.

“Gin, it seems the Vice Chancellor just sunk an enemy transport ship.”

“Maybe so, but I just sunk-…”

Gin started speaking, but decided to stop. The daughter of a warrior family was not some barbarian who could be dragged into a contest of destruction. Besides, that girl was a close-range fighter and she was an all-range fighter who could even bring down castles. Of course she had the superior results when it came to destroying transport ships. So…

…''You did well using that cutting power, Honda Futayo.

She was certain and not just guessing that the girl had used Tonbo Spare’s power. That girl had the strength to do that and to use herself as part of a larger strategy.

So Gin spoke.

“You cannot let her get ahead of you, Master Muneshige.”

“I hope I will I have the chance to prove she has not.”

He meant a chance to face a transport ship like that. The fact that he had responded so quickly made Gin smile on the burning deck. She used her knees to absorb the shaking of a small explosion in the engine division.

“Hee hee. This reminds me of the Armada Battle.”

“I did not have the opportunity to join that one. But it did bring me back to you.”

“Judge. That was also when Sir Segundo and Madam Juana exchanged a passionate kiss (initiated by Madam Juana) as their ship burned and prepared to sink.”

“Was it that passionate?”

“Yes, their passions burned just as hot as the flames around them.”

“What a coincidence. I believe that was the same night when I shouted amore to you five times.”

“Master Muneshige…”

She told herself not to look back on the past, but she also felt like it was relevant to their present situation. And she also also thought she was truly hopeless if she had started making excuses like that. But…

“Master Muneshige…”

She called her husband’s name again and then looked around them.

“I just wish these flames had some practical purpose for us.”

“Spain is known as the nation of passion, so we tend to go over the top in everything we do,” he said. “But being with you is more about giving life meaning than about practicality.”

“…You do have a way with words, Master Muneshige.”

She could feel heat rising in her cheeks, but she decided to blame it on the fire surrounding them. Otherwise, she would be reacting like he had asked her for a kiss or something more.

''Honestly,'' she thought with a sigh. And then…

'''Tonbokiri:''' “Gin-dono, we just made it through, but what about you?”

'''Tachibana Wife:''' “We have long since finished.”

'''Tonbokiri:''' “I would expect no less from you! Oh, and, Gin-dono! I just incapacitated a transport ship!”

…''She’s clearly angling for my praise!

''Be strong, Tachibana Gin. You stayed calm while discussing this with yourself, so you need to give a proper response now that she herself has hit you with a surprise attack.

'''Tachibana Wife:''' “W-w-well done.”

''Oops. I stuttered a bit because that is not what I really wanted to say. I hope she does not think I am weird.''

'''Tonbokiri:''' “No, no. I am still no match for you, Gin-dono. And I couldn’t have done it without a memory of you putting me in the right mood, Gin-dono. I am in your debt.”

“–––––”

After a short silence, Gin clung to Muneshige.

“Master Muneshige! Master Muneshige! Am I a narrow-minded girl!?”

“No, no. You are open-minded enough to take in a boy you barely knew.”

“I am fairly certain that used up what open-mindedness I had! My mind is like a tiny single-person room, so I am just sure of it, Master Muneshige!”

“In that case,” he said with a smile. “Together, we have a great castle, so that is not a problem at all. Keeping that in mind is what matters most. And once you have settled in some, you can clean things up and put things away to clear out some space.”

“…You really do have a way with words.”

“Now, now.” He placed a hand on her shoulder and then viewed the sea of flames around them. “Let’s go save the people who see meaning in these flames.”

“Judge. But disembarking would be a pain, so how about we do this instead?”

She pulled Cuatro Cruz in with her right hand and spun it around with her fingers. She aimed it at the deck as a siege hammer. She pressed the striking portion against the very surface they stood on.

“Now, let us head down.”

Gin added another transport ship to her kill list.

<noinclude>
{{HorizonNavbar
| [[Horizon:Volume 7B Chapter 32|Chapter 32]]
| [[Horizon:Volume 7B Chapter 34|Chapter 34]]
}}
</noinclude>

Talk:Horizon:Kimitoasamade 4A Chapter 2

2019-05-15T14:18:19Z

Kemm:

Talk:Horizon:Kimitoasamade 4A Chapter 2

2019-05-15T14:17:33Z

Zero no Tsukaima

2019-03-30T16:57:50Z

Kemm: /* Volume 11 - A Duet of Recollection / 追憶の二重奏 (Full Text) */

{{Status|Active}}

[[Image:Zeronots1_01.jpg|300px|thumb|Vol.One Cover]]

The ''Zero no Tsukaima'' series is also available in the following languages:
::*[[Zero no Tsukaima - Français|Français (French)]]
::*[[Zero no Tsukaima Deutsche Version|Deutsch (German)]]
::*[[Zero no Tsukaima ~ Indonesian Version|Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian)]]
::*[[Zero no Tsukaima ~Italian Version~|Italiano (Italian)]]
::*[[Zero no Tsukaima Korean Version|한국어 (Korean)]]
::*[[Zero no Tsukaima wersja polska|Polski (Polish)]]
::*[[Zero no Tsukaima ~Russian Version~|Русский (Russian)]]
::*[[Zero no Tsukaima ~ (Spanish)|Español (Spanish)]]
::*[[Zero no Tsukaima Tiếng Việt|Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)]]
::*[[Zero no Tsukaima Vietnamese Version|Bản dịch khác của tiếng Việt (Vietnamese Alternative version)]]

(Note: Translation progress varies for each version.)
----
Visit the [http://www.baka-tsuki.org/forums/index.php Baka-Tsuki Project Forum] to discuss this series and other information from Baka-Tsuki.

== Updates ==
It is with sadness that we report that Noboru Yamaguchi, the author of ''Zero no Tsukaima'' passed away from cancer on April 4, 2013. However, MF Bunko J has announced that the series will be continued based on the author's notes before his passing, according to the [http://zeronotsukaima.wikia.com/wiki/NewsMisc Zero No Tsukaima Wiki].



*December 5, 2017:
:::*Volume 21 has been completed.
*September 20, 2017:
:::*Volume 21 Chapter 1 - Chapter 8 has been completed.
*January 22, 2017:
:::*[[Zero_no_Tsukaima:Volume20 Chapter9|Volume 20 Chapter 9]] and [[Zero_no_Tsukaima:Volume20 Epilogue|Volume 20 Epilogue]] completed
*January 21, 2017:
:::*[[Zero_no_Tsukaima:Volume20 Chapter8|Volume 20 Chapter 8]] completed
*January 16, 2017:
:::*[[Zero_no_Tsukaima:Volume20 Afterword|Volume 20 Afterword]] and [[Zero_no_Tsukaima:Volume21 Afterword|Volume 21 Afterword]] completed.
*January 14, 2017:
:::*[[Zero_no_Tsukaima:Volume20 Chapter7|Volume 20 Chapter 7]] completed.
*January 13, 2017:
:::*[[Zero_no_Tsukaima:Volume20 Chapter6|Volume 20 Chapter 6]] completed.
*January 7, 2017:
:::*[[Zero_no_Tsukaima:Volume20 Chapter5|Volume 20 Chapter 5]] completed.
*January 2, 2017:
:::*[[Zero_no_Tsukaima:Volume20 Chapter4|Volume 20 Chapter 4]] completed.
*December 25, 2016:
:::*[[Zero_no_Tsukaima:Volume21 Chapter1|Volume 21 Chapter 1]] completed.
*August 17, 2016:
:::*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume19 Chapter1|Volume 19]] completed.

Older updates can be found on the [[Zero no Tsukaima news archive|ZnT news archive]].

== Translation ==

=== Translators Needed ===

'''Baka-Tsuki is desperately looking for translators for this series.''' If you would like to help translate this series, please post in the forums [http://www.baka-tsuki.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=25&t=5610 here], and we will help you get started. Thank you.

=== [[Zero no Tsukaima Registration|Registration]] ===
Translators are requested to mark all the chapters they are translating on the [[Zero no Tsukaima Registration|Registration Page]] according to [[Zero no Tsukaima:Guideline#Translation Management|Translation Management]] section of ''Zero no Tsukaima'' [[Zero no Tsukaima:Guideline|Project Specific Guidelines]].
=== Format Standards ===
Every chapter (after editing) must conform to the agreed points highlighted in [[Format guideline|Format/Style Guideline]].

Some of these chapters are translations of the '''Chinese edition''' of the novels, which are known to have some minor mistakes compared to the original Japanese text. If you have access to the originals and you spot an error, '''please feel free to make the corrections yourself''' - this is a Wiki which means it's meant for anyone to fix things (and if you screw up, we can revert back your changes if all deem necessary). We can see the corrections you make, so just go ahead instead of hiding or waiting for permission.

[[Zero_no_Tsukaima:Guideline#Naming_Conventions|Naming Conventions For ZnT]]

=== Joint Collaboration ===
This Project began as a [http://www.baka-tsuki.net/forums/viewtopic.php?t=246 joint collaboration] with the following groups:
* [http://kh.beyondeternal.com/ Kawaii Heavens] (who also worked on the manga version of this series)
::*Volume 1 (all chapters)


*[http://www.k-neko.net/ Kuroneko]
::*Volume 1, Chapter 1
::*Volume 1, Chapter 2

== <span class="plainlinks">[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Familiar_of_Zero ''Zero no Tsukaima''] series by [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noboru_Yamaguchi_(author) Noboru Yamaguchi]</span> ==
'''You can find the EPUB and MOBI version of the Volumes in the forums [http://www.baka-tsuki.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=25&t=4895 here] and the PDF version [http://www.baka-tsuki.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=25&t=4745 here].'''

=== Volume 1 - Zero's Familiar / ゼロの使い魔 ([[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume1 Full Text|Full Text]])===
[[image:Zeronots1_01.jpg|left|230px|border]]
<table border="0" cellpadding="0"><tr><td>
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume1 Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume1 Insert and Back Cover|Insert & Back Cover]]
*Kingdom of Magic
:*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume1 Story1 Chapter1|Chapter 1 - I'm a Familiar]]
:*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume1 Story1 Chapter2|Chapter 2 - Louise the Zero]]
:*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume1 Story1 Chapter3|Chapter 3 - Legend]]
*Gandálfr
:*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume1 Story2 Chapter1|Chapter 1 - A Familiar's Day]]
:*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume1 Story2 Chapter2|Chapter 2 - Kirche the Ardent]]
:*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume1 Story2 Chapter3|Chapter 3 - Tristain's Arms Dealer]]
:*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume1 Story2 Chapter4|Chapter 4 - Fouquet the Crumbling Dirt]]
:*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume1 Story2 Chapter5|Chapter 5 - The Staff of Destruction]]
*Afterword
</td></tr></table>
<br style="clear:both" />

=== Volume 2 - Albion of the Wind / 風のアルビオン ([[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume2 Full Text|Full Text]])===
[[image:Zeronots2_01.jpg|left|230px|border]]
<table border="0" cellpadding="0"><tr><td>
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume2 Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume2 Chapter1|Chapter 1 - A Secret Boat]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume2 Chapter2|Chapter 2 - Her Majesty's Melancholy]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume2 Chapter3|Chapter 3 - A Childhood Friend's Request]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume2 Chapter4|Chapter 4 - Port City - La Rochelle]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume2 Chapter5|Chapter 5 - A Rest Day Before Leaving]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume2 Chapter6|Chapter 6 - The White Country]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume2 Chapter7 - MTL|Chapter 7 - The Prince of a Dying Country - MTL]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume2 Chapter8 - MTL|Chapter 8 - The Eve before the Final Battle in Newcastle - MTL]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume2 Chapter9 - MTL|Chapter 9 - The Final Battle - MTL]]
*Afterword
</td></tr></table>
<br style="clear:both" />

=== Volume 3 - The Founder's Prayer Book / 始祖の祈祷書 ([[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume3 Full Text|Full Text]])===
[[image:Zeronots3_01.jpg|left|230px|border]]
<table border="0" cellpadding="0"><tr><td>
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume3 Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume3 Chapter1 - MTL|Chapter 1 - Lineage of Zero - MTL]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume3 Chapter2|Chapter 2 - Louise's Lovesickness]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume3 Chapter3 - MTL|Chapter 3 - The Founder's Prayer Book - MTL]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume3 Chapter4|Chapter 4 - Love Triangle]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume3 Chapter5|Chapter 5 - The Arsenal and the Royal Family]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume3 Chapter6|Chapter 6 - Treasure Hunting]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume3 Chapter7|Chapter 7 - Dragon's Raiment]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume3 Chapter8|Chapter 8 - Colbert's Laboratory]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume3 Chapter9|Chapter 9 - Declaration of War]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume3 Chapter10|Chapter 10 - The Void]]
*Afterword
</td></tr></table>
<br style="clear:both" />

=== Volume 4 - The Water Spirit of Oath / 誓約の水精霊 ([[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume4 Full Text|Full Text]])===
[[image:Zeronots4_01.jpg|left|230px|border]]
<table border="0" cellpadding="0"><tr><td>
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume4 Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume4 Prologue|Prologue]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume4 Chapter1|Chapter 1 - The Saint]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume4 Chapter2 - MTL|Chapter 2 - Saito Goes Shopping in the Triumphant Town - MTL]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume4 Chapter3|Chapter 3 - The Sailor Outfit and Louise's Jealousy]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume4 Chapter4 - MTL|Chapter 4 - Tabitha's Secret - MTL]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume4 Chapter5 - MTL|Chapter 5 - The Strength of a Love Potion - MTL]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume4 Chapter6 - MTL|Chapter 6 - The Water Spirit - MTL]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume4 Chapter7 - MTL|Chapter 7 - The Ring of Andvari - MTL]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume4 Chapter8|Chapter 8 - Reunion with Falsehood]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume4 Chapter9 - MTL|Chapter 9 - Confrontation of Sadness - MTL]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume4 Epilogue|Epilogue]]
*Afterword
</td></tr></table>
<br style="clear:both" />

=== Volume 5 - Tristania's Holiday / トリスタニアの休日 ([[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume5 Full Text|Full Text]])===
[[image:Zeronots5_01.jpg|left|230px|border]]
<table border="0" cellpadding="0"><tr><td>
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume5 Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume5 Story1|Story 1 - The "Charming Fairies" Inn]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume5 Story2|Story 2 - The Encounter with the Flame and the Friendship with the Wind]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume5 Story3 - MTL|Story 3 - Tristania's Holiday - MTL]]
*Afterword
</td></tr></table>
<br style="clear:both" />

=== Volume 6 - The Ruby of Atonement / 贖罪の炎赤石 ([[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume6 Full Text|Full Text]])===
[[image:Zeronots6_01.jpg|left|230px|border]]
<table border="0" cellpadding="0"><tr><td>
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume6 Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume6 Chapter1|Chapter 1 - Homecoming]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume6 Chapter2 - MTL|Chapter 2 - Cattleya - MTL]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume6 Chapter3|Chapter 3 - Duke de La Vallière]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume6 Chapter4|Chapter 4 - Commanding Officer Guiche and Officer Cadet Malicorne]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume6 Chapter5|Chapter 5 - Flame of Twenty Years Ago]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume6 Chapter6 - MTL|Chapter 6 - Sortie - MTL]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume6 Chapter7|Chapter 7 - The Illusion at Dartanes]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume6 Chapter8 - MTL|Chapter 8 - The Atonement of Flame - MTL]]
*Afterword
</td></tr></table>
<br style="clear:both" />

=== Volume 7 - The Silver Pentecost / 銀の降臨祭 ([[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume7 Full Text|Full Text]])===
[[image:Zeronots7_01.jpg|left|230px|border]]
<table border="0" cellpadding="0"><tr><td>
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume7 Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume7 Chapter1|Chapter 1 - The Temperature Difference between the Two]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume7 Chapter2 - MTL|Chapter 2 - Fairy - MTL]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume7 Chapter3 - MTL|Chapter 3 - The Priest of Romalia - MTL]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume7 Chapter4|Chapter 4 - The Secretary and the Emperor]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume7 Chapter5|Chapter 5 - The Ancient City of Saxe-Gotha]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume7 Chapter6 - MTL|Chapter 6 - Truce - MTL]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume7 Chapter7 - MTL|Chapter 7 - The Reason to Fight - MTL]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume7 Chapter8 - MTL|Chapter 8 - King of Gallia - MTL]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume7 Chapter9 - MTL|Chapter 9 - Rout - MTL]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume7 Chapter10|Chapter 10 - The Place of Courage]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume7 Epilogue|Epilogue]]
*Afterword
</td></tr></table>
<br style="clear:both" />

=== Volume 8 - The Serenade of Nostalgia / 望郷の小夜曲 ([[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume8 Full Text|Full Text]])===
[[image:Zeronots8_01.jpg|left|230px|border]]
<table border="0" cellpadding="0"><tr><td>
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume8 Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume8 Chapter1 - MTL|Chapter 1 - Each End of the War - MTL]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume8 Chapter2 - MTL|Chapter 2 - Saito's Morning - MTL]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume8 Chapter3 - MTL|Chapter 3 - The Golden Elf - MTL]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume8 Chapter4 - MTL|Chapter 4 - The Visit of the Priest - MTL]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume8 Chapter5 - MTL|Chapter 5 - The Disappearing Gandálfr - MTL]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume8 Chapter6 - MTL|Chapter 6 - The Nations Conference - MTL]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume8 Chapter7 - MTL|Chapter 7 - Louise's Decision - MTL]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume8 Chapter8 - MTL|Chapter 8 - The Users of Void - MTL]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume8 Chapter9 - MTL|Chapter 9 - Myoznitnirn - MTL]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume8 Chapter10 - MTL|Chapter 10 - Swordsman - MTL]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume8 Epilogue - MTL| Epilogue - MTL]]
*Afterword
</td></tr></table>
<br style="clear:both" />

=== Volume 9 - The Ball of Twin Moons / 双月の舞踏会 ([[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume9 Full Text|Full Text]])===
[[image:Zeronots9_01.jpg|left|230px|border]]
<table border="0" cellpadding="0"><tr><td>
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume9 Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume9 Chapter1 - MTL|Chapter 1 - Louise's Fear - MTL]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume9 Chapter2 - MTL|Chapter 2 - The Elf of the Forest - MTL]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume9 Chapter3 - MTL|Chapter 3 - The Meeting and Parting of the Users - MTL]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume9 Chapter4 - MTL|Chapter 4 - The Chevalier Title - MTL]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume9 Chapter5|Chapter 5 - Ondine Knight Corps of the Water Spirit]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume9 Chapter6|Chapter 6 - The Feelings of the Queen]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume9 Chapter7|Chapter 7 - Solicitation]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume9 Chapter8|Chapter 8 - The Ball of Sleipnir]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume9 Chapter9|Chapter 9 - The Confrontation with the Mysterious Bird]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume9 Epilogue|Epilogue]]
*Afterword
</td></tr></table>
<br style="clear:both" />

=== Volume 10 - The Hero of Ivaldi / イーヴァルディの勇者 ([[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume10 Full Text|Full Text]])===
[[image:Zeronots10_01.jpg|left|230px|border]]
<table border="0" cellpadding="0"><tr><td>
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume10 Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume10 Chapter1|Chapter 1 - The ''Ostland'']]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume10 Chapter2|Chapter 2 - The Elf]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume10 Chapter3|Chapter 3 - Anxiety and Jealousy]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume10 Chapter4|Chapter 4 - The Queen and the Knights]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume10 Chapter5|Chapter 5 - Siblings]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume10 Chapter6|Chapter 6 - The Imprisoned Six]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume10 Chapter7|Chapter 7 - Settlement of the Past]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume10 Chapter8|Chapter 8 - The Old Mansion of Orléans]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume10 Chapter9|Chapter 9 - Alhambra Castle]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume10 Chapter10|Chapter 10 - The Hero of Ivaldi]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume10 Epilogue|Epilogue]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume10 Postscript|Postscript]]
</td></tr></table>
<br style="clear:both" />

=== Volume 11 - A Duet of Recollection / 追憶の二重奏 ([[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume11 Full Text|Full Text]])===
[[image:Zeronots11_01.jpg|left|230px|border]]
<table border="0" cellpadding="0"><tr><td>
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume11 Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume11 Chapter1|Chapter 1 - Von Zerbst]] - MTL
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume11 Chapter2|Chapter 2 - The Queen and the Duke]] - MTL
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume11 Chapter3|Chapter 3 - Karin the Heavy Wind]] - MTL
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume11 Chapter4|Chapter 4 - The Vallière Family]] - MTL
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume11 Chapter5|Chapter 5 - New School Term]] - MTL
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume11 Chapter6|Chapter 6 - Private Lesson]] - MTL
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume11 Chapter7|Chapter 7 - The Pope of Romalia]] - MTL
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume11 Chapter8|Chapter 8 - Jörmungand]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume11 Chapter9|Chapter 9 - Reunion in Westwood]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume11 Chapter10|Chapter 10 - The Heart of the Duet]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume11 Epilogue|Epilogue]]
*Afterword
</td></tr></table>
<br style="clear:both" />

=== Volume 12 - The Fairies' Holiday / 妖精達の休日 ([[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume12 Full Text|Full Text]])===
[[image:Zeronots12_01.jpg|left|230px|border]]
<table border="0" cellpadding="0"><tr><td>
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume12 Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume12 Prologue|Prologue]]
*Story 1: New Student from the White Country (Albion)
:*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume12 Story1 Chapter1|Chapter 1]]
:*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume12 Story1 Chapter2|Chapter 2]]
:*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume12 Story1 Chapter3|Chapter 3]]
:*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume12 Story1 Chapter4|Chapter 4]]
*Story 2: Knight Corps of the Water Spirit, Charge!
:*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume12 Story2 Chapter1|Chapter 1]]
:*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume12 Story2 Chapter2|Chapter 2]]
*Story 3: Right to Use Saito for a Day
:*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume12 Story3 Chapter1|Chapter 1]]
:*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume12 Story3 Chapter2|Chapter 2]]
*Afterword
</td></tr></table>
<br style="clear:both" />

=== Volume 13 - The World Door of the Holy Country / 聖国の世界扉 ([[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume13 Full Text|Full Text]])===
[[image:Zeronots13_01.jpg|left|230px|border]]
<table border="0" cellpadding="0"><tr><td>
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume13 Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume13 Chapter1|Chapter 1 - Romalia]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume13 Chapter2|Chapter 2 - Saito's Decision]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume13 Chapter3|Chapter 3 - Aboard the ''Ostland'']]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume13 Chapter4|Chapter 4 - The Two Knight Corps]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume13 Chapter5|Chapter 5 - The Persuasion of the Pope]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume13 Chapter6|Chapter 6 - Long Spear]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume13 Chapter7|Chapter 7 - World Door (MTL)]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume13 Chapter8|Chapter 8 - The Meaning of the Smile]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume13 Epilogue|Epilogue]]
*Afterword
</td></tr></table>
<br style="clear:both" />

===Volume 14 - Aquileia's Saint / 水都市の聖女 ([[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume14 Full Text|Full Text]])===
[[image:Zeronots14_01.jpg|left|230px|border]]
<table border="0" cellpadding="0"><tr><td>
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume14 Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume14 Chapter1|Chapter 1 - The Flowerbed Squadron's Rebellion]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume14 Chapter2|Chapter 2 - The Third Annual Enthronement Ceremony]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume14 Chapter3|Chapter 3 - An Elven Gandalfr]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume14 Chapter4|Chapter 4 - The Capital of Water]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume14 Chapter5|Chapter 5 - Six Thousand Years Ago]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume14 Chapter6|Chapter 6 - Tiger Highway]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume14 Chapter7|Chapter 7 - Aquileia's Saint]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume14 Chapter8|Chapter 8 - The Steel Tiger]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume14 Chapter9|Chapter 9 - The Memory of the Bond]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume14 Epilogue|Epilogue]]
*Afterword
</td></tr></table>
<br style="clear:both" />

===Volume 15 - Labyrinth of Oblivion / 忘却の夢迷宮 ([[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume15 Full Text|Full Text]])===
[[image:Zeronots15_01.jpg|left|230px|border]]
<table border="0" cellpadding="0"><tr><td>
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume15 Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume15 Chapter1|Chapter 1 - Carcassonne]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume15 Chapter2|Chapter 2 - The Knight Contest of the Sandbank]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume15 Chapter3|Chapter 3 - A Shaken Mind]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume15 Chapter4|Chapter 4 - The Jewel of Fire]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume15 Chapter5|Chapter 5 - Honeymoon]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume15 Chapter6|Chapter 6 - Tabitha's Long Night]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume15 Chapter7|Chapter 7 - Henrietta's Diplomatic Plan]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume15 Chapter8|Chapter 8 - Coronation]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume15 Chapter9|Chapter 9 - The Exit of the Labyrinth]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume15 Epilogue|Epilogue]]
*Afterword
</td></tr></table>
<br style="clear:both" />

===Volume 16 - The Tea Time of Des Ornières / ド・オルニエールの安穏 ([[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume16 Full Text|Full Text]])===
[[image:Zeronots16_01.jpg|left|230px|border]]
<table border="0" cellpadding="0"><tr><td>
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume16 Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume16 Chapter1|Chapter 1 - The Reward of the Campaign ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume16 Chapter2|Chapter 2 - Searching for a Residence ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume16 Chapter3|Chapter 3 - Henrietta's Melancholy, Louise's Anxiety, Saito's Promotion ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume16 Chapter4|Chapter 4 - Mother and Cousin ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume16 Chapter5|Chapter 5 - Saito Chevalier De Hiraga Des Ornières ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume16 Chapter6|Chapter 6 - Daily Tea Time ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume16 Chapter7 - MTL|Chapter 7 - Eléonore's Academy  - MTL]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume16 Chapter8 - MTL|Chapter 8 - The Basement of the Residence  - MTL]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume16 Chapter9|Chapter 9 - Secret Meeting ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume16 Chapter10 - MTL|Chapter 10 - Elemental Siblings  - MTL]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume16 Epilogue|Epilogue]]
*Afterword
</td></tr></table>
<br style="clear:both" />

===Volume 17 - The Soeur of Dawn / 黎明の修道女 ([[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume17 Full Text|Full Text]])===
[[image:Zeronots17_01.jpg|left|230px|border]]
<table border="0" cellpadding="0"><tr><td>
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume17 Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume17 Chapter1|Chapter 1 - Saito's despair ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume17 Chapter2 - MTL|Chapter 2 - Flight  - MTL]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume17 Chapter3|Chapter 3 - Meeting and Comrade ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume17 Chapter4|Chapter 4 - Sulpice ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume17 Chapter5|Chapter 5 - First meeting with Jack ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume17 Chapter6|Chapter 6 - Damien and Lord Gondrin ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume17 Chapter7|Chapter 7 - Soeur Louise ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume17 Chapter8|Chapter 8 - Josette's Resolution ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume17 Chapter9|Chapter 9 - Two Canes, One Crown ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume17 Chapter10|Chapter 10 - Garden Party to Celebrate the Enthronement ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume17 Chapter11|Chapter 11 - Bonds ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume17 Epilogue|Epilogue]]
*Afterword
</td></tr></table>
<br style="clear:both" />

===Volume 18 - Spirit Stone of Destruction / 滅亡の精霊石 ([[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume18 Full Text|Full Text]])===
[[image:Zeronots18_01.jpg|left|230px|border]]
<table border="0" cellpadding="0"><tr><td>
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume18 Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume18 Chapter1|Chapter 1 - Lovers ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume18 Chapter2|Chapter 2 - Fouquet and Wardes ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume18 Chapter3|Chapter 3 - Josette's Garden Party ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume18 Chapter4|Chapter 4 - Strategy ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume18 Chapter5|Chapter 5 - Confession of the Pope ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume18 Chapter6|Chapter 6 - Spirit Stone of Destruction ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume18 Chapter7|Chapter 7 - Our Home ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume18 Chapter8|Chapter 8 - Elf of the Sahara ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume18 Chapter9|Chapter 9 - Chance meeting ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume18 Epilogue|Epilogue]]
*Afterword
</td></tr></table>
<br style="clear:both" />

===Volume 19 - The Founder's Round Mirror / 始祖の円鏡 ([[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume19 Full Text|Full Text]])===
[[image:Zeronots19_01.jpg|left|230px|border]]
<table border="0" cellpadding="0"><tr><td>
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume19 Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume19 Summary|Summary]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume19 Chapter1|Chapter 1 - Maidens of Des Ornières ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume19 Chapter2|Chapter 2 - Assault ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume19 Chapter3|Chapter 3 - Abduction ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume19 Chapter4|Chapter 4 - Rukshana's Oasis ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume19 Chapter5|Chapter 5 - Ali's visit ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume19 Chapter6|Chapter 6 - Second meeting with Bidashal ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume19 Chapter7|Chapter 7 - Louise's Decision and Romalia's Choice ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume19 Chapter8|Chapter 8 - Two Prisoners ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume19 Chapter9|Chapter 9 - Confrontation with Ali ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume19 Chapter10|Chapter 10 - Escape ]]
*Afterword
</td></tr></table>
<br style="clear:both" />

===Volume 20 - Holy Land from Ancient Times / 古深淵の聖地 ([[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume20 Full Text|Full Text]])===
[[image:Zeronots20_01.jpg|left|230px|border]]
<table border="0" cellpadding="0"><tr><td>
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume20 Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume20 Chapter1|Chapter 1 - Boat for Two ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume20 Chapter2|Chapter 2 - Mother Sea ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume20 Chapter3|Chapter 3 - The Last Spear ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume20 Chapter4|Chapter 4 - Council ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume20 Chapter5|Chapter 5 - An Elf's Longing ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume20 Chapter6|Chapter 6 - Joint Committee on Holy Land Restoration]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume20 Chapter7|Chapter 7 - Onward to the Land of the Elves ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume20 Chapter8|Chapter 8 - Breaking Through Barricades]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume20 Chapter9|Chapter 9 - The Work of the Devil ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume20 Epilogue|Epilogue]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume20 Afterword|Afterword]]
</td></tr></table>
<br style="clear:both" />

=== Volume 21 - The Truth of 6,000 Years Ago / 六千年の真実 ([[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume21 Full Text|Full Text]])===
[[image:Zeronots21_01.jpg|left|230px|border]]
<table border="0" cellpadding="0"><tr><td>
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume21 Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume21 Chapter1|Chapter 1 - The Mystery of the Holy Land ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume21 Chapter 2|Chapter 2 - Suicide Attack to Adyl ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume21 Chapter 3|Chapter 3 - The Elven Tower ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume21 Chapter 4|Chapter 4 - Lífþrasir ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume21 Chapter 5|Chapter 5 - Break-Out ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume21 Chapter 6|Chapter 6 - The Free City of Eumenes ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume21 Chapter 7|Chapter 7 - The Truth from 6000 Years Ago ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume21 Chapter 8|Chapter 8 - The Founder's Void ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume21 Chapter 9|Chapter 9 - The Dreadful Plan ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume21 Chapter 10|Chapter 10 - Raid ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume21 Chapter 11|Chapter 11 - Reunion ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume21 Epilogue|Epilogue]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume21 Afterword|Afterword]]
</td></tr></table>
<br style="clear:both" />

=== Volume 22 - The Legend of Zero / ゼロの神話 ===
[[image:Zeronots22_01.jpg|left|230px|border]]
<table border="0" cellpadding="0"><tr><td>
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume22 Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume22 Prologue|Prologue]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume22 Chapter 1|Chapter 1 - The Magi]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume22 Chapter 2|Chapter 2 - The Dream of the Runes]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume22 Chapter 3|Chapter 3 - Louise's Determination]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume22 Chapter 4|Chapter 4 - The Cruel Reality]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume22 Chapter 5|Chapter 5 - The Nuclear Submarine]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume22 Chapter 6|Chapter 6 - The Prison Island (Château d'If)]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume22 Chapter 7|Chapter 7 - A Wavering Heart]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume22 Chapter 8|Chapter 8 - The Rescue Mission]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume22 Chapter 9|Chapter 9 - The Legend of the Void]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume22 Chapter 10|Chapter 10 - The Escape]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume22 Chapter 11|Chapter 11 - The Familiar of Zero]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume22 Chapter 12|Chapter 12 - The Choice of the Saintess]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume22 Chapter 13|Chapter 13 - The End of the Void]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume22 Chapter 14|Chapter 14 - The Return of the Hero]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume22 Epilogue|Epilogue]]
</td></tr></table>
<br style="clear:both" />

=== Memorial Book ===
[[image:Znt memorial.jpg|left|230px|border]]
<table border="0" cellpadding="0"><tr><td>
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Memorial Book Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Memorial Book Chapter 1|Eight Years Ago ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Memorial Book Chapter 2|Louise’s Room 1 ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Memorial Book Chapter 3|Five Years Ago ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Memorial Book Chapter 4|Louise’s Room 2 ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Memorial Book Chapter 5|The Birth of Louise the Zero ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Memorial Book Chapter 6|Louise’s Room 3 ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Memorial Book Chapter 7|On a Certain Day for a Certain Maid ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Memorial Book Chapter 8|Louise’s Room 4 ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Memorial Book Chapter 9|Master and Familiar - Saito's Mischiefs ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Memorial Book Chapter 10|Louise’s Room 5 ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Memorial Book Chapter 11|Louise's Tart ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Memorial Book Chapter 12|Louise’s Room 6 ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Memorial Book Chapter 13|Tiffania's Troubles ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Memorial Book Chapter 14|Undisclosed Character Design Collection]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Memorial Book Chapter 15|Volume 21 - Volume 22 Plot by Teacher Yamaguchi Noboru]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Memorial Book Chapter 16|From the Author]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Memorial Book Chapter 17|Illustrator Comment]]
</td></tr></table>
<br style="clear:both" />

== <span class="plainlinks"> Zero no Tsukaima Gaiden: Tabitha no Bōken series by [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noboru_Yamaguchi_(author) Noboru Yamaguchi]</span> ==

=== Side Story Volume 1 - Tabitha's Adventure / タバサの冒険===
[[image:ZnTSS1 cover.jpg|left|230px|border]]
<table border="0" cellpadding="0"><tr><td>
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Side Story Volume1 Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Side Story Volume1 Story1|Story 1 - Tabitha and the Pterosaur]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Side Story Volume1 Story2|Story 2 - Tabitha and the Vampire]] (35%)
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Side Story Volume1 Story3|Story 3 - Tabitha and the Assassin]] (~20%)
*Story 4 - Tabitha and the Magic Doll
*Afterword
</td></tr></table>
<br style="clear:both" />

=== Side Story Volume 2 - Tabitha's Adventure / タバサの冒険2===
[[image:ZnTSS2 cover.jpg|left|230px|border]]
<table border="0" cellpadding="0"><tr><td>
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Side Story Volume2 Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Side Story Volume2 Story5|Story 5 - Tabitha and the Gambler]]
*Story 6 - Tabitha and the Minotaur
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Side Story Volume2 ExtraChapter|Extra Chapter - A Day in the Life of Sylphid]]
*Story 7 - Tabitha and the Bird of Paradise
*Story 8 - Tabitha and the Naval Port
*Afterword
</td></tr></table>
<br style="clear:both" />

=== Side Story Volume 3 - Tabitha's Adventure / タバサの冒険3===
[[image:ZnTSS3 cover.jpg|left|230px|border]]
<table border="0" cellpadding="0"><tr><td>
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Side Story Volume3 Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
*Story 9 - Tabitha and Sylphid
*Story 10 - Tabitha and the Old Warrior
*Story 11 - Tabitha and First Love
*Story 12 - Tabitha's Birth
*Afterword
</td></tr></table>
<br style="clear:both" />

<br style="clear:both" />

== <span class="plainlinks"> Kaze no Kishihime by [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noboru_Yamaguchi_(author) Noboru Yamaguchi]</span> ==

=== Spin-Off Volume 1 - Heavy Wind, the Female Knight Captain / 烈風の騎士姫 ===
[[image:ZNTso1 cover.jpg|left|230px|border]]
<table border="0" cellpadding="0"><tr><td>
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Spinoff Volume1 Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
*[[Prologue|Prologue]]
*Chapter 1 - Karin Goes to the Capital 
*Chapter 2 - Sandorion 
*Chapter 3 - Lord Jervul's Mansion 
*Chapter 4 - Dormitory 
*Chapter 5 - Four vs Four Duel 
*Chapter 6 - Philippe III and Grand Duke Eustace 
*Chapter 7 - Three Knights and Karin are Honoured with the Audience 
*Chapter 8 - Sandorion's Past 
*Chapter 9 - De Ville's Confrontation 
*Epilogue
*Afterword
</td></tr></table>
<br style="clear:both" />

=== Spin-Off Volume 2 - Heavy Wind, the Female Knight Captain / 烈風の騎士姫２ ===
[[image:ZNTso2 cover.jpg|left|230px|border]]
<table border="0" cellpadding="0"><tr><td>
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Spinoff Volume2 Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
*Prologue
*Chapter 1 - Report for the King 
*Chapter 2 - Dream Place of Memories 
*Chapter 3 - Secret Meeting 
*Chapter 4 - Eustace's Manor 
*Chapter 5 - Dark Truth 
*Chapter 6 - Darsini the Vampire 
*Chapter 7 - Karin's Infiltration 
*Chapter 8 - Duty of the Knight 
*Chapter 9 - King's Decision 
*Epilogue
*Afterword
</td></tr></table>
<br style="clear:both" />

=== Zero no Tsukaima: Single Side Stories ===
::*[[Zero no Tsukaima:SingleSideStory Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
::* Wardrobe of the Past 

== Project Staff ==
=== Translators ===
*Project Manager: [[user:Teh_Ping|Teh_Ping]]

'''ACTIVE'''

::::*[[User:Shadowys|Shadowys]]
::::*[[User:Purean|Purean]]
::::*[[User:Immorrel|Immorrel]]

'''INACTIVE'''

::::*[[User:JirinTheNobody|JirinTheNobody]]
::::*[[User:Kira477|Kira477]]
::::*[[User:ACRONYM|ACRONYM]]
::::*[[user:Darknemo2000|Darknemo2000]]
::::*[[user:MasterMusician3|MasterMusician3]]
::::*[[user:ArchmageXin|ArchmageXin]]
::::*[[user:Kazesenken|Kazesenken]]
::::*[[user:Momogan|Momogan]]
::::*[[user:SeiryuuChan|SeiryuuChan]]
::::*[[user:Serenade beta|Serenade beta]]
::::*[[user:ShApEsHiFt3r|ShApEsHiFt3r]]
::::*[[user:Trewth|Trewth]]
::::*[[user:Xorius|Xorius]]
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::::*[[User:Chuta|Chuta]]
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::::*[[User:Wizzie|Wizzie]]
::::*[[user:christof|christof]]
::::*[[user:Claies|Claies]]
::::*[[user:Vertiful|Vertiful]]
::::*[[user:Cala-kun|Cala-kun]]
::::*[[user:naturesbless|naturesbless]]
::::*[[user:Nidema|Nidema]]
::::*[[user:SaiyaJedi|SaiyaJedi]] <- aka "SaitoFromEarth"
::::*[[user:Sushi-Y|Sushi-Y]]

=== Editors ===
This is the Project Editorial Team.
They will regularly patrol the projects to prevent vandalism & make sure the guidelines are implemented. If you have any inquiries about certain edits please contact any one of the members.

'''ACTIVE'''
::::*[[user:Bygghandel|Bygghandel]]
::::*[[user:Eatmepls-Senpai|Eatmepls-Senpai]]

'''INACTIVE'''

::::*[[user:Silimir|Silimir]]
::::*[[user:Superdaun|Superdaun]]
::::*[[user:Onizuka-gto|Onizuka-gto]]
::::*[[user:DeotoxSlayer|DeotoxSlayer]]
::::*[[user:Darknemo2000|Darknemo2000]]
::::*[[user:Akirasav|Akira]]
::::*[[user:BakaSama|BakaSama]]
::::*[[user:Wolfpup|Wolfpup]](never know when i might be prowling around)
::::*[[user:Marven054|Marven054]]
::::*[[user:Zeth|Zeth]]
::::*[[user:Just4fun|Just4fun]]
::::*[[user:EastN3|EastN3]]
::::*[[user:Bicube|Bicube]]
::::*[[user:BaKaFiSh|BaKaFiSh]]
::::*[[user:Rednal|Rednal]]
::::*[[user:Se-chan|Se-Chan]]
::::*[[user:The naming game|The naming game]]
::::*[[user:Darkoneko|Darkoneko]]
::::*[[user:Nandeyanen|Nandeyanen]]
::::*[[user:Da~Mike|Da~Mike]]
::::*[[user:BlckKnght|BlckKnght]]
::::*[[user:Crowkenobi|Crowkenobi]]
::::*[[user:Andiyar|Andiyar]]

== Series Overview ==
*'''Main Series'''
* Volume 1 - ''Zero's Familiar'' (June 25, 2004) ISBN 978-4840111058
* Volume 2 - ''Albion of the Wind'' (September 25, 2004) ISBN 978-4840111447
* Volume 3 - ''The Founder's Prayer Book'' (December 25, 2004) ISBN 978-4840111966
* Volume 4 - ''The Water Spirit of Oath'' (March 25, 2005) ISBN 978-4840112369
* Volume 5 - ''Tristania's Holiday'' (July 25, 2005) ISBN 978-4840112901
* Volume 6 - ''The Ruby of Atonement'' (November 25, 2005) ISBN 978-4840114493
* Volume 7 - ''The Silver Pentecost'' (February 25, 2006)ISBN 978-4840115018
* Volume 8 - ''The Serenade of Nostalgia'' (June 25, 2006) ISBN 978-4840115421
* Volume 9 - ''The Ball of Twin Moons'' (September 25, 2006) ISBN 978-4840117074
* Volume 10 - ''The Hero of Ivaldi'' (December 25, 2006) ISBN 978-4840117661
* Volume 11 - ''A Duet of Recollection'' (May 25, 2007) ISBN 978-4840118590
* Volume 12 - ''The Fairies' Holiday'' (August 25, 2007) ISBN 978-4840119009
* Volume 13 - ''The World Door of the Holy Country'' (December 25, 2007) ISBN 978-4840121101
* Volume 14 - ''Aquileia's Saint'' (May 25, 2008) ISBN 978-4840123198
* Volume 15 - ''Labyrinth of Oblivion'' (September 25, 2008) ISBN 978-4840124188
* Volume 16 - ''The Tea Time of Des Ornières'' (February 25, 2009) ISBN 978-4840126649
* Volume 17 - ''The Soeur of Dawn'' (June 25, 2009) ISBN 978-4840128070
* Volume 18 - ''Spirit Stone of Destruction'' (January 25, 2010) ISBN 978-4840131537
* Volume 19 - ''The Founder's Round Mirror'' (July 23, 2010) ISBN 978-4840134545
* Volume 20 - ''Holy Land from Ancient Times'' (February 25, 2011) ISBN 978-4840138215
* Volume 21 - ''The Truth of 6,000 Years'' (February 25, 2016) ISBN 978-4040681184
* Volume 22 - ''The Myth of Zero'' (February 24, 2017) ISBN 978-4040690841
* Zero no Tsukaima Memorial Book (June 24, 2017) ISBN 978-4040692333
*'''Zero no Tsukaima Gaiden: Tabatha no Bōken'''
* Side Story Volume 1 - ''Tabitha's Adventure'' (October 25, 2006) ISBN 978-4840117265
* Side Story Volume 2 - ''Tabitha's Adventure'' (October 25, 2007) ISBN 978-4840120586
* Side Story Volume 3 - ''Tabitha's Adventure'' (March 25, 2009) ISBN 978-4840127271
*'''Kaze no Kishihime'''
* Side Story Volume 1 - ''Heavy Wind, the Female Knight Captain'' (October 23, 2009) ISBN 978-4840130530
* Side Story Volume 2 - ''Heavy Wind, the Female Knight Captain'' (March 25, 2010) ISBN 978-4840132466
*'''Others'''
* Wardrobe of the Past (August 27, 2010 - appendix bundled with Monthly Comic Alive's 2010-10 issue) ASIN B003ZB098O

[[Zero no Tsukaima:Series Overview|ISBN information]]
[[Category:Light novel (English)]]
[[Category:MF Bunko J]]
[[Category:Noboru Yamaguchi]]

[[Category:Genre - Action]]
[[Category:Genre - Comedy]]
[[Category:Genre - Ecchi]]
[[Category:Genre - Fantasy]]
[[Category:Genre - Harem]]
[[Category:Genre - Romance]]

Kyoukai Senjou no Horizon

2019-03-20T16:43:40Z

Kemm: /* The GENESIS Series - Kyoukai Senjou no Horizon by Kawakami Minoru */

{{Status|Active}}

[[Image:Horizon cover1.jpg|thumb|300px|Cover art]]
'''''Kyoukai Senjou no Horizon''''' (境界線上のホライゾン/Horizon on the Middle of Nowhere) is a light novel series written by Kawakami Minoru and ilustrated by Satoyasu (TENKY). It takes place in the distant future of [[Owari no Chronicle]] and the remote past of the [[City Series]], two of the author's other light novel series. It conforms the GENESIS series of the universe.

==Alternative Languages==
The ''Kyoukai Senjou no Horizon'' series is also available in the following languages:
*[[Kyoukai Senjou no Horizon ~ Russian|Kyoukai Senjou no Horizon ~ Russian]]
*[[Kyoukai Senjou no Horizon ~Brazilian Portuguese~|Brazilian Portuguese (Português Brasileiro)]]
(Note: Translation progress varies for each version.)

==Story Synopsis==

In the distant future, Earth has been devastated and its inhabitants seek a new home in the heavens. However, constant warfare forces humans to return to Earth, which has turned into an uninhabitable planet except for a certain area called the Divine States.

The Divine States are too small to accommodate all the humans, so they duplicated the area and created the Harmonic Divine States. In order to retrace their steps and rediscover their journey to the heavens, the returned humans began to reproduce history from the year 10,000 BC, using a mysterious history book called Testament.

History reproduction proceeds smoothly until A.D. 1413, when a war broke out in the Divine States. This causes the Harmonic Divine States to crash onto the original world. The humans living in the Harmonic Divine States lose their land and invade the original world. The people of the Divine States surrender and they are divided by the invaders from the Harmonic Divine States. They try to resume the reproduction of history from A.D.1457, but the update of history terminates in A.D.1648. A rumor of apocalypse begins to spread around the world.

==Translation==

=== [[Kyoukai Senjou no Horizon:Registration Page|Registration]] ===

'''Translators are asked to [[Kyoukai Senjou no Horizon:Registration Page|register]] which chapters they are working on'''

===Format Standards===
'''Every Chapter (after editing) must conform to the general format guidelines.'''
*[[Format_guideline|General Format/Style Guideline]]
*[[Kyoukai Senjou no Horizon:guidelines|Project-Specific Guidelines: Format, Names, and Terminology]]

===Recruitment===

Editors are welcome.

=== Feedback ===
'''If you enjoyed the series, why don't you tell us in the [http://www.baka-tsuki.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=23&t=4618 forum].'''

== Updates ==
*March 7, 2019 - Volume 7-A Completed.
*September 27, 2018 - Volume 6-C Completed.
*September 1, 2018 - Kimitoasamade Volume 4-B Completed.
*April 3, 2018 - Volume 6-B Completed.
*December 31, 2017 - Kimitoasamade Volume 4-A Completed.
*December 5, 2017 - Volume 6-A Completed.
*September 15, 2017 - Volume 5-B Completed.
*August 10, 2017 - Kimitoasamade Volume 3-B Completed.
*July 10, 2017 - Kimitoasamade Volume 3-A Completed.
*May 11, 2017 - Volume 5-A Completed.
*February 12, 2017 - Kimitoasamade Volume 2-B Completed.
*January 1, 2017 - Volume 4-C Completed.
*September 5, 2016 - Kimitoasamade Volume 2-A Completed.
*July 1, 2016 - Volume 4-B Completed.
*May 2, 2016 - Kimitoasamade Volume 1-B Completed.
*January 31, 2016 - Volume 4-A Completed.
*December 13, 2015 - Kimitoasamade Volume 1-A Completed.
*September 2, 2015 - Volume 3-C Completed.
*February 22, 2015 - Volume 3-B Completed.
*November 4, 2014 - Volume 3-A Completed.
*August 31, 2014 - Volume 2-B Completed.
*April 17, 2014 - Volume 1-B Completed.
*February 24, 2014 - Volume 2-A Completed.
*September 10, 2013 - Volume 1-A Completed.
*September 12, 2011 - Teaser page created.

Older updates can be found [[Kyoukai_Senjou_no_Horizon: Updates|here]].

==Terminologies==
*All terminologies, character information, and other series details are hosted on [http://genesis-horizon.wikia.com/wiki/Kyoukai_Senjou_no_Horizon_Wiki this wiki]. Alternative glossary page [http://kyoukaisen.tumblr.com/glossary here].
*Alternatively, for a Baka-Tsuki translation affiliated list of terminology and their translations, check the [[Kyoukai Senjou no Horizon:guidelines|Project-Specific Guidelines]].
*You may also consult the novels' glossaries.

