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Rakuin no Monshou:Volume3 Chapter4

2015-08-17T06:31:46Z

Monsterbandage:

==Chapter 4: Defend Apta to the Last==
===Part 1===
During that time, there was a group proceeding south through the forest towards Apta.

They were a band of men on horseback. They all leaned over their horses, riding at a tremendous speed that cut through the wind.

Their numbers were probably over three hundred. Riding their horses at night, and what was more through the forest, it would be an impossible feat had they not been familiar with the terrain. ‘They’ had determined their route beforehand, even taking the time to chop down the obstructing trees in hopes that this moment would come.

“Yah!”

“Se!”

They wordlessly sped forward, only raising their voices so as to urge their horses on. The horses’ muscles pulsated and each time their backs bobbed up and down, the long-swords and spears hanging from their waists and placed onthe horses’ saddles struck their own armours with a ringing clang.

“Mmh?”

The rider in front suddenly lifted his lantern.

“Stop.”

Raising his voice, he pulled on his reins.

They were in an opening of trees that spread to open a circular plain. There, likewise hoisting their lamps upwards and standing in wait were several men. They were covered in hoods, and their real identities were insurmisable from their attire.

“Who are you?” the leading horseman asked.

The men behind him brought their spears and guns to their hands. For a while, the horses’ rough breaths jarred their ears. And then,

“You are all Garberans, are you not?”

“What?!”

The group of horsemen grew agitated at suddenly being recognised. The leading man—Noue Salzantes—waved his hand and restrained their outbursts.

“And you men would be?”

“Salzantes-dono, we have been awaiting you,” one of the waiting men said, ignoring the question. “We expect you to understand our business here.”

“—”

Noue did not speak. His face was far superior to the average beauty's, his lips slightly pursed, and his expression emotionless. Lit dimly under the cover of the night, his appearance emitted an uncanny eeriness..
Noue did not move nor speak. His face, far superior to the average beauty’s, was faintly lit under the cover of the night, looked down upon them, his lips tightly pursed and expressionless. He emitted a uncanny eeriness.

“Our respective enemies are one and the same.” The hooded man said in an emotionless voice. “If you would, allow us to accompany you.”

Riding the tide of pursuit, soldiers rushed out of Apta Fortress in succession.

Gunfire rained down furiously from the airships and battlements.

“Retreat to the forest! Then they won’t be able use their airships!”

While having his gunners provide cover, Natokk gradually pulled his troops back. The enemy infantry seemed to have their share of impressive warriors, though sadly they didn’t seem too familiar with working together. Engaging them while retreating didn’t prove difficult.

''Mephius’ first prince, Gil Mephius—was it.''

Natokk conjured the name of the enemy commander. A man whose name had recently spread across the four directions. But in a free-for-all fight, this was all he lived up to be. In the end he was nothing more than a sheltered, spoiled child. Compared to that, Natokk had countlessly roamed the battlefield. The number of life-or-death battles they each experienced were different.

As swords mingled with spears, blood shed, and bullets bored holes into the ground, the enemy forces pushed forward. So far everything was perfectly according to plan.

And then,

''They’ve come.''

Natokk’s expression turned to delight. Cries resounded north of Apta. The secondary force that had detoured north of Apta had finally begun the pincer attack. Drunk in conviction of their victory, he began to signal for a counterattack with a large swing of his hand.

“What?!”

It was only a matter of seconds before his delight became a shade of unrest.

From the north along the castle walls, a group of cavalry came riding. They were no ally of Natokk. The hoisted flag they were waving was, to think of all things, the Garberan emblem. They passed the Mephius infantry, charging Natokk’s way. He went into a panic.

''Impossible! Weren’t they supposed to have evacuated the day before yesterday?!''

“Retreat!”

This was no time to get flustered. If they entered the forest, they could slow the airships and horses’ pursuit. Natokk’s main force, even under this situation, worked together and continued retreating to the forest. The Mephian infantry were hot on their heels.

“Commander, leave this to us.”

Several soldiers shouted determinedly and moved to block the enemy’s pursuit. A series of clashes rang immediately near Natokk. Biting his lips, he ordered the remaining soldiers to retreat.

''I would’ve never thought they were in league with Garbera to this extent.''

Mephius and Garbera had been warring for ten years. They may have been weary of war and thus formed an alliance, but their ties should have been anything but firm. To think that they would purposely make themselves seemingly withdraw and lay low. ''I was read,'' Natokk thought, grinding his teeth. That thought now materialised before his eyes.

“Halt!”

This time was an ambush in Natokk’s path of retreat. A party of gunners on high ground stood in a row, fixing their aim. The one who called them to halt was a man wearing an iron mask.

“Your reinforcements won’t come. We’ve shot down your cruiser. It seems they ran for their dear lives back to Taúlia, but it’s clear they won’t afford any soldiers for you.”

Natokk began to open his mouth, as if about to scream something. His aide, Shadam, took out his gun and began to aim at the masked man, as if lured by his commander’s force. The one to lower that hand, however, was Natokk himself.

“Commander!”

“—Leave it. His words aren’t lies.”

By knowing about the cruiser and the secondary force, the enemy had completely grasped their movements. Despite Natokk being completely convinced of his victory only a few minutes ago, he now felt like a trapped rat.

“We intended to snare the enemy into our trap—”

But instead, they were the ones snared before their very eyes. Natokk threw down his own weapons, and then spoke.

“I won’t ask anything for myself, who proclaimed war with you and advanced my troops against yours. I’m not asking much, but if you could, please be easy on my men.”

“Very well.”

The masked man nodded in assent.

Orba watched silently below him as the Zerdians who had surrendered their weapons were arrested. The one for whom everything had gone according to plan was not to them, but Orba.

At that time, an airship carrying the Imperial Guard Gowen came. He was the one who handled the enemies approaching the east gate. Jumping down from the ship,

“It went as you predicted.”

“Yeah. A surprise attack immediately after Garbera had evacuated is the ideal timing. On the other hand, if they hadn’t come ''here'', it would make the rumour that Ax Bazgan was aiming for Apta groundless.”

“So you read beyond the enemy’s reinforcements and strategy, huh.”

After analysing the information he gained from Zaj Haman, Orba predicted that if the enemy were to come attacking, it would be by passing through the southern Tsaga Mines. They would undoubtedly load soldiers onto their cruiser and drop them by the forest to the south of Apta.

Orba had Krau and Pashir, who were familiar with its geographical features, re-inspect the area and create a detailed map. He had originally planned to lay the majority of his forces there in wait, but on the off chance the enemy advanced through a different route, the fortress would be wide open, not to mention there were no suitable places to lay such a large army in wait to start with.

So instead, with Orba himself in command, he left only a few dozen skilled shooters there. Using an airship as messenger, Orba discovered the enemy was carrying soldiers with only a single cruiser; however, the enemy numbers were insufficient.

''They’re going to carry soldiers here a second time.''

Which in that case, naturally meant he could see through the enemy’s strategy. Orba gave them their instructions for the timing at which to shoot down the second transport.

Aiming for the the airship silently traveling through the deep gorge, they bathed it in a furious volley on Orba’s single command. There was only a single location they could set their cannons, but the ship's armour would suredly need to be thinned to fully accommodate a cruiser filled with soldiers that could maintain the ship's weight and ether propulsion balanced. While it was indeed a large ship, at point-blank even bullets were effective.

Taúlia’s air carrier descended into chaos, their enemy unseen before them. It took all they could to open the gunports on the ship’s hull and return fire haphazardly. Firing from its decks and lower compartments, the carrier turned heel running back on the path they’d just come up.

Orba didn’t risk pursuit, and leading his men, immediately rushed back to Apta.

“...And expecting Noue’s reinforcements to come, you laid your forces in wait, huh.”

Gowen eyed him suspiciously in thought.

“It’s almost as if you two had arranged this. But it’s a fact you and Noue barely met in Apta.”

“If that could’ve happened, things would have gone more easily,” Orba said with a strangely boyish laugh. “But I knew he would likely be thinking of creating a debt of gratitude for me. A man of Noue’s calibre should be aware of Ax Bazgan’s movements targeting Apta, and also understand what timing they would launch an attack.”

The seemingly excessive provisions he left Apta with was proof of that. They were making it seem that they were returning to Garbera, while actually concealing themselves in the forest waiting for Ax to move. That was why Orba sent his imperial guards to the road the Garberans used, had them wait for the most effective timing for a pincer move, then led them in.

“Noue’s calibre as a man aside, there’s no way you two are even that close.”

“Rumours, information, and lastly intuition.”

Gowen never stopped making his ‘I just don’t get it’ face.

Before long, the Garberan knights arrived. Leading them up front was, of course, Noue Salzantes. He swooped down from his horse and facing Orba, made a bow. Orba did the same, and then they descended off the high ground.

“Orba-dono is it. It has been since Solon—or so I would like to say, but you probably do not know me. I was cheering for you in the grand stadium, so I assumed us acquaintances against my better judgment.”

''Cheering? Aren’t you mistaking it for cursing?''

Prince Gil, and also the masked gladiator Orba. Both of whom were culprits that had torn his drawn-out plans asunder.

“However, this is...even I must take my hat off to you. I honestly wondered what you could do with your size of forces, but I would have never imagined you would make the enemy fall into your trap so magnificently.”

“It’s because we had the assistance of Lord Noue and the Garberan knights that we could make it happen.”

“As one whose movements were noticed, I can only see that as irony.”

“Wasn’t that because the prince’s belief in Sir Salzantes’ chivalrous spirit and faith in Garbera?” Orba added.

Ha! Gowen seemed to say silently on his face. After all, Orba was saying things he didn’t really mean.

“Mmnm,” Noue nodded. Whether it was because he was concealing his emotions, there was a trace of fatigue on his face. “Well, nevermind that. More importantly, I would like to request a meeting with the prince.”

“Acknowledged. Fellow knights as well, by all means head to Apta. Enjoy a night’s stay.”

“We shall take you up on that offer.”

Orba, saying he was ‘going to report to the prince’, hopped onto the airship prepared behind him. After ordering the pilot, the plane gently took off.

In the forest below him, how many were injured and crouching, or worse, how many lay scattered dead? The fortress front gates were the same.

The number of Mephian casualties was greater than that of the defeated Zerdians.

“—”

Some sort of emotion bubbled out of him, and faster than it could form into words, Orba impassively swallowed it.

''I knew it already.''

The war slaves raising cries of victory—''they'' were the infantry who launched themselves from the gates—and as these cheers reached Orba’s ears, Orba only stared straight ahead.

''I knew it. That’s why I won’t say anything. I won’t make any excuses.''

===Part 2===
Orba, having temporarily returned to his room, borrowed the help of his page Dinn to become the ‘prince’ in form. He walked the fortress interior, his cape fluttering majestically.

“It’s his highness!”

“Prince Gil!”

Crossing a corridor opening towards the town districts, what he saw below were the citizens waving their hands and calling out his name, praising him for this victory.

Despite it being deep into the night, the succession of the sudden bombardment, enemy attack, and dramatic turnaround victory all happening without giving them any time to grasp the situation left the majority now wide awake.

Orba waved to them smilingly, and at the same time gave a sharp glare at the regular soldiers who dumbfoundedly looked his way.

“During the fighting, I didn’t even see a single one of the regular soldiers supposed to be on duty!”

Orba barked angrily at several of the regular soldiers nearby.

“Are those swords and guns you carry on your waists for decoration?! Then I might as well hang you bare naked together with them on the castle walls!!”

Leaving behind these words that sent the soldiers who heard them into a tremble, Orba headed towards the western spire.

There at the very top in a small room that formed the roof of the tower, Noue awaited.

Declaring himself to the official, Orba entered and Noue stood up to greet him.

He wore a slight expression of surprise that Gil had come unaccompanied.

“This way talking will be easier.” Orba said, understanding Noue’s surprise. “Would you like a drink?”

“No. If anything, I’ll have one after our talk.”

“I understand,” Orba nodded. He commanded the chamberlain attending to Noue to retire, and it was now only the two of them.

Both said nothing for some time. They were surrounded by four pillars at the corners and a railing lower enough that even the flickering town lights could be seen. Movements near the main gate were particularly striking.

There the townspeople had taken it upon themselves to assist in the repairs throughout the night.

Ahem, Noue Salzantes cleared his throat.

“Your highness, do you possess clairvoyance?”

“Well,” Orba began, shaking his head with a straight face, “Wouldn’t that be you, Lord Salzantes?”

“It shames me to say. To be honest, I admit to having somewhat of a power to see through things. However, it is hopelessly clouded before your highness. If you don’t mind me openly asking, after we departed from Apta, did you tail my unit?”

“Regarding that, you were also quite strict on the lookout. That was why I just left it to intuition.”

“Your intuition?”

“That you, Noue Salzantes, should be trying to earn my debt of gratitude. That was also why you purposely didn’t disclose anything about Ax Bazgan.”

“Are you saying I would think to make your highness lower your guard?”

“Isn’t that the case?”

Orba said this easily, and without giving him any time to react, slipped into his bosom in a single fluid motion.

“You currently hold misgivings on the war that will occur with Ende in the near future. And the fact that the country of Arion will support them makes it all the more worrying. And in that situation, the allied country of Mephius will become an even more important existence than it is now. But my father, Guhl Mephius, also aims to get closer to Ende. For you, this is a grave crisis that will determine the life or death of your nation.”

“...”

All emotion vanished from Noue’s face. He brushed off the hair on his shoulders with his finger.

“Spending our time probing each others’ intentions would only be a waste. So I’ll say it openly. It’s because of that, Salzantes, that you laid low in the forest anticipating Ax’s attack, and returned as reinforcements. It was all to deepen our personal friendship. Am I right?”

“...It is as you’ve discerned, I’m afraid .”

[[Image:Rakuin no Monshou v03 155.jpg|thumb]]
“And?”

''Eh?''

Noue’s face changed to mirror his thoughts. Orba tilted his head slightly to the side questioningly.

“And? Sure, thanks to Garbera’s reinforcements, Apta was safely defended. And in exchange, what is it that you want me to do?”

“We’d also like you to provide reinforcements for us.”

Noue said faintly irritated, further twiddling his hair. This conversation might in fact have been unbearable for him, as he was usually the one leading the conversations.

“We’d like to receive reinforcements. Or rather, should we go to war, we want a guarantee Mephius will send us reinforcements. If Mephius also joins the fray, Arion will realize it won’t be an easy battle and pull back for the time being. And also, this isn’t a problem for Garbera alone. If they’re able to effortlessly cut down Garbera, Arion will certainly advance its army on towards Mephius, the coastal nations, and even the western lands of Taúlia.”

“Mephius and Garbera. Even with our two countries against it, Arion will be a tough opponent. And if we add Ende on top of that.”

Ende and Arion were both countries who had inherited the sovereign’s lineage, but despite their diplomatic relations, they had never once put up a united front. There was a time in Ende’s history when it was called the Ende Empire, during which it had even crossed swords with Arion’s advance troops. As a result, even if they shared the same interests, it was hard for them to instantly strengthen their alliance. However,

“We received information that last year, the Arion royalty paid visit to Ende in secret. It is likely that it was around that time that Ende was about to form an alliance with us, Garbera. I believe their visit was a means to prevent that. However, now that our relationship with Ende has been reduced to a blank slate, I wouldn’t be too surprised if they were already preparing to form an alliance.”

Arion was a large nation with a long history that also bolstering a huge military force. To satisfy the ambitions and avarice of the current king’s hegemony, it had subjugated the small countries scattered throughout the east, and after many long years they finally defeated their longtime enemy in the northeast, the religious nation known as the Dytiann Holy Alliance. Having ended its eastern expedition, it was viewed unlikely they would take any large-scale military actions, but it was still more than capable of deploying sizable reinforcements to Ende.

Orba could understand Noue’s worries.

“I see now.”

Orba stroked his cheek with his finger. After losing the mask, it had practically become a habit, and occasionally he couldn’t help confirming the touch of his finger against his warm skin.

And he would, at critical moments like these play those hidden cards he kept in reserve when it came to dealing with someone with at least a bit of wisdom.

“A situation where you’re betting the fate of a country. Noue-dono, you’re a patriot. Just as the Ryucown I confronted was.”

“Your highness.”

“In order to protect it you’re willing to sacrifice anything. Even the life of a princess loved by her country and adored by all her subjects.”

Orba clearly understood from Noue’s gulp. He stood up from his seat, and turning his back to Noue, leaned against the railing.

“The princess may still be a Garberan. But in a matter of time she will be my wife. If it were ''then'', Lord Noue, I wouldn’t have forgiven you. It would seem luck was on your side.”

“Y-Your highness.”

Turning around, Noue had his brows furrowed and appeared to be sending a look of disapproval his way instead. No, he really was. It was a fact Noue had spurred Zaat and the slaves in the Solon capital to aim for the princess’ life. And most likely, Noue should have admitted that Orba not only knew about that, but was the one who stopped it. Being aware of that, he still stood off against him in the Apta transfer and foolishly tried to gain his favour.

''This guy, just how much of an idiot can he be?''

Those feelings could be seen flashing across his face. It was because everything they needed to hide had already been exposed, and they both knew it.

“I believe I did say we should try speaking openly, Lord Noue. I’m at a loss. I do like setting traps and outwitting those I deem enemies, but doing ''that'' to those I could affiliate in the future is not to my liking. Lord Noue, I won’t mind if you still want to continue ''that'', but the both of us will earn very little from it.”

“Your highness, where are you heading?”

Noue stood up and asked as Orba prepared to leave the room.

“If it’s time you need, I’ll give it to you. It’s fortunate Garbera hasn’t many forests that you can pass through without worry of the evening dew, so you should still have provisions left. If you’ll excuse me, I’m in a bit of a hurry.”

Forcing his exit, Orba descended from the tower.

What Orba who was now required to put up a front everyday revealed to Noue was only half what he meant. He didn’t believe he could negotiate without any decent preparations when facing an opponent as sharp as Noue.

''The Garberan troops, of course, also can’t just stay here like this.''

His thoughts never ceased as he climbed down the stairs. Even while smiling at the people who called out ‘Your Highness!’ to him, his mind had yet to depart from the battlefield.

''Next, is how Ax will move. There’s no way he’ll stay back and sit tight, and the possibility they realized there’s no rear guard is high.''

If he were in Ax’s position, what would be do? However, even as Orba immersed himself in that thought, there was still another immediate problem he needed to settle.

The next day, Orba went out to do an inspection of the town and after checking over the repairs on the gates and southern batteries, he assembled the commanding officers in the fortress courtyard.

The regular soldiers that served Oubary and Odyne, Gowen and the Imperial Guards, and Pashir and the sword slaves.

Calling on the names of the soldiers who reaped merits in the battle last night, he directly handed them their reward. Of course, the majority were imperial guards and Pashir’s infantry whom Orba had given orders to beforehand.

“Next. Is there anyone else?” Orba said, looking at their faces. “Step up if there is.”

The regular soldiers averted their eyes seeming uncomfortable. The majority had either gone out to play and not come back on time, or had been stricken in fear by the enemy’s sudden attack, that none managed to crossed swords with the enemy.

“Your highness.”

Stepping in at that point was the imperial guard, Aeson.

“What is it? I’m sure I awarded you more than enough money.”

“No, these two here, Rinus and Bran. They are from the Black Armoured Division, but joined forces with us and have contributed greatly.”

“Really. I’ve remembered your names. I will tell how within General Oubary’s Black Armoured Division, you two are the bravest warriors.”

Orba broke into a big grin, and without an ounce of reluctance, handed the monetary recompense to the two who contrastingly advanced forward timidly and reluctantly. Strictly speaking, these two had also been about to go out on the town when Aeson called them to a stop. This too had been under Orba’s orders.

“Why go out of the way?”

Shique asked, some thirty minutes later, in the prince’s private room.

“I mean, I do understand what you’re doing. You’re trying to make it seem the munificent prince measures value through performance. Especially those in the regular troops, seeing their own friends luckily taking part in the spoils, they would certainly think ‘Next time, that will be me’.”

“If you understand that much there shouldn’t be any problem, right?”

Orba currently held a late afternoon meal in his hand while stooped over a book spread open on the table.

“No, there should’ve been more effective ways. If you had also taught the regulars about the strategy, wouldn’t the battle have been just a bit easier, and the regulars moved by the prince’s abilities?”

“People exhibit their abilities strongest when putting their life on the line.” 

Dinn, seeing Orba about to flip the page with his sauce-covered hands, uttered a sigh and moved to undertake the task in his stead.

“With only that, it won’t end with them growing desperate. Bitter and having lost face, they’ll put more effort into those sword-clasped hands and trigger-wrapped fingers, all so that they might get recognised the next time around.”

“You’ve become quite the tactician,” Gowen remarked sarcastically.

“About that,” Orba said, not directly responding to his remark, “I was only thinking that if things turned into a serious fight, I’d need to make the enemy cautious and at the same time spread that same caution, or an even greater one to our own men.”

Some time after, Shique said to Gowen.

“It’s probably because Orba has a good nose.”

“A good nose?”

“How should I put it. If there are ten things happening in a given situation, there are those who might be able to see nine of them but are completely unable to imagine that last one. And then there are people who by seeing just two or three are able to foresee the remaining entirety. In Orba’s case, he foresees, or it might be more appropriate to say he instinctually sniffs them out. It’s something I often see from him. We’re always taken by surprise by the bold moves he makes, but in order to even make that single move, he pays extremely careful attention to everything around him and stores up information. And on top of that, he possesses a primal, or rather, characteristically sharp intuition. It’s easy to be mistaken because of his thoughtlessly excellent sword skills, but he was never someone destined to finish as a simple swordsman.”

“But you know,” Gowen said, crossing his big arms as he looked up at the sky, “I don’t feel it’s a good thing how his view is fixed at looking from above. That would make him the same as the other nobles and imperials.”

“What are you saying, Mr. Commander-of-the-Imperial-Guards?” Shique smiled revealing his white teeth. “I on the other hand am having fun. How far up will he, a mere gladiator, climb? Having the pleasure to watch it this close up is reason enough for me to tag along. What about you, Gowen-dono? Why did you choose to follow him?”

“Because I’m tired of raising sword slaves.”

Gowen spoke his true feelings, absent of any deceit.

“A view from above, huh. However, even if he’s aware of that, if he doesn’t attain it...only a world where he can get killed in his sleep awaits him.”

Shique finished with a murmur afterwards, as if in soliloquy.

Amongst the Zerdians captured as prisoners of war, most of the soldiers were safely released, although of course, the commander, Natokk, and his adjutant, Shadam, were locked in the dungeon. Orba made no mention of giving them any special interrogation or torture. Except that he had just visited them once to provide food, and have a chat, almost as if done on a whim.

Natokk was vigilant, and spoke a little of Taúlia in what ways that would cause them no harm. Orba tried to also probe a glimpse of Taúlia’s governor-general’s character, but as for whether that yielded any results, he himself wasn’t quite sure.

''Seems he’s a well-liked man.''

Orba found it odd that in just under two hours of conversation, he was able to grasp a general understanding of the man. No matter how he saw it, Ax did not give off the feeling of a great man. If he remembered correctly, Zaj Haman also said the same.

“He is not a bad man. He is also loved by his people. It’s just, he worships the Jasch Bazgan who established Zer Tauran like a god — though I do admit the Taúlian feudal lords have been like that generation after generation — and he believes that Jasch’s influence, even now, flows through the entire west. I don’t know when, but Ax Bazgan aspires to one day raise a new country himself.”

“Do you know of anyone else from Taulia? The saying goes that there’s no loss to knowing.”

“You’re right.” Zaat nodded fervently. “Archduke Hergo, who assumes a position similar to adjutant, is already an old man. His adopted son, General Bouwen, is young and spirited, and rumours say he will inevitably marry Ax’s daughter, Esmena. But he is not so much that his name would sing tales through the wind. Hmmm. Only...”

“Only?”

“Ax’s strategist, Ravan Dol. He works as a dragon handler and is approaching his years, but I hear he’s considerably sharp minded. On the one occasion Taúlia was attacked by Mephius ten years ago and was on the verge of ruin, I’ve heard the one who issued an appeal to the other states at that time and provided them the strategy that drove away the Mephian army was Ravan Dol. Stories of his genius in taming dragons have also reached my ears.”

''Ravan Dol.''

It was common for the Western Tauran Provinces to, like Mephius, train dragons and employ them in battle. They weren’t brought along when Natokk performed the attack on Apta because it would hinder covert manoeuvring, but if their force had come from the front, then Ravan Dol’s personally trained dragon squadron would’ve likely appeared.

And, while going over this information from Zaj Haman with Shique and Gowen, he elicited an unexpected response from an unexpected place.

Orba and the other two happened upon the dragoon training as they were talking, when the nearby Hou Ran who was checking the dragons’ condition spoke out.

“If it’s Ravan Dol then I know him,” she suddenly spoke.

“He was famous, even in the tribe I used to be in. A man said to be so great that he could make even a violent, wild dragon obey him in less than three days.”

Hou Ran was born of the western Mephian nomads. There was likely some Zerdian blood also mixed in. Orba was stricken at how he he hadn’t even considered asking Ran until now.

“He’s like a male Ran. Which of you is better?”

“Better or worse, I don’t know,” Ran said singingly. “Only, I’d like to see what those children are like by a man his calibre.”

Never dropping her smile, she was in unusually high spirits. At that moment, a dragoon fell sideways off his Tengo. His foot caught onto the stirrup, and Ran broke into a run towards them as the man continued to be dragged along by the dragon. With a stride that made it seem like she was walking on air, she went to the Tengo, whose mouth protruded outwards much like a bird, and touched the Tengo’s head, then moving to gently stroke its long neck. In the blink of an eye, the Tengo grew docile and stopped moving. The soldiers approached nervously and pulled out the dragoon’s foot.

“That little Ran.”

“What’s the matter, Gowen?”

“Looks like she’s burning with hostility.”

“That? It seems to me that she’s laughing though,” Shique replied, surprised.

“I’ve finally understood it after being tied together as parent and daughter and living together,” Gowen said with a strangely bashful face that didn’t suit him. “That’s really an abundance of expressions. Or I should be saying that she never knew how to hide her emotions from the start. She only knows how to express them in a way that isn’t easy to understand.”

“Right...”

“Her eyes are honest. They never lie.”

“Rather the doting parent.”

Shique said in a voice inaudible to Gowen, causing Orba to struggle to stifle his laugh.

However, Shique completely changed the flow of the conversation, suddenly switching the brunt of it onto Orba.

“By the way, Orba, have you met with Princess Vileena recently?”

“What are you saying? More than recently, I spent breakfast at the table together with her just this morning. You were there too.”

“I’m not asking if you did as the crown prince Gil. I’m asking if you did as the gladiator, Orba.”

“......”

‘Is that even necessary?’ Orba seemed to ask silently. Strangely, Shique rebuked him in an angry tone.

“You two share a relation where you once took hands and danced, right? Did you ever thank her for the medal you received at the gladiator tournament? But no, you haven’t even gone to greet her since Zaat’s rebellion. You should go see her now. It’s important to occasionally show your face as Orba and give her the impression Orba and Gil aren’t one and the same.”

“Wait!”

Even as Orba tried protesting, Shique called over the page Dinn and told him to bring a change of clothes.

“Come on, go on, go on.” Shique nudged him in the back. “The princess went to the airship platform to watch the airship squadron’s training not long ago. She should still be there. Go on, hurry now.”

In this way, Orba was pressured by Shique and dressed into the guise of a gladiator, still unsatisfied.

It couldn’t be denied that he hadn’t really considered what Shique pointed out. He also hadn’t given his thanks for the medal. If he had to say it, it felt awkward. That medal was the sign of friendship Vileena had given him.

''Tch.''

A former sword slave and a princess. The relative difference in status between the two went without saying. If a former sword slave continued ignoring a princess’ display of affection, it would foster unneeded suspicion.

''Shique you bastard, you planned this from the start, didn’t you.''

With his face covered by an iron mask and his torso adorned in leather armour, he headed towards the place serving as the airship platform. It was a location that led several meters higher than the highest parts of the Apta wall.

As Orba walked there, his resentments towards Shique quickly disappeared. The problems surrounding Orba, his difficulties, hadn’t decreased one bit. He gave so little weight to his own personal emotions that they were far off his list of priorities.

The matter with Noue Salzantes also held Orba in unease. It was currently a stopgap measure to buy him time, but it was a fact that he couldn’t keep hold it in place for long.

He didn’t need Gowen to tell him that he knew almost nothing about Noue.

But strangely enough, he held an odd sense of ‘trust’ towards him.

''He’s a man who prioritises the welfare of his country first, even if he has to kill his own princess to do so. If he’s a man that resolute, then he should have no problem temporarily setting aside his own emotions.''

When Orba found out Noue was trying to take advantage of even the princess’ life in the founding festival, he was furious. It was a fury that connected to Orba’s own past towards those selfish people in power.

At the same time, that very incident served as the founding basis of his ‘trust’ towards Noue. Orba hadn’t given it a single thought to the fact that these two conflicting emotions had the same cause.

''On that note,''

He had no definitive proof Noue would really accept his request. But by this point in time he had already set Ax aside and was thinking ‘ahead’. To achieve that end, it was imperative he have an open discussion with Noue Salzantes.

===Part 3===
Vileena Owell sat above a flight of stairs not far off the dock where the ships moored. She watched the silhouettes of the airships revolving around the high sky. The airship unit’s practice, that could even be called a hastily prepared one, was held day after day without break.

''Oh?''

Noticing the imperial guard approaching her, she smiled.

“I haven’t seen you lately. Were you in the middle of some secret mission on the prince’s orders again?”

“That, isn’t it.”

Orba, nervous over how he needed to create as many distinct personal differences as possible between himself and the prince, could do nothing but offer a curt response.

“It’s not something you can tell me. Pay it no mind.”

Vileena said, shifting her eyes back towards the sky. Her feet dangled, swinging back and forth, and her face was vacant.

''She feels strangely different.''