==The ''GENESIS Series - Kyoukai Senjou no Horizon'' by Kawakami Minoru==

This novel is also translated by [http://kyousenthetranslation.wordpress.com/ Nanodesu].

===Kyoukai Senjou no Horizon 1-A ([[Horizon:Volume_1|Full Text]] - [http://www.mediafire.com/view/vz1txbthtu7o8jw/horizon_1.pdf PDF] - [http://www.mediafire.com/download/39m5c53fogc5fck/Horizon_1-A.epub ePUB])===
[[File:Horizon1A_cover.jpg|thumb]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 1A Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
*[[Horizon:Volume_1A_Preface|Preface]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 1A Table of Contents|Table of Contents]]
*[[Horizon:Volume_1A_Character_Introduction|Character Introduction]]
*[[Horizon:Volume_1A_Glossary|Glossary]]
*[[Horizon:Volume_1A_History|History]]
*[[Horizon:Volume_1_School Rules|School Rules]]
*[[Horizon:Volume_1_Prologue|Prologue: Those Lined Up Before the Horizon]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 1 Chapter 01|Chapter 01: Participants in a Chance Meeting by the Storefront]]
*[[Horizon:Volume_1_Chapter_02|Chapter 02: The Wrecking Crew in the Classroom]]
*[[Horizon:Volume_1_Chapter_03|Chapter 03: Innocents at the Table]]
*[[Horizon:Volume_1_Chapter_04|Chapter 04: The Foreigner King]]
*[[Horizon:Volume_1_Chapter_05|Chapter 05: Those Reunited Under the Fair Sky]]
*[[Horizon:Volume_1_Chapter_06|Chapter 06: Fated Ones Beyond the Door]]
*[[Horizon:Volume_1_Chapter 07|Chapter 07: Philosophers Atop the Stairs]]
*[[Horizon:Volume_1_Chapter_08|Chapter 08: Doubters in the Depths of a Ravine]]
*[[Horizon:Volume_1_Chapter_09|Chapter 09: The One Waiting Beyond the Door]]
*[[Horizon:Volume_1_Chapter_10|Chapter 10: Commandos In Town]]
*[[Horizon:Volume_1_Chapter_11|Chapter 11: Adults in the Pub]]
*[[Horizon:Volume_1_Chapter_12|Chapter 12: Innocents in Remorse Way]]
*[[Horizon:Volume_1_Chapter_13|Chapter 13: The Authorities at the Rendezvous Point]]
*[[Horizon:Volume_1_Chapter_14|Chapter 14: Covert Operatives Under the Night Sky]]
*[[Horizon:Volume_1_Chapter_15|Chapter 15: Gathered Friends in the Confined Room]]
*[[Horizon:Volume_1_Chapter_16|Chapter 16: Those Who Prepare in the Courtyard]]
*[[Horizon:Volume_1_Chapter_17|Chapter 17: Usurper in the Street]]
*[[Horizon:Volume_1_Chapter_18|Chapter 18: The School Teacher]]
*[[Horizon:Volume_1_Chapter_19|Chapter 19: He who Dashes through the Air]]
*[[Horizon:Volume_1_Chapter_20|Chapter 20: Graduates Under the Moon]]
*[[Horizon:Volume_1A_Afterword|Afterword]]

===Kyoukai Senjou no Horizon 1-B ([[Horizon:Volume_1B|Full Text]] - [http://www.mediafire.com/view/khg31b79jtpvcyy/horizon_2.pdf PDF] - [http://www.mediafire.com/download/c8cq6kszwo671tt/Horizon_1-B.epub ePUB])===
[[File:Horizon1B_cover.jpg|thumb]]
Partial translations by [http://pastebin.com/u/midorikasa Midorikasa]
*[[Horizon:Volume 1B Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
*[[Horizon:Volume_1B_Preface|Preface]]
*[[Horizon:Volume_1B_Table of Contents|Table of Contents]]
*[[Horizon:Volume_1B_Character|Character Introduction]]
*[[Horizon:Volume_1B_Glossary|Glossary]]
*[[Horizon:Volume_1B_SchoolRules|School Rules]]
*[[Horizon:Volume_1B_Chapter_21|Chapter 21: Worrier in the Twilight]]
*[[Horizon:Volume_1B_Chapter22|Chapter 22: Unconcerned Colleagues]]
**[[Horizon:Volume_1B_Chapter_22.5|Study: Religion on Musashi]] '''(by [http://pastebin.com/GbjscVLf Midorikasa])'''
*[[Horizon:Volume_1B_Chapter_23|Chapter 23: Skeptics in the Meeting Session]] '''(by [http://pastebin.com/tAbZs3r7 Midorikasa] )'''
*[[Horizon:Volume_1B_Chapter_24|Chapter 24: The Determined on the Plains]] '''(by [http://pastebin.com/4dFYtj35 Midorikasa] )'''
**[[Horizon:Volume_1B_Chapter_24.5|Study: The Musashi Ariadust Academy]] '''(by [http://pastebin.com/pBEGA8P3 Midorikasa])'''
*[[Horizon:Volume_1B_Chapter_25|Chapter 25: Advocate at the Confession Grounds]] '''(by [http://pastebin.com/rdDX7AWK Midorikasa] )'''
*[[Horizon:Volume_1B_Chapter_26|Chapter 26: Refuter at the Execution Grounds]] '''(by [http://pastebin.com/HRqXZpmH Midorikasa] )'''
*[[Horizon:Volume_1B_Chapter_27|Chapter 27: The Powerful Below Ground]] '''(by [http://pastebin.com/pzNn91SR Midorikasa] )'''
*[[Horizon:Volume_1B_Chapter_28|Chapter 28: The Usurper in Town]] '''(by [http://pastebin.com/M6v3FedQ Midorikasa] )'''
*[[Horizon:Volume_1_Chapter_29|Chapter 29: Musashi's Knights]] '''(by [http://pastebin.com/2wQi2EWY Midorikasa])'''
**[[Horizon:Volume_1B_Chapter_29.5|Study: Musashi's Knights]] '''(by [http://pastebin.com/Np9Czzpr Midorikasa])'''
*[[Horizon:Volume_1B_Chapter_30|Chapter 30: Me at the Last Moment]] '''(by [http://pastebin.com/FfTDPDpz Midorikasa])'''
*[[Horizon:Volume_1B_Chapter_31|Chapter 31: As I Stand at the Last Moment]]
*[[Horizon:Volume_1B_Chapter_32|Chapter 32: Absolute Supporter]]
*[[Horizon:Volume_1B_Chapter_33|Chapter 33: The Summit's Flower]]
*[[Horizon:Volume_1B_Chapter_34|Chapter 34: Those Running Toward the Borderline]]
*[[Horizon:Volume_1B_Chapter_35|Chapter 35: The Trumpeter at the Start Line]]
*[[Horizon:Volume_1B_Chapter_36|Chapter 36: Communicator between Two People]]
*[[Horizon:Volume_1B_Chapter_37|Chapter 37: Those Travelling Through the Blue Sky]]
*[[Horizon:Volume_1B_Chapter_38|Chapter 38: Musashi's Mr. Impossible]]
*[[Horizon:Volume_1B_Chapter_39|Chapter 39: He who Gouges Holes in the Mainstream]]
*[[Horizon:Volume_1B_Chapter_40|Chapter 40: She who Seeks the Realm of Speed]]
*[[Horizon:Volume_1_Chapter_41|Chapter 41: Those Facing Each Other from Parallel Lines]]
*[[Horizon:Volume_1B_Chapter_42|Chapter 42: Those Facing Each Other on the Borderline]]
*[[Horizon:Volume_1B_Chapter_43|Chapter 43: Continuous Adherent]]
*[[Horizon:Volume_1B_Chapter_44|Last Chapter: Myself From Now On]]
*[[Horizon:Volume_1B_Afterword|Afterword]]

===Kyoukai Senjou no Horizon 2-A ([[Horizon:Volume_2A|Full Text]] - [http://www.mediafire.com/view/h9e7ne72g7o8abi/horizon_3.pdf PDF] - [http://www.mediafire.com/download/lh7ij5477bi1zia/Horizon_2-A.epub ePUB])===
[[File:Horizon2A_cover.jpg|thumb]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 2A Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 2A Preface|Preface]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 2A Table of Content|Table of Contents]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 2A Character Introduction|Character Introduction]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 2A Glossary|Glossary]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 2 School Rules|School Rules]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 2A Prologue|Prologue: Lecturers Surrounded by Tranquility]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 2 Chapter 01|Chapter 01: Members of the Vermilion Field]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 2 Chapter 02|Chapter 02: Uninvited Guest in the Classroom]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 2 Chapter 03|Chapter 03: Travelers in the Sky]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 2 Chapter 04|Chapter 04: Those who Intermingle between Heaven and Earth]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 2 Chapter 05|Chapter 05: Restraint from Every Direction]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 2 Chapter 06|Chapter 06: Greeter on the Deck]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 2 Chapter 07|Chapter 07: Creators on the Battlefield]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 2 Chapter 08|Chapter 08: Herald on the Stage]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 2 Chapter 09|Chapter 09: Onlooker at the Crash Site]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 2 Chapter 10|Chapter 10: Hopeful People with Nothing to Do]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 2 Chapter 11|Chapter 11: Groups of National Leaders]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 2 Chapter 12|Chapter 12: Those who Wait in a Place of Yearning]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 2 Chapter 13|Chapter 13: Conversations between Worriers]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 2 Chapter 14|Chapter 14: Distant Affirmers]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 2 Chapter 15|Chapter 15: Immigrants to England]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 2 Chapter 16|Chapter 16: Interceptor in a Place of Peace]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 2 Chapter 17|Chapter 17: Recluses around the Corner]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 2 Chapter 18|Chapter 18: One who Remembers in a Place of Forgetting]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 2 Chapter 19|Chapter 19: Those Descending to the Surface]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 2 Chapter 20|Chapter 20: Those Meeting in a Separate Place]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 2 Chapter 21|Chapter 21: The Two in the Meeting Place]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 2 Chapter 22|Chapter 22: Replier on the Chopping Block]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 2 Chapter 23|Chapter 23: Scarred Ones in a Closed Room]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 2 Chapter 24|Chapter 24: Guide to a New World]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 2 Chapter 25|Chapter 25: Ruler of the Theatre]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 2 Chapter 26|Chapter 26: Flower Presenter on the Street]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 2 Chapter 27|Chapter 27: One who Stands Alone in the Stage Wing]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 2 Chapter 28|Chapter 28: Defenders of the Bulwark]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 2 Chapter 29|Chapter 29: Pilot in a Preparatory Place]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 2 Chapter 30|Chapter 30: Humanitarian of the Hunting Ground]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 2 Chapter 31|Chapter 31: Protector on the Round Stage]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 2A Afterword|Afterword]]

===Kyoukai Senjou no Horizon 2-B ([[Horizon:Volume_2B|Full Text]] - [http://www.mediafire.com/view/u0jsduwwqy7e3bd/horizon_4.pdf PDF] - [http://www.mediafire.com/download/6c3kzgcve76nh70/Horizon_2-B.epub ePUB])===
[[File:Horizon2B_cover.jpg|thumb]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 2B Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 2B Preface|Preface]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 2B Table of Content|Table of Content]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 2B Character Introduction|Character Introduction]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 2B Glossary|Glossary]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 2B School Rules|School Rules]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 2B Chapter 32|Chapter 32: Man and Woman in the Plaza]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 2B Chapter 33|Chapter 33: One who Lies on the Road]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 2B Chapter 34|Chapter 34: Swimmer on the Road]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 2B Chapter 35|Chapter 35: Detective Above the Stairs]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 2B Chapter 36|Chapter 36: Rude One in a Hiding Place]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 2B Chapter 37|Chapter 37: Protector of the Plaza]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 2B Chapter 38|Chapter 38: Users of the Plaza]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 2B Chapter 39|Chapter 39: The One Left Behind in the Cage]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 2B Chapter 40|Chapter 40: Standing Alone on the Parting Paths]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 2B Chapter 41|Chapter 41: Hermit on the Stage]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 2B Chapter 42|Chapter 42: Those who Move About in the Wings of the Stage]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 2B Chapter 43|Chapter 43: Storyteller in the Hall]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 2B Chapter 44|Chapter 44: Performers on the Stage]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 2B Chapter 45|Chapter 45: Performers from the Wings of the Stage]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 2B Chapter 46|Chapter 46: Performer in an Unrivalled Field]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 2B Chapter 47|Chapter 47: Changing People in a Place of Peace]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 2B Chapter 48|Chapter 48: Decision Maker in the Heights]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 2B Chapter 49|Chapter 49: Liar in the Marketplace]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 2B Chapter 50|Chapter 50: Left Out in a Place of Gathering]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 2B Chapter 51|Chapter 51: Converging on a Place of Gathering]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 2B Chapter 52|Chapter 52: Parting Ways in the Night Sky]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 2B Chapter 53|Chapter 53: Encounter Over a Distance]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 2B Chapter 54|Chapter 54: One who Closes in for a Collision]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 2B Chapter 55|Chapter 55: Lead Role in the Fire]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 2B Chapter 56|Chapter 56: Howler in the Theatre]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 2B Chapter 57|Chapter 57: Pair Lying in Wait]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 2B Chapter 58|Chapter 58: Accepted One in the Flower Garden]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 2B Chapter 59|Chapter 59: King on the Tower]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 2B Chapter 60|Chapter 60: Postwar Approval]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 2B Chapter 61|Chapter 61: Defense Units in the Sky]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 2B Chapter 62|Chapter 62: Attack Units in the Sky]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 2B Chapter 63|Chapter 63: Donators on the Mound]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 2B Chapter 64|Chapter 64: Stubborn Ones of Both Nations]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 2B Chapter 65|Chapter 65: One who Longs for 27.431m]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 2B Chapter 66|Chapter 66: Seeing One Off to the Heavens and the Earth]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 2B Chapter 67|Chapter 67: Where the One Damaged by Swords Belongs]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 2B Chapter 68|Chapter 68: One who Receives The Night’s Finisher]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 2B Chapter 69|Chapter 69: Those Gathering at the Fire Festival]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 2B Chapter 70|Last Chapter: Greedy Ones Crossing a Border]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 2B Afterword|Afterword]]

===Kyoukai Senjou no Horizon 3-A ([[Horizon:Volume_3A|Full Text]] - [http://www.mediafire.com/download/jnpbt62xv663iky/Horizon_3-A.epub ePUB])===
[[File:Horizon3A_cover.jpg|thumb]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 3A Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 3A Preface|Preface]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 3A Introduction|Introduction]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 3A Table of Contents|Table of Contents]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 3A Character Introduction|Character Introduction]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 3A Glossary|Glossary]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 3A School Rules|School Rules]]
*[[Horizon:Volume_3__Prologue|Prologue: The Outsiders on the Bridge]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 3 Chapter 01|Chapter 01: The Companions of the Closed Room]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 3 Chapter 02|Chapter 02: The Pioneers of the Location]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 3 Chapter 03|Chapter 03: Hard Worker of the Unfamiliar Site]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 3 Chapter 04|Chapter 04: Assemblers under the Eaves]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 3 Chapter 05|Chapter 05: The Supervisor of the Hidden Room]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 3 Chapter 06|Chapter 06: The Negotiators of the Tea House]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 3 Chapter 07|Chapter 07: The Gusting Individuals of the Neutral Zone]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 3 Chapter 08|Chapter 08: One who Jumps into the Enclosure]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 3 Chapter 09|Chapter 09: Instigators in the Dining Hall]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 3 Chapter 10|Chapter 10: Cheerful People under the Night Sky]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 3 Chapter 11|Chapter 11: Failure to Understand at the Storefront]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 3 Chapter 12|Chapter 12: Owner of a Large Place]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 3 Chapter 13|Chapter 13: Great King of the Location]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 3 Chapter 14|Chapter 14: Apologizer in a Place of Reflection]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 3 Chapter 15|Chapter 15: One who Invites the World]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 3 Chapter 16|Chapter 16: One who Desires a Way Forward]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 3 Chapter 17|Chapter 17: Demander of the Wasteland]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 3 Chapter 18|Chapter 18: Those who Prefer the Shadows yet Stand in the Sun]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 3 Chapter 19|Chapter 19: One who Traverses the Sky]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 3 Chapter 20|Chapter 20: Preparers in the Setup Area]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 3 Chapter 21|Chapter 21: Sprinters in the Wasteland]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 3 Chapter 22|Chapter 22: Those who Participate in the Great Activity]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 3 Chapter 23|Chapter 23: Outside Exister]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 3 Chapter 24|Chapter 24: Resident of Heaven]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 3 Chapter 25|Chapter 25: Choosers on the Way Home]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 3 Chapter 26|Chapter 26: Searcher in the Mist]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 3A Afterword|Afterword]]

===Kyoukai Senjou no Horizon 3-B ([[Horizon:Volume_3B|Full Text]] - [http://www.mediafire.com/download/852p7di19f9igy3/Horizon_3-B.epub ePUB])===
[[File:Horizon3B_cover.jpg|thumb]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 3B Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 3B Preface|Preface]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 3B Table of Contents|Table of Contents]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 3B Character Introduction|Character Introduction]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 3B Glossary|Glossary]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 3B School Rules|School Rules]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 3B Chapter 27|Chapter 27: Mother and Daughter in the Mist]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 3B Chapter 28|Chapter 28: Hostile Mother and Daughter]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 3B Chapter 29|Chapter 29: Mother and Daughter in a Place of Departure]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 3B Chapter 30|Chapter 30: Prince of the Cellar]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 3B Chapter 31|Chapter 31: Traveler at a Crossroads]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 3B Chapter 32|Chapter 32: Gatherers in a Place of Meeting]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 3B Chapter 33|Chapter 33: Persuader in the Chaos]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 3B Chapter 34|Chapter 34: Pursuer in the Forest]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 3B Chapter 35|Chapter 35: Traveling Adulteress]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 3B Chapter 36|Chapter 36: Agreement at the Table]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 3B Chapter 37|Chapter 37: Traitor in the Ruler’s Presence]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 3B Chapter 38|Chapter 38: New Age of Clinging]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 3B Chapter 39|Chapter 39: Usurper in a Place of Retrospection]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 3B Chapter 40|Chapter 40: Visitor in a Hard Place]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 3B Chapter 41|Chapter 41: Attackers in the Dark Forest]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 3B Chapter 42|Chapter 42: Counterattackers in the Dark Forest]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 3B Chapter 43|Chapter 43: Ruler of the Dark Forest]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 3B Chapter 44|Chapter 44: Those who Wait in a Place of Movement]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 3B Chapter 45|Chapter 45: Classmate in the Depths of the Darkness]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 3B Chapter 46|Chapter 46: Storyteller Among Classmates]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 3B Chapter 47|Chapter 47: Sunny One in the Moonlight]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 3B Chapter 48|Chapter 48: Sponsor of the Battlefield]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 3B Chapter 49|Chapter 49: Bringer of Calamity on the Ship]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 3B Chapter 50|Chapter 50: Greeter in the Shade]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 3B Chapter 51|Chapter 51: Tangled Winged One in the Sky]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 3B Chapter 52|Chapter 52: Pursuer in the Rising Wind]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 3B Chapter 53|Chapter 53: Neighbor at the Breakfast Table]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 3B Chapter 54|Chapter 54: Inexperienced Meeting Participant]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 3B Chapter 55|Chapter 55: Viewer of the Interval]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 3B Chapter 56|Chapter 56: Soakers in a Purifying Place]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 3B Chapter 57|Chapter 57: Crow Master of the Inland Sea]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 3B Chapter 58|Chapter 58: Warrior of the Lightning Sky]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 3B Chapter 59|Chapter 59: Victor of the Desperately Fought Sea]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 3B Afterword|Afterword]]

===Kyoukai Senjou no Horizon 3-C ([[Horizon:Volume_3C|Full Text]] - [http://www.mediafire.com/download/m5r44uj8r54zrxw/Horizon_3-C.epub ePUB])===
[[File:Horizon3C_cover.jpg|thumb]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 3C Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 3C Preface|Preface]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 3C Table of Contents|Table of Contents]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 3C Character Introduction|Character Introduction]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 3C Glossary|Glossary]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 3C World|World]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 3C School Rules|School Rules]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 3C Chapter 60|Chapter 60: Warriors in a Place of Rest]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 3C Chapter 61|Chapter 61: Leaders Under Siege]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 3C Chapter 62|Chapter 62: Supporter of the Circle]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 3C Chapter 63|Chapter 63: Collective Resister]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 3C Chapter 64|Chapter 64: Searcher of a Dark Path]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 3C Chapter 65|Chapter 65: Slightly Heated Moaner]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 3C Chapter 66|Chapter 66: Viewers of the Metal Tower]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 3C Chapter 67|Chapter 67: Searcher in the Metal Tower]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 3C Chapter 68|Chapter 68: Manager of the Metal Tower]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 3C Chapter 69|Chapter 69: Resigners in the Metal Tower]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 3C Chapter 70|Chapter 70: Confronters in the Metal Tower]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 3C Chapter 71|Chapter 71: Understanders in the Metal Tower]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 3C Chapter 72|Chapter 72: Wolf of the Audience Chamber]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 3C Chapter 73|Chapter 73: Gatherers at the Besieged City]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 3C Chapter 74|Chapter 74: Attackers and Defenders of the Wall]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 3C Chapter 75|Chapter 75: Breacher of Defenses]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 3C Chapter 76|Chapter 76: Runner on the Battlefield]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 3C Chapter 77|Chapter 77: Attacking Woman by the Water]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 3C Chapter 78|Chapter 78: Advancer of the Age]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 3C Chapter 79|Chapter 79: Wolf at the Site of the Promise]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 3C Chapter 80|Chapter 80: The One in the Place the Wolf Desires]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 3C Chapter 81|Chapter 81: Participant in an Insufficient Place]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 3C Chapter 82|Chapter 82: Messengers in a Crumbling Place]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 3C Chapter 83|Chapter 83: Everyone in a Place of Reunion]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 3C Chapter 84|Chapter 84: Samurai of the Sunken City]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 3C Chapter 85|Chapter 85: Moon Goddess’s Audience in the Sky]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 3C Chapter 86|Chapter 86: Those Waiting on the Path Ahead]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 3C Chapter 87|Chapter 87: Attacker in a Place of Pursuit]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 3C Chapter 88|Chapter 88: Waiter at the Corner]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 3C Chapter 89|Chapter 89: Underclassman at the Destination]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 3C Chapter 90|Chapter 90: Mercenary of the Nostalgic Sky]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 3C Chapter 91|Chapter 91: Negotiators at the Crossroads]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 3C Chapter 92|Chapter 92: Condemner in a Place of Parting]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 3C Chapter 93|Chapter 93: Traveler in a Sky of No Return]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 3C Chapter 94|Chapter 94: Searcher for a Place to Live]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 3C Chapter 95|Last Chapter: Stewers in a Gathering Place]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 3C Afterword|Afterword]]

===Kyoukai Senjou no Horizon 4-A ([[Horizon:Volume_4A|Full Text]] - [https://www.mediafire.com/file/tn4fa3oqzi2h2q8/Horizon_4-A.epub ePUB])===
[[File:Horizon4A_cover.jpg|thumb]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 4A Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 4A Preface|Preface]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 4A Introduction|Introduction]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 4A Table of Contents|Table of Contents]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 4A Character Introduction|Character Introduction]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 4A Glossary|Glossary]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 4A World|World]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 4A School Rules|School Rules]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 4A Prologue|Prologue: Those with their Feet in a Winding Stream]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 4A Chapter 01|Chapter 01: Anticipaters of Unseen Footing]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 4A Chapter 02|Chapter 02: Hidden One in the Hidden Sky]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 4A Chapter 03|Chapter 03: Peeper in a Holey Place]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 4A Chapter 04|Chapter 04: Gatherers in the Dark]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 4A Chapter 05|Chapter 05: Actors at the Warehouse]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 4A Chapter 06|Chapter 06: Meeting Participant in Two Places at Once]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 4A Chapter 07|Chapter 07: Advisor in an Unseen Place]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 4A Chapter 08|Chapter 08: Natives of the White Plain]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 4A Chapter 09|Chapter 09: Confused Girl on the Rooftop]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 4A Chapter 10|Chapter 10: Plotting Girl on the Rooftop]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 4A Chapter 11|Chapter 11: Corpse Princess of the Dark Sky]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 4A Chapter 12|Chapter 12: Changed One on the White Field]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 4A Chapter 13|Chapter 13: Converser After the Festival]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 4A Chapter 14|Chapter 14: Resting Girl in a Double Location]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 4A Chapter 15|Chapter 15: Observer at the Site of Collapse]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 4A Chapter 16|Chapter 16: Fabricator at the Site of Collapse]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 4A Chapter 17|Chapter 17: Blackboard Boy in Front of the Meeting Place]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 4A Chapter 18|Chapter 18: Young Girl in the Depths of a Dream]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 4A Chapter 19|Chapter 19: Girl Seated in the Morning Sun]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 4A Chapter 20|Chapter 20: Dwellers of a Rocky Place]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 4A Chapter 21|Chapter 21: Uncertain Person in the Early Morning]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 4A Chapter 22|Chapter 22: Skilled One in the Foggy Yard]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 4A Chapter 23|Chapter 23: Inexperienced Thinker in a Blue Place]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 4A Chapter 24|Chapter 24: Out of Place Advisor]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 4A Chapter 25|Chapter 25: One who Steps Back from the Past]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 4A Chapter 26|Chapter 26: Emotional One on the Tatami Mats]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 4A Chapter 27|Chapter 27: Leaping Girl on the Street]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 4A Chapter 28|Chapter 28: Future Opponents]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 4A Chapter 29|Chapter 29: Runner on Unstable Footing]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 4A Chapter 30|Chapter 30: Reversers with Swift Footing]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 4A Afterword|Afterword]]

===Kyoukai Senjou no Horizon 4-B ([[Horizon:Volume_4B|Full Text]])===
[[File:Horizon4B_cover.jpg|thumb]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 4B Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 4B Preface|Preface]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 4B Table of Contents|Table of Contents]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 4B Character Introduction|Character Introduction]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 4B Glossary|Glossary]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 4B World|World]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 4B School Rules|School Rules]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 4B Chapter 31|Chapter 31: The Pair on Twin Walls]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 4B Chapter 32|Chapter 32: Visitor from Above]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 4B Chapter 33|Chapter 33: Habitual Lecturer in a Private Room]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 4B Chapter 34|Chapter 34: Travelers in Three Directions]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 4B Chapter 35|Chapter 35: Messenger from the South]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 4B Chapter 36|Chapter 36: Above and Below in a Place of Meeting]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 4B Chapter 37|Chapter 37: Wing Users in the Sky]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 4B Chapter 38|Chapter 38: Fox of the Heavenly Castle]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 4B Chapter 39|Chapter 39: Centipede of an Unturning Stage]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 4B Chapter 40|Chapter 40: Dragon of an Azure Place]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 4B Chapter 41|Chapter 41: Oppressor from Above]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 4B Chapter 42|Chapter 42: Protester in the Frame]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 4B Chapter 43|Chapter 43: Passersby on the Road]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 4B Chapter 44|Chapter 44: Parters on the Road]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 4B Chapter 45|Chapter 45: Spectator of a Breathtaking View]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 4B Chapter 46|Chapter 46: Reunited One in a Heated Garden]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 4B Chapter 47|Chapter 47: Gambler on the Ridge]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 4B Chapter 48|Chapter 48: Victor of History]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 4B Chapter 49|Chapter 49: Residents of the Dawn]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 4B Chapter 50|Chapter 50: Rester in a Small Space]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 4B Chapter 51|Chapter 51: Bent Girl in a Crouching Place]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 4B Chapter 52|Chapter 52: Friends Outside the Window]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 4B Chapter 53|Chapter 53: Lacking One in a Field of Memories]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 4B Chapter 54|Chapter 54: Late Night Diplomat]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 4B Chapter 55|Chapter 55: Stopper in a Blue Place]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 4B Chapter 56|Chapter 56: Charger in the Wind]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 4B Chapter 57|Chapter 57: Speaker of the Past]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 4B Chapter 58|Chapter 58: Distant Promoter]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 4B Chapter 59|Chapter 59: Pair at the Peak]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 4B Chapter 60|Chapter 60: Marcher at the Appointed Time]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 4B Chapter 61|Chapter 61: Comparer on the Scales]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 4B Afterword|Afterword]]

===Kyoukai Senjou no Horizon 4-C ([[Horizon:Volume_4C|Full Text]])===
[[File:Horizon4C_cover.jpg|thumb]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 4C Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 4C Preface|Preface]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 4C Table of Contents|Table of Contents]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 4C Character Introduction|Character Introduction]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 4C Glossary|Glossary]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 4C World|World]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 4C School Rules|School Rules]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 4C Chapter 62|Chapter 62: Distant Supporter]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 4C Chapter 63|Chapter 63: Right and Wrong Ones on the Scoreboard]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 4C Chapter 64|Chapter 64: Apologizer in a Rushed Place]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 4C Chapter 65|Chapter 65: Decisive One at the Peak]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 4C Chapter 66|Chapter 66: Fake Ones at a Place of Passage]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 4C Chapter 67|Chapter 67: Real Ones at a Place of Passage]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 4C Chapter 68|Chapter 68: Observer in the Layers]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 4C Chapter 69|Chapter 69: Preparers on the Dance Stage]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 4C Chapter 70|Chapter 70: Wise One in a Closed Place]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 4C Chapter 71|Chapter 71: Allocators of the Points at Issue]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 4C Chapter 72|Chapter 72: Returners to the Borderline]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 4C Chapter 73|Chapter 73: Roarer on the Starting Line]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 4C Chapter 74|Chapter 74: Viewer at a Place of Ending]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 4C Chapter 75|Chapter 75: Attacker of the Dance Hall]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 4C Chapter 76|Chapter 76: Unperceived Dancers]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 4C Chapter 77|Chapter 77: Dragon Owner of the Riverside]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 4C Chapter 78|Chapter 78: Prover on the Hunting Ground]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 4C Chapter 79|Chapter 79: Restorer in a Damaged Place]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 4C Chapter 80|Chapter 80: Pursuer of the Age]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 4C Chapter 81|Chapter 81: Forerunner in the Sky]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 4C Chapter 82|Chapter 82: Passer of the Royal Road]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 4C Chapter 83|Chapter 83: Tested One in a Removed Place]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 4C Chapter 84|Chapter 84: Arriving Pursuer]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 4C Chapter 85|Chapter 85: Dropout in the Sky]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 4C Chapter 86|Chapter 86: Confirmers of the Footholds]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 4C Chapter 87|Chapter 87: Divider of the Battlefield]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 4C Chapter 88|Chapter 88: Ruler of the Comeback Theatre]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 4C Chapter 89|Chapter 89: The Peerless Out of Range]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 4C Chapter 90|Chapter 90: The Peerless Within Range]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 4C Chapter 91|Chapter 91: Dreamers at the Gathering Place]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 4C Chapter 92|Chapter 92: She who Surpasses Her Position]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 4C Chapter 93|Chapter 93: Forerunner in a Gathering Place]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 4C Chapter 94|Chapter 94: Fox of the Sun Shower]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 4C Chapter 95|Chapter 95: Passersby En-Route]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 4C Chapter 96|Last Chapter: Residents of a New Place]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 4C Afterword|Afterword]]

===Kyoukai Senjou no Horizon 5-A ([[Horizon:Volume_5A|Full Text]] - [http://www.mediafire.com/file/7yzhm37w388qpc4/Horizon_5-A.epub ePUB])===
[[File:Horizon5A_cover.jpg|thumb]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 5A Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 5A Preface|Preface]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 5A Table of Contents|Table of Contents]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 5A Character Introduction|Character Introduction]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 5A Glossary|Glossary]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 5A World|World]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 5A School Rules|School Rules]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 5A Prologue|Prologue: Organizer of a New Home]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 5A Chapter 1|Chapter 01: Pilgrims in a Shaded Place]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 5A Chapter 2|Chapter 02: Speaker in a Place of Ongoing Maintenance]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 5A Chapter 3|Chapter 03: Observers in a Place of Foresight]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 5A Chapter 4|Chapter 04: Foreseers of the East and West]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 5A Chapter 5|Chapter 05: Performers of the East and West]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 5A Chapter 6|Chapter 06: Battle Formation Members in All Directions]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 5A Chapter 7|Chapter 07: Exchangers in a Surrounded Place]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 5A Chapter 8|Chapter 08: Gatherer at the Surrounded Sea]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 5A Chapter 9|Chapter 09: Challengers of a Remodeled Place]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 5A Chapter 10|Chapter 10: Responder in a Sky of Beginning]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 5A Chapter 11|Chapter 11: Both Sides on the Stage]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 5A Chapter 12|Chapter 12: Racers in the Night Sky]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 5A Chapter 13|Chapter 13: Right Holders in the Heavens]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 5A Chapter 14|Chapter 14: Divided Worrier]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 5A Chapter 15|Chapter 15: Pursued Idiot on the Stage]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 5A Chapter 16|Chapter 16: Higher One on the Stage]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 5A Chapter 17|Chapter 17: Three Different People on the Multi Screen]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 5A Chapter 18|Chapter 18: Heat Source Student in the Line of Sight]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 5A Chapter 19|Chapter 19: Wall Builder in a Clogged Place]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 5A Chapter 20|Chapter 20: Converter on the Stagnant Stage]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 5A Chapter 21|Chapter 21: Close Centipede]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 5A Chapter 22|Chapter 22: Reflector in the Heavens]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 5A Chapter 23|Chapter 23: Performers on the Rotating Stage]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 5A Chapter 24|Chapter 24: White Heron in the Changing Night]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 5A Chapter 25|Chapter 25: Right Holder in the Heavens]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 5A Chapter 26|Chapter 26: Realist on the Divine Transmission]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 5A Afterword|Afterword]]

===Kyoukai Senjou no Horizon 5-B ([[Horizon:Volume_5B|Full Text]] - [https://www.mediafire.com/file/2dq1euw4wvvg46w/Horizon_5-B.epub ePUB])===
[[File:Horizon5B_cover.jpg|thumb]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 5B Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 5B Preface|Preface]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 5B Table of Contents|Table of Contents]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 5B Character Introduction|Character Introduction]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 5B Glossary|Glossary]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 5B World|World]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 5B School Rules|School Rules]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 5B Chapter 27|Chapter 27: Trio on the Balance Beam]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 5B Chapter 28|Chapter 28: Leader of the Diving Board]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 5B Chapter 29|Chapter 29: Courter at an Unexpected Meeting]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 5B Chapter 30|Chapter 30: Advice Giver in an Inexhaustible Place]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 5B Chapter 31|Chapter 31: Demander at the Submission Table]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 5B Chapter 32|Chapter 32: Giant Arriving Forms]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 5B Chapter 33|Chapter 33: Freedom Lover in the Forest]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 5B Chapter 34|Chapter 34: Recipients of the Lap Palace]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 5B Chapter 35|Chapter 35: Course Changer at the End of Experimentation]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 5B Chapter 36|Chapter 36: Accepter in a Hiding Place]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 5B Chapter 37|Chapter 37: Offerer of a Dreaming Place]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 5B Chapter 38|Chapter 38: Roller in the Night]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 5B Chapter 39|Chapter 39: Dragon Visitor in the Straight Line Night]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 5B Chapter 40|Chapter 40: Soarer on the Musical Stage]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 5B Chapter 41|Chapter 41: Roarer of the Hunting Ground]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 5B Chapter 42|Chapter 42: Guide to the Defenseless Room]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 5B Chapter 43|Chapter 43: Shot One in the Water]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 5B Chapter 44|Chapter 44: Front and Back Ones of the Festival Stands]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 5B Chapter 45|Chapter 45: Confronter in the Rubble]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 5B Chapter 46|Chapter 46: Boy and Girl in a Room of Goodbyes]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 5B Chapter 47|Chapter 47: Debaters at the Water’s Edge]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 5B Chapter 48|Chapter 48: Girl Approaching in Bed]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 5B Chapter 49|Chapter 49: Inspired Boy in a Soundless Space]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 5B Chapter 50|Chapter 50: Surveyors at the Entrance]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 5B Chapter 51|Chapter 51: Exiter from the Dance Stage]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 5B Chapter 52|Chapter 52: Storyteller in the Round Hall]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 5B Chapter 53|Chapter 53: Dancer on the Round Stage]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 5B Chapter 54|Chapter 54: Embraced One in a Roaring Space]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 5B Chapter 55|Chapter 55: Passerby in a Place of Descent]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 5B Chapter 56|Chapter 56: Optimizer in the Field of Acceleration]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 5B Chapter 57|Chapter 57: Master in the Field of Acceleration]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 5B Chapter 58|Chapter 58: Reperformers on the Stage of Conclusion]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 5B Chapter 59|Chapter 59: Leader in a Gloomy Corridor]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 5B Chapter 60|Chapter 60: Reunited Ones in a Place of Passing]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 5B Chapter 61|Chapter 61: Bearers in a Place of Parting]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 5B Chapter 62|Chapter 62: Arriver in a Sky of Passage]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 5B Chapter 63|Last Chapter: Player with Interpretations]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 5B Afterword|Afterword]]

===Kyoukai Senjou no Horizon 6-A ([[Horizon:Volume_6A|Full Text]])===
[[File:Horizon6A_cover.jpeg|thumb]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 6A Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 6A Preface|Preface]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 6A Table of Contents|Table of Contents]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 6A Character Introduction|Character Introduction]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 6A Glossary|Glossary]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 6A World|World]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 6A School Rules|School Rules]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 6A Prologue|Prologue: Rest Area Fighter]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 6A Chapter 1|Chapter 1: Challenger of a Homesick Peak]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 6A Chapter 2|Chapter 2: Children Surrounding a Fire]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 6A Chapter 3|Chapter 3: Closed Room Destroyer]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 6A Chapter 4|Chapter 4: Manager of the Sky]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 6A Chapter 5|Chapter 5: Doubled Ones at the Edge]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 6A Chapter 6|Chapter 6: Viewer at an Observation Point]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 6A Chapter 7|Chapter 7: Debaters around the Fire]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 6A Chapter 8|Chapter 8: Sky Viewer on the Ground]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 6A Chapter 9|Chapter 9: Technohexen Below the Lamps]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 6A Chapter 10|Chapter 10: Battle Formation at a Mini Meeting]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 6A Chapter 11|Chapter 11: Wife at a Mini Meeting]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 6A Chapter 12|Chapter 12: Sitters of the Late Night Shift]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 6A Chapter 13|Chapter 13: Pre-Battle Decision Maker]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 6A Chapter 14|Chapter 14: Commotion Maker in a Closed Room]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 6A Chapter 15|Chapter 15: Dragon in Transit]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 6A Chapter 16|Chapter 16: Those Looking up at the Azure Sky]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 6A Chapter 17|Chapter 17: Departer on a Ship]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 6A Chapter 18|Chapter 18: Eaters on the Riverside]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 6A Chapter 19|Chapter 19: Lip Service Girls on the Deck]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 6A Chapter 20|Chapter 20: Probing Girls on the Dueling Ground]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 6A Chapter 21|Chapter 21: Debating Girls at the Debate Table]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 6A Afterword|Afterword]]
<br style="clear:both"/>

===Kyoukai Senjou no Horizon 6-B ([[Horizon:Volume_6B|Full Text]])===
[[File:Horizon6B_cover.jpeg|thumb]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 6B Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 6B Preface|Preface]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 6B Table of Contents|Table of Contents]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 6B Character Introduction|Character Introduction]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 6B Glossary|Glossary]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 6B World|World]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 6B School Rules|School Rules]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 6B Chapter 22|Chapter 22: Justice Bringer in the Open Heights]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 6B Chapter 23|Chapter 23: Entangled Ones in the Open Heights]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 6B Chapter 24|Chapter 24: Familiar Faces on the Sanctioning Deck]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 6B Chapter 25|Chapter 25: Cheerful Girls Making Preparations]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 6B Chapter 26|Chapter 26: Staller on a Curved Path]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 6B Chapter 27|Chapter 27: Silver Wolf at a New Home]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 6B Chapter 28|Chapter 28: Emotional Girl Within the Construction]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 6B Chapter 29|Chapter 29: Shrine Maiden at a New Home]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 6B Chapter 30|Chapter 30: People of the Present at the End of the Hall]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 6B Chapter 31|Chapter 31: Guests in the Living Room]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 6B Chapter 32|Chapter 32: Conquerors Below the Clouds]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 6B Chapter 33|Chapter 33: Attendees of a Road Meeting]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 6B Chapter 34|Chapter 34: Instigator at a Road Meeting]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 6B Chapter 35|Chapter 35: Absurdist at a Road Meeting]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 6B Chapter 36|Chapter 36: Divider of the Future]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 6B Chapter 37|Chapter 37: Usurper of the Gathering Spot]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 6B Chapter 38|Chapter 38: Ruler of the Common Ground]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 6B Chapter 39|Chapter 39: Girls Thinking in the Night]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 6B Chapter 40|Chapter 40: Stalemated Top Runner]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 6B Chapter 41|Chapter 41: Center of the Festival]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 6B Chapter 42|Chapter 42: Chicks of the Gathering Nest]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 6B Chapter 43|Chapter 43: Waiters on the Standby Platform]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 6B Chapter 44|Chapter 44: Runner at the Start Time]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 6B Chapter 45|Chapter 45: Cool Head in the Conflagration]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 6B Afterword|Afterword]]

<br style="clear:both"/>

===Kyoukai Senjou no Horizon 6-C ([[Horizon:Volume_6C|Full Text]])===
[[File:Horizon6-C01-Cover.jpg|thumb]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 6C Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 6C Preface|Preface]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 6C Table of Contents|Table of Contents]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 6C Character Introduction|Character Introduction]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 6C Glossary|Glossary]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 6C World|World]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 6C Chapter 46|Chapter 46: Relatives on the Bench]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 6C Chapter 47|Chapter 47: Seeker of Money]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 6C Chapter 48|Chapter 48: Glutton on the Battlefield]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 6C Chapter 49|Chapter 49: Queen of a Tasteful Place]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 6C Chapter 50|Chapter 50: Two Skilled Ones in the City]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 6C Chapter 51|Chapter 51: Family Leading to Memories]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 6C Chapter 52|Chapter 52: Suppressors of the Siege]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 6C Chapter 53|Chapter 53: Iron Woman at the Bar]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 6C Chapter 54|Chapter 54: Decisive Woman of a Snowy Nation]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 6C Chapter 55|Chapter 55: Surprise Attacker at the Festival]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 6C Chapter 56|Chapter 56: Clever Girl on the Chopping Block]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 6C Chapter 57|Chapter 57: Preparers in the Singing Place]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 6C Chapter 58|Chapter 58: Runner in the Music]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 6C Chapter 59|Chapter 59: Seducer in a Place of Awakening]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 6C Chapter 60|Chapter 60: Duelers at the Hot Spring]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 6C Chapter 61|Chapter 61: Gluttons After the Fighting]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 6C Chapter 62|Chapter 62: Waiters on the Dry Land]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 6C Chapter 63|Chapter 63: Water Provider on the Thirsty Battlefield]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 6C Chapter 64|Chapter 64: Impeacher Along the Trajectory]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 6C Chapter 65|Chapter 65: Hopeful One in Illusory Space]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 6C Chapter 66|Chapter 66: Encounterers High in the Sky]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 6C Chapter 67|Chapter 67: Regulator of the Attack Path]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 6C Chapter 68|Chapter 68: Hunter of the Hunting Ground]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 6C Chapter 69|Chapter 69: Affirmer in the Depths of Emotion]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 6C Chapter 70|Chapter 70: Woman Bidding Farewell Atop the Water]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 6C Chapter 71|Chapter 71: Onlookers at a Historical Site]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 6C Chapter 72|Chapter 72: Puncher of Foundations]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 6C Chapter 73|Final Chapter: Affirmer in a Place of Passage]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 6C Afterword|Afterword]]

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===Kyoukai Senjou no Horizon 7-A ([[Horizon:Volume_7A|Full Text]] - [https://www.mediafire.com/file/9nq5455kvv4inpi/Horizon_7-A.epub ePUB])===
[[File:Horizon7-A000a.jpg|thumb]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 7A Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 7A Preface|Preface]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 7A Table of Contents|Table of Contents]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 7A Character Introduction|Character Introduction]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 7A Glossary|Glossary]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 7A World|World]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 7A School Rules|School Rules]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 7A Prologue|Prologue: Omen Giver on the Gangway]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 7A Chapter 1|Chapter 1: Newcomer on an Accumulating Slope]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 7A Chapter 2|Chapter 2: Girl Who Gathers Happiness]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 7A Chapter 3|Chapter 3: Workers in a Place of Relaxation]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 7A Chapter 4|Chapter 4: Single-Minded One in the Night Sky]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 7A Chapter 5|Chapter 5: Searcher in a Public Place]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 7A Chapter 6|Chapter 6: Representatives on the Decision Stage]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 7A Chapter 7|Chapter 7: Off Duty Ones at the Workplace]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 7A Chapter 8|Chapter 8: Preparers of the New Battlefield]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 7A Chapter 9|Chapter 9: Noisy Girl in a Quiet Room]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 7A Chapter 10|Chapter 10: Conspicuous One on the Spot]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 7A Chapter 11|Chapter 11: Incorrect Girl in a Guessing Game]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 7A Chapter 12|Chapter 12: Joiner of the Stage]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 7A Chapter 13|Chapter 13: Attacker of the Racing Palanquins]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 7A Chapter 14|Chapter 14: Careless One on the Practice Ground]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 7A Chapter 15|Chapter 15: Flower of Immense Happiness]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 7A Chapter 16|Chapter 16: Watcher of the Next Generation]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 7A Chapter 17|Chapter 17: Trailblazer of Empty Land]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 7A Chapter 18|Chapter 18: Busy Crowd on the Snow]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 7A Chapter 19|Chapter 19: Boy Attacked in a Hidden Place]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 7A Chapter 20|Chapter 20: Desiring Girl in the Usual Place]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 7A Chapter 21|Chapter 21: Instigator in the Dark]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 7A Chapter 22|Chapter 22: Leader of the Recovery]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 7A Chapter 23|Chapter 23: Officer of a Redone Foundation]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 7A Chapter 24|Chapter 24: Battlefield Picnicker]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 7A Chapter 25|Chapter 25: Night Sky Ferry]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 7A Afterword|Afterword]]

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===Kyoukai Senjou no Horizon 7-B===
[[File:Horizon7-B000a.jpg|thumb]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 7B Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]

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===Kyoukai Senjou no Horizon 7-C===
[[File:Horizon7-C000a.jpg|thumb]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 7C Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]

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===Kyoukai Senjou no Horizon 8-A===
[[File:Horizon8A.jpg|thumb]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 8A Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]

<br style="clear:both"/>

===Kyoukai Senjou no Horizon 8-B===
[[File:Horizon8B.jpg|thumb]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 8B Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]

<br style="clear:both"/>

===Kyoukai Senjou no Horizon 8-C===
[[File:Horizon8C.jpg|thumb]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 8C Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]

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===Kyoukai Senjou no Horizon 9-A===
[[File:Horizon9A.jpg|thumb]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 9A Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]

<br style="clear:both"/>

===Kyoukai Senjou no Horizon 9-B===
[[File:Horizon9B.jpg|thumb]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 9B Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]

<br style="clear:both"/>

===Kyoukai Senjou no Horizon 10-A===
[[File:Horizon10A.jpg|thumb]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 10A Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]

<br style="clear:both"/>

===Kyoukai Senjou no Horizon 10-B===
[[File:Horizon10B.jpg|thumb]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 10B Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]

<br style="clear:both"/>

===Kyoukai Senjou no Horizon 10-C===
[[File:Horizon10C.jpg|thumb]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 10C Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]

<br style="clear:both"/>

===Kyoukai Senjou no Horizon 11-A===
[[File:Horizon11A.jpg|thumb]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 11A Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]

<br style="clear:both"/>

===Kyoukai Senjou no Horizon 11-B===
[[File:Horizon11B.jpg|thumb]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 11B Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]

<br style="clear:both"/>

===Kyoukai Senjou no Horizon 11-C===
[[File:Horizon11C.jpg|thumb]]
*[[Horizon:Volume 11C Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]

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==The ''GENESIS Series - Kyoukai Senjou no Horizon - Kimitoasamade'' by Kawakami Minoru==

A side story coupled with the limited edition volumes of the first and second seasons of the anime.

===Kimitoasamade 1-A ([[HorizonːKimitoasamade:Volume_1A|Full Text]] - [http://www.mediafire.com/download/dc68ekn0ckjbgtf/Kimitoasamade_1-A.epub ePUB])===
[[File:Horizon_Kimi1A_000a.jpg|thumb]]
*[[Horizon:Kimitoasamade 1A Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
*[[Horizon:Kimitoasamade 1A Preface|Preface]]
*[[Horizon:Kimitoasamade 1A Character Introduction|Character Introduction]]
*[[Horizon:Kimitoasamade 1A Glossary|Glossary]]
*[[Horizon:Kimitoasamade 1A Opening|Opening]]
*[[Horizon:Kimitoasamade 1A Prologue|Prologue: The Three Girls of the Asama Shrine]]
*[[Horizon:Kimitoasamade 1A Chapter 1|Chapter 1: High Altitude Performer]]
*[[Horizon:Kimitoasamade 1A Chapter 2|Chapter 2: Chicks at Home]]
*[[Horizon:Kimitoasamade 1A Afterword|Afterword]]
*[[Horizon:Kimitoasamade 1A Setting|Setting]]

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===Kimitoasamade 1-B ([[HorizonːKimitoasamade:Volume_1B|Full Text]] - [http://www.mediafire.com/download/ez9c557c99lxpcm/Kimitoasamade_1-B.epub ePUB])===
[[File:Horizon_Kimi1B_000a.jpg|thumb]]
*[[Horizon:Kimitoasamade 1B Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
*[[Horizon:Kimitoasamade 1B Preface|Preface]]
*[[Horizon:Kimitoasamade 1B Character Introduction|Character Introduction]]
*[[Horizon:Kimitoasamade 1B Glossary|Glossary]]
*[[Horizon:Kimitoasamade 1B Chapter 3|Chapter 3: Hasty Ones of the Passing Shadows]]
*[[Horizon:Kimitoasamade 1B Chapter 4|Chapter 4: Hidden Ones at a Place of Passage]]
*[[Horizon:Kimitoasamade 1B Chapter 5|Chapter 5: Socializer at a Place of Learning]]
*[[Horizon:Kimitoasamade 1B Chapter 6|Chapter 6: Revealed Ones at a Place of Passage]]
*[[Horizon:Kimitoasamade 1B Chapter 7|Chapter 7: Sweethearts at a Place of Wishes]]
*[[Horizon:Kimitoasamade 1B Chapter 8|Chapter 8: Singer Atop the Box]]
*[[Horizon:Kimitoasamade 1B Afterword|Afterword]]

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===Kimitoasamade 2-A ([[HorizonːKimitoasamade:Volume_2A|Full Text]] - [http://www.mediafire.com/download/n8ac6n9m5drexm5/Kimitoasamade_2-A.epub ePUB])===
[[File:Horizon_Kimi2A_000a.jpg|thumb]]
*[[Horizon:Kimitoasamade 2A Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
*[[Horizon:Kimitoasamade 2A Preface|Preface]]
*[[Horizon:Kimitoasamade 2A Character Introduction|Character Introduction]]
*[[Horizon:Kimitoasamade 2A Glossary|Glossary]]
*[[Horizon:Kimitoasamade 2A Chapter 9|Chapter 9: Those who Look Back from Above and Below]]
*[[Horizon:Kimitoasamade 2A Chapter 10|Chapter 10: Girl Soaking in the Tub]]
*[[Horizon:Kimitoasamade 2A Chapter 11|Chapter 11: Girl Being Peeped On in a First Place]]
*[[Horizon:Kimitoasamade 2A Chapter 12|Chapter 12: Measurer of Rank]]
*[[Horizon:Kimitoasamade 2A Chapter 13|Chapter 13: Curfew Girls on an Outing]]
*[[Horizon:Kimitoasamade 2A Chapter 14|Chapter 14: Position-Taker atop a Rectangle]]
*[[Horizon:Kimitoasamade 2A Chapter 15|Chapter 15: Intruder on the Hunting Ground]]
*[[Horizon:Kimitoasamade 2A Afterword|Afterword]]

<br style="clear:both"/>

===Kimitoasamade 2-B ([[HorizonːKimitoasamade:Volume_2B|Full Text]] - [http://www.mediafire.com/download/cyt8usnlvi3gcpy/Kimitoasamade_2-B.epub ePUB])===
[[File:Horizon_Kimi2B_000a.jpg|thumb]]
*[[Horizon:Kimitoasamade 2B Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
*[[Horizon:Kimitoasamade 2B Preface|Preface]]
*[[Horizon:Kimitoasamade 2B Character Introduction|Character Introduction]]
*[[Horizon:Kimitoasamade 2B Glossary|Glossary]]
*[[Horizon:Kimitoasamade 2B Chapter 16|Chapter 16: Viewer in the Sky]]
*[[Horizon:Kimitoasamade 2B Chapter 17|Chapter 17: Experienced One on the Enemy]]
*[[Horizon:Kimitoasamade 2B Chapter 18|Chapter 18: Doll Looking Back to a Nostalgic Place]]
*[[Horizon:Kimitoasamade 2B Chapter 19|Chapter 19: Speakers on an Angled Surface]]
*[[Horizon:Kimitoasamade 2B Chapter 20|Chapter 20: Respecter in a Warm Place]]
*[[Horizon:Kimitoasamade 2B Chapter 21|Chapter 21: Helper in a Miniature Garden]]
*[[Horizon:Kimitoasamade 2B Chapter 22|Chapter 22: Namers of a Decisive Place]]
*[[Horizon:Kimitoasamade 2B Chapter 23|Last Chapter: You and a Cage while Waiting for Morning]]
*[[Horizon:Kimitoasamade 2B Afterword|Afterword]]

<br style="clear:both"/>

===Kimitoasamade 3-A ([[HorizonːKimitoasamade:Volume_3A|Full Text]])===
[[File:Horizon_Kimi3A_000a.jpg|thumb]]
*[[Horizon:Kimitoasamade 3A Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
*[[Horizon:Kimitoasamade 3A Preface|Preface]]
*[[Horizon:Kimitoasamade 3A Character Introduction|Character Introduction]]
*[[Horizon:Kimitoasamade 3A Glossary|Glossary]]
*[[Horizon:Kimitoasamade 3A Prologue|Prologue: Drunk Girl at a Place of Washing Away Impurity]]
*[[Horizon:Kimitoasamade 3A Chapter 1|Chapter 1: Noisy Girls by the Window]]
*[[Horizon:Kimitoasamade 3A Chapter 2|Chapter 2: Insufficient One at a Half Place]]
*[[Horizon:Kimitoasamade 3A Chapter 3|Chapter 3: Those with Too Much in the Measuring Room]]
*[[Horizon:Kimitoasamade 3A Chapter 4|Chapter 4: Deliberators Before the Darkness]]
*[[Horizon:Kimitoasamade 3A Afterword|Afterword]]

<br style="clear:both"/>

===Kimitoasamade 3-B ([[HorizonːKimitoasamade:Volume_3B|Full Text]])===
[[File:Horizon_Kimi3B_000a.jpg|thumb]]
*[[Horizon:Kimitoasamade 3B Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
*[[Horizon:Kimitoasamade 3B Preface|Preface]]
*[[Horizon:Kimitoasamade 3B Character Introduction|Character Introduction]]
*[[Horizon:Kimitoasamade 3B Glossary|Glossary]]
*[[Horizon:Kimitoasamade 3B Chapter 5|Chapter 5: Evictors in a Place of Accumulation]]
*[[Horizon:Kimitoasamade 3B Chapter 6|Chapter 6: Visitor on the Open Surface]]
*[[Horizon:Kimitoasamade 3B Chapter 7|Chapter 7: Reporter in an Official Place]]
*[[Horizon:Kimitoasamade 3B Chapter 8|Chapter 8: Winged Ones Standing Up]]
*[[Horizon:Kimitoasamade 3B Chapter 9|Chapter 9: Player at the Shrine]]
*[[Horizon:Kimitoasamade 3B Chapter 10|Chapter 10: Thinking Girl Standing Up Once More]]
*[[Horizon:Kimitoasamade 3B Chapter 11|Chapter 11: Visitor at an Inspection Point]]
*[[Horizon:Kimitoasamade 3B Chapter 12|Chapter 12: Responders of the Twin Walls]]
*[[Horizon:Kimitoasamade 3B Chapter 13|Final Chapter: Those who Look Up at the Normal World]]
*[[Horizon:Kimitoasamade 3B Afterword|Afterword]]
<br style="clear:both"/>

===Kimitoasamade 4-A ([[HorizonːKimitoasamade:Volume_4A|Full Text]])===
[[File:Horizon_Kimi4A_000a.jpg|thumb]]
*[[Horizon:Kimitoasamade 4A Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
*[[Horizon:Kimitoasamade 4A Preface|Preface]]
*[[Horizon:Kimitoasamade 4A Character Introduction|Character Introduction]]
*[[Horizon:Kimitoasamade 4A Glossary|Glossary]]
*[[Horizon:Kimitoasamade 4A Chapter 1|Chapter 1: Novice Girls in the Study Room]]
*[[Horizon:Kimitoasamade 4A Chapter 2|Chapter 2: Panicked One in the Testing Room]]
*[[Horizon:Kimitoasamade 4A Chapter 3|Chapter 3: Gift Giver in the Shrine Bar]]
*[[Horizon:Kimitoasamade 4A Chapter 4|Chapter 4: Dancers Waiting for Night]]
*[[Horizon:Kimitoasamade 4A Chapter 5|Chapter 5: Warner on the Horizontal]]
*[[Horizon:Kimitoasamade 4A Chapter 6|Chapter 6: Blossoming Girls in an Enclosed Place]]
*[[Horizon:Kimitoasamade 4A Chapter 7|Chapter 7: Beginners in a Sleepy Place]]
*[[Horizon:Kimitoasamade 4A Afterword|Afterword]]
<br style="clear:both"/>

===Kimitoasamade 4-B ([[HorizonːKimitoasamade:Volume_4B|Full Text]])===
[[File:Horizon_Kimi4B_000a.jpg|thumb]]
*[[Horizon:Kimitoasamade 4B Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
*[[Horizon:Kimitoasamade 4B Preface|Preface]]
*[[Horizon:Kimitoasamade 4B Character Introduction|Character Introduction]]
*[[Horizon:Kimitoasamade 4B Glossary|Glossary]]
*[[Horizon:Kimitoasamade 4B Chapter 8|Chapter 8: Expert in a Hidden Place]]
*[[Horizon:Kimitoasamade 4B Chapter 9|Chapter 9: Deceiver Before the Stage]]
*[[Horizon:Kimitoasamade 4B Chapter 10|Chapter 10: Defenseless Girl in a Place of Skin Contact]]
*[[Horizon:Kimitoasamade 4B Chapter 11|Chapter 11: Wolf in the Reverberation]]
*[[Horizon:Kimitoasamade 4B Chapter 12|Chapter 12: Bargaining Girl in the Lead]]
*[[Horizon:Kimitoasamade 4B Chapter 13|Chapter 13: Hopers in Connected Rooms]]
*[[Horizon:Kimitoasamade 4B Chapter 14|Chapter 14: Decorators in a Closed Place]]
*[[Horizon:Kimitoasamade 4B Chapter 15|Chapter 15: Surprise Stage Performer]]
*[[Horizon:Kimitoasamade 4B Chapter 16|Chapter 16: Creation of an Unrivaled Field]]
*[[Horizon:Kimitoasamade 4B Chapter 17|Chapter 17: Destroyer on Stage]]
*[[Horizon:Kimitoasamade 4B Chapter 18|Chapter 18: Endorser of the Usual Garden]]
*[[Horizon:Kimitoasamade 4B Chapter 19|Chapter 19: Gifter at a Promised Place]]
*[[Horizon:Kimitoasamade 4B Chapter 20|Final Chapter: Musashi’s Songstresses]]
*[[Horizon:Kimitoasamade 4B Afterword|Afterword]]

<br style="clear:both"/>

==The ''GENESIS Series - Kyoukai Senjou no Horizon - Girls Talk'' by Kawakami Minoru==

A side story series featuring the girls of Kyoukai Senjou no Horizon.

===Kyoukai Senjou no Horizon - Girls Talk - Ookami to Tamashii===

[[File:HorizonGirlsTalk.jpg|thumb]]

<br style="clear:both"/>

===Kyoukai Senjou no Horizon - Girls Talk - Matsuri to Yume===

[[File:HorizonGirlsTalk2.jpg|thumb]]

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===Kyoukai Senjou no Horizon - Girls Talk - En to Hana===

[[File:HorizonGirlsTalk3.jpg|thumb]]

<br style="clear:both"/>

==Project Staff==

*Supervisor: N/A
*Project Manager: [[User:YoakeNoHikari|YoakeNoHikari]]

===Translators===
'''ACTIVE'''
:* [[User:Js06|Js06]]
'''INACTIVE'''
:* [[User:YoakeNoHikari|YoakeNoHikari]]
:* [[User:Zaregoto|Zaregoto]]
:* [[User:Imoutolover|Imoutolover]]
:* [[User:Suiri Megami Alice|Suiri Megami Alice]]
:*[[User:Cosmic Eagle|Cosmic Eagle]]

'''A.W.O.L.'''

'''M.I.A'''

===Editors===
'''ACTIVE'''
:*[[user:Strike Forcer|Strike Forcer]]
:*[[user:Txtracer|Txtracer]]

'''INACTIVE'''
:*[[User:Link2link8|Link2link8]]
:*[[User:Skarlath|Skarlath]] (Dead, but you can try bothering me if you want edits to the flow of the novel)
:*[[User:shadowmaster850|shadowmaster850]] (Will edit when I have time)

All editors who speak English proficiently are welcomed.

==Series Overview==
#Kyoukai Senjou no Horizon 1A - 境界線上のホライゾンI<上> (September 10, 2008, ISBN 978-4-04-867218-4)
#Kyoukai Senjou no Horizon 1B - 境界線上のホライゾンI<下> (October 10, 2008, ISBN 978-4-04-867270-2)
#Kyoukai Senjou no Horizon 2A - 境界線上のホライゾンII<上> (June 10, 2009, ISBN 978-4-04-867848-3)
#Kyoukai Senjou no Horizon 2B - 境界線上のホライゾンII<下> (July 10, 2009, ISBN 978-4-04-867901-5)
#Kyoukai Senjou no Horizon 3A - 境界線上のホライゾンIII<上> (June 10, 2010, ISBN 978-4-04-868600-6)
#Kyoukai Senjou no Horizon 3B - 境界線上のホライゾンIII<中> (July 10, 2010, ISBN 978-4-04-868647-1)
#Kyoukai Senjou no Horizon 3C - 境界線上のホライゾンIII<下> (September 10, 2010, ISBN 978-4-04-868735-5)
#Kyoukai Senjou no Horizon 4A - 境界線上のホライゾンIV<上> (September 10, 2011, ISBN 978-4-04-870805-0)
#Kyoukai Senjou no Horizon 4B - 境界線上のホライゾンIV<中> (October 10, 2011, ISBN 978-4-04-870806-7)
#Kyoukai Senjou no Horizon 4С - 境界線上のホライゾンIV<下> (December 10, 2011, ISBN 978-4-04-870807-4)
#Kyoukai Senjou no Horizon 5A - 境界線上のホライゾンV<上> (August 10, 2012, ISBN 978-4-04-886854-9)
#Kyoukai Senjou no Horizon 5B - 境界線上のホライゾンV<下> (October 10, 2012, ISBN 978-4-04-886855-6)
#Kyoukai Senjou no Horizon 6A - 境界線上のホライゾンVI<上> (May 10, 2013, ISBN 978-4-04-891623-3)
#Kyoukai Senjou no Horizon 6B - 境界線上のホライゾンVI<中> (July 10, 2013, ISBN 978-4-04-891820-6)
#Kyoukai Senjou no Horizon 6C - 境界線上のホライゾンVI<下> (September 10, 2013, ISBN 978-4-04-891624-0)
#Kyoukai Senjou no Horizon 7A - 境界線上のホライゾンVII<上> (February 8, 2014, ISBN 978-4-04-866311-3)
#Kyoukai Senjou no Horizon 7B - 境界線上のホライゾンVII<中> (April 10, 2014, ISBN 978-4-04-866475-2)
#Kyoukai Senjou no Horizon 7C - 境界線上のホライゾンVII<下> (June 10, 2014, ISBN 978-4-04-866564-3)<p>Kyoukai Senjou no Horizon: Girls Talk - Ookami to Tamashii - 境界線上のホライゾンガールズトーク狼と魂 (November 8, 2014, ISBN 978-4-04-869039-3)</p>
#Kyoukai Senjou no Horizon 8A - 境界線上のホライゾンVIII<上> (February 10, 2015, ISBN 978-4-04-869255-7)
#Kyoukai Senjou no Horizon 8B - 境界線上のホライゾンVIII<中> (April 10, 2015, ISBN 978-4-04-865071-7)
#Kyoukai Senjou no Horizon 8C - 境界線上のホライゾンVIII<下> (June 10, 2015, ISBN 978-4-04-869263-2)<p>Kyoukai Senjou no Horizon: Girls Talk - Matsuri to Yumi - 境界線上のホライゾンガールズトーク祭と夢 (November 10, 2015, ISBN 978-4-04-865545-3)</p>
#Kyoukai Senjou no Horizon 9A - 境界線上のホライゾンIX<上> (April 10, 2016, ISBN 978-4-04-865886-7)
#Kyoukai Senjou no Horizon 9B - 境界線上のホライゾンIX<下> (June 10, 2016, ISBN 978-4-04-892120-6)<p>Kyoukai Senjou no Horizon: Girls Talk - En to Hana - 境界線上のホライゾンガールズトーク縁と花 (July 7, 2017, ISBN 978-4-04-893237-0)</p>
#Kyoukai Senjou no Horizon 10A - 境界線上のホライゾンX<上> (October 7, 2017, ISBN 978-4-04-893403-9)
#Kyoukai Senjou no Horizon 10B - 境界線上のホライゾンX<中> (December 9, 2017, ISBN 978-4-04-893520-3)
#Kyoukai Senjou no Horizon 10C - 境界線上のホライゾンX<下> (March 10, 2018, ISBN 978-4-04-893683-5)
#Kyoukai Senjou no Horizon 11A - 境界線上のホライゾンXI<上> (July 10, 2018, ISBN 978-4-04-893874-7)
#Kyoukai Senjou no Horizon 11B - 境界線上のホライゾンXI<中> (September 7, 2018, ISBN 978-4-04-893969-0)
#Kyoukai Senjou no Horizon 11C - 境界線上のホライゾンXI<下> (December 7, 2018, ISBN 978-4-04-912210-7)

[[Category:Light novel (English)]]
[[Category:Dengeki Bunko]]
[[Category:Minoru Kawakami]]

[[Category:Genre - Action]]
[[Category:Genre - Ecchi]]
[[Category:Genre - Fantasy]]
[[Category:Genre - Romance]]
[[Category:Genre - Sci-Fi]]

File:Horizon11C.jpg

2019-03-20T16:42:44Z

Kemm:

Horizon:Volume 7A Chapter 12

2019-01-21T20:18:28Z

Kemm: If the reversion was due not just because of the Edit auto-correct function blunder (I only changed the surname, all of those quote marks were added by the wiki), please tell.

==Chapter 12: Joiner of the Stage==
[[Image:Horizon7-A391.jpg|thumb]]
''I want to say

''I can do it even though I’m small

''But why does it matter in the first place?

'''Point Allocation (Younger)

Futayo viewed the boy from a distance of 20 meters.

He was an M.H.R.R. student, but the short boy walked straight to Terumoto’s side with his arms held stiffly at his sides.

…''Who is that?

There was no answer to Masazumi’s previous question, so…

“Are you going to use some other method to provide the answer?”

“Exactly. Oh, and he’s a middle school name inheritor, so use that as a hint. Now watch carefully.”

Once Terumoto said that, a light appeared in the sky.

It was a reflected light. When Mouri-01 raised her right hand behind Terumoto, several blades flew up above the boy’s head.

…''A group of swords.

Futayo could tell there were 36 of them, they varied in size, and they had flown up to a height of about 30 meters. And that they were directly above the boy.

Mouri-01 smiled and spoke to everyone while light was reflected from so high in the air.

“I will now let them fall.”

Fall they did. Almost all of them took a deadly downward course toward the boy’s head and shoulders.

Futayo read the paths of all the blades and concluded that staying put was his best bet if he had no way to resist them.

Where he was, he would only be stabbed 28 times, but if he moved, he would be stabbed an average of 32 times.

…''Moving increases your upper surface area compared to standing straight up.

But the boy chose to move. This was not hesitation or an attempt to escape. He lowered his hips to fight back. And his chosen method was…

“A sumo stomp?” Futayo wondered aloud.

“No, Honda Futayo.” Gin gave her a sidelong glance. “Look carefully!”

''Gin-dono, you are always so intense when it comes to me.

At any rate, something left the boy’s hands.

They moved in curves, but Gin was absolutely right.

…''That is not a sumo stomp!

The two weapons he had drawn from his hip had serpentine movement, but they also had grips.

And when he swung the grips, he dragged around some links of metal with a metallic sound.

“Chains?”

“No again, Honda Futayo. Look more carefully.”

“…You are being mean, Gin-dono.”

Gin wrinkled her brow, turned the other way, and stomped hard with her right foot. ''That’s the Gin-dono I know. A truly resonant stomp.

When Gin turned back around, she frowned and glared with a smile that did not reach her eyes.

“They are guns!”

Once Gin mentioned it, Futayo could tell she was right.

The guns were little more than a barrel. A frame linked several gun barrels together like a chain and they were extended into the air like a Nankin Tamasudare.

Perhaps you could call them gun chain swords.

“Impressive analysis, Gin-dono! When did you figure it out!?”

“From the very beginning!”

''There is no need to shout, Gin-dono.

But the boy opened his mouth.

…''Oh?

He crossed his arms, sent the curves out into the air, and spoke.

“Thirty-Six Immortals of Poetry.”

The boy had two gun chain swords. Each one was made of 18 barrels chained together and they produced a metallic clatter as they moved.

The boy only had to swing them. He sent waves of motion through the series of guns to play them like instruments.

“—————”

His voice was the trigger.

With his vocal burst, the barrels fired.

But not all at once. Bullets flew out into the air starting from the guns at his hands and working out.

“Oh.”

They responded to the firing of his voice.

“Oh, oh!”

The dual series of guns sent out a spray of sparks as if in time to a drumbeat.

He swung the grips a second and third time, sending further waves of motion though the gun blades and releasing a spray of silver into the sky.

They brought destruction.

He was not just firing wildly. Each shot was accurate and it all smashed the blades and shards falling from overhead. He was not satisfied with a single hit to each blade, so he sent bullets toward the broken shards as well.

This was a thorough destruction.

As a result, none of the scattering metal fell directly onto him.

“———————”

Once his voice fell silent, everyone there saw a silver ring around Terumoto and the boy.

That was all that remained of the swords he had destroyed with gunfire.

Gin could tell how skilled the boy was.

…''He is an expert sharpshooter.

The shocking thing about those gun chain swords was not their thorough destructive power. It was the accuracy displayed to achieve it.

After all, the shattered blades had not simply been sharpened pieces of metal.

Far Eastern swords were made by using a core piece of metal called the shingane, surrounding it on all sides with different metal, and forge-welding it together into a single blade. While it might look like a single blade, it was a collection of different metals, so instead of just being hard, the metals complemented each other to make a more persistent overall blade.

Breaking those blades with a bullet required the sharpshooting skill to accurately fire at the points of overlapping metal.

This boy had done that.

And not just once. He had done it enough to fully destroy those 36 blades.

Gin’s own experience as a sharpshooter told her how impressive that was.

…''But…

“Is something the matter, Gin?”

“No, I just have a question is all.”

But that was not something to ask now, so she chose to speak with Muneshige about something else she had noticed.

“Master Muneshige.”

“Judge, that’s right. Something about that caught my attention too.”

He took a step forward, and…

“Excuse me! I am Musashi Ariadust Academy Vice Chancellor’s Aide Tachibana Muneshige!”

After loudly introducing himself, he bowed toward the boy and opened his mouth to speak.

“By any chance, are you Nagaoka-…”

But he was cut off by a sudden scream from Mouri Terumoto.

“Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!”

“?”

Gin and Muneshige exchanged a glance.

…''What was that about?

However, Gin knew what Muneshige had planned to say, so…

“Lady Terumoto, I am the Vice Chancellor’s Aide’s Aide. I apologize for interrupting, but is that Nagaoka-…”

“Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!”

When Terumoto cried out again, Gin and Terumoto exchanged another glance.

“What does this mean, Master Muneshige?”

“Judge, I am baffled.”

“You are baffled?”

''Master Muneshige is so wonderfully straightforward.'' But…

“Lady Terumoto, is that Nagao-…”

“Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!”

“Naga-…”

“Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!”

“Nao.”

“Nao? What’s Nao supposed to mean?”

“Nothing, I was merely seeing how you would respond. Although it seems to have been unnecessary.”

Still, she more or less understood what Terumoto’s bizarre shouting was about.

“We are not to speak that boy’s name, are we?”

'''Asama:''' “Incredible, Gin-san. You actually figured it out on your own.”

'''Gold Mar:''' “Most of us would just have fun with it for a while. A long while.”

'''Mar-Ga:''' “It wouldn’t end until the enemy self-destructed or someone else made a victim of themselves.”

'''Tonbokiri:''' “Hm, since that did not happen, Gin-dono must not have fully adapted to Musashi yet.”

'''Tachibana Wife:''' “Master Muneshige! This girl…this girl is ruining my moment!”

“But,” said Masazumi while turning toward Muneshige. “Tachibana Husband, why do you think he is Nagaoka-…”

“Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!”

“Eh? Oh, sorry, Mouri Terumoto. …So, Tachibana Husband, why do you think he is that individual? It didn’t look like you realized it as soon as you saw him.”

“Judge.” Muneshige nodded. “”I realized he must be that individual because of the current situation. Back when I was still a name inheritor, Nagaoka-…”

“Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!”

“My apologies, Mouri Representative. …Now, back when I was still a name inheritor, the Testament Union gave me some advice on ‘how to be Tachibana Muneshige’.”

“Right. Some rules they were insisting you follow.”

Masazumi knew about that because she too had tried to inherit a name.

'''Nagaya-Stable:''' “Vice President, you were told to keep an eye out for me, weren’t you?”

'''Vice President:''' “Well, you are related to that name’s downfall. History recreations with an emphasis on relationships can’t be fulfilled on your own, so it helps to have some connections in place ahead of time.”

In that case, what had it been for the Tachibana Husband?

“Tachibana Husband, what connection is there between you and Nagaoka-…”

“Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!”

“Sorry, Mouri Terumoto. This isn’t easy.”

Masazumi asked the Tachibana Husband a question.

“What connection is there between you and him?”

“Testament. According to the Testament, we were quite close.”

“Oh, so that’s it!” exclaimed Futayo. “So Muneshige-dono and that boy are meant to have se-…”

“Wahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!”

“Are you okay, Vice President?”

“Um, well, I hope so. Anyway, you were saying?”

“Judge.” The Tachibana Husband nodded. “But I never received word that his name had been inherited while I had my name. However, he was a part of the Keichou Campaign. My research had shown that most of the Seven Generals only received their names this year, so I was curious about his.”

“Using the process of elimination from there would be a bit of a gamble. But the talk of Lady Nagaoka clinched it, didn’t it?”

“Judge. When a middle school name inheritor arrived while we were discussing that, I concluded ''this'' had to be the explanation. And he must have been given the name in a hurry.”

“Hey, hold on a second, Seijun and Muneo.”

“Yeah? What is it, idiot?”

“Hmm.” The idiot tilted his head. “You keep saying ‘he’ and ‘that boy’, but can’t we come up with some other name. Y’know, since Teruko’s gone crazy.”

“I have not!!”

''You are acting pretty crazy. Well, maybe you were just crazy to begin with.

But it would not be that easy to come up with another name like the idiot requested.

“What kind of name were you thinking of?”

“Well, what’s his actual name?”

'''Vice President:''' “Tadaoki.”

'''Me:''' “Hmm, you could read the kanji as Chuukou, but we already have Chuuko.”

'''Unturning:''' “Who’s that?”

'''Uqui:''' “That was his nickname for Torii Mototada, the previous Student Council President.”

'''Hori-ko:''' “Then why not use a misreading of Nagaoka instead?”

'''Tachibana Wife:''' “I hate to interrupt, but since Lady Nagaoka is a part of all this, using the family name alone would probably lead to confusion down the road.”

Horizon nodded at the Tachibana Wife’s comment.

“We can start by taking the Naga from Nagaoka as a general classification, but the problem is what comes next. I would like some kind of abbreviation or imagery that would clearly distinguish him from Lady Nagaoka.”

She opened a sign frame.

“Asama-sama, please connect me to our teacher. Everyone should be satisfied if I receive a hint from her.”

Asama transferred Oriotorai and Horizon’s conversation to everyone else’s sign frames.

…''She’s our teacher, so this should be fine.

After all, she would execute the crazy people during class. That sounded a little wild when put it to words, but the reality was even wilder, so she did not mind. However…

“There, you’re connected. Go ahead, Horizon.”

“Oh? Did something happen?” asked Oriotorai. “Aren’t you in a meeting? Is Masazumi working hard?”

“Judge, Masazumi-sama has been itching to get started ever since hearing there is a religious war involved.”

“Sounds tough.”

“That said, I believe we are still in a lull, so you need not investigate further, Sensei.”

Masazumi shouted in protest, but Asama felt this much was to be expected.

But then Horizon looked everyone in the eye and nodded to say she was getting down to business.

“Sensei, we have an important matter to discuss with you, so do you have a moment?”

“Huh? Teachers can’t get involved in our students’ actions. …And I am kind of busy right now.”

“Busy with what?”

“I’m having a late dinner. I mean, we’re in Kantou, home of toshomen, right? So I’m having thick noodles today.”

“I see,” said Horizon as she closed the connection.

Terumoto saw Honda Masazumi raise her right hand.

“Musashi has decided to call that boy Nagabuto<ref>Means “long and thick”.</ref>.”

“Why the hell would you do that!?”

“Our teacher gave us the idea, so just give up.”

“Your teacher, huh?” sighed Terumoto.

[[Image:Horizon7-A405.jpg|thumb]]

Name inheritors in the Far East had little external influence, so the presence of their teacher’s union meant a lot. Not even the students of other nations could defy the teachers.

That was likely what she meant here.

“Then I’ll play along. …Hey, your name’s Nagabuto from now on.”

Nagaoka gave her an accusing look, but she did not care. Then Musashi’s idiot called out to the boy.

“Hey! Don’t let it get to you, Nagabuto! It’s better than being called short and skinny, right!? So rejoice!”

Musashi’s princess sent a fist the idiot’s way without even looking to the side. “Ahn!” he moaned while collapsing to the deck with their princess glaring at him.

“Do not be silly. Now Nagabuto-sama must go by Nagabuto until the day he dies and that will be a life of hardship. After all, if he removes his pants and does not live up to his name, he will be deemed in violation of contract.”

“M-man, the Nagabuto Manifesto sounds rough!”

Nagaoka gave Terumoto an even more accusing look.

“Hey, I don’t want that name.”

“Don’t say that. …Because arguing with them is useless.”

But she did have something prepared, so she patted Nagabuto’s shoulder.

“Hey, Musashi! I have something else to say.”

It was…

“He actually has another inherited name too!”

'''Vice President:''' “A double inherited name!? Ookubo!”

'''Nagaya-Stable:''' “He might have inherited it this month, but the Testament Union hasn’t updated their site yet.”

'''Vice President:''' “Did you try a…direct search, I think it was called?”

'''Nagaya-Stable:''' “Who taught you that term…? Listen. There isn’t a double inherited name system or anything like that. It’s just a term used to describe a situation. Even if someone inherits two names, it’s unusual for the double nature of the inheritance to receive a special mention.”

'''Novice:''' “Ookubo-kun? In that case, search for any P.A. Oda or M.H.R.R. name inheritors from the past month or so who participate in the Keichou Campaign and have a connection to Lady Nagaoka.”

'''Nagaya-Stable:''' “I already did that!”

'''CAN:''' “Milady.”

'''Nagaya-Stable:''' “Eh? Oh, sorry, Secretary Upperclassman. I snapped at you like you were the Vice President.”

'''Four Eyes:''' “Your underclassman got there ahead of you and you even had her apologize when she complained about it? How slow and incompetent are you?”

'''Mar-Ga:''' “By the way, this Ookubo is a short and flat girl with glasses.”

'''Four Eyes:''' “Ha ha. Oh, is that was this was? Did you want someone to replace me, Toussaint?”

'''Almost Everyone:''' “Eeeek!”

''Now, then,'' thought Masazumi as she viewed the narrowed-down information sent by Ookubo.

The sign frame displayed a list of name inheritors. Ookubo must have thrown this together in a hurry because it only had the names and a percentage providing what she thought were the odds of them being a double name inheritor.

There were a few candidates, but one had a percentage far above the rest. That name was…

“Inadome Sukenao?”

As soon as Masazumi said that, a few of her classmates reacted: Crossunite, Neshinbara, the Tachibana Couple, Futayo, the Technohexen…

…''It would be faster to list the ones who didn’t react: the idiot, Horizon, Asama, the idiot sister…

That was also a long list, so she realized this too was a mistake. But all those who reacted spoke up as one.

“Inadome Sukenao!?”

“Yes, I know what the name is, but why do you sound so shocked?”

'''Mar-Ga:''' “You don’t know who that is!? He’s an incredible person!”

“Eh?” said Masazumi as she turned to look at Nagabuto. The idiot behind her must have done the same because…

“The incredible Nagabuto.”

“Stop! Don’t call me that!”

“Ahhhn, noooo! This Nagabuto is increeeeedible! Just increeeeeeeeeedible!”

“Masazumi-sama, this is not an act meant to entertain. He has simply been harassing people lately.”

“Heh heh. Listen up, foolish people! Now is your chance to tell me what this means in order to make me an even wiser sister than I already am! Now! Bring it on! Splaaaash! Ahh, it’s an ocean of love!”

“I’m not sure what they’re going on about, but…Masazumi-dono? Inadome Sukenao is indeed an incredible person. After all…”

Masazumi tilted her head as Crossunite explained for her.

“He almost always makes the lists of the top three pathetic people in the Warring States period.”

“…Huh?”

“Hey! Nagabuto! So all you are is long and thick!? Hey, everyone! I think we should give him another kanji to help increase his stamina!”

“Suzu-san! Suzu-san! Do not think about what he means! Clear your mind!”

“Tomo? Is this some kind of Shinto training?”

But while the Musashi idiots had their fun, Nagabuto was clenching both his fists.

“Stop it! Don’t just make up names for people! That’s not very mature!”

“Eh? …Hey, Nagabuto! Have you had your coming of age ceremony?”

“Not till next year! I’m still a middle school 2nd year!”

A stir ran through everyone upon hearing that.

“I can draw this, right!?” asked Naruze. “He’s chuuni, a name inheritor, and a pathetic Nagabuto, so he’s gotta be a bottom! Right!?”

“Hey, Naito!” shouted Masazumi. “Restrain your girlfriend!”

“I would, but it’s faster to let her draw some to get it out of her system,” said Naito. “Kind of like you with wars, Seijun.”

“What is that supposed to mean!?”

But there was something she had to ask.

“How is that Inadome person pathetic?”

“Judge.” Like before, it was Crossunite who answered. “He generally had unbelievable results in training, but during actual battles, he would either achieve nothing or run away. And the worst example of that was…hmm.”

Crossunite scratched his head in hesitation, but finally continued.

“When Lady Nagaoka blew herself up, he was working as a guard for the Nagaoka clan. But when their estate was surrounded, he ran away to save his own hide.”

Gin turned toward the Vice President when she heard the 1st Special Duty Officer’s explanation.

“I believe I know more or less what is going on, Vice President. The unmarked transport ship accompanying the Hexagone Française diplomatic ship before this meeting must have belonged to him.”

“Then is this what Mouri Terumoto is saying: despite the particulars of his history recreation, he has a connection to Lady Nagaoka and was at the site of her death, so we should take him to Nördlingen?”

“Judge,” confirmed Gin while opening a sign frame.

She had done a fair amount of research into name inheritors with a connection to Muneshige.

“In the period leading up to Sekigahara, Naga-…buto marched north to deter Uesugi. He did not return in time to prevent Lady Nagaoka’s suicide and Inadome Sukenao fled instead of protecting her. Nevertheless, he does have a connection to her and he was nearby. Taking him with us would provide a reason for Musashi’s trip to Nördlingen.”

But right as she said that…

“Wait just a moment.”

Someone spoke up and stepped forward.

“I am Sviet Rus Representative Honjou Shigenaga.”

This meeting had felt meaningful for Shigenaga. After all…

“About Nagaoka-…”

“Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!”

Terumoto shouted and then smacked the boy on the head.

“You shout!”

“Wh-why does it even matter if my name gets out!?”

“They’ll claim it’s my fault you came here, idiot!”

“Heyyy!” Musashi’s Chancellor raised his hand. “Teruko, didn’t you bring him here?”

“What? Yeah, I brought him here.”

“Then it is your fault!!”

Despite everyone shouting at her, Terumoto spoke to the boy.

“Listen, you can sing, can’t you? Then try shouting. Got it?”

She glared at the boy and inhaled.

“Hey, Nagaoka Tadao-…hey! You’re supposed to shout!”

“Huh!? Don’t spring it on me like that! Give me another chance!”

“Fine, then. …Here I go, okay? Nagaoka Ta-…”

“Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!”

Terumoto karate chopped the boy’s head.

“You don’t have to match my voice’s pitch. That was kind of creepy. And do it a little sooner than that.”

“She sure is demanding…” everyone muttered. Shigenaga agreed, but…

…''There isn’t any vainglory there.

Another nation’s leader was growing as a person, but should she be glad or wary? Shigenaga thought about that as she looked to the boy.

“Sorry about that. Sviet Rus has a question concerning the boy.”

“Nagabuto! His name’s Nagabuto!!”

''Quiet down, Musashi Chancellor.

This was an important matter for Sviet Rus.

“Just as the Musashi Vice Chancellor’s Aide’s Aide said, he deters Uesugi in the lead up to Sekigahara. So would it be possible for us to settle that with a duel here?”

“Huh? What’re you looking at me for, Seijun? Am I just that cute?”

“No, we need your approval for this. …That boy goes to Uesugi as part of the Punishment of Aizu and it was Matsudaira that ordered that. In other words, us.”

“Really?” asked the idiot, so Masazumi nodded.

“So even if Uesugi wants this, we need your approval.”

“What’s the deal, Nagabuto? Can’t do anything on your own? ‘What Nagabuto Can Do On His Own’. Hey, Black Mar, how’s that for a title?”

“Oh, sorry. I’ve already designed logos for ‘Naga-Butt-o’ and ‘Tada-f*ck-i’.”

“Two doujins!? He’s gonna be a big seller, huh!?”

“Stop! Wh-what is with you people!?”

“We’re going to be your sponsors eventually,” said Masazumi. “So just give up now.”

“Huh!?” he shouted back at her, but she stopped thinking about it since it was hopeless.

“So how about it, Aoi?”

“If Shigeko’s fine with it and we’re fine with it, then why not?”

“Hm, to be honest, we could use this as a bargaining chip with Uesugi.”

“That’s true,” said the Date Vice Chancellor via divine transmission. “If we let them settle Nagabuto’s deterrence of Uesugi here, Uesugi will owe us one. But we might later find we want a history recreation we can interpret as a battle between Uesugi and Matsudaira, so it might be better to not do Nagabuto’s invasion of Uesugi just yet.”

“So it’s like that, huh?” Aoi crossed his arms and tilted his head, but he soon looked back up. “Seijun. A while back, you told me about the people who die when we don’t fight a war, right?”

…''Oh.

Masazumi frowned at this sudden change of subject. She probably should have been happy, but she mostly felt surprised.

“You…can actually remember things?”

“G-go to hell!”

“Masazumi, just to be clear, Toori-kun has an excellent memory for the weirdest things.”

“Hold on, hold on. It’s not about ‘the weirdest things’, Asama. I take all the important things to heart.”

The idiot pouted his lips toward Asama, so…

“But, well, um…”

She stammered for a bit and blushed.

As she hung her head and her fingers wandered aimlessly through the air, the Aoi Sister rested her elbow on the girl’s shoulder.

“Heh heh. Every little thing is important, isn’t it?”

“D-don’t tease me right now, Kimi!”

Well, even without thinking about it too much, that boy was who he was because he remembered his remorse.

But Masazumi knew what he was trying to say, so she spoke.

“Let’s have that duel.”

“We’re doing it, Seijun ?”

“Judge. If we avoid conflict here, it will eventually lead to the harm caused by not fighting. And once that happens, it might require more than just a duel like this. If it costs money or our rights to resolve, that will of course be taken from the people’s tax money. So…”

So…

“With a duel, the worst case is needing to pay for medical fees.”

“Yes, Masazumi,” said Urquiaga. “With a war right in front of you, I can imagine it would pain you to delay it or resolve it with money.”

“W-wait!” interrupted Heidi via sign frame. “We’re talking about money here! So send that money the Treasurer’s way!”

“Sorry, Augesvarer, but we can buy money with war.”

“You have that backwards, Masazumi! Let’s face reality here! C’mon, we have to plug our butts up with money to keep the udon from coming out!”

“Um, Masazumi?” said Asama. “This conversation is taking an incredibly ugly turn.”

''And whose fault is that?'' She had given it some thought, but now she had her answer.

“Hey, Nagaoka-…”

“Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!”

''He’ll shout on his own now? That was pretty well done. Still, that was careless of me.

“Sorry. Nagabuto.”

“You’re clearly not sorry if you’re calling me that!”

“It’s easier this way, so deal with it. …Musashi is ordering you to fight a duel.”

“Huh!?”

He was a middle school name inheritor and one who had only recently received his name. This might be his very first battle.

''But,'' thought Masazumi.

“Listen. There’s a good chance P.A. Oda will view your presence here a breach of trust since they’re trying to do the Keichou Campaign. And we aren’t sure we can trust you yet.”

That was true. But she had to clearly state this because the boy was likely unfamiliar with diplomacy.

“I know it’s a pain, but listen. You must have been at least vaguely aware of the breach of trust against your master’s clan and that we would distrust you. Isn’t that why you hid and had Mouri transport you?”

After a while, the boy gave a small nod. And he looked her in the eye.

“I will entrust this with you. I mostly understand, but whether our interests align is not for me to decide.”

“Judge. So for now, work your butt off for our interests. That means a duel against Uesugi. You can use that to demonstrate your resolve and earn our trust.”

'''Mar-Ga:''' “Using his butt to work for us? Yes, I like the sound of that. I’ll allow it.”

'''Gold Mar:''' “Ga-chan, I can tell you’re enjoying this, but how good a fighter is he really?”

“That’s a good question,” muttered Masazumi as she thought to herself.

…''He’s probably a pretty good one given that gun demonstration earlier.

His opponent was Honjou Shigenaga. She used shields, so she primarily attacked with physical blows. A gunner should have an advantage there.

''Isn’t that right?'' she thought while looking to Shigenaga who was already checking her equipment.

“Okay, I think I’ll go with the small cannon style I used at Odawara.”

“That’s not quite what I expected, but whatever.”

Masazumi pretended not to hear the comments of “are you sure about this?” He was a name inheritor, so he would figure something out.

Then she gave the boy his instructions.

“As Vice President of the Far East and Musashi, I command you to carry out an advance history recreation. Your mission is the pre-Sekigahara attack on Uesugi. Neither side is required to win or lose, so just think of it as an extension of your training.”

“Training, huh? Then that’s how I’ll do it.”

With that, Nagaoka looked toward Shigenaga.

He crossed his arms in front of his hips, grabbed the grips on either side, and raised his voice.

“Bring it on!”

That signaled the beginning of the battle.

<noinclude>
===Notes===
<references/>
{{HorizonNavbar
| [[Horizon:Volume 7A Chapter 11|Chapter 11]]
| [[Horizon:Volume 7A Chapter 13|Chapter 13]]
}}
</noinclude>

Horizon:Volume 7A Chapter 12

2019-01-16T12:20:01Z

Kemm:

==Chapter 12: Joiner of the Stage==
[[Image:Horizon7-A391.jpg|thumb]]
''I want to say''

''I can do it even though I’m small''

''But why does it matter in the first place?''

'''Point Allocation (Younger)'''

Futayo viewed the boy from a distance of 20 meters.

He was an M.H.R.R. student, but the short boy walked straight to Terumoto’s side with his arms held stiffly at his sides.

…''Who is that?''

There was no answer to Masazumi’s previous question, so…

“Are you going to use some other method to provide the answer?”

“Exactly. Oh, and he’s a middle school name inheritor, so use that as a hint. Now watch carefully.”

Once Terumoto said that, a light appeared in the sky.

It was a reflected light. When Mouri-01 raised her right hand behind Terumoto, several blades flew up above the boy’s head.

…''A group of swords.''

Futayo could tell there were 36 of them, they varied in size, and they had flown up to a height of about 30 meters. And that they were directly above the boy.

Mouri-01 smiled and spoke to everyone while light was reflected from so high in the air.

“I will now let them fall.”

Fall they did. Almost all of them took a deadly downward course toward the boy’s head and shoulders.

Futayo read the paths of all the blades and concluded that staying put was his best bet if he had no way to resist them.

Where he was, he would only be stabbed 28 times, but if he moved, he would be stabbed an average of 32 times.

…''Moving increases your upper surface area compared to standing straight up.''

But the boy chose to move. This was not hesitation or an attempt to escape. He lowered his hips to fight back. And his chosen method was…

“A sumo stomp?” Futayo wondered aloud.

“No, Honda Futayo.” Gin gave her a sidelong glance. “Look carefully!”

''Gin-dono, you are always so intense when it comes to me.''

At any rate, something left the boy’s hands.

They moved in curves, but Gin was absolutely right.

…''That is not a sumo stomp!''

The two weapons he had drawn from his hip had serpentine movement, but they also had grips.

And when he swung the grips, he dragged around some links of metal with a metallic sound.

“Chains?”

“No again, Honda Futayo. Look more carefully.”

“…You are being mean, Gin-dono.”

Gin wrinkled her brow, turned the other way, and stomped hard with her right foot. ''That’s the Gin-dono I know. A truly resonant stomp.''

When Gin turned back around, she frowned and glared with a smile that did not reach her eyes.

“They are guns!”

Once Gin mentioned it, Futayo could tell she was right.

The guns were little more than a barrel. A frame linked several gun barrels together like a chain and they were extended into the air like a Nankin Tamasudare.

Perhaps you could call them gun chain swords.

“Impressive analysis, Gin-dono! When did you figure it out!?”

“From the very beginning!”

''There is no need to shout, Gin-dono.''

But the boy opened his mouth.

…''Oh?''

He crossed his arms, sent the curves out into the air, and spoke.

“Thirty-Six Immortals of Poetry.”

The boy had two gun chain swords. Each one was made of 18 barrels chained together and they produced a metallic clatter as they moved.

The boy only had to swing them. He sent waves of motion through the series of guns to play them like instruments.

“—————”

His voice was the trigger.

With his vocal burst, the barrels fired.

But not all at once. Bullets flew out into the air starting from the guns at his hands and working out.

“Oh.”

They responded to the firing of his voice.

“Oh, oh!”

The dual series of guns sent out a spray of sparks as if in time to a drumbeat.

He swung the grips a second and third time, sending further waves of motion though the gun blades and releasing a spray of silver into the sky.

They brought destruction.

He was not just firing wildly. Each shot was accurate and it all smashed the blades and shards falling from overhead. He was not satisfied with a single hit to each blade, so he sent bullets toward the broken shards as well.

This was a thorough destruction.

As a result, none of the scattering metal fell directly onto him.

“———————”

Once his voice fell silent, everyone there saw a silver ring around Terumoto and the boy.

That was all that remained of the swords he had destroyed with gunfire.

Gin could tell how skilled the boy was.

…''He is an expert sharpshooter.''

The shocking thing about those gun chain swords was not their thorough destructive power. It was the accuracy displayed to achieve it.

After all, the shattered blades had not simply been sharpened pieces of metal.

Far Eastern swords were made by using a core piece of metal called the shingane, surrounding it on all sides with different metal, and forge-welding it together into a single blade. While it might look like a single blade, it was a collection of different metals, so instead of just being hard, the metals complemented each other to make a more persistent overall blade.

Breaking those blades with a bullet required the sharpshooting skill to accurately fire at the points of overlapping metal.

This boy had done that.

And not just once. He had done it enough to fully destroy those 36 blades.

Gin’s own experience as a sharpshooter told her how impressive that was.

…''But…''

“Is something the matter, Gin?”

“No, I just have a question is all.”

But that was not something to ask now, so she chose to speak with Muneshige about something else she had noticed.

“Master Muneshige.”

“Judge, that’s right. Something about that caught my attention too.”

He took a step forward, and…

“Excuse me! I am Musashi Ariadust Academy Vice Chancellor’s Aide Tachibana Muneshige!”

After loudly introducing himself, he bowed toward the boy and opened his mouth to speak.

“By any chance, are you Nagaoka-…”

But he was cut off by a sudden scream from Mouri Terumoto.

“Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!”

“?”

Gin and Muneshige exchanged a glance.

…''What was that about?''

However, Gin knew what Muneshige had planned to say, so…

“Lady Terumoto, I am the Vice Chancellor’s Aide’s Aide. I apologize for interrupting, but is that Nagaoka-…”

“Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!”

When Terumoto cried out again, Gin and Terumoto exchanged another glance.

“What does this mean, Master Muneshige?”

“Judge, I am baffled.”

“You are baffled?”

''Master Muneshige is so wonderfully straightforward.'' But…

“Lady Terumoto, is that Nagao-…”

“Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!”

“Naga-…”

“Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!”

“Nao.”

“Nao? What’s Nao supposed to mean?”

“Nothing, I was merely seeing how you would respond. Although it seems to have been unnecessary.”

Still, she more or less understood what Terumoto’s bizarre shouting was about.

“We are not to speak that boy’s name, are we?”

'''Asama:''' “Incredible, Gin-san. You actually figured it out on your own.”

'''Gold Mar:''' “Most of us would just have fun with it for a while. A long while.”

'''Mar-Ga:''' “It wouldn’t end until the enemy self-destructed or someone else made a victim of themselves.”

'''Tonbokiri:''' “Hm, since that did not happen, Gin-dono must not have fully adapted to Musashi yet.”

'''Tachibana Wife:''' “Master Muneshige! This girl…this girl is ruining my moment!”