Her defenceless pose rattled Orba even more. It was his first seeing the princess make such a face. When facing the ‘prince’, Vileena would more or less shroud herself with an intensity that could cut. And now there wasn’t a single trace of that. If he had to say it, he saw in her not a ‘princess’, but a mere fourteen, fifteen year old girl.

Now seemed like a bad time to bring up the medal, so Orba wordlessly stood beside her and also stared up at the sky.

The wind blew.

“Ah.”

A fluttering leaf had tangled in Vileena’s hair. Vileena also realizing this, began to reach her hand to the back of her head.

“Pardon.”

With that single word, he gently removed the leaf from her hair. The ends held a softness that seemed to melt into his hands, and in spite of that, he could feel the smoothness from the strands. Surprised by the sensation, Orba scolded himself.

''I’m acting like a little boy who’s never known a woman.''

“Thank you.”

Again, Vileena smiled innocently. It was one so defenceless, that had she made that face to ‘Prince Gil’ from the beginning, she would’ve impressed on Orba, who wasn’t well informed about royals and nobles, that she was a ‘childish princess ignorant of the way of the world’, and completely fooled him.

“...Is there something weighing on your mind?”

“Does it seem that way to you?”

“Um, you seem strangely absentminded. It might be a bit impolite of me, but…”

“Don’t worry. It’s as you say. There have been too many things to think about here, and right now, I find this time where I don’t have to think about any of them strangely comforting. Although it might only be me running away.”

“No, it isn’t.” Orba denied.

He felt he could also understand it. He was also like that, driven into a busyness day after day enough to make his eyes spin. He would forget himself and obsess over his work, but occasionally in that single hour within the day, he turned his eyes away from the things he needed to think about to clear away all the troublesome things crammed in his head. He sometimes found that moment pleasant as if he was floating on clouds.

“You think and think about it, but many of the answers won’t come out. Then it gets to the point where it feels like you hit the dead end of a pathless labyrinth, but you can’t summon yourself to discard it, in fear it might in fact be very important. And when you wake up from a nap refreshed and re-explore the labyrinth, you’re surprised to discover a secret path at an unexpected spot and laugh, thinking ‘Oh, was it really this easy?’”

“I can relate,” Vileena strongly nodded. “However, Orba. This labyrinth is more endless, grave, and deeper than any I’ve encountered. Perhaps you might be able to answer it.”

“Go ahead, please ask away.”

[[Image:Rakuin no Monshou v03 173.jpg|thumb]]
“Then ask I shall. Orba, ''who'' am I?”

“Hah?”

The masked gladiator unintentionally gave an unrefined response. Vileena looked at him with slightly narrowed eyes.

“I’ve been thinking about it this whole time. Even when Ax Bazgan’s attack happened, the prince foresaw that, all while keeping it from me. The only thing he did was station the imperial guard Shique near me so I could safely get away. I was infuriated that time. In the end, I was another one of the ‘enemy’ the prince needed to deceive, and I was mortified to discover ‘what’ the prince saw me as.”

“......”

“However,” Vileena took a breath, “I myself am also unable to come to an answer. It’s as if within me, there are a crowd of other mes. Which one is real? Or are they all fake? I don’t understand even that. How am I, who cannot find a hold of my own ‘self’, supposed to make others trust me?”

''Nii-san.''

Thoughts of his brother passed his mind that moment, of how more than six years ago in their home village, they soaked in the pale moonlight and talked under the starry sky. Vileena lowered her head.

“I’ve been driven by shameful thoughts. I believed I was someone who could be a brave, decisive, able soldier, or even general. Just as my respected grandfather was. And here, I can’t even grasp my own self. Before, you had supposed it a labyrinth, but in my case, just where is the exit in that labyrinth packed with them, or rather, there are too many that I don’t know which to choose from. I also don’t have a destination—”

“Everyone, is like that.”

“Everyone?”

Orba’s voice had shook a little.

“What is our real self? Isn’t everyone unsure of that answer? Or maybe they don’t know if there even is an answer, as they live their everyday lives. No matter what kind of person they are—royals and nobles, slaves made to take up their sword and kill another person they’ve never met so they can live another day, philosophers, religionists, farmers, merchants—everyone grieves through their own situations; and not knowing what to do with themselves, they dream that there exists a true calling for them. Who are they? Who will they be? Those are as many and endless as the stars that fill the sky, and an inexhaustive worry that persists indefinitely.”

“—”

“I’m afraid to say that doesn’t change for Princess Vileena either, and even a person stained in blood like me.”

“I’m embarrassed.”

“Eh?”

As if he’d been woken from a dream, Orba directed a startled look over at Vileena. Her chin rested on her hands crossed above her lap.

“I’ve been going on thinking as if I was the only one in the middle of distress. But now that you mention it, yes, that might actually be the case. Everyone has their own doubts and feels lost. It’s because those are there that people seek direction and desire a relationship where they can support one another. I feel as if you’re always the one who ends up teaching me things.”

“No, you shouldn’t take my words that seriously. You’re over exaggerating.”

“Are you claiming you just happened to say that?” Vileena raised her eyes and stared his way indignantly. “That can’t possibly be. It’s because, Orba, you’re also lost and hold doubts that you’re saying this. But now my feelings have cleared a little. Everyone’s like this. Yes, grandfather, Theresia, you, and Gil Mephius as well.”

Orba said nothing further back to her. The things he said to the princess were nothing more than a retelling of his brother Roan’s words. However, actually speaking those words now had brought forth unspoken emotions, grief, and a bit of guilt.

At this moment, the airship unit’s flying ended and it prepared for landing. The first and second made a smooth landing, but the third ship hadn’t properly balanced the ether emission levels to match its changing speed and it’s wing grazed the ground surface.

“Pull the left lever and press the pedal!”

Orba raised such a startlingly loud voice that Vileena stood up.

The part of the ship the constituting the wyvern’s feet grinded against the floor and barely finished the landing without crashing.

The princess embarrassedly smiled.

“Keep this a secret from the prince.”

Saying this, she broke into a dash towards the airship without waiting for his reply.

“Noue-sama.”

Roger, commander of the Bronze Knight’s second cavalry, ran up to Noue Salzantes along the garden’s stone pavings.

“How long do you plan to stay here? We are at a situation where we don’t know when our homeland will open hostilities with Ende. If we don’t strengthen our defences at the border—”

“I’m aware of that.”

Noue stopped his feet and faced to watch the servants pruning the garden trees. Roger mimicked after him.

“Even without Mephius’ aid, we shall have Ende and Arion withdraw by our, the knight’s, power alone.”

“That may be.”

Noue also did not underrate his army’s power. If they mounted a defensive, they should hold out for some time even against Arion to a certain extent. There were other powers who wouldn’t so readily accept Arion’s expansion all the way to the centre of the continent, and they had the option of issuing an appeal to the northern coastal nations and forming an allied coalition.

''However...''

Garbera hadn’t yet recovered from the wounds it suffered from the ten year war and Ryucown’s rebellion. If possible, he wanted to settle this predicament before Arion came, or more precisely, before Ende advanced its army. For that, Mephius’ cooperation was required at all costs. In which case, rather than Guhl Mephius who sought to get closer to Ende, Prince Gil was by far the better negotiating partner. However,

''In a way, more so than Guhl Mephius, he is a man I cannot see.''

Just as Orba feared, Noue was presently troubled over how far he should trust ‘Gil Mephius’.

''While a master of wiles, his actions feel strangely immature when he engages from the front, or rather, it’s impossible not to sense his inexperience. That portion also bears semblance to Ryucown, but strangely enough, other than his burning ideals, I can feel little of anything bordering patriotism.''

''This is a serious matter, one which hinges Garbera’s survival. There is no way I can entrust that to a man I cannot see. Now then, where shall I prick him from?''

Strictly speaking, Orba had caused Noue to become exceedingly cautious. It was in this situation that Orba’s inexperience in interacting with ruling aristocrats served as his weak point.

“Oh?”

Raising his glance up over the gardener’s backs, Noue looked up at the sky. In the direction of the airship platforms to the fortress’ eastern edge, several airships were flying in formation. It was likely a part of training, but what caught Noue’s eye was the rider in front. From here it was no more than a small dot, but there was no mistaking that figure.

“That is…”

After Roger said this, he broke into a smile. ‘Same as always,’ the smile evidently expressed..

The pair headed in the direction of the platforms. As surmised, hopping off one of the returning ships was Vileena Owell. No matter how many times they had seen it, her pilot suit accentuated the curves on her body; it was not something fitting for an exalted lady. Young ones like Roger tended to turn away in embarrassment. But Noue wasn’t one to fuss over attire. Noticing them, Vileena waved her hand and approached them.

“Salzantes-dono. How long do you intend on staying in Apta?”

“There is something of an issue I must straighten out first...yes, I would say either tomorrow or the day after.”

“I see. It must be tough.”

The princess responded cheerfully, wiping the sweat off her cheeks.

“It seems no matter where you go you will always be fond of the sky, princess.”

“Aah. I asked the impossible and borrowed a ship. I only intended to go for a short spree, but the soldiers were so insistent I lend my hand in their teaching that I happily did it.”

The Mephian airship pilots all collapsed onto the ground in total exhaustion. Vileena was skilled enough to go head to head against Garbera’s world-boasted, finely trained pilots. Keeping up with the princess had likely taken their all.

“The sky is wonderful. Even as the lands are divided into countless countries, the world is tied together by a single sky even as the lands are divided into countless countries.”

''Oh my.''

Noue looked up at the same sky as the princess, but let out a chuckle in his mind.

''How sentimental.''

“Speaking of which, Noue,” Vileena called his name and hushed her voice, “how are things faring with Ende?”

“Honestly, things are looking unfavourable. Our messengers have also been turned away at the gates.”

“What did Prince Gil have to say?”

“That as well was somewhat...”

Noue tried to jest.

“My apologies,” Vileena lowered her eyes. “That person is ''always'' like that. He shows no interest in the things that concern others, but is surely thinking of something. I’d like you to have faith in that.”

“I would like to. However…”

“Do not fret. Whenever I feel as if I’m about to exceed my patience and decide it’s time to give his bottom a good hard kick, he has always begun to move, as if those feelings have been transmitted to him. And once he does, he moves quickly.”

“Haha.”

Noue was taken with heartwarming thoughts. The reason went without saying. And simultaneously…

''She’s already completely taken the stance of Mephius.''

Words like ‘my apologies’ and ‘I’d like you to have faith in that’.

However, Noue did understand the princess herself was impatient and frustrated with the prince.

And while being so, she could do naught but speak to Noue, who belonged to ‘another country’, in that way. He had previously seen it as sentimental, but if she had maintained a composed attitude while suppressing those emotions, then it was proof the princess had become an adult.

“If anything, I wouldn’t mind really giving him a kick on his bottom. I’ll drag him by the heels before you and have him talk with you.”

“N-no. There’s no need to have you do such a thing.”

As Noue Salzantes exchanged words with Princess Vileena who at some point decided to take things into her own hands, he felt his heart brighten, strangely enough.

''Why not. If he can speak openly, I’ll also lay my feelings bare. It’s a fact that nothing will progress by thinking of where to prick him from the get-go.''

Orba was at this time watching Vileena and Noue’s exchange at a distance.

Even if he could not read all of Noue’s changing emotions on his face, he knew.

''Tonight, he’ll be coming.''

And so, he effortlessly turned his eyes back towards the young girl calling to the pilots dismounting from their ships..

''I never got to mention the medal—''

That night, as predicted, Orba and Noue talked once more sitting face-to-face in the room at the top of the tower.

Noue no longer hid anything. His request was for Mephius to once forthrightly raise its flags in Garberan lands. After resigning himself to some degree of humiliation, that is.

“For that, allow me to finish all the necessary preparations on Garbera’s end.”

“I look forward to it,” Orba said pulling his chin.

The talks progressed exceptionally fast. Promising to send reinforcements to Garbera was a simple task, but this was on his own accord. He risked incurring the emperor’s anger, more so than Fedom’s.

In preparation, Orba had sent airships on standby as messengers to Solon to spread news of how a group of reinforcements led by Noue Salzantes helped defend Apta. He was expecting this as the perfect justification for his sending reinforcements to Garbera.

''If the emperor shows any reluctance towards it, it’ll increasingly fan anti-emperor sentiments. Fedom isn’t one to sit still and watch as this happens. He’ll definitely find a good opportunity and cover for me.''

Were that to cripple Mephius or push Mephius into insurrection was of no concern to Orba.

''But, before that can take place...''

“First, we’ll have to settle Ax Bazgan. All of the soldiers I can mobilise are here. Which stands that as long as he isn’t pinned down, I won’t be able to move for Garbera.”

“Yes.”

“Wouldn’t it be hard for him to come in if both Garbera and Mephius send him notice?”

“I wonder about that. I’ve tried investigating the west in my own way. The battles in the west have settled to a calm during this year, but it seems to be beginning to erupt into strife again. And to note, their methods of fighting are completely different from before.”

“That would mean...”

“I don’t know the specific details, but I also have news that a new power has risen in the west. This power has begun to exert its influence and subdued countless cities and nomads. They’ve set up camp in the temple ruins of the former Zer Tauran, and are even calling for an allegiance between the small states.”

Orba was amazed. What he had just heard was also in Zaj Haman’s information, but Noue had in his own clever way devised a network through which to investigate this.

''A man I can’t let my guard down against. If I ease up after becoming friends, I feel like he’ll even find out the colour of my morning poop.''

Unintentionally, ludicrous thoughts filled his head.

“It’s likely for that reason that Ax is rushed for time. Zer Tauran is a country established by the Bazgan House. Naturally, if the west is to be united again, he believes that one of Bazgan descent is most appropriate to fill that role. And then for a man to appear and name himself king in the temple ruins that symbolises Zer Tauran...If I were Ax, I would need to find a way to display my might to the other city-states.”

“However, if he were to point his sword at the Zerdians as he’s done until now, the new power might join the other towns and eliminate him.”

“Yes.”

“That’s why he aimed for Apta Fortress right when the foolish prince became keeper, huh.”

Orba folded his arms.

“If we were to say it the other way around, we can’t expect much cooperation from the west with it now in disarray. This could even be a chance for me...but I can’t imagine Ax is someone who would give up so half-heartedly.”

“So this would in fact require that we make Ax swear us his allegiance through force. Moreover, when the time comes we let them know both Mephius and Garbera have arranged to deploy reinforcements to aid them against the new threat in the west...”

“Through force...”

Orba raised one of his brows. That would mean a full out war with Taúlia. It would take time to crush them, not to forget that tomorrow or the day after, Noue’s troops would be pulling out.

“Surely you must have already thought of that.”

Noue said testingly. No, he ''was'' in fact testing Prince Gil. Even for Noue, there were few strategies he could think of that would make Taúlia fall in a matter of days, and they each held their accompanying risks. Would Prince Gil satisfy his expectations? Namely, was this man such that he had something Noue himself didn’t?

Gil Mephius stayed still, his arms folded and him standing. His glance coincidentally fell on the map laid out on the table, seldomly blinking.

Noue would not break be the one to break this silence Orba created.

''Now, Oh arrogant, inexperienced, Gil Mephius. Won’t you surprise me? Won’t you teach me the vastness of the world?''

Noue was trembling in excitement, waiting, just waiting for Gil to open his mouth.

The night was still long. Before, the soldier’s clamouring voices downstairs could be heard from far away, but now Apta had fallen dead silent. They were likely on strict guard.

“No,”

Gil—Orba shook his head.

“I won’t decide ''now''. For the time being, why don’t Noue-dono and I send a notice to Ax with both our signatures. I would appreciate if you could stay in Apta until the response comes.”

“I cannot stay long. I can at best put it off another three days.”

“I don’t mind.”

Gil bluntly replied.

''Is he being cautious against me? Or could it be...''

As Noue obliged, he felt doubt and disappointment dye his chest in turn.

<noinclude>
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| Back to [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume3 Chapter3|Chapter 3]]
| Return to [[Rakuin no Monshou|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Rakuin no Monshou:Volume3 Chapter5|Chapter 5]]
|-
|}
</noinclude>

Talk:Overlord

2015-07-09T00:39:01Z

Monsterbandage: /* Web novel x Light novel */

This has a lot of potential!!! Heard about the news of the anime adaptation. It has both manga and anime adaptation, I expect the hype will be tremendous!!! Thank you for the translations and keep up the good work! Cheers! - Ash

It seems they finish the first volume(and the prolog of the second)
https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0ByPeaKaqUsGFQVAxUEM2bUI0R0E&usp=sharing#list

== Why all the content are behind external links? ==

Because of that I can't use Bakareader on my phone. Any reason for that?

:Simple answer: The Overlord project's translation is done by different translation groups (eg: Imoutolicious LNT, Skythewood etc...) not by B-T community. In order to host their translated works on B-T we need translator's approval. So B-T will host the links to translated chapters. -- [[user:Rex| Rex ]] ([[Special:Contributions/Rex|✍]]|[[user talk:Rex|🔊]]) 23:55, 26 January 2015 (CST)

== Raw volume link ==

I dunno if anyone realized, but the raw volumes link listed on the synopsis page is actually Chinese translations. [[User:SifaV6|SifaV6]] ([[User talk:SifaV6|talk]]) 00:30, 10 May 2015 (CDT)

== Chapter names for each volume ==

The author of Overlord actually wrote the chapters names of every volume in English as well as in Japanese. I only noticed it today when adding chapter names for volume 7. I went and looked through the chapter names for previous volumes and found that a lot of current chapter names on BT don't match. Eg Volume 3 chapter 1 is officially called Herd of predators. [[User:SifaV6|SifaV6]] ([[User talk:SifaV6|talk]]) 05:49, 31 May 2015 (CDT)

== Web novel x Light novel ==
I would like to ask, which one of this two is better to read. I heard that LN is quite different from WN. I don´t have any problems with reading the WN, but LN is a bit more problematic, as I have to use dictionary quite often and ORC is...
Therefore I would like to ask, is the LN more interesting?--[[User:Zuruumi|Zuruumi]] ([[User talk:Zuruumi|talk]]) 16:03, 8 July 2015 (UTC)

Heard from my friend that read both the LN and WN versions that one of the main differences was that Albedo, the main heroine aka #1 waifu, was only added to the LN. And that a character from the series gets a good end in the WN but a bad end in the LN. Hope that helps. --[[User:Monsterbandage|Monsterbandage]] ([[User talk:Monsterbandage|talk]]) 00:39, 9 July 2015 (UTC)

My youth romantic comedy is wrong as I expected v7.5 S.A. Side-B

2014-09-14T07:19:12Z

Monsterbandage: /* SIDE-B * Special Act B: Even now, they still don’t know the place they should return to. */

==SIDE-B * Special Act B: Even now, they still don’t know the place they should return to.==

The periodic tests ended, followed by the start of the rainy season.

Extended rains had ceased, but even so, the bursts of sudden downpours that seemingly targeted the period when it was time to head home were frequent. It was because of this humidity that filled everything below the sky that this and that clung to your body.

Especially with Sobu High being positioned along the coast, the humidity from the sea was brought over in its entirety. The assimilated salty sea breeze was discoloring the paints and bikes, rusting the exposed iron fences.

As damp as the atmosphere was, it oddly gave rise to a feeling of invigoration.

That was because this time of the year which awaited the onset of summer vacation was the season where not only the normalfags would rustle about making plans for their frivoling, but also the loners who would be freed from the hell called school and become animated.

Would it be fine to call this the “charm of summer”?

Incidentally, the heat would make people go mad.

Because of that, even I was behaving strangely against my better judgment. It was the kind of behavior that wasn’t typical of me, that even I couldn’t help, but find odd.

The area wedged between the back of the school building and the annex was cooler than anywhere else due to it being under the shade. In contrast to the school building which was enclosed at all four corners like a square if you looked from above, this annex which abundantly stuck out was a place that the average student wasn’t familiar with. For the martial arts dojo below the gym, only if the sports club had a room there that people would pass by, but with it being lunch, no one came.

That being the case, there was no one else other than me and one more person.

The students who were exhilarated for the start of summer during lunch.

The faint, smell of salt that rode along the wind.

And the backside of the school building with no human presence.

It was a secret moment that only the two of us would spend together.

If I recited these kinds of things, it was as if I was listening to one tale of a summer’s youth.

But reality was not so.

“Ku, ku, ku, I praise you for coming. My longtime enemy. Hachiman!”

That theatrical, to the point idiotic, annoying way of speaking was answered back with a voice that lacked motivation.

“I’ve finallyyyyy cornered youuuu, Master Swordsman Shoooogun.”

When I monotonously responded in a way that would warrant talent and movie directors to complain about saying it to do it better, directly facing me, Zaimokuza quietly took his stance. Barf Spark annoying<ref>A Touhou meme, yukkuri in particular. Basically a bunch of Touhou heads and this skill in particular is feared for knowing to kill other yukkuris brutally.</ref>.

This was what reality was.

In this reality, it was just the two of us, Zaimokuza and I, taking refuge here in the shadows behind the school building where no one was at so no one could see us. Also, I was positive this smell of salt was actually the stink of sweat. Trick descriptions sure were scary!

I was just eating my lunch at my usual place by myself while watching from afar Totsuka doing his noon practice until Zaimokuza caught me.

I was then forced to read the plot of Zaimokuza’s novel and before I realized it, in this blistering heat, I was engaging in chuunibyou antics with him.

This was my reality and the summer of my second year in high school. The summer of Japan, it was not the summer of Kincho.[^2]<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2B134VyMPE</ref>

“Fumuu… Hachiman. Dare I say something is amiss with your dispirited attitude!? Why do you not take your stance!? You will not be able to stimulate my image like that!”

Zaimokuza voiced his complaints as he noisily stamped on the floor.

No, even if you told me that… When I blurted out I didn’t understand the setting of the plot he wrote, Zaimokuza started a live performance. Before I knew it, things had turned out like this.

But even if I gave him a sound argument, it wouldn’t get through to Zaimokuza. This was the Zaimokuza QUALITY. It would prove more advantageous to retaliate with emotions instead of logic.

I displayed a smile that mocked him.

“…This stance, huh…? This is the Formless Stance. By sheathing my power, I can counter any and all attacks.”

“What the heck is that? That’s cool!”

Given how I blurted out random knowledge I gained from Ruro Ken, the fact that Zaimokuza ate it up was good. Accepting it, he began pressing away on his smart phone. He worried whether he wanted to go with that stance or the Universe Stance, but if that turned out to be a reference, then that was plenty.

“Nufu, after avoiding an attack and nullifying it, you follow up with a sermon punch<ref>Are you living your life correctly?</ref>. This could get popular…”

I ignored Zaimokuza who was blubbering about something and leaned against the wall. Since it looked like I solved Zaimokuza’s problem, I should be released now.

Forcing me into this stupid act made me sweat unpleasantly. The wind that blew past my red hot cheeks felt good.

I bathed in the wind that blew much further ahead of me and when I twisted my body, trying my hand at pretending to be T.M.Revolution, a strange spectacle flew into my sight.

A number of boys sporting a judo appearance were walking in stuttered steps with downfallen shoulders this way. Their judo outfits alone were enough to give them an overbearing appearance, yet they looked fragile somehow.

I thought only MY ANGEL Totsuka was the only one who went through the trouble of practicing during lunch, but was our judo club the same? Ah, MY ANGEL Totsuka. I want to answer this quiz correctly and raise him.

In Totsuka’s case, he refreshingly, moreover, cutely, looked like he was having fun while cutely doing his noon practice, but that didn’t seem to be the case for the passing judo folks..

Well, there’s nothing they could do. Totsuka’s special after all. Special Totsuka, in short, Totspecialka. “Special Totsuka is cute” was like a tongue twister.

On the other hand, the walking of the not special, not cute, and not Totsuka judo guys were like that of a zombie’s and their expressions looked considerably exhausted… Were you guys all company employees or something!?

Still leaning against the wall, I slid down into a sitting position.

As I was watching the orderly judo club with a side glance, Zaimokuza who also seemed to have seen them was tilting his head in contemplation with a “fumuu”.

“A rather suspicious group, were they not?”

“Uh, compared to you, not really…”

Perverts that wore coats during the summer were only people like Black Jack-sensei, you know…

“Rufun. Well, once you are on the same class as I, then you are already a Master Swordsman…”

Apparently taking those words as compliment, Zaimokuza snorted with pride. If you translated positive thinking in Japanese, didn’t that mean “shitty, misunderstanding bastard”?

But pointing out Zaimokuza’s misunderstanding didn’t have any benefits at this point. That was probably the case for him internally and I mean only for him internally.

I removed my gaze from Zaimokuza and when I watched the guys in judo outfits turn the corner, a thought came to mind.

“Oh yeah, didn’t you choose kendo for your martial arts?”

This time of the year for us second years was when gym would start doing martial arts. You had to choose between kendo and judo.

But you had to buy equipment for either of them. Since kendo equipment came in a complete set and was expensive, I opted for judo. I told my parents “I’m not sure what I’ll do, but gimme money for kendo”. This was what they called the Full Metal Jacket, the Small Change Alchemist.

I chose judo and since Zaimokuza wasn’t there, through the process of elimination, that meant he went with kendo instead. Though, there was also the possibility that Zaimokuza’s existence got eliminated as well.

“Homu, indeed. I most certainly did choose kendo. It was most natural. Is there something the matter?”

“No… I was just thinking how pitiful it’d be for the guys who’d have to pair up with you.”

In reality, by virtue of it being gym, it was already quite the pain already. With kendo being in his field as well, then he’d probably be even more annoying.

“Worry not. It is preposterous I would use my power against the likes of common disciples. I will keep myself in check.”

“Aah, is that so…”

So if I translated that to modern speak, then, “I-It’s too embarrassing to expose that kind of setting in front of other people… That’s why I’m going to stay put. H-Hachiman, you’re the only person I can show this to, okay!” or something like that.

What the heck was that? That’s disgusting.

Well, it was fine as long Zaimokuza wasn’t a bother to other people. The reason why loners were allowed to exist was so they didn’t harm other people. The pheasant would not be shot, but for its cries. But a pheasant that didn’t cry was less than a pheasant. As an existence that served no value in beating, it could be thrown away. Could it be treated as if it didn’t exist or could it be avoided as something that was hated? Either way, it was dead if it was Another.

“Hachiman, what did the likes of you decide upon?”

As if he was displeased at my attitude, Zaimokuza pouted and asked. But my answer was exceedingly simple. There wasn’t a speck of surprise in it.

“The guys in the judo club partnered with me. The rest was just practicing ukemi<ref>The art of falling safely in judo.</ref>.”

“Homuu… You surely mean caretaking, not partnering, correct…?”

While wiping the sweat at his brow, Zaimokuza said.

But it wasn’t something to be surprised about. Whenever a particular competition was held, it was the fate of the club members related to get the short end of the stick. They’d be told to show a demonstration and they had to prepare as well as clean up the equipment. Calmly overlooking this overtime labor was the darkness of the sports oriented world. Rumor had it that the sports clubs were to rear future corporate slaves; inside of me that is.

That’s why the people of the judo club could not cease taking care of me… Was that the reason for their dark expressions? Sorry, okay?

But it weighing on mind wouldn’t change this tradition. As if I could go out of my way to skip class just for them. There was no one to help the loners, so they had to make sure to attend all their classes.

Sorry to the judo guys, but for now, I’ll be a nuisance to you all.

After solidifying my defiance, the chime indicating the end of lunch rang. I stood up and wiped off the sand stuck to my behind.

“Okay, I’m heading back to class.”

Saying that, I turned my back and the sound of footsteps followed me as if it was natural.

“Hamon. Indeed, let us go.”

Eh? We’re going back together? I was pretty sure I meant, “I’ll be going back by myself”. I sent him a doubtful stare, but Zaimokuza paid no heed and instead made an oppressive “fufun” laugh.

“What are you dawdling about for? With haste, with haste! Eey, slow! I will head out first!”

He snappily turned towards the school building and pointed. To put the words Zaimokuza spoke just now in modern speak, “What’s wrong? Let’s hurry and go back okay…? Ah, but, if rumors of us going back together spread… It’d be kind of embarrassing…”

It didn’t even make me angry if I thought about it like that. It just disgusted me.

 
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I finished up the afternoon classes and headed for the club room.

Due to the nature of today’s era, our high school was equipped with air conditioning, enabling us to take classes comfortably during the summer. But outside of class was a different story. The same could be said for after school.

Even on a hot day like this, while heading for the Service Club room located in the inner depths of the special building, I could feel a cooling sensation either because the club room was situated in a spot under the shade or that the ventilation was splendid. Or possibly, it could’ve been because of the leaking aura of the club room’s master. I was sure that this coolness that made your spine shiver was from the latter. Aah, also, her breasts were also cool too!

While engrossing myself in pointless thoughts regarding the coolness of the special building, I opened the door and a slightly, exceedingly so, cold stare was thrust at me.

“…Good work.”

After receiving the shooting glint in her eyes from Yukinoshita Yukino, I couldn’t help but falter. What, why was this person so angry? Did my thoughts from earlier get across to her somehow? With Yukinoshita as the esper, I as the satorare<ref>http://hamsapsukebe.blogspot.com/2006/11/satorare.html</ref>, the second big controversy would happen again.

“…Oh, it was Hikigaya-kun. You were making a rather damp looking face that I thought an amphibian had entered the room.”

“Well, youth consequently made me feel wet, so there’s not much I can do there. Make sure not to tell Hiratsuka-sensei that. Because she would totally be bothered by it.”

Once we exchanged our usual greeting, I sat at my designated seat that was directly opposite from Yukinoshita.

While looking like her typical displeased self, Yukinoshita didn’t say anything more in particular. She then dropped her eyes back to the book at her hands.

I could see that she wasn’t in the greatest of moods, though it didn’t seem to have been from her enmity, hatred, and dislike of me. The proof of that lied with how she would normally add a few more words of sarcasm, but today she was rather docile. Then again, she would normally say a bit too much though.

If I wasn’t the reason for her discontent, then why was she in such a bad mood? You’ll just make the mood of the place worse so stop it. Was she one of those OLs that were harshly treated like tumors depending on the difference between their good and bad moods?