“But,” said Masazumi while turning toward Muneshige. “Tachibana Husband, why do you think he is Nagaoka-…”

“Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!”

“Eh? Oh, sorry, Mouri Terumoto. …So, Tachibana Husband, why do you think he is that individual? It didn’t look like you realized it as soon as you saw him.”

“Judge.” Muneshige nodded. “”I realized he must be that individual because of the current situation. Back when I was still a name inheritor, Nagaoka-…”

“Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!”

“My apologies, Mouri Representative. …Now, back when I was still a name inheritor, the Testament Union gave me some advice on ‘how to be Tachibana Muneshige’.”

“Right. Some rules they were insisting you follow.”

Masazumi knew about that because she too had tried to inherit a name.

'''Nagaya-Stable:''' “Vice President, you were told to keep an eye out for me, weren’t you?”

'''Vice President:''' “Well, you are related to that name’s downfall. History recreations with an emphasis on relationships can’t be fulfilled on your own, so it helps to have some connections in place ahead of time.”

In that case, what had it been for the Tachibana Husband?

“Tachibana Husband, what connection is there between you and Nagaoka-…”

“Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!”

“Sorry, Mouri Terumoto. This isn’t easy.”

Masazumi asked the Tachibana Husband a question.

“What connection is there between you and him?”

“Testament. According to the Testament, we were quite close.”

“Oh, so that’s it!” exclaimed Futayo. “So Muneshige-dono and that boy are meant to have se-…”

“Wahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!”

“Are you okay, Vice President?”

“Um, well, I hope so. Anyway, you were saying?”

“Judge.” The Tachibana Husband nodded. “But I never received word that his name had been inherited while I had my name. However, he was a part of the Keichou Campaign. My research had shown that most of the Seven Generals only received their names this year, so I was curious about his.”

“Using the process of elimination from there would be a bit of a gamble. But the talk of Lady Nagaoka clinched it, didn’t it?”

“Judge. When a middle school name inheritor arrived while we were discussing that, I concluded ''this'' had to be the explanation. And he must have been given the name in a hurry.”

“Hey, hold on a second, Seijun and Muneo.”

“Yeah? What is it, idiot?”

“Hmm.” The idiot tilted his head. “You keep saying ‘he’ and ‘that boy’, but can’t we come up with some other name. Y’know, since Teruko’s gone crazy.”

“I have not!!”

''You are acting pretty crazy. Well, maybe you were just crazy to begin with.''

But it would not be that easy to come up with another name like the idiot requested.

“What kind of name were you thinking of?”

“Well, what’s his actual name?”

'''Vice President:''' “Tadaoki.”

'''Me:''' “Hmm, you could read the kanji as Chuukou, but we already have Chuuko.”

'''Unturning:''' “Who’s that?”

'''Uqui:''' “That was his nickname for Torii Mototada, the previous Student Council President.”

'''Hori-ko:''' “Then why not use a misreading of Nagaoka instead?”

'''Tachibana Wife:''' “I hate to interrupt, but since Lady Nagaoka is a part of all this, using the family name alone would probably lead to confusion down the road.”

Horizon nodded at the Tachibana Wife’s comment.

“We can start by taking the Naga from Nagaoka as a general classification, but the problem is what comes next. I would like some kind of abbreviation or imagery that would clearly distinguish him from Lady Nagaoka.”

She opened a sign frame.

“Asama-sama, please connect me to our teacher. Everyone should be satisfied if I receive a hint from her.”

Asama transferred Oriotorai and Horizon’s conversation to everyone else’s sign frames.

…''She’s our teacher, so this should be fine.''

After all, she would execute the crazy people during class. That sounded a little wild when put it to words, but the reality was even wilder, so she did not mind. However…

“There, you’re connected. Go ahead, Horizon.”

“Oh? Did something happen?” asked Oriotorai. “Aren’t you in a meeting? Is Masazumi working hard?”

“Judge, Masazumi-sama has been itching to get started ever since hearing there is a religious war involved.”

“Sounds tough.”

“That said, I believe we are still in a lull, so you need not investigate further, Sensei.”

Masazumi shouted in protest, but Asama felt this much was to be expected.

But then Horizon looked everyone in the eye and nodded to say she was getting down to business.

“Sensei, we have an important matter to discuss with you, so do you have a moment?”

“Huh? Teachers can’t get involved in our students’ actions. …And I am kind of busy right now.”

“Busy with what?”

“I’m having a late dinner. I mean, we’re in Kantou, home of toshomen, right? So I’m having thick noodles today.”

“I see,” said Horizon as she closed the connection.

Terumoto saw Honda Masazumi raise her right hand.

“Musashi has decided to call that boy Nagabuto<ref>Means “long and thick”.</ref>.”

“Why the hell would you do that!?”

“Our teacher gave us the idea, so just give up.”

“Your teacher, huh?” sighed Terumoto.

[[Image:Horizon7-A405.jpg|thumb]]

Name inheritors in the Far East had little external influence, so the presence of their teacher’s union meant a lot. Not even the students of other nations could defy the teachers.

That was likely what she meant here.

“Then I’ll play along. …Hey, your name’s Nagabuto from now on.”

Nagaoka gave her an accusing look, but she did not care. Then Musashi’s idiot called out to the boy.

“Hey! Don’t let it get to you, Nagabuto! It’s better than being called short and skinny, right!? So rejoice!”

Musashi’s princess sent a fist the idiot’s way without even looking to the side. “Ahn!” he moaned while collapsing to the deck with their princess glaring at him.

“Do not be silly. Now Nagabuto-sama must go by Nagabuto until the day he dies and that will be a life of hardship. After all, if he removes his pants and does not live up to his name, he will be deemed in violation of contract.”

“M-man, the Nagabuto Manifesto sounds rough!”

Nagaoka gave Terumoto an even more accusing look.

“Hey, I don’t want that name.”

“Don’t say that. …Because arguing with them is useless.”

But she did have something prepared, so she patted Nagabuto’s shoulder.

“Hey, Musashi! I have something else to say.”

It was…

“He actually has another inherited name too!”

'''Vice President:''' “A double inherited name!? Ookubo!”

'''Nagaya-Stable:''' “He might have inherited it this month, but the Testament Union hasn’t updated their site yet.”

'''Vice President:''' “Did you try a…direct search, I think it was called?”

'''Nagaya-Stable:''' “Who taught you that term…? Listen. There isn’t a double inherited name system or anything like that. It’s just a term used to describe a situation. Even if someone inherits two names, it’s unusual for the double nature of the inheritance to receive a special mention.”

'''Novice:''' “Ookubo-kun? In that case, search for any P.A. Oda or M.H.R.R. name inheritors from the past month or so who participate in the Keichou Campaign and have a connection to Lady Nagaoka.”

'''Nagaya-Stable:''' “I already did that!”

'''CAN:''' “Milady.”

'''Nagaya-Stable:''' “Eh? Oh, sorry, Secretary Upperclassman. I snapped at you like you were the Vice President.”

'''Four Eyes:''' “Your underclassman got there ahead of you and you even had her apologize when she complained about it? How slow and incompetent are you?”

'''Mar-Ga:''' “By the way, this Ookubo is a short and flat girl with glasses.”

'''Four Eyes:''' “Ha ha. Oh, is that was this was? Did you want someone to replace me, Toussaint?”

'''Almost Everyone:''' “Eeeek!”

''Now, then,'' thought Masazumi as she viewed the narrowed-down information sent by Ookubo.

The sign frame displayed a list of name inheritors. Ookubo must have thrown this together in a hurry because it only had the names and a percentage providing what she thought were the odds of them being a double name inheritor.

There were a few candidates, but one had a percentage far above the rest. That name was…

“Inadome Sukenao?”

As soon as Masazumi said that, a few of her classmates reacted: Crossunite, Neshinbara, the Tachibana Couple, Futayo, the Technohexen…

…''It would be faster to list the ones who didn’t react: the idiot, Horizon, Asama, the idiot sister…''

That was also a long list, so she realized this too was a mistake. But all those who reacted spoke up as one.

“Inadome Sukenao!?”

“Yes, I know what the name is, but why do you sound so shocked?”

'''Mar-Ga:''' “You don’t know who that is!? He’s an incredible person!”

“Eh?” said Masazumi as she turned to look at Nagabuto. The idiot behind her must have done the same because…

“The incredible Nagabuto.”

“Stop! Don’t call me that!”

“Ahhhn, noooo! This Nagabuto is increeeeedible! Just increeeeeeeeeedible!”

“Masazumi-sama, this is not an act meant to entertain. He has simply been harassing people lately.”

“Heh heh. Listen up, foolish people! Now is your chance to tell me what this means in order to make me an even wiser sister than I already am! Now! Bring it on! Splaaaash! Ahh, it’s an ocean of love!”

“I’m not sure what they’re going on about, but…Masazumi-dono? Inadome Sukenao is indeed an incredible person. After all…”

Masazumi tilted her head as Crossunite explained for her.

“He almost always makes the lists of the top three pathetic people in the Warring States period.”

“…Huh?”

“Hey! Nagabuto! So all you are is long and thick!? Hey, everyone! I think we should give him another kanji to help increase his stamina!”

“Suzu-san! Suzu-san! Do not think about what he means! Clear your mind!”

“Tomo? Is this some kind of Shinto training?”

But while the Musashi idiots had their fun, Nagabuto was clenching both his fists.

“Stop it! Don’t just make up names for people! That’s not very mature!”

“Eh? …Hey, Nagabuto! Have you had your coming of age ceremony?”

“Not till next year! I’m still a middle school 2nd year!”

A stir ran through everyone upon hearing that.

“I can draw this, right!?” asked Naruze. “He’s chuuni, a name inheritor, and a pathetic Nagabuto, so he’s gotta be a bottom! Right!?”

“Hey, Naito!” shouted Masazumi. “Restrain your girlfriend!”

“I would, but it’s faster to let her draw some to get it out of her system,” said Naito. “Kind of like you with wars, Seijun.”

“What is that supposed to mean!?”

But there was something she had to ask.

“How is that Inadome person pathetic?”

“Judge.” Like before, it was Crossunite who answered. “He generally had unbelievable results in training, but during actual battles, he would either achieve nothing or run away. And the worst example of that was…hmm.”

Crossunite scratched his head in hesitation, but finally continued.

“When Lady Nagaoka blew herself up, he was working as a guard for the Nagaoka clan. But when their estate was surrounded, he ran away to save his own hide.”

Gin turned toward the Vice President when she heard the 1st Special Duty Officer’s explanation.

“I believe I know more or less what is going on, Vice President. The unmarked transport ship accompanying the Hexagone Française diplomatic ship before this meeting must have belonged to him.”

“Then is this what Mouri Terumoto is saying: despite the particulars of his history recreation, he has a connection to Lady Nagaoka and was at the site of her death, so we should take him to Nördlingen?”

“Judge,” confirmed Gin while opening a sign frame.

She had done a fair amount of research into name inheritors with a connection to Muneshige.

“In the period leading up to Sekigahara, Naga-…buto marched north to deter Uesugi. He did not return in time to prevent Lady Nagaoka’s suicide and Inadome Sukenao fled instead of protecting her. Nevertheless, he does have a connection to her and he was nearby. Taking him with us would provide a reason for Musashi’s trip to Nördlingen.”

But right as she said that…

“Wait just a moment.”

Someone spoke up and stepped forward.

“I am Sviet Rus Representative Honjou Shigenaga.”

This meeting had felt meaningful for Shigenaga. After all…

“About Nagaoka-…”

“Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!”

Terumoto shouted and then smacked the boy on the head.

“You shout!”

“Wh-why does it even matter if my name gets out!?”

“They’ll claim it’s my fault you came here, idiot!”

“Heyyy!” Musashi’s Chancellor raised his hand. “Teruko, didn’t you bring him here?”

“What? Yeah, I brought him here.”

“Then it is your fault!!”

Despite everyone shouting at her, Terumoto spoke to the boy.

“Listen, you can sing, can’t you? Then try shouting. Got it?”

She glared at the boy and inhaled.

“Hey, Nagaoka Tadao-…hey! You’re supposed to shout!”

“Huh!? Don’t spring it on me like that! Give me another chance!”

“Fine, then. …Here I go, okay? Nagaoka Ta-…”

“Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!”

Terumoto karate chopped the boy’s head.

“You don’t have to match my voice’s pitch. That was kind of creepy. And do it a little sooner than that.”

“She sure is demanding…” everyone muttered. Shigenaga agreed, but…

…''There isn’t any vainglory there.''

Another nation’s leader was growing as a person, but should she be glad or wary? Shigenaga thought about that as she looked to the boy.

“Sorry about that. Sviet Rus has a question concerning the boy.”

“Nagabuto! His name’s Nagabuto!!”

''Quiet down, Musashi Chancellor.''

This was an important matter for Sviet Rus.

“Just as the Musashi Vice Chancellor’s Aide’s Aide said, he deters Uesugi in the lead up to Sekigahara. So would it be possible for us to settle that with a duel here?”

“Huh? What’re you looking at me for, Seijun? Am I just that cute?”

“No, we need your approval for this. …That boy goes to Uesugi as part of the Punishment of Aizu and it was Matsudaira that ordered that. In other words, us.”

“Really?” asked the idiot, so Masazumi nodded.

“So even if Uesugi wants this, we need your approval.”

“What’s the deal, Nagabuto? Can’t do anything on your own? ‘What Nagabuto Can Do On His Own’. Hey, Black Mar, how’s that for a title?”

“Oh, sorry. I’ve already designed logos for ‘Naga-Butt-o’ and ‘Tada-f*ck-i’.”

“Two doujins!? He’s gonna be a big seller, huh!?”

“Stop! Wh-what is with you people!?”

“We’re going to be your sponsors eventually,” said Masazumi. “So just give up now.”

“Huh!?” he shouted back at her, but she stopped thinking about it since it was hopeless.

“So how about it, Aoi?”

“If Shigeko’s fine with it and we’re fine with it, then why not?”

“Hm, to be honest, we could use this as a bargaining chip with Uesugi.”

“That’s true,” said the Date Vice Chancellor via divine transmission. “If we let them settle Nagabuto’s deterrence of Uesugi here, Uesugi will owe us one. But we might later find we want a history recreation we can interpret as a battle between Uesugi and Matsudaira, so it might be better to not do Nagabuto’s invasion of Uesugi just yet.”

“So it’s like that, huh?” Aoi crossed his arms and tilted his head, but he soon looked back up. “Seijun. A while back, you told me about the people who die when we don’t fight a war, right?”

…''Oh.''

Masazumi frowned at this sudden change of subject. She probably should have been happy, but she mostly felt surprised.

“You…can actually remember things?”

“G-go to hell!”

“Masazumi, just to be clear, Toori-kun has an excellent memory for the weirdest things.”

“Hold on, hold on. It’s not about ‘the weirdest things’, Asama. I take all the important things to heart.”

The idiot pouted his lips toward Asama, so…

“But, well, um…”

She stammered for a bit and blushed.

As she hung her head and her fingers wandered aimlessly through the air, the Aoi Sister rested her elbow on the girl’s shoulder.

“Heh heh. Every little thing is important, isn’t it?”

“D-don’t tease me right now, Kimi!”

Well, even without thinking about it too much, that boy was who he was because he remembered his remorse.

But Masazumi knew what he was trying to say, so she spoke.

“Let’s have that duel.”

“We’re doing it, Seijun ?”

“Judge. If we avoid conflict here, it will eventually lead to the harm caused by not fighting. And once that happens, it might require more than just a duel like this. If it costs money or our rights to resolve, that will of course be taken from the people’s tax money. So…”

So…

“With a duel, the worst case is needing to pay for medical fees.”

“Yes, Masazumi,” said Urquiaga. “With a war right in front of you, I can imagine it would pain you to delay it or resolve it with money.”

“W-wait!” interrupted Heidi via sign frame. “We’re talking about money here! So send that money the Treasurer’s way!”

“Sorry, Augesvarer, but we can buy money with war.”

“You have that backwards, Masazumi! Let’s face reality here! C’mon, we have to plug our butts up with money to keep the udon from coming out!”

“Um, Masazumi?” said Asama. “This conversation is taking an incredibly ugly turn.”

''And whose fault is that?'' She had given it some thought, but now she had her answer.

“Hey, Nagaoka-…”

“Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!”

''He’ll shout on his own now? That was pretty well done. Still, that was careless of me.''

“Sorry. Nagabuto.”

“You’re clearly not sorry if you’re calling me that!”

“It’s easier this way, so deal with it. …Musashi is ordering you to fight a duel.”

“Huh!?”

He was a middle school name inheritor and one who had only recently received his name. This might be his very first battle.

''But,'' thought Masazumi.

“Listen. There’s a good chance P.A. Oda will view your presence here a breach of trust since they’re trying to do the Keichou Campaign. And we aren’t sure we can trust you yet.”

That was true. But she had to clearly state this because the boy was likely unfamiliar with diplomacy.

“I know it’s a pain, but listen. You must have been at least vaguely aware of the breach of trust against your master’s clan and that we would distrust you. Isn’t that why you hid and had Mouri transport you?”

After a while, the boy gave a small nod. And he looked her in the eye.

“I will entrust this with you. I mostly understand, but whether our interests align is not for me to decide.”

“Judge. So for now, work your butt off for our interests. That means a duel against Uesugi. You can use that to demonstrate your resolve and earn our trust.”

'''Mar-Ga:''' “Using his butt to work for us? Yes, I like the sound of that. I’ll allow it.”

'''Gold Mar:''' “Ga-chan, I can tell you’re enjoying this, but how good a fighter is he really?”

“That’s a good question,” muttered Masazumi as she thought to herself.

…''He’s probably a pretty good one given that gun demonstration earlier.''

His opponent was Honjou Shigenaga. She used shields, so she primarily attacked with physical blows. A gunner should have an advantage there.

''Isn’t that right?'' she thought while looking to Shigenaga who was already checking her equipment.

“Okay, I think I’ll go with the small cannon style I used at Odawara.”

“That’s not quite what I expected, but whatever.”

Masazumi pretended not to hear the comments of “are you sure about this?” He was a name inheritor, so he would figure something out.

Then she gave the boy his instructions.

“As Vice President of the Far East and Musashi, I command you to carry out an advance history recreation. Your mission is the pre-Sekigahara attack on Uesugi. Neither side is required to win or lose, so just think of it as an extension of your training.”

“Training, huh? Then that’s how I’ll do it.”

With that, Nagaoka looked toward Shigenaga.

He crossed his arms in front of his hips, grabbed the grips on either side, and raised his voice.

“Bring it on!”

That signaled the beginning of the battle.

<noinclude>
===Notes===
<references />
{{HorizonNavbar
| [[Horizon:Volume 7A Chapter 11|Chapter 11]]
| [[Horizon:Volume 7A Chapter 13|Chapter 13]]
}}
</noinclude>

Talk:Kyoukai Senjou no Horizon

2018-12-28T21:14:46Z

Kemm: /* Kyoukai Senjou no Horizon XXI */ new section

Talk:Horizon:Volume 7A Chapter 3

2018-11-09T00:54:13Z

Kemm: Created page with "== Defenestration of Prague == I went to check the historical event, and found the explanation to be wrong. The event in question is the Second Defenestration of Prague (the..."

== Defenestration of Prague ==

I went to check the historical event, and found the explanation to be wrong. The event in question is the Second Defenestration of Prague (the first one had happened 199 years earlier and everyone thrown out the window died), and what happened was that, of the five advisors tried, two were soon found to be innocent and removed from te premises (nothing happened to them) while the other three were indeed defenestrated and survived; the catholic side said that they were "saved by angels" while, years later, protestant pamphleteers said that it was because they fell on a pile of manure. (In any case it was not that three out of five defenestrated survived, but that three out of five were defenestrated and they all survived).
It's not clear why they survived, it could have indeed be due to a pil of hay, but I once saw a video of a climbing stunt in Science of Stupid that ended with the guy falling from a most likely higher place directly onto the pavement and he only broke a bone, so...--[[User:Kemm|Kemm]] ([[User talk:Kemm|talk]])

High School DxD

2018-10-16T01:26:24Z

Kemm: /* Others */ https://bookwalker.jp/def618803a-dc3a-472a-8662-550f27bd8a27/

{{Status|Active}}

[[Image:HSDxD_v01_cover.jpg|250px|thumb|High School DxD Volume 1 Cover]]

'''''High School D×D''''' (ハイスクールD×D, ''Haisukūru Di Di) is a Japanese light novel series written by Ichiei Ishibumi and illustrated by Miyama-Zero, published by Fujimi Shobo under their Fujimi Fantasia Bunko label.''

An anime consisting of 12 episodes, produced by TNK, aired between January and March of 2012. Two OVAs were released with volumes 13 and 15. A second season consisting of 12 episodes, produced by TNK, aired between July and September of 2013. One OVA was released with volume DX.1. A third season consisting of 12 episodes, once again produced by TNK, aired from April to June of 2015. A fourth OVA was released in December 2015. A fourth season consisting of 12 episodes was produced by Passione, and aired from April to July of 2018. The anime has been licensed by Funimation in the USA and Madman Entertainment in Australia. The manga adaptation has been licensed by Yen Press and concluded with 11 volumes.

High School D×D is also available in the following languages:
*[[High School DxD ~Brazilian_Portuguese~|Português Brasileiro (Brazilian Portuguese)]]
*[[High School DxD (Indonesia)|Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian)]]
*[[High School DxD - Français|Français (French)]]
*[[High School DxD (Polski)|Polski (Polish)]]
*[[High School DxD (Български)|Български (Bulgarian)]]
*[[High School DxD ~ (Spanish)|Español (Spanish)]]
*[[High School DxD (Italian)|Italian (Italian)]]
*[[High School DxD (Deutsch)|Deutsch (German)]]
*[[High School DxD (Croatian)|Croatian (Hrvatski)]]
*[[High school DxD (Ελληνικά)|Ελληνικά (Greek)]]
*[[High school DxD Tiếng Việt|Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)]]
*[[High School DxD ~ Czech version ~|Česky (Czech)]]
*[[High School DxD (Romanian)|Română (Romanian)]]
*[[High School DxD (Hebrew)|עברית (Hebrew)]]
*[[High school DxD Tiếng Việt 2|Tiếng Việt bản mới (Vietnamese New Version)]]

'''SUPERVISOR NOTICE:''' ''Do not ask for updates! Translations come out when they come out! Also, do not copy translations onto sites outside of Baka-Tsuki.''

==Story Synopsis==

I, Hyoudou Issei, am a 2nd Year High school student and my age is equal to the number of years I haven't had a girlfriend. And, someone like me got a girlfriend! I'm sorry buddies, I will walk the path of becoming an adult before you guys! —That's how it was supposed to be, but why did I get killed by my girlfriend!?

I still haven't done anything yet! Are there no Gods in this World!?

And, the person who saved me is the most beautiful girl in my school, Rias Gremory-senpai. I learned the shocking truth from her who isn't a God but a Devil. "You have reincarnated as a Devil! Work for me!"

Lured by Senpai's breasts and treats, my life as a reincarnated Devil began.

So the "Academy×Love Comedy×Battle Fantasy” starts here with just aggressive and worldly desires!

——''Taken from Volume 1 Story Synopsis''

Story Arc 1: Volumes 1 & 2

Story Arc 2: Volumes 3-6

Story Arc 3: Volumes 7-12

Story Arc 4: Volumes 13-21

('''Note:''' ''Volume 8, Volume 13 and half of the content in Volume 15 are compilations of Short-Stories from Dragon Magazine. The DX series is a compilation of all the other short stories to avoid interfering with the main story plot''.)

==Characters' Introduction==


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===Characters' Introduction===
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'''Hyoudou Issei''' (兵藤一誠, ''Hyōdō Issei'')

[[File:Pawn-Ise.jpg|left|]]

'''Rank:''' Low-class Devil →　Middle-class Devil → High-class Devil

'''Role:''' Pawn (8 Pieces, later in volume 23 it is revealed that all 8 of them transformed into Mutation Pieces)

'''Species:''' Reincarnated Devil (Former human until Volume 11, Humanoid-Dragon from Volume 12)

'''Sacred Gear:''' Boosted Gear (Longinus)

'''Weapon:''' Ascalon

'''Power:''' Dress-Break, Bilingual, Trident, Dragon Breath, Dragon Deification, Penetrate, Blazing Inferno of Scorching Flames.

A second-year high school student attending Kuou Academy. He is known to be stupid, lecherous and a pervert among his peers. A normal high school student born in a normal family, but is in possession of the Sacred Gear "Boosted Gear" which is listed as one of the ultimate Sacred Gears(Longinus). He was killed by his first girlfriend, a Fallen Angel, and was revived as a Devil and a servant of Rias Gremory, his new master. Now he aims to become a Harem King by gaining a peerage, unaware of himself attracting girls around him.

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'''Rias Gremory''' (リアス・グレモリー, ''Riasu Guremorī'')

[[File:King-Rias.jpg|left|]]

'''Rank:''' High-class Devil

'''Role:''' King

'''Species:''' Pure Devil

'''Power:''' Power of Destruction

A third-year student at Kuou Academy and the Madonna of the academy. She comes from the old noble of pure Devils, the House of Gremory. She is a High-class Devil who is known as genius by many, and is nicknamed the "Crimson-Haired Ruin Princess". Her brother is, in fact, one of the Yondai-Maou, Lucifer, and both of them possess the Power of Destruction. She revives Issei as her servant after finding him dead, killed by a Fallen Angel and possessing a rare Sacred Gear. Kind and soft to her servants, becomes a totally different person when training or fighting.

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'''Asia Argento''' (アーシア・アルジェント, ''Âshia Arujento'')

[[File:Bishop-Asia.jpg|left|]]

'''Rank:''' Low-class Devil

'''Role:''' Bishop

'''Species:''' Reincarnated Devil (Former human)

'''Sacred Gear:''' Twilight Healing

A second-year student at Kuou Academy. Originally a sister who was known as a holy maiden for her healing powers. She was raised in an orphanage and was taken in by the Church after her powers were discovered. However, she was kicked out of the Church for healing a Devil, and was taken in by people affiliated with the Fallen Angels. She starts living with Issei after being saved from the Fallen Angels' grasp. As a person raised in the Church, she lacks common sense.

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'''Himejima Akeno''' (姫島朱乃, ''Himejima Akeno'')

[[File:Queen-Akeno.jpg|left|]]

'''Rank:''' Low-class Devil →　Middle-class Devil

'''Role:''' Queen

'''Species:''' Reincarnated Devil (Former half-human half-fallen angel)

'''Power:''' Elemental magic (mainly thunder), Holy Lightning (From Volume 5 onwards)

A third-year student and one of the "Two Great Onee-samas" of Kuou Academy along with Rias. Called the ultimate "Queen" by other members. Born between a human mother and fallen angel father, after the death of her mother, she became Rias' servant. She is a friend close enough to call Rias by her name in private, yet calls her Buchou in presence of others and displays a master-servant relationship in public. She persistently refuses to use her power of light, inherited from her father, but starts using it after being convinced by Issei.

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'''Kiba Yuuto''' (木場祐斗, ''Kiba Yūto'')

[[File:Knight-Kiba.jpg|left|]]

'''Rank:''' Low-class Devil → Middle-class Devil

'''Role:''' Knight

'''Species:''' Reincarnated Devil (Former Human)

'''Sacred Gears:''' Sword Birth, Blade Blacksmith

'''Weapons:''' Demonic Emperor Sword Gram, Balmung, Nothung, Tyrfing, and Dáinsleif(from Volume 12).

A second-year student at Kuou Academy. Self proclaimed best friend of Issei, and the school prince. He was a victim of the Holy Sword Project, where he was the only survivor. He became Rias' servant when she saved him from death, but still swore to extract his revenge on those who treated him as a test subject and disposed his friends. He also harbours a great hatred towards the Holy Sword, Excalibur.

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'''Toujou Koneko''' (塔城小猫, ''Tōjō Koneko'')

[[File:Tank-Koneko.jpg|left|]]

'''Rank:''' Low-class Devil

'''Role:''' Rook

'''Species:''' Reincarnated Devil (Former Nekomata)

'''Power:''' Senjutsu, Youjutsu

A first-year student at Kuou Academy. Originally she was about to be executed by the Devils after her sister, Kuroka, killed her own master. The Maou, Lucifer, protected her, and left her under his sister's, Rias' care - becoming her servant. She refused to use the power of senjutsu because she didn't want to become like her sister. She overcame her power along with Akeno after Issei made her overcome her own powers. She doesn't show any emotion at all, and says harsh things and hits Issei whenever he is doing or thinking something perverted. She shows the most concern for her comrades when they are in trouble.

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'''Xenovia''' (ゼノヴィア, ''Zenovia'')

[[File:Knight-Zenovia.jpg|left|]]

'''Rank:''' Low-class Devil

'''Role:''' Knight

'''Species:''' Reincarnated Devil (Former Human)

'''Weapon:''' Excalibur Destruction (Volume 3), The Holy Sword Durandal → Ex-Durandal → Excalibur and Durandal.

A Holy Sword user who was sent from the Church along with Irina to destroy or retrieve the stolen Excalibur swords. After she finds out that the God in the Bible died long time ago, she decides to join the Occult Research Club as Rias's servant. She tries to seduce Issei whenever she can because she wants to give birth to a strong baby.

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'''Gasper Vladi''' (ギャスパー・ヴラディ, ''Gyasupā Buradi'')

[[File:Bishop-Gasper.jpg|left|]]

'''Rank:''' Low-class Devil

'''Role:''' Bishop

'''Species:''' Reincarnated Devil (Former Dhampir (half Human/half vampire))

'''Power:''' Vampire's power

'''Sacred Gear:''' Forbidden Balor View → Forbiden Invade Valor The Beast (Longinus)(from volume 16)

A Dhampir (half Vampire and half Human) male cross-dresser who has the ability to stop the time of those he sees but he is unable to control it. He is sealed by Rias as ordered by the elders until she has grown up enough to control him. He is still unable to completely control his powers but can improve a lot by drinking Issei's blood.

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'''Rossweisse''' (ロスヴァイセ, ''Rosuvaise'')

[[File:Tank-Rossweisse.jpg|left|]]

'''Rank:''' Low-class Devil

'''Role:''' Rook

'''Species:''' Reincarnated Devil (Former Valkyrie)

'''Power:''' Norse Magic, self invented magic

Originally Odin's bodyguard. After the battle with Loki and Fenrir, Odin leaves her in Issei's town. She then gets persuaded by Rias to become her servant. She remains in Kuou Academy as a teacher.

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'''Shidou Irina''' (紫藤イリナ, ''Shidō Irina'')

[[File:Ace-Irina.jpg|left|]]

'''Rank/Role:''' Ace of Spades (Michael's Brave Saint)

'''Species:''' Reincarnated Angel

'''Weapon:''' Excalibur Mimic (Volume 3), Mass-produced Holy Demonic Sword, Hauteclere

She is Xenovia's partner and Issei's childhood friend. After finding out that the God in the Bible is dead, she still follows the teaching and is under the direct command of Michael. She was shocked to find out that Issei turned into a Devil. They are still friends despite that flaw.

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'''Ravel Phoenix''' (レイヴェル・フェニックス, ''Reiveru Fenikkusu'')

[[File:Free Bishop-Ravel.jpg|left|]]

'''Rank:''' High-Class Devil

'''Role:''' Bishop (Free)

'''Species:''' Pure Devil

'''Power:''' Immortality, Aerokinesis, Pyrokinesis

Fourth child an only daughter of the Phoenix house, she started as her brother Raiser's bishop, but after the duel between him and Issei, she fell in love and was traded to her mother, who doesn't participate in Rating Games, with the hope of one day becoming Issei's servant. She is currently his manager. She has transferred to Kuou Academy, where she got into Koneko and Gasper's class, as well as becoming a member of the Occult Research Club and living at the Hyoudou residence. She started with a body type like Koneko's, but has grown since.

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'''Ophis''' (オーフィス, ''Ōfisu'')

[[File:Dragon God-Ophis.jpg|left|]]

'''Rank/Role:''' God

'''Species:''' Dragon

'''Power:''' Infinity, Snakes

One of the two most powerful dragons, along with Great Red, born on the dimensional gap. After losing to him, it was banished and has since tried to find a way to win over and return. Neither male nor female, it has currently taken the form of a little girl in goth clothes and has been recognized as female. Currently it has lost most of its powers due to being stolen using Samael's venom, being reduced to only twice the power of the Heavenly Dragons at their prime, and lives at the Hyodou residence as a kind of pet or mascot.

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==Translation==

=== [[High School DxD:Registration Page|Registration]] ===

'''Translators are asked to [[High School DxD:Registration Page|register]] for chapters they want to work on'''

===Format Standards===

'''Every Chapter (after editing) must conform to the High School DxD's project guidelines.'''
*[[High School DxD: Names and Terminology Guidelines]]
'''All edited translations are to be in British English.　Also, the translation has to follow the same paragraph structure as the Japanese version.'''

Some of these chapters are translations of the '''Chinese edition''' of the novels, which are known to have some minor mistakes compared to the original Japanese text. If you have access to the originals and you spot an error, '''please feel free to make the corrections yourself'''.

===Feedback===

'''If you enjoyed the series, why don't you tell us in this [http://www.baka-tsuki.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=23&t=4659 forum]'''

===Appreciation===
'''If you appreciate the efforts of the translators/editors of the HighSchool DxD Baka-tsuki Project, why don't you thank them in this [http://www.baka-tsuki.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=61&t=5018 forum]'''

===Recent Changes===

Regarding the recent changes or changes which needs to be done for translation.
*House of Phenex → House of '''Phoenix'''
*Bilingual →　'''Pailingual''' (Regards to JeruTz for pointing it out)

==Updates==

* '''5-February-2016'''
**Volume DX1 Life.4 to Afterword '''COMPLETED'''
* '''23-February-2016'''
**Volume 20 '''COMPLETED'''
* '''13-March-2016'''
**Asia's Treasure Short Story '''COMPLETED'''
* '''17-August-2016'''
**Volume 21 '''COMPLETED'''
* '''1-October-2016'''
**Volume DX2 '''COMPLETED'''
* '''21-June-2017'''
**Gremory of the DeviTube '''COMPLETED'''
* '''15-December-2017'''
**Volume 22 '''COMPLETED'''
* '''12-March-2018'''
**Volume 23 '''COMPLETED'''
* '''16-April-2018'''
**Volume DX3 '''COMPLETED'''
* '''28-May-2018'''
**Volume 24 '''COMPLETED'''

Older updates can be found on the [[High_School_DxD:Updates|High School DxD Updates page]].

==The ''High School DxD'' series by Ichiei Ishibumi==

'''You can find a summary of all volumes, as well as PDF and EPUB links here ([https://www.reddit.com/r/Highschooldxd/wiki/lightnovel external link to reddit])'''

<p style="font-size:150%">[http://www.englishclub.com/vocabulary/british-american.htm "THESE TRANSLATIONS ARE TO BE IN BRITISH ENGLISH."]</p>

===Volume 1 - Diabolus of the Old School Building ([[High School DxD:Volume 1|Full Text]] - [http://zxzxzx.info/downloads/High%20School%20DxD%20-%20Volume%2001%20-%20Diabolus%20of%20the%20Old%20School%20Building.epub ePub] - [http://www.zxzxzx.info/downloads/High%20School%20DxD%201%20-%20Diabolus%20of%20the%20Old%20School%20Building.pdf PDF])===

[[File:HSDxD_v01_cover.jpg|thumb|x180px]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 1 Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 1 Life 0|Life.0]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 1 Life 1|Life.1 I Quit Being a Human.]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 1 Life 2|Life.2 I Start as a Devil.]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 1 Life 3|Life.3 I Made a Friend.]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 1 Life 4|Life.4 I'm Saving My Friend!]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 1 New Life|New Life.]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 1 Afterword|Afterword.]]

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===Volume 2 - Phoenix of the Battle School Building ([[High School DxD:Volume 2|Full Text]] - [http://zxzxzx.info/downloads/High%20School%20DxD%20-%20Volume%2002%20-%20Phoenix%20of%20the%20Battle%20School%20Building.epub ePub] - [http://www.zxzxzx.info/downloads/High%20School%20DxD%202%20-%20Phoenix%20of%20the%20Battle%20School%20Building.pdf PDF])===

[[File:HSDxD_v02_cover.jpg|thumb|x175px]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 2 Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 2 Life 0|Life.0]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 2 Life 1|Life.1 I Work as a Devil.]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 2 Life 2|Life.2 I Pick a Fight.]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 2 Life 3|Life.3 I Started My Training.]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 2 Life 4|Life.4 The Decisive Battle Begins!]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 2 Life 5|Life.5 High Praises During the Decisive Battle!]]
::**[[High School DxD:Volume 2 Checkmate|Checkmate.]]
::**[[High School DxD:Volume 2 End Game|End Game.]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 2 Life. ∞ vs Power ∞|Life. ∞ vs Power ∞ I Came to Keep My Promise!]]
::**[[High School DxD:Volume 2 fatherxfather|Father x Father.]]
::**[[High School DxD:Volume 2 Last kiss|Last Kiss.]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 2 New Life|New Life.]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 2 Afterword|Afterword.]]

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===Volume 3 - Excalibur of the Moonlit Schoolyard ([[High School DxD:Volume 3|Full Text]] - [http://zxzxzx.info/downloads/High%20School%20DxD%20-%20Volume%2003%20-%20Excalibur%20of%20the%20Moonlit%20Schoolyard.epub ePub] - [http://www.zxzxzx.info/downloads/High%20School%20DxD%203%20-%20Excalibur%20of%20the%20Moonlit%20Schoolyard.pdf PDF])===

[[File:HSDxD_v03_cover.jpg|thumb|x175px]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 3 Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 3 Life 0|Life.0]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 3 Life 1|Life.1 Heat Up Occult Research Club!]]
::**[[High School DxD:Volume 3 Revenge Knight|Revenge Knight.]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 3 Life 2|Life.2 The Holy-sword has Arrived.]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 3 Life 3|Life.3 The Plan to Destroy the Holy-sword!]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 3 Life 4|Life.4 Go! Occult Research Club!]]
::**[[High School DxD:Volume 3 New Knight & New Rival|New Knight & New Rival.]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 3 New Life|New Life.]]
::**[[High School DxD:Volume 3 Friends|Friends.]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 3 Afterword|Afterword.]]

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===Volume 4 - Vampire of the Suspended Classroom ([[High_School_DxD:Volume_4|Full Text]] - [http://zxzxzx.info/downloads/High%20School%20DxD%20-%20Volume%2004%20-%20Vampire%20of%20the%20Suspended%20Classroom.epub ePub] - [http://www.zxzxzx.info/downloads/High%20School%20DxD%204%20-%20Vampire%20of%20the%20Suspended%20Classroom.pdf PDF])===

[[File:HSDxD_v04_cover.jpg|thumb|x175px]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 4 Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 4 Life 0|Life.0]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 4 Life 1|Life.1 It's Summer! It's Swimsuits! I'm in Trouble!?]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 4 Life 2|Life.2 Class Observation Begins.]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 4 Life 3|Life.3 I Got a {{Furigana|Kouhai(Boy)|Junior}}.]]
::**[[High School DxD:Volume 4 Grigori 1|Grigori.1]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 4 Life 4|Life.4 The VIP Conference Begins!]]
::**[[High School DxD:Volume 4 Khaos Brigade|Khaos Brigade.]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 4 Life 5|Life.5 Welsh Dragon and Vanishing Dragon.]]
::**[[High School DxD:Volume 4 The Festival Ends|The Festival Ends.]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 4 New Life|New Life.]]
::**[[High School DxD:Volume 4 Grigori 2|Grigori.2]]
::**[[High School DxD:Volume 4 Valhalla|Valhalla.]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 4 Special Life|Special Life.]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 4 Afterword|Afterword.]]

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===Volume 5 - Hellcat of the Underworld Training Camp ([[High School DxD:Volume 5|Full Text]] - [http://zxzxzx.info/downloads/High%20School%20DxD%20-%20Volume%2005%20-%20Hellcat%20of%20the%20Underworld%20Training%20Camp.epub ePub] - [http://www.zxzxzx.info/downloads/High%20School%20DxD%205%20-%20Hellcat%20of%20the%20Underworld%20Training%20Camp.pdf PDF])===

[[File:HSDxD_v05_cover.jpg|thumb|x175px]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 5 Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 5 Life 0|Life.0]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 5 Life 1|Life.1 It's Summer Break, Let's Go to the Underworld!]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 5 Life 2|Life.2 The gathering of the Young Devils!]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 5 Life 3|Life.3 Cat and Dragon!]]
::**[[High School DxD:Volume 5 Odin|Odin.]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 5 Life 4|Life.4 Buchou vs Kaichou: First Half.]]
::**[[High School DxD:Volume 5 Waltz|Waltz.]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 5 Life 5|Life.5 Buchou vs Kaichou: Second Half.]]
::**[[High School DxD:Volume 5 VIP|VIP.]]
::**[[High School DxD:Volume 5 End Game|End Game.]]
::**[[High School DxD:Volume 5 WINNER|WINNER.]]
::**[[High School DxD:Volume 5 Reunion|Reunion.]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 5 Afterword|Afterword.]]

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===Volume 6 - Holy behind the Gymnasium ([[High School DxD:Volume 6|Full Text]] - [http://zxzxzx.info/downloads/High%20School%20DxD%20-%20Volume%2006%20-%20Holy%20behind%20the%20Gymnasium.epub ePub] - [http://www.zxzxzx.info/downloads/High%20School%20DxD%206%20-%20Holy%20behind%20the%20Gymnasium.pdf PDF])===

[[File:HSDxD_v06_cover.jpg|thumb|x175px]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 6 Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 6 Life 0|Life.0]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 6 Life 1|Life.1 The Second Term Begins!]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 6 Life 2|Life.2 Asia-chan's Worries]]
::**[[High School DxD:Volume 6 Asia|Asia.]]
::**[[High School DxD:Volume 6 Boss X Boss|Boss X Boss.]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 6 Life 3|Life.3 The Great Battle!]]
::**[[High School DxD:Volume 6 Uroboros|Uroboros.]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 6 Life 4|Life.4 I Love you]]
::**[[High School DxD:Volume 6 Juggernaut Drive|Juggernaut Drive.]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 6 Life 5|Life.5 The Great Red!]]
::**[[High School DxD:Volume 6 Vali Lucifer|Vali Lucifer.]]
::**[[High School DxD:Volume 6 Heroes|Heroes.]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 6 New Life|New Life.]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 6 Afterword|Afterword.]]

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===Volume 7 - Ragnarok After School ([[High School DxD:Volume 7|Full Text]] - [http://zxzxzx.info/downloads/High%20School%20DxD%20-%20Volume%2007%20-%20Ragnarok%20After%20the%20School.epub ePub] - [http://www.zxzxzx.info/downloads/High%20School%20DxD%207%20-%20Ragnarok%20After%20the%20School.pdf PDF])===

[[File:HSDxD_v07_cover.jpg|thumb|x175px]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 7 Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 7 Life 0|Life.0]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 7 Life 1|Life.1 Peace is the Best.]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 7 Life 2|Life.2 The Shitty Geezer from the North has Arrived.]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 7 Life 3|Life.3 The Joint Army!]]
::**[[High School DxD:Volume 7 Odin|Odin.]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 7 Life 4|Life.4 Two Heavenly Dragons vs Evil-God Loki!]]
::**[[High School DxD:Volume 7 Surveillant|Surveillant.]]
::**[[High School DxD:Volume 7 Vali Lucifer|Vali Lucifer.]]
::**[[High School DxD:Volume 7 Boss X Boss|Boss X Boss.]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 7 New Life|New Life.]]
::**[[High School DxD:Volume 7 Dad|Dad.]]
::**[[High School DxD:Volume 7 Heroes|Heroes.]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 7 Afterword|Afterword.]]

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===Volume 8 - Devil's Job ([[High School DxD:Volume 8|Full Text]] - [http://zxzxzx.info/downloads/High%20School%20DxD%20-%20Volume%2008%20-%20Devil's%20Job.epub ePub] - [http://www.zxzxzx.info/downloads/High%20School%20DxD%208%20-%20Devils%20Job.pdf PDF])===

[[File:HSDxD_v08_cover.jpg|thumb|x175px]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 8 Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 8 Life 1|Life.1 Devil's Job.]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 8 Life 2|Life.2 Familiar's Requirement.]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 8 Life 3|Life.3 Memory of Oppai.]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 8 Life 4|Life.4 The Oppai of Tennis.]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 8 Life 5|Life.5 Hell Teacher Azazel.]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 8 Life 6|Life.6 300 Ise.]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 8 Extra Life|Extra Life. The Fun Gremory Family.]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 8 Afterword|Afterword.]]

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===Volume 9 - Pandemonium at the School Trip ([[High School DxD:Volume 9|Full Text]] - [http://zxzxzx.info/downloads/High%20School%20DxD%20-%20Volume%2009%20-%20Pandemonium%20at%20the%20School%20Trip.epub ePub] - [http://www.zxzxzx.info/downloads/High%20School%20DxD%209%20-%20Pandemonium%20at%20the%20School%20Trip.pdf PDF])===

[[File:HSDxD_v09_cover.jpg|thumb|x175px]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 9 Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 9 Life 0|Life.0]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 9 Life 1|Life.1 Yeah, Lets Go to Kyoto!]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 9 Life 2|Life.2 Arrival at Kyoto.]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 9 Life 3|Life.3 The Group of Heroes has Arrived.]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 9 Life 4|Life.4 Showdown, Gremory Group VS Heroes Faction! In Kyoto.]]
::**[[High School DxD:Volume 9 Maven|Maven.]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 9 New Life|New Life.]]
::**[[High School DxD:Volume 9 Boss X Boss|Boss X Boss.]]
::**[[High School DxD:Volume 9 Vali Lucifer|Vali Lucifer.]]
::**[[High School DxD:Volume 9 Bael|Bael.]]
::**[[High School DxD:Volume 9 Heroes|Heroes.]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 9 Afterword|Afterword.]]

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===Volume 10 - Lion Heart of the School Festival ([[High School DxD:Volume 10|Full Text]] - [http://zxzxzx.info/downloads/High%20School%20DxD%20-%20Volume%2010%20-%20Lion%20Heart%20of%20the%20School%20Festival.epub ePub] - [http://www.zxzxzx.info/downloads/High%20School%20DxD%2010%20-%20Lion%20Heart%20of%20the%20School%20Festival.pdf PDF])===

[[File:High_school_dxd_v10_000e.jpg|thumb|x175px]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 10 Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 10 Life 0|Life.0]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 10 Life 1|Life.1 The Preparations for the School Festival!]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 10 Life 2|Life.2 A Maiden's Heart is Complicated.]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 10 Life 3|Life.3 The Battle to Decide who is the Strongest Youth Begins!]]
::**[[High School DxD:Volume 10 King|King.]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 10 Life 4|Life.4 As a Servant of Rias Gremory.]]
::**[[High School DxD:Volume 10 Pawn|Pawn.]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 10 Life MAX VS Power MAX|Life. MAX VS Power MAX: {{Furigana|MAN|Sekiryuutei}} VS {{Furigana|MAN|Shishiou}}.]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 10 Life MAXIMUM VS Power MAXIMUM|Life. MAXIMUM VS Power MAXIMUM: Crimson and Red.]]
::**[[High School DxD:Volume 10　Emperor|Emperor.]]
::**[[High School DxD:Volume 10　LION HEART|LION HEART.]]
::**[[High School DxD:Volume 10　Indra|Indra.]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 10 New Life|New Life.]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 10　Extra Life|Extra Life The Dream that Does Not End, and the Dream that Ends.]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 10　Afterword|Afterword.]]

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===Volume 11 - Uroboros and the Promotion Test ([[High School DxD:Volume 11|Full Text]] - [http://zxzxzx.info/downloads/High%20School%20DxD%20-%20Volume%2011%20-%20Uroboros%20and%20the%20Promotion%20Test.epub ePub] - [http://www.zxzxzx.info/downloads/High%20School%20DxD%2011%20-%20Uroboros%20and%20the%20Promotion%20Test.pdf PDF])===

[[File:HSDxD_v11_cover.jpg|thumb|x175px]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 11 Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 11 Life 0|Life.0]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 11 Life 1|Life.1 Study and Mating Season?]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 11 Life 2|Life.2 Infinite and the Mid-class Devil Promotion Test!]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 11 Life 3|Life.3 The Rebellious Heroes.]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 11 Life 4|Life.4 As a Heavenly-Dragon.]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 11 Life...|Life...]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 11 Lost Life|Lost Life.]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 11 Afterword|Afterword.]]

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===Volume 12 - Heroes of Supplementary Lessons ([[High School DxD:Volume 12|Full Text]] - [http://zxzxzx.info/downloads/High%20School%20DxD%20-%20Volume%2012%20-%20Heroes%20of%20Supplementary%20Lessons.epub ePub] - [http://www.zxzxzx.info/downloads/High%20School%20DxD%2012%20-%20Heroes%20of%20Supplementary%20Lessons.pdf PDF])===

[[File:HSDxD_v12_cover.jpg|thumb|x175px]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 12 Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 12 Life -3|Life.-3 Gremory without Sekiryuutei.]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 12 Life -2|Life.-2 Pal.]]
::**[[High School DxD:Volume 12 Dimensional Gap|Dimensional Gap.]]
::**[[High School DxD:Volume 12 Satan|Satan.]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 12 Life -1|Life.-1 Alliance of Young Devils!]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 12 Life 0|Life.0 The Emperor of Bust Dragon.]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 12 Life 1|Life.1 Crimson Promise.]]
::**[[High School DxD:Volume 12 Azazel|Azazel.]]
::**[[High School DxD:Volume 12 Hero...?|Hero...?]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 12 New Life|New Life.]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 12 Afterword|Afterword.]]

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===Volume 13 - Ise SOS ([[High School DxD:Volume 13|Full Text]] - [http://zxzxzx.info/downloads/High%20School%20DxD%20-%20Volume%2013%20-%20Ise%20SOS.epub ePub] - [http://www.zxzxzx.info/downloads/High%20School%20DxD%2013%20-%20Ise%20SOS.pdf PDF])===

[[File:High_school_dxd_v13_000b.jpg|thumb|x175px]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 13 Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 13 Life 1|Life.1 A Tokusatsu Devil]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 13 Life 2|Life.2 Ise SOS]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 13 Life 3|Life.3 The Disturbance of a Devil]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 13 Life 4|Life.4 The Unresurrected Phoenix]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 13 Life 5|Life.5 Armageddon at Sports Day!]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 13 Extra Life|Extra Life. The Worry of the Next-Next Heir-sama]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 13 Afterword|Afterword.]]

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===Volume 14 - Wizards of Career Counseling ([[High School DxD:Volume 14|Full Text]] - [http://zxzxzx.info/downloads/High%20School%20DxD%20-%20Volume%2014%20-%20Wizards%20of%20Career%20Counseling.epub ePub] - [http://www.zxzxzx.info/downloads/High%20School%20DxD%2014%20-%20Wizards%20of%20Career%20Counseling.pdf PDF])===

[[File:HSDxD_v14_cover.jpg|thumb|x175px]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 14 Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 14 Life 0|Life.0]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 14 Life 1|Life.1 I'm Also Doing a Devil Today]]
::**[[High School DxD:Volume 14 Maverick Magician|Maverick Magician.]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 14 Life 2|Life.2 The Rulers of the Late-Night]]
::**[[High School DxD:Volume 14 Magician for Khaos Brigade|Magician for Khaos Brigade]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 14 Life 3|Life.3 Maverick Magicians.]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 14 Life 4|Life.4 Go, Occult Research Club & Student Council!]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 14 New Life|New Life.]]
::**[[High School DxD:Volume 14 Romania|Romania.]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 14 Afterword|Afterword.]]

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===Volume 15 - Dark Knight of the Sunny-spot ([[High School DxD:Volume 15|Full Text]] - [http://zxzxzx.info/downloads/High%20School%20DxD%20-%20Volume%2015%20-%20Dark%20Knight%20of%20the%20Sunny-spot.epub ePub] - [http://www.zxzxzx.info/downloads/High%20School%20DxD%2015%20-%20Dark%20Knight%20of%20the%20Sunny-spot.pdf PDF])===

[[File:HSDxD_v15_cover.jpg|thumb|x175px]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 15 Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
::**[[High School DxD:Volume 15 Episode Issei 1|Episode Issei.1]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 15 Life 1|Life.1 Magical Girl Ria☆ For Real!?]]
::**[[High School DxD:Volume 15 Episode Issei 2|Episode Issei.2]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 15 Life 2|Life.2 Scarlet and Crimson]]
::**[[High School DxD:Volume 15 Episode Issei 3|Episode Issei.3]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 15 Life 3|Life.3 Holy☆Maiden Goes to the Holy-Land]]
::**[[High School DxD:Volume 15 Episode Issei 4|Episode Issei.4]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 15 Life 4|Life.4 Lets Go with Training! ~Hell Chapter~]]
::**[[High School DxD:Volume 15 Episode Issei 5|Episode Issei.5]]
::**[[High School DxD:Volume 15 Episode Azazel 1|Episode Azazel.1]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 15 Life 5|Life.5 Wolf’s Emblem]]
::**[[High School DxD:Volume 15 Episode Azazel 2|Episode Azazel.2]]
::**[[High School DxD:Volume 15 Episode Yuuto 1|Episode Yuuto.1]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 15 Life 6|Life.6 May the Shine be on You]]
::**[[High School DxD:Volume 15 Episode Yuuto 2|Episode Yuuto.2]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 15 Afterword|Afterword.]]

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===Volume 16 - Daywalker of the Extracurricular Lesson ([[High School DxD:Volume 16|Full Text]] - [http://zxzxzx.info/downloads/High%20School%20DxD%20-%20Volume%2016%20-%20Daywalker%20of%20the%20Extracurricular%20Lesson.epub ePub] - [http://www.zxzxzx.info/downloads/High%20School%20DxD%2016%20-%20Daywalker%20of%20the%20Extracurricular%20Lesson.pdf PDF])===
[[File:High_school_DxD_v16_Cover.jpeg|thumb|x175px]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 16 Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 16 Life 0|Life.0]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 16 Life 1|Life.1 Occult Research Club, to Romania!]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 16 Life 2|Life.2 The Kins of the Dark Night]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 16 Life 3|Life.3 Let’s Have the Sunlight Together With Me]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 16 Life 4|Life.4 Rizevim Livan Lucifer(The Son of the Morning Star)]]
::**[[High School DxD:Volume 16 Gasper Balor|Gasper Balor.]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 16 Life DxD|Life.DxD]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 16 New Life|New Life.]]
::**[[High School DxD:Volume 16 True Longinus|True Longinus.]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 16 Afterword|Afterword.]]

===Volume 17 - Valkyrie of the Teacher Training ([[High School DxD:Volume 17|Full Text]] - [http://zxzxzx.info/downloads/High%20School%20DxD%20-%20Volume%2017%20-%20Valkyrie%20of%20the%20Teacher%20Training.epub ePub] - [http://www.zxzxzx.info/downloads/High%20School%20DxD%2017%20-%20Valkyrie%20of%20the%20Teacher%20Training.pdf PDF])===
[[File:High_school_DxD_v17_Cover.jpeg|thumb|x175px]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 17 Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 17 Life 0|Life.0]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 17 Life 1|Life.1 Praises During the Training!]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 17 Life 2|Life.2 The School of the Underworld!]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 17 Life 3|Life.3 The Direction of the Evil Intent]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 17 Life 4|Life.4 The Youth Devil]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 17 New Life|New Life.]]
::**[[High School DxD:Volume 17 Brother?|Brother?]]
::**[[High School DxD:Volume 17 Emperor|Emperor.]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 17 Afterword|Afterword.]]

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===Volume 18 - Funny Angel of the Christmas Day ([[High School DxD:Volume 18|Full Text]] - [http://zxzxzx.info/downloads/High%20School%20DxD%20-%20Volume%2018%20-%20Funny%20Angel%20of%20the%20Christmas%20Day.epub ePub] [https://zxzxzx.info/downloads/High%20School%20DxD%2018%20-%20Funny%20Angel%20of%20the%20Christmas%20Day.pdf PDF])===
[[File:High_school_DxD_v18_Cover.jpeg|thumb|x175px]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 18 Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 18 Life 0|Life.0]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 18 Life 1|Life.1 The Devils’ Also Celebrate Christmas!]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 18 Life 2|Life.2 The Forbidden]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 18 Life 3|Life.3 D×D Also Launches To the Heaven]]
::**[[High School DxD:Volume 18 Fake Hero.|Fake Hero.]]
::**[[High School DxD:Volume 18 Joker|Joker.]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 18 Life 4|Life.4 Burn, Holy-sword!]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 18 Next Life|Next Life.]]
::**[[High School DxD:Volume 18 Christmas|Christmas.]]
::**[[High School DxD:Volume 18 BossxBoss|Boss × Boss.]]
::**[[High School DxD:Volume 18 Ashestoashes Dusttodust|Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust.]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 18 Afterword|Afterword.]]

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===Volume 19 - Durandal of the General Election ([[High School DxD:Volume 19|Full Text]] - [http://zxzxzx.info/downloads/High%20School%20DxD%20-%20Volume%2019%20-%20Durandal%20of%20the%20General%20Election.epub ePub] - [http://zxzxzx.info/downloads/High_School_DxD_19_-_Durandal_of_the_General_Election.pdf PDF])===
[[File:High_school_DxD_v19_Cover.jpeg|thumb|x175px]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 19 Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 19 rudra|Rudra]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 19 Life 0|Life.0]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 19 Life 1|Life.1 Third Trimester Starts!]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 19 Life 2|Life.2 Various Decisive Battles!]]
::*[[High_School_DxD:Volume_19_Life_3|Life.3 {{Furigana|Fist and Sword|Carnival}}]]
::*[[High_School_DxD:Volume_19_New_Life|New Life]]
::**[[High_School_DxD:Volume_19_To_be_continued...|To be continued...]]
::**[[High_School_DxD:Volume_19_Top_Secret|Top Secret]]
::*[[High_School_DxD:Volume_19_Afterword|Afterword]]

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===Volume 20 - Belial of Career Consultation ([[High School DxD:Volume 20|Full Text]] - [http://zxzxzx.info/downloads/High%20School%20DxD%20-%20Volume%2020%20-%20Belial%20of%20Career%20Consultation.epub ePub] - [http://www.zxzxzx.info/downloads/High_School_DxD_20_-_Belial_of_Career_Consultation_v2.pdf PDF])===
[[File:High_school_DxD_v20_Cover.jpg|thumb|x175px]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 20 Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
:::*[[High School DxD:Volume 20 Faker|Faker]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 20 Life 0|Life.0]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 20 Life 1|Life.1 A Restless Career Consultation]]
:::*[[High School DxD:Volume 20 Parents|Parents]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 20 Life 2|Life.2 The Truth of the Feast]]
:::*[[High School DxD:Volume 20 To be infuriated|To be infuriated.]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 20 Life 3|Life.3 Hyoudou Issei]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 20 Last Life|Last Life... Poetic Justice]] 
:::*[[High School DxD:Volume 20 The Beast 666|The Beast 666.]]
:::*[[High School DxD:Volume 20 Deterrence|Deterrence.]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 20 Afterword|Afterword]]

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===Volume 21 - Lucifer of the Optional Attendance ([[High School DxD:Volume 21|Full Text]] - [http://zxzxzx.info/downloads/High%20School%20DxD%20-%20Volume%2021%20-%20Lucifer%20of%20the%20Optional%20Attendance.epub ePub] - [http://www.zxzxzx.info/downloads/High%20School%20DxD%2021%20-%20Lucifer%20of%20the%20Optional%20Attendance.pdf PDF])===
[[File:High_school_DxD_v21_Cover.jpg|thumb|x175px]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 21 Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 21 Encounter|Encounter]]
:::*[[High School DxD:Volume 21 Khaos Disaster|Khaos Disaster]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 21 Life 1|Life.1 Amidst the Feast of the Imperial Beast]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 21 Life Ba'al|Life.Ba’al Lion of the Great King —Great King—]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 21 Life 2|Life.2 Team [DxD] Attacks!]]
:::*[[High School DxD:Volume 21 Determination|Determination]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 21 Life Lucifer|Life.Lucifer Dawn of the Morning Star — Death Match —]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 21 Last.DxD|Last.DxD Ani and Otouto — United Front —]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 21 Eternal Life|Eternal Life. Amidst the White Snow]]
:::*[[High School DxD:Volume 21 Farewell Temporary|Farewell Temporary]]
:::*[[High School DxD:Volume 21 Y Ddraig Goch & Albion Gwiber|Y Ddraig Goch & Albion Gwiber]]
:::*[[High School DxD:Volume 21 Report|Report]]
:::*[[High School DxD:Volume 21 The remaining hopes|The remaining hopes]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 21 Afterword|Afterword]]

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===Volume 22 - Gremory of the Graduation Ceremony ([[High School DxD:Volume 22|Full Text]] - [http://zxzxzx.info/downloads/High_School_DxD_-_Volume_22_-_Gremory_of_the_Graduation_Ceremony.epub ePub] - [http://zxzxzx.info/downloads/High%20School%20DxD%2022%20-%20Gremory%20of%20the%20Graduation%20Ceremony.pdf PDF])===
[[File:High_school_DxD_Volume_22_Cover.jpg|thumb|x175px]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 22 Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 22 Life 0|Life.0]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 22 Life 1|Life.1 Those of us that were left behind!]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 22 Life 2|Life.2 And thus, to a High-class Devil]]
::*[[High_School_DxD:Volume_22_Life_3|Life.3 Gremory’s Graduation Ceremony]]
:::*[[High School DxD:Volume 22 It Begins Feast|It Begins Feast]]
::*[[High_School_DxD:Volume_22_Life_4|Life.4 The Opening Ceremony of the Rating Game World Tournament, the “Azazel Cup”!]]
:::*[[High School DxD:Volume 22 Team Members|Team Members]]
:::*[[High School DxD:Volume 22 Indra & Sun Wukong|Indra & Sun Wukong]]
::*[[High_School_DxD:Volume_22_Life_5|Life.5 Go, the Sekiryuutei Team!]]
::*[[High_School_DxD:Volume_22_New_Life|New Life]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 22 Afterword|Afterword]]

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===Volume 23 - Joker of the Ball Game ([[High School DxD:Volume 23|Full Text]] - [http://zxzxzx.info/downloads/High_School_DxD_-_Volume_23_-_Joker_of_the_Ball_Game.epub ePub] - [https://zxzxzx.info/downloads/High%20School%20DxD%2023%20-%20Joker%20of%20the%20Ball%20Game.pdf PDF])===
[[File:High_school_DxD_Volume_23_Cover.jpg|thumb|x175px]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 23 Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 23 Life 0|Life.0]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 23 Life 1|Life.1 A [King] From Now On]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 23 Life 2|Life.2 Dragon Attracts Dragon]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 23 Life 3|Life.3 Before the Decisive Battle]]
:::*[[High School DxD:Volume 23 Upsetting sorcerer 1|Upsetting sorcerer.1]]
:::*[[High School DxD:Volume 23 Team member 1|Team member.]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 23 Life 4|Life.4 VS [Brave Saints] Begins!]]
:::*[[High School DxD:Volume 23 Upsetting sorcerer 2|Upsetting sorcerer.2]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 23 Life Youth|Life.Youth Because of this Youth]]
:::*[[High School DxD:Volume 23 Each impression|Each impression.]]
:::*[[High School DxD:Volume 23 Juniors preparation|Junior's preparation.]]
:::*[[High School DxD:Volume 23 Interview|Interview.]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 23 Next Life|Next Life... And so, The Seating Battle Begins!]]
:::*[[High School DxD:Volume 23 Singularity|Singularity.]]
:::*[[High School DxD:Volume 23 The Return of the King|The Return of the King.]]
:::*[[High School DxD:Volume 23 Vidar & Apollon|Vidar & Apollon.]]
:::*[[High School DxD:Volume 23 Team member 2|Team member.]]
:::*[[High School DxD:Volume 23 Nether world|Nether world.]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 23 Afterword|Afterword]]

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===Volume 24 - Grim Reaper of the Off-Campus Learning ([[High School DxD:Volume 24|Full Text]] - [http://zxzxzx.info/downloads/High_School_DxD_-_Volume_24_-_Grim_Reaper_of_the_Off-Campus_Learning.epub ePub] - [https://zxzxzx.info/downloads/High%20School%20DxD%2024%20-%20Grim%20Reaper%20of%20the%20Off-Campus%20Learning.pdf PDF])===
[[File:High school DxD Volume 24 Cover.jpg|thumb|x175px]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 24 Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 24 Life 0|Life.0]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 24 Life 1|Life.1 Bursting into Summer!]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 24 Life 2|Life.2 The God of Death and the Dog of the Blade]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 24 Life 3|Life.3 The Truth of the Cats, and the Beginning of the Game]]
::**[[High School DxD:Volume 24 Team member|Team member]]
::**[[High School DxD:Volume 24 My Princess|My Princess]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 24 Slash1|Slash.1 Behind the Game —Sekiryuutei and Slash Dog’s United Front—]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 24 Life 4|Life.4 Vasco Strada and Crom Cruach]]
::**[[High School DxD:Volume 24 Fist and Fangs|Fist and Fangs]]
::**[[High School DxD:Volume 24 Absolute Demise|Absolute Demise. Ice Princess]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 24 Slash2|Slash.2 Slash Dog/Dog God of the Fallen]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 24 Life 5|Life.5 The Death God and the Hyoudou Family’s Breast Technique]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 24 New Life|New Life]]
::**[[High School DxD:Volume 24 Artificial transcendental|Artificial transcendental]]
::**[[High School DxD:Volume 24 Secret talks|Secret talks]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 24 Afterword|Afterword]]

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===Volume 25 - Yggdrasil of the Summer Courses===
[[File:High School DxD V25 Cover.jpg|thumb|x175px]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 25 Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 25 Transcendental reason|Transcendental reason]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 25 Life 0|Life.0]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 25 Life 1|Life.1 A Female Teacher’s Marriage Interview]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 25 Life 2|Life.2 The Ocean of Milk and the Maou’s [Game]]]
::**[[High School DxD:Volume 25 Balberith & Verrine|Balberith & Verrine]]
::**[[High School DxD:Volume 25 Vidar|Vidar]]
::**[[High School DxD:Volume 25 Team member 1|Team member.1]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 25 Life 3|Life.3 Battle in Yggdrasil]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 25 Life DxD|Life.DxD VS Life.GOD Challenge to the Gods —Red Dragon—]]
::**[[High School DxD:Volume 25 New Dark|New Dark. From the Outside of the World]]
::**[[High School DxD:Volume 25 Longinus|Longinus]]
::**[[High School DxD:Volume 25 Qualifying Team|Qualifying Team]]
::**[[High School DxD:Volume 25 Teams in the Main Draw|The First Rating Game World Tournament [Azazel Cup] Teams in the Main Draw]]
::**[[High School DxD:Volume 25 Gods of Hell|Gods of Hell]]
::**[[High School DxD:Volume 25 Team member 2|Team member.2]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 25 Next Life|Next Life]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume 25 Afterword|Afterword]]

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==The ''Shin High School DxD'' series by Ichiei Ishibumi==
The continuation where High School DxD Volume 25 left off.
===Volume 1 - Welsh Dragon of the New School Term===
[[File:True Light Novel Volume 1 Cover.jpg|thumb|x175px]]
::*[[Shin High School DxD:Volume 1 Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
::*Life.0
::*Life.1: High-class Devil Hyoudou Issei.
::*Life.2: High-class Devil and dream of the Harem King also funny.
::*Life.3: My new friend - mysterious songstress.
::*Life.4: I will save my friend any number of times!
::**Christianity's Warrior.
::*Life.5: Even God will be blown away!
::*New Life
::*Afterword

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==The ''High School DxD DX'' series by Ichiei Ishibumi==
''Short stories will be compiled into these volumes''

===Volume DX1 - Love Song to the Reincarnated Angel ([[High School DxD:Volume DX1|Full Text]] - [http://zxzxzx.info/downloads/High%20School%20DxD%20-%20DX1%20-%20Love%20Song%20to%20the%20Reincarnated%20Angel.epub ePub] - [https://sonohana1209.files.wordpress.com/2015/09/highschool-dxd-dx1.pdf PDF])===
[[File:Cover_High_School_DxD_Volume_Dx1.jpg|thumb|x175px]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume DX1 Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume DX1 Life 1|Life.1 Abduction EROǃ]] ([https://sonohana1209.files.wordpress.com/2015/09/dxd-dx-vol-1-translation-project-fianl-edition.pdf PDF])
::*[[High School DxD:Volume DX1 Life 2|Life.2 Ultimateǃǃ Onii-chan Mask]] ([https://sonohana1209.files.wordpress.com/2013/12/dxd-dx-vol-1-translation-project-life-2-final-edition-docx.pdf PDF])
::*[[High School DxD:Volume DX1 Life 3|Life.3 Stop!! Yuuto-kun!]] ([https://sonohana1209.files.wordpress.com/2013/12/dxd-dx-vol-1-translation-project-life-3-final-edition-docx.pdf PDF])
::*[[High School DxD:Dragon Magazine 2011-11|Life.4 Records of Chichiryuutei's Pleasure Adventure]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume DX1 Life 5|Life.5 Love Song to the Reincarnated Angel]]
::*[[High School DxD:Dragon Magazine 2013-02|Life.6 Let's Go to Onsen]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume DX1 Extra Life|Life.DX Phoenix of the Battle School Building DX?]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume DX1 Afterword|Afterword]]

<br style="clear:both" />
===Volume DX2 - Worship☆Dragon-God Girl ([[High School DxD:Volume DX2|Full Text]] - [http://zxzxzx.info/downloads/High%20School%20DxD%20-%20DX2%20-%20Worship%e2%98%86Dragon-God%20Girl.epub ePub] - [http://danielyang.ninja/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/DX2.pdf PDF])===
[[File:Cover_High_School_DxD_Volume_Dx2.jpg|thumb|x175px]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume DX2 Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume DX2 Life.1|Life.1 Oppai is the Sun]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume DX2 Life.2|Life.2 Student Council's Decision]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume DX2 Life.3|Life.3 Let's Go with Training]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume DX2 Life.4|Life.4 Worship☆Dragon-God Girl]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume DX2 Life.5|Life.5 Nekomata☆Ninja Scroll]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume DX2 Life.6|Life.6 Maniac's Sanctuary]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume DX2 Life.DX|Life.EX Hyakki Yako and Pandemonium]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume DX2 Afterword|Afterword]]

<br style="clear:both" />
===Volume DX3 - CrossxCrisis ([[High School DxD:Volume DX3|Full Text]] - [http://zxzxzx.info/downloads/High_School_DxD___DX3_-_CrossxCrisis.epub ePub] - [https://danielyang.ninja/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/Download-File.pdf PDF])===
[[File:Cover_High_School_DxD_Volume_Dx3.jpg|thumb|x175px]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume DX3 Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume DX3 Life.1|Life.1 Precious of Asia]] ([http://zxzxzx.info/downloads/High_School_DxD_SS_-_Asia%27s_Treasure.pdf PDF])
::*[[High School DxD:Volume DX3 Life.2|Life.2 The Ordinary Days of Red Dragon Emperor]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume DX3 Life.3|Life.3 Let's Go with Training! ~Mascot Chapter~]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume DX3 Life.4|Life.4 Talents of the Student Council]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume DX3 Life.5|Life.5 Worldly Desire of Steel]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume DX3 Extra Life.1|Extra Life.1 Cross×Crisis]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume DX3 Extra Life.2|Extra Life.2 Graduation Trip and Vortex Bunch]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume DX3 Afterword|Afterword]]

<br style="clear:both" />

===Volume DX4 - Student Council and Leviathan===
[[File:Cover High School DxD Volume Dx4.jpeg|thumb|x175px]]
::*[[High School DxD:Volume DX4 Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
::*[Imperial Purpure] Team VS [Spear of the Heavenly Emperor] Team ---The Proof of a Hero---
::*[[Power.1 Great King Without Destruction]]
::*[[Power.2 The Hero and the Youths]]
::*Power.3 A Mad Feast of Power and Technique Begins
::**Team Member.
::*Power MAX vs Technic MAX The Lion King's Iron Fist and the Hero's Holy Spear
::*[Sekiryuutei of Blazing Truth] Team VS [Sona Sitri] Team ---Stronger Than That Time, Further Than Now---
::*Line.1 The Various Differences From Last Year
::*Line.2 The Student Council's Secret
::*Line.3 The Basis of the Dream
::**Team Member.
::*Line.4 The Revenge Match Begins!
::**Opening.
::*Line.5 Field break
::*Line.Maximum vs Life.Maximum Dragon King (Idiot) and Dragon Emperor (Idiot)
::*Final Line. The Student Council and Leviathan
::*New Line.
::*Afterword

<br style="clear:both" />

==''The Fallen Dog God -SLASHDØG-'' by Ichiei Ishibumi==
''Light novel spinoff series under the banner of "High School DxD Universe". Takes place a few years before the main series.''

===The Fallen Dog God -SLASHDØG- (Web Novel Version) ([[-SLASHDØG-|Full Text]] - [http://www.zxzxzx.info/downloads/SLASHD%c3%98G_01.epub ePub] - [http://www.zxzxzx.info/downloads/SLASHD%c3%98G_01.pdf PDF])===
''NOTE: This translation is based on the original web novel release. New readers are advised to start with Volume 1 (see below).''
[[File:Slash Dog 2006 cover.jpg|thumb|x175px]]
::*[[SLASHDØG Web Novel Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
::*[[-SLASHDØG- Prologue|Prologue]]
::*[[-SLASHDØG- Chapter 1|Chapter 1: Return/Attack]]
::*[[-SLASHDØG- Chapter 2|Chapter 2: Black Dog/Birth]]
::*[[-SLASHDØG- Chapter 3 First Half|Chapter 3: Companion/Fourth Person (1st Part)]]
::*[[-SLASHDØG- Chapter 3 Second Half|Chapter 3: Companion/Fourth Person (Conclusion)]]
::*[[-SLASHDØG- Chapter 4|Chapter 4: Silver Haired/Youth]]
::*[[-SLASHDØG- Chapter 5|Chapter 5: Reunion/Utsusemi]]
::*[[-SLASHDØG- Chapter 6|Chapter 6: Ice Princess/Four Fiends]]
::*[[-SLASHDØG- Chapter 7|Chapter 7: God «Slaying» Incarnation of Destruction/Canis Lykaon]]
::*[[-SLASHDØG- Epilogue|Epilogue]]
::*[[-SLASHDØG- Final Chapter|Final Chapter: Five Principal Clans/Himejima]]
:::*[[-SLASHDØG- Four Divine Beasts/Himejima Suzaku|Four Divine Beasts/Himejima Suzaku]]

===The Fallen Dog God -SLASHDØG- Volume 1 ([[-SLASHDØG- Volume 1|Full Text]])===
[[File:SLASHDØG Volume 1 Cover.jpg|thumb|x175px]]
::*[[SLASHDØG Volume 1 Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
::*[[-SLASHDØG- Volume 1 Prologue|Prologue]]
::*[[-SLASHDØG- Volume 1 Chapter 1|Chapter 1: Return/Attack]]
::*[[-SLASHDØG- Volume 1 Chapter 2|Chapter 2: Black Dog/Birth]]
::*[[-SLASHDØG- Volume 1 Chapter 3|Chapter 3: Companion/Fourth Person]]
::*[[-SLASHDØG- Volume 1 Chapter 4|Chapter 4: Silver Haired/Youth]]
::*[[-SLASHDØG- Volume 1 Chapter 5|Chapter 5: Reunion/Utsusemi]]
::*[[-SLASHDØG- Volume 1 Chapter 6|Chapter 6: Ice Princess/Four Fiends]]
::*[[-SLASHDØG- Volume 1 Chapter 7|Chapter 7: God «Slaying» Incarnation of Destruction/Canis Lykaon]]
::*[[-SLASHDØG- Volume 1 Epilogue|Epilogue]]
::*[[-SLASHDØG- Volume 1 Final Chapter|Final Chapter: Five Principal Clans/Himejima]]
:::*[[-SLASHDØG- Volume 1 Four Divine Beasts/Himejima Suzaku|Four Divine Beasts/Himejima Suzaku]]
:::*[[-SLASHDØG- Volume 1 Convictor/Budding Sword Enthusiast|Convictor/Budding Sword Enthusiast]]
::*[[-SLASHDØG- Volume 1 Afterword|Afterword]]

===The Fallen Dog God -SLASHDØG- Volume 2===
[[File:SLASHDØG Volume 2 Cover.jpg|thumb|x175px]]
::*[[SLASHDØG Volume 2 Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
::*Prologue
::*Chapter 1. Restart/New life
::*Chapter 2. Training/Sacred Treasures
::*Chapter 3. Going out/Contact
::*Chapter 4. Seiryuu/Suzaku
::*Chapter 5. Four Fiends/Third person, fourth beast Satanael/Baraqiel
::*Chapter 6. Absolute Demise/Incinerate Anthem
::*Chapter 7. Night Celestial Slash Dogs
:::*Judge/Sword-maniacs teacher and student
::*Final chapter. Comrades/Strong Unity
:::*Vanishing Dragon/Beyond the Balance Break
:::*Origin of the calamity/Towards infinity
::*Afterword

==The ''High School DxD'' Blu-Ray Specials by Ichiei Ishibumi==

===Delusion Magazine ☆ Night Material Collection===
''Delusion Magazine ☆ Night Material Collection - short stories written by Ichiei Ishibumi bundled with the Blu-Ray special editions of the Season 1 and 2 Anime.''

::*[[High School DxD BD Illustrations|Illustrations]]
::*[[High School DxD BD 1|Volume 1: Red-Haired Camel ☆ Princess]]
::*[[High School DxD BD 2|Volume 2: Riding a Bicycle!]]
::*[[High School DxD BD 3|Volume 3: Sunday of God]]
::*[[High School DxD BD 4|Volume 4: Rising Fist!]]
::*[[High School DxD BD 5|Volume 5: Asia and the Blue Lightning Dragon]]
::*[[High School DxD BD 6|Volume 6: This Week, He Cheated?]]

::*[[High School DxD New BD Illustrations|New BD Illustrations]]
::*[[High School DxD New BD 1|New Volume 1: Asia]]
::*[[High School DxD New BD 2|New Volume 2: Xenovia]]
::*[[High School DxD New BD 3|New Volume 3: Koneko]]
::*[[High School DxD New BD 4|New Volume 4: Kiba & Gasper]]
::*[[High School DxD New BD 5|New Volume 5: Akeno]]
::*[[High School DxD New BD 6|New Volume 6: Rias]]

===High School DxD EX ([[High School DxD:Volume EX|Full Text]] - [http://zxzxzx.info/downloads/High_School_DxD___EX.epub ePub])===
''High School DxD EX - a spin-off novel by Ichiei Ishibumi bundled with the Blu-Ray special editions of the Season 3 Anime, High School DxD BorN. It was republished as part of the High School DxD Harem King Memorial. Set in a time-travel setting between post-Volume 14 present timeline and thirty years into the future.''

::*[[High School DxD EX Illustrations|Illustrations]]
::*[[High School DxD EX Chapter 1|Chapter 1: Crimson-haired Sekiryuutei]]
::*[[High School DxD EX Chapter 2|Chapter 2: Invaders from Another World]]
::*[[High School DxD EX Chapter 3|Chapter 3: A New Church Trio]]
::*[[High School DxD EX Chapter 4|Chapter 4: Crimson Will]]
::*[[High School DxD EX Chapter 5|Chapter 5: The Forbidden United Front]]
::*[[High School DxD EX Chapter 6|Chapter 6: And So, To Tomorrow...]]

===High School DxD Zero===
''High School DxD Zero - a spin-off novel by Ichiei Ishibumi bundled with the Blu-Ray special editions of the Season 4 Anime, High School DxD HERO. Set in a time-travel setting five hundred years into the past before the present timeline.''

==Short Stories==
''These short stories would be compiled into the DX volumes in the future (Hence the reason of it being in low priorities in terms of translation).''

===Specials===
::*[[High School DxD:Dragon Magazine 2012-07|My First Errand [Ophis Volume]]] (Note: This short story takes place after Volume 12. Alternatively called volume 12.5)
::*[[High School DxD:Dragon Magazine 2013-01|25(Twenty Five) at the Clubroom with Rias-buchou!]]
::*[[High School DxD:Having a Mad Tea Party|Having a Mad Tea Party!]]
::*[[High School DxD:Rias in Wonderland|Rias in Wonderland]](Taken from Fantasia Bunko 25th Anniversary Book)
::*[[High School DxD:BOOST BOX|BOOST BOX (''Text version of episode 13 of the season 1 anime'')]]
::*[[High School DxD:BOOST BOX Okawari|BOOST BOX Okawari]]
::*[[High School DxD:Gremory of the DeviTube|Gremory of the DeviTube]] ''(Exclusive bonus short story from Melon Books)''
::*[[High School DxD:Animate V24 DM Bonus|Animate Volume 24 & Dragon Magazine Bonus]] ''(Exclusive bonus short story from Animate)''

==Project Staff==

*Supervisor: [[user:Code-Zero|Code-Zero]]
*Project Manager: [[user:Code-Zero|Code-Zero]]

===Translators===

'''ACTIVE'''
:*[[user:zxzxzx|zxzxzx]] - [http://www.zxzxzx.info (Blog)]
:*[[user:d_yang1209|daniel Yang]] - [http://danielyang.ninja// (Blog)]
:*[[user:JeruTz|JeruTz]] [https://jerutz.wordpress.com (Blog)] (Slashdog Translator)
:*[[user:Ariel_Saeba|Ariel_Saeba]] [http://ariel-saeba.blogspot.com (Blog)]
:*[[user:mrleoo01|mrleoo01]] [http://mrleoo01.com (Blog)]

'''INACTIVE'''
:*[[user:Eternal Dreamer|Eternal Dreamer]]
:*[[User:Zzhk|zzhk]] (Chinese translator)
:*[[user:Akuma|Akuma]]
:*[[user:Code-Zero|Code-Zero]]

''Inquiries about any particular volume should be directed towards the corresponding translator(s) as recorded on the [[High_School_DxD:Registration_Page|Registration Page]].''

===Editors===

'''ACTIVE'''
:*[[user:Zalgryth|Zalgryth]]
:*[[User:Wolfpup|Wolfpup]](Monitoring Editor)
:*SilverKnight96
:*[[user:Tsangk69|Tsangk69]]
:*[[user:MajorXAcE|MajorXAcE]]
:*[[user:Kenilshah3|Kenilshah3]]
:*[[user:Dvdryms|Dvdryms]]
:*[[user:‎MythosDragon|‎MythosDragon]]
:*[[user:Crash792‎|Crash792‎]]
:*[[user:Foggy_glasses|Foggy_glasses]]
:*[[user:LegendaryTerry‎|LegendaryTerry‎]]
:*[[user:‎Matt1384|‎Matt1384]]

'''INACTIVE'''
:*[[user:RikiNutcase|RikiNutcase]]
:*[[user:Chancs|Chancs]]
:*[[user:Ff7_freak|Ff7_freak]]
:*[[user:Starkiller4299|Starkiller4299]]
:*[[user:Ajmc93|Ajmc93]]
:*[[user:Hiro Hayase|Hiro Hayase]]
:*[[user:Just4fun|Just4fun]]
:*[[user:Stagged|Stagged]]
:*[[user:Royaloyalz|Royaloyalz]]
:*[[user:Krytyk|Krytyk]](Illustration Editor)
:*KmlCsgn029

===Special Thanks===

This is for people who deserve special thanks and are currently not on the Staff.
:*[[User:Larethian|larethian]]
:*Alexis138 (Initial Grammar checker and QC for daniel Yang)
:*Stephen
:*timesteel
:*mangatron
:*mds435
:*aigomorla

==Series Overview==
===Main Volumes===
*High School D×D 1 Diabolus of the Old School Building, ハイスクールD×D1 旧校舎のディアボロス (September 20, 2008 ISBN 978-4829133262)
*High School D×D 2 Phoenix of the Battle School Building, ハイスクールD×D2 戦闘校舎のフェニックス (December 20, 2008 ISBN 978-4829133583)
*High School D×D 3 Excalibur of the Moonlit Schoolyard, ハイスクールD×D3 月光校庭のエクスカリバー (April 20, 2009 ISBN 978-4829133910)
*High School D×D 4 Vampire of the Suspended Classroom, ハイスクールD×D4 停止教室のヴァンパイア (September 20, 2009 ISBN 978-4829134276)
*High School D×D 5 Hellcat of the Underworld Training Camp, ハイスクールD×D5 冥界合宿のヘルキャット (December 19, 2009 ISBN 978-4829134702)
*High School D×D 6 Holy behind the Gymnasium, ハイスクールD×D6 体育館裏のホーリー (March 20, 2010 ISBN 978-4829135006)
*High School D×D 7 Ragnarok After School, ハイスクールD×D7 放課後のラグナロク (July 17, 2010 ISBN 978-4829135402)
*High School D×D 8 Devil's Job, ハイスクールD×D8 アクマのおしごと (December 17, 2010 ISBN 978-4829135938)
*High School D×D 9 Pandemonium at the School Trip, ハイスクールD×D9 修学旅行はパンデモニウム (April 20, 2011 ISBN 978-4829136287)
*High School D×D 10 Lion Heart of the School Festival, ハイスクールD×D10 学園祭のライオンハート (September 17, 2011 ISBN 978-4829136775)
*High School D×D 11 Uroboros and the Promotion Test, ハイスクールD×D11 進級試験とウロボロス (January 20, 2012 ISBN 978-4829137208)
*High School D×D 12 Heroes of Supplementary Lessons, ハイスクールD×D12 補習授業のヒーローズ (April 20, 2012 ISBN 978-4829137499)
*High School D×D 13 Ise SOS (Normal Edition), ハイスクールD×D13 イッセーＳＯＳ (September 20, 2012 ISBN 978-4829137987)
**High School D×D 13 Ise SOS (Limited Edition), ハイスクールD×D13 イッセーＳＯＳ限定版　(September 6, 2012 ISBN 978-4829197677)
*High School D×D 14 Wizards of Career Counseling, ハイスクールD×D14 進路指導のウィザード (January 19, 2013 ISBN 978-4-8291-3845-8)
*High School D×D 15 Dark Knight of the Sunny-spot (Normal Edition), ハイスクールD×D15 陽だまりのダークナイト (June 20, 2013 ISBN 978-4829138984)
**High School D×D 15 Dark Knight of the Sunny-spot (Limited Edition), ハイスクールD×D15 陽だまりのダークナイト限定版　(May 31, 2013 ISBN 978-4829197684)
*High School D×D 16 Daywalker of the Extracurricular Lesson, ハイスクールD×D 16 課外授業のデイウォーカー (October 19, 2013 ISBN 978-4047129122)
*High School D×D 17 Valkyrie of the Teacher Training, ハイスクールD×D 17 教員研修のヴァルキリー (February 20, 2014 ISBN 978-4040700311)
*High School D×D 18 Funny Angel of the Christmas Day, ハイスクールD×D 18 聖誕祭のファニーエンジェル (June 20, 2014 ISBN 978-4040701271)
*High School D×D 19 Durandal of the General Election, ハイスクールD×D 19 総選挙のデュランダル (November 20, 2014 ISBN 978-4-04-070146-2)
*High School D×D 20 Belial of Career Consultation, ハイスクールD×D 20 進路相談のベリアル (July 18, 2015 ISBN 978-4-04-070665-8)
*High School D×D 21 Lucifer of the Optional Attendance, ハイスクールD×D 21 自由登校のルシファー (March 19, 2016 ISBN 978-4040706665)
*High School D×D 22 Gremory of the Graduation Ceremony, ハイスクールD×D 22 卒業式のグレモリー (July 20, 2016 ISBN 978-4-04-070965-9)
*High School D×D 23 Joker of the Ball Game, ハイスクールD×D 23 球技大会のジョーカー (March 18, 2017 ISBN 978-4-04-070963-5)
*High School D×D 24 Grim Reaper of the Off-Campus Learning, ハイスクールD×D24 校外学習のグリムリッパー (November 20, 2017 ISBN 978-4-04-072378-5)
*High School D×D 25 Yggdrasil of the Summer Courses, ハイスクールD×D25 夏期講習のユグドラシル (March 20, 2018 ISBN 978-4-04-072379-2)
*Shin High School D×D 1 Welsh Dragon of the New School Term, 真ハイスクールD×D1 新学期のウェルシュ・ドラゴン (July 20, 2018, ISBN 978-4-04-072825-4)

===Short Story Volumes===
*High School D×D DX1 Love Song to the Reincarnated Angel (Normal Edition), ハイスクールD×D DX.1 転生天使にラブソングを (March 20, 2015, ISBN 978-4040703329)
**High School D×D DX1 Love Song to the Reincarnated Angel (Limited Edition), ハイスクールD×D DX.1 転生天使にラブソングを限定版 (March 10, 2015, ISBN 978-4040703121)
*High School D×D DX2 Worship☆Dragon-God Girl! (Normal Edition), ハイスクールD×D DX.2 マツレ☆龍神少女! (December 19, 2015, ISBN 978-4040703794)
**High School D×D DX2 Worship☆Dragon-God Girl! (Limited Edition), ハイスクールD×D DX.2 マツレ☆龍神少女! 限定版 (December 9, 2015, ISBN 978-4040704029)
*High School D×D DX3 CrossxCrisis (Normal Edition), ハイスクールD×D DX.3 クロス×クライシス (November 19, 2016, ISBN 978-4040709642)
*High School D×D DX4 Student Council and Leviathan (Normal Edition), ハイスクールD×D DX.4 生徒会とレヴィアタン (July 20, 2017, ISBN 978-4-04-072377-8)

===Others===
*Fantasia Bunko 25th Anniversary Book, ファンタジア文庫25周年アニバーサリーブック (18 March, 2013 ISBN 978-4829138687)
*High School DxD BOOST BOX, ハイスクールD×D おっぱい BOOST BOX (9 March, 2013 ISBN 978-4047128354)
*High School DxD BOOST BOX Okawari, ハイスクールD×D おっぱい BOOST BOX おかわり (20 March, 2014 ISBN 978-4047128941)
*High School DxD Harem King Memorial ハイスクールＤ×Ｄハーレム王メモリアル (20 September, 2018 ISBN 978-4040728285)

[[Category:Light novel (English)]]
[[Category:Fujimi Fantasia Bunko]]
[[Category:Ichiei Ishibumi]]
[[Category:Genre - Action]]
[[Category:Genre - Ecchi]]
[[Category:Genre - Harem]]
[[Category:Genre - Supernatural]]

Horizon:Volume 6C Chapter 72

2018-09-26T19:03:36Z

Kemm:

==Chapter 72: Puncher of Foundations==
[[Image:Horizon6-C1014.jpg|thumb]]
''To accompany you''

''In your troubles''

''I will punch''

''One thousand troubles''

'''Point Allocations (Boy)'''

Kotarou received word from the on-site investigator that the water level had stabilized.

According to the divine transmission, they would now be going to the artificial lake’s dam to investigate.

…''Thank you very much.''

The water level would not have stabilized by chance. Someone must have been thinking about the future.

And a duel over the future was beginning before Kotarou’s eyes.

It occurred below the transport ship floating in the sky. Musashi was to the east and Houjou to the west.

“Now, let us begin the final duel of the Siege of Odawara.”

Ujinao faced a boy.

That boy had changed into a Far Eastern summer uniform and he struck his fists together.

“Musashi Temporary Representative.”

He named himself.

“Matsudaira Tokuhime.”

Ujinao named herself as if to accept that.

“Houjou Representative Houjou Ujinao.”

And as she named herself, she sent a slash toward her opponent.

Not even Kotarou saw it coming.

Futayo saw the sword wind arrive after the fact. That was just how fast the attack had been.

…''Such incredible swordsmanship!''

“Hey, Futayo, I can’t see with you holding me.”

“Oh, my apologies, Masazumi. I was so used to balancing myself with you over my shoulder, I thought I might be more stable if I kept holding you until we returned to the Musashi and went to bed.”

“Maa.”

''Oh, good. The anteater seems to understand.''

But then Futayo saw something else.

The color silver scattered about. It came from the left punch Noriki had thrown.

“Sword fragments.”

He had shattered the sword Ujinao had swung and pulled back.

But this was more than just breaking the sword. The damage propagated up from the tip to the guard, instantly filling the entire blade with cracks. And then…

“Break.”

With Noriki’s word, the sword in Ujinao’s hand was utterly destroyed.

Ujinao saw him swiftly pull his fist back.

…''What was that?''

She did not understand what he had just done.

She had sent a slash his way and he had responded with a punch. So why had her attack been the one to break?

She could tell he had used a spell. Her high-speed senses had detected a custom spell appear on his arm.

That was the trick. Most likely, that was not his usual January.

It was either a new spell or a modified version of the old one.

…''In that case, I can’t afford to carelessly test it.''

That thought brought a bitter smile to Ujinao’s lips. She had realized just how much the Warring States era had affected her.

She held no grudge against him. This battle was meant to bring the Siege of Odawara to an end and part of her did want to go to him if she could.

But they were both from Houjou and they were bringing Houjou to an end right here and now.

“I have one question.” She spoke because she had accepted he had the power necessary to duel her. “Why did you come back now, Tokuhime-sama?”

“Good question.” He nodded once. “I used to think it would be best to ignore it all, just go with the flow, and forget any of it ever happened. I thought we had two different lives and our paths had already diverged.”

But…

“I realized I don’t have to think that way if I’m willing to accept everything that entails,” he said. “England, Date, the relationships that support me, and the entire world. If those people could carry all that weight, then surely I could take responsibility for just one person whose inherited name had ended. So…”

“So?”

“Let’s end your inherited name here, Ujinao.”

Ujinao sent another blade his way. But…

“I will break that and create what comes next.”

He swung his right arm. Her blade shattered and the sound was all the proof one needed of its destruction. Then he explained the spell on his arm.

“Custom Spell: November. It’s limited to Suwa, but when I make a counterattack, the damage from both attacks is converted into impacts and my attack is carried through to the target. Which means…”

Which means…

“This is custom made for use against you, Ujinao.”

'''Flat Vassal:''' “Eh? What does that mean?”

'''Asama:''' “Um, previously, Noriki-kun’s technique used three punches. The first two were used as offerings so the third one would reach the target without any kind of return force hitting him. In contrast, this new technique is limited to counterattacks, but that limitation functions as the offering to ensure it reaches the target. And it’s limited to Suwa targets, which functions as another offering to also convert the damage into an impact.”

'''Hori-ko:''' “So if he makes a counterattack on a Suwa opponent’s attack, their attack will hit him with impact damage, but his attack is also guaranteed to reach them? That seems like a lot of extra work for nothing.”

'''Tachibana Husband:''' “It is not for nothing in the current situation. This allows him to receive the Houjou Chancellor’s slashes as mere impacts.”

'''Silver Wolf:''' “Noriki was always a natural at punching. If he can properly block those impacts with his fist, he must think he can redirect the damage away from him. So just like he said, this spell was designed as a countermeasure for Houjou Ujinao.”

“I see.” Adele spread her mouth horizontally. “But I didn’t know the Houjou Chancellor was Suwa.”

She was answered by Neshinbara who was waiting behind them. He started by pushing up his glasses.

“Judge. Houjou’s main shrine is the Rokusho Shrine. As Sagami’s general shrine, its main gods are Susanoo and Kushinada, but as a general shrine, it also enshrines the gods of 5 other shrines. One of those is the Kamakura Tenmangu Shrine which enshrines a Suwa god. Thanks to that, it must have been easier for Noriki-kun to develop his spell for use against Houjou Ujinao.”

“Judge. I understand everything now.”

“Ohh, so you admit my explanation was a good one!?”

“Judge. Secretary, you came up with that method, didn’t you? That would explain why the spell is so unnecessarily complicated.”

“It isn’t unnecessary! That process is a crucial part of the whole!”

“Enough,” said Naomasa via divine transmission.

'''Smoking Girl:''' “I get how it’s so powerful, but what about the returning force? If he hits just wrong, he could destroy his fist.”

'''347:''' “Oh, no worries there. When he tested it at Suwa…”

After a pause just long enough for a sigh, Hiro continued.

'''347:''' “He had boulders launched into the air and he punched them apart as they fell toward him. He said something crazy about simply needing to ‘provide the necessary amount of force and then pull back his fist’, but that just shows he has some incredible instincts when it comes to punching. I guess that was obvious from his previous spell too.”

A smile appeared on Ujinao’s lips.

“Custom made for use against me? Just to be clear, I am a troublesome woman.”

Houjou’s history had not ended yet. And if it would be coming to end here.

“I will show you just how troublesome I can be.”

With that, she opened her eyes. Her glowing eyes briefly wavered at the scene before them, but then they focused.

…''Let us take a peek at the future, shall we? And…''

“World’s Steepest Mountains.”

Futayo saw the multi-containers spatially ejected behind Ujinao.

Shards of light scattered as they opened and auto-drawing swords were stocked within.

…''I did not get a good look at IZUMO due to where I was positioned.''

Ujinao was a Chancellor and she had the equipment to match.

There were at least 50 of the variously-sized containers and there had to be at least 1000 blades stored within them.

Then Ujinao gave instructions to the blades stored behind her.

“Higane, Kurakake. Tower before me.”

Two groups of a hundred each could be heard being launched.

A total of 200 blades were pulled out hilt first and then spun around. They rushed toward Noriki.

This was no longer a stabbing or slashing attack. It was a violent pressure taking the form of blades. However…

“Ohh.”

The intercepting fists danced.

At first, Futayo thought she only heard a metallic sound, but then it all transformed into destruction.

“—————”

''It almost sounds like shattering ice,'' thought Futayo.

Was this what it was like when a group of blades was broken?

There were sounds of impact and of metal crumbling and there were explosions of light and of wind. It was all created and then appeared to shrink down in the span of a breath.

…''Is he going to do this?''

The speed of the punches was increasing.

Noriki was moving.

He could only see metal shards and ether light around him. The only divine protections affecting him were a cooling spell and bodily reinforcement.

…''But that’s enough!''

He had always fought like this.

And this girl was trying to join his everyday life, so what good was he if he could not accept her in his usual state?

So he simply kept punching. He stepped forward and threw his right and left fists.

“Oh!”

He punched and pulled back. He could not follow through with his punches. If he did, the returning force would cause more damage to his fists than necessary. Any damage that the cooling could not heal would lead him to failure.

So he avoided the follow through and immediately moved on to the next punch.

But the blades flying his way seemed endless. If he had to throw a punch for each and every one, he could never keep up. He had to hit multiple blades with each punch and intercept just the ones that were going to hit him.

He tried to maintain a standard of 5 swords per punch. With a left-right combo, he could shatter 10 swords per attack.

So that was what he did.

“Ah.”

Even breathing felt like it took too much time.

…''Honestly.''