Since I didn’t have anything particular to do, I pulled a book out from my bag as well. I flipped and skimmed through the pages randomly, making occasional glances at Yukinoshita.

“…Phew.”

The only thing she was doing was reading yet she was sighing. In the meantime, it almost looked like her stress was gradually building up. What, was the book really that boring? You know you could just stop reading…

Well, it was pointless to say something to people who were privately generating their own stress, intoxicating themselves even. Only the person himself could clear away their pent up stress.

Leaving her to her own devices, I lowered my gaze to my book once again and just as I was about to engross myself in reading, the noisy sounding of creaking filled the room.

“Yahallo!”

Barging into the room with a midsummer, sultry greeting was Yuigahama Yui. As she noisily made stepping sounds, she sat at her usual seat.

As of late, Yuigahama’s skirt had been much shorter than before. In addition to that, she stopped wearing navy blue socks, more often using ankle socks. The short sleeves of her blouse were rolled up too. It was totally an appearance meant for summer. With a relative look, you could even say that the exposure of her arms and legs had increased. Well, it’s not like I was scrutinizing her in detail or anything, it’s just something you end up noticing, what with having to see her every day. It’d be a problem if you underestimated the observing eyes of a loner.

“It sure is hot!”

Having arrived at her seat, Yuigahama grabbed the blouse at her bosom and flapped it. Stop doing those things. You can’t expect me not to look, really.

Speaking of which, although she was blabbering about it being really hot, she wasn’t wearing a polo shirt or an open-necked shirt, huh? It was a little unexpected. Maybe she was slightly obsessed with the ribbon or something?

Hoping to avert my stare from Yuigahama, I focused my attention on the book in my hands. After that, I used an extra amount of strength to pull the pages that were normally stuck together already from the humidity and it wrinkled nosily.

Aah, I better rest something on the page later… It was a sad thing to do to the books you loved. It was also one of the many unpleasant things of this season.

It’s not like it was Yuigahama’s fault, in fact, it was completely mine. But really, um, I even felt kind of bad for looking at her, but as long Yuigahama was one of the reasons for this, as unfair as it was, I couldn’t help, but send a slightly reproachful look to Yuigahama. No, it’s not because she was flapping her blouse at her chest that bothered me, or that it was strange how surprisingly long her legs were; it was just an unjustified, resenting stare. Whatever it was, it was the most despicable reason.

But that was seemingly a needless concern as Yuigahama didn’t pay any heed to my stare and instead was being considerate with Yukinoshita.

“Yukinon, is something wrong?”

Had it been anyone else, they wouldn’t think to call out to Yukinoshita who was in a bad mood. If anything, even Yukinoshita’s regular attitude was a high enough hurdle already.

However, the current Yuigahama could do it.

If it was like before, she certainly wouldn’t have overstepped her boundaries and would’ve asked about something harmless. For her to ask so directly was proof that the distance between the two had shortened.

Ever since Yuigahama’s birthday, I got the feeling that the needless consideration and reservation between the two had decreased.

Yukinoshita stopped her movements as well, wondering whether she should talk now that she was spoken to. But when it came to Yuigahama, she would try to answer sincerely.

“It’s just the humidity’s so awful that it curls…”

“Aah, the humidity, huh? I get that too and it makes it hard to fix up my hair. It’s so annoying.”

In contrast to Yukinoshita who let out a sigh as she rubbed her book, Yuigahama roughly fiddled with her hair.

“Fix up? I’m the opposite. The humidity causes it to warp, so it sticks together… It’s really stressful.”

“Eeh? That’s not true at all.”

When she said that, Yuigahama stood up and went around behind Yukinoshita. In disregard to Yukinoshita’s puzzled face, she gently caressed Yukinoshita’s hair.

“It’s super silky. Aah, but, it’s probably a little hot, huh?”

“…Yuigahama-san? What are you doing?”

“Mmm. Got it.”

Yuigahama was rummaging around in her pockets, but took something out. She then wrapped it around her fingers and spun it around. It looked like a hair band.

Furthermore, after reaching out to her bag and taking out a brush, she slowly, but carefully brushed Yukinoshita’s hair. When she bundled her long, smooth, black hair together, she lifted her hair up and tied it.

“Having long hair during summer traps heat, so keeping your hair this way’s a lot better, right?”

“Y-Yes. That’s true…”

Hearing her thoughts, Yukinoshita was confused as she answered. She was slightly hesitant, not used to having people fiddling with her hair. It was a rather rare sight to see.

“Um… So, Yuigahama-san? Why my hair… Um, were you listening to me?”

Of course, Yuigahama wasn’t listening.

As she consolidated Yukinoshita’s hair while humming, she fixed her hair to give the finishing touches. Even so, her long black hair looked like it was going to spill out and turn into a mess. When she fastened it with the hairpin she took from her breast pocket, she completed the bobtail.

“All done…! We might match a little.”

When she examined the completed makeover, she made a satisfied smile going “heehee”. If you compared their hairstyles, certainly, they looked rather similar.

“More like fake than match.”

“Your mouth! Watch it!”

Yuigahama snapped at me. It looked like she was very proud of her work.

You could tell me to watch it all you want. There wasn’t anything else I could say… It was like Tamagotchi<ref>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tamagotchi </ref> or TAMAGOTCHIA rip off of the former. Spelled in katakana in Japanese as opposed to hiragana.</ref> or Digimon or Gyaoppi<ref>http://bbs84.meiwasuisan.com/1990s/img/13462345390001.jpg</ref>. Was there anything else I could say, I wonder?

“…Does knockoff work?”

“That’s no different!”

For the most part, I was being considerate when I chose these words that had clearer intentions... Still, in reality, I wasn’t sure what to say. It wasn’t anything like 2P<ref>Two players.</ref> characters or anything, in truth, the fact that it didn’t look similar, but was trying to made it even more of a fake…

“Speaking of which, doesn’t the clashing hairstyle bother you?”

When it came to high school students, they tended to blabber on about individuality, individuality and especially when it came to fashion, the girls definitely had their say, but how was it really? Or could it be that if you lived your life reading the mood like Yuigahama, would Kaneko Misuzu Exceptional People: “Everyone is Together and Everyone is Wonderful”<ref> Kaneko Misuzu was a poet and songwriter. This is a joke on the movie called Kaneko Misuzu Monogatari ~Everyone is different, every is wonderful~</ref> happen instead?

Yuigahama raised her face going “mmm” and thought, but her answer was simple given how long she took.

“Well, if we get along, then it wouldn’t matter, right?”

Aah, I see… Both of you get along pretty well, huh…

I mistook her happy answer for poison. I let out a short sigh mixed with shock and returned to my reading.

When I did, Yukinoshita who was left behind the entire time opened her mouth.

“Um… Exactly how does it look?”

The person in question, Yukinoshita, wasn’t aware of how her head was. Yuigahama grabbed a rectangular hand mirror and passed it to her.

“Here you go!”

“Thank you.”

Yukinoshita placed her book on the desk and took the hand mirror.

She then flipped it open, reflecting herself. Her eyes gently narrowed with her expression turning into a puzzled one. She then clamped the mirror and she directed a doubtful stare to Yuigahama.

“…Yuigahama-san, why my hair?”

When asked, Yuigahama blinked in confusion.

“Eh? Weren’t you saying how your hair was bothersome and annoying?”

“What I was talking about was this.”

Yukinoshita pointed at the book on the desk and continued.

“The humidity damages the book and having to wring it out takes time… So that’s why.”

“Ah, so that’s what you were talking about… I thought for sure…”

Yuigahama let out a “tahaha” while scratching her head.

Hair and paper just didn’t mingle for you, huh? I understand… God, why would you make me have these stupid thoughts?

Well, Yuigahama didn’t read books, so when she heard “kami”<ref>Hair and paper is said the same way in Japanese. 紙　（かみ）, 髪　（かみ）.</ref>, the first that would come to mind would be hairstyles. The scope of her interests was different.

On the other hand, Yukinoshita although not totally indifferent to fashion, probably liked books more. But true enough, for readers, the summer humidity was quite the obstacle. Also, hand sweat. Definitely this. Sweat from your hand would cause the pages to stick together. And when the dripping sweat gets on the paper, you’d go,“Fa!?”<ref>This comes from a story called “A lewd dream on a night of midsummer” and a particular character makes this sound when gets surprised.</ref>, and even get depressed too .

Yuigahama tried to brush it off with a laugh and abruptly rose from her seat going as if suddenly realizing.

“Ah, I-I’m sorry! I’ll fix your hair!”

“It’s not a big deal.”

Yukinoshita quickly averted her gaze. Although she said that, she looked interested in her own hair as she opened the mirror again, checking both the left and right sides of her head and rubbed the bobtail.

“…It’s refreshing.”

Although she added that at the end, that didn’t look like the case with her flushed red cheeks. It seemed like Yukinoshita-san had taken a liking to her hair, hm…?

Seeing that, Yuigahama made a happy smile and flew at Yukinoshita.

“Right, right!?”

“So hot…”

Yukinoshita tried to look upset, but it only looked like she was trying to hide her embarrassment. Though on the other hand, it was making my heart completely cold…

Since it looked like Yukinoshita’s in a better mood, I’ll leave the rest to the two youngsters and go home, maybe! Alright, let’s go home.

When I placed my book in my bag, I quietly stood up so I wouldn’t be noticed. I took a step towards the door. It was exactly when I took that step the sounds of banging came from the door.

“Come in.”

Judging that as a knock, Yukinoshita immediately answered.

“Excus’ us.”

Along with a completely incomprehensible greeting that resembled the cutting noise of the came in solemn looking guys. There were three guys who resembled a potato, a sweet potato, and a taro.

This season was hot enough already, yet they were making it feel unnecessarily even more so. It was that precise moment when the temperature of my body tripled.

 
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The three young men stood at attention, enveloped in the same, homogeneous atmosphere. Although their appearances were different respectively, the impact they gave off were similar.

Amongst the three, one person looked familiar. He sported an appearance like a potato and he looked like he had recognized my face as well and spoke to me.

“Ah. Err, during gym…”

“Yeah…”

I gave a short reply and raised my hand. That’s right. He was the good person that always took care of me in judo during gym. He didn’t work his self to the bone, but he was a good person. Not that I remembered his name or anything.

So did that mean the other two were from the judo club? As my gaze was wandering around, Yuigahama and Yukinoshita looked into my face.

“Friend?”

“Acquaintance?”

There was a questionable difference in how they asked just now. Just why would Yukinoshita-san ask me under the assumption I was friendless, huh…? It’s not like she was wrong or anything.

“No, I don’t know his name. We were paired up in gym.”

“You were together, yet you don’t know…”

Yuigahama was astounded. No, there were actually people who’d get weirdly cozy with you if you somehow remembered their names… Then again, I actively didn’t try to remember people’s names. During middle school, I was called creepy just because I remembered everybody’s name in my class. That was the first time having a good memory was actually harmful instead. Since then, I would commit names to memory vaguely. Like Kawasomething-san.

For the most part, I was trying to be considerate by talking in a small voice, but it looked like I was heard. The potato made a bitter smile. But since he didn’t seem to have recalled my name either, we were even.

The potato spoke with a resounding voice, deeper than you’d expect.

“I’m Shiroyama from the judo club. These guys are my juniors…”

“Tsukui, yeah.”

“Fujino, yeah.”

We truly thank you for your sultry, instrumental trio self-introduction. But their lack of distinguishing characteristics made them hard to remember. It was a pain so let’s go with potato, sweet potato, and taro; I hereby dub them the three potato brothers.

“I’m the club president, Yukinoshita. She’s one of our club members, Yuigahama-san.”

Yukinoshita directed her hand at Yuigahama and introduced her. Uh huh, I do believe there was one more person here though.

But not touching on that at all, Yukinoshita advanced the conversation. “Now then”, with a fresh start, she questioned the three potato brothers.

“Can I assume that you understand what kind of club this is?”

“Yeah. I heard from Hiratsuka-sensei that you guys handled annoying problems regarding school…”

The potato Shiroyama, the Potayama said.

Hiratsuka-sensei again, huh…? Then again, the explanation she gave was sloppy. Somehow, we were starting to sound like trouble contractors<ref> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lost_Universe</ref>, in short, TROCON. Were we slaughtering coconut crabs or something?

Potayama’s answer made Yukinoshita press against her temple.

“Strictly speaking, that’s a little off…”

“I think it’s mostly accurate though.”

Yuigahama said with a blank look.

Well, when it came to how Yuigahama understood it, that’s probably how she saw it. Yukinoshita had an odd idealization of it so if you looked at it from the side, then it was seen as a place for problem consultation and handymen.

As such, the three potato brothers who found themselves here visited with some kind of problem.

“So, what business do you have here?”

When I inquired, the sweet potato and the taro were going to open their mouths, but were stopped by Potayama. It looked like their senpai was going to give us the explanation himself. A good senpai, I’d say.

“Yeah, er, it’s a little hard to say, but… Recently, there have been a lot of members claiming they were going to quit. I also happen to have their resignation letters with me here too.”

Judging from his tone, Potayama must’ve been the club president.

Must be nice being able to resign from club activities… I wanted to quit mine too, but I wasn’t allowed to, see. Were they an evil club<ref>In Japan, they have something called “Black/Evil Companies (ブラック企業)” which are companies that exploit their employees.</ref>” or something?

The president of the evil club placed his hand on his chin going “fumu” and made a thinking gesture.

“Members that’ll replace those who want to leave… Do you have people in mind?”

“That’s…”

Shiroyama mumbled. But honestly, it wasn’t something that needed to be asked.

“Well, that’s just how the judo club is. It’s hard, it’s painful, and since it’s a smelly 3K<ref>Real estate term in Japan. 3 rooms, 1 kitchen typically.</ref> club with sound effects all over the place, there wasn’t much you could do, right?”

When I stated that, the sweet potato and the taro fiercely argued back.

“I-It doesn’t smell, yeah!”

“But it’s true that it’s hard and painful, yeah!”

Tsukui and Fujino. I couldn’t tell the two apart, but for now, I could see that the sweet potato was sensitive to smell while the taro was lacking in guts.

“You guys shut up for a bit.”

“Yes sir.”

When Potayama rebuked them, the two retreated. As expected of the sports minded, they were incredibly well trained.

“Hikigaya-kun, you be quiet for a moment as well.”

“Yes ma’am…”

Yukinoshita glared at me with cold eyes and I obediently withdrew. I was incredibly well trained.

Having noticed that the conversation was at a standstill, Shiroyama tried to continue on.

“So, people in mind, you said?”

“Right, right.”

Yuigahama gestured, urging him to go on.

“It’s about our senpai that graduated last year… He’s currently a college student right now, but recently, he’s been coming to watch our practice. And the thing is, he’s just a bit out there, you see…”

As if he was having trouble trying to say his words, they gradually grew more mumbled. But to compensate for that, relatively powerful voices were raised in succession.

“It’s terrible, yeah!”

“It’s gruesome, yeah!”

Compared to how they were earlier, their voices were filled with a tinge of tragedy and even Shiroyama couldn’t keep them in check this time.

Following that, the words of the two passionately continued further.

“He tells us how cruel the world is and makes us go through gruesome training, yeah! He totally throws us hard too!”

“The very first person that loses in the randori<ref>Free style practice in judo.</ref> gets forced into shopping! He would then eat stuff like beef bowls in front of ten people, yeah!”

“He gets upset when we use our techniques on him, yeah!”

“It’s unfair to the point terrible!”

They continued to alternate between each other. By using loud voices and on top of trying to speak quickly, they grew short of breath and Tsukui and Fujino both went “haa, haa” in exhaustion.

Just as they were about to say some more, Yukinoshita faced them with a cold gaze which caused them to lose their energy and become quiet. Yukinoshita waited and then opened her mouth.

“I understand the situation. Basically, you want us to do something about that senpai, correct?”

Just as Yukinoshita said, I could only think that the source of all the problems was that senpai. At the very least, the sweet potato and the taro weren’t awfully too fond of him. So those who were looking to quit the club were probably doing so for a similar reason like that.

In that case, amputating the affected part was the quickest way to go about things.

But Shiroyama shook his head. He then opened his mouth solemnly.

“…No, that’s impossible.”

“Impossible? Why?”

Yuigahama tilted her head in confusion.

“If he was someone that would listen after talking to him, then things wouldn’t have become like this… Besides, outsiders saying something didn’t really mean anything, right?”

It looked like Shiroyama may have tried talking to him several times. Though, I could only imagine feebly. Since earlier, he gave off the impression that he was trying to avoid mentioning anything that would directly allude to his senpai, carefully choosing his words in regard to him as well. It was either his discretion or he was keeping him at arm’s length out of respect.

Clubs weren’t the only place where outsiders had trouble getting their thoughts in. Thinking someone needed to shut up whenever they blabbered on about things they had no idea of the circumstances was what they’d call empathy. Though in cases where it was a sound argument, then they wouldn’t try to listen out of stubbornness.

If so, it would be best to hear directly from the related parties.

“The problem is?”

When I asked, Shiroyama’s shoulders dropped.

“Our advisor is inexperienced at judo. That’s why we end up welcoming our senpai to teach us instead.”

“Ah, then, then, how about a third year?”

“They all retired at the last tournament.”

Shiroyama immediately answered Yuigahama’s question as well. It’s likely that Shiroyama had given it some consideration up until now. Once he realized it was impossible, he gave up.

Shiroyama had already arrived at his conclusion.

“I don’t think he would listen regardless of who spoke to him. Our senpai’s strong after all. Even if we didn’t win the team tournaments, he would always win the singles tournaments. He even got into college on a judo recommendation too.”

Casually, Shiroyama’s directed his gaze to the distance. As if he was remembering the past.

“Oooh… College on a sports recommendation, huh? Ain’t that something.”

I see. From my calculations, that meant he was a third year while we were first years. Even for Shiroyama who was acquainted with his senpai, he’d have trouble talking back.

Not to mention his ability was more than enough. In that case, the current third years wouldn’t be able to oppose him, let alone the amateur advisor.

I see. So they had no choice but to put up with it quietly. In the face of long service and ability, the hierarchical relationship wasn’t something that could be overturned so easily.

Not having interjected a single word up until that point and processing the conversation, Yukinoshita removed her hand from her chin.

“If this isn’t in regards to your senpai, then I take it the problem would be acquiring new members?”

When Yukinoshita asked, Shiroyama slightly moved his head and answered.

“Yeah. I doubt the club will be abolished, but at this rate, we won’t be able to participate in team tournaments.”

“New members, huh… It’s not like we’re dealing with cellphones here, so I don’t think we’ll be able to gather people that easily…”

Especially since we’re talking about the judo club here.

People who liked the judo club; in the first place, if they didn’t have any sort of interest, then it probably wouldn’t come up as a potential extracurricular activity. It may be odd coming from me, but for high school students, it wasn’t a very popular club.

“How about getting the people who want to quit to come back?”

When Yuigahama suggested, Yukinoshita nodded while crossing her arms with a “hm”.

“I suppose so. At the very least, compared to the average student, there’s a higher chance of having them rejoin the club since they were interested in judo from the start.”

Happy that Yukinoshita agreed with her opinion, Yuigahama suddenly jumped at her.

“Yeah, yeah! Besides, like, if they somehow overcome this danger, then they just might end up getting along better, or something!”

Although she was a bit annoying, Yukinoshita didn’t harshly push her away. At the most, she would try to maintain just a little distance by thrusting her hand out. From just sporting a similar hairstyle, their exchange made you think how close they were.

Well, I really did think these two had gotten really close. Ever since Yuigahama left and came back to the club, you could certainly say their relationship had made some progress.

But that was just a unique precedent. It was because the Service Club was a relaxing club or possibility because of Yukinoshita and Yuigahama’s personalities that they were able to make it happen. That was how I saw it.

“Fundamentally, people who run away don’t come back.”

“I wonder…”

[[File:YahariLoveCom_v075_175.jpg|thumbnail|right|200px]]

As she said that, Yuigahama gave up on hugging Yukinoshita and instead compromised with rubbing her shoulders. Even so, Yukinoshita looked a little displeased.

Let’s stop doing that when customers were present, okay, you two?

To avert the attention of the members of the judo club away, I started a conversation with Shiroyama.

“So how is it? Can you expect the leavers to come back?”

“…That’s might be difficult.”

Shiroyama for a moment explored that possibility, but he lightly shook his head.

I thought so. Having someone return after quitting the first time from club activities was rather difficult. Compared to a relaxed club like our Service Club, other worked on different logic.

The so called sports-minded folks all followed their own set of ethics. For example, consider the hierarchical relationship or camaraderie. Those had their virtues, but were also bad practices.

Bonds could also be interpreted as bindings.

It’s because they were once friends that the oppression against those who stopped being friends became harsher. The feeling that those who left and came back were traitors might’ve existed as well.

If in particular the reason they quit was due to the senpai’s grueling training, then unless he was eliminated, then expecting their return to the club was pointless.

“…In any case, we won’t fully grasp the situation unless we see it for ourselves.”

“Sounds about right. Guts differ from person to person after all. Anyway, why don’t we have a look at your practice then?”

Just maybe there was the possibility that the senior’s grueling training wasn’t anything that difficult and that the people who quit were just good-for-nothings with no spine. In reality, there were people who endured through it and remained even now.

When I moved my gaze to the trio who stayed behind after enduring it all, the head, Shiroyama, nodded.

“Got it. Senpai didn’t come today, so does tomorrow work?”

Whatever the case, I didn’t have any plans, so I left the judgment to Yukinoshita and Yuigahama. When I looked at the two wondering what we should do, Yuigahama who also didn’t seem to have any objections, looked at Yukinoshita as did I.

Taking our gazes, Yukinoshita replied.

“Yes. We don’t mind.”

“Okay, tomorrow it is then.”

Yuigahama continued after her and raised her hand indicating “it’s nice to work with you”.

“Thank you for your help.”

Potayama politely expressed his gratitude as did the two potatoes and they left the room.

After watching the three left, I looked outside the window.

Summer had only just started, yet the sun was still high up despite the encroaching evening. The sun that dazzled brilliantly in the sky made me think how the hot the judo dojo was right now.

 
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It was the following day after the judo club, Shiroyama with the other two, came to the Service Club.

The three of us decided to take a peek at the judo club’s practice.

The judo dojo was located on the first floor of the gymnastics building. There were windows situated at our feet seemingly to increase the ventilation for the gym. We maneuvered our way from outside and secretly watched through it.

When you thought of high school club activities, you’d be filled with refreshing images.

Scattering sweat. Shrilling cheers. And emotional tears.

You would imagine that kind of wonderful, Youth Graffiti<ref> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Graffiti</ref>.

But reality was different.

Wrung out sweat, gloomy screams. And just tears.

The few members of the judo club were fervently working hard at their club activities to the point that I could vomit.

It didn’t look fun at all…

The primary reason being for that was the aforementioned senpai.

There was a man with a conspicuously, stern appearance, clad in the judo uniform. His physique was evidently different from the other members.

He was watching the club members’ practice, standing imposingly at the kamiza<ref>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kamiza</ref>.

Though I said practice, all they were doing for their practice was just running around.

Including Shiroyama as well as the two that accompanied him yesterday, the numerous other members were running endlessly around in the judo dojo. Was there something in judo that had to do with running around inside a building? I didn’t know the details, but having to run inside this sweltering judo dojo on the level of a heat wave looked difficult.

After the senior or whatever glanced at the clock, he slowly got up.

“That’s enough. Those who were late will run for the amount of time they were late. As for the rest, we’ll start randori.”

“Uwah, that looks freaking hard…”

Yuigahama took a quick peek from behind and said.

“I suppose. On the surface it does look difficult, but considering it looks wholesome and safe, I’m not so sure…”

Furthermore, sticking from behind Yuigahama was Yukinoshita who continued.

True enough, it was like Yukinoshita said. While there were still some concerns left, so far, the practice looked unexpectedly wholesome. Not that I’d want to be a part of it. Just the words “relentless sports club” made me want to pack up and leave.

We watched for a little longer, the practice being slightly different from what we had thought, but once they started practice, the atmosphere clearly changed.

“Hopeless! You, go run until you’re dead!”

They were words spat out with a violent voice.

“Just having it done once to you won’t mean much for your studies, am I right? Even I was taught like that by my senpai. If your body doesn’t remember, then it won’t stick after all.”

It was a one-sided ongoing demonstration of his techniques.

“Crying from something at this level won’t get you anywhere in society. Things like high school clubs are completely easy. The world is a much crueler place.”

It was an unending lecture.

Yukinoshita, Yuigahama, and I went silent.

Honestly speaking, these were events from another dimension. There was no doubt that there were probably clubs out there in the world that were harder and more painful than this judo club.

But the most abnormal thing here might’ve been those club members who were controlled by the senpai, without ever having voiced a single complaint.

Having to look at one or the other wasn’t a very pleasant feeling.

I believed that as people and as living creatures, avoiding things that were unpleasant was instinctive and the things that couldn’t acknowledge that were questionable.

That’s why you couldn't blame those who ran away from this situation. What should be criticized was the tendency that blamed those who ran away.

With this, the plan to call back the members who left had disappeared.

“This should be enough.”

When I said that, I moved away from the window and confirmed with the other two. After the two nodded their heads, they turned around and started off for the club.

Just one last time, I turned around.

From the window, I could see a small glimpse of Shiroyama practicing in silence. When I turned my back on that with a feeling of reluctance, I began heading for the club as well.

In any case, we had grasped the current situation with the judo club.

Now what was left was to think up a plan.

 
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Once we made it back to the club room, we could finally relax. Since we were also outside, entering this cool room made it feel as if this room was a comfortable place to be.

Whenever the salary men who worked outside returned to their company, they probably felt it was like heaven. If that happened, then that was proof you were whipped into shape as a corporate slave. Please be urgent and take the interview for the Occupational Health Physicians.

As I drank my cold MAX COFFEE that I bought on the way back to the room, the first thing on the menu was to organize our impressions of the judo club.

“To put things bluntly, what do you guys think?”

“Even if you ask that… I’ve never watched other judo clubs before so I don’t have anything to compare it to, but disregarding that, it didn’t feel very wholesome.”

After Yukinoshita thought for a brief moment, she spoke while carefully choosing her words. Certainly, that was important when comparing things, but I felt just because it was being elsewhere didn’t mean it’d be a theory. It should be fine to take that opinion as encompassing up to that point.

On the other hand, Yuigahama’s answer was simple.

“Stuff like that is totally impossible for me…”

While her words were brief, they were also packed considerable implications. It could’ve been about the image in regards to the competition, the members, the senpai, or even the sight of the practice. There wasn’t likely a way to generalize all those with just one word, but it was probably an opinion that encompassed all of them.

“How about you, Hikki?”

“Can’t say I like it.”

My answer was similar to Yuigahama’s as well.

In the first place, I had been living my life that didn’t tie in with sports. I mean, they required teamwork and stuff, you know? Because of that, my experience with sports wasn’t very much and my understanding of them was shallow.

That’s why I didn’t have a particularly worthwhile viewpoint on the subject, but at the very least, the present situation of the judo club at Sobu High was incompatible with my sense of values.

“Rather rare for our opinions to be in agreement.”

As Yukinoshita said, all three of our opinions in regards to that spectacle were negative.

In that case, we should’ve been able to move the conversation along.

“I think the request was to recruit more members, but…”

Yuigahama confirmed one more time. The request we had undertaken was interpreted to be just that one objective alone and nothing else. In other words, that was the matter we had to prioritize.

“Well, we’ll have to find a way to solicit people somehow.”

“If that’s the case, we’ll have to improve their image.”

If we couldn’t get across to people that there were a lot of good things to judo as well as merits, not limited to just Sobu High’s judo club, then we would be hard-pressed to gather new members from this point on.

Even if we went through the process sequentially, raising the image was required.

As the three of us were thinking with our heads tilted in contemplation, Yuigahama clapped her hands together.

“Ah, what if we announce that doing judo will make you popular or something?”

So simple…

Somehow, Yuigahama’s eyes were sparkling as she was saying that, but that was ludicrously simplistic.

“Would you believe that if you were told that?”

“…Pretend I didn’t say that.”

The instant I shot her down, Yuigahama immediately retracted her opinion and readjusted her sitting dejectedly.

Whenever you started something, the very first reason that would come to mind was “I might get popular”. But think about it rationally. Getting popular while doing some sort of sport or getting popular from playing in a band; those things just weren’t true.

Those who were popular would be popular regardless of what they did. In fact, they’d still be popular if they didn’t do anything. Since the boys who weren’t popular were enlightened to that truth, resorting to that wouldn’t have an effect.

As I was considering other hooks, Yukinoshita took a short breath.

“How about a diet of the sort?”

“Those guys are athletes that work really hard, you know. Stuff like how food is part of their training or something...”

Your body was an important asset in sports that came with strenuous activities. Since they had to build a sturdy body along with satisfying their calorie intake, they consumed quite a lot of food. In the world of sports, being able to eat a lot was supposedly a talent in itself.

Again, Yuigahama made a bitter expression going “bleh”.

“Then again, it seems rough on your muscles…”

With this reaction, it didn’t look like muscles would work as attractive lures either…

In fact, if we were just trying to fish in those who wanted to build muscles, then weren’t they just better off gulping as much protein as they could instead?

As we continued to groan with our arms crossed, unable to think of any worthwhile ideas, only the time ticked by.

When the long hand of the clock shifted to a 90 degree angle, Yukinoshita undid her crossed arms and performed a little stretch. It was a gesture that resembled a cat who was tired despite having slept all day. Apparently she was trying to change her thoughts.

“Rather than improve their image, it’s no good if we don’t start at their core first.”

She stated her reasoning. In other words, she gave up. That was inevitable. Between the important people related to judo who gave it their all into pondering what to do as opposed to what we could think up of in the small timeframe we had, it was impossible for us.

Even if we came up with something innovative, there was nothing to support it and with our power, it’d be difficult to try to propagate the idea as well.