If it was the Vice Chancellor, one of the Special Duty Officers, or someone else with that level of combat instincts and skill, Noriki was certain they could break through this with some other, more obvious power.

But he could not do that.

Due to his family issues, he had spent most of his elementary and middle school years on things other than combat training. That had been important for him and the rest of his family, but he could not deny it had left him trailing behind the others.

So he had devoted himself. Devoted himself to a single attack.

So that his attacks would actually mean something and so that he could survive.

But even with that, working as one of their primary fighters had not been easy. Especially with how much the others had grown from their recent combat experience. The gap between them and him only continued to grow.

So he was fine only clinching a few important points. If he could be of some use, he could somewhat make up for the trouble and worry he had caused them by the many years he lagged behind.

…''Honestly!''

Noriki heard Ujinao’s voice as she raised her arms.

“Yagura, Myoujin. Support me from behind.”

She swung her arms behind her with a magnificent sweep and two hundred more swords were added.

Noriki thought to himself while he started punching them.

…''This is my dream!''

''That was so long ago,'' thought Noriki in his heart.

''In elementary school, they demanded we describe our dreams. Well, maybe demanded is taking it too far, but we had to write an essay on it.''

Yes, and what was it he had written back then?

“I want to be someone who can take care of everyone!”

He had been young and ignorant back then. By “everyone”, he had meant his family, but he had not understood the distinction between “family” and “clan”.

So who had he meant? His father who had thought committing suicide was his duty to Houjou and would “benefit everyone” because it would bring the issue to an end? Or had he meant his mother and siblings?

At the time, he had not really known.

But now he did. Now that he had a stable income from work and had a decent view of his future, he understood.

He could have a family of his own.

So that was his dream.

His father had once destroyed Noriki’s family by removing himself from it. So…

“I’ll remake it as my own!!”

His father had severed their ties to Houjou. And now…

“I will do it myself!”

But a certain girl was still bound by ''that''. Her prosthetic eyes of foresight had been made by sealing her father’s life inside. They were meant to protect her, but they also bound her.

…''I understand.''

After all, her body and prosthetic eyes had originally been designed in case the future queen of Houjou turned out to be sickly. In other words…

…''That easily could have been me!''

He gathered his resolve.

The version of himself he had left in Houjou stood before him.

So he would fulfill all of that and create nothing more than an innocent girl.

''Yes, that’s right.''

He had intellectually known this, but until now he had never truly understood it in his heart. So he could say it here.

“That is the beginning of my dream!”

He raised his voice and threw his next punch.

“Tounomine, Hakugin. Hike the summits.”

200 more swords flew in from sharp angles.

“Oh…no!”

Adele heard Suzu’s voice while she waited on the hilltop.

She knew Noriki had to still be fighting the Houjou Chancellor at Odawara Castle.

Suzu was monitoring that using the Musashi’s sensors. But…

“Oh, no? Did something happen?”

“Noriki-kun is…getting tired.”

''Yeah, I imagine he is,'' thought Adele, but that was actually a big deal.

She could see Odawara Castle in the distance. The duel there reached her as scattering ether light, metal fragments, and loud noises.

A direct hit from any of that would not end well for Noriki. But…

“Ah.”

The flashes of light grew in number. Houjou Ujinao was sending in even more blades.

Ujinao watched his movements.

Her eyes could see a bit into the future and that showed her he was still unharmed. However…

“Byoubu, Kintoki. Seal the valley.”

That made a total of 800.

Given the gap of around a dozen years, that was nowhere near enough. It was not enough for even one stabbing blade a day.

She wanted more. Otherwise…

…''I cannot give him the answer he wants.''

He was telling her to test him.

He was telling her to throw everything at him so he could prove whether or not he was worthy of accepting everything of hers.

…''I’m sorry.''

''I hope you can forgive me for only testing you with around a 1000 swords.''

But to make up for that…

“——————”

Ujinao viewed the future. It was such a close future she felt like she could reach out and touch it. That power had protected and saved her so many times before.

The Advance Samsara provided by her vision was useful in ensuring her attacks hit and her enemy’s did not.

But she also thought something else while sending out sword after sword as her duty to Houjou.

…''Please survive!''

The person before her would destroy Houjou.

If he did not survive this, history and process would cause Houjou to simply disappear.

But if he survived, Houjou could depart and go to another land.

It would not disappear.

It would depart.

So she hoped he survived.

But she had to test him.

…''Honestly.''

What was even happening here? She was using the prosthetic eyes that bound her to her father, but she likely had never intended to actually defeat this boy.

When she read the future, she was confirming that he was still safe and feeling relief.

The duality inside her was so very convenient. She did not hold back with any of the swords she sent out and she sent them toward any opening she saw. And yet…

…''Please.''

“End Houjou.”

The Later Houjou clan had existed for about 200 years since the Kamakura shogunate and it ruled over 8 Kantou nations.

…''End Houjou here!''

But his stance was starting to slip downwards.

He was tiring. She was an automaton and she could continue to make her high-speed attacks with the help of World’s Steepest Mountains, but he was different.

Still, she did not hold back. Half measures were not what he wanted.

If he wanted her to test him, then that was what she would do. So…

“Mikuni.”

And…

“Kami.”

The last group of 200 accelerated swords was launched toward him with a spell.

Ujinao saw the clash of light.

He was enveloped by that light.

…''So it was too much for him.''

He could not keep up and he was swallowed up by the swords.

''That must be what happened,'' she thought, so she felt no hesitation and did not hold back.

“Stomp your feet.”

With those words, the light was slammed against him.

Futayo saw a certain phenomenon before her.

It was a rejection and explosion of light.

It was obvious what this meant.

Noriki had poured all his strength into his fist and shattered around a dozen blades at once.

But there was something odd about his movement. He had seemed so very exhausted before, but now he seemed to have come back to life.

“Ahhhhh!”

He gave a roar, gathered strength in his legs, and stomped his foot.

Immediately, the castle’s inner citadel was soaked with a cold sound.

It was water.

The artificial lake’s stabilized water had caused all of the rivers to rise. The city had a dry river bed to carry out the excess water, but Odawara Castle only had some hastily dug ditches.

Some shallow water flowed across the ground at the inner citadel. And…

“…!”

Splashing water joined the movement of combat.

Light burst and shattered and the splashing water reflected it all. The soaring light looked like fireflies rising into the sky. Ether light danced in the wind and illuminated the two locked in combat in the center.

But Futayo also saw the trick behind Noriki’s recovery and acceleration.

“The idiot’s ether supply!”

On her shoulder, Masazumi responded with a sigh. And she rested her head in her hand.

“Took you long enough, idiot. Don’t make a non-officer fight a war on his own.”

“Hey!”

Noriki heard Toori’s voice.

“You’re taking that girl back with you, right!? Then show her how we do things in Musashi! And tell her!”

He listened to the other boy’s words.

“Tell her she won’t be alone if she’s with us.”

The corners of Noriki’s mouth bent upwards.

…''That’s true.''

He had fallen behind, but the others had accepted him without saying a word.

Whether or not you were alone had nothing to do with whether or not anyone said anything to you.

It was whether or not you could be there with them. So…

“Come!”

Noriki destroyed the swords and, this time, stepped forward. He inhaled and threw a punch as if reaching out his hand.

“Ujinao!”

But Ujinao shook her head. She was saying “not yet”.

And in response, that demonic girl danced beyond the continuing cascade of blades.

“Myoujou.”

Ujinao used an instant launch to send out the anti-god of war sword atop her shoulder.

The 10m white scabbard was like a cannon. When the inner shell contacted the outside air, the outer shell was also launched. Both of them slid into position to fit together.

By that point, several torii-style emblems rotated along the scabbard as if slicing it into segments.

Then Ujinao gave the signal.

She launched that power to pierce the light and reach him as he attempted to move forward.

“Be as you were.”

She spoke quietly as she drew Myoujou.

First, the scabbard raced backwards with a solid sound and an explosion of ether light came from within.

Myoujou was launched with the force of a cannon. It flew down toward him in an arc.

“…!”

This was his final test.

Futayo’s eyes were glued to the sword before them.

…''Splendid!''

Anti-god of war swords were always worn down and chipped.

But not this one being swung down in front of her. It was a well-maintained weapon with no clouding or scratches.

“It would be an honor to be cut down by such a fine weapon!”

“Wait, wait! Don’t get me killed along with you!”

But Noriki’s spell was for intercepting an attack. There was only so much damage he could stop with it. A normal sword was one thing, but he would not have expected one like this.

However, his next action seemed to reject that idea.

He held both arms overhead and spoke.

“With three punches, I will defeat Houjou!”

He first threw his right.

“Custom Spell: March – Activate!”

Adele heard the triple blow as she stood on her tiptoes to watch from the hill.

She knew what Noriki had done. He had attempted to destroy the giant sword with the three-punch combo starting with March. But…

“There’s no way that’s powerful enough!”

'''347:''' “Oh, you don’t have to worry about that. He strengthened that spell when it’s used against Suwa people.”

So…

'''347:''' “I thought he couldn’t counter the first test boulder after it hit the ground, but he managed to destroy it using that. He really did prepare for everything.”

Then Adele heard the sound of splitting metal.

Light exploded on the battlefield as the sword shattered.

Everyone saw the destruction of the sword, the subsequent self-destruction of the container launchers, and…

“…!”

Ujinao’s arms could not handle the feedback, so they split and imploded from fingers to elbow.

But she still moved. She let out a heated breath and used her broken hand to draw a sword from her hip. And…

“It is over.” She smiled. “I will now assist in Houjou Ujimasa’s seppuku to take responsibility for the Siege of Odawara.”

With that, she sent the blade toward her face.

It sliced apart the eyes there and the light coming from them.

After the sword fell from her limp hand, she face Noriki once more.

“I have no need for eyes that misread the future. I believe my father is also apologizing for his failure.”

Noriki nodded toward Ujinao without even wiping the sweat from his brow.

He knew this was her idea of a conclusion.

“I see. I was kind of hoping I could speak with your father at least once.”

“Why?”

He pulled a piece of paper from his pocket and held it up while her closed eyes shed tears of blood.

Even with her eyes closed, he knew she could read it using her other senses.

He had prepared this before leaving the Suwa Shrine.

“It’s a marriage registration form. Let’s get married, Ujinao.”

Everyone gasped. Sign frames appeared so everyone on the hill and on the Musashi were present.

Inside one of those sign frames, Neshinbara lowered his hands to below his knees and then raised them.

“Three, two, one, go.”

And they all shouted at once.

“Lead with that!!”

''That’s not really how it works,'' thought Noriki.

But the girls were discussing their complaints and criticism among themselves and the boys looked exasperated.

Nevertheless, there was one person smiling.

“Ujinao.”

“Yes?”

“Learn to cook. Also how to do laundry, how to clean, and especially how to get along with my relatives and the neighbors. Let’s talk about the events of the day with each other and, if anything is bothering you, don’t hesitate to discuss it with me. And…”

Noriki thought of his father and of the family he still had with him.

“Live a long life. If you do that, then I’ll always take care of you. That is my dream.”

She nodded with a smile. Real tears diluted the bloody ones and they both vanished into the water flowing at her feet.

Houjou would be washed away and cleansed with water.

And Ujinao nodded again while still smiling.

“I look forward to complaining after I outlive you, Noriki-sama.”

“Judge.” Noriki nodded and then looked back at the others. “Hey, why are you splashing around in the water so much? Was I that annoying?”

“Huh?” They all turned around and spoke in unison. “If you get that, don’t say anything!”

And at 9:50 PM, the end of the Siege of Odawara was officially declared.

Each nation began negotiating over their rights while they also rested and began preparing for the Kantou Liberation.

Since preparations were already underway, the Kantou Liberation was set to begin at 2 AM the next day.

That gave them approximately four hours to rest and travel.

<noinclude>
{{HorizonNavbar
| [[Horizon:Volume 6C Chapter 71|Chapter 71]]
| [[Horizon:Volume 6C Chapter 73|Final Chapter]]
}}
</noinclude>

User talk:Js06

2018-09-21T02:20:50Z

Kemm: /* Takigawa's given name. */ new section

== Welcome! ==

Hello Js, thank you for helping out translating the series. Hope to see more from you. --[[User:Arkblazer|Arkblazer]] 13:21, 7 January 2011 (UTC)

Thanks Js06 for all your work with the series we love, long life to you! [[User:Aagcnet|Aagcnet]]

Thanks for translating the series, definitely one of the best out there. Good to see more translators(good ones) coming into the project. -- [[User:186.204.210.151|186.204.210.151]] 11:15, 11 January 2011 (UTC)

Heya, Js06. Thank you for continuing translating Vol. 14, hoping that you'll finish it til' the end. Thank you very much~ --[[User:80.2.33.185|80.2.33.185]] 10:37, 19 January 2011 (UTC)

Thank you for continuing on 14 as well. Will you be moving onto the next volume to finish it up as well?

--[[User:Shido|Shido]] 15:37, 19 January 2011 (UTC)

After 14, I'll be translating SS1. --[[User:Js06|Js06]] 19:57, 19 January 2011 (UTC)

Joay has given the green light for you to continue with 15, if you want to.--[[User:Teh Ping|Teh Ping]] 10:04, 29 January 2011 (UTC)

...All up to you now. I do apologize for not following through what I promised though.--[[User:Teh Ping|Teh Ping]] ([[User talk:Teh Ping|talk]]) 21:11, 12 November 2012 (CST)

You're given free rein to complete the later volumes (except for NT Vol 2, since I don't know how many people will be 'crazy' enough to do that), including the incomplete ones. The other translators won't be working on it anyway.

Also, I might recruit you to do some of the earlier volumes (after the later volumes are complete). Nah, just kidding. I'll prefer that you work on the other side stories first, but that's your choice.--[[User:Teh Ping|Teh Ping]] 10:14, 22 May 2011 (UCT)

I can't answer you through PM, so I'll just post this here. I've unlocked all the chapters for volume 1, except for prologue and afterword which you did. You can redo the other chapters, including chapter 1 and epilogue which I did. Just remember that people are also complaining about poor translations from 7-13, and I did 7-11. At the worst case scenario, you'll be asked to retranslate 7-13. (And as for the consistent translations thing, there's NT1 and NT4.) Bottom line, just tell me what needs rework, and I'll see if we'll proceed with the Index retranslations.--[[User:Teh Ping|Teh Ping]] 23:18, 9 May 2012 (CDT)

For now, I'm really only considering 1 and maybe 12-13 after that. What I'm mainly concerned about are accuracy issues since they can't be corrected in editing, and from what I've seen of your translations, that isn't really an issue. Also, I'm not really too concerned with the consistency issue for NT. I'm only stressing it with 1 because people have brought it up and because I like the idea of having the 1st book a lot of people read in the series read as nice as possible. [[User:Js06|Js06]] 23:46, 9 May 2012 (CDT)

Can't argue with that. Good to have a good start. Ah, and tell those guys on 4chan that I'll be redoing 12 and 13, starting from June.--[[User:Teh Ping|Teh Ping]] 23:49, 9 May 2012 (CDT)

Hello. I wanted to check if you are planning to re-translate volume 13 of Index? I noticed that you indicated on Teh Ping's talk page that you were intending to re-translate/edit v12-13, and that after finishing v12 you started on the first chapter of v13. I have been reading through the series and editing the narrative of the older volumes into the past tense. I will be reaching volume 13 soon, but converting that volume to the past tense would be meaningless if you are planning to do a more thorough edit or a re-translation in the near future. Thanks for all your translations, [[User:Cthaeh|Cthaeh]] ([[User talk:Cthaeh|talk]]) 19:44, 27 February 2013 (CST)

I plan to retranslating Volume 13 eventually. I plan to finish translating Kamachi's other novels first though, so it might be a few months before I get back to it. [[User:Js06|Js06]] ([[User talk:Js06#top|talk]]) 19:48, 27 February 2013 (CST)

Hello, I am planning to do an edit through all chapters of Index for consistency in word choice, formatting, and terminology in the next few weeks. My proposed changes are listed on [[User_talk:Cthaeh|my talk page]] if you'd like to look them over. In particular, I'd appreciate it if you could look at the first collapsible box ("Major edits") when you get a chance, as it contains quite a few things that I could use your help or advice on. Or let me know if there are any other changes you'd like me to make to take advantage of the fact I'm editing the entire series at once. Thank you, --[[User:Cthaeh|Cthaeh]] ([[User talk:Cthaeh|talk]]) 18:46, 29 August 2013 (CDT)

Thank you for your help and comments. I have rearranged the list to emphasize the last few things I could still use help on (at the top of the "Major Edits" box). One place I'd like your opinion on in particular is whether or not to change the capitalization of terms such as ITEM (vs Item). --[[User:Cthaeh|Cthaeh]] ([[User talk:Cthaeh|talk]]) 19:30, 30 August 2013 (CDT)

Hello, I'm new and didn't know where to put this. I made an account just to thank you on your demon king translations. Thanks for your hard work!

Hey JS. First, I want to thank you for all the amazing work you have done so far. Second, I would like to ask for permission to do an audio book version of some of your series. As you may be aware, there is an ongoing project to turn some of the LN into audio books for the baka-tsuki youtube account. After some discussion on the forums, a point was brought up that when possible, we should seek the permission of the translators to do this. So, here I am, asking if it would be fine to do an audio book from the Ichiban Ushiro no Daimaou series. Please let me know when you can! --[[User:No1atall|No1atall]] ([[User talk:No1atall|talk]]) 20:40, 1 July 2014

That's fine with me. Go right ahead. [[User:Js06|Js06]] ([[User talk:Js06#top|talk]]) 22:57, 1 July 2014 (CDT)

Hi! Thank you for your contributions to the translating community! I'm posting to ask for your help in translating a light novel. Try reading Mokushiroku Arisu. Even if you don't decide to help translate it, the plot should be an extremely enjoyable read! [[User: Futon Lord|Futon Lord]] ([[User talk:Futon Lord|talk]]) 20:40, 5 October 2014

Thanks so much for your hard work in translating all the works you've done. I was wondering if you thought of translating the Shinmai Maou no Testament Light Novel. Currently there's only two translators and they could use a lot of help with the series. If you have free time and have access to the text can you please help them in translating it. --Idjitwinchester94(talk) 19:04, 27 March 2016 (UTC)

Thank you Js06 for your hard work translating the To Aru series!!!! I appreciate it a lot!!

== Square Brackts for [GROUP]? ==
Hey Js06. I've been editing the previously-translated parts of Volume 15, and I was wondering: Joay left a lot of terms in brackets like [GROUP] and the like. Should I just remove all of those? Also, if you can, please check some sentences that I've commented on to make sure they stay close enough to the original: I was kinda grasping at straws when trying to make them make sense in English. [[User:CarVac|CarVac]] 21:49, 25 February 2011 (UTC)

The brackets around GROUP were probably meant to emulate the Japanese-style quotation marks 『』 used in the novels, but they aren't really necessary. The Japanese like to put things in quotation marks to distinguish them in the same way capitalizing the word is sometimes used in English (e.g. Esper names like Meltdowner and AIM Stalker are put in quotes in the novels.) I used to puts things in quotes excessively in my translations because I was copying the Japanese usage, but I stopped recently.
I'll look over the changes you mentioned later today. Thanks for your work. --[[User:Js06|Js06]] 22:23, 25 February 2011 (UTC)

== SS2? ==
Hey JS06, I know you can translate whatever you want, but why did u "jump" to SS2 so suddenly?Just curiosity. Thanks in advance. --[[User:186.204.5.233|186.204.5.233]] 14:21, 27 February 2011 (UTC)

What do you mean? All that isn't done between 15 and SS2 is 16's epilogue which someone else is working on. --[[User:Js06|Js06]] 20:04, 27 February 2011 (UTC)

lol, that's true, haha. I thought I saw 17 and 18 before it. Must be crazy. --[[User:186.204.5.233|186.204.5.233]] 12:29, 28 February 2011 (UTC)

I'll finish where it left off, just continue on with the later volumes.--[[User:Teh Ping|Teh Ping]] 10:47, 1 March 2011 (UTC)

== Present Tenses vs. Past Tense? ==
Looking at your SS2 translations, I realized that you're doing them in past tense as opposed to present tense like you use in the other novels. Is the original material in past tense, or did you decide to start using more past tense? I do understand that the stories seem to have occurred before volume 16; is that why they're in past tense? It sounds more natural this way, but do we need to keep consistency with the other novels? [[User:CarVac|CarVac]] 16:51, 1 March 2011 (UTC)

What? I've always used the past tense in my translations here. --[[User:Js06|Js06]] 17:09, 1 March 2011 (UTC)

Whoops! Sorry. I've been editing the other portions of volume 15 too long, and they're all blurring together in my head. Never mind then. I guess I should put those in past tense to match? (argh; so much work!) [[User:CarVac|CarVac]] 17:18, 1 March 2011 (UTC)

I thought that we were to aim for present tense usage and only use past tense where necessary? ([[To_Aru_Majutsu_no_Index:Names_and_Terminology_Guideline#Narrative_Tenses]])

--[[User:Stiyl|Stiyl]] 13:09, 9 March 2011 (UTC)

== Talk page cleanup ==
Js06,

I've restored a deleted message on your talk page (from 186.204.5.233) to make sense of that conversation. I've also added some headings. I hope that you don't mind the intrusion. Feel free to undo any of it if you like.

Thank you for all of your hard work translating!

--[[User:Stiyl|Stiyl]] 13:09, 9 March 2011 (UTC)

== Thanks ==
Thanks a lot! I keep following your work on To Aru. I am waiting for the next volume.

I just wanted to say thanks for the great work you're doing on To Aru. Thanks to you (and all the others who are not translating it anymore) I can read this great story.

I too wants to thank you for translating those last chapters. Good job!

Thanks a lot for translating Heavy Object.

I can't thank you enough for all the great work you're doing on Baka-Tsuki. I was already happy with ''To Aru'' and ''Heavy Object''; but now you're even doing ''Bakemonogatari''!! I'm so happy. Thanks a lot.--[[User:MaerisCrisis|MaerisCrisis]] 04:18, 25 February 2012 (CST)

Just wanted to drop by and thank you for picking up the Monogatari series. I've always wanted to see the difference between the anime and novel versions. Thanks again!

Hey, I just wanted to thank you for putting so much work into all that translating for To Aru. I think you're the only one still translating, but you do it so fast and it still comes out well. Thanks to you we can read TaMnI without learning Japanese! Thanks! You're an awesome person!

[[User:Turtleman579|Turtleman579]] 22:41, 30 January 2012 (CST)

Thanks a lot for translating Heavy Object - I've really enjoyed the series and the work you've done. Am slowly making my way through To Aru as well, and again, I'm thankful you and other translators have so graciously dedicated their time to helping share/translate these captivating stories with those of us who can't read Japanese at all.

Thanks for your hard work in The Zashiki Warashi of Intellectual Village! I'm reading it right now, and it's turning out to be a good novel. [[User:Junnynam|Junnynam]] ([[User talk:Junnynam|talk]]) 00:14, 12 November 2012 (CST)

Thanks for keeping tabs for translating kamachi kazuma series such as intellectual village, heavy object and to aru series. i enjoyed all of them and i have high expectation to your teaser about The Circumstances Leading to Waltraute's Marriage novel.

Thanks for all your contributions to Baka-Tsuki, most of the series I actively follow have you as a primary contributor. I greatly appreciate you using your time to translate them. [[User:Catchfraze|Catchfraze]] ([[User talk:Catchfraze|talk]]) 06:33, 15 January 2013 (CST)

Thanks for your translation of Owari and Horizon.

Thanks for all of your translations, "To aru" read all without some of spin-off now on "Ichiban" vol 7, very grateful for you operative and very top quality work(sorry for gramatic not my main language)well when finish with Ichiban maybe begin owari,Horizon and Heavy Object or will continue with Monogotari (seen anime and manga, liked).Again big thanks, hope you will be never tired of doing this =)

thanks so much man this looks awsome i cant wait to read it! you rock dude. doing this solo is amazing

Thank you for your work on translating Kamachi Kazuma's and Kawakami Minoru's novels! I really enjoyed both their works so to see all the translations being worked on by the same translators only boosts my appreciation [[User:Acolyte|Acolyte]] ([[User talk:Acolyte|talk]]) 18:05, 19 July 2014 (CDT)
==Monogatari Series==

I just wanted to let you know that I'm going to do some heavy formatting changes to the Monogatari Series such as the formatting links. So use the new formatting style from now on. If you have any questions you can pm me here or the forums.
For example: (::**[ [ Monogatari Series:Bakemonogatari Volume2/Nadeko Snake 001|001 ] ]) --[[User:Hiro Hayase|Hiro Hayase]] 18:19, 21 March 2012 (CDT)

Update: The major formatting changes are done. Everything's back to usual now. --[[User:Hiro Hayase|Hiro Hayase]] 12:01, 22 March 2012 (CDT)

I'm wandering if you have any plans on resuming translations of Bakemonogatari or will you start working on a new project or just take it easy till new Index volume? [[User:SXIII|SXIII]] ([[User talk:SXIII|talk]]) 16:29, 1 May 2013 (CDT)

I've lost interest in the Monogatari series at least for the moment, so I'll be starting on some new project before long. [[User:Js06|Js06]] ([[User talk:Js06#top|talk]]) 18:03, 1 May 2013 (CDT)

== Side Stories ==

Hello Js06, Thanks for getting around to and translating "A Certain Prophecy Index" side story. I was looking through some of Haimura Kiyotaka's official artwork and I could be wrong but I spotted an image that looks like its part of another side story (http://railgun0aria.pixnet.net/album/photo/142464681). Tried to find more about it with little luck, was hoping you tell whether it's part of a story or just an illustration. Thanks for everything you're the best!
--[[User:Nonus|Nonus]] 10:50, 31 January 2013 (EDT)

I just wanted to thank you for your work on heavy object. To be honest, I like it more than the index series because it seems to be focused on one directions, whereas index has tons and tons. --[[User:Catchfraze|Catchfraze]] 11:28, 20 June 2012 (CDT)

== Heavy Object Vietnamese Translation ==

Hi, Js06.

I'm Gingi from [http://vnsharing.net/forum/ Vnsharing.net]. Would you mind if I translate Heavy Object into Vietnamese based on your translation? Thank you for translating such a great novel and look forward to your reply. [[User:Gingi|Gingi]] 20:24, 15 April 2012 (CDT)

== Ore No Imouto ==

Hi there. I'm translating Ore no Imouto vol 4 chapter 1. Is there by any chance that you got the Japanese version of this volume available ? My source is a chinese's translation, so lots of word/sentense is lost

---

Hi Js06, I hope that's not a problem that I made the full text page for OreImo Vol 3 because in the Registration chapter is is not "Complete". -- [[User:Simon|<span style="color:darkred;font:bold 10pt kristen itc">Sim</span>]][[User talk:Simon|<span style="color:darkblack;font:bold 10pt kristen itc">on</span>]] 10:34, 8 December 2012 (CST)

=== Still interested in working on this? ===

Hey Js06, this is kinda a follow-up from the message above. Long story short, [[Ore_no_Imōto_ga_Konna_ni_Kawaii_Wake_ga_Nai:Volume_3_Chapter_4]] was completed a while ago, but only because an anon IP copy-pasted from NanoDesu's translations, which he reverted just a bit earlier. At the moment it's incomplete again, so I was wondering if you were still interested in finishing it, since your name is still registered for that chapter. -[[User:AKAAkira|Akira]] ([[User talk:AKAAkira|talk]]) 03:50, 23 April 2014 (CDT)

== Kakine's "mukatsuita" ==

Hello Js06! :)

I'm [mailto:dorothy@marheavenj.net Dorothy], nice to meet you!
I'm sorry to bother (and forgive me for my bad English), I'm writing because I have a question about Kakine Teitoku (from Toaru Majutsu no Index vol.15)'s phrase...
I was updating a site I dedicated to [http://www.marheavenj.net/mischievous/ him] and writing his profile, I found a difficult...
The phrase is ムカついたかよ、チンピラ , so, could "mukatsuita" be intended as "you pissed me off"? I always found it translated as "that hurt", but isn't it more like "You offended me" that "you pissed me off?"? I'm confused about it... and I'm not an expert of Japanese, so I prefered to ask to you! >_< Thank you so much for your job, you really are a manna from heaven!! :) 1:22, 08 June, 2012.

You are correct. ムカついた is the past tense of the verb ムカつく which (in common usage) means "to be irritated" or "to be pissed off". - [[User:Js06|Js06]] 19:34, 7 June 2012 (CDT)

== Heavy Object ==

Hi Js06, thanks for your translation of Heavy Object. For volume 3 chapter 2, someone changed the value of the distance to the UAV from 1900m to 2900m, so I would like to ask if you can double check if the new value is the correct value. Thank you. :D [[User:Zakashi|Zakashi]] 04:44, 22 July 2012 (CDT)

Thanks for the heads up. This was my mistake, though. The text clearly says 2900. I must have either misread it or mistyped it. [[User:Js06|Js06]] 13:25, 22 July 2012 (CDT)

Hello. I guess it's about time, the progress has has reached that far, so... Would you like me to create a Heavy Object Nav template like I have for many other projects? (The links are available on my User page). [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 21:54, 23 August 2012 (CDT)

You can if you want, but it honestly doesn't matter that much to me. [[User:Js06|Js06]] ([[User talk:Js06#top|talk]]) 20:20, 24 August 2012 (CDT)

I've implemented the [[Template:HEAVYOBJECT Nav|new nav template]] and optimized your text for the web (thus reducing total size of the pages). Now with the new template the navigation has levelled up (it'll be much smoother now) and with the removal of all that waste space the pages will load much faster. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 13:08, 5 September 2012 (CDT)

Hey Js06. I have a request. Can I change the formatting of the "(whisper/mutter)" to <span style="color:DimGray">"whisper/mutter"</span> or <span style="color:DarkSlateGray">"whisper/mutter"</span>. The format is better that way since the DimGray or DarkSlateGray color gives the feeling that the person is speaking in a low voice as compared to the normal black color. Plus, brackets inside speech marks is somehow wierd. So, can I? [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 09:57, 19 September 2012 (CDT)

If you like. I'm just copying the format Kamachi uses. [[User:Js06|Js06]] ([[User talk:Js06#top|talk]]) 16:34, 19 September 2012 (CDT)

If that's the format Kamachi uses, I'd recommend it not be changed. --[[User:Pryun|Pryun]] - [[User_talk:Pryun|Talk]] 17:44, 19 September 2012 (CDT)

Yeah but english never puts brackets in speech marks. Normally they <small>smallify</small> the text but the readers don't like it when I try that, so I thought this would be the next best thing. Don't you agree? [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 20:52, 19 September 2012 (CDT)

Another option would be to use a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Font_family_%28HTML%29#Generic_fonts different font] but there is no guarantee that everyone will have that font, unless it's a default font installed with the OS. Dulling the color is the best option. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 22:15, 19 September 2012 (CDT)

The best option is respecting the choices made by Js06 himself, which he chose to follow author's format. And thank you very much Js06, for your great contributions towards B-T. -- [[User:BeginnerXP|BeginnerXP]] ([[User_talk:BeginnerXP|Talk]]) 01:51, 20 September 2012 (CDT)

First let him decide, please. If he wants it to stay as is then that's fine. I will respect his wishes. BTW, if you two (Pryun and BeginnerXP) are interested in Heavy Object then help out by translating. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 02:52, 20 September 2012 (CDT)

Besides I thought the following of the author's format was only for em-dashes(—). I don't think we need to completely go overboard for everything. Please don't do that. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 02:59, 20 September 2012 (CDT)

The Japanese don't often put brackets in speech marks either, and I've yet to read books which smallify text(unless you can give me an example?). Actually, I'll probably write to the publisher scolding them for spoiling my eyes if they did, and not ever buy books published by them ever again. Though I'm interested in reading it, I don't even have time to do so at the moment, so asking for translations is...... --[[User:Pryun|Pryun]] - [[User_talk:Pryun|Talk]] 05:05, 20 September 2012 (CDT)

Just my personal opinion here as a reader, I think the current format the translator uses is good enough, I think that most readers can easily get the context of the speech being thought, whispers etc. from inferring or the context has already been mentioned in the text. [[User:Zakashi|Zakashi]] ([[User talk:Zakashi|talk]]) 05:16, 20 September 2012 (CDT)

No actually, I've read it and there are parts where there is no mention that it is going to be a whisper/mutter except for the brackets. But Js06 is the one to decide, since he's the one translating it. If he has no problem with it then it's fine. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 07:22, 20 September 2012 (CDT)

Js i'm just letting you know that I will be undoing most of the changes that Zero has implemented such as muttering/whisper's into gray and etc. since there seems to be a consensus among the fans for the English translations to match kamachi's style in the Japanese version. -[[User:Hiro Hayase|Hiro Hayase]] ([[User talk:Hiro Hayase|talk]]) 13:52, 20 January 2013 (CST)

Changes are done. Anything else that needs to be done? --[[User:Hiro Hayase|Hiro Hayase]] ([[User talk:Hiro Hayase|talk]]) 01:33, 22 January 2013 (CST)

While I think the coloring are nice, sometimes they don't get transferred well to Android/Kindle, and it does other times, so I'm all for easier reading on non-PC devices~ --[[User:Acolyte|Acolyte]] ([[User talk:Acolyte|talk]])

Hi Js06, in Volume 8 you used Frolaytia instead of Froleytia? Which is your actual preferred spelling? [[User:Acolyte|Acolyte]] ([[User talk:Acolyte|talk]]) 14:59, 23 July 2014 (CDT)

Frolaytia is the spelling Kamachi used, so it would be the correct spelling. -[[User:Js06|Js06]] ([[User talk:Js06#top|talk]]) 18:32, 23 July 2014 (CDT)

Got it, shall I change all volumes to use Frolaytia for you? [[User:Acolyte|Acolyte]] ([[User talk:Acolyte|talk]]) 19:04, 23 July 2014 (CDT)

== Toaru Index==

Hey, I'll be editing your re-translation of volume one soon. Would you please send an email to dizlim(at)gmail.com? I'll be sending over my finished volume edit in a word document. -[[User:Skies|Skies]] 8/12/2012

Need help. I've already watch the anime for index until season 2. and now i want to continue reading the light novel but i don't know what volume i have to continue the story (since i don't read the light novel from the start,i just wanna continue reading the story from the ending of second volume). Please help me what volume i have to read to continue the story from the end of season 2,sent the answer to my mail (adamsyn_victor@yahoo.co.id) thanks a lot. Regards :) -Kazuyagami Mar 8,2013

== Misaka 10032 in SS2 ==

I noticed the speech pattern is not the same as other Sisters, is this intentional? By that, I meant the quotation mark before and after <"..." says Misaka as ...> is not present. [[User:Undesco|undesco]] ([[User talk:Undesco|talk]]) 12:24, 15 September 2012 (CDT)

== The Circumstances Leading to Waltraute's Marriage ==

Thank you for picking up this LN. I read the first chaper and it was very good. I'm looking forward to your updates :) Thanks again! :) Do you continue to translate TCLTWM?

Yes, I will continue translating it (along with Heavy Object and Zashiki Warashi) once I finish translating the latest Index novel. [[User:Js06|Js06]] ([[User talk:Js06#top|talk]]) 10:03, 17 October 2012 (CDT)

Awesome, thanks a lot! :-) --[[User:MK13|MK13]] ([[User talk:MK13|talk]]) 02:18, 19 October 2012 (CDT)

The story's becoming more interesting hope to see more future updates :)

Thanks for translating this LN, I'm enjoying the first chapter. How is the novel progressing in Japan? I mean is it ongoing or is it a oneshot deal? And are you planning on continuing with updates? cause I see it hasn't been updated in a while. Thanks --[[User:Mufarasu|Mufarasu]] ([[User talk:Mufarasu|talk]]) 02:27, 2 January 2013 (CST)

Do you intend to continue with this after NT6 ? [[User:trung-t-rung|trung-t-rung]]

Yes. My plan is to continue it after finishing NT6 and Heavy Object 6. [[User:Js06|Js06]] ([[User talk:Js06#top|talk]]) 09:35, 19 January 2013 (CST)

Thanks for the translations of Kamachi-sensei's works! His new works only make me like the author even more. (And of course, our translator~) --[[User:Acolyte|Acolyte]] ([[User talk:Acolyte|talk]])

Thanks for the update ^_^ few things i wanted to discuss. first was in part3 when wal was talking with frigg and frey... definitely there is a problem with wal proclaiming she can go forever without doing anything indecent but did you guys notice this implies she (ha very casual about it to) plans on being with him "forever" awww waltraute is so adorable XD next problem is part7 seven when loki says “Ha ha ha. Sorry, but your skill is useless against a male god.” with no specifics. RIGHT THERE! RIGHT THERE I'VE DECIDED TO IGNORE ALL YOUR OPINIONS!! definitely means the boy has a mysterious charm about him that affects the female gods. hence with loki's proclamation he can not deny the fact he noticed the boys "skill" (charm) and thus IT HAD A SIGHT AFFECT ON LOKI, HE DEFINITELY SWINGS THAT WAY... ALL YOUR OPINIONS HAVE BEEN IGNORED. btw, favorite part though “You also shaved a goddess?” [[User:Keisanichi|Keisanichi]] ([[User talk:Keisanichi|talk]]) 21:33, 8 February 2013 (CST)

hey! if i may be so bold as to ask....is this light novel oneshot or is there another comming?
:The afterword seems to hint that it's a series, but if you look at all of his not-Toaru series, the rate is aprox. 1 volume a year, so it won't be until half a year from now that we'd known the answer. --[[User:Kemm|Kemm]] ([[User talk:Kemm|talk]]) 14:44, 7 May 2013 (CDT)

== A question ==

hi Js06

after of several months of studyng japanese finally i wanna buy a light novel, but i don't know if my kanji knowledge is enought like to read a index light novel (actually i only know more or less of 1300 kanji) so my question is, what is the aproximate number of kanji necessaries to understand the average light novel?
i hope what with your experience you can tell me a proximity.
also i like to give you all my gratefulness for you excellent work at the novel who gave me the motivation to study japanese.

Unfortunately, I have no idea what to tell you. Due to the way I learned Japanese, # of kanji known means nothing to me. I couldn't tell you how many I know or how many you need to know for a LN. You say you have been studying Japanese for several months, so my guess is you are not ready. It took me several years to be proficient enough to read a LN comfortably. Still, the only way to know for sure is to get one and try reading it, so I would suggest starting with one and seeing how well you do. [[User:Js06|Js06]] ([[User talk:Js06#top|talk]]) 11:26, 16 February 2013 (CST)

Sorry for posting on an older section, but curiosity got the better of me - how ''did'' you learn Japanese? -[[User:AKAAkira|Akira]] ([[User talk:AKAAkira|talk]]) 03:37, 23 May 2013 (CDT)

I'm self taught from various sources on the internet combined with years of practice. -[[User:Js06|Js06]] ([[User talk:Js06#top|talk]]) 12:16, 23 May 2013 (CDT)

Do you know what "話の分かるやつで助かる" would mean? I have to translate a modified version of that saying, but I can't manage to make something useful from that (BTW the version I have to translate changes "yatsu" for "oppai", if that helps you to propose an equivalent english saying). Thanks in advance.--[[User:Kemm|Kemm]] ([[User talk:Kemm|talk]]) 10:46, 4 May 2014 (CDT)
:Don't mind, I think I've understood what it meant. Still, it would be good if you looked at it. Thanks again.--[[User:Kemm|Kemm]] ([[User talk:Kemm|talk]]) 14:24, 4 May 2014 (CDT)

== Ichiban Ushiro no Daimaou ==

Hi, Js06. I was wondering if you needed people for editing or proofreading Ichiban Ushiro no Daimaou. If you wanted, I could assist in those regards. [[User:Kory|<span style="color:Green;font:normal 10pt Papyrus, fantasy">Kory</span>]] 12:57, 5 May 2013 (CDT)
<br />
Thanks for translating daimao!!

I would also like to offer my help if you need it for editing Ichiban Ushiro no Daimaou. I like the series; I just would like to thank you and I hope that you keep up the hard work! [[User: rewqas|rewqas]]

I use the double quotes normally, but I use the single quotes when inside dialogue to avoid confusion with the double quotes around the dialogue. [[User:Js06|Js06]] ([[User talk:Js06#top|talk]]) 11:57, 26 May 2013 (CDT)

Can I ask if its okay to organize the chapters to 4 parts? that way the edits can be much more organize than going down an entire four-part chapter.
[[User:Koakuma|Koakuma]] ([[User talk:Koakuma|talk]]) 03:26, 30 May 2013 (CDT)

If you want. I'm not picky about the organization method. I will continue posting the chapters the way it is in the novel, but I don't mind if you organize it into parts afterwards. [[User:Js06|Js06]] ([[User talk:Js06#top|talk]]) 09:31, 30 May 2013 (CDT)

===Thought Dialogue===
For Ichiban Ushiro no Daimaou, I noticed there were a lot of hyphens before internal thought dialogues. I was kind of wondering if they were necessary - I thought they might be something that the Japanese text used to mark internal speech, but since in English italics (and sometimes single-quotes) are sufficient, I was wondering if you think it'd make a difference if I deleted them. -[[User:AKAAkira|Akira]] ([[User talk:AKAAkira|talk]]) 03:29, 23 May 2013 (CDT)

The original text uses the hyphens and I like to preserve the style of the original author as much as is possible without being too awkward in English. Personally, I see no real reason to remove the hyphens. [[User:Js06|Js06]] ([[User talk:Js06#top|talk]]) 12:16, 23 May 2013 (CDT)

== Seivelun sisters' paired language quirks (とある): ==

Humbly requesting your input on [[Talk:Toaru_Majutsu_no_Index#Seivelun_sisters.27_paired_language_quirks:|this]]. -[[User:Multipartite|Multipartite]] ([[User talk:Multipartite|talk]]) 02:19, 4 June 2013 (CDT)

== GOD DAMN MAN, WHAT DONT YOU TRANSLATE AND WHERE DO YOU FIND THE TIME!? ==

I already know you translate all the new volumes of Toaru in about a week of their release, and that in the past 2 months you translated 4 volumes of Daimaou and 1 volume of Owari no Chronicle
And now I find out that you are part of a bunch of Scanlation teams and Translated a bunch of Needless yourself!?
If your not the God of Translation, then no one is.
P.S I think I love you
--[[User:Godoffire|Godoffire]] ([[User talk:Godoffire|talk]]) 23:16, 12 July 2013 (CDT)

He translate what he thinks is an amazing read, which he update in mach speed and that why he is MORE EPIC THAN EPIC ITSELF.
the english language should replace epic with Js06. for ex. "That movie is epic!" ---> "That movie is Js06." you dont need to put a '!' cuz Js06 is already epic!. Just keep doing what you doing if you improved we might not have a word to describe how epic you are :3. --[[User:SirEatALot|SirEatALot]] ([[User talk:SirEatALot|talk]]) 05:05, 18 July 2013 (CDT)

SirEatALot, I like what you said: "This movie is Js06". hahaha... But seriously, man. You probably translate at a speed faster than I read a chapter. That's beyond impressive. XD. Thank you very much for the hard work you're putting in, bro. We really appreciate it. God bless you!

After looking at this hero's contribution history, I have absolutely no choice but to agree. Are you really just one person, or a group of hardcore translators? Truly, utterly amazing, this speed is. You are not human. Thank you for putting in so much effort!!

== REQUEST TO TRANSLATE ==
=== HAGURE YUUSHA NO ESTHETICA ===
heyY dude, I know it is bad to ask u to translate another novel since u translatge so much in a so short time and continues to do so while I do nothing such. However I love the novel pretty much and the anime was awesome. If u do have the time then pls translate this series. There is already a teaser page to this series.I and the followers shall appreciate it a lot.
--[[User:Thelastone|Thelastone]] ([[User talk:Thelastone|talk]]) 17:58, 20 July 2013 (CDT)

I would also join this claim if it weren't because right now I'm more interested in reading Owari no Chronicle and Ichiban Ushiro no Daimaou, but it would be great if you considered it after you finish one of them.--[[User:Kemm|Kemm]] ([[User talk:Kemm|talk]]) 08:37, 20 July 2013 (CDT)

As much as I hate to ask, I am joining them We need more protags that can stand up and be manly, also I'm an RPG Nut and love the idea of beating a Alternate Reality(What I consider games to be) and getting to keep the powers in the real world --[[User:Godoffire|Godoffire]] ([[User talk:Godoffire|talk]]) 18:56, 24 July 2013 (CDT)

Nope, don't do this. It's boring and cliched to the point of stupidity. I actually hope that Owari is just the first step for the awesome Js06 on the road to the Horizon translation. Especially since it's pretty much officially dead now and the previous translation is often kinda weird.

Uuuggh i think that he has enough maou with ichiban man (i hope). i would rather read tasogare anytime than another maou mc novel because of too much of it in BT. i also think he would stop at owari but who knows (i prefer if he doesn't thou)? But if you are looking for another project please do keep in mind mahou sensou or 俺がヒロインを助けすぎて世界がリトル黙示録!?. i really like the synopsis of those two books. U should try reading it first and if you like it i do hope you tln it if you want. i feel so ashamed but for the sake of interesting novels i have to be thick faced. I do hope you excuse my discourtesy OTL. --[[User:SirEatALot|SirEatALot]] ([[User talk:SirEatALot|talk]]) 04:31, 31 July 2013 (CDT)
==='''Hyouketsu Kyoukai No Eden'''===

js06 if you consider take project again after you completed maoh can you give try and some love translate Hyouketsu Kyoukai no Eden(current translator Mia) ,which already completed in Japan and you can translate in your own pace,and about novel all can say it suit your taste because you tl owari,horizon ican't say similiar story but it best you take look and decided yourself of course if you consider take project again thanks.
[[User:Yasew|Yasew]] ([[User talk:Yasew|talk]]) 22:38, 2 May 2014 (CDT)
@Yasew FYI Mizuho/sinemerald is continuing translation on Eden again. The other LNs by Sazane Kei're still untranslated though o.o [[User:Acolyte|Acolyte]] ([[User talk:Acolyte|talk]]) 18:07, 19 July 2014 (CDT)

===Strike The Blood===

First of all, i want to say thank you for all the of your translation so far on kyoukai, owari, to aru series, and ichiban...its very good...
especially on kawakami novel, thanks alot for taking it...now, on the main point. if you ever taking a new project can you consider taking this, it has the same atmosphere as to aru and i think it would fit your taste, since it is similar to icbiban...thanks.

=== PAPA NO IUKOTO O KIKINASAI! ===

First of all, I would like to thank you for a doing a marvelous job with the Index series as I believe it must be a tedious process to translate a series of that caliber. On behalf of countless Index fans, you have my heartfelt appreciation.

I would like to make a humble request to ask you if you could take up this series as it has been idle for a very long time and your work with the translation of the Index series is the best I've seen so if it is not too much, could you please look into the series?
If you are in need of editors, a friend and I, among many others, are willing to offer our wholehearted cooperation.
I believe this series has all the components of a masterpiece. It is a good read and is also a pretty popular series as seen in a poll in a thread in the Baka-Tsuki forums titled "Papa No Iukoto O Kikinasai!"
https://www.baka-tsuki.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=44&t=4785&p=253143&hilit=papa#p253143

So, I hope that, if time permits, you could consider my request to bring this project back to life!
Thanks in advance and I wish you the best of luck for your future projects!
Best Regards,
[[User:Satoshi_Rentaro|Satoshi Rentaro]]

This is a beautiful series sand it would be a shame if such a series went unnoticed so I hope you would consider taking up this up!!

My heartfelt thanks as an Index fan as well and as [[User:Satoshi_Rentaro|Satoshi Rentaro]] requested I too would like to add to this and humbly request for the translation of this project. It's a beautiful, heartwarming story and it would be really great if this project was picked up and done again. I would be more than willing to help as an edit. So please consider the request for this translation.Please consider this humble request of ours and reply to us.
I really hope you consider taking this project up and good luck with future projects!
[[User:Yuuta|Yuuta]] 13:54 , 9th April 2015 (IST)

== Regarding Keywords in Index Volumes 9 & 10: 天文台 or Belvedere ==

Hello Js06. I have noticed that the current translations of Index Volumes 9 & 10 have the keywords of the arc literally translated instead of the part that is spoken. i.e. The base kanji is translated instead of the kana at the top. e.g. 追跡封じ is translated as 'tracking sealer' but is spoken as Route Disturb. This also goes for Shorthand and Croce di Pietro. I will go and fix these in my own time.
It is easy to find these literally translated terms as they have 'apostrophes' around them.

In the Volume 10 translation, in certain situations the word 'observatory' has apostrophes around it as well. Also, Index II episode 12 has the title 天文台, translated as 'astronomical observatory' but spoken as Belvedere. If you happen to have a copy, can you tell me if the word Belvedere is used in Volume 10 anywhere instead of observatory? It could explain why the word observatory has apostrophes around it. Or is the title an anime-only thing, with the apostrophes in text only there as an emphasis that the word is being used to describe something specific to the magic ritual.--[[User:OH&S|OH&S]] ([[User talk:OH&S|talk]]) 01:21, 5 August 2013 (CDT)

The original novel only uses 天文台 with no furigana. [[User:Js06|Js06]] ([[User talk:Js06#top|talk]]) 11:39, 5 August 2013 (CDT)

Hm... so it was an anime-only thing? Thanks for the clarification. Also, is there any better place to bring up any translation queries with you other than your talk page?--[[User:OH&S|OH&S]] ([[User talk:OH&S|talk]]) 21:30, 5 August 2013 (CDT)

== New Testament Volume 8 Preview ==

Dengeki has put up a 55 page preview of volume on their Toaru Summer campaign site. Mind doing something with it here? [http://dc-trial.dengeki.com/toaru/1308toaru_index8/?page=2] Thanks. [[Special:Contributions/108.208.102.9|108.208.102.9]] 08:14, 26 August 2013 (CDT)

: Couple questions regarding this sentence in the preview: ''Normally, Mikoto might have used her control over massive amounts of magnetism to rip the entire bunch up into the air and shout “Ventura, Ventura!!” while launching it high into the sky.''

: Is the phrase "entire bunch" correct? Given the context, it sounded like it was supposed to be "entire bench".

: And "Ventura, Ventura". I'm wondering if the original Japanese could also be read, "Bentora, Bentora". Using Google for the latter gets results, as it's part of some Japanese phrase related to UFOs. [[Special:Contributions/108.208.102.9|108.208.102.9]] 20:15, 27 August 2013 (CDT)

"Ventura, Ventura" or "Bentora, Bentora" is an Urusei Yatsura reference and it can be written either way. [[User:Js06|Js06]] ([[User talk:Js06#top|talk]]) 21:04, 27 August 2013 (CDT)

== Consultation on Fixing Non-js06-Translated Index Volumes ==

Hello again js06. I was looking at the earlier Index Volumes (1-13,SS1) and I have found that they are not up to scratch to what one would expect of a light novel translation (obviously not including your translations). A lot of the terms have been translated literally like in my above topic. There is little consistency in the terms used. Worst of all there are plenty of sentences throughout the volumes which are entirely capitalised. I am planning on starting from Volume 1 and try and fix things (including incorrect terminology and capitalised sentences) sometime later in the year. However, I do not actually have a physical copy of the earlier volumes so I have to rely on other methods of checking the original japanese (Manga Raws, Anime and Kanji on the Index Wikia).

I have found that the '''Toaru Majutsu no Index no Subete Glossary''' is a good reference for translation. However, aside from the already translated and modified version on the wiki, I dont have access to the original scans so I can double check the translations and see which parts have been modified or reinterpreted by the wiki. '''Do you happen to have a link to these scans?''' (There was a statement on the page that you were the one who translated it.)

Lastly, I will inevitably run into problems when fixing up the translations and will require a more experienced translator with an actual copy to answer some more volume-specific questions (like the Belvedere issue above). '''Is it possible to consult you? If so, where would the best place to consult you be?''' Since I may build up a lot of small volume-specific questions, this talk page may not be ideal. '''Is there a better way of sending you questions on this matter?'''

If this is all too much of a hassle, please let me know. But the glossary scans would be incredibly helpful.--[[User:OH&S|OH&S]] ([[User talk:OH&S|talk]]) 06:59, 1 September 2013 (CDT)

You can email any questions for me to 60sjs06 at gmail. [[User:Js06|Js06]] ([[User talk:Js06#top|talk]]) 21:37, 2 September 2013 (CDT)

'''''I've sent you the questions for volumes 1 and 2 to your gmail as suggested. I know that you will be busy for a while with translating other franchise related material (Accel Ch 1, Rail Ch 6?, NT Vol 09, Necessarius SS part 6), but I hope that you could at least put it on your agenda.'''''--[[User:OH&S|OH&S]] ([[User talk:OH&S|talk]]) 00:18, 26 December 2013 (CST)

== Thanks for Ichiban Ushiro no Daimaou! ==

Js06, thank you so much for translating daimaou! i deeply appreciate it! btw, how many chapters can you do per month? i just can't... wait... to continue reading ! and lastly, i encourage you to keep doing your best, because many readers will be so happy! THUMBS UP! (i still can't create an account in this site for now because of my i.p. adrress, but i surely will) XD

== Horizon ==

First of all: thanks for your great wirk. Secondly: Good work with the finding of the correct writing for most of the historical figures. Sadly, I see that you repeatedly write the Tres Españian siblings [first] surname as "Valdes", while the correct writing would have been either "Valdez" or "Valdés" ("Valdés" in this case, since the historical figure they are named after is an official from the Armada Invencible whose name is recorded as "Pedro de Valdés").--[[User:Kemm|Kemm]] ([[User talk:Kemm|talk]]) 05:23, 6 October 2013 (CDT)

Thanks for picking up Horizon 2A/3A, just want to let you know that your work is very much appreciated!

I've seen San Mercado's Japanese rendition translated as "Pure Metropolis". 大市 can mean either "big city" (metrópolis) or "big market". Given that 1)it's a brand and 2)"mercado" means "market", I'd say it should be translated as something like "big market", "central market", or even "supermarket". Translated into English from current Spanish it means "Saint Market", but in ancient Spanish "San Mercado" or "Santo Mercado" was closer in meaning to "Sacred Market". My dictionary gives me 清らか as "clean, pure, chaste". Looking at English synonyms, personally I'd translate 清らか大市 as "virtuous market", "unblemished mart" or something of the like.--~~

Yes, 市 certainly means "market" in this case. As for 清らか, "unblemished" or "pure" would be closest to the meaning of the Japanese word. --[[User:Js06|Js06]] ([[User talk:Js06#top|talk]]) 23:05, 14 December 2013 (CST)

First of all...thx for the great work on horizon...i just meaning to ask something...on 3-A chapter 11 there is handle name named worshipper, just curious, whose handle name is that, since i couldnt find it in wiki and translate it to jap dont seem to reveal whose handle name it is...thx

That would be Ohiroshiki. It comes from the fact that he claims to worship life/youth. [[User:Js06|Js06]] ([[User talk:Js06#top|talk]]) 18:52, 25 December 2013 (CST)

Just a question. You translate Hexagone Française's word for gods of war as ''Lourd de Marionette'', but taking into account that ''Marionette'' is feminine and automatons are ''Belle de Marionette'', shouldn't it be ''Lourde de Marionette''? I don't have access to the original text, but it should be easy to ascertain from there since ''lourd'' would be ルール, while ''lourde'' would be ルールド, or something like that (last "d" is silent unless a silent "e" is added).--[[User:Kemm|Kemm]] ([[User talk:Kemm|talk]]) 06:06, 29 September 2014 (CDT)

The original text uses ルール. -[[User:Js06|Js06]] ([[User talk:Js06#top|talk]]) 12:45, 29 September 2014 (CDT)

I really find it strange that after such a seemingly deep investigation he made a mistake like that; but if we take into account that the "de" on both names,as far as I know, shouldn't be there... Well, I that's what it says, then that's what it says. Thanks.--[[User:Kemm|Kemm]] ([[User talk:Kemm|talk]]) 13:21, 29 September 2014 (CDT)

It's me once again. According to my dictionary, 男らしい means also "manly, masculine", which goes well with Nenji's personality (and I think that that was how it has been translated until now).--[[User:Kemm|Kemm]] ([[User talk:Kemm|talk]]) 06:00, 5 November 2014 (CST)

You're right. That's what it means. -[[User:Js06|Js06]] ([[User talk:Js06#top|talk]]) 22:49, 6 November 2014 (CST)

I was looking and noticed that this ln releases on mangaupdates were out of date so i actualized it is ok to you i mantain the up to date there?

Requesting full text page for the completed horizon volume --nyaa~ 23:48, 25 April 2015 (CDT)

I have been wondering for a long time about Ohiroshiki's introduction. Who's Heart-sama? After finally deciding to search it, I got [http://hokuto.wikia.com/wiki/Heart this] (for some reason, real world people tend to attach "-sama" when mentioning that character).--[[User:Kemm|Kemm]] ([[User talk:Kemm|talk]])

:Since I'm at it, does the "fifty times" in Gin's introduction have anything to do with this passage from 2-B?:
“Th-there was blood!?”
“Yes.” Futayo lowered her head a little. “I am sorry to have to tell you this, but I stabbed into him several dozen times at the end.”
“What? S-so you were not the one being ‘stabbed into’!?”
“Judge. I was the one doing it. I believe the exact number was around fifty. Muneshige-dono did well to protect his most vital parts.”
Gin almost fell to her knees.
…Wh-when Master Muneshige wakes up, I must erase these terrible memories!!
'''After carving the number fifty into her heart''', she corrected her stance and spoke.
“I will make up for my husband’s disgrace!”
:--[[User:Kemm|Kemm]] ([[User talk:Kemm|talk]])

Thanks for translating Horizon, because of them, I can know how the story continues after the armada battle, I get to see (well read) about the other armor of deadly sins, and know what the apocalypse really is so keep up the good work. --[[User:Fly2555|Fly2555]] ([[User talk:Fly2555|talk]]) 01:12, 20 October 2015 (UTC)

Hi Js06, sorry disturb.. I would like ask for permission this translate to my league region, but you shouldn't forces answer haha, okay good job for your work. --[[User:Isko|Isko]] ([[User talk:Isko|talk]]) 01:58, 3 May 2016 (UTC)

==Heavy Object Vol 7==
Hello JS, thx a lot for all of your hard work, I was wondering when will you finish translating Heavy Object Vol7 please? and is there's a vol8 after it?
Thx a lot for reading.

== Appreciation + Monogatari ==

Hi! Just wanted to let you know I really appreciate you translating Index and bringing me into the world of Light Novels. I even got some friends into LNs thanks to you. I've been following the Index LNs since NT3 and would daily check for your translations after a new novel gets released. It seems like there aren't any LN translators as quick and high quality as you so it makes me realize how lucky I am to be a huge index fan, I will honestly be depressed for a long time the day you stop translating the series (well, lets hope the series ends before that). I'm also starting to check out your other work too. So yeah, I really really appreciate it and hope you keep up the great work. Thank you!

On a side note: Monogatari Second Season ended recently and made me (and I'm sure many others) hungry for more. It seems like you lost interest in the series 9 months ago, and I don't blame you as I also lost interest in the series until I decided to marathon Second Season after it ended. It definitely blew my expectations away, so if you haven't already seen it I suggest you do as I'm sure you'll also love it. If you have already seen it, and you ever do feel like continuing to translate the LNs, would you please start translating from Final Season? Since there are only 4 novels to translate as opposed to 13, with 9 having been adapted into anime and would make your work load a lot smaller.

Anyway, thanks for taking the time to read this. I hope I could encourage you to keep on translating LNs if even a tiny bit longer. - 5:37, 28 January 2014 (MST)

== A couple questions regarding the term "The World" used in Toaru Majutsu no Index: New Testament - Volume 9 ==

First of all js06, I just wanted to say thanks for going through all the work in translating the Toaru series (and many others) for us railgun/index fans who aren't very proficient in japanese. Now, as for the topic.... Myself and a few people I know have gotten into a little debate about how strong Othiinus really is. Some think her power to add filters is limited to the earth alone, while others think that she can effect the whole universe. To get to the point, I was a bit curious as to exactly what word was used to when the novel said that the world had ended, an exact example being this snippet from Othinus, ('''"Othinus shrugged. “Listen. The world has ended. It does not matter how. It is gone.'''")....I know that Japanese can be kind of wonkey and words can have multiple meanings, for instance, "hoshi" can mean both star and planet. So, throughout the novel what Kanji was used to refer to "the world" being destroyed, and in your opinion, what meaning did that kanji have in the context of the novel (basically, was it referring to "earth" or the "universe" when Othinus destroyed and recreated the world). Thanks in advance, and sorry for such an odd question.

She uses the word 世界(sekai) which is just as ambiguous as the English word "world". It can refer to the planet or the universe. Based on context, the meaning of universe is most likely, though. [[User:Js06|Js06]] ([[User talk:Js06#top|talk]]) 10:49, 8 February 2014 (CST)

--

Thanks for the reply Js06. And, I thought that was the case, but wanted to make sure.

== Thanks ==

I thought Itd be a good idea to have a dedicated thanks topic to avoid clutter so yeah
I'd like to thank you again for your dedicated efforts to bring us more amazing series <3--[[User:Godoffire|Godoffire]] ([[User talk:Godoffire|talk]]) 20:03, 19 February 2014 (CST)

== Road to endymion ==

Will you translate A certain magical index: road to endymion? It seems like there're 2 books released. This one follows the movie so it's propably not a priority. And plz don't confuse this one with special edition novel released with dvd.

==Zashiki Warashi of Intellectual Village==
I'm assuming you know because the project page has been updated with the new ISBN but just want to reinform that v4 of Zashiki Warashi is out. [[User:Acolyte|Acolyte]] ([[User talk:Acolyte|talk]]) 16:36, 22 July 2014 (CDT)

Volume 3 Chapter ? part 33 ends with "as they fell right onto our". It seemed like something was missing (ie "our heads."), though I suppose there's a chance it was intentionally cut off like that. --[[User:Cthaeh|Cthaeh]] ([[User talk:Cthaeh|talk]]) 19:10, 21 August 2014 (CDT)

The original novel cuts out mid-sentence there too. -[[User:Js06|Js06]] ([[User talk:Js06#top|talk]]) 22:28, 21 August 2014 (CDT)

In Intellectual Village volume 4 chapter 1 part 6, from context it seemed like "Shinobu" should be replaced with "Hayabusa" in the following line: "Please respond, Jinnai Shinobu-kun, the indecent boy who feels a slight throb of the heart when he hears the word ‘sister-in-law’." --[[User:Cthaeh|Cthaeh]] ([[User talk:Cthaeh|talk]]) 18:42, 17 November 2014 (CST)

== Index VS Drrr!! ==

Hey js06.

Do you plan on translating the Toaru Majutsu no Index VS Durarara!! Collaboration whose RAW was recently uploaded to the web?

--[[User:OH&S|OH&S]] ([[User talk:OH&S|talk]]) 01:27, 23 October 2014 (CDT)

== Blood Sign? ==

Did you decide to abandon Blood Sign? It's not on your list anymore... it looks interesting :/

Ummm. yeah I wanted to ask the same question.. did you drop Blood Sign.. It looks good [[User:RougeReader|RougeReader]] ([[User talk:RougeReader|talk]]) 07:06, 10 November 2014 (CST)

One more that wants to know. BTW thanks for starting woth the City series.--[[User:Kemm|Kemm]] ([[User talk:Kemm|talk]])

I did drop it. Sorry to everyone who wanted to read it, but it just didn't hold my interest. -[[User:Js06|Js06]] ([[User talk:Js06#top|talk]]) 19:05, 10 November 2014 (CST)
can you please put your name on the translators inactive on the list , so you dont give false hopes for who are waiting new releases.Ps. sorry for english and format here .

== Just Asking Another TAMNI Thing ==

Hi, Js. We are just another TAMNI translation group. And we deal with Bahasa. Right now, we're still in progress of NT Vol 3 and found out really ambiguous paragraph that confusing us down. Let's to the point.
That is TAMNI NT 3 Page 166th ː
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The motion was similar to typing on a keyboard, but it was as fast as an electric sewing machine. The repeated sound of her fingers striking the garden’s fence came together to form English words that sounded like someone accurately reading from a textbook.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
And the question is "How did Kuroyoru communicate?"
By using words or maybe sound wave?
My apologize if this question is so trivia. Though we will be waiting for your explanation.
Thanks before. --[[User:C.I.U|C.I.U]] ([[User talk:C.I.U|talk]])

== Permission for an Italian translation page for The Zashiki Warashi of Intellectual ==

Hy, I would like to translate Tsukumodo Antique Shop and Gekkou's novel in Italian in my blog and post also my tranlations on Baka-Tsuki but I'm not accustomed with baka tsuki, so my I ask you if you help me to make italian tranlation page and put my tranlation here? You may also send me an email: kirishima_zen@yahoo.it.
Here is my first translation [http://otakuyaoi.forumfree.it/?t=70734664 The Zashiki Warashi of Intellectual Village-Vol 1 Prologo]
I'v just requested permission [[Help_talk:Administration_Contact_Page#Request_for_externa_contributor_.28ETL.29_for_Italian_translations_few_novels|here]]
Thank you very much for your work^^
--[[User:Kirishima Zen|Kirishima Zen]] ([[User talk:Kirishima Zen|talk]]) 22:04, 4 May 2015 (CDT)

You can use my translation if you want. It doesn't matter to me. [[User:Js06|Js06]] ([[User talk:Js06#top|talk]]) 22:30, 5 May 2015 (CDT)
Thank you very much. May I Ask you if you please help me to make an Italian tranlation page for this project? I'm very Bad in editing so I tecnically dont know how to make --[[User:Kirishima Zen|Kirishima Zen]] ([[User talk:Kirishima Zen|talk]]) 01:12, 6 May 2015 (CDT)

== A Doubt ==
Hi, there, js06. I'm Aster. I translate Zashiki to spanish using your translation jap-eng.
The doubt is that in some places I use the volume raw, so in "PACKAGE_Console_System_Ver.010.56." you wrote “Effective_Area=“Goldmine_Island//Japan//The_World”. while in the raw says "“Effective_Area=“Rocket_Island//Japan//The_World”." Is because the way to read the name of Goldmine Island in Kanji? --[[User:Aster von Einzbern|Aster von Einzbern]] ([[User talk:Aster von Einzbern|talk]]) 13:07, 12 Jun 2015 (CDT)

== Small NT13 Questions ==

Hey js06, just two small questions:

1. World Reject'''e'''r or World Reject'''o'''r? My brain tells me the second one is more correct but how did you choose?

2. In Chapter 3 Part 13/14 when Misaka grabbed Kamijou's arm and made an exclamation, the dialogue translated doesn't match the accompanying dialogue with colour illustration of the same scene. Is there a difference between the colour illustration text and the light novel text for that scene?

--[[User:OH&S|OH&S]] ([[User talk:OH&S|talk]]) 14:28, 23 July 2015 (UTC)

== Clash of the Hexennacht editor ==

Hi js06, do you have an editor for Hexennacht already? If not then I would like to help out if you don't mind. Do you have any workflow requirements or something? --[[User:Quintasan|Quintasan]] ([[User talk:Quintasan|talk]]) 12:01, 8 October 2015 (UTC)

== Permission ==

Hi js06, I would like to translate your work [[http://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/index.php?title=The_Circumstances_Leading_to_Waltraute%27s_Marriage|The Circumstances Leading to Waltraute's Marriage]] and [[A_Simple_Survey|A Simple Survey]] into Vietnamese, is that okay? I promise to leave the credits properly :) [[User_talk:Hinaghiku]]

That's fine with me. -[[User:Js06|Js06]] ([[User talk:Js06#top|talk]]) 01:16, 18 October 2015 (UTC)

Hello, js06, I am wondering if you could give me permission to translate [[Owari_no_Chronicle|Owari no Chronicle]] into Spanish using your translation as a base. I'll credit you properly. -[[User:Kveqt|Kveqt]] ([[User talk:Kveqt|talk]]) 03:36, 30 December 2015 (UTC)

== Horizon 4A Chapter 15 ==

At the end of the chapter this line appears

"At any rate, Asama gave a casually moved in from the side."

There's something wrong in the Asama gave a casually part. Can you fix it?
[[Special:Contributions/205.197.242.140|205.197.242.140]] 17:36, 12 December 2015 (UTC)

Thanks for the quick work [[Special:Contributions/205.197.242.160|205.197.242.160]] 00:07, 13 December 2015 (UTC)

== Owari no Chronicle translation question ==

In 4A chapter 11 when #8 is running towards Odor the text says that "they" are three meters apart then after a bit says they are now twenty meters apart and it's worded to sound like that is closer than the previous distance. Was the three meters supposed to be a different number or was "they" referring to a different group?

Also 4B chapter 18 describes the tree trunk as three meters wide at the end of the chapter and the following mentions of its size use thirty meters.

Are these translation issues or are they accurate? [[Special:Contributions/98.109.50.96|98.109.50.96]] 19:17, 26 December 2015 (UTC)

I saw another issue. In 5B chapter 34 the line "We’ll lie and , but as we keep doing that, we’ll gain forgiveness bit by bit, confess our wrongdoings bit by bit, and better ourselves bit by bit."
Is there supposed to be a second verb after the first "and" or is the "and" not supposed to be there?[[Special:Contributions/205.197.242.169|205.197.242.169]] 16:15, 2 January 2016 (UTC)

== Shimoneta ==

Hello there and first of all, thank you for the great work on all those series.

Now my question: you started last year doing Shimoneta but it's not on you project list. You're no longer interested in doing it? [[User:RS|RS]] ([[User talk:RS|talk]]) 08:57, 24 January 2016 (UTC)

== Untranslated Index short stories ==

Hey js06,

An acquaintance of mine was able to get his hand on some raws for some of the 10th anniversary material for Index and wanted me to pass the files on to you for translation. Is it okay if I just email that to you on the email that you provided last time? --[[User:OH&S|OH&S]] ([[User talk:OH&S|talk]]) 08:22, 1 April 2016 (UTC)

:I went ahead and sent you a link to the untranslated Kamachi Short stories on your email.--[[User:OH&S|OH&S]] ([[User talk:OH&S|talk]]) 12:13, 4 April 2016 (UTC)

== Toaru Kuagaku no Railgun PSP Game ==

Firstly, thank you very much for all of your work. You are amazing.

I've watched/read the game chapters from 1 to 3 that you have translated and I was wondering if you could translate the last 2 ones that should be a lot better too. Please answer me.

== Are You Interested? ==

Hello Jso6,Are you looking for a Light Novel to translate.Umm can i suggest Shinwa Densetsu no Eiyuu no Isekaitan this novel is quite interesting story,try to read it.thanks..- DistantDream 15:50 April 11 2017

== A letter from Vietnam! ==

Hi Js06! I'm a 17 years old boy in Vietnam. I just want to say "Thank you" for your translation of Horizon series. This light novel is so amazing and your work too! (sorry for my bad English!)

Thank you! :v

== Owari No Chronicle // Translation ==

Hello! My name is Albert but you can call me Hyperion as well.
I hope you're not to busy to respond this thread. I'm here because I want to make a Translation into spanis of: Owari no Chronicle, using your translation and I want your permission to use your files.

== Takigawa's given name. ==

In the latest chapter of Horizon, Horizon and Tooti do the following comedic number about Takigawa's given name:
:::“I know a number is next.”

:::“Yeah,” said the idiot while leaning his entire body in front of her. “It is a tricky name to read correctly.”

:::“Heh. Do you really think that is enough of a hint to clue me in?”

The reason of that is that the 一 in her name is not read neither the on "ichi" nor the kun "hito", but the nanori "kazu". Her inherited name is Takigawa Kazumasu.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Takigawa_Kazumasu
-[[User:Kemm|Kemm]] ([[User talk:Kemm|talk]])

Horizon:Volume 6C Chapter 47

2018-04-08T18:38:50Z

Kemm: /* Chapter 47: Seeker of Money */

==Chapter 47: Seeker of Money==
[[Image:Horizon6-C49.jpg|thumb]]
''Add a ＼banzai／ to “everything” and you get “money”<ref>The kanji for “everything” is 全 and for “money” is 金.</ref>

''Money is everything

'''Point Allocation(／Prostration＼)

Narumi leisurely spent her time in the city.

She was at a café with an automaton in the kitchen. The tempura she ordered was good, so she tried a number of things with salt while enjoying some sake.

She could hear the sounds of destruction in the distance and the smell of curry reached her nose, so she could tell the others and the various national representatives were having a lively time of it. Since she had already left her nation, she had no intention of proactively doing anything. She would fight back if attacked, but escaping would count as a win to her. Because…

…''Everyone will be worn out after enough time passes.

Those who had been fighting would be injured and exhausted. Even if she was found, they would be hesitant to pick a fight with someone who was entirely unscathed.

Of course, she had an even bigger reason:

“I doubt anyone would benefit from taking any of Date’s rights.”

Date and Mogami were troublesome figures in this battle. Date was in the north and had few connections to other nations, so no one would benefit much from defeating Date and taking their rights.

Mogami was the same. Since they would decline, there was little reason to defeat them for their rights here.

Of course, Narumi wanted to avoid getting into an unfortunate battle and having those nonexistent rights taken.

…''But looking at it the other way around, we would actually gain more if I went on the offensive.

The other nations had far better rights than Date.

So she wondered if she should go for it. However…

“—————”

She decided against it.

She felt indecisive, but she also enjoyed how her feelings would not stay still.

…''I would always set out immediately whenever something happened at Date.

From a Date perspective, she should probably do that now too, but she had left them. Masamune had seen her off, so it would be presumptuous of her to claim she acted on Date’s behalf.

So her feelings on the matter would not stay still.

“Which is such a luxury. Don’t you think…Satomi Student Council President?”

Yoshiyasu had collapsed.

To describe her state, her head was down on the counter. To describe her situation, the sake had done her in.

Yes, she had never been able to hold her liquor.

Drinking with the Date Vice Chancellor in order to speak with her had been a mistake.

The other girl’s drink was fairly strong, but it went down easily. So…

…''Oh, this isn’t so bad.

''I’ve really grown up,'' she thought shortly before she found her vision had inexplicably turned on its side.

And there was something below her right cheek and arm extended to the right.

…''A wall!?

No. It was simply the counter. She had immediately gotten drunk enough to take out her sense of balance. But the counter was well polished. The Houjou automatons were hard workers. The automaton from a certain other café was also a hard worker, but her solution to stains on the table was to pull out a hand plane.

“Are you awake, Satomi Student Council President?”

She said she was. Except when the words left her mouth…

“Ohh…”

“That’s a no then.”

''Oh, no! This isn’t good. The sake is taking over my brain. I could speak human language just a moment before, but now I’m no better than Class 3-Plum.

…''I can’t believe this…

She realized she had not had any alcohol since arriving on the Musashi.

It had not seemed like the time for drinking after Satomi went boom.

Also, she did not have the money to drink regularly. She had not forgotten how humiliating it was to borrow basic living expenses after paying the collateral on parts for Righteousness. ''Remember this, Hashiba. The Asama Shrine was kind enough to give me a god of war collateral contract where I only have to pay back 1% per month, but my grudge would be 10 times stronger if I’d signed the Treasurer’s contract which required 10% per month.

“What are you muttering about? Are you okay?”

“I’h ine…”

She had sort of gotten the words out this time. But it was still far from intelligible.

What was she supposed to do? If she dueled the Date Vice Chancellor now, she would definitely lose.

''Please don’t challenge me to a duel. Not that you’d listen.

Narumi stared at the underclassman sitting two seats away.

She pointed at the ''tanzaku'' menu on the wall to place an order with the automaton. She remembered the locations without having to look at the wall.

“Give me some aralia sprouts, shiso, and sillago. Also some tempura dipping sauce. Can you also add some grated radish?”

The “testament” response already sounded nostalgic.

…''I’ve really gotten used to Musashi.

Her drunk underclassman had to be the same.

She knew why that underclassman was here: she wanted to know what Narumi thought.

They were both originally from clans outside Musashi. But during the previous three-nations meeting, the Satomi Student Council President had worked to persuade another nation on Musashi’s behalf while Narumi had been one of the ones needing persuading.

Satomi was a small nation. It was easily manipulated by the circumstances of other nations. That made her more sensitive to the interplay between nations than the Musashi students were.

That would be why she wanted to know what Narumi’s stance as Date was. She was acting as Satomi who were friendly with Matsudaira and as Mogami. And even if that had led to a duel with Narumi…

…''She was prepared to do it.

Narumi liked that resolve.

The Satomi Student Council President did not often speak or act as a part of Musashi.

So if she had come here to check on Narumi’s uncertain position, was she doing so as a foreigner hitching a ride on the Musashi or as a member of Musashi?

She probably did not know herself. However…

“You need to have a better grasp of your limits with alcohol. Besides…”

Narumi stood up.

“You also need to pay more attention to your surroundings before passing out.”

She got down from the seat and turned toward the café while her summer uniform’s skirt swayed.

“Most of the other nations would have trouble benefiting much from picking a fight with Date or Mogami. …At most, it would be Sviet Rus. Or so you would think. But there is one force that would definitely benefit from it.”

Narumi turned her eyes toward the seat at the end of the table.

“Musashi Treasurer Shirojiro Bertoni. If you could pick a fight with Date or Mogami and take away one of our rights, I imagine you would go for the right to the trade route we settled on yesterday.”

She had not spoken much with this member of their class, but this was perfect.

The drunk Satomi Student Council President and Mogami Representative would have a slightly rude awakening if he picked a fight with her here, so Narumi decided to confirm whether he intended to fight.

“Were you eating soba?”

“Water is plenty.” He stood up. “Because I cannot waste money.”

“Huh? Musashi’s last fighter was Shirojiro-dono?”

Masazumi nodded at Crossunite’s question.

“Judge. …When I got home yesterday, there was a prostration at the front door.”

Someone shouted “she’s treating him like an object!”, but treating him like a person would only go to his head, so she had no real choice.

Nevertheless, she had decided to ask him why he was there.

“When I asked him what he was doing, he asked that I let him join in the duels. I was honestly impressed that even our Treasurer could come back to his senses when Musashi needs it.”

“I assume there is a ‘but’ coming?”

“Judge.” Masazumi nodded. “But… Hey, Heidi.”

She saw Heidi trying to tiptoe away.

“Hey.”

“Wh-what!? What is it!? What did I do!? Ohh, I get it. You’re jealous of my good looks, aren’t you?”

“…Asama, what kinds of divine punishments can you dish out without making any charges?”

“Hmm… Those two worship an Inari god, so it would be difficult to do anything directly without any charges…”

“Yay! Long live the Inari gods! Not even Asama-chi can directly blow us up with a divine punishment!”

“Yes, which is why I’ll have to do it indirectly.”

Asama flipped through a sign frame with Hanami.

“Let’s see. I want to reach an Inari god via Asama without any charges… Yes, this questioning one should work. If you disobey, three rolls of ether Inari sushi are shoved up your butt, your skin becomes oily, you pee fried tofu sauce for a week, and you are unable to lie during the questioning.”

“Wouldn’t that last one be enough?” asked Mitotsudaira.

“Well, the Inari gods have always been cruel…”

“Makes sense,” everyone said while Masazumi looked to Heidi.

“When I tried to ask about it last night, he gave me a box of sweets and fled, but what have you two done?”

“Did you eat the sweets!?”

“Yes, I turned them in to the guards.”

“How is that a ‘yes’, Masazumi!? Let’s calm down and think about what you did! There was money in there! 3000 yen!”

“That is an oddly realistic bribe amount given we’re in high school.”

“Dammit!” shouted Heidi as she threw her receipts-and-payments sign frame to the ground. And with a smile…

“Hey, Masazumi? Are you familiar with the issues surrounding Musashi’s vegetable supply?”

She was not. Fortunately, Ohiroshiki explained without even turning away from watching some local children enjoying the festival.

“If I remember correctly, ever since we left England, most of the transport routes have been filled with materials for repairing and remodeling the Musashi, so the supply has been fairly low. It wasn’t to the point of skyrocketing prices, but some products had a 50% increase.”

“Right!? Right!? So Shiro-kun and I bought up all the vegetables so we’d have a monopoly!”

“But an agricultural wide block was opened up in the Ariake’s empty space, so we began growing our own vegetables,” explained Ohiroshiki. “Mitotsudaira-kun also made direct trades in lieu of taking land taxes from her territory, so the supply has stabilized more recently.”

Masazumi mostly understood now. Simply put…

“You two are deep in the red, so you want money?”

“D-don’t be silly! The first quarter report isn’t out yet, so we don’t know if we’re in the red! You can’t just insult us like that!” Heidi waved both hands around and then pointed toward the Odawara city. “We win as long as we defeat that Date Representative and take their right to the trade route!”

“Don’t destroy the three-nations meeting we worked so hard to bring together!!”

That was when someone stepped up beside Masazumi. Futayo and Muneshige reacted to their presence at exactly the same time.

“Kanou-dono?”

“Public Morals Committee Head?”

“Oh, hello.”

Asama knew her well enough to give a bow in greeting. Kanou bowed back and then…

“Vice President. Um.”

“Is it about Ookubo?”

“No, she seems to be doing well, so there is nothing to worry about. This is a more important issue.”

Kanou opened a small sign frame in her palm and showed it to Masazumi.

Masazumi viewed the text on the non-illuminated sign frame and inhaled. And then…

“Our Treasurer is embezzling Musashi’s budget!?”

'''Hori-ko:''' “Now, Heidi-sama, the time for kindness has ended.”

'''Me:''' “Ohh. That explains why they were helping hand out sweets to the neighbors even though that wouldn’t make them any money.”

'''10ZO:''' “They were trying to ingratiate themselves to us. …Although that’s useless if we catch on.”

'''Hori-ko:''' “I suppose they will be fired soon.”

'''Marube-ya:''' “No, we’ll pay it back right away! We’ll double it! Easily!”

'''Silver Wolf:''' “…Tomo, what can you do if we have actual charges?”

'''Asama:''' “Well. …First, there’s the standard oily skin, but then Shinto bonds are attached to all four limbs to force them into a prostration stance and as many rolls of ether inari sushi as their age are shoved up their butt. That generally makes people scream. After that, a man will have a kitsunebi appear on the end of their crotch for ten months and ten days. For three years afterwards, they will randomly pee ether kitsune udon, which generally makes people scream, but it also automatically returns the embezzled money from their assets.”

'''Worshiper:''' “It always feels like the last one would be enough.”

'''Smoking Girl:''' “So that’s what Heidi has to look forward to, huh?”

'''Silver Wolf:''' “I only asked out of curiosity, but that seems like a little much…”

'''Hori-ko:''' “No kitsune udon comes out of their butt?”

'''Mar-Ga:''' “What language was that question in?”

'''Asama:''' “Umm… Oh, it comes from the butt when the embezzlement happened at a corporation. I think that’s the one that would apply to this case.”

'''Marube-ya:''' “Noooo! I’m still young, so I don’t want to produce udon like that!”

'''Scarred:''' “Master Tenzou. …Does that happen when you get older in the Far East?”

'''10ZO:''' “That is the fate of criminals, so you have nothing to worry about, Mary-dono.”

'''Tachibana Husband:''' “Doesn’t this mean the Treasurer needs to win? I do not envy him.”

'''Uqui:''' “Yes, Narumi is not going to hold back…”

Below the cloudy sky, Narumi waited until the Musashi Treasurer stood up while viewing a sign frame.

He spoke to her in the center of the road behind the café.

“Date Narumi. …Allow me to say one thing.”

“I will attack afterwards.”

“…Have you ever considered the feelings of someone who must produce udon from their body?”

She had waited until he was done, so Narumi made her attack.

The very first attack proved effective.

The mandible sword she had summoned into her hand had definitely caught the Treasurer.

That slash would normally bisect her opponent’s body. The mandible sword was meant for use against Sviet Rus demons or gods of war, so it could easily destroy a human.

But her enemy endured it.

The slash became an impact that only sent the Musashi Treasurer flying.

…''A spell…!

She knew what he had done.

“You used money as a substitution to gain some other power. …You’ve used it as an attack before, but you can use it for defense too, can’t you?”

Narumi moved forward.

It was a summer afternoon. The heat felt refreshing at first, but the sweat would eventually become an annoyance.

Date was a northern land and she was not used to the heat. So…

“Date Narumi. …You lose.”

The Musashi Treasurer stood in the center of the road after receiving her attack.

He was not unscathed as he stood in the sunlight. His summer uniform had been torn by the slash, but below that…

“I am wearing ballistic armor woven from 1000-yen bills. Thus, I am invincible.”

“Are you?” Narumi nodded. “Then I’ll just have to aim for the head.”

'''Uqui:''' “Excellent… Narumi, I’ve fallen for you all over again.”

'''Marube-ya:''' “Wahh!! Don’t do that, Shiro-kun! We haven’t taken out an insurance policy for you!”

'''Almost Everyone:''' “You two never stop, do you!?”

Narumi summoned a mandible sword into each hand. She instantly checked on her grip.

She was not going to let him catch his breath.

And he spoke to her.

“Date Narumi. …You lose.”

That was the same line as before, but he had more to back it up this time.

“Because this is the hottest part of the day. That cannot be easy for someone raised in a snowy nation.”

“…Judge. It’s true this is not the best time for me.”

Narumi summoned Unturning Centipede which was being fine-tuned.

She instantly joined with it. After Novgorod, she had reduced the time lag when starting up Unturning Centipede. So that a certain stupid someone could not interfere like he had before.

…''So it happens in an instant.

Once it fit around her, she could adjust the temperature inside the mobile shell for her comfort.

The scent of her camellia shampoo was surprisingly cute and reminded her she was a girl. But…

“Now I won’t be too warm.”

Narumi adjusted her grip on the two mandible swords and moved forward.

'''Gold Mar:''' “Ahh, Narumin is really into this, isn’t she?”

'''Uqui:''' “Judge. As I said, she never holds back.”

'''Silver Wolf:''' “Umm, Masazumi? What happens if Narumi defeats the Treasurer here?”

'''Vice President:''' “They’ll be producing udon, I guess…”

'''Smoking Girl:''' “Masazumi… Are you trying not to face reality?”

'''CAN:''' “If I might interject, I believe it may be necessary to reevaluate a number of things about the trade route with Date. I recommend getting Lady Ookubo’s assistance when you do.”

Ookubo saw a sign frame as a large mechanical phoenix pursued her through the city of Odawara.

HQ had just contacted her. And it said…

“Hey, this is an emergency message. Ookubo, you’ll probably have a large job waiting for you when you get back, so take care of it. You’re perceptive, so you probably already know, but if that udon gets made, we need to negotiate with Date.”

“What in the world does that mean!?”

Ookubo broke the sign frame with a karate chop and kept running.

“Sounds like she’s up to the task. Kanou, sorry about this.”

After Kanou bowed, Masazumi raised her right hand toward her and took a breath.

…''Looks like we can handle this if Bertoni loses.

''Who can do it? Can-ou...'' She added that joke in her to her mental collection and turned toward Augesvarer.

“Augesvarer, how likely is Bertoni to win?”

“Just so you know, Shiro-kun is really good at throwing money around and striking at his enemy’s weaknesses!”

“He sure plays dirty!!”

After joining everyone in that comment, Masazumi faced Urquiaga.

“Urquiaga, how likely is Narumi to win?”

“…She is even stronger than when she fought me. That is the type of girl she is.”

The half-dragon immediately answered her. Then he sighed and scratched his head.

“She was originally a Vice Chancellor, if you recall. If you are not as compatible with her as I am, you will need quite a bit of wiles, strength, and skill to defeat her.”

Just as he explained that, Augesvarer suddenly looked up.

“It’s started!”

Text danced across the non-broken receipts-and-payments sign frame next to her face.

The score providing Bertoni’s amount of money was rapidly reducing.

“Shiro-kun has started throwing it around!”

Shirojiro moved accurately.

His enemy used a mobile shell which could fly with high-speed mobility. His thrown coin bullets would not cut it here.

“Heidi, borrow some bullet acceleration spells from Takemikazuchi. …Upgrade the usual 10 yen ones to 500 yen!”

“500 yen isn’t enough for Takemikazuchi ones! The retail price starts at 800 yen!”

“Get a discount by buying them in groups of ten!”

“Judge!”

A purchase of 150 shots had already appeared on his sign frame. The bullets themselves were 10 yen, so firing them all would be an expense of 75,000 and 1,500 yen.

…''That is more than expected.

Withdrawals from Marube-ya’s safe had been stopped.

But not to prevent him from using too much. Withdrawals had been stopped to prevent investigators from acquiring or confiscating the money if the embezzlement of public funds was discovered.

So the money he had on hand was still only the clean money used for business and for running the Marube-ya. Use too much of that and it was possible the Marube-ya would be unable to function tomorrow.

That would not be good. It would distance him from his happy days of swimming in money.

He could not waste this. And…

“…I must make back what we lost!”

With that, Shirojiro fell back. Narumi instantly filled the gap between them.

Her mandible swords were clearly targeting his neck.

…''What a dangerous girl!

With that thought, the sword reached him. She was definitely one tempo faster than him.

…''I suppose she is the Date Vice Chancellor!

Narumi realized the advance tactile feedback had vanished.

This was not about the actual tactile feedback.

…''What was there has vanished?

Once a fighter reached a certain level, they could feel some tactile feedback before the attack actually hit.

That did not mean they had precognition. The impacts and habits that had permeated their bodies from so much training and combat would cause them to subconsciously feel “the usual feedback” in advance. That allowed them to more quickly take their next action and to detect the depth of a hit, so it was a standard technique for experts.

But that had vanished.

A change in her vision had caused a change in that predictive feeling.

This was not “the usual feedback”. An odd change had occurred, so her experience had not predicted “the usual”.

So what had happened?

Narumi had seen the enemy fall back.

While doing so, he would have used a swayback motion. That meant bending his back so his opponent’s attack would pass by in front of him. Swaying forward once more could then lead into an attack, so it was a basic evasive maneuver.

Since the Treasurer had used a swayback, his neck or face should have been bending backward in front of the mandible sword’s tip.

But this enemy was different.

She did not see the enemy’s face, neck, or chest beyond the blade. She saw only empty space.

…''He disappeared?

That was not possible.

She could in fact see him. The Treasurer’s tall form was curled up below the mandible sword.

He had not chosen to bend backwards as he fell back.

“Don’t tell me…”

He had done the exact opposite. He had bent forward to dodge the attack.

He had ducked.

Narumi frowned in her heart.

Bending over to duck required swinging your body forward. That evasive maneuver was used when jumping toward the enemy instead of moving away.

But the Treasurer had used it while falling back.

…''Why would he do that?

This violated the standard rules Narumi knew.

She briefly thought he might have jumped toward her while ducking, but he really had fallen back.

But that was odd. If he bent forward while falling back, he would be moving his head closer to the enemy despite falling back. He would have wasted most of the distance earned by his backwards movement.

And he would have to make his evasion a lot sooner.

He had used a retreating duck.

It had caught her off guard, but it was very wasteful.

''But,'' thought Narumi. ''I didn’t sense any waste in his movements.

This was definitely the product of training. He had spent a long time repeating this action countless times. That was how he had reacted to her attack and successfully dodged it. So…

…''What is this?

She saw him get up after falling back.

And when she saw him, she realized something: his hands were placed on the front of his thighs.

That meant he had just completed a bow.

He had fallen back while bowing.

“…You use that to leave a business negotiation, don’t you?”

''Well done,'' thought Shirojiro.

He had not expected her to see through that movement right away. She really was Vice Chancellor class. He could not let his guard down.

That retreating bow was a standard merchant evasive maneuver.

You made a shuffling backwards dash while bowing. It was a technique used to leave a bad business negotiation or to avoid a business card attack from someone you wanted nothing to do with.

There were variations that included waving your right hand side to side to deflect the business card or an evasion reversal where you continued back and shifted into a prostration.

A merchant would use it in combat countless times and learn it through hours upon hours of training.

His body did not waver at all and his stable legs and hips bent his upper body smoothly forward.

As long as the timing was right, it could avoid any attack as long as that attack was from the front.

It was especially effective at slipping below a jab or impact. That was because the enemy’s attack itself would provide cover for him.

The one thing it had real trouble with was an attack from the side.

If he bowed his head too far, a single horizontal slash could take out everything from his hips on up.

That was why a merchant required equipment that protected their stomach and the rest of their torso.

But even after all this, he could not let his guard down against an officer.

…''That was my mistake in my duel against Tres España.

That was why Takakane’s attack had hit him. Someone at the Vice Chancellor level could see through this evasive maneuver.

He had to make clever use of its variations. Meaning…

…''Mix in some left and right combinations!

An impressive wind blew through the city of Odawara.

A merchant was fighting a mobile shell. The former used bowing motions to retreat and dodge to either side. The latter repeatedly sent mandible swords his way.

The merchant used his long strides and momentum to slide down the street, but his movements were dangerous. He bent forward with each acceleration, so the mobile shell’s swords nearly hit him. However…

“—————”

Those attacks were a lot like handing him a business card or a gift. And there was a reason why he could move left and right while falling back.

“I understand,” said the mobile shell. “When there is a line of petitioners, you can’t move straight back after making your greeting.”

“So you saw through that as well. Then…”

While falling back, the merchant swung his hands forward in a scooping motion. The hands held 10-yen coins. The coins flew into the blowing wind, and…

“Go…!”

Lightning suddenly raced down the road and toward the mobile shell.

The power residing in the coins slammed into it.

“Go, Takemikazuchi! Do the work I paid you for!”

500 yen’s worth of lightning scored a direct hit on the metal centipede.

Neshinbara saw white light erupt from the Odawara city.

Everyone was preparing a late lunch on the hill overlooking the water source.

Mats were laid out on the slope and Naomasa and Persona-kun carried over bundles of products from the stands. Neshinbara had been placing them in empty bento boxes, but now he stood up.

“Is that…!?”

“Do you know what it is, Neshinbara-sama?”

“Judge! That was Takemikazuchi’s lightning, one of the strongest powers of Shinto!”

'''Four Eyes:''' “One of the strongest powers of Shinto…? That’s too many ofs and is it the strongest or isn’t it?”

'''Novice:''' “Shinto has a lot of things that claim to be the strongest. Like Susanoo’s power, Kusanagi, Totsuka, or Hinokagutsuchi.”

'''Mar-Ga:''' “So what really is the strongest?”

'''Scarred:''' “Wouldn’t it be Lady Sakuya who set fire to the delivery room and then gave birth in order to prove her child’s legitimacy?”

'''Gold Mar:''' “Only hearing that part of it makes it sound entirely nonsensical, or maybe like harassment.”

'''Asama:''' “That’s our god! Keep that in mind, okay!?”

But that had been an attack at the level of Shinto’s strongest, albeit on a small scale.

No one would escape a close-range blast unscathed.

“Is Date Narumi-kun all right…!?”

Shirojiro fell back another 5 meters with the shockwaves and scorching smoke so nearby.

…''That was a direct hit…!

He was not just assuming. He had fired directly at her. It had definitely hit.

The air-splitting sound of lightning filled the sky and the wind blew through while carrying the smell of iron. And…

“Shiro-kun! What now!? Should I take 50 of the Takemikazuchi bullets we bought and sell them at a markup on Musashi’s Musao auction!? I can use the money to buy more bullets!”

“No, I still need to ensure my safety.”

He lined up 10-yen coins in his hands. He clenched his fists so the ten 10-yen coins all stood up at once.

He then activated the spell for a further attack straight ahead.

“Go! 5000-yen’s worth…!”

<noinclude>
===Notes===
<references/>
{{HorizonNavbar
| [[Horizon:Volume 6C Chapter 46|Chapter 46]]
| [[Horizon:Volume 6C Chapter 48|Chapter 48]]
}}
</noinclude>

Horizon:Volume 6C Chapter 47

2018-04-08T18:22:55Z

Kemm: /* Chapter 47: Seeker of Money */

==Chapter 47: Seeker of Money==
[[Image:Horizon6-C49.jpg|thumb]]
''Add a ＼banzai／ to “everything” and you get “money”<ref>The kanji for “everything” is 全 and for “money” is 金.</ref>

''Money is everything

'''Point Allocation(／Prostration＼)

Narumi leisurely spent her time in the city.

She was at a café with an automaton in the kitchen. The tempura she ordered was good, so she tried a number of things with salt while enjoying some sake.

She could hear the sounds of destruction in the distance and the smell of curry reached her nose, so she could tell the others and the various national representatives were having a lively time of it. Since she had already left her nation, she had no intention of proactively doing anything. She would fight back if attacked, but escaping would count as a win to her. Because…

…''Everyone will be worn out after enough time passes.

Those who had been fighting would be injured and exhausted. Even if she was found, they would be hesitant to pick a fight with someone who was entirely unscathed.

Of course, she had an even bigger reason:

“I doubt anyone would benefit from taking any of Date’s rights.”

Date and Mogami were troublesome figures in this battle. Date was in the north and had few connections to other nations, so no one would benefit much from defeating Date and taking their rights.

Mogami was the same. Since they would decline, there was little reason to defeat them for their rights here.

Of course, Narumi wanted to avoid getting into an unfortunate battle and having those nonexistent rights taken.

…''But looking at it the other way around, we would actually gain more if I went on the offensive.

The other nations had far better rights than Date.

So she wondered if she should go for it. However…

“—————”

She decided against it.

She felt indecisive, but she also enjoyed how her feelings would not stay still.

…''I would always set out immediately whenever something happened at Date.

From a Date perspective, she should probably do that now too, but she had left them. Masamune had seen her off, so it would be presumptuous of her to claim she acted on Date’s behalf.

So her feelings on the matter would not stay still.

“Which is such a luxury. Don’t you think…Satomi Student Council President?”

Yoshiyasu had collapsed.

To describe her state, her head was down on the counter. To describe her situation, the sake had done her in.

Yes, she had never been able to hold her liquor.

Drinking with the Date Vice Chancellor in order to speak with her had been a mistake.

The other girl’s drink was fairly strong, but it went down easily. So…

…''Oh, this isn’t so bad.

''I’ve really grown up,'' she thought shortly before she found her vision had inexplicably turned on its side.

And there was something below her right cheek and arm extended to the right.

…''A wall!?

No. It was simply the counter. She had immediately gotten drunk enough to take out her sense of balance. But the counter was well polished. The Houjou automatons were hard workers. The automaton from a certain other café was also a hard worker, but her solution to stains on the table was to pull out a hand plane.

“Are you awake, Satomi Student Council President?”

She said she was. Except when the words left her mouth…

“Ohh…”

“That’s a no then.”

''Oh, no! This isn’t good. The sake is taking over my brain. I could speak human language just a moment before, but now I’m no better than Class 3-Plum.

…''I can’t believe this…

She realized she had not had any alcohol since arriving on the Musashi.

It had not seemed like the time for drinking after Satomi went boom.