“Established notions aren’t things that can be changed so easily after all.”

“Hmm… Then I guess we’ll have to invite people straightforwardly.”

Yuigahama groaned to my words.

Well, that’s probably the correct way to go. But just because it was the correct way didn’t mean it would always lead to the correct answer.

“We won’t get anyone if we just try to recruit normally. If it was that simple, then there’d be a flood of new recruits already.”

By all means, I didn’t think there was a lack of guys interested in judo, but when it boiled down to it, if there wasn’t a reason that pushed them along or they were in an environment to do so, they’d have trouble stepping forward.

“To add, jumping into an ongoing club is a high hurdle as well.”

“…I guess so.”

As if that was an understandable point, Yuigahama returned a small nod and looked convinced.

That’s just how it was for everything.

That applied to part time jobs too. Nothing but fear was associated with already established relationships. While they may go the extra mile by holding a welcome party for the newcomers, it was ultimately just for them. I mean, what’s that about? “You ain’t got a seat!” Did they want to say this indirectly or something? Thanks to that, reading the mood led me to quitting the job, damn it!

The fear of joining midway wasn’t just limited to relationships. There were others.

“Also, there’s that. When it comes to sports, your actual skill comes to light, so there’re a lot of people who hesitate to take the step forward.”

When I said that, Yukinoshita went “hm” and crossed her arms once again.

“So in other words, you want to emphasize the point that they’ll get stronger from this point forth.”

“Well not that, but I want to emphasize that there isn’t anything to be embarrassed about joining a club halfway through.”

“Ah, that might work. The people around would end up feeling depressed too….”

Thank you for your endorsement. Because Yuigahama disliked being overly sensitive with the reactions around her, she was savvy to this truth and that was helpful.

Compared to her, when it came to Yukinoshita, she was incredibly impressed to the point that it might’ve been the first time I’ve seen her like this.

“I see. That’s Hikigaya-kun for you. When it comes to falling behind people, you won’t lose to anyone in that regard either. Quite insightful.”

“Hey now? Please watch your words, okay? Because I’m unexpectedly proficient at this, you know?”

I was proficient to the point that it would come back to bite me, like at my part time job where I remembered how to do things so quickly that it caused people to say “that guy ain’t cute at all—“, okay?

But not lending an ear to what I had to say, Yukinoshita began organizing the main points together.

“That being the case, it seems we’ll need to think of a way to solicit people such that it stands out even in this off-season. We want to emphasis that the judo’s strength is nothing to be amazed about and that they’re completely untrained and undisciplined.”

For the most part, she was hitting all the right notes, but the way she put it was really harsh…

Still, we managed to distinguish the matters at hand, but the actual solution was still far away. After we dug out the main points, the conditions to succeed became complicated.

To satisfy all of those conditions meant we may have to do so by unordinary means. Would it better to solve each one as an individual problem instead?

Whatever the case, the problem was how to appeal to the students. Still, I had the feeling being completely untrained and having charm were things that wouldn’t ever meet eye to eye.

While running through various thoughts in my head, Yuigahama suddenly shot up her hand.

“Here! Here, here, here!”

“…Yes, Yuigahama-san?”

Yukinoshita recited her name aloud with astonishment, finding her repetition fussy.

When she did, Yuigahama stood up for some reason with a smile plastered on her entire face.

“How about something like an event? Like, they usually have those In-Col type club stuff, see. So if we do something along those lines with an event or something, it would gather a lot of people or so.”

Unable to hold in her excitement from her own suggestion, Yuigahama spoke rapidly. I had no problems in understanding what she was saying, but words I weren’t used to caught my attention.

That seemed to be the case for Yukinoshita as well.

“In, Col…? Curry?”

Yukinoshita tilted her head with a “what are you talking about?” That word bothered me as well.

“Is that an abbreviation for curry or something?”

Coco-Ichi, In-Col, Cur-Kichi<ref>Curry restaurants.</ref>. Putting these words next each other didn’t really seem out of place. Hey hey, this was totally a subject a particular, curry loving voice actor would like; In-Col, that is.<ref> Hachiman's VA loves curry. A lot.</ref>

Yuigahama shook her head to our reactions.

“That’s not it! It’s an abbreviation of in… inter? college! I think.”

When she said with an odd lack of confidence, Yukinoshita went “aah” and spoke with a look of understanding.

“Intercollegiate; it means between colleges. I believe it was a word that indicated the interaction between numerous colleges…”

As expected of Yukipedia-san. The word was properly documented in your pages, huh? So you abbreviate intercollegiate to In-Col.

“Right, right. So, like, the clubs in college get together with the clubs from other colleges. But if that’s just limited to only college students, it’d be pretty hard to gather a lot of people, see. So what they do is they end up holding different kinds of events. I even hear they call out to a lot of high school students too.”

Yuigahama nonchalantly talked on and on, but she was actually talking about some scary stuff right now... What, did college students only gather at those kind of things? Far from trying to have fun as much as they could, they even went through the trouble of inviting high school students. Oh gosh, that’s so scary. These In-Col clubs seemed like they’d be full of scummy men and sluts (prejudice). Did Yuigahama go to one of those too?

A retreating, disgusted look may have shown on my face. Heck, my “ugh” voice probably slipped out too.

When she noticed, Yuigahama’s face turned red and she tried to make an excuse in a panic.

“I-I’ve never gone to one before, okay! I only heard about it from girls at other schools!”

When I directed a doubtful gaze at Yuigahama, unable to believe in her outburst, Yuigahama gently looked away. She then added to her words with a very thin voice.

“It’s kind of scary, going to a place like that anyway…”

Well, it’s not like you didn’t have to go, really. There were probably people who needlessly worried if they heard things like that anyway. Thanks to venting out my hatred for the things related to the In-Col clubs, my mood felt just a little better. Well, if what they did there was just to gather people, then they might be useful as references.

“What kind of things did they do at those events?”

When I asked her, Yuigahama went “umm”, thinking and thinking as she answered.

“For example, if it was the tennis club, then they’d hold a reaaaaally easy tennis tournament to welcome the beginners, or a bowling tournament, or even a barbeque.”

“Bowling… Eh? What club was this again?”

“Um, tennis like I said.”

Why did the tennis club need to go bowling too…? Were they required to train their wrists so they could make magic shots or something…?

It’s just like I thought, these in-Col clubs were really scary.

Ignoring my shuddering, Yuigahama continued her explanation.

“So see, we could hold a judo tournament for fun. We can have the judo club members participate in it too, but in a reaaaaally easy way.”

I see, for fun, huh?

If it’s judo for fun, then it might actually attract the guys who’d find it interesting. Furthermore, by having the judo members ease up, then we could avoid the disparity of strength from showing too.

Surprisingly, it could work.

At the same time I was convinced, Yukinoshita was settling on it with simulations. She was nodding her head up and down. But those head movements stopped.

“Would the school give us permission…?”

It looked like she didn’t have any qualms regarding the suggestion itself. Instead, she was worried about the means. But that was probably an unnecessary concern.

“It shouldn’t be a problem, right? This school’s pretty lax with the clubs.”

This of course applies to the Service Club since we were always involved in incomprehensible, mysterious, game-like activities.

Besides, the proper clubs had those kinds of activities approved as well. Like the tea ceremony club for example. They often hosted small events where they invited outsiders to participate.

Yukinoshita showed that she understood what I was getting at, but her strict expression didn’t loosen up.

“I’m sure soliciting new members won’t be a problem… It’s just the people who come out to have fun would ultimately end up quitting, right?”

“…Probably.”

“Probably, huh…?”

Yuigahama showed a stunned face to my simple answer.

However, even so, it was still simple. The very reason for that was because that answer was already anticipating what followed. If it was a club where even the members who joined as early as the entrance ceremony had left, then it was all the easier for those who were new to do so as well. We had to think up measures to prevent that.

“That’s why we’ll have to simultaneously change their environment as well.”

What exactly that alluded to, without mentioning any further, Yukinoshita understood.

“So we’ll have to remove that senpai.”

Correct. I responded with my agreement.

As long the source of everything wasn’t removed, this problem would continue to loop. Worse, if the club’s infamy swept throughout the school, there wouldn’t be a single person who’d want to approach the judo club.

The answer was as clear as day. But Yuigahama looked troubled as if there was a particular issue that bothered her.

“But the judo members, rather, the president didn’t seem like he’d cooperate with us…”

“Certainly, he did seem to come off as admiring him…”

“That’s not what you call admiration, but blind faith.”

To Shiroyama, that blind faith was likely not directed towards his senpai as an individual. It appeared to be more towards the concepts of the hierarchical relationship and camaraderie. He was acknowledging the fact that unfairness was a part of life.

We learned in history class just how difficult it was to toss aside your beliefs. Therefore, it’d be better to assume that he wouldn’t be able to cooperate with us. In truth, Shiroyama himself didn’t present us the option of choosing to eliminate that senpai.

“A way to get rid of him without the help of the judo club…”

When I murmured, Yukinoshita slowly closed her eyes.

In contrast, Yuigahama leaned against her chair, rocking back and forth while gazing at the ceiling.

From there, her neck returned to her original position. She then flicked a finger up and opened her mouth.

“Maybe we can talk to the other teachers or even people from the Board of Education!”

“The school probably won’t want the problems getting out to the public.”

As far as our school was concerned, it was a college prep school. If a problem sprung up with the way the clubs were led, then it was a serious matter. Even if the problem was reported to those at the top, at most they’d conduct an official investigation. But through enough persistence that there weren’t any problems, it would be announced that the issues were external and it would be postponed indefinitely.

Yukinoshita was finding it difficult to agree with the plan as well and made a slightly sour face.

“I suppose. It’s likely they’ll go as far as giving the advisor a verbal warning.”

“At worst, the judo club will be at fault and their activities will be suspended.”

Also, there was the possibility that it wouldn’t be a problem in the first place. If they decreed that it was within the acceptable bounds of general leadership, then it would have the opposite effect. It could be as bad as them giving the official approval.

As long these were activities involved in martial arts, there was the assumption that some dangers were existed. On top of that, with leadership that worked to keep things as safe as possible, there were cases where that ruling would oddly have clashing guidelines in regards to us amateurs and the experts.

In that case, it would be better to avoid playing with dangerous gambles.

“The only thing we can do is to have the senpai leave willfully, huh…”

Without considering the uncertain factors, if you were to choose the best method, then there was nothing else but this.

There wasn’t, but Yuigahama and Yukinoshita together made questionable faces.

“But he won’t listen to outsiders, right?”

“Our only choice is to bring along someone with a higher position than both the senpai and the advisor. That is, if we can.”

Yuigahama made a slightly baffled smile while Yukinoshita made one mingled with resignation. Yukinoshita probably added a hint of irony when she said that, but in reality, that was probably the only thing we could do.

“In that case, guess we better get someone…”

“Huh?”

Yuigahama’s eyes widened. On the other hand, Yukinoshita looking like she took a step back sent me a dubious stare.

“For someone who has absolutely no friends, let alone acquaintances, you have something in mind?”

You only needed to say the last part just now. Why does this girl always have to include weird prefaces like that? Well, it’s not like she was wrong though.

I spoke my words while gradually getting my thoughts in order.

“If it’s something in mind, then I do. Rather, I’ll make one now. In fact, for that to happen, we need to do the event.”

“Are you planning on calling someone to the event? Then again, like who?”

Yuigahama asked me with a lot of interest while leaning forward. When an unpleasant smile floated on my face, I voiced the answer I had finished adjusting.

“In the world, he was the one and most established outsider, the fellow called society.”

When I finished speaking, Yuigahama let out a “hoee” voice that I had no clue whether she had understood or not. Was that a bit too hard for her…?

But Yukinoshita made a smile looking satisfied.

“So in the end, he’s not an acquaintance of yours.”

…That’s right. It was just a one-sided relationship on my end as the other party didn’t know a thing about me.

 
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Starting the next day, we began working towards holding the event.

The first thing was an explanation to Shiroyama and the others regarding everything about the judo club. This part wasn’t particularly difficult. “To attract new applicants, we’ll be doing something flashy that’ll garner attention”. Using this as a preface to plan, they took it in rather easily.

But the underlying plan beneath it wasn’t touched upon in the least. It would’ve been a hassle if they went up in arms against it. Regardless of what our intentions were, what we were ultimately aiming for was for the senpai to leave willfully. So there wasn’t a need to go through the trouble and explain.

After the explanation to the judo club were the negotiations on the school side.

In regards to the judo tournament, it would be held publicly on campus, accepting entries for participation. That being the case, we should expect to be asked about one or two of the circumstances. Having the school interrupt the event halfway through would be irritating, so it’d be easier to relay the story to them beforehand.

The negotiations started off with the judo club advisor. Or so I said, but we weren’t the ones that would be doing it. The explanation that this was just a demonstration to attract new members was left to Shiroyama.

Though he may have been an advisor in name, he was seemingly aware of the recent departure of members and we were able to get permission without issue. For the time being, we were requested to hold the event with utmost safety, but that was cleared as well with the entire judo club being present.

We already had the venue and the dojo so we didn’t have to worry about those.

So far, so good.

What’s left was to gather participants.

Since I had to participate myself, I had to find members as well, but first and foremost, I had to secure enough participants that would allow us to at least hold the event.

For now, Yukinoshita created the printouts outlining the details of the tournament and after printing those out, with the help of the judo club, we posted them at various places.

But using this to inform people wasn’t something you could expect a lot from. Even the orchestra club or the tea ceremony club didn’t see much of a turnout from students despite using flyers and notices.

Those events typically saw a gathering of people who were brought in from personal connections more often than not.

And speaking of connections, Yukinoshita and I were pretty much out of the question and it didn’t look like we could expect anything from the already weakened community of the judo club. There was Yuigahama, but her personal connections alone probably weren’t enough to hold the tournament.

If that’s how it was, then we needed to grope for a much more effective, efficient means of soliciting people.

It was the one component that would attract the most attention.

The answer was the casting.

Of course, plenty of the details were questionable, but in this case in particular, as long nothing was asked about the novelty of the judo tournament, then we needed to attract attention with something else.

As luck would have it, we happened to have some knowledge of someone who had the greatest ability to attraction attention in this school.

Yuigahama and I, well, Yuigahama would be handling those negotiations.

As usual, the class of 2-F during lunch was noisy. It was because summer vacation was right at our doorsteps that lunch was buoyant.

Even I had found myself remaining in the class, not bothering to go outside as of late.

The reason was all so we could book the new challenger, Hayama Hayato, for Sobu High’s judo tournament, the “S1 Grand Prix”. By the way, I was the one who made arbitrarily made that name up.

Hayama was a man whose unexpected participation would cause the gathering of a gallery; evident in the case a while back when we had a simple mock tennis match. If we announced things beforehand of his participation, then we could expect a bigger gathering of people than before. He was an essential casting that must be secured.

Or so I said, but the one who was handling the negotiations was Yuigahama and not me.

“Mmkay, I’ll try talking about it to him.”

After buying some lunch bread and a brief meeting with Yuigahama, she went back to the group she belonged to in high spirits.

As I watched her go off, I sat at my seat.

Now then, from this point on, I’ll watch them as attentively as possible and eavesdrop while having my lunchtime.

I had to make sure I could follow up on Yuigahama if she was at a loss at how to explain things. That too was a high hurdle in itself, but still.

As I was straining my ears, Yuigahama didn’t waste a second and brought up the topic.

“Ah, that reminds me. I hear the judo club’s going to host a tournament soon.”

“Uh huuuh.”

Eating bread without the slightest hint of interest was Miura. Despite having zero interest on the subject, she was still responding for the most part, so she might’ve been just a slightly nice person.

Still, how she was holding bread in one hand and her cellphone in the other, it put me on edge as to whether she would mistake her bread eating hand and bite her cellphone instead. Let’s stop playing with our phones during lunch, okay? Not to mention you’re doing it while eating with others. Only loners fiddle with their phones during lunch, okay?

Unperturbed by Miura’s attitude, Yuigahama continued the conversation further.

“Like, like, they’ll decide on who’s the strongest at school, or something?”

“Aah, speaking of which, I did see that on the flyer.”

Immediately jumping into the conversation was Hayama. As you’d expect, Hayama made sure to listen to what other people were saying and behave accordingly so he could regulate his surroundings. Yuigahama may have been aiming for this. She quickly redirected the conversation towards Hayama.

“Hayato-kun, you look like you’d be into that, why not try participating?”

What the, talk about a careless way to invite him… Hayama didn’t look anything like that all…

“Eh? I-Is that how you see me?”

Oh, see. I totally knew it. He’s sort of confused now. Hayama was established as someone who was refreshing and judo’s image was completely opposite. Obviously, I wasn’t the only one who had thought that.

“Doesn’t suit ya at aaall, Hayato-kun, like judo, no waaay!”

Tobe was laughing out loud. Laughing along with him was Yamato and Oooka.

There, Yuigahama made her move.

“Ah, how about Tobecchi too? You seem like you’d be strong, not that I’d know. Why don’t you try doing it together with Hayato-kun? It’s a team tournament of threes anyway.”

“Eh… Naaah, judo’s just a bit…”

Fumu. So it was a strategy to remove the obstacles around Hayama, huh? Seemingly, it wasn’t that Yuigahama started the conversation without a plan; instead, she was being daring by mentioning absurd things in a way that would easily sweep Tobe into participating… Probably. No, that might be wrong. I get the feeling she’d say that kind of stuff regardless.

Just how far did she plan, I wasn’t sure. It was then a person who couldn’t be calculated reacted with a twitch.

“…Doing it, together? D-Doing judo…? That sounds great!”

Ebina-san reacted slowly in time, as if the words from earlier were weighing on her mind.

“Ebina. Here, tissues.”

Miura threw tissues at Ebina-san whose nose was dripping at this moment. While thanking her, Ebina-san placed the tissue against her nose, but still fervently continued on.

“Great! Judo’s great!”

“Naah, judo’s just a bit… Something I’m a little confident in, ya know…”

When Ebina-san gave a thumbs up, for some reason, Tobe suddenly began to vouch for judo. The nuance in his words was oddly different from earlier… Japanese sure was difficult, huh…

“A-Are the boys going to be grappling each other when they fall? Who will!? Which Hikitani-kun will be doing the falling!?”

Stop calling my name please… Because I felt a sharp stare, I averted my eyes in a panic. In the time my eyes were averted, the negotiations regarding their participation continued steadily.

When I turned back towards them with shivers, Tobe began to overflow with motivation and tapped Hayama’s back.

“Let’s do this, Hayato-kun!”

“Mm. Well, we don’t get too many opportunities like this after all.”

With Yuigahama and Tobe encouraging him in succession to participate, Hayama couldn’t refuse them as you’d expect and was gradually leaning towards entering.

Was this also the fate of those who were in possession of THE ZONE? If they were asked to build the atmosphere, then this time, he was requested to act without destroying it.

There, the final push was added.

“If Hayato’s going to enter, I guess I’ll go and watch?”

When Miura who had absolute no interest up until that point spoke, Hayama seemingly made his decision.

“Okay, I guess I’ll participate.”

Hayama made a refreshing smile and answered.

With this, our objective was achieved. Now once we made Hayama’s participation known through word of mouth, then the gallery of people would increase and if we increased the scale, then we’d also see a rise in participants who’d want to enter.

“Alright, we should enter too…”

“Right on.”

As if the ripple effect began to take place, Yamato and Oooka declared their entry as well.

It was standard for boys to like martial arts.

No, not like, but to have an interest in. The title of strongest attracting a boy’s attention at least once was certain.

That’s why, as long you had the trigger, it probably wasn’t difficult to have them call forth those feelings.

So at this point in time, the Hayama group, Hayama, Tobe, Yamato, and Ooka, was confirmed to be participating in the tournament. Adding to that, since Miura was going to be in the gallery, as far as Sobu High was concerned, that was plenty.

It was then Hayama suddenly realized something.

“But it’s only three people per group huh…”

When he murmured in a small voice, he quietly stood up. From there, he started walking. Somehow, when I trailed the direction in which Hayama’s gaze was facing, oddly enough, my eyes had stopped moving. Huh, he’s coming my way, wasn’t he…?

In the several seconds I was thinking whether there was someone in my vicinity that Hayama had business with, Hayama made it up to me.

Once he stopped his legs, he made a smile that displayed his white teeth.

“Hikitani-kun, do you want to enter the judo tournament with me?”

This guy, what was he blabbering about out of nowhere…?

I could understand his words, but my heart couldn’t. Still, since I was invited, I had to respond back somehow.

“Eh, no, I mean, it wouldn’t work for me. That stuff is just a little out of reach for me.”

If I get invited, for now, I’ll say no. This was the correct response to lip service.

“I see. Well, since Tobe and the other two are in a group of three, I’m kind of the odd one out.”

“Ah, right. Well, I guess so…”

Because he sent me a gaze that was strangely straightforward, I replied back with vague words and Hayama drew back his shoulders.

“So, how about it…? You’re the one who suggested doing things this way, right?”

Haa, so that’s what you’re playing at. So he came over here so he could bring up that time when we broke up in to groups for the workplace tour.

But he was right. I was the one who suggested how to divide Hayama and Tobe into different groups. If he was going to be consistent with that, then that meant he wouldn’t group up with those guys this time as well. That being the case, just like last time, speaking of it being obvious, then it was natural that it would be my turn.

I had no choice, but to accept his proposal. Above all else, losing Hayama’s participation just because of this would inflict a fair amount of damage to us.

“…Though we’ll still need one more person.”

I gave my consent with those words and Hayama made a sudden smile.

“In that case, could you invite one more person?”

“No, I don’t have a single friend to invite.”

No matter how you thought about it, it would be quicker to have Hayama invite someone. I looked at him telling him to do it, but he avoided that as well.

“You have one right? That guy, I mean.”

That guy… I wonder, was there someone like that? I went into thought. I-I see. Totsuka, right!?

Having been convinced, I also spoke up.

“Aah… Him, huh?”

“Right, right, Zaimokuza-kun. He seems pretty strong and this seems like a good opportunity.”

Ah, you meant that…

If that was Hayama’s one and only nomination, then I had to talk to Zaimokuza. Right now, Hayama was an important factor. I needed to follow through with whatever demands he had in order for his wholesome participation in the event. Not much I could do…

When my shoulders dropped in despair, Hayama nodded back as if he saw that as a form of nodding.

“Okay, I’ll leave it to you.”

He left with those words and Hayama went back to his own seat.

Having to team up with Zaimokuza was a real bummer, but as part of the Service Club activities, it was actually convenient. I didn’t factor Hayama as being just a simple attraction mascot, but if he was going to be usable as part of our forces, then that made it better for us.

So far, things had more or less gone according to plan.

Now it was just a matter of how much of the details we could settle on and how the big gamble on the day of the event would go.

 
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Just a little sport open to some fun.

The judo tournament began officially with a non-serious preface and surprisingly, the participants and the galleries were gathering.

This period that was right before summer, on the contrary, might’ve been better for us.

After this, we would be spending short of a month away from school life.

Before that, the students seemed to have seen this as moderate sized extracurricular that they could go wild in for the last time.

The judo dojo wasn’t a very big facility. Because of that, people were standing to watch, but it turned out to be a success.

Shiroyama, on standby near the kamiza, gave a sweeping look of the entire room. He looked like the type who wouldn’t show much on his expression, but just this time, he displayed some emotion.

“I didn’t think this much people would come by. You really helped us out, thanks.”

He gave his gratitude, but we had yet to do anything or help anyone.

What we were going to do was from this point on. After we’re done, I had the feeling he wouldn’t want to give us his thanks anymore.

That’s why I didn’t touch on it and talked about something different.

“Putting that aside, the senpai’s going to stop by today, right?”

“Yeah. As you asked, we made sure to call him. I think he’ll be here soon.”

We were good if he was going to come. This was the one thing that we had no say in the matter, so we could only rely on Shiroyama. The meager chances of him making his appearance, or in fact, whether he decided to show up or not was the most important point.

It was thanks to Shiroyama that the senpai would be watching the entirety of the tournament from the top. So with that, just what kind of reaction would the senpai have? Just what kind of values he had in regards to judo done for fun, I didn’t know.

“Did you mention anything about this?”

“…No. He didn’t seem too particularly angry either.”

While remembering his exchange with his senpai, Shiroyama spoke word by word in confirmation. So far, it didn’t look like his attitude was in opposition to this event.

He was someone who went out of his way to visit the club he had retired from. I had my suspicions that he might’ve been someone who preferred exclusive groups, but it didn’t seem to be at that level.

Well, regardless, the goal of acquiring new members was still present. At the very least, that should’ve been the thing that was most visible.

“I see. That’s fine then. We need to show your senpai just how hard working and how exciting the club is.”

“…I guess so.”

Shiroyama seemed just a little bashful. But with his face resembling a potato from the start, it was hard to discern that.

“Well, it’d be nice if they can heat things up. I’ll see you later.”

After stating that to Shiroyama and leaving the kamiza, I headed for the vicinity of the entrance.

A long table was placed there with the purpose of accepting entries for participating teams. Yuigahama happened to be sitting there at that moment as well.

In the back was Yukinoshita writing the tournament brackets on vellum paper.

The total number of participating teams was eight.

There was my team with Hayama and Zaimokuza. Another team was from the judo club. The rest of the teams would be accepted on a first-come-first-serve basis until the cutoff.

If there were too many teams, then we’d lose control of the tournament and worse of all, it’d get boring.

For the time you had fun, the shorter it started to feel for you physically. If so, by making things brief and rich in substance, then they might be able to feel like they’re having fun. It was a paradoxical play.

Also, well, you know, since it’d get super cold too, the earlier we could finish was quite blissful in its own way...

“Looks like we’re getting closer to starting time, huh?”

I started a conversation with Yuigahama who was fiddling with her cellphone looking bored and without raising her face, she answered.

“Uh huh. I think once Hayato-kun comes, everyone else should too, right?”

I recalled Hayama saying that he was going to get out of his soccer club for a moment. As for Hayama, since we were on the same team, there wasn’t an issue with our entry and we covered Tobe’s team as well. It was just a matter of waiting for them to arrive.

I glimpsed at the tournament brackets.

Yukinoshita was filling them in with the team names. Our team was on the opposite end of the judo club.

With this, we wouldn’t have to face them until the finals.

“Hikigaya-kun.”

Noticing that I was behind her, Yukinoshita spoke to me without turning around.

“Hm?”

“For now, I put both of you on opposite ends just like you said, but if you guys don’t advance all the way, it won’t go as planned in the end, right?”

“…Well, I imagine so.”

“Once again with another careless plan...”

Yukinoshita went “haa” as she sighed with astonishment. But it wasn’t like I was doing this without anything in mind.

“If we lose, then we can just group up during the exhibition. Even so, we’ll make it succeed. Just because how we go about it changes doesn’t mean what we need to do does.”

“I suppose… Regardless of how it goes, the aftertaste will still be bad.”

After the last squeak of the marker, Yukinoshita finally turned around. She then made a pleasant smile.

“However, while it may not be me personally, I wouldn’t be too pleased if my team were to lose pathetically. If you’re going to lose, I want you to at least do so gracefully.”

“Quit talking under the assumption that we’re going to lose…”

My motivation just before the match went up into smokes. Why was it that whenever she says these kinds of things, she’d smile?

Well, but still, it’s true that it was fine to lose.

More than that, starting this event with the senpai coming made eighty percent of the plan.

While it was certain this event was public relations for acquiring new members, that was just one part of the plan.

The other part of the plan was the removal of the senpai.

What was necessary was the destruction of the senpai’s authority. If we could damage him to the point that it would be hard for him to show up at school, then that was sufficient.

There were numerous ways to get that done. It’s just that it’s highly probably the judo club wouldn’t go entirely unaffected after the job was done, so we had to put that into consideration as well.

The smartest choice in this situation was to have the senpai participate in the tournament and beat him at his own game.

But that wasn’t a very realistic option.

After all, the senpai entered college on a sports recommendation. It’s better to assume an amateur wouldn’t be able to win against him. If that’s the case, then it came down to settling for the second best option.

“It’s almost time it seems…”

Yukinoshita checked the clock and spoke. Lured by her, I looked at the clock as well and it was time.

As if trying to match that, the entrance grew noisy.

It looked like Hayama and company had arrived.

“I’m totally hyped up for this!”

I could hear Tobe’s loud voice. When I looked, Miura and Ebina-san and company along with other groups of people were there.

In that group was Hayama looking for me as he quickly jogged in my direction.

“Sorry. Got here late.”

“Nah, just on time.”

I pointed at the clock and Hayama let out a relieved breath.

“Is that so? That’s good then. Also, he arrived as well.”

Ahead where Hayama turned to was a fellow with the appearance of a bear who came down from the mountains into a city making furtive glances.

“Nuun… What is this noisiness?”

With his hand at his jaw, he would occasionally let out suspicious sighs.

“You sure are late.”

When I went to call out to Zaimokuza who refused to take a step inside, he displayed a weary reaction as that of a small animal. But when he realized I was the owner of the voice, his stance gradually loosened.

“Nu, Hachiman, I see… I rushed over here upon your calling and now that I look, what in the name is this?”

“Yeah, tournament. You, athlete, my team.”

“Eh? Wait a second!? Mister Hachiman!?”

He was screaming about not knowing what the heck was going on, but, huh? I never explained it to him? Well, whatever.

“Anyway, let’s get going because the matches are going to start.”

“Hogh, matches?”

Zaimokuza checked left and right while going “nuun, nuun” and placed his eyes on the tournament brackets ahead.

“Fumuu… At the very least, if I could know what kind of match it pertains to... Should it be a duel, then I may be able to do something about it, but…”

“It’s something like that. A Japanese styled duel in fact.”

“No, you’re definitely lying, sushi.<ref>There was a player in Final Fantasy 11 who would end his sentences with “desushi (ですし) ”. The “sushi (すし)” part of the joke pokes fun at this player because he also happened to use sushi items a lot. So the final suffix ends up becoming “desu-o-sushi (ですおすし)”.</ref>

Upon looking, I was pushing Zaimokuza who was beginning to sweat profusely from the back, going into the judo dojo.