Also, she did not have the money to drink regularly. She had not forgotten how humiliating it was to borrow basic living expenses after paying the collateral on parts for Righteousness. ''Remember this, Hashiba. The Asama Shrine was kind enough to give me a god of war collateral contract where I only have to pay back 1% per month, but my grudge would be 10 times stronger if I’d signed the Treasurer’s contract which required 10% per month.

“What are you muttering about? Are you okay?”

“I’h ine…”

She had sort of gotten the words out this time. But it was still far from intelligible.

What was she supposed to do? If she dueled the Date Vice Chancellor now, she would definitely lose.

''Please don’t challenge me to a duel. Not that you’d listen.

Narumi stared at the underclassman sitting two seats away.

She pointed at the ''tanzaku'' menu on the wall to place an order with the automaton. She remembered the locations without having to look at the wall.

“Give me some aralia sprouts, shiso, and sillago. Also some tempura dipping sauce. Can you also add some grated radish?”

The “testament” response already sounded nostalgic.

…''I’ve really gotten used to Musashi.

Her drunk underclassman had to be the same.

She knew why that underclassman was here: she wanted to know what Narumi thought.

They were both originally from clans outside Musashi. But during the previous three-nations meeting, the Satomi Student Council President had worked to persuade another nation on Musashi’s behalf while Narumi had been one of the ones needing persuading.

Satomi was a small nation. It was easily manipulated by the circumstances of other nations. That made her more sensitive to the interplay between nations than the Musashi students were.

That would be why she wanted to know what Narumi’s stance as Date was. She was acting as Satomi who were friendly with Matsudaira and as Mogami. And even if that had led to a duel with Narumi…

…''She was prepared to do it.

Narumi liked that resolve.

The Satomi Student Council President did not often speak or act as a part of Musashi.

So if she had come here to check on Narumi’s uncertain position, was she doing so as a foreigner hitching a ride on the Musashi or as a member of Musashi?

She probably did not know herself. However…

“You need to have a better grasp of your limits with alcohol. Besides…”

Narumi stood up.

“You also need to pay more attention to your surroundings before passing out.”

She got down from the seat and turned toward the café while her summer uniform’s skirt swayed.

“Most of the other nations would have trouble benefiting much from picking a fight with Date or Mogami. …At most, it would be Sviet Rus. Or so you would think. But there is one force that would definitely benefit from it.”

Narumi turned her eyes toward the seat at the end of the table.

“Musashi Treasurer Shirojiro Bertoni. If you could pick a fight with Date or Mogami and take away one of our rights, I imagine you would go for the right to the trade route we settled on yesterday.”

She had not spoken much with this member of their class, but this was perfect.

The drunk Satomi Student Council President and Mogami Representative would have a slightly rude awakening if he picked a fight with her here, so Narumi decided to confirm whether he intended to fight.

“Were you eating soba?”

“Water is plenty.” He stood up. “Because I cannot waste money.”

“Huh? Musashi’s last fighter was Shirojiro-dono?”

Masazumi nodded at Crossunite’s question.

“Judge. …When I got home yesterday, there was a prostration at the front door.”

Someone shouted “she’s treating him like an object!”, but treating him like a person would only go to his head, so she had no real choice.

Nevertheless, she had decided to ask him why he was there.

“When I asked him what he was doing, he asked that I let him join in the duels. I was honestly impressed that even our Treasurer could come back to his senses when Musashi needs it.”

“I assume there is a ‘but’ coming?”

“Judge.” Masazumi nodded. “But… Hey, Heidi.”

She saw Heidi trying to tiptoe away.

“Hey.”

“Wh-what!? What is it!? What did I do!? Ohh, I get it. You’re jealous of my good looks, aren’t you?”

“…Asama, what kinds of divine punishments can you dish out without making any charges?”

“Hmm… Those two worship an Inari god, so it would be difficult to do anything directly without any charges…”

“Yay! Long live the Inari gods! Not even Asama-chi can directly blow us up with a divine punishment!”

“Yes, which is why I’ll have to do it indirectly.”

Asama flipped through a sign frame with Hanami.

“Let’s see. I want to reach an Inari god via Asama without any charges… Yes, this questioning one should work. If you disobey, three rolls of ether Inari sushi are shoved up your butt, your skin becomes oily, you pee fried tofu sauce for a week, and you are unable to lie during the questioning.”

“Wouldn’t that last one be enough?” asked Mitotsudaira.

“Well, the Inari gods have always been cruel…”

“Makes sense,” everyone said while Masazumi looked to Heidi.

“When I tried to ask about it last night, he gave me a box of sweets and fled, but what have you two done?”

“Did you eat the sweets!?”

“Yes, I turned them in to the guards.”

“How is that a ‘yes’, Masazumi!? Let’s calm down and think about what you did! There was money in there! 3000 yen!”

“That is an oddly realistic bribe amount given we’re in high school.”

“Dammit!” shouted Heidi as she threw her receipts-and-payments sign frame to the ground. And with a smile…

“Hey, Masazumi? Are you familiar with the issues surrounding Musashi’s vegetable supply?”

She was not. Fortunately, Ohiroshiki explained without even turning away from watching some local children enjoying the festival.

“If I remember correctly, ever since we left England, most of the transport routes have been filled with materials for repairing and remodeling the Musashi, so the supply has been fairly low. It wasn’t to the point of skyrocketing prices, but some products had a 50% increase.”

“Right!? Right!? So Shiro-kun and I bought up all the vegetables so we’d have a monopoly!”

“But an agricultural wide block was opened up in the Ariake’s empty space, so we began growing our own vegetables,” explained Ohiroshiki. “Mitotsudaira-kun also made direct trades in lieu of taking land taxes from her territory, so the supply has stabilized more recently.”

Masazumi mostly understood now. Simply put…

“You two are deep in the red, so you want money?”

“D-don’t be silly! The first quarter report isn’t out yet, so we don’t know if we’re in the red! You can’t just insult us like that!” Heidi waved both hands around and then pointed toward the Odawara city. “We win as long as we defeat that Date Representative and take their right to the trade route!”

“Don’t destroy the three-nations meeting we worked so hard to bring together!!”

That was when someone stepped up beside Masazumi. Futayo and Muneshige reacted to their presence at exactly the same time.

“Kanou-dono?”

“Public Morals Committee Head?”

“Oh, hello.”

Asama knew her well enough to give a bow in greeting. Kanou bowed back and then…

“Vice President. Um.”

“Is it about Ookubo?”

“No, she seems to be doing well, so there is nothing to worry about. This is a more important issue.”

Kanou opened a small sign frame in her palm and showed it to Masazumi.

Masazumi viewed the text on the non-illuminated sign frame and inhaled. And then…

“Our Treasurer is embezzling Musashi’s budget!?”

'''Hori-ko:''' “Now, Heidi-sama, the time for kindness has ended.”

'''Me:''' “Ohh. That explains why they were helping hand out sweets to the neighbors even though that wouldn’t make them any money.”

'''10ZO:''' “They were trying to ingratiate themselves to us. …Although that’s useless if we catch on.”

'''Hori-ko:''' “I suppose they will be fired soon.”

'''Marube-ya:''' “No, we’ll pay it back right away! We’ll double it! Easily!”

'''Silver Wolf:''' “…Tomo, what can you do if we have actual charges?”

'''Asama:''' “Well. …First, there’s the standard oily skin, but then Shinto bonds are attached to all four limbs to force them into a prostration stance and as many rolls of ether inari sushi as their age are shoved up their butt. That generally makes people scream. After that, a man will have a kitsunebi appear on the end of their crotch for ten months and ten days. For three years afterwards, they will randomly pee ether kitsune udon, which generally makes people scream, but it also automatically returns the embezzled money from their assets.”

'''Worshiper:''' “It always feels like the last one would be enough.”

'''Smoking Girl:''' “So that’s what Heidi has to look forward to, huh?”

'''Silver Wolf:''' “I only asked out of curiosity, but that seems like a little much…”

'''Hori-ko:''' “No kitsune udon comes out of their butt?”

'''Mar-Ga:''' “What language was that question in?”

'''Asama:''' “Umm… Oh, it comes from the butt when the embezzlement happened at a corporation. I think that’s the one that would apply to this case.”

'''Marube-ya:''' “Noooo! I’m still young, so I don’t want to produce udon like that!”

'''Scarred:''' “Master Tenzou. …Does that happen when you get older in the Far East?”

'''10ZO:''' “That is the fate of criminals, so you have nothing to worry about, Mary-dono.”

'''Tachibana Husband:''' “Doesn’t this mean the Treasurer needs to win? I do not envy him.”

'''Uqui:''' “Yes, Narumi is not going to hold back…”

Below the cloudy sky, Narumi waited until the Musashi Treasurer stood up while viewing a sign frame.

He spoke to her in the center of the road behind the café.

“Date Narumi. …Allow me to say one thing.”

“I will attack afterwards.”

“…Have you ever considered the feelings of someone who must produce udon from their body?”

She had waited until he was done, so Narumi made her attack.

The very first attack proved effective.

The mandible sword she had summoned into her hand had definitely caught the Treasurer.

That slash would normally bisect her opponent’s body. The mandible sword was meant for use against Sviet Rus demons or gods of war, so it could easily destroy a human.

But her enemy endured it.

The slash became an impact that only sent the Musashi Treasurer flying.

…''A spell…!

She knew what he had done.

“You used money as a substation to gain some other power. …You’ve used it as an attack before, but you can use it for defense too, can’t you?”

Narumi moved forward.

It was a summer afternoon. The heat felt refreshing at first, but the sweat would eventually become an annoyance.

Date was a northern land and she was not used to the heat. So…

“Date Narumi. …You lose.”

The Musashi Treasurer stood in the center of the road after receiving her attack.

He was not unscathed as he stood in the sunlight. His summer uniform had been torn by the slash, but below that…

“I am wearing ballistic armor woven from 1000-yen bills. Thus, I am invincible.”

“Are you?” Narumi nodded. “Then I’ll just have to aim for the head.”

'''Uqui:''' “Excellent… Narumi, I’ve fallen for you all over again.”

'''Marube-ya:''' “Wahh!! Don’t do that, Shiro-kun! We haven’t taken out an insurance policy for you!”

'''Almost Everyone:''' “You two never stop, do you!?”

Narumi summoned a mandible sword into each hand. She instantly checked on her grip.

She was not going to let him catch his breath.

And he spoke to her.

“Date Narumi. …You lose.”

That was the same line as before, but he had more to back it up this time.

“Because this is the hottest part of the day. That cannot be easy for someone raised in a snowy nation.”

“…Judge. It’s true this is not the best time for me.”

Narumi summoned Unturning Centipede which was being fine-tuned.

She instantly joined with it. After Novgorod, she had reduced the time lag when starting up Unturning Centipede. So that a certain stupid someone could not interfere like he had before.

…''So it happens in an instant.

One it fit around her, she could adjust the temperature inside the mobile shell for her comfort.

The scent of her camellia shampoo was surprisingly cute and reminded her she was a girl. But…

“Now I won’t be too warm.”

Narumi adjusted her grip on the two mandible swords and moved forward.

'''Gold Mar:''' “Ahh, Narumin is really into this, isn’t she?”

'''Uqui:''' “Judge. As I said, she never holds back.”

'''Silver Wolf:''' “Umm, Masazumi? What happens if Narumi defeats the Treasurer here?”

'''Vice President:''' “They’ll be producing udon, I guess…”

'''Smoking Girl:''' “Masazumi… Are you trying not to face reality?”

'''CAN:''' “If I might interject, I believe it may be necessary to reevaluate a number of things about the trade route with Date. I recommend getting Lady Ookubo’s assistance when you do.”

Ookubo saw a sign frame as a large mechanical phoenix pursued her through the city of Odawara.

HQ had just contacted her. And it said…

“Hey, this is an emergency message. Ookubo, you’ll probably have a large job waiting for you when you get back, so take care of it. You’re perceptive, so you probably already know, but if that udon gets made, we need to negotiate with Date.”

“What in the world does that mean!?”

Ookubo broke the sign frame with a karate chop and kept running.

“Sounds like she’s up to the task. Kanou, sorry about this.”

After Kanou bowed, Masazumi raised her right hand toward her and took a breath.

…''Looks like we can handle this if Bertoni loses.

''Who can do it? Can-ou...'' She added that joke in her to her mental collection and turned toward Augesvarer.”

“Augesvarer, how likely is Bertoni to win?”

“Just so you know, Shiro-kun is really good at throwing money around and striking at his enemy’s weaknesses!”

“He sure plays dirty!!”

After joining everyone in that comment, Masazumi faced Urquiaga.

“Urquiaga, how likely is Narumi to win?”

“…She is even stronger than when she fought me. That is the type of girl she is.”

The half-dragon immediately answered her. Then he sighed and scratched his head.

“She was originally a Vice Chancellor, if you recall. If you are not as compatible with her as I am, you will need quite a bit of wiles, strength, and skill to defeat her.”

Just as he explained that, Augesvarer suddenly looked up.

“It’s started!”

Text danced across the non-broken receipts-and-payments sign frame next to her face.

The score providing Bertoni’s amount of money was rapidly reducing.

“Shiro-kun has started throwing it around!”

Shirojiro moved accurately.

His enemy used a mobile shell which could fly with high-speed mobility. His thrown coin bullets would not cut it here.

“Heidi, borrow some bullet acceleration spells from Takemikazuchi. …Upgrade the usual 10 yen ones to 500 yen!”

“500 yen isn’t enough for Takemikazuchi ones! The retail price starts at 800 yen!”

“Get a discount by buying them in groups of ten!”

“Judge!”

A purchase of 150 shots had already appeared on his sign frame. The bullets themselves were 10 yen, so firing them all would be an expense of 75,000 and 1,500 yen.

…''That is more than expected.

Withdrawals from Marube-ya’s safe had been stopped.

But not to prevent him from using too much. Withdrawals had been stopped to prevent investigators from acquiring or confiscating the money if the embezzlement of public funds was discovered.

So the money he had on hand was still only the clean money used for business and for running the Marube-ya. Use too much of that and it was possible the Marube-ya would be unable to function tomorrow.

That would not be good. It would distance him from his happy days of swimming in money.

He could not waste this. And…

“…I must make back what we lost!”

With that, Shirojiro fell back. Narumi instantly filled the gap between them.

Her mandible swords were clearly targeting his neck.

…''What a dangerous girl!

With that thought, the sword reached him. She was definitely one tempo faster than him.

…''I suppose she is the Date Vice Chancellor!

Narumi realized the advance tactile feedback had vanished.

This was not about the actual tactile feedback.

…''What was there has vanished?

Once a fighter reached a certain level, they could feel some tactile feedback before the attack actually hit.

That did not mean they had precognition. The impacts and habits that had permeated their bodies from so much training and combat would cause them to subconsciously feel “the usual feedback” in advance. That allowed them to more quickly take their next action and to detect the depth of a hit, so it was a standard technique for experts.

But that had vanished.

A change in her vision had caused a change in that predictive feeling.

This was not “the usual feedback”. An odd change had occurred, so her experience had not predicted “the usual”.

So what had happened?

Narumi had seen the enemy fall back.

While doing so, he would have used a swayback motion. That meant bending his back so his opponent’s attack would pass by in front of him. Swaying forward once more could then lead into an attack, so it was a basic evasive maneuver.

Since the Treasurer had used a swayback, his neck or face should have been bending backward in front of the mandible sword’s tip.

But this enemy was different.

She did not see the enemy’s face, neck, or chest beyond the blade. She saw only empty space.

…''He disappeared?

That was not possible.

She could in fact see him. The Treasurer’s tall form was curled up below the mandible sword.

He had not chosen to bend backwards as he fell back.

“Don’t tell me…”

He had done the exact opposite. He had bent forward to dodge the attack.

He had ducked.

Narumi frowned in her heart.

Bending over to duck required swinging your body forward. That evasive maneuver was used when jumping toward the enemy instead of moving away.

But the Treasurer had used it while falling back.

…''Why would he do that?

This violated the standard rules Narumi knew.

She briefly thought he might have jumped toward her while ducking, but he really had fallen back.

But that was odd. If he bent forward while falling back, he would be moving his head closer to the enemy despite falling back. He would have wasted most of the distance earned by his backwards movement.

And he would have to make his evasion a lot sooner.

He had used a retreating duck.

It had caught her off guard, but it was very wasteful.

''But,'' thought Narumi. ''I didn’t sense any waste in his movements.

This was definitely the product of training. He had spent a long time repeating this action countless times. That was how he had reacted to her attack and successfully dodged it. So…

…''What is this?

She saw him get up after falling back.

And when she saw him, she realized something: his hands were placed on the front of his thighs.

That meant he had just completed a bow.

He had fallen back while bowing.

“…You use that to leave a business negotiation, don’t you?”

''Well done,'' thought Shirojiro.

He had not expected her to see through that movement right away. She really was Vice Chancellor class. He could not let his guard down.

That retreating bow was a standard merchant evasive maneuver.

You made a shuffling backwards dash while bowing. It was a technique used to leave a bad business negotiation or to avoid a business card attack from someone you wanted nothing to do with.

There were variations that included waving your right hand side to side to deflect the business card or an evasion reversal where you continued back and shifted into a prostration.

A merchant would use it in combat countless times and learn it through hours upon hours of training.

His body did not waver at all and his stable legs and hips bent his upper body smoothly forward.

As long as the timing was right, it could avoid any attack as long as that attack was from the front.

It was especially effective at slipping below a jab or impact. That was because the enemy’s attack itself would provide cover for him.

The one thing it had real trouble with was an attack from the side.

If he bowed his head too far, a single horizontal slash could take out everything from his hips on up.

That was why a merchant required equipment that protected their stomach and the rest of their torso.

But even after all this, he could not let his guard down against an officer.

…''That was my mistake in my duel against Tres España.

That was why Takakane’s attack had hit him. Someone at the Vice Chancellor level could see through this evasive maneuver.

He had to make clever use its variations. Meaning…

…''Mix in some left and right combinations!

An impressive wind blew through the city of Odawara.

A merchant was fighting a mobile shell. The former used bowing motions to retreat and dodge to either side. The latter repeatedly sent mandible swords his way.

The merchant used his long strides and momentum to slide down the street, but his movements were dangerous. He bent forward with each acceleration, so the mobile shell’s swords nearly hit him. However…

“—————”

Those attacks were a lot like handing him a business card or a gift. And there was a reason why he could move left and right while falling back.

“I understand,” said the mobile shell. “When there is a line of petitioners, you can’t move straight back after making your greeting.”

“So you saw through that as well. Then…”

While falling back, the merchant swung his hands forward in a scooping motion. The hands held 10-yen coins. The coins flew into the blowing wind, and…

“Go…!”

Lightning suddenly raced down the road and toward the mobile shell.

The power residing in the coins slammed into it.

“Go, Takemikazuchi! Do the work I paid you for!”

500 yen’s worth of lightning scored a direct hit on the metal centipede.

Neshinbara saw white light erupt from the Odawara city.

Everyone was preparing a late lunch on the hill overlooking the water source.

Mats were laid out on the slope and Naomasa and Persona-kun carried over bundles of products from the stands. Neshinbara had been placing them in empty bento boxes, but now he stood up.

“Is that…!?”

“Do you know what it is, Neshinbara-sama?”

“Judge! That was Takemikazuchi’s lightning, one of the strongest powers of Shinto!”

'''Four Eyes:''' “One of the strongest powers of Shinto…? That’s too many ofs and is it the strongest or isn’t it?”

'''Novice:''' “Shinto has a lot of things that claim to be the strongest. Like Susanoo’s power, Kusanagi, Totsuka, or Hinokagutsuchi.”

'''Mar-Ga:''' “So what really is the strongest?”

'''Scarred:''' “Wouldn’t it be Lady Sakuya who set fire to the delivery room and then gave birth in order to prove her child’s legitimacy?”

'''Gold Mar:''' “Only hearing that part of it makes it sound entirely nonsensical, or maybe like harassment.”

'''Asama:''' “That’s our god! Keep that in mind, okay!?”

But that had been an attack at the level of Shinto’s strongest, albeit on a small scale.

No one would escape a close-range blast unscathed.

“Is Date Narumi-kun all right…!?”

Shirojiro fell back another 5 meters with the shockwaves and scorching smoke so nearby.

…''That was a direct hit…!

He was not just assuming. He had fired directly at her. It had definitely hit.

The air-splitting sound of lightning filled the sky and the wind blew through while carrying the smell of iron. And…

“Shiro-kun! What now!? Should I take 50 of the Takemikazuchi bullets we bought and sell them at a markup on Musashi’s Musao auction!? I can use the money to buy more bullets!”

“No, I still need to ensure my safety.”

He lined up 10-yen coins in his hands. He clenched his fists so the ten 10-yen coins all stood up at once.

He then activated the spell for a further attack straight ahead.

“Go! 5000-yen’s worth…!”

<noinclude>
===Notes===
<references/>
{{HorizonNavbar
| [[Horizon:Volume 6C Chapter 46|Chapter 46]]
| [[Horizon:Volume 6C Chapter 48|Chapter 48]]
}}
</noinclude>

Horizon:Volume 6B Chapter 45

2018-04-08T17:41:20Z

Kemm: /* Chapter 45: Cool Head in the Conflagration */

==Chapter 45: Cool Head in the Conflagration==
[[Image:Horizon6-B797_797.png|thumb]]
''What should you do first

''Upon meeting a new opponent?

'''Point Allocation (Greeting)

Shigenaga dueled against a series of fiery slashes.

They came from Houjou Ujiteru.

His body was that of an automaton and his weapon was…

“…Swords with explosion conductivity!?”

“Ding ding diiiiiiiiiiiiing! But also buzz buzzzzzzzz! Together that would be dingbuzz dingbuzz diiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing! In other words, you’re half wrong! Wanna know the answerrrrr!? These aren’t katanaaas! They’re sworrrds! Wait, the other way arouuund! I got it wronnnnnnnng! They’re katanaaaaaaas!”

Shigenaga was irritated by this opponent who twisted his head nearly upside down.

But Ujiteru’s actions were solid. He swung his head back and forth and swung his body left and right like a dog as he rushed at her, but there was no disturbance at all in the movement of the swords in his hands.

He was an expert.

She could not approach him carelessly.

But he was an opponent Shigenaga wanted to take out.

…''A victory against Houjou would be valuable.

For Sviet Rus, Houjou’s land was past P.A. Oda to the south. Sanada was also in the middle and it was not contiguous, so it would normally not be very attractive land.

But Musashi would be leading the construction of a trade route. Once that happened, southern land for agriculture, fishing, and trade would be very valuable.

Also, Musashi wanted a victory over Houjou. Sviet Rus could view this as the Punishment of Aizu while also providing Musashi with the victory over Houjou they desired.

…''So this battle should be valuable.

Shigenaga lowered her hips in a combat stance.

Ujiteru responded by sticking out his tongue and swinging his body forward.

“Ohhhhhhhh! Yoooooou ready to gooooooooo!?”

She pulled a portable cannon from her skirt and fired it at him.

''That did it,'' thought Shigenaga.

But she was wrong.

The destruction did not hit Ujiteru. The metal bullet she had launched exploded when it hit the end of the road far behind him.

He had dodged it.

It had been an instantaneous movement. Ujiteru had seen her cannon attack coming and bent his body to the side.

The main entrance of the house far past him was left splintered and smoking.

Meanwhile, he briefly glanced back that way.

“That was cloooooooooose! What do you think you’re doing, womaaaaaaaaaaan!? Do you hate meeeeeeeeeee!?”

“Does anyone like you?”

“I doooooooooooooooooo! It’s called self-loooooooove! Too baaaaaaaaaaaaaad! How about a trip to Hachioji as a consolation priiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiize!? Wanna try falling down a waterfall?! Wellll!?”

He irritated her, so she decided to fire a second shot.

She took her firing stance.

A moment later, the colors black and white spread out in front of her eyes.

It was Ujiteru.

He had closed the gap between them in an instant. That may have been due to his abilities as an automaton, but…

…''There was no disturbance in his movements…!

He had moved smoothly without any vertical shaking. It was almost like he had slid forward from his previous position.

And he swung his flame swords in a motion that ignored his automaton joints.

“—————”

Flames fell from the upper right. Shigenaga swung her body right to dodge the attack from Ujiteru’s left hand.

She targeted his wide-open left side by swinging her left fist toward it. That fist held the thick short sword that had been in her waist hard point. It was an extreme-close range ''yoroi-dooshi'' made of black steel.

She could use that to slice through demon armor like it was a cutting torch, so it could instantly cut through an automaton’s body and wires.

Just as Shigenaga knew she had his left side, a blade flew out from between his vertically swinging left arm and his chest.

He had made a sideways jab with the flame swords in his right hand after extinguishing their fire.

His right arm moved as if to embrace her chest from the left.

It was a forceful action, but she read more into what he was doing and gasped.

…''What kind of timing is that!?

He had yet to finish the swing of his left flame swords. But to make such an accurate jab with the right ones meant he had already begun making that right attack when he made the left one.

That was before she had made her move.

“Kh…”

He had extinguished the flames so as not to burn his own body.

She knew even he had only just barely been able to pull this off.

But she successfully intercepted it. She raised her thick blade and took a defensive stance.

She had placed her right foot to the right, but now she sent that heel ahead and to the right while also kicking her left leg to the right. She avoided the next sword slash to the right. Or she intended to.

A moment later, triple sparks scattered from an impact.

Her black steel short sword had blocked the three jabbing blades in Ujiteru’s right hand.

Catching the backs of the blades on her upper arm paid off. She blocked the impact with her elbow and lightly stepped to the right.

Or she should have.

…''This weight…!?

Ujiteru had made a curving jab past the front of his body, but its strength was not what mattered. It had numbed her elbow and provided a weight that affected the right step meant to soften the impact.

What she meant as a light step had her slide half her body-width across the dirt ground.

In an instant, the grip of her shoe’s soles loosened, but…

“Ohh…!”

She had demon blood in her veins, so she could produce physical strength several times that of a human.

So instead of using her light weight, she worked to stop her momentum. She ended the knockback slide and then rapidly circled behind Ujiteru.

The automaton had his right arm across the front of his body and he was swinging his left arm down over the right one. Whether he corrected his stance or turned around, he needed to make a preparatory action before actually beginning his attack.

But Shigenaga only had to make a backhand strike on his back with her left blade.

So she did so.

After circling behind him, she moved toward him and sent out her left short sword.

Just then, she saw something: eyes.

Ujiteru’s face had turned 180 degrees to follow her. His eyes were bugging out, his tongue was sticking out, he looked down at her, and…

“Tooooooo baaaaaaaaaad!”

At the same time, he moved. But not to dodge or to attack. He swung his back toward her.

…''Oh, no…!

He sent his own back into her black steel blade.

The short sword stabbed into the automaton’s back almost up to the guard.

But it was not a deep wound. The tactile feedback that reached her left hand felt like the blade had caught in something.

Ujiteru had captured the blade between his automaton body joints.

She had to make a split second decision.

Would she pull it out, or would she swing the short sword upwards despite the risk of it breaking?

She chose…

“…This is a dangerous choice!!”

She abandoned the blade and launched herself back to his left side.

A moment later, Ujiteru sent an attack to the spot she had just vacated.

It was his left arm.

He had swung that arm forward, but he had forcibly swung it around to the back.

He had removed the restrictions of his left shoulder joint, and…

…''Did he use his right arm?

When he swung his right arm toward her earlier, it had ended up below his downwards-swinging left arm. He had forcibly lifted that right arm to push his left arm back up like a whip.

Also…

…''Here it comes…!

His face was looking at her. His head spun vertically like it was rolling on his shoulder, so now it faced her while upside down.

And as soon as he realized his left arm would not capture its target, he made his next move.

His right arm was already moving upwards, but now he rotated it around to the outside. And…

“Spiiiiiiiinny spiiiiiiiiiiin spiiiiiiiiiiiiiiin!!”

He spun to the right on his right leg.

He relaxed his left arm to swing it around from his shoulder. Also…

“Burrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrn! My manly paaaaaaaaaassion!”

His flame slashes began rotating. He used both arms and he released the shoulder and elbow joints.

“Extend, exteeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeend!”

The flame swords raised their output at the end of their 4m radius reach.

The explosion that erupted in the Odawara city was on a far greater scale than before.

“Oh?”

Yoshiaki held a skewer of dumplings in front of a café in the northeast of the city.

“The explosions are spreading. …I get the feeling whoever-it-is is throwing them into their surroundings. Should I assume this gives the attacker the advantage…?”

The city was shaken by the rumbling sound and the blowing wind.

Yoshiaki spoke while letting that wind wash over her and eating the dumplings.

“Even the windswept fields are calm in my Ushuu. We could start now, but how about we have a cup of tea first? …Well?”

She called to the person standing on the road in front of her.

“What do you say, Kani Saizou?”

“Yes! I will have some tea!”

“Good, good.”

Yoshiaki patted on the bench next to her, so Kani hopped over to sit there and shouted to the shop behind her.

“Excuse me! Please give me some zenzai! Two servings with mochi in them!”

“Oh? I see you have an appetite.”

“Yes!” Kani nodded. “Eating helps you grow! And I want to be even taller!”

“Oh? What about your chest?”

“That can wait until I’m tall!”

''That is something I wish Yoshiyasu could hear,'' thought Yoshiaki while sipping at her tea.

The explosive wind was still blowing in from the distance. That battlefield only continued to accelerate.

“Hiiiiiiii! Helloooooooooooo!”

After burning away everything within a radius of more than 10 meters and blowing away everything in a radius twice as long, there was nothing but rubble left of the city there. Buildings were ultimately just a collection of boards and columns and those could not withstand the explosive blasts and powerful gusts of wind.

The attack only left behind collapsed wall materials, broken pillars, light objects like buckets, and collections of objects like drawers.

At first glance, it looked like all of the city’s structures had been hit by a giant wave.

At the center, Ujiteru spun his body around and swung two sets of three flames for a total of six.

His opponent was Shigenaga.

She generally focused on dodging while he sent a series of high-speed slashes against her.

They were not simply slashes. Not only could he move his arms’ joints at unnatural angles, but he could switch between the front and back of his body or even spin his hip joint all the way around.

“Hold stillllllllllll! Yesssss! Is your stabby meal cooked to your likiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing!?”

“I don’t want one, you fool…!” said Shigenaga. “It’s time you were blown away!”

She put some distance between them and fired the portable cannon attached to her right hip.

She immediately stuck the next round in the barrel and rotated the cannon to load it. After all, she had predicted the path of Ujiteru’s attack and had to leave her stance to dodge it.

And after she dodged him…

“Th-that was clooooooose! Weren’t you taught never to aim at another perrrrrrrrrson!?”

“You’re one to talk!!”

He sent a fire slash at her while they spoke.

Those spell katanas would detonate even the dust in the air on contact.

“This guy is such a pain…!”

With that, Shigenaga moved forward. In the widened city street, she passed between wreckage and used it as cover while charging toward Ujiteru.

Shigenaga made her move.

She ran forward.

Ujiteru responded with a casual strike of his right arm.

It was a somewhat diagonal strike, but she could not focus too much on that. He could change the trajectory of his swords midflight.

It was better to think of it like homing projectiles.

And the beginning of that motion was his vision. The unrestricted joints of an automaton allowed him to change the trajectory of his swinging arms, but it was even more of a problem with his head.

No matter how she moved, she was doing it further out and away from him. That meant her speed could never match that of him turning his head at the center.

…''And that allows him to follow me with his gaze while he attacks!

Since he followed her with his eyes, attacked, and then followed her again, she had to be constantly on the move. And since his flame swords caused explosions, he also had to stay on the move. So first of all…

“Honjou Shield…!”

Shigenaga used a spell to produce an ether shield from her left palm and sent it toward Ujiteru.

The shield was literally launched toward him for a shield bash.

She targeted his right arm so it would hit the flame swords. But…

“Buzzzzzzzzzzzz! You miiiiiiiiiiissed!”

He released the elbow joint of his right arm during the slash, so the arm bent around the outside of the Honjou Shield.

And immediately after dodging it, he reset his elbow joint to normal. Also…

“How about anotherrrrrrrrrrr!?”

He also sent out a slash with his left arm.

…''Kh!

He was too fast.

And his attacks would not hit the ground.

He used his great speed to rotate the flame swords, but he would pull them back before they hit the ground and begin his next rotation.

It was a forceful series of slashes and pushes. That was Ujiteru’s sword technique.

Since it was based on forceful action, it was powerful.

Shigenaga, however, had not fallen back. She used Honjou Shield.

“Ohh…!”

After dodging his attack, she sent out the shield to fight back.

The shattered shields exploded and the dodged slashes roasted the air.

A high-speed exchange of roars and flames was held below the cloudy summer sky.

Within that, Shigenaga heard laughter. Ujiteru was laughing as his tongue shook and his throat rumbled.

“Excellent…!”

“What is!?”

“That so many people like you are gathered here todayyyyyyyyyyyyy!!”

She did not reply with “so what”.

This enemy wanted to fight all of those people.

…''Is he a battle-crazed warrior…!?

When referring to Houjou Ujiteru, the term “battle-crazed” formed a certain baseline. He was not truly looking at her anymore.

He thought of her as a waypoint.

That fact created a heat in her chest.

“Don’t underestimate me, you doll-bound vengeful spirit!!”

She would stop him. Sviet Rus would stop this madman here.

The rights no longer mattered to her. Houjou Ujiteru had turned ''her'' into a mere waypoint.

As one of the leaders of Sviet Rus, that was…

“Unforgivable!”

Shigenaga swung her body to the left to dodge the slash Ujiteru sent down from the right.

She stood in front of him, but his slash would immediately pursue her. And it would do so by hopping back up from extremely low to the ground.

So she hurriedly took two actions.

She fired her right portable cannon to the bottom right while sending a Honjou Shield toward him.

The right cannon blast was crucial. Because…

“Hit…!”

His flame swords arrived from the bottom right. A moment later, they would hop up to cut her down.

She was prepared for it to be a lethal attack.

And after the slash, the flames produced by those swords would reside within their target and trigger an explosion. The fire she saw came from the explosion spell and was something like a fuse.

So there was a time lag from the slash to the explosion.

That prevented the flame swords from damaging themselves or injuring their wielder.

But what if she fired her cannon at the blades in advance?

The flames would reside within the hit to the slash, but the impact would be unable to leave the blade.

…''So it’ll explode!

With the force of the cannon blast included, she guessed it would destroy Ujiteru’s left arm along with the flame swords.

Her bullet hit as planned.

It happened instantly and Shigenaga gathered strength in the left arm swinging her Honjou Shield.

A moment later, the flame swords would shatter and an explosion would erupt.

But she had demon blood in her veins. Her biological divine protections could endure a small-scale blast at close range.

So she relied on that. And…

“Diiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiid you try somethiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing!?”

Ujiteru’s upside-down face approached as if ducking below the Honjou Shield.

…''Huh!?

Her confusion was not directed at Ujiteru.

It was directed to the bottom right where she had fired her cannon.

The bullet should have collided with the flame swords.

And she could see that had definitely happened.

Except the blades were not producing fire.

Three flame swords were abandoned on the ground. At the moment of impact, Ujiteru had extinguished the fire and let go of them.

The bullet had knocked the three swords to the dirt.

“—————!”

And just as they shattered…

“Toooooooooo baaaaaaaaaaaaad! One morrrrrre!”

Ujiteru sent out a flame slash using the three swords in his right hand.

Shigenaga did not have the proper timing or stance to dodge.

…''I was careless…!

That thought sank into the pit of her stomach and she moved.

Ujiteru thought he had sliced through his opponent.

But he felt no tactile feedback from the three right flame blades. And…

“Hmmmmm!? Hmm!?”

He shook his head a few times in a trembling motion.

As his right arm moved up and down to tilt his head, he found his clothing was disturbed at that arm and its shoulder.

His maid uniform’s apron was torn and the right half of his face was covered with scorch marks.

That was proof of an explosion going off at close range.

“Wait, waaaaaaaaaaaaait! What is thiiiiiis!? Where’s the enemy!? Well!?”

He shouted out into the city where the rubble moved a little.

Shigenaga slowly stood up after having been blown away and embedded in a collapsed house.

Shigenaga stood up.

She breathed heavily and faced Ujiteru from a distance of 12 meters.

She looked forward.

But her knees were shaking.

“Heyyyyyy! Is your consciousness blinking in and out therrrrrrrrrrrrre?”

The impact had given her a light concussion.

But it was not a lethal injury. And…

“That’s cause of that shieeeeeeeeeeeld!”

The Honjou Shield.

She had tried to send the left shield toward Ujiteru, but she had thrown it to the left in the instant she realized he had abandoned his left flame swords.

She had predicted that he was already swinging his right arm down.

As a result, that shield was hit by the flame sword slash, but…

“I’ve been cooked well dooooooone! I smell tastyyyyyy!”

When the Honjou Shield exploded between the two of them, it had sent her flying before the slash could reach her.

That was why she still lived.

Her only injuries were from being thrown backwards by the explosive blast.

The same was true for Ujiteru. But there was a difference between Ujiteru’s automaton frame and Shigenaga’s demon physiology: the protection of their brain.

Ujiteru had not taken a blow to his brain and he could immediately continue fighting. Shigenaga, on the other hand…

“——————”

She had stood up on instinct, but she could not move. She was gradually coming to, but she still could not move.

And Ujiteru did not hold back. Even as he spoke, he inspected different parts of his body.

“Ooooone, twooooooooo! Threeeeee, fourrrrrrrrrrrr!”

He jumped and ran toward Shigenaga. And in his emptied left hand…

“Jackpoooooooot! Three morrrrrrre!!”

He now swung three new flame swords there.

Shigenaga did not really understand her situation.

She felt some kind of intense anger and she remembered she had been fighting.

But when she tried to remember what she had to do and think about now…

…''Kh.

It felt like there was a fog in her mind. Her thoughts were wrapped in a white emptiness.

…''Why is that?

It was all such a pain. Thinking only gave her a headache.

Something black and white was rushing toward her with long hands raised.

''This is bad,'' she thought, but she did not understand what it was or why it was bad.

But she knew it was bad.

Yet her mind was simply blank. So…

“————”

Her mind wanted something she did not have to think about.

She saw the sky. It was cloudy and dull, just like her mind at the moment.

There was a city below the sky and the area around her was badly destroyed.

And just then…

…''Eh?

She saw a color beyond the flowing clouds.

It was blue. The color of the sky.

''Ohh,'' she thought. ''Has spring arrived?

Clouds covered the sky throughout winter in Sviet Rus. The clearing of the clouds was a sign of spring and the spring lightning was guaranteed to follow.

And follow it did.

“Shigenaga-kun. …You have yet to report back on your situation.”

It was Ivan the Terrible, wielder of lightning.

This was a divine transmission from Sviet Rus. And that strongest demon clearly spoke to her.

“Surely you are not sleeping. It is past noon, but I will say this just in case.”

She could imagine the smile on his face.

“''Zdravstvuyte''. Good morning, Shigenaga-kun.”

“—————!!”

Her mind woke up.

Yes. This was a ''privet''.

It was a clash with an enemy. In Sviet Rus, that combat ritual was an exchange.

So below the cloudy sky, Shigenaga awoke to the charging enemy.

This was her specialty. This was Sviet Rus’s specialty.

It was a head-on battle. She had won countless of these and been blown away by countless of them. So she had a technique for it. That being…

“Honjou Shield…!”

She forcibly gathered strength in her hands and opened several of them.

There were 16 in all. She arranged the ether shields in a fan shape before her. And…

“…!!”

The shields flew out, blowing away the rubble as they went. The wreckage of nearby houses and other buildings was blown and rolled away and the ether shields burst out.

But something took evasive action directly ahead.

It was Ujiteru. He swung his entire body around as he charged in.

“Waaaaaaakey waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaakey!”

The automaton sharply bent his legs to clear the flying shields and accelerated toward her. The two sets of flame swords flapped like wings and his racing feet galloped like a horse.

Meanwhile, Shigenaga had moved forward while the Honjou Shields were still flying.

And she launched a second wave of 16 shields.

“Go…!”

She launched them at Ujiteru’s waist height.

But it only took the enemy an instant to dodge them. He rearranged his body’s frame as he ran and dodged the close-range attack by shifting a portion of his torso to the side.

He was closing in on her, but Shigenaga moved forward as well.

And…

“Ohh…!”

She clenched her teeth and launched another 16.

She aimed for his face, but not to hit him. To blind him.

However…

“Bahhhhh! I’m down herrrrrrre!”

Ujiteru lowered his face.

He released his neck joint, literally bent his body forward, and placed his head below the Honjou Shields.

His attack had already begun. He swung his right arm to send the flame swords’ fire straight down through her left shoulder.

At the same time, Shigenaga swung her right arm. She held a portable cannon in her right hand.

“There…!”

She fired on empty space. But she scored a direct hit on something: Ujiteru’s left arm.

That was a second attack he was trying to make. She had predicted it and fired there.

In that instant, he released his left elbow joint. With an obvious light noise, his arm bent sharply.

It dodged the bullet.

Shigenaga had no weapon.

So the enemy spoke.

“Time to punish the sleepy heeeeeeeeeeead!”

Meanwhile, Shigenaga took a light step. Instead of focusing on weight like before, she took a stance that focused on speed.

“Allow me to teach you about the ''privet''.”

“I know that! I know thaaaaaaaaaaat!” roared Ujiteru as he made a deep swing of his left flame swords to raise them once more. “'Zdravstvuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuyte''!”

“Precisely.”

Shigenaga lowered her body.

A moment later, a certain power produced destruction.

It was the cannon blast she had fired. It had missed his arm and continued behind him where it shattered a light.

One of the Honjou Shields she had sent out earlier had yet to fully disperse when the bullet split it.

“——————————”

The light shattered.

Ujiteru turned just his head to view it.

He saw light.

He had magnificently dodged the shot fired by the demon woman in front of him, and yet…

…''Huhhhhh!?

Blue shards of ether scattered, but they flew out forcefully.

“''Zdravstvuyte''.”

The light ignited as soon as the woman said that.

The shield fragments had come in contact with his flame swords’ fire.

The rest was simple.

The fire raced to the other shields flying through the air.

It only took a short time for the ignition to become detonation.

Ujiteru gave a shout.

“Take better care of your surroundiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiings!”

The explosions sent a series of blasts into Ujiteru from behind.

He had been right to face forward once more. His hair was roasted and the impact rattled his head, but that only disturbed his vision and did not actually blind him.

However, his frame was bent and a few wires had snapped.

“Ohhhhh!” he yelled. “I’m so damn stroooooooooooooong!”

In an instant, all the previously-fired shields were detonated. That was a total of 32. They were all a good distance away, but with that many blasts…

“…!”

The impacts cracked his frame and just about blew his arms off in random directions. However…

“Surviving this makes me so damn cooooooooooooooooooooool!!” he roared.

…''Hell yeeeeeeeeeeeah!

It was not often that life placed you in such a predicament. The niece he had so thoroughly underestimated had just about killed him at some point, but when was that? It was unimportant, so he had forgotten.

But this did not happen often.

And it had been done by someone he had not just underestimated but had not even considered an opponent.

However…

“I enduuuuuuuuuuured!”

He got through it.

The blasts, wind, and impacts had all passed the peak of their threat.

So the rest did not matter.

“Heyyyyyyy!”

He faced forward, but the enemy was not there.

“I’m baaaaaack!”

He moved forward and placed his left hand over his eyes to take a look around.

“Ohhhh!?”

Something caught on the left of his back.

Had a joint broken from those explosions?

He turned his head around to take a look and saw something behind him: the enemy.

She was behind him. She stood with her back to him and her hair fluttering in the remnants of the blast.

However, she was not simply standing there.

She held something in her hand.

It was a weapon.

It was the thick short sword made of black steel that was stabbed into his back.

She held it in both hands and she dropped her hips down.

“Let me tell you the proper greeting for times like this.”

The demon woman used her strength to transform the sword in his back into a powerful downwards strike.

Ujiteru’s left arm was severed at not just the shoulder but the very base.

His tall automaton body tilted forcefully to the right.

The released tension in the joint wires sent them snapping to the right now that the left half of his body was gone.

He bent backwards and staggered back for a few seconds, but he did not lose consciousness.

“''Zdravstvuuuuuuyte''!”

The doll forced his body to hop up as if lifting it out in front of his face.

And Shigenaga sent her Honjou Shields there.

To fill the gap left by his severed left half, she launched 7 ether shields.

They hit and shattered his doll frame. And…

“…!”

She fired her cannon at close range.

The doll’s body split, fragments scattered, and his struggling lower body went stiff. A whirring sound came from his hips before they rose up into his torso and….

“Kotsukakeeeeeeeeeee!”<ref>Kotsukake is a karate technique of retracting the testicles to defend against hits to the crotch.</ref>

They were destroyed.

That was all there was to it.

Shigenaga spoke quietly to the collapsed automaton.

“The word is ''da svidaniya'', Houjou Ujiteru.”

The automaton lying in the rubble did not move.

His wide eyes and protruding tongue had no strength to them. They were simply there. Seeing that, Shigenaga took a breath and opened her mouth. She spoke into the windy and cloudy Odawara sky.

“Sviet Rus Representative Honjou Shigenaga. …Houjou Representative Houjou Ujiteru has been defeated…!”

…''Oh, something’s started.

Hiro thought that from the deck of the transport ship as it prepared to leave port.

She had two sign frames opened. One provided text information on Odawara and she relayed that information.

“Noriki-san, Houjou just lost a duel.”

“That’s fine,” replied the other sign frame.

But Hiro tilted her head at his bluntness.

“…It was Lord Ujiteru, you know? That idiot is strong.”

“That’s why I said it’s fine.”

“Oh.” Hiro realized what Noriki meant. “It’s fine because it wasn’t Lady Ujinao.”

“If you get it, you don’t have to say it.”

Hiro raised her eyebrows at that. And after a beat…

“I take it things are going well?”

“What do you mean?’

“I mean I can see that behind you.”

The screen displayed the part of Suwa Shrine’s grounds that was set up for the testing of his spell.

There had been test strike boulders there earlier.

Those stones weighed more than 10 tons and they had been lined up after they were ejected from the Suwa Shrine. But now…

“I can tell something incredible is happening.”

Those boulders were gone.

Instead, there were piles of pebbles. Instead of being split, those pieces scattered across the ground had been shattered from a blow.

“Well? Think it’ll work?”

“It isn’t perfect, but I’ll have to go with it. I also have something to prepare at the Suwa Shrine.”

“What’s that?”

“Judge.” That upperclassman viewed her with his usual squinted eyes and raised eyebrows. “It’s something I need for my duel with Ujinao. Once I have it, I’ll be right there. …Will I make it in time?”

“That’s up to them and you.” Hiro smiled bitterly as the information on the Odawara sign frame changed. “See? Another duel’s started! Hurry!”

“Oh, dear. One of the Houjou duels was just used up,” said the Reine des Garous while she wiped her mouth with a handkerchief in front of a café.

She had wanted to have something on her stomach before fighting, but she had gone a bit overboard with the Odawara cuisine. The next thing she knew, a few battles had begun within a few kilometers of her.

She would soon join them, but…

…''Terumoto wants some of Houjou’s rights.

She was Vice Chancellor, so she wanted to give her boss what she wanted if possible. However…

“The Far Eastern flavoring is surprisingly good. The sweet soy sauce leaves your mouth a bit sticky, though.”

She sniffed the used handkerchief to enjoy this post-meal moment.

It was a nice smell.

That was partially because of the food, but also because of the handkerchief itself.

Her husband had chosen it for her.

On the night he had given it to her, she had repaid him by placing it in her mouth and licking and rubbing his body with it.

When carrying that cloth that was so permeated with his scent, she felt like she had his protection. And over the past few days, her daughter’s scent had gotten on her body and hair.

She felt like she was sharing the battlefield with her family.

''But,'' she thought.

…''Musashi and Mouri are effectively enemies here.

Mouri wanted Houjou’s rights and Musashi wanted to visit Houjou’s ruins.

If possible, she would like for them each to win one duel against Houjou, but one of those Houjou representatives, Ujiteru, had apparently been defeated by Sviet Rus.

Knowing who Ujiteru was, this was quite the upset for so early on.

The remaining Houjou fighters were Ujinao, Genan, and the Mouse named Kotarou.

Ujinao was in Odawara Castle, so the Reine des Garous could head there if need be. But after losing, Ujiteru would be injured.

“If Lord Ujiteru stubbornly insists on returning to the fight, he should be easier to defeat now, but this sounds like it will be a lot of trouble.”

She could take him on, but as a wolf royal, she wanted to avoid finishing off an injured opponent.

But in that case, she knew which opponents to prioritize.

…''The Houjou and Musashi fighters who are still going strong.

Fighting Houjou would be for Terumoto’s wishes.

Fighting Musashi would also help with Terumoto’s wishes. Musashi was definitely targeting Houjou, so it would help to take them out first.

''Such a dangerous way of thinking,'' she thought with a bitter smile at herself.

Just then, she noticed someone standing in front of her.

They were clearly waiting for her.

It was one of the Musashi representatives.

“Oh?” The Reine des Garous smiled at them. “Were you thinking the same thing? …Then I suppose we could fight here.”

The other person lightly slapped their skinny chest and stood tall.

“I am a Musashi representative. I challenge you to a duel.”

Then they spoke their name.

“Hassan Furubushi. …I will do my best.”

The Reine des Garous thought, ''This is not at all what I expected.

<noinclude>
===Notes===
<references/>
{{HorizonNavbar
| [[Horizon:Volume 6B Chapter 44|Chapter 44]]
| [[Horizon:Volume 6B Afterword|Afterword]]
}}
</noinclude>