On the way, Hayama joined us, helping with pushing Zaimokuza along. This guy’s a good guy. It’s just well, actual good guys wouldn’t be pushing Zaimokuza right now though.

“Let’s get along, Zaimokuza-kun.”

Never forgetting to be refreshing no matter the occasion, Hayama pushed Zaimokuza along while giving him a refreshing greeting.

“Oh. Right…”

In contrast, Zaimokuza was always an sultry, human tropical rainforest. Not giving him a worthwhile answer, Zaimokuza was mumbling “Somethinggashi? Hayama Somethinggashi is here…”

Well, however the situation, our team was gathered.

When I placed my gaze at the reception, Yuigahama was forming a huge circle with her arms. It looked like all the other teams had arrived as well.

From there, I looked at the tournament brackets and Yukinoshita nodded her head and pointed at the wristwratch.

Though it was just a little forced, our preparations were all done.

Lastly, I looked in the direction of the kamiza where Shiroyama was.

Shiroyama didn’t notice I was looking at him. Or so was the case, but it was because Shiroyama was accompanying his senpai from moments ago. In his place, the first year potato duo, Tsukui and Fujino greeted back with a small “osu”.

With this, all the actors were present.

At last, we could determine who was the strongest at Sobu High, the opening of the S1 Grand Prix…

 
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The official host of the event, Shiroyama, opened off with an extremely, simple speech.

He spoke with his usual rugged tone, but with a gathered audience that was in high spirits, they applauded with hoorays and cheers.

And then, it was moments before the start of the first match.

It was between the judo club and a bunch of incomprehensible guys.

The judo club safely secured their victory and with their casualness seemingly affecting the following two matches, both the second and third matches reached an outcome in good spirit.

Tobe’s team that was in the second match smoothly advanced to the best of 4. Then again, there were only 8 teams, so we were already the best of 8.

The match schedule proceeded as scheduled and it was finally time for the fourth match.

It was our very first campaign.

After we finished changing into the borrowed judo uniforms, we advanced onwards to the square battlefield.

Along the way, Zaimokuza was groaning the entire time.

“Hachiman… Hear me, what exactly is this…?”

“You’re so insistent. This is judo, damn it.”

When I replied back, Zaimokuza sent me a bitter stare.

“You said earlier that this was a Japanese styled duel…”

“It’s more or less the same. Well, think of it like this. I figured it’d serve as a reference for your novel.”

“Mu… Indeed.”

I ended up blurting out the words that just happened to cross my mind, but surprisingly, Zaimokuza looked convinced, nodding while going “fununu”. Uh, people normally didn’t have that kind of voice when they nodded, you know.

But skillfully, it looked like Zaimokuza would be able to switch into his conspicuous chuunibyou self. Either that, being in front of so many people caused him to get too nervous that he went off the deep end. Looking like he switched gears, he was entered into his Master Swordsman Shogun mode. If he’s like this, then he wouldn’t be bothered by the public’s attention. Once again, another page was added to his black history…

We lined up on top of the tatami floors.

The role of judge was filled by one member of the potatoes, Tsukui? Or was it Fujino? I think they were alternating between the two. I wasn’t too confident on that, but that was probably the case.

When we bowed to each other in accordance with the instructions of the judge, everyone except for the first person to compete moved back. It looked like they had already decided on their team order.

“What should we do about the order?”

This order was tied in with strategy. The rules for this tournament in particular weren’t to defeat everyone one by one, but to secure two wins through round robin.

My question was intended to be for Hayama, but for some reason, Zaimokuza answered instead.

“Fumuu, I shall serve as the vanguard. I will not hand over the honor of being the spearhead.”

“I think that sounds good.”

The humane Hayama settled on Zaimokuza’s abrupt suggestion, connecting with him humanely.

“Okay, I’ll go second. We’ll entrust the general position to Hikitani-kun.”

“Are you sure?”

I wasn’t exactly wearing a hard hat though? I wonder if I should end my sentences with “da je” or something?<ref>Kataoka Yuuki</ref>

“I’m more suited to doing things in a comfortable position. Do your best, Zaimokuza-kun.”

When Hayama smiled and said, he lightly tapped Zaimokuza’s back.

“Oh, right, sure.”

Just being in contact with Hayama was enough to cause Zaimokuza to be at his wit’s end. Streams of sweat were beginning to flow down. What, just how nervous were you? Or could it be that you liked Hayama?

“Sorry, making you guys do this all of a sudden. I’ll leave it up to you guys.”

“What’s this, rather cold of you. Leave it to me.”

As I thought how reliable Zaimokuza seemed not knowing why when he gallantly responded, I copied Hayama and lightly tapped Zaimokuza’s back. When I did, it was slippery.

…Eh? What the, was this guy an amphibian? Was this sweat? I thought for a second there he was covered in Vaseline or something. Despite all this and still not showing a disgusted face, it made me realize how amazing Hayama-kun was.

When he went out to the tatami, the first match quickly began.

As we watched, Zaimokuza moved unexpectedly fast. Still, his opponent was fairly fast himself as he grabbed ahold of Zaimokuza’s sleeve in no time.

But in that instant, the opponent’s face distorted into fear and repugnance. He suddenly let go of the sleeve he managed to grab and looked at his hand in fear.

It looked like he had fallen into it… The Zaimokuza swampland…

That opening wasn’t missed by Zaimokuza.

He seized the opponent’s collar and pulled him over with all his strength.

For their difference in weight, the opponent was easily blown away.

“P-Point?”

The judge announced with a question for some reason.

Even the audience went “o-oooh”, sounding fairly mild-mannered. The clapping was weak too.

But even so, a win was a win.

Zaimokuza calmly returned to our side.

“Your thoughts, Hachiman?”

“Yeah, pretty amazing.”

Your sweat, that is… Had the times stayed the same, you would’ve been executed for illegal production of salt. Look, like now, the judo club guys were having a hell of a time wiping away your sweat. Now I was starting to feel sorry for them…

“Okay, next is my time, huh?”

When he said that, Hayama gallantly walked out to the center of the tatami.

In that instant, a burst of fervent clapping occurred. What followed was the Hayama call.

HA-YA-TO (FU!) HA-YA-TO (SOIYA!) The rest being repeated.

Who knows when they revised it, but they even had interjected pauses in there. What, did everyone practice this together?

“Hayatooo!”

Standing out in particular amongst the high pitched cheering voices was Miura. She was waving a fan as she was cheering. Surprisingly, she was one of those follower types, huh? Because earlier, she looked absolutely disinterested in the other matches, waving her fan back and forth while complaining about the heat… Also, this didn’t matter, but Tobe’s interjections were annoying.

Hayama wasn’t timid in the face of those cheering voices at all and he lightly raised his hand in response. He was so composed to the point of being hateful. On the other hand, the opponents were completely taken in by the atmosphere.

The outcome of the match was already decided well before the start of the match.

In reality, the match really did end with an unexpected swiftness.

As soon as the match started, Hayama took the opponent’s hand and beautifully did a shoulder throw.

The loud cheering voices that scattered throughout the judo dojo were directed at Hayama’s back as he nonchalantly returned back.

“With this, it’s our win.”

“I-I guess so…”

To be honest, I felt a bit awkward being included since I didn’t do anything, but for the time being, I was glad that we won.

Regardless, Hayama’s specs were ridiculously off the charts… Speaking of which, a certain somebody from somewhere beat him in a tennis match, you know? Well, we may have won the match, but we did lose the fight… No, wait a second? I did say match, but that time, I pretty much didn’t do anything either. I was able to win without putting in any effort. As I thought, I shouldn’t be working in the future.

But even if I didn’t plan on working where the future was concerned, right now, there was something I had to do.

“There’s still some time before the next match. Kill some time or something.”

After telling Hayama and Zaimokuza that, I left the area.

From there, I headed for the kamiza.

Other matches were still in progress as of now. Right now, the semifinal with Tobe’s group and the judo club should be taking place. Hayama would probably watch Tobe’s match with Miura and the others while Zaimokuza would have no place to be, ultimately becoming a Ksitigarbha.

There, an individual at the kamiza was watching that match. Except with just a look of boredom.

It was the judo club’s senpai. I didn’t know his name. Nor did I have any interest in knowing. We didn’t a firsthand relationship nor did I consider him my senpai, but regardless, I would still call him one.

“Senpai.”

Making it up the kamiza, I stood next to him and sparked up a conversation.

When I did, the senpai turned my way annoyingly. Because it was a face he wasn’t familiar with, he looked momentarily confused, but he quickly covered that up and replied with crude words.

“Sup.”

After confirming that he had a response, I continued talking.

“How is it? The judo club’s new effort.”

“…Let’s see. Doesn’t seem bad, eh? Being able to goof around like this is during high school after all.”

The senpai spoke while flapping his fan back and forth as if trying to fill up the space. I could hear him muddling those words one by one.

I see, so he was this kind of person who talked like this, huh? When I finished affirming that the impression from when I saw him during that practice didn’t change from the other day, I opened my mouth.

“I suppose so… We consulted with Shiroyama about this, but we thought this kind of playing around was important, so that’s why we gathered people.”

When I said that, the senpai stared at me and made two, three blinks.

“…Aah, so you went through the trouble of gathering people? But if all you do is play around, it won’t register with your body, so don’t go spoiling Shiroyama, you hear? It’s because the world is much harsher than you guys believe it to be. If you don’t practice and study properly now, you won’t get anywhere.”

The words the senpai spoke as he closed his fan with a smack made me want to blow them off to which I refrained. Instead, I said something in place of that.

“Yes. Ah, that’s right. Senpai, would you like to have one match?”

“…Eh? Y-Yeah… I’ll think about it.”

“Whenever you feel like it, I’ll be up for it.”

I left the kamiza with those words. I could feel a sticky, puzzled glare as if there was something irritating about my response, but I shook that off and walked on.

It was almost time for our match. Though, there really wasn’t a meaning in me being there since those two were going to win anyway.

“…What did you talk to senpai about?”

Apparently I was seen. Since he was at the kamiza too, Shiroyama was concerned about the senpai.

“Nothing much. I was just arranging a little act, that’s all.”

“Act?”

Shiroyama’s slightly stuffed potato face rotated to the side.

“Yeah, that’s right. Also, I’ll let you know as well. This is regarding the finals, but I’ll be fighting against the senpai, so act as the judge for me.”

“I don’t mind, but…”

“Okay, the act. Counting on you.”

“Hm?”

Shiroyama had a puzzled face and titled his head.

 
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In the end, I didn’t get my turn in the semifinal. If there was one thing I did, then it was giving a mop to the judo club after the match to wipe up Zaimokuza’s sweat.

We advanced to the finals with Zaimokuza and Hayama securing two wins. Zaimokuza’s slippery defense and Hayama’s shoulder throw were once again the winning moves. Ultimately, we had made it up to the finals without me ever having done a thing.

Our opponent in the final was the team that destroyed Tobe’s team. Just when did they lose anyway?

By the way, since Shiroyama was the president, as a handicap, it was decided he wouldn’t be participating in the tournament. The one who appeared in the tournament was Tsukui, Fujino, and one more person I had no idea who he was or his name so I went ahead and called him Yam.

As I watched the new three potato brothers warming up, we began to get ready for the finals as well.

When I did, having only watched from afar until now was Yuigahama and Yukinoshita briskly walking our way.

“Do you guys need something? You normally try not to talk to someone before a match out of consideration.”

When I said that, Yukinoshita spoke with a cool voice, unaffected by the enthusiasm of the judo club.

“In that case, you must be in a match all year round.”

“More or less. So, what’s up?”

I joked with Yukinoshita’s sarcasm and Yuigahama eventually raised her hand and answered.

“We just thought we’d cheer you on for the last match.”

“Aah. Thanks for that. That is, if I even get a turn.”

Saying that, I looked at Zaimokuza and Hayama. Surprisingly, with those two, we just might end up winning.

“You should. Otherwise, nothing will be solved.”

As if seeing through me, Yukinoshita spoke. In actuality, I was a little suspicious of how far Yukinoshita read into it, but when she said something, it was oddly persuasive so it was hard to respond. True enough, things wouldn’t end with just this.

“…I guess so.”

“Right, right! For the sake of the judo club, do your best!”

Yuigahama optimistically pushed her arms out. I wasn’t feeling in the mood to accompany her festive mood.

“It’s not like I’m doing it for their sake or anything.”

“Huh?”

Her surprised expression was asking nothing but “then whose sake is it for?” but before I could answer, it was time for the match.

 
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The finals were brewed a storm starting from the first match.

It was five seconds following the start of the match after their mutual bows.

“Defuh.”

Along the sound of a violent thump was a subdued voice that resembled hitting a wall in Dragon Quest that could be heard.

When I focused again on trying to determine what had happened, someone resembling a sea lion that was launched in the air was on the floor. It looked like Zaimokuza was thrown. He wasn’t moving an inch.

The point was loudly announced.

“For that Zaimokuza, to lose…”

Unbelievable. For that Zaimokuza who was proud of his unparalleled strength to lose so easily… So he was in the Yamcha position all along.

“I imagine the judo club is used to that kind of competition.”

At some point, Yukinoshita had already been sitting next to me in seiza and she explained for me.

“Kuh, the gooeyness backfired, huh!?”

“Gross…”

Yuigahama who was hugging her knees as she was sitting provided an additional mental attack. It’s not good to kick a dead body.

Zaimokuza, collapsed and defeated on the floor, was sluggishly pulled away. After they moved Zaimokuza who completely damp like a wet sponge, it was like the wake of a crawling slug. He was thrown outside the premises.

In that time, the interior of the dojo was growing noisy. Zaimokuza getting destroyed instantly in gaudy fashion appeared to be sensational. But when the next match was ready to go, the burst of unknown cheering voices and the commotion began to die down.

The impact of the first match was overshadowed by the Hayama call as well.

These were the finals and also a battle that we definitely couldn’t lose. The reason why was because unlike the battles where you definitely couldn’t lose with the scoreless draws that were typically losses, we really couldn’t afford to lose here. Losing the second match here would make us the losers.

All the more so when the audience was livening things up. Ebina-san was grinning the entire time from start to finish, cheering with a loud voice. If Hayama won, then Miura just might strip… It was that kind of excitement that the boys were made to anticipate. Also, Tobe was annoying.

“Hikitani-kun.”

After he stood up, Hayama’s speaking voice could still be heard even in this torrent of cheering voices.

“Ah?”

“You should probably warm up.”

By the time he finished his words, Hayama was already walking forward. How he stayed humble while haughtily declaring his win to the point of being detestable truly fit him. Although it made me a little irritated, since he was going to win, I couldn’t say much.

From there, the Hayama commotion that threw the audience into a whirlpool of chaos reached its apex when Hayama stepped into the ring.

Despite that, just when I thought how Ebina-san was quiet all of a sudden, it turned out she was sleeping on Miura’s lap covered with a wet handkerchief. What, what did she see? What came to mind…?

At last, Hayama and his opponent faced each other.

At that moment, the doors to the judo burst open.

“Aah~! I finally found yooou~. Hayama-senpaaai~, please come to cluuub~.”

It was an idiotic voice that wasn’t perturbed in the least by tension in the judo dojo. When I looked, it was a girl student wearing a pink jersey with flaxen hair that was shoulder length. She completely ignored the mood around her and walked directly up to Hayama.

In spite of everyone being dumbfounded, she didn’t pay any attention.

After seeing that girl, Hayama actually shook for once.

“I-Iroha…”

“Because Hayama-senpai isn’t there, the first years don’t have a clue what to do, you knooow.”

“Ah, right. No, right now’s a bit.”

Hayama tried to argue back with her, but that Iroha-chan or whatever wasn’t listening at all and gripped the sleeve of Hayama’s uniform.

Eh, who’s this girl…?

Or so I thought until Tobe in the audience stood up and called out.

“My baaad, Irohasu. I’ll go back, so spare Hayato-kun will ya?”

“Ah, you’re fine where you are, Tobe-senpai.”

With a smiling, graceful rejection, Tobe could only say “r-right…” and sat back down.

“Hayama and Tobe’s acquaintance?”

I looked at Yukinoshita and Yuigahama and asked. Yukinoshita didn’t seem to know and shook her head, but Yuigahama seemed to have an idea.

“Aah, it’s Iroha-chan. She’s the first year manager for the soccer club.”

Hoh, Isshiki Iroha. Tch, I remembered her. As a dangerous creature, that is.

…That’s bad. That girl was undoubtedly bad. My ghost was whispering to me to be careful of those beautiful, airy and fluffy type of girls.

When that cute soccer manager who reeked of danger called Isshiki grabbed Hayama, she tried to pull him along.

It was as if this was the selfishness of a princess that no one could interrupt it.

“Would it be better to stop them for now?”

Amongst all of us, the only person seemingly capable of acting was just Yukinoshita. But she checked with me first, unsure of how to proceed.

“No, it should be fine if we just leave them alone.”

“Is that so?”

Though Yukinoshita stated dubiously, but you know missy, you clearly looked like you weren’t going to get up from your seiza, were you…?

But, well, it wasn’t an issue if the ice queen didn’t move from the princess’s tomfoolery. That’s because there was one more other that was going to.

“Hey, seriously, you…”

Miura stood up like the hot heat waves of midsummer.

“Hayato’s like really busy right now, can’t you see?”

It was a tone that burned the earlobes of those who listened, but, to the zephyr princess, it didn’t seem to have an effect.

“Eeeh~? Buuut, club’s a real mess right nooow…”

“Haa?”

When Isshiki made a rebuttal with a breezy voice, it made Miura even hotter.

“N-Now, now.”

Hayama interjected knowing that it was really bad and tried to calm Miura down. When he did, Isshiki was twitching while snugly gripping the hems of her skirt behind Hayama’s back.

That small animal like gesture made Miura even more upset. When she faced downwards, she let out a deep breath like the pumping of a pair of pillows.

“…Hayato, you can go ahead on to the club. I have a little talking to do with this girl.”

“Eh?”

Hayama let out a nervous voice and stiffened up.

What his stare was directed at was Miura’s raised face.

“Try your best at club, okay?♪”

She was grinning with a smile, very likely the first and best smile I had seen Miura make.

From there, Miura dragged Isshiki along with her. Isshiki screamed “Hayama-senpaaai” that resembled a shriek of the sort to which Miura completely ignored and continued on.

Hayama chased after them, understanding that wasn’t something he could leave alone.

“Sorry! Hikitani-kun! I’ll be back in a bit!”

As he said that while clapping his hands together, Hayama ran off.

Uh, I was absolutely sure you wouldn’t be able to come back right away… That outside scuffle probably was going to attract everyone’s attention at this rate…

Everyone was wondering what the commotion was about.

He was a man that was absolutely unreliable when we needed him… But, well, let’s just say good on him for taking us all the way to finals.

So the remaining problem was how we were going to get past this second match.

“W-What’s going to happen now?”

Still sitting as she was earlier, Yuigahama scooted over to me.

“Lose by default? Er, if we move up, then it’d be my turn…”

“If that happens, then won’t the last match be lost by default too?”

Certainly, it was as Yuigahama said. What’s supposed to happen in this kind of situation? I tilted my neck and a calm voice sprung up from nearby.

“Losing by default won’t happen.”

Oh, that’s Yukipedia-san for you. She knew the rules of judo in detail.

“It’s not a problem if I go out instead.”

Having said that, Yukinoshita quietly stood up. No, you’re trying to do things your own way too much…

“No, that doesn’t seem like it would fly.”

“That’s right! A girl can’t be participating in that.”

We both tried to stop her, but Yukinoshita wasn’t listening.

“I don’t recall there being any restrictions on who could participate. It’s not an official tournament either. No one should mind, right?”

“That’s not it! You can’t! Absolutely not!”

Opposing her logic head-on was Yuigahama with an emotional outburst and Yukinoshita, as expected, was hesitating.

Well, it wasn’t necessary to have Yukinoshita force herself to participate.

The opponents may be members of the judo club, but they looked like first years, whether it be the Chinese yam or the Japanese yam, even I might be able to manage something. When I took a confirming glance, the three potatoes were whispering sneakily to each other secretly. When they looked at Yukinoshita, their cheers were slightly blushed.

Hoho, a bit cheeky for a bunch of potatoes, eh?

“I’ll go first. Hayama might come back by then.”

The possibility wasn’t high, but that was probably the best plan for now.

After saying that, the moment I stood up, Yukinoshita pulled down on my sleeve with utmost force. My neck whipped backwards.

“Fueh, ouch… W-What might be the matter?”

When I asked her while coughing violently from the unexpected whiplash, Yukinoshita looked at me with calm, rather, straightforward eyes.

“Is there any meaning in that?”

“Haa?”

On the contrary, I wanted to ask that of her question. When I inquired with an irritated expression, Yukinoshita persuaded me with a matter-of-fact tone.

“The plan you thought up may be full of holes, but didn’t you prepare a lot of things to lure out that senpai after this?”

“……”

True enough, she was right. These past few days, this event, this place, and this stage were all planned to bring out that senpai and make him fall. To toss aside all that effort up until now would be a very foolish decision.

It’s because it was the ultimate stage that the plan would have the greatest effect. Amongst the numerous available methods, opting for the plan with the greatest possibilities of success would mean having Yukinoshita participate here.

In addition to the chilly stare that woke up my mind, Yukinoshita added further, as if she was dumping cold water on top of me.

“Besides, your concerns aren’t necessary.”

She sized up the opponent that would face her with a determined smile.

“In short, all I need to do is avoid letting him get in contact with me, right?”

“That’s the problem…!? At the very least, at least change your clothes, okay?”

Having already given up on persuading Yukinoshita, Yuigahama spoke in tears. When she did, Yukinoshita nodded her head as if the thought crossed her mind.

“…That’s true.”

“Okay, let’s go!”

Once that was decided, Yuigahama acted quickly. The moment she grabbed Yukinoshita’s hand, they scuttled off, and within ten minutes, they came back.

Yuigahama was panting in exhaustion with her clothes in a mess for some reason. On the other hand, Yukinoshita was looking crisp.

Yukinoshita was wearing a navy blue hakama over her padded undershirt. Her hair was up and tied together. On top of that, she had the same bobtail from the other day.

“What’s with the getup…?”

“We borrowed it from the girls’ kendo club!”

Yuigahama’s voice was rather energetic despite her heavy breathing.

Yukinoshita twisted her body, stretched, and straightened her collar as she checked her appearance.

“Now, shall we get started?”

When she said that, she walked out to the center of the ring.

The audience who watched the development gave applause to Yukinoshita’s dignified still appearance.

The judge Shiroyama tilted his head not understanding what was going on. It was after our eyes met that he thought for a little bit before nodding his head.

Apparently, he interpreted this to be the “act”. No, this was something else…

Starting from the top, it was the second match, Yukinoshita against the purple yam or was it the sweet potato? Both contenders stood at their positions and looked at each other. Yukinoshita was already winning from just the glints in their eyes.

Simultaneously, the flag was flung along with “begin” yelled out by the voice.

In that instant, the opponent moved with a snap. The opponent was a girl. If he could at least grab a hold of her, then he could throw her with all of his strength and win. That was probably his contrived strategy.

[[File:YahariLoveCom_v075_235.jpg|thumbnail|right|200px]]

But that was only if we were talking about any normal girl.

Just who did you think you’re making enemies with? It was Yukinoshita Yukino. If it was just her specs alone, then she was at the top of the entire prefecture. She excelled in her resourcefulness, her strategies, her bravery, and her features with her personality collected and viciously unjust. To add to that, she was invincible and peerless as well as the ultimate sore loser. When it came to matches, she was the provisional strongest.

The small fry wouldn’t be allowed to even come in contact with her.

As reality had it, Yukinoshita didn’t even give him the chance to touch the sleeve of her uniform.

She would read her opponents exhalation, anticipate his inhalation of air, and anticipate the movement of his legs. What remained was to insert the most optimal move in relation to her conforming to the movements she had predicted. With dancing footwork and cutting agility, she controlled her opponent’s actions like that of a matador.

The designated location was the empty space.

By the time I had confirmed with my eyes, the outcome had already been decided.

There was a loud thumping noise and after that, even Yukinoshita’s exhaled breath had reached my ears.

Not a single person from the audience could make a sound. It was an abnormal space.

The sounds that were born in that space were the waving of a flag and the voice that declared the winner.

The audience that witnessed a rare display of fine skill broke into cheers and applause. Those cheering voices arranged a flowery path that Yukinoshita passed through back to the place where we were sitting.

Yuigahama jumped at her.

“Wow, that was amazing! You were so cool!”

“Hey… So stuffy.”

While she was complaining, she didn’t pull away from her. Even Yukinoshita couldn’t get out of this one. The way she looked was pleasant, but in fact, what she managed to pull off wasn’t.

She threw a person from just defensive body movements alone… What the heck was that? Was she Kenichi’s master?

She really did go and win without letting him lay a single finger on her.

“You’re really unbelievable.”

When I said that, Yukinoshita made a teasing smile.

“Yes, I suppose so. For an opening performance, might I have heated it up just a tad too much?”

“I don’t think that kind of teasing’s very good, you know.”

Before heading to the ring, I did one last big stretch.

“Alright, time to go…”

They were supposed to have been words for myself, but voices responded to them.

“Go get him!”

“Keep yourself together.”

Were you guys my mothers or something?

 
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It was the long awaited final match. This festival, ridiculously dubbed as the S1 Grand Prix, would end with this match.

The audience was already becoming small.

Well, quite frankly, they were redundant. It was like the extra story that came with the original. Having borne witness to Hayama’s participation and his scene of carnage along with Yukinoshita’s acrobatics, the audience should’ve been mostly satisfied.

That’s why from this point on, I’d be doing things my way. I had prepared a lot of things for this. So they should allow me to be at least this selfish.

When I went directly to the center of the ring, my opponent was just about to come my way. I forgot whether it was Tsukui or Fujino, but I faced him, extended my hand out, and stopped him.

I then turned towards the kamiza and called out.

“Senpai, how about it?”

Thinking that he really wouldn’t be called out, the senpai looked at me twice. The laws were already broken from the change in members from the earlier match. The limitations of the rules no longer existed.

That’s why the only thing stopping him was shame.

This entertainment was to the school, originally, something that belonged to the outsiders which also pulled the current judo athletes. He should have the feelings of shame towards that.

But if you directed the pointer in the opposite direction, then he had no choice but to step forward.

On this stage of the finals and in front of the excited audience, even if he was called out, he didn’t have the courage to respond. He should have the feelings of shame towards that.

What outweighed the other; only the person in question could know.

But I was confident. The senpai would definitely choose to protect the shame of the latter.

As the audience was watching with bated breath, the senpai sluggishly stood up. He then grabbed his judo uniform and began to change into it.

His motions caused the audience to go “ooh!” with raised voices filled with anticipation.

On the other hand, the judge performed by Shiroyama was expressionless.

“…Senpai’s strong, you know.”

“I bet he is. That’s why I was getting this match hyped up.”

While checking over my sash, collars, and sleeves, I answered and Shiroyama tilted his head in confusion.

Contrary to how Shiroyama looked, he wasn’t clueless. By not being clueless, he should’ve been thinking about the meaning of my words. In reality, before approaching us for a consultation, he had searched for possibilities himself leading him to settle for a prudent and proper judgment.

That’s why in regards to that point, I could expect that much.

Then again, since he only stopped short of not being clueless as well, though he may be able to read what’s behind the scenes, he wouldn’t go any further than that.

Just one strategic move was prepared. Well, it’s something like insurance. If I settled things without having to use it, that was fine.

As you’d expect, the senpai was used to it and promptly changed into his uniform and entered the ring. He motioned the first years away with his hand and arrived at the position in the direct center that faced me.

The senpai sized me up with a stare that was lit by anger and shame. But, when it came to insight, I wouldn’t lose. I could see the things that deprecated no matter how brilliant it was.

It was because of that that I could see the senpai quite a bit.

“Both opponents, bow… Begin!”

Shiroyama’s gave his command with a deep tone.

From the onset, both the senpai and I took gradual steps to measure our distance, repeatedly closing in and retreating back. He didn’t do anything like jumping in hotheadedly. Of course, I didn’t as well. When you say judo, you think ukemi. Even in class, I practiced nothing but ukemi by myself the entire time.

Each and every day, ukemi.

I was so adamant on ukemi that even my life was ukemi.

Even if I went at the senpai with honesty, I was aware that I wouldn’t be able to win. I wasn’t that arrogant. That’s why I would try to maintain this fixed distance, waiting for the point that had always been prepared.

Still, in the face of technique that was mastered, naïve thoughts of an amateur were easily seen through. When the senpai realized I had no intention of engaging, he haughtily stepped forward and destroyed the equilibrium of our maintained distance.

Whoa. By the time I thought that, I had already been caught and my pivot leg was tripped by a leg that was dispatched from the outside.

The sensation of the floor bursting ran almost simultaneously with the impact against my back.

“…Ouch.”

I instinctively let out my voice. What was that speed just now…? That wasn’t at the level you could take with ukemi…

Confident in his win, the senpai was already heading back to the starting line.

The audience expressed sighs as well, looking ready to get up and leave.

That’s why this prepared point was left nowhere but here.

“Oh boy, what a toughie. Sweat can get you to slip quite a bit, huh?”

I spat out those few words with absolutely no shame.

Everyone looked at me with the expressions, “what’s this guy saying?” The senpai, the audience, Yukinoshita, and Yuigahama; they all looked at me. No, even I thought I was doing it too. There was no way an excuse like that would fly.

But as long it did with just one person, then that was good enough.

The judge, Shiroyama, even now hadn’t raised the flag or yelled out.

Confirming, I added further.

“I want to check, but does falling over count?”

Shiroyama was quiet. He then looked fixedly at my face and only nodded.

“Both participants, return to the starting line.”

That was what he announced. After all, this was an “act”.

The audience and of course, the senpai, were outraged. He turned towards Shiroyama and drew closer.

“Hey, no matter how you looked at it, that was a point! Falling, are you kidding me…?”

As he was speaking, the senpai looked at his feet. When he did, the remnants that were left behind when Zaimokuza was dragged away were still there. The commotion with Hayama and Yukinoshita caused them to forget about wiping it up. That was despite them having done so in every match up until now.

“But that had to be a point!”

The senpai flared up even more. However, a decision couldn’t be overturned. No, was it something you could overturn? Shiroyama was pondering on that.

This was something I knew from my half-baked knowledge in sports, but it was rare for a misjudgment to be recognized. It applied to student sports, professional sports, or even international tournaments.

There was then a guaranteed rule common to all of them.

“If you go against the judge, that’s a foul.”

“Aah?”

The senpai shifted his eyes from Shiroyama to me. They were like those of a beast. Honestly speaking, he was freaking scary. I was about to let out a shivering voice, but I played it off with the shrug of my shoulders.

“That’s just how the world is, right? The world’s rather darn harsh.”

Hearing that, the senpai made a loathsome face. It looked like he was aware of what came out of his mouth after all. It didn’t need to be said that this time, he had completely yielded.

“Both participants, move back to the starting line.”

When Shiroyama started from the top, the senpai reluctantly went back. It’s just that compared to earlier, he was glaring at me with bloodshot eyes.

This was bad. This was utterly bad.

The earlier fraud called an “act” was insurance with a single use. Any more was out of the question. That was because the senpai definitely wouldn’t allow it nor would the audience. Furthermore, Shiroyama didn’t look like he would either. As proof of that, Shiroyama’s face was even more pale than usual. It looked like he was undertaking a high-load of stress.

“Begin.”

Shiroyama’s voice lacked the strength it had earlier.

If anything, even the voices of the audience were shriveling up. There were even people who stood up and left. Because of that, my panting voice and the senpai’s howl easily reached my ears.

That’s why my voice that talked to the senpai should easily reach him as well.

“It’s a strange thing, isn’t it?”

As if he didn’t have the experience of someone talking to him in the middle of a match, the senpai looked at me with a puzzled face. The audience should have noticed that I was talking to him. I could feel the attention concentrating on us.

“Senpai. Even though you made it in with a sports recommendation, you sure have the free time to come watch our judo club, huh?”

It was a sudden stop. I definitely was able to confirm that the senpai had stopped his feet.

“…Shut your damn mouth, stop blabbering.”

The fist that grabbed my collars was given even more strength.

But his gaze didn’t perceive me at all in the least.

What it was looking at was my rear and then to the left and to the right. In other words, he was looking at the gallery.

The audience was noisy. It was likely they were suspicious of how we were suddenly in a deadlock. Or those suspicious could have been regarding what the two of us were talking about.

Even so, from the point of view of the senpai, when this conversation was heard and made a commotion, that’s probably how he felt.

That’s why I continued. In a way that could correspond with the senpai’s movements all the while being utterly composed as I observed him.

“Compared to circles in college, they truly practice in earnest, right? Only in high school do you get to play around, I believe.”

“Shut up.”

Offensively, the senpai took a step closer. It was as if he wanted to end the match as soon as possible so he could cut my words off.

I matched his step in with a step out and maintain our fixed distance. I then lightly chuckled.

“Truly, the world really is harsh.”

Just how much of my voice reached the audience?

The amount of people in the gallery was clearly less than before the match started. But this amount was plenty.

Though, if I had to say, it really didn’t matter if any of this was heard by anyone. But if they held the suspicious that they might’ve heard it, then that was sufficient.

“Really, it’s just like senpai said. Isn’t that why you came back here?”

“……”

The senpai choked on those words. The very words that he spat out himself.

With this, my objective was achieved.

Condemnation in the presence of the public. The fall of his dignity as a senpai and his pride.

It was to make the senpai believe that many students had heard everything. In reality, who heard or who didn’t wasn’t a problem.

As long we could make the senpai think whether he could show his fate to the world or not, then that was enough.

Whoever won or lost afterwards didn’t matter at all.

In reality, the senpai’s eyes were darting all over. The only thing he could keep his mind on was what everyone had thought of him. In the first place, there were already signs of that from the start. When I asked him that one time, I could feel it intuitively.

Glorifying the past was evidence that your heart became weak.

Reciting your past achievements was proof that your heart was old.

Wanting to feel relieved by putting someone below you was a sign that you became weak.

It’s likely that the senpai had a setback at college. He lost his confidence, his pride, and everything else. That’s exactly why he took refuge here.

It’s possible he might’ve not been aware of his actions. He just happened to stop by on a whim and found it to be surprisingly comfortable and then, he grew attached.

But nevertheless, that didn’t mean staying here was a good thing. Looking at it from someone who was at the bottom, those who gave from the top were just nuisances.

The world wasn’t kind enough to take care of those who ran back with their tails in between their lags.

That’s why we brought them down. Evicted them. Ostracized them.

Aah, it’s exactly as you said; the world was harsh.

The senpai was biting on his lips. The strength in his arms that grabbed me was no longer there.

It’s likely that he wouldn’t come by anymore. Those who ran would only continue to do so.

That just had to be confirmed.

To do that, I had to win here.

To lose to an amateur like myself before the eyes of the audience was the best form of humiliation, something that needed to be done to completely destroy his mind.

That’s why I smashed the final stake into him.

“You didn’t come back here, but ran away here.”

It looked like I was able to pull the final trigger.

The senpai made an expression that looked like he was abruptly hit.

I grabbed his sleeve as if inviting him. When I did, he easily gave way. Up until that moment, the strength I held back was definitely used. Did my provocation get to him?

It came.

With no retaliation.

I became aware of the beginning point, the strength point, and the functioning point.

Thanks to being thrown from class and from earlier, I had already understood the form. It looked like being thrown for practice wasn’t a mistake after all.

I covered my crude technique with the strength of my arms.

I just needed to somehow carry him up into a position where I could throw him. Just to do that, I would use my arm strength. After that, I wouldn’t go against it. All I had to do was leave it to earth’s gravity, the laws of inertia, and my fighting instinct.

When I was positioned to shoulder throw him, a tone that sounded like it was spat out yet somehow composed descended from that back.

“Shut your mouth. I’m already aware of all that.”

It was then just a drop from there.

Instantly, the flag was raised.

The rounds of applause from the audience could be heard for the winner. The judo dojo reverberated loudly.

“Point! That’s it!”

Amongst all the types of voices Shiroyama had up until this moment, this was the most clear and clean.

In contrast, the voice of the individual collapsed on the floor at the end was considerably muddy and pathetic.

“…Ouch.”

 
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It’s been a few days since the passing of the hysterical period right before summer vacation. I was finally going to direct my eyes and nose towards summer vacation with excitement.

It was because of that I was able to attend the Service Club that I didn’t really ever want to go, all while humming no less.

Just how many more nights until it was time for summer vacation? Everyday was waiting for the days of everyday.

When I opened the door to the club room, as always, Yukinoshita was reading a book near the window and Yuigahama was collapsed on the table like a lazy dog, fiddling with her cellphone. I wouldn’t be seeing this scenery for a while as well.

“Sup.”

I greeted them as I usually did and took my seat at the chair that was furthest away, directly opposite of where Yukinoshita was.

When I did, Yukinoshita raised her face from her book.

“Oh, is your injured waist feeling better now?”

“Nope, but I got to skip P.E. because of it.”

After I answered, this time Yuigahama raised her face.

“Judo, I think it was? That’s admirable of you, keeping the promise and stuff.”

“Not really. It was just a lucky break of the sort.”

On the day of the judo tournament, at the very end, while conspicuously rubbing the waist that was injured from the ura-nage throw done by the senpai, I was forced to make a promise as the loser.

That promise was to never get involved with the judo club. It looked like my attitude rubbed him the wrong way quite a bit. How I was a bad influence to the club members and how I was a curse to judo and stuff; well, let’s just say I was told off in a lot of ways.

Thanks to that, my dream of becoming a judo medalist at the Olympics was stolen from me. Thank goodness; for not having interest in judo that is.

Well, with this waist of mine, I could aim all I wanted, but it wouldn’t do me any good. It hurt so much to the point I was blabbering throughout the night, “my hips, it hurts, my hip hurts, ow, it hurts, hurts”.

There was still some plain left, but still, since I’ll be observing gym for a while, my plusses and minuses canceled out to zero… I got the feeling I definitely had a lot more minuses, but was I really this bad at arithmetic?

“Well, you should be glad things didn’t go any further than that. You should thank Shiroyama-kun.”

“Right, right. That senpai really wanted to kill you the way he was glaring at you, Hikki.”

The two unanimously said to me and it came to mind.

“Mm, Shiroyama, huh?”

Ever since then, I hadn’t talked to Potayama, or Shiroyama.

There was the promise I was forced to make by the senpai too, but well, we were probably just showing our consideration to each other. For me to do something like that which I normally wouldn’t ever bother, this was quite the incident. What could I say? I definitely did feel bad for pushing a terrible role on him like that. Since that’s how it was going to be, I’d at least avoid causing him any more unpleasant memories by not getting involved with him anymore. It was the greatest kindness I could offer.

“So, how’s the judo club been after that?”

Of course, since I was ordered by the Geass to never involve myself ever again, there’s no way I could know.

When I asked, Yuigahama, as you’d expect, knew quite a bit from her connections. She was pressing away on her cellphone as if she was mailing someone about that incident.

“Ummm, there hasn’t been an increase in new members, but the people who quit came back it looks like.”

“Hooh.”

Well, if demonstrations like that were enough to get new members, the clubs wouldn’t be having so much trouble. Factor in that the ones who had actively participated were Hayama, Zaimokuza and Yukinoshita. Other than that, there wasn’t anything else to admire in the organization called the judo club.

“Not everyone came back, but for the people who did, it looks like their reason was because that senpai stopped coming.”

Yukinoshita added as she turned the page of her book.

“Ah, right. That’s surprising, huh? He was the one who won at the end, so I was totally expecting him to go ‘I’m the strongest! Yeaaaaaaaah!’”

“No way, like that’d happen.”

Yuigahama’s body and hand motions were so stupid that I answered back with a slightly amused voice. When I did, Yukinoshita who found what I said odd slipped a bookmark in her book and closed it.

“I don’t think it’s likely, but could it be you lost because you knew things would turn out this way?”

“No, I was actually pretty serious about winning, you know…”

In fact, I thought “ah, I totally won” at the end.

“…S-So lame.”

Yuigahama-san, you’re being a little too honest, okay?

“Is that so… It looked like you were only just trying to provoke him to me. I was sure you were going to hand over the victory and contrive something from there.”

So for Yukinoshita-san, she was showing signs of thinking harder than she should’ve that made her beyond saving. But it’s understandable for her to think that way.

“Well, it didn’t matter either way, win or lose. It’s just winning meant a higher chance of the senpai not coming to school anymore.”

“What do you mean?”

Yuigahama’s eyebrows formed an upside “v”, groaning while thinking. But it was nothing complicated.

“Nothing much. ‘You ain’t got a seat!’ If you just got that across, then that was good enough.”

When I said that, Yuigahama’s eyebrows bunched in closer. It looked like it didn’t get across to her

But Yukinoshita made an abrupt smile.

“…I see.”

When she said just those two words as if she understood, she resumed her reading. That suggestive behavior bothered Yuigahama who started to shake Yukinoshita’s body.

“Eh, what is it? What did it mean?”

Getting shook back and forth, Yukinoshita looked extremely irritated, but she continued to read seemingly out of stubbornness. The two’s amusing antics looked like they’d continue for a little longer.

I copied Yukinoshita as well and pulled out a book, opening to the page where my bookmark was placed.

But even as I followed along the words in the book, the content wasn’t getting processed at all, so I gave up and closed the book.

To the senpai, this school was surely “a place I want to return to”. It was nostalgic, comfortable, and pleasant. It was to the point that he wanted to take refuge out of instinct.

Still, the truth that you ran away would further corner you. That’s why you ended up wanting to run away even further, taking along all your stress. It was reality’s infinite loop of escapism.

Just like how you would look at a mirror, as long you didn’t think that society and the gods were watching you, you wouldn’t ever realize that truth.

At the end of the day, the stress you brought forth yourself was something you had to take care of by yourself.

Did he continue running away or did he go back to face it? Just which decision did that senpai choose?

Well, it didn’t matter which. The senpai’s voice at the end of the match still remained in my ears.

I looked outside the window.

In the far horizon where the gigantic columns of clouds drifted. The shouts of the sports clubs with the timbre of the brass band as well as the gently reverberating playful voices of two in the room.

It dawned on me that one day.

That one day, would I ever be able to make such a place? A place where I think I would want to return to.

That’s what I truly thought.

<noinclude>
===Translation Notes===

<references/>

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| Back to [[My youth romantic comedy is wrong as I expected v7.5 S.S. 3|Short Story 3]]
| Return to [[My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong As I Expected|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[My youth romantic comedy is wrong as I expected v7.5 S.S. 4|Short Story 4]]
|-
|}
</noinclude>

Mondaiji-tachi ga isekai kara kuru soudesu yo:Volume 6 Chapter 8

2014-08-12T05:28:06Z

Monsterbandage: /* Chapter 8 */

==Chapter 8==

— Now then, what the hell happened here, Izayoi thought.

Though Izayoi had extraordinary powers of deduction, it took him some time to grasp the tragic situation spread before him. It would seem that Willa and Asuka were relatively unharmed in the arena grounds. But Jack, Yō and Kuro Usagi were seriously injured in the spectator stands.

Normally speaking, one would think there was a large brawl amongst the audience.

However, Izayoi was clear about the true potential of Kuro Usagi’s power and for her to be injured to this extent, it would have been a difficult feat pulled off by her opponent. It would be pretty much impossible if it were simply a brawl.

So that leaves this to be the only option open to explain this scenario— The person who injured Kuro Usagi had done it intentionally.

From the first visual scan of their conditions, Yō, Jack and Asuka would have been involved in that battle as well.

“—!”

Then, who could the aggressor be?

Izayoi gave the arena grounds another sweep with his eyes.

The only one who could pull off such a situation would most probably be Willa the Ignis Faatus. That was the rough speculation that he had while in his dazed state—but when his eyes moved across the white haired lad with golden irises, that thought was instantly tossed from his mind.

Staring at His Highness with a lack of emotion in his eyes, Izayoi asked Jin who stood nearby.

“……Oi, Ochibi-sama.”

“Ye…Yes?”

“That is the guy who injured Kuro Usagi and Kasukabe right?” Izayoi stated his bold conclusion.

He used a voice without intonation. A tone so cold that it gave goose bumps to all those who knew Izayoi well enough. Be it Asuka or Yō, it was their first time hearing Izayoi speak in such a tone.

Izayoi who held his stare on His Highness continued to approach expressionlessly with gradual steps as he asked His Highness the same question.

“……Were you the one who did this to Kuro Usagi?”

He looked down at His Highness, who was shorter and younger than he was, and asked coldly.

Meeting his gaze, His Highness gave a nod of his head calmly.

“Yeah, I knocked out that rabbit.”

“I see.”

—In that instant,

Izayoi’s eyes had widened to the utmost.

“Then—There’s no reason for me to go easy on you, you White haired brat—!!!”

With a roar, Izayoi gave a kick to the back of His Highness’s head with a power capable of smashing mountains and rivers.

“Gya…!!?”

The hands that have been brought up to defend himself had been kicked aside and it connected to his head. It wasn’t that His Highness was lax in his alertness, but the sheer rage in Izayoi’s strike had made it impossible for his reaction to defend himself completely.

Although the attack had almost knocked His Highness out, he was still able to stand firmly on his feet by bringing all the strength and willpower in his body to focus on the present.

Unfortunately for him, that was the worst possible move and it was also the fatal judgement that would seal his fate in defeat.

His Highness should have flown back with the kick when he absorbed the impact.

Just a small distance away and— he would not be caught by the hand of Sakamaki Izayoi.

“You bastard……”

His Highness grabbed Izayoi’s wrist and exerted pressure on it. However, Izayoi’s wrist did not tremble one bit.

Izayoi had also made a back hand grab for the wrist of His Highness to give it a hard swing.

The impact, which was strong enough to shake the Heavens, caused the floor of the arena to be shattered and it formed a depression. The damage was also so deep that it was enough to destroy the subterranean river tunnels.

Having lost all his control in his fit of rage, Izayoi continued to pursue His Highness to launch a flurry of attacks; sparing no thought for the effects on the surrounding structures. He who usually spared a thought to avoid posing a hazard to others had now unshackled himself from thoughts of restrain.

The reason for him to abandon his beliefs and self-restrain could only be that one reason and no other.

Seeming to blot out the presence of the other two beside her—Izayoi gave a beast-like roar as he confirmed the bloodied figure of Kuro Usagi with his eyes while engaging in a melee with His Highness.

“Yahoho……? This… This looks bad!”

In order to continue the treatment for Kuro Usagi, Jack hurriedly carried Kuro Usagi and escaped into the skies. Asuka had also pulled Yō away, but her heart was still in a turmoil.

It was the first time that she had seen Izayoi in this state of rage; Asuka couldn’t help but to draw a sharp intake of breath while she watched on.

“This… This is really…”

“…… really angry.”

The both of them had long lost the sense of urgency. An enraged Izayoi was more than enough to deal with that white haired lad with golden irises and he would have excess to go around.<ref>[magrefnotes: the metaphorical way of describing him being more than sufficient. Just like the imagery of handing over a bowl of rice and having more to share with others.]</ref>

The third punch devastated more than just the arena grounds as the damage ran all the way to the Corridor of Displays and destroying it in the process. The force of the punch had also reduced a row of brick houses in the city to a pile of rubble. Just three punches was all it took to bring damage equivalent to the heavy battering of a violent typhoon.

Being hit while in his standing position —on the back of his head, his chest, and his flank, His Highness had vomited blood while falling to the ground as his knees went jelly on him. It was amazing that his body was still intact and for him to remain conscious was already something to be feared.

Izayoi took a step forward with the intention to continue with the attacks as his face was still contorted with anger.

His Highness then lifted his head to fix a look at Izayoi— grinning suddenly.

“……That’s so slow. What have you guys been doing just now?”

With just a little more acceleration to his swing, Izayoi would have ignited the atmosphere with the speed of his punch.

Swinging down the fist that he was sure to be his last, his punch had met the air. Because just a breath away from coming into contact with His Highness, His Highness had just disappeared without a trace.

“Disappearing? Could it be that bastard from the day time?”

“Oh, it’s just as you said”, a mocking laughter that sounded like an imitation of a drama actor followed the words.

The voice that sounded like a person intoxicated with himself came from the space above the rubble that was originally the arena.

The figures were overlooking [Kouen City] that was dyed in the yellow hues of the evening. However, it wasn’t just one or two figures.

[The Three Headed Dragon who bites its own Tail]—A strong force had gathered under the Flag of the [Ouroboros] Alliance and their eyes seem to glint dangerously.

“Ara, sorry about that. For you to point out the similarity to the morning incident, it must mean that you have quite a keen eye to notice such details and come up with conjectures. Don’t you think that this intelligence is something that we need to be wary about, ‘Advisor(Maker)’-dono<ref>[magrefnotes: ‘Advisor(Maker)’-dono. A source just put Advisor-dono, another had the Maker added in to clarify which I think is quite a good detail. I might have used Controller in the previous chapters… but oh well, I guess such a change can be done later.]</ref>.”

“Stop your ramblings. Just don’t speak to me now.”

Rin chided him in her chime like voice as she kneeled before His Highness.

“Aura, what’s the status of His Highness?”

“It’s nothing to worry about. Although the injuries are severe, none of them are fatal. It seems that all of the impacts had narrowly missed the vitals.”

“That’s only natural. After all, he is our<ref>[magrefnotes: said by Graiya. The ‘our’ was said in old Chinese.]</ref> leader. He wouldn’t be that easily defeated by some unknown pawn from their side.”

Behind the lovely looking girl whose hair flowed pass her shoulders—Rin, the strong members have gathered.

A completely jet-black Gryphon with a single horn.

A witch who was clad in a strange-looking long robe.

And a man who stood out from the crowd with his dramatic dressing—dressed in a gorgeous outer coat that was designed with the contrasting colors of red and blue. The man who looked just like a clown was emitting a threatening pressure with his presence, demanding the highest level of alert.

Having previously exchanged blows with them, Asuka and Yō instantly recognized them.

“That hooded woman……was also there at the attack on [Underwood].”

“The Black Gryphon was also there. Looks like that white haired boy is……”

The duo were looking down on the gathered main force of the Demon Lord Alliance as they stood in the skies above.

Victory in [Underwood] had not been decided through ability. That is because these group members were definitely possessors of great power and it would be a bad move to simply jump at them.

Even Izayoi who had forced His Highness into that state was reluctant to simply jump towards them, but merely stared up at them with his cold vengeful eyes. Seeing the enemies whom they would be battling in the near future, Asuka and Yō couldn't help but shiver a little in anticipation.

“They…are the Community that leads the rabble of Demon Lords.”

[[Image:Mondaiji-tachi_ga_isekai_kara_kuru_soudesu_yo_v06_241.jpg|thumb]]

“The Demon Lord Alliance and the ringleader……”

The two of them hovered in the skies as they watched the situation unfold below.

Knowing that their current strengths weren’t sufficient did nothing to dampen their will to fight.

They had set their hearts on stepping forward to meet the charge if those people were to make the first move.

The Demon Lord Alliance were also wary about the duo as they quietly treated the wounds for His Highness. After having most of the blood traces wiped away by Aura, His Highness straightened his clothes to stand before the group from the Demon Lord Alliance.

“……Rin, was he the one who defeated the Strongest Race?”

“Yes. That’s him.”

“I see. So that guy is also a candidate for the [Origin] huh?”

Blood still trickled out of the corner of his lips as he looked down at Izayoi from the top of the rubble.

Izayoi had withdrawn his hostility but continued to stare at the party who faced their backs to the Setting sun.

As their vengeful gazes met, His Highness suddenly burst into laughter.

“……Hahaha, what a coincidence. For the [Genome Tree] and the candidate of [Origin] to come from the same Community? Looks like I won’t be needing much effort since all the things that I want are popping up one after another.”

“That’s what they call the proof of your overbearing power that causes Heaven’s will to bow to you. So what’s the plan? If you so wish it, we<ref>[magrefnotes: said by Graiya…. But they denoted it by the tone which is old Chinese… hmmm someone can volunteer to translate ‘we’ of the Alliance to old English? :p]</ref> of the Alliance can do it now.”

“Hold it. Let’s just stop here for today and retreat. The [Salamandra]’s main army should also be arriving very soon.” His Highness pointed towards the Palace—The Community Grounds of [Salamandra]’s territory, where some large sized fire dragons were starting to fly out of the Palace grounds.

Moreover, the military police squads having been notified by Mandra about the commotion that had broken out in the place had started to swarm towards the scene.

“Although it is quite interesting to continue the battle with this sort of setting, it would be quite a waste since we have already gotten our chess piece of [Demon King of Confusion] on our side. I guess let’s play again after coming up with a nice plan for it…… how did things go on your end, Rin?”

“Mhm. Demon King of Confusion-san is ready to set the Game anytime.”

“Is that so? That leaves……only that huh.” His Highness gave a throaty spine-chilling laugh.

Seeming like a timed move on their part, the nearby pile of rubble started to shake and out came Percher, from under the pile, and Jin whom she had protected from the shockwaves. They had finally reappeared after being buried a little while earlier.

“Thanks, Percher. You are really a lifesaver.”

“……That’s nothing. After all, we are related as master and servant, this is only natural on my part.”

<nowiki>*</nowiki>Fui* Percher turned away as she replied.

Looking down at the two of them, His Highness used his friendly voice from before to call out to them:

“Hey looks like you guys are okay. Jin, and Percher!”

“Ugh. Your Highness…!”

The duo had quickly turned to look up while Percher and the rest of the Demon Lord Alliance had immediately entered a combat stance.

However, His Highness signaled to them with his hand to hold off.

Giving a refreshing smile, His Highness who stood on the top of the rubble had raised his voice slightly.

Seemingly with the intention to let others overhear the conversation, he then announced—

“Ah, it’s been a pleasant day with you two today! I will definitely treasure the memories of this day! As for the previous offer—Regarding the invitation to join the Demon Lord Alliance, just think it over okay?!”

“Wha……” The both of them had gulped at that point for they realized the bad situation as they looked around themselves.

When the surrounding area was already teeming with the military police squads, the enemy’s general had shouted those sort of words. Moreover, there would be many eyewitnesses to testify that they had spent time with His Highness earlier.

If this continues, they would be branded as spies and have their movements restricted.

“Highness…. You……”

“Hoho, I’ve always wanted to play this card. How’s that? I’ve gotten the lead again right, Jin?”

His Highness revealed a happy and sincere smile that harbored the hint of making an evil prank. Just like the smile of a little kid who had achieved a half success at making a prank, his smile did not contain a trace of malevolence.

Jin finally understood that this was his way of getting back at him for the things he did earlier.

Facing that pure and innocent smile, Jin couldn’t help but feel the start of cold sweat run down his shoulders.

“You…… are really despicable.”

“Mhm. I know right?” His Highness couldn’t help himself as he giggled.

Rin who stood nearby had also smiled as she looked down at Percher.

“Percher, I’m serious you know? I’m sure that you will definitely stand on our side under the same Flag. I’ll be looking forward to that day when it comes.”

“……is that so? But, sorry, I will be officially declining your invitation.”

Percher had replied without hesitation this time.

This is because she had seen a glimmer of hope from this master of hers, Jin. Although Jin’s not really mature at this point, she was just the same. Moreover, Jin had once talked about his aspirations—If there’s something that I want, I will train myself to reach it first, without depending on others as much as I can.

Just the responsibility of leading a hundred and twenty fates had already made him develop to this extent.

Then for her, who carries the spirits of eighty million vengeful souls, there’s no reason for her to be unable to change.

“I’m officially severing my connections to the Demon Lord Alliance. The next time we meet will be on the battlefield……I will not hold back next time as well. If you want to seek me then, you’d better be prepared.”

Percher stated the words in a stern voice.

Hearing the obvious declaration of war, Rin finally wiped that cute smile of hers from her own face.

“I see….. Let’s see about that then. The voice of eighty million vengeful spirits, would it be able to change the fate inscribed in the stars? Before that dream of yours goes out like a flame in the winds—You will revive as the Demon Lord once more. Don’t you regret it then, Percher.”

Leaving that prophetic line, Rin had turned to signal the end of the farewells.

And just as she returned to the side of His Highness, a violent swirl of icy wind had sprung up around the Demon Lord Alliance.

Noticing that this was the same technique that was used during the disappearance of Demon King of Confusion, Izayoi stared at their faces while encoding their appearances into his memory.

“……”

“You needn’t stare at me. The day will come that we will get to find out who’s on top…….That’s for sure.”

Just at the last moment before disappearing, His Highness had returned the stare at Izayoi with his golden irises.

Izayoi had also met the gaze up till the moment of His Highness’s disappearance.

I—will most probably be engaged in a bloody fight to the end with that lad huh.

That was the feeling that he had about the crossing of their fates and it continued to linger in his chest for a long time.

<noinclude>

===Translator’s notes===
<references/>

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|-
| Back to [[Mondaiji-tachi_ga_isekai_kara_kuru_soudesu_yo:Volume_6_Chapter 7|Chapter 7]]
| Return to [[Mondaiji-tachi_ga_isekai_kara_kuru_soudesu_yo|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Mondaiji-tachi_ga_isekai_kara_kuru_soudesu_yo:Volume_6_Epilogue|Epilogue]]
|-
|}
</noinclude>

Mondaiji-tachi ga isekai kara kuru soudesu yo:Volume 6 Chapter 6

2014-08-10T17:30:51Z

Monsterbandage: /* Part 4 */

==Chapter 6==

===Part1===

—On the stage of the arena hosting the [Duel of Creators].


'''<<Gift Game: Duel of Creators>>'''

'''Participating Communities: '''
*'''*A total of twenty-four participants. ※Listed in the attachment.'''

'''Summary of the Game: '''
*'''The preliminary rounds will be a battle amongst three participants.'''
*'''The last man standing will proceed to the next round.'''

'''Winning conditions: '''
*'''When your opponents have fallen outside the arena grounds.'''
*'''When you destroy your opponent’s Gifts'''
*'''When your opponent has not fulfilled the winning conditions (includes surrendering)'''

'''Conditions for disqualification: '''
*'''When the participant falls outside the arena grounds.'''
*'''When the Gift possessed by the Participant is destroyed.'''
*'''When the participant has not fulfilled the above stated winning conditions.'''

'''Oath: Respecting the above stated content, based on our Glory and Flag, we<ref>[magrefnotes: we or our Community. Basically this is said by the host in this occasion.]</ref> shall host the Gift Game.'''''


 ''“Salamandra” Stamp'' 

The rays of the setting sun and the glow of the chandelier splashed across the arena.

Due to the Convention of the Masters that would be hosted soon after, it has led to an unprecedented increase in the turn out for the [Duel of Creators] that is hosted monthly, and it was much livelier than usual.

The three contestants stood at the three corners of the arena as they awaited the gong that signaled the start to the game.

Kudou Asuka stood at the western edge of the combatant field while surveying her opponents with a sour expression.

(''Never did I think that the day that I would face Kasukabe-san as my opponent in a Gift game would come……On the other hand, Willa the Ignis Fatuus<ref>[magrefnotes: Ignis Fatuus means the Fool’s flames to burn the fools muahahaha puny humans….]</ref>, could it be……'')

That girl over there, the leader of [Will O’ Wisp].

Asuka could feel a devilish charm exuded from the contrasting luscious and cute characteristics of that girl. Her appearance was the epitome of immorality for it stole and fastened the gazes of Men with that seductiveness. Yet, it was clear that this girl was not aware about her charm; with those twin tails which were as smooth as the finest dessert that melts in the mouth to highlight her baby face. Whereas her curvaceous breasts and figure would cause others to cast their lustful looks in her direction for they were helplessly drawn towards it.<ref>[magrefnotes: author is using taste as his imagery from here on to illustrate….]</ref>

Asuka was looking at her and Willa who had noticed the gaze, turned to look at her.

“……?”

She gave a delightfully sweet movement of lightly tilting her head to the side. Most probably not understanding the reason for being the focus of Asuka’s gaze. Her every move was adorable and at the same time, it was infinitely ravishing.

—But Asuka was clear about a fact.

That gorgeous looking girl is the demon who commands the Jack o’ Lantern.

—and also one of the few participants, countable by the fingers of a hand, who represents the North Side.

“……”

As they met each other’s gaze, Willa suddenly drew out a cross shaped blunt weapon.

<nowiki>*Zugashu!*</nowiki>

“!!?”

A sudden welling of a throbbing pain came from Asuka’s forehead and struggling in the midst of all the stars that seem to hover in her sight. Hurriedly, she tried to assess her situation by looking around herself, only to find the cross-shaped blunt weapon that was supposed to be in Willa’s hand—No, to be precise, the hammer was over here at this very moment.

Incensed by the initiated attack that started before the official commencement of the Game, Asuka sprung up from her seat but Ayesha hurriedly stopped her.

“No, please wait, sorry about that! That’s Willa one-san’s bad habit……”

“A bad habit? Throwing blunt weapons on the heads of others?!”

“Ye, Yea! Throwing blunt weapons on the opponents whom she have taken an interest, to see the response of the target, that’s her bad habit! I will give her a stern warning about it, so please look over this matter for once!”

Ayesha scrambled to hold down Asuka by her shoulders. Although Asuka didn’t want to swallow her anger, for now, she decided that it was best to swallow it down.

After all this was the Game Stage and any debts owed can be compensated for in the Game soon enough.

(''That’s just how I would want it! I will not let you run after biting me<ref>[magrefnotes: biting and running…. The imagery of a dog/ wild animal….]</ref> like this, O’ strongest contestant of the North!!'')

Asuka who was surprised by the blow earlier had now set her determination.

She looked at the new Gifts and comrade who resided in her Gift Card at the moment while feeling her anticipation bubble with excitement.

“I believe in you guys, Deen. And—Almathea.”

{“Don’t worry, be rest assured, my master”}<ref>[magrefnotes: copied this from Edenhall’s style of differentiating telepathic words….ok this is only seen in ch version of the book… NOTE: There is a goddess in Greek mythologies that is also a she-goat with the original name of Amalthea(yes that’s why I screwed up with wikia page name). Amalthea had used her milk to raise Zeus. During a session of playing around, Zeus accidentally broke off one of her horns and to repay the debts of her being like a motherly figure and the fact that he accidentally broke off the horn, Zeus imbued it with a miraculous Gift of aplenty that can provide any item the person wishes for. This horn was then called the [Horn of aplenty]/Cornucopia.]</ref>

===Part 2===

—South Entrance of the [Duel of Creators]’s arena.

Kasukabe Yō was quietly focusing her thoughts in the South corner.

She did not know why Asuka would want to join the Game.

But she did know that there’s now a reason for herself to win in this game of [Duel of Creators].

Yō gave a sidelong glance at Willa the Ignis Fatuus of the East Side while recalling the conversation they had earlier.

“Great. With this, I can complete the promise I’ve made to Koumei.”

It is still doubtful as to whether that girl knows anything about her father but from that sort of tone, it would seem like she had known him. If that is so, it didn’t matter which opponent standing in her way. Yō must obtain victory.

Moreover, Kudou Asuka is her friend. She cannot allow herself to lose in a humiliating manner in the battle.

(''Kuro Usagi and Jack are also in the spectator stands. I guess that would mean that Asuka have already received her new Gifts. So, I must make the result apparent in an instant before she can even get the chance to use them.'')

Yō gave a smile as the feelings of her strong fighting spirit, confidence, and expectations towards her comrade swelled in her chest. If Asuka could defend against the first strike, that would prove that Asuka has overcome her weakness from before.

As a friend, that would give the feelings of joy, dependability, a little threatening and amusement.

(''Moreover, just now…she…I’ve already figured out the Gift of Willa-san and have a good counter for it ……No problem. I won’t lose.'')

Yō held onto her absolute confidence and strategies.

Just as she heightened her concentration to the highest, the sound of the gong signaling the start of the Games reverberated within the arena.

===Part 3===

Kuro Usagi, Jack and Laius sat at the spectator stands where the voices of the crowd were rising to a crescendo. And the trio awaited the start of the Games.

“Uu……This…This is bad! Who would have thought that Asuka-san, Yō-san and Willa-san to be pitted together in the same preliminary round?!”

“Yahoho……likewise. That girl who does as she pleases, I’ve already told her many times to come straight to the workshops.<ref>[magref notes: omg…. I think workshops might be better than workrooms. Have been using workrooms all these while but it’s so direct translation… please comment.]</ref> But there shouldn’t be any problem for Asuka-chan!”

“Bu…But, Yō-san’s physical abilities are exactly the counter to Asuka-san. Once she falls out of the field……this game might even have a victor emerging in an instant.”

“Impossible.”

Jack sharply interjected and Kuro Usagi could only shut her mouth at that.

Jack had clearly seen the growth of Yō’s power in [Underwood] for himself and yet his voice contained such confidence and assurance.

“Yahoho……Kasukabe-chan is indeed a strong enemy but it is still possible for Asuka-chan to beat her. After all, Asuka-san has yet to comprehend her true abilities…. Though saying that, I’ve only understood from listening to Garol-dono’s explanations. But after listening to it would make one understand that her power isn’t about controlling the gifts bestowed to her but belongs to the faction that bestows it —similar to the bestowing of [Mock Divinity].”

“YES.” Kuro Usagi nodded her head in assent, she had also had a feeling of that.

In Little Garden, the thing called [Divinity] referred to the Gift that could cause a race or object to have its spiritual powers increased to the maximum. Among these there exist something called [Mock Divinity] that specialized in pushing Gifts to its maximum potential causing them to release power that was of a similar level to those of the Divine-classed Gifts.

But, as it only raises the output, there would be a possibility that it would destroy the Gift, after it has been pushed to its fullest, due to its inability to withstand the proportion of the spiritual enhancement.<ref>[magref notes: I think what the author wants to say is that durability of object spiritual vessel needs to be proportional with spiritual power. Asuka injects power but not reinforcing the objects ability to contain such an increase. Therefore like a balloon that has over expanded, it pops.]</ref>

“It’s a terrifying ability and also very difficult to be handled. Especially that the method of bestowing happens to be that of ‘Conferring Divinity(language)’. Language being the medium by which spiritual power is dissipated instantaneously and it has the characteristic of deteriorating before reaching the intended target, not to forget that we have to factor in the spiritual power of the target that might be able to resist the influence. Hence Kuro Usagi-dono, mistaking her power as [Control] is quite understandable.”

“YES…… but thinking about it, no one should normaly think of it as the conferring of mock divinity from the start.”

Kuro Usagi’s ears quivered indignantly in protest.

Jack suppressed a wry smile as he extended his index finger.

“That’s why we have prepared the most suitable equipment for Kudou Asuka……the Gift that can bring out that absurd potential in her—For now I can even safely assert that Asuka-chan is on par with the power level of Faceless.”

Jack said with confidence.

Seeing how he was so sure about that, Kuro Usagi could only hope for that to be true.

And swallowed hard as she took in the sight of the circular battle grounds.

“On par with—Faceless-sama?”

“Yahoho! Haven’t I said that? Asuka-chan might just win—”

“Impossible. The champion can only be Willa.”

The cold voice from the side had broken into their conversation.

Laius who sat beside Jack had mercilessly trampled on their hopes.

“Willa’s the strongest of the North Side. Just a mere no name can’t hold a flame to her. But if the person in question possesses the ‘Fortress’ that I’ve created, perhaps she might last up to five minutes or so.”

Laius’s words interjected into the duo’s casual conversation.

Jack gave a sigh, seeming to have lost some of his momentum in his upbeat voice:

“Haiz…… Looks like you really wish for Asuka-chan to lose eh? But that’s a weapon that can only be used to its utmost potential in the hands of Asuka-chan. Laius-kun, you know that more than anyone else right?”

“Hmph, so what? I don’t really care about that sort of thing. I only want that girl to be humiliated. And the materials for ‘Fortress’ is the Adamantium Ore and that fleece. Separating them into the refined metal and fleece to be marketed would still be quite lucrative won’t it?”

Laius gave a thin and annoying smile.

Kuro Usagi furrowed her brows at that, but the thing that she was concerned about for another matter.

(''The ‘Fortress’ must be the new Gift right? But what could those items, the Adamantium Ore and fleece be about?'')

“I say, Laius-kun, that fleece was borrowed from the [No Name]s and you cannot just sell it off just on a whim of yours. Moreover even if you want to sell them, there’s not much use for them—”

“Haha, you sure are a toothless bumpkin for not knowing about this. That piece of mountain goat pelt is actually one of the most exquisite items that can be used to aid agricultural Communities. It’s so important that they will even salivate at the sight of it.”<ref>[magrefnotes: the golden fleece(this story calls it Fleece of Mountain Goat to change the names) is said to heal the land and make it fertile. In story of Percy Jackson, it got a girl out of a tree…ok wrong information, it actually restored Thalia who was critically injured and assimilated into the tree back into her human shape… zzz when’s the next Percy Jackson book coming out?!!! XD]</ref>

“Agri, Agriculture? Fleece of a mountain goat?”

Wasn’t that Gift called a [Fortress]? Unable to figure out the connections between them, Kuro Usagi tilted her head in confusion.

Indeed, they had taken some of the suitable Gifts from the treasury of the [No Name] to be used for the creation of Gifts, but Kuro Usagi had not heard of their practical uses.

But since it was a Gift that was wanted for agriculture, it must be something beneficial to the rebuilding of the farms.

Lily and the other children would be very happy to hear this. It could be that Jack might have planned for that to have prepared such a Gift.

“……Ah! It’s starting!”

Kuro Usagi pointed at the centre of the battlefield.

As the sound of the gong to flag off the start of the Game reverberated through the air, the gazes of the spectators were all focused towards the circular playing field.

And shouts of anticipation coursed through the spectator stands.

After the three strikes of the gong to signal the start of the event, the girl who took on the role of Judge—Ayesha Ignis Fatuus, appeared at the centre of the playing field with her blue twin tails swaying behind her.

“Ay….Ayesha-san? Why is she the judge?”

“Yahoho! We of [Will O’ Wisp] have been in this Game as a regular! So, Sandora-sama has nominated Ayesha for the job in recognition of our long participation!”

Jack bobbled his pumpkin head as he gave a proud laugh.

His Community was already erected in the revered section of the [Tablet of the Sea of Stars].

And the reason for Willa being named the strongest Player of the North was precisely due to her countless records of championing the Game, becoming the invincible legend.

Choosing the judge from the Community of [Will O’ Wisp] that had performed well in the Birth of the Fire Dragon Festival was also something that shouldn’t be much of a surprise.

(''It’s finally starting. Yō-san……Asuka-san……'')

Kuro Usagi intertwined her fingers seemingly in a prayer.

Standing upon the stage of the battle field, Ayesha began to read out the names of the three contestants who were waiting at their respective corners.

“—Round one will start now!

From [No Name], Kudou Asuka!

From [No Name], Kasukabe Yō!

And the idol of everyone! The most popular candidate for obtaining the overall victory!

The Super lady who is unbeatable!

From [Will O’ Wisp], Willa the Ignis Fatuus—!”

“Woooooooooooooooooooooooh!” Hearing the introduction made for Willa, the entire stands erupted into wild and feverish cheers.

Although she wasn’t as approachable as Kuro Usagi, but Willa still had quite a sizable popularity. But the person in question had tilted her head in puzzlement over such an uproar in the stands.

Seeing the frenzy of the crowd, Ayesha had nodded her head in satisfaction as she raised her right hand to make the announcement.

“I hereby declare—- the official start of [Duel of Creators]!!!”

===Part 4===

In an instant—

An azure glowing wind was whipped up from the ground.

Kasukabe Yō who had rapidly entered her battle state had immediately assessed the phenomenon to be the wind released by Willa.

Her spirit name being the [Demon of Azure Flames] was partially due to the ability to call out flammable phosphorus gas from fossils. If it were that only, Yō only needed to whip up a whirlwind to dodge it.

But to be famed as the strongest flames of the North, it should not be only at the level of a natural phenomenon.

“—Summon, [Ignis Fatuus].”

“……!?”

A wave of heat was carried within those azure blue winds and the atmosphere was awash with a roasting sensation that was subtly hidden from the senses.

Although the color of the flames were different, but Yō was very clear of the dangers that such a flame posed. For she could sense that this was the same feeling as the other time when Jack had released the intense flames during their time in [Underwood].

The Wind of Purgatory Flames that have been summoned from Hell.

The Gift that just required a mere seven lanterns full to destroy an entire city with its flames.

(''What….What’s wrong with this person?! Is she trying to summon the Purgatory flames in the arena……?!'')

The Game had just started and Willa was already planning to use the strongest firepower. The first move was planned to be such a large scale attack on a wide area and such a bold move was unimaginable coming from one who had such a cute look.

Willa was planning to use the first strike to defeat the both of them right from the get-go.

(''Change of plans……! Since she’s using the Purgatory Flames of Hell, Asuka will also be in danger!!!'')

Less than a second into the Game, Yō had already shifted her target to be focused on Willa. The situation was already one that forced her to abandon her strategies.

Clutching her [Genome Tree], Yō materialized the shimmering plate leggings of the [Pegasus] while whipping up a dazzling wind to charge towards Willa. And just when she was skiing on the wind and about to land her kick—

The figure of Willa suddenly disappeared.

“This is bad—!”

Instantaneous teleportation—Only those who controlled the portals between worlds would be able to open that [Astral Gate].

This sort of unique portal activation method was fundamentally different from that of Jack’s ability to appear from flames.

Jack was able to move from flame to flame, a movement of point to point in a linear fashion, but her sort of teleportation was one that was instantaneous and without any forewarning or relation to any objects or obstacles in the path.

The previous encounter was also similar to this and Yō hadn’t been able to see through this teleportation trick of hers.

—Though it was heard of, but it sure is a Gift that exceeded the comprehension of the mind.

That sort of power was impossible to be matched by the speed and power of the five senses. To confront such a power would require a Gift of a completely different nature but now wasn’t the time for her to experiment around for the crafting of the new Gift.

(''The Azure winds have not stopped……If this continues……'')

Yō whipped her head to shout at the top of her lungs.

“Asuka!! Quick! Escape out of the playing field! “

“Eh—“Asuka’s face was one of surprise and shock and it was clear that she really didn’t understand the nature of the threat that was the wave of azure winds.

However, it was clear that there wasn’t enough time for Yō to rush to her rescue.

This was merely just two seconds after the start of the Game.

Willa the Ignis Fatuus had summoned [Ignis Fatuus] and caused an azure wind to whip across the arena grounds. Ayesha who had been nominated as the judge had also ran ashen faced towards the outside of the playing field, but was blown into the spectator stands as a wave of hot wind blasted her from behind.

“Oi, Willa-nee, that’s really too exaggerati……Yaaaaaaah!”

Her twintails were emitting green smoke as Ayesha fell into the spectator stands.

The spectator stands were replete with defensive Gifts to protect the audience and so her losses were only up till that point, whereas the centre of the arena had transformed into a gruesome sight.

Exceeding the Purgatory Flames that were summoned by Jack, these hungry flames lit up every single thing that existed in the natural world. The whole combatant area was alight with azure flames and instantaneously reduced the stage to crisp.

And the Azure pillar of flames extended up to the Veil of Little Garden.

The searing heat waves released at the peak were strong enough to scatter the sea of clouds in the sky.

The demon that existent in the cleft between life and death—Willa, had shown a power that was able to devastate everything within the pillar. Of which the spectators had gone silent at that performance.<ref>[magrefnotes: If I were the author, I would slide in part divider in this place for the next scene is from a different perspective.]</ref>

“How….How can……”

Kuro Usagi’s hands shook as she moaned mournfully.

Willa’s true strength had exceeded her predictions.

Precisely because Kuro Usagi knew what had been released by Willa, she was quivering from the brutal scene displayed before her. If Kuro Usagi’s guess is spot on, Asuka and Yō wouldn’t be a match for her.

Summoning the Purgatory Flames from Hell wasn’t a simple feat.

Willa had connected Hell to this world in that instant—This is not a figure of speech.

Just as how Shiroyasha is able to summon the Game board of [White Night Plateau], Willa had released her spiritual powers to destroy the portal between reality and the furnace of Hell to scorch the arena.

“How dare she…… to those two…… Kuro Usagi’s comrades……”

Kuro Usagi, who had already abandoned most of her logic due to rage, had already transformed to her fiery peach colored hair.

“Kuro Usagi-san, don’t worry. Look closely, those two aren’t hurt at all oh~!”

Jack used a cheerful tone to advise Kuro Usagi who was emitting red lightning while on the verge of rushing in in with that murderous look.

“—EH?” Kuro Usagi gave a stupid cry.

That sound might just have been the signal for a counter attack, or perhaps it was just a pure coincidence.

<nowiki>*Ding Ling*</nowiki> The scorching azure pillar of flames—shattered under the sound of the melodious flute and chime of the bells.

===Part 5===

Percher who had walked to the arena location alone was stumped by the miracle before her eyes. It is precisely because of the dramatic changes in the arena that had caused her to have that sort of look on her face.

—That’s right. This is not a figure of speech.<ref>[magrefnotes: I realize that sometimes I’ve used it wrongly…. It is not metaphor but a figure of speech… oh well…. ]</ref>

The Flaming Azure winds that raged from Heaven to Earth —froze into a giant ice pillar before shattering into fine powdery snow.

“Freezing the entire pillar of flame…… Could it be Asuka—”

Saying that, she looked towards the pits and was surprised once again.

Asuka was no longer in the combatant’s ring. There was only Willa who stood in the midst of the whole field and Yō who had fled to the skies. And instead of what used to be the ground of the arena—An Iron sphere that did not seem to exist earlier stood in its place.

(''That sphere……Deen couldn’t have transformed into that big a sphere.'')

On the arena grounds where the purgatory flames raged on, the mysterious sphere was completely without a scratch from the onslaught. A faint electrical flow could be seen dancing along the surface of the Iron sphere and it gave off the feeling of being an impregnable defense against anyone’s approach.

The whole stadium fell into silence and from the centre of the arena—came the voice of Asuka, from the centre of the frozen winds.

“It’s okay now. Release the protections, Alma.”

[[Image:Mondaiji-tachi_ga_isekai_kara_kuru_soudesu_yo_v06_187.jpg|thumb]]

{“Understood, my master.”}

—<nowiki>*Plonk*</nowiki> The sphere gave a bounce.

The icy cold steel cage exterior seemed to pulsate before transforming together with a fizzle of lightning around it.

Long majestic horns, powerfully built four limbs and hooves, silvery fleece that continued to sparkle with electricity. A majestic looking Mountain goat Divine Beast stood by the side of Asuka, guarding her.

(''Mountain Goat……Divine Beast? And able to emit lightning? That can’t be just any ordinary Divine Beast!'')

This saying has always been passed down in the legends, that Gifts of ‘Thunder’ are the symbols for the highest of the God-class spirits. ‘Thunder’ was the last natural energy that Mankind managed to bring under control, and has been able to maintain the eternal respect and faith since the ancient times.<ref>[magrefnotes: this is word play again…. Thunder is雷, just another addition of a character would make it lightning… but yea, in card games, we also attribute thunder pokemon rather than lightning…. So anyways, just take all these explanation in stride, if you want to discuss it further, you can visit the forums.]</ref>

The Japanese pronunciation of ‘Thunder’ can also be written as ‘God’s roar’. Violent winds, rain and the roar of thunder were a collective of fears that wasn’t only limited to Mankind but many other races as well, being one of the oldest faith of all.<ref>[magrefnotes: not really too sure about what the author wants to say… my guess is that he’s saying that all the other animal kingdom, spirits and Mankind all revere the Natural phenomenon of torrential rains, hurricanes and lightning storms.]</ref>

God-class spirits of the Elder God’s end of the spectrum<ref>[magref notes: introduced the word spectrum to make it look more scientific and for ease of understanding.]</ref> will gradually find it more difficult to carry lightning as they get closer to the normal Gods end of the spectrum.

(''That’s strange……That Mountain goat Divine Beast obviously has a greater strength than Asuka. How did Asuka manage to tame such a monster?...'')

“Percher! What are you doing in this kind of place?”

Percher who quickly returned her thoughts to the present turned her head hurriedly. The people who had called out to her was Jin and the others who had went their separate ways before the Corridor of Displays.

The trio ran towards Percher whom they had coincidentally met up and noticing that Rin’s nowhere to be seen, they had asked:

“Where’s Rin?”

“No, no idea. She said about having something urgent to do and so we went our separate ways. As for what the matter is about, I guess His Highness is the person you should ask right?”

“Hm? Oh, that’s okay. I know about that. Rin should now be trying to catch the culprit of the ‘Kamikakushi’ currently, am I right?”

“Is that so?”

“Because she did say something about finding some clues—Compare to that, take a look at the arena. I must say that this Game looks to be getting quite interesting.”

His Highness narrowed his golden irises as he gave a cheerful laugh.

Leaning on the rails, he seemed to scrutinize Asuka and the Mountain Goat Divine Beast with an assessing gaze.

“Seemingly like a puppet but yet not a puppet. After all it does have a conscious will of its own and it looks to be alive. I wonder who could have created such a masterpiece.”

“Um……It probably is the Gift created by Jack and Willa-san of [Willo O’ Wisp], I think.”<ref>[magrefnotes: this is how Jin speaks, I think. Lols]</ref>

Jin opened his mouth to give a casual reply and His Highness nodded his head in understanding.

“[The Demon of the Azure Flames]…… the demon who controls the portal between life and death? I see, that does seem likely. For that woman to bestow life wouldn’t be too difficult. That guy is probably the reincarnation of the Divine Beast.”

“Reincarnation?” Jin and Percher tilted their heads.

His Highness gave a smile as he pointed towards Ayesha who had fainted amongst the spectator stands.

“Take for example that gnome. She’s a gnome that has been implanted into the body of a dead person, to be born as a new life form. Most living bodies basically lose their spiritual attainment after death, but there are some that might even continue to live on after death and be reincarnated into the next life.”

“……Did you mean resurrection?”

“Of course not! How is that possible? A new life possess the inheritance of a new personality. Moreover, for the dead to completely return to life would require operating an independent cosmology. [The Demon of Azure Flames] has not reached that level of power yet. Although the spirit would more or less retain part of its memories, but what it really gets to inherit would be the appearance only. In that sort of reincarnation, the spiritual power would surely deteriorate—”

Suddenly, His Highness stopped his words.

The smile he had earlier was now wiped off his face as he took on a surprised look to stare at the Mountain Goat Divine Beast.

(''……if it is through the process of reincarnation, the spiritual power would surely deteriorate. Because the amount of spiritual power that will be passed down to the reincarnation would be dependent on the spiritual power of the next generation. In normal cases, Divinities of their past lives would also be returned……Then why is it that that Mountain Goat is still materializing as a Divine Beast?'')

His Highness was full of doubts as he stared at Asuka with his sharp gaze.

In the war at [Underwood], he had heard of the Gift held by Kudou Asuka.

According to Aura who had fought against her, she was of an unknown birth, but she was able to control a fire that could render [The Death Eye of Balor] ineffective.

Hence, His Highness had speculated that she had some sort of super powerful God killing Gift that was similar to the Garuda Phoenix lineage.

(''But, this guy isn’t of the same kind. To increase the spiritual power would require the bestowing of Divinity or an ability of a large area of effect sort—No matter what the matter might be, it’s all beyond the abilities of the Human realm of influence.'')

His Highness stared down upon Asuka and the mysterious Divine Beast.

Following that, he caught sight of Kasukabe Yō, who had fled to the skies, from the corner of his eyes. Yō had used the [Genome Tree] to incorporate the Gifts of the Salamander and Rat, wearing a ‘Fire Rat’ leather lamellar armor<ref>[magrefnotes: lamellar armor is just like scale mail, more on padding in this sense since the main materials here are leather… rather than salamander scales.]</ref> that enabled her escape from the violent storm of the Purgatory flames.

(''Oh? This one used the [Genome Tree] to escape death? Seems like the Purgatory flames of Hell are unable to kill the rat born from the placenta of the flames.'')

But using the Salamander and Rat to combine into the ‘Fire Rat’ wasn’t a very good plan for it was equivalent to announcing to others about your real powers. It is best to stick to simple combinations to not let the cat out of the bag about the fact that she controlled the Phylogenetic Tree.

(''Although it is a little rough and childish……but this [No Name] is quite the treasure trove that I’ve expected it to be. It would be best if I can pack them up and bring along as a take-away.'')

His Highness twitched the corners of his lips into a smile. Having the joyous smile like a child having gotten his hand on a new toy, he also started to have that scary look of wanting to snatch everything within his sight away for himself.

Jin gave a sidelong glance at His Highness before turning his gaze downwards quickly to scan the spectator stands.

“……Ah, Kuro Usagi! And Jack!”

Hearing her name being mentioned, the rabbit ears perked up with a swish.

Kuro Usagi looked around for a long time before finally spotting Jin in the spectator stands above.

“Jin-bocchan! What are you doing there?!”

“Yaho? Sandora-sama is also there!”

“I brought Jin around the city for a little walk. Nice to meet you, [Highborn of Little Garden]-san, it’s been some time since we met.”

Sandora was wearing a joker face smile while using a matured tone to casually tell a lie. Having gotten used to the role of a master, it might even be possible that she’s unexpectedly good at acting.

Laius was originally depressed but upon seeing the Master Sandora, he immediately stood up to reveal a sincere smile that was never seen before from him while making way for them to sit beside him.

“Well, isn’t this Sandora-sama of [Salamandra]? I didn’t expect to meet you in the common spectator stands! Come, have a seat!”

“That’s really gracious of you, thank you, Laius-sama. You have also arrived in the North side territories huh?”

“Yes. I couldn’t take the atmosphere of the East Side country lands and was attracted by the cultured civilization of the North. And currently we of [Perseus] have established a relationship with this Jack o lantern’s Community.”

“That sounds great. [Will O’ Wisp] is in the midst of ascension, obtaining the help of [Perseus]’s Gift bestowing techniques will surely be like a Dragon with the addition of wings to soar through the Little Garden. Please do impart to them your valuable techniques and skills in an exchange of cultures.”

“Um…..about that…Mah, I will handle it as best as I can.”

Laius gave a spasm-like smile in reply.

Sandora was subtly asking him to ‘pass all the valuable techniques to Jack and the others’. With that sort of request, Laius was unable to continue with his accommodating responses and could only give an ambiguous reply.

Having been teased by Sandora, Laius looked towards Jin and the others who stood behind her with displeasure.

Then suddenly, his gaze stopped on His Highness.

“Oi, that white haired brat there.”

“What?”

His Highness had calmly responded to the rude name calling.

On normal occasions, Laius would have been incensed by such an attitude from His Highness. He who had a high self-esteem would never have allowed just a teenager who looked around the age of twelve to use that sort of tone to reply.

But this was a different case.

He surveyed the white haired golden iris boy who was His Highness before slightly straightening his body to ask:

“You…. Have we met each other before somewhere?”

===Part 6===

In the middle of the blizzard came the crisp sounds of three azure blue gems shattering as they struck the ground.

Those were the empty shells of the Gift falling out of the hands of Asuka after freezing the Purgatory Flames,.

(Uu……Even though the Gems of Freezing are much more expensive compared to the Gems of Flame……)

Asuka was full of regrets in her heart as she lamented over her lavish usage of the Gifts.

However, being the Ojou-sama of a financial powerhouse, she could not allow such feelings to show on the surface.

—Just to mention it on the side, though it’s might be a little off-topic.

The reason for the Gems of Freezing being more expensive is definitely not due to the difference in practicality.

The real reason is because such Gifts are able to cause a reversal in the kinetic energy of an object and that defies the second law of thermodynamics; a blessing that is impossible for Mankind to replicate. If this sort of phenomenon were easily replicated, Mankind would be able to craft a Perpetual Motion Machine with ease. Hence, even if it were the world of Little Garden, the only existence that could defy these laws of Physics is only that sole Demon.

And this sort of expensive Gift could already fetch up to the ransom-like price of a Gold coin for a gem!

—Okay, end of the off-topic gossips.

Asuka had magnified the might of the chilly winds to create the large scale “Frozen phenomenon” that was before them.

It was a Gift that was on the opposite end of the spectrum from the Purgatory Flames that was supposed to be able to reduce all existence to ash. Even amongst the Nordic Gods, there’s only one God who can control such a large scale blizzard.

The clash between the two had caused the Game stage to melt into the ground, leaving not a shadow behind. But if one were to strain their eyes to look closely, the faint traces of its existence could be seen and moving out of that ring would be an immediate disqualification.

As Asuka was reaffirming the circumference of the battle zone, Yō dropped down beside her.

Cloaked in the ‘Fire Rat’ leather lamellar armor, Yō dabbed at her cold sweat as she approached Asuka with a smile.

“Asuka, that was great! But how did you make that flame……”

“Hoho, that’s a secret……Although that’s what I want to say, but our opponent doesn’t seem to be a simple one for me to joke around at this time”, Asuka cast her sharp gaze at Willa.

Not bothering to hide her hostility, Asuka went straight for the kill:

“It’s my pleasure to meet you for the first time, Willa-san. Your name is also famous in the East Side where I belong to.”

“……”

“But, I really didn’t expect for you to try kill the potential candidate for your Alliance. I hereby demand an answer from you, the leader of [Will O’ Wisp]. Please explain your motives.”

Asuka stood with her arms akimbo as she used a threatening tone to question Willa.

Yō also had the same thoughts as the [Duel of Creators] hosted by the Master would surely prohibit the killing of other opponents. It was a well-known rule that needn’t be written down on the [Geass Roll].

Having seen Willa’s release of that fatal strike, it was almost safe for others to assume that she did not want to play by the rules of the Game and or even lacked the basic common sense.

“Please give your answer. Why did you summon such a dangerous flame? Depending on your answer, we might have to reconsider our Alliance agreements.”

“……?”

Willa was stumped for a moment.

Tilting that face that could only be said to be sweeter than candy, she revealed a slightly troubled look as she asked:

“……dangerous?”

“Huh?”

“What. Is. So. Dangerous. About. That. Level. Of. Flame?”

—Kachi, the both of them stiffened at the same time.

Their thoughts and bodies were unconsciously bounded as if cursed.

Needless to say, Willa’s answer had shredded their pride into bits. That sort of emotionless reply could be better described as ‘Shredding their existence to bits”.

Never did they expect that her unsealing of the furnace of Hell would be described by her to be only at “That. Level.” For the tone of her words already implied that she had already been holding back.

Asuka reined in her anger while forcing a smile as she looked at Willa.

“Is…Is that so? Well, you’re right. That sort of flame is nothing to us.”

“Of…Of course. There’s totally no problem with that sort of flame.”

Asuka and Yō responded with a stammer. …… Those stiff sounding words were definitely not due to a problem with her hearing.

And pondering over what could have gotten into these two people, Willa cocked her head to the left and right like a small animal in confusion while her twin tails swayed with the movement. Then seeming to have come upon something, she lifted her head.

“—You guys, are strong.”

“Eh?”

“You guys have underestimated yourself by quite a bit. My words are definitely not in sarcasm. When up against you two, the Purgatory Flames of Hell are not even worth mentioning. Not even close to something that you guys have to fear about.”

“……”

<nowiki>*Hu.*</nowiki> Asuka had unconsciously relaxed her tensed atmosphere that was close to drawing her sword in that emotionally charged situation.

The Violent storm of Purgatory Flames were really scary, or at least that was the case in the memories of Asuka and Yō. But after experiencing it first-hand, the both of them were still unscathed.

Every time Yō escaped the icy grasps of Death, she would become stronger.

Although Asuka was troubled by her talent, it would seem that she had finally obtained suitable Gifts.

Ever since the day that they had arrived in Little Garden, the both of them had been accumulating an ever-increasing amount of accomplishments and karma, causing their talents to bloom at an unexpectedly rapid pace. Those were the words that Willa was trying to say.

“Especially Asuka. I’ve heard about your situation from Faceless.”

“Did you? From her?”

“Mhm. Hearing it from her, I’d then created your Gift—[Almathea’s Fortress].”

Willa stretched out her finger.

Pointing exactly at the majestic-looking Mountain goat Divine Beast.

“[Almathea’s Fortress] is by me and Jack……and Lulu working together—”

“Lulu? Who’s that? Could it be that you are referring to that young Master?”

“Keho<ref>[magrefnotes: Keho is sound effect for cough.]</ref>, What was just said is not counted.”

Willa started all over again, TAKE 2.<ref>[magrefnotes: Take2, like the director says NG to the TV show and they do the Take2]</ref>

“[Almathea’s Fortress] is by me and Jack……and Laius working together to create a masterpiece. The current you, can now be on par with FeiFei<ref>[magrefnotes: FeisiLesi is how Face.Less is pronounced…. Nickname would be taking the first character… Fei and double that….FeiFei, my guess is she talks in a cute manner and it would be highly irritating to be told off by that kind of cute voice.]</ref>…Keho, Face.Less. So you should have more confidence.”

Willa tried her best to make her face taut with seriousness.

Although she did put in a lot of effort to lecture the both of them, the ending was still far from perfect, having made some slips in her act.

But it would seem that she wanted to continue with that serious act to the end as she spread her arms in a gesture to welcome the both of them.

“……I do not like to do battle nor participate in Games. But for the both of you to realize your true potentials— I’ve now participated in this competition as the North Side’s strongest Player. And I will put my best to make this a token of gratitude to you guys.”

“Token of gratitude?”

“Jack and Ayesha have been rescued twice from the hands of Demon Lords by you guys. This token of gratitude is for that”, the strongest girl of the North Side smiled.

Asuka and Yō looked at each other before shrugging their shoulders while feeling a little troubled.

“……How should I say it, I think the ones who felt that they were being helped were us.”

“Mhm. And we have never returned the favor too.”

Nodding their heads, the both of them took on a battle stance to prepare for the battle.

The both of them had finally decided on enjoying the [Duel of Creators] to the fullest.

She of the North Side’s strongest player to spread her arms in acceptance of the challenge, how could they suppress that feeling? The problem children of the East Side have never felt this happy and excited before.

“Although it might be tough on Willa-san, we will apologize in advance for doing it two-on-one.”

“No problem. I will also show my full powers in the subsequent fight. If you do not do it in a team battle, it would probably be dangerous.”

Saying that, Willa started to release Azure winds from her hands.

Although it was of a small scale, contact with [Ignis Fatuus] would undoubtedly cause a fatal injury.

Firstly, they would need to break through that Azure wind. And though the ‘Fire Rat’ leather lamellar armor might be able to defend, it was unable to launch an attack. Moreover, if they did not have a method to counter that instantaneous teleportation, everything else would be futile.

Yō was racking her brains over a plan to make an attack when Asuka leaned over to whisper softly.

“Kasukabe-san. I’ve a plan……What’s your take?”

“……What’s the risks?”

“It’s only possible to get high profits with high risks right?”

Asuka smiled mischievously. For Asuka to even mention a plan, it would already mean that there was a possibility of it going through. Understanding that part about her, Yō gave a nod in consent.

“Got it. Tell me about that plan of yours then.”

In the instant that Asuka nodded her head—

The situation had a dramatic transformation.

<noinclude>

===Translator’s notes===
<references/>

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| Forward to [[Mondaiji-tachi_ga_isekai_kara_kuru_soudesu_yo:Volume_6_Chapter 7|Chapter 7]]
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</noinclude>

My youth romantic comedy is wrong as I expected v7.5 S.A. Side-A

2014-07-09T20:36:36Z

Monsterbandage:

==S.A.: Side-A * Special Act A: Even we have to pray that the future those boys and girls head for is full of happiness.==

Marriage. It’s the graveyard of life.

Those who were married, without exception, proudly sang its praises.

Being happy from having someone there to say “oh, I’m back” or being able to try your best the following day as well from just seeing your child’s sleeping face…

But hold your horses.

You could already say “I’m back" at your parents’ house. If not that, then you could just say “I’m back” to the cover of your mouthwash instead. And if you’re seeing your child’s sleeping face, then that meant you were working in overtime hell.

Was that really something you could call happiness?

The eyes of those who supposedly advocated that happiness rotted in the same way as mine did, as if they were like zombies who dragged people into the marshlands with them.

I ask again. Now then, was that really something you could call happiness?

Happiness was, you know, something like, how should I say it? It’s something along the lines of this: Maybe it’s something like the feeling of watching your little sister in an apron preparing breakfast while humming a tune first thing in the morning?

With that scenery unfolding right before my eyes, I let out a yawn and waited absentmindedly for my beloved little sister to finish making breakfast.

And this was what you could call happiness. We don’t need something like marriage, yeah!

My two working parents left the house early today as well. They sure were busy. Really, they truly were going through quite a lot of trouble. It’s thanks to them that I could lead this rather fulfilling lifestyle.

Eventually, my plan was to take up the occupation as a full-time house husband, but with late marriages becoming more rampant and marriage rates dropping, that may not be so simple. There was also something about divorce rates on the rise too.

Perhaps, the lifestyle that I was aiming for may not be welcomed given the current state of society. Then again, since the dawn of history, was there ever a time the lifestyle I desired actually suitable? Like maybe during the Heian era?

Accounting for the likelihood that I couldn’t get married, I would like it if my parents could work energetically forever. It was of my opinion that they work themselves hard, from not only their legs but also their very core, to keep me afloat.

With the ambitions and the like of Hikigaya Hachiman’s burning at my chest, Komachi spun and did a turn in the kitchen in front of me. Apparently, she was done making breakfast.

Komachi hurriedly carried the morning plates from the kitchen.

“Sorry for the wait~!”

“Right on.”

She placed the tray on the table and Komachi sat in the seat directly opposite from me. Today’s menu consisted of toast, salad, omelet… and coffee, huh? A rather American dish if I say so myself. Or maybe even Nagoya. It looks sooo<ref>Nagoya dialect</ref> good, yup.

Komachi started doing house chores around the time she was in elementary school, but recently, she had gotten so used to it especially with her cooking skills already far surpassing mine that she was already knocking on the door to a mother’s domain.

From the viewpoint of my parents, they were probably deeply moved from seeing their child going beyond them. I, too, felt I would be surpassing my father as a scum in the near future as well.

“Sorry for the trouble.”

“Onii-chan, you promised not to say that anymore, right?”

After a brief, super random conversation peculiar to siblings, we expressed our gratitude for the blessing of life and clapped our hands together. Expressing your gratitude to livestock was important. I learned that in “Silver Spoon”. Also, corporate slaves should receive the Kansha Kangeki Ame Arashi<ref>A single by the Japanese boy band, Arashi.</ref> too. We could eat today as well because Papan and Maman were working. Eating food without having to work was delicious. Super delicious.

But as delicious as it was, unfortunately, one of my hated foodstuffs jumped into my field of vision.

“Ah, I totally hate tomatoes, though?”

No matter how good the free food was, this was something I could never say was tasty. Komachi didn’t act particularly concerned even after I said that as I fiddled with the tomatoes with my fork.

“Yup, that’s why I put them in.”

Komachi added without a hint of shyness and began to eat her salad... Eh? Why did it turn out like that? Wasn’t that kind of weird?

Were you not taught by our parents to not do things people didn’t like…? Speaking of which, I wasn’t taught that myself. As you’d expect from my parents. It’s the style that emphasized “watch and remember”. What’s up with that professionalism training for newcomers?

This was where I should make it clear to my little sister what the problem was as her older brother.

“No, see here… Komachi-chan?”

“Onii-chan has a lot of things he likes and hates after all. Whether it’s people or food.”

Komachi carried the omelet to her mouth and answered.

Hoh, if you’re going to say something like that, then I had something to say too. It’s time that I taught you, the truth of this world. I grabbed my coffee cup, took a sip, and puffed up with pride

“It’s not like that’s a bad thing. If you just force yourself with something you don’t like, everyone involved will just end up miserable.”

“Haa… I can’t see onii-chan ever getting married.”

Komachi sighed with an indication of “gosh, so silly”. What’s up with your attitude, huh? It’s not like I said anything wrong, right? If anything, I was fully aware of how impossible it was for me to get married, so could you not bring it up? Because in order to avoid that, onii-chan right now was repeating every day about being a full-time house husband in his mind so it could be imprinted into his subconscious.

In the first place, I was the kind of man who didn’t want to marry by becoming something I wasn’t.

Deceiving your natural self wasn’t something you should be doing as people just had different sense of values.

Depending on how you were brought up, you couldn’t deny your preferences either. If marriage was where you didn’t accept those differences and forced yourself to be together with someone else, then it wasn’t necessarily the case that it’d bring you happiness.

As thoughts came right after the other, I would eat my omelet. Yep, it was delicious.

“There’s ketchup there.”

Well, duh, if it’s an omelet, then there had to be ketchup on it. Or was it something else? Could it be you were a mayo person? A mayo loooover? Or maybe Shinoraaaa<ref>Shinohara Tomoe</ref>? This girl sure was Ultra Relaxed<ref>Shinohara Tomoe’s song called Ultra Relax</ref>, huh?

As I thought about how nostalgic it was for Komachi to not know something normally, I lifted my head and immediately in front of me was Komachi’s face.

After Komachi stared at my face, she leaned forward and gently touched my cheeks with the tip of her fingers.

What…? Or so I thought, but apparently there was ketchup on my face. Just say it in the first place. Your face was too close, so annoying, and embarrassing. That newly-wed behavior was making me embarrassed, stop it. I sent an objecting stare to Komachi, but she wasn’t bothered and grinned.

“That just now was high in Komachi points.”

“If you didn’t add that, maybe.”

I replied back and I gulped my salad.

She really wasn’t a cute little sister at all… If she didn’t follow up with little things like that, she’d be super cute too. I couldn’t help but make a bitter smile. But because of that bitter smile, even the tomatoes started to taste bitter too…

Well, just like how I was aware of Komachi’s good and bad points, Komachi understood me. Family was quite convenient, I’d say.

With all that’s been said, this was basically that. Even if you didn’t marry, if you had a little sister, wasn’t that good enough? If manufacturers were going to bother putting disks in a package with the actual item, then they should just include little sisters instead. They’d definitely fly off the shelves.

 
<center><big>×　×　×</big></center>
 

I spent the typical morning away, led my usual school life, and eventually greeted the usual business after school time.

What was different than ordinary was that a somewhat different type of request was brought to us.

The bearer of the request was Hiratsuka-sensei who had placed something on the table.

Yukinoshita and Yuigahama looked at each other and then glanced at the magazine and pamphlet in turn. Yukinoshita was squinting and making a difficult face, but Yuigahama was seemingly thinking about nothing at all with a look of wonder.

Whatever it was, since it looked related to a request, I took a quick peek from behind wondering what in the world it could be.

On the magazine Yuigahama was looking at absentmindedly were familiar looking landscapes and words printed. Not to mention it was labeled as “Chiba”. It was apparently one of those so called local magazines. Eh, what’s that about, did they have special Chiba information written in here? How should I go about asking for a subscription to this, I wonder?

On the other hand, the printout that Yukinoshita was reading had the word “Project” written on the header. It was probably a project plan of the sort.

“Ummm… ‘Love Marriage Chiba Wedding’.”

Yuigahama read aloud with a deeply interested voice. What was with that angel of love legend naming sense…? It was getting dreadful because I was getting assaulted with some kind of dreamin’ feeling so I took a look at the portion that Yuigahama was reading.

What leaped into my vision was romantic content enveloped in absurd happiness. I reflexively winced at it. No way, I was definitely sure marriage wasn’t representative of all these positive images at all...

“Haa, ‘Youth Marriage Special Edition’, huh…”

I let out a voice slightly mixed with disgust.

But it looked like Hiratsuka-sensei wasn’t holding any particular negative images regarding it. When she raised her index finger, she explained it thoroughly.

“That’s right. As part of revitalizing the Chiba region, it seems like they plan on starting up a local magazine. They plan on making the magazine through a joint cooperation with the administration, neighboring bridal companies, and hotels with marriage halls and so forth in order to have the younger generation have a deeper understanding of marriage.”

Fumu. This was apparently a project that saw the occasional involvement of both the people and the government by means of a local magazine. And so the magazine brought here was a sample.

While listening to Hiratsuka-sensei’s explanation, Yukinoshita was tracing along the lines of the sentences on the project plan with her eyes. After she placed her hands on her temple, she set the papers on the table and tapped.

“…So, why was this problem brought to us?”

After taking an ample pause, Yukinoshita sent a fixed stare to Hiratsuka-sensei. Hiratsuka-sensei choked on her words and averted her gaze in a seemingly ashamed fashion.

“W-Well, that’s, you see… The higher ups at school wanted to cooperate in some form or another, so I ended up being entrusted with the task so…”

With Yukinoshita sharply glaring her down, Hiratsuka-sensei answered incoherently.

“Why our school, then again, why us…?”

When I grumbled with a sigh, Hiratsuka-sensei blinked her eye and then suddenly had distant eyes.

“A reason, huh? Well… One mustn’t seek out the reason for orders that were passed down from the top. That’s what it means to work.”

“I didn’t want to hear that, I really didn’t want to hear that…”

The small remaining desire to work just instantly disappeared… How mysterious… When you lose the urge to work, the desire to marry (= desire to be dependent) steadily increased instead… It had to be that, if everyone started thinking that they wanted to be supported, the marriage rates would shoot up.

As I welcomed the battleship of dependence at the port in my mind, Yukinoshita lightly cleared her throat.

“The problem is why it’s us in particular that should be doing this.”

“Ah, that’s right. Isn’t this, like, Hiratsuka-sensei’s job…?”

Yuigahama who was engrossed in the local magazine up until now lifted her head from Yukinoshita’s words and she looked Hiratsuka-sensei curiously.

Due to how pure her look was, Hiratsuka-sensei who was being stared at cringed and faltered. She then slipped out an “uuu” with a crying and shaking voice.

“I-I mean… I-I don’t have a clue what to do when it comes to marriage so…”

She finally broke down into tears.

…Aaah ah, they made her cry.

When I looked at Yuigahama, she then looked at Yukinoshita.

“Yukinon…”

No, you’re at fault too, you know… With Hiratsuka-sensei weeping in front of her and with a helpless stare from Yuigahama, Yukinoshita flinched and let out a sigh of resignation.

“Haa… It’s not like we’re experts at the matter ourselves, but we’ll help as well.”

“…Okay, thank you.”

As she wiped her tears and sniffed, Hiratsuka-sensei adorably expressed her gratitude. It was an unexpected cuteness that was unsuitable for her age.

Hurry! Someone hurry up and take her! Otherwise, I’ll be the one to instead!

 
<center><big>×　×　×</big></center>
 

We poured tea for Hiratsuka-sensei to calm her down and we began looking at the project plan.

So to summarize the entire story, we were given a page in the local magazine and apparently we needed to fill it with a written article.

“But what to do, huh?”

Yuigahama went “hmm” and crossed her arms.

Certainly, being told to make an article out of the blue was quite the pickle. Hiratsuka-sensei probably didn’t know what to do hence why she brought it to our attention.

But since the framework was seemingly already decided, we couldn’t really just do it without this plan. In that case, what we could do was limited.

“For now, we could just write something and fill it up with that. Aah, we could make this page a space for an advertisement and sell it off somewhere. That way, there’d be no work and we’ll even get our hands on some money.”

“Hikigaya… That’s no good.”

When I said that, Hiratsuka-sensei shook her head with a dejected expression. That’s a no go, huh…? I thought it was a pretty good idea too. It’s a style where you sold the framework through underhanded means and reaped the profits.

“The problem is the deadline… Just how much time do we have?”

Yukinoshita placed her cup on the table with a clack and moved her eyes to the calendar. Following her, Hiratsuka-sensei adjusted her eyes as well.

“It hits the press next week, so for the most part, there’s about a week left for proofreading.”

“That’s very sudden, isn’t it?”

Yukinoshita sent a fixed, faulting stare to Hiratsuka-sensei, but Hiratsuka-sensei smiled bitterly with an exhausted face.

“Work just tends to fall to the side, see… Even more so with work that’s hard to get started on.”

“Aah, I totally kind of get that.”

Yep, yep, same here. When you lost your motivation, things just gradually fell to the backburner. That’s why it’s better to get into gear and get things done as soon as time would permit and it’d be less taxing mentally. This world was abundant with those kinds of dirty jobs and the fact that there were people who got paid to do them really scared the daylights out of me. I definitely didn’t want to do stuff like that. As expected, I believe there wasn’t a need to work.

With that said, it’s not like there was a commission or anything. Not to mention quality wasn’t emphasized here either it seemed.

“How about writing up a random essay and using that?”

When I said that, Yukinoshita shook her head from side to side.

“If just that, it’d be rather difficult if the page was just full of words, no?”

“Then we can gloss it over with design then?”

If it was just littered with words, then the strength of design could make things work too. I mean, anime tended to do it, you know? Something along the lines of the fancy stuff like cool looking words and narration that occupied the space. Although it did make you suspect that maybe the images weren’t made in time, but let’s just be positive and pass it off as production words with that kind of sense.

“If we had the time, then we might be able to work with that, but that seems difficult as well. Moreover, do you think an amateur’s design could fill up the space?”

“Don’t they have past templates? Just put a number of those together and fill in the space with text.”

When I said that, Yukinoshita took a sullen thinking posture for just a moment and in that time, Yuigahama who was completely lost had a trembling expression and pulled at Hiratsuka-sensei’s sleeve.

“Se-Sensei, these two are kind of scary…”

“That just makes them all the more reliable. Although they’re not acting like high school students…”

Yukinoshita looked like she came to a conclusion despite Hiratsuka-sensei’s bitter smile as she placed her hand on her temple and let out a sigh.

“Haa, you really are quite the savant when it comes to cutting corners…”

“I put an emphasis on efficiency, that’s what.”

“In any case, that’s rejected. The order was for an article befitting of a high school student.”

Well, what Yukinoshita said was quite right. In the first place, we wouldn’t need to be involved if this was left in the hands of a professional.

But even so, something befitting of a high school student, huh…? Just exactly was this concept “befitting of a high school student” that the government office and the higher ups were thinking of? Was it the freshness of a high school baseball player? Or maybe that chippy feeling of “TODAY, NOW” high school girls?

I reflected on myself and then I took another look at Yukinoshita.

“Well, everything was no good at the start then. You and I aren’t like high school students at all anyway.”

“…That’s right.”

Having said that, Yukinoshita dropped her shoulders looking somewhat convinced and averted her eyes.

“Usually the first thing you start thinking about is what to do. Starting right off the bat from how to fill up the space… Just how twisted are you two?”

After looking at how we were, Hiratsuka-sensei extrapolated with both a surprising and admiring tone. Both of us were very well aware of that so we ended up letting out a sigh.

No, wait.

There’s someone… Someone that was very like a high school student… A sudden realization hit me and I looked up.

“Yuigahama, it’s time for you to make use of your normalcy.”

“The way you put it kind of makes me mad!”

Yuigahama made a resentful scowl, but Yukinoshita continued with an earnest expression.

“Yuigahama-san, could we ask for your help?”

“Asking me with this kind of timing, how complicated!”

Despite finally given the chance to do some work, Yuigahama went “uuu” as she was tearing up. Well, you know, I think that normalcy of yours was quite valuable. At the very least, I think Yukinoshita personally thought that portion saved her quite a bit. Being normal was good enough for Yuigahama, really.

Yuigahama let out a reluctant “uu”, but with Yukinoshita wordlessly looking at her, she stretched out her “uuu” groan even longer and looked like she had prepared herself.

Yuigahama crossed her arms.

Yuigahama held her head.

Yuigahama was dazing off absentmindedly.

Apparently her head exploded from excessive thinking. She went “bleh” with a face that looked like her soul was sucked out. But suddenly, she clapped her hands.

“Ah, how about we accept wedding design submissions or something!”

“There aren’t very many people who can draw a rough draft of a wedding dress.”

I had that kind of idea in mind too, but actually making it happen was difficult. Having to scour the area for someone who could design dresses would be a lot of trouble too. We weren’t in the position to be checking with people one by one whether they would “wind” or “not wind”<ref>Rozen Maiden</ref> either.

When I said that, Yuigahama rubbed her head back and forth in a circular fashion and suddenly leaned forward in exclamation.

“Ummmm, then how about a wedding dress contest! Or something like that?”

“Time-wise, a plan to solicit submissions from the entire school may be difficult as well.”

Yukinoshita calmly shot down the idea. Given the schedule where submission was next week, whether we made it known to the entire student body or hosted an event, it really was unlikely. Even if we tried the schedule where we reduced the time for proofreading, the remaining week wouldn’t change.

Sorry to say to Yuigahama who went through the trouble of thinking things, but you couldn’t win against adult circumstances. Well, adult circumstances typically meant deadlines though. We should just abolish the system of deadlines already.

Yuigahama was still trying her best to think, but she then crossed her arms looking like she gave up.

“Um, marriage, marriage, marriage… Mmm, I guess I don’t get it. It just doesn’t feel real or something.”

“Well, it’s not something we should be thinking about at our age after all.”

For the most part, I’d be legal to marry next year, but in regards to that, it didn’t feel like reality at all. The two girls of course were in the same situation.

But a resounding, solemn tone could be heard.

“I guess so… When I was your age, I never gave it much thought too—“

Yuigahama and I went dead quiet and slid our eyes in a different direction.

“…”

“…”

Wait a second, what’re you going to do about this heavy atmosphere? It’s not the time to be looking out the window right now, Hiratsuka-sensei.

On the other hand, the only one quiet for an apparently different reason was Yukinoshita. She placed her hand on her chin in total contemplation.

“Thought about it…”

“Ahn?”

When I questioned Yukinoshita’s words that she slipped out, she looked convinced of something and was nodding her head.

“On the contrary, it’s exactly because we’re not thinking about it that if we were to take a survey, then we may be able to get some material out of it.”

“That makes sense~. It might be pretty fun if we get everyone to fill out a questionnaire or something too.”

Yuigahama went “ooh~” and clapped her hands.

A survey and questionnaire, huh? As a design to fill the page, they were reasonable solutions. Like in graduation yearbooks, they’d have something like "the best 3 xx type of people”. Huh? Could you stop entering people’s names in worthless entries like “someone likely to become a CEO in the future” just so you could be considerate to those whose names weren’t listed anywhere else? That kindness was actually painful instead. There was that, but what’s with the blank pages at the end of my yearbook? Was I missing pages or something?

Even for this local magazine, couldn’t we just settle for a completely white page, litter it with random phrases like “to the future ~to LOVE marriage~”, and include a list of names on it? If we just filled this page with “it’s you” and other things like that, it’d probably fool some people out there.

As I thought in my own way about things, Yukinoshita was thinking in a way like herself, but very seriously.

“It’ll take quite a lot of time if we tried with the entire school or an entire grade, so it may be better to do it one with just one class…”

“That doesn’t seem like a very useful sample size.”

One class seriously made it on the level of graduation yearbooks. As a survey, it seemed rather far from being an effective statistic. It’s not really something to worry about since it’s not like we’re measuring our academic capability. Of course, Yukinoshita understood that as well.

“Given the situation, we don’t have a choice. So, once we compose the page, we can add a column of the sort and it should turn out fine from there.”

After Yukinoshita said that, Hiratsuka-sensei who was watching us the entire time spoke up.

“Fumu, a column huh? Sounds like Hikigaya’s time to shine.”

“Why me…?”

There’re two others here… Yuigahama’s writing ability gave off the impression that it was something to be concerned about so it was out there. As for Yukinoshita, the things she’d write were pretty much going to be something out there as well. But that’s not to say that didn’t apply to me either because I was rather confident in what I’d write to be out there too, okay! Then again, this was originally sensei’s job, no?

I put a good portion of my soul into the words “why me”, but Hiratsuka-sensei stopped me and clarified with a clear reason.

“It’s because you’re always writing all those reports filled with nonsense. This kind of work should be a fool’s errand for you.”

You couldn’t expect someone to do something after being told off like that… What, did I not have the qualities of a superior?

It might’ve been because I made a rather reluctant face that Hiratsuka-sensei looked at me with one eye closed after brushing her hair to the side.

“Putting aside the things you write, I’m actually praising you rather highly.”

Stating it that way with that kind of smile made it difficult to refuse.

“…Um, I don’t want to write it though.”

Flushed with embarrassment, I averted my eyes and ahead was Yukinoshita who was pressing against her temple for some reason.

“Editing seems like it’ll be quite a lot of work…”

No, it’s not like I asked you… Then again, I’d rather you not do anything because you totally seem like you’d put a bunch of red marks all over the place. Let’s go in the direction of praising me more and extending things as the objective of editing!

Seeing Yukinoshita sigh, Hiratsuka-sensei wore a teasing smile.

“Oh? Yukinoshita, you’ll look it over yourself, huh? Then I’m not too worried.”

“…Well, I don’t mind if it’s just doing something like that.”

She flicked her face to the side in displeasure and straightened her collar. No, like I said, I didn’t ask you to… What? Were you the editor-in-chief or something?

“Okay, next is to think of the questionnaire, huh?”

Yuigahama adjusted her sitting and spoke. Well, since the objective was decided, then we had better get a move on. Hiratsuka-sensei turned back to us again.

“Now then, before we hand them out to everyone, let’s go for a test run.”

When we amassed papers from all over the room, all of us thought of various related questions. Yukinoshita collected them all and created an overview of the questions. She then gave it to Hiratsuka-sensei who made copies and we all wrote our answers to the questions.

Shortly after we finished writing, Hiratsuka-sensei looked around at us.

“Now then, just what do we have here, hm?”

After she said that, she quickly grabbed a piece of paper written with answers from the stack.

'''Q. How much do you expect your spouse to make yearly?

'''A. More than 10,000,000.

“Hikigaya-kun…”

“Hikki…”

When Yukinoshita and Yuigahama both looked at me with apathetic eyes, they recited my name with slightly withdrawing voices.

“Hold on a second. How’d you know it was me?”

“We can tell from just your handwriting…”

Yuigahama looked at me with sad eyes and Yukinoshita brushed away the hair that rested on her shoulder.

“Does this man really think he’s worth that much, I wonder? He has no friends, his science is despair, he has low prospects for a job, and his future is bleak. And on top of that, his eyes are like a dead fish’s…”

“Shut up. There are plenty of dummies out there in the world who’d write the same thing.”

You see it all the time. Like on those evening variety news programs that held a special on those seeking marriage. The women above thirty who attended these marriage parties would write this kind of answer, right? In the first place, the people who actually fulfilled those conditions were popular, so they wouldn’t go to those marriage parties, damn it. It was probably more correct to say they weren’t looking at reality at all than it was to say they were watching dreams too much.

“W-Well, that is, what can you say? It’s good to aim high, yep.”

Hiratsuka-sensei took my side which was rare. Thank you, sensei! So what exactly did she write on that piece of paper that she was hiding behind her back, hm?

“I-In any case! We have our questions, so let’s start getting some samples!”

As if noticing my rotten stare, Hiratsuka-sensei energetically jumped out of her seat.

 
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Yuigahama volunteered to get the samples for us, so we waited for her absentmindedly in the meantime. Hiratsuka-sensei was reflecting on herself while grumbling something as she fixed the answers she put on the questionnaire.

As for Yukinoshita, she was reading her book like always. She suddenly twitched her shoulders and she closed her book.

After that, the door energetically flung open.

“There were still some people hanging around so I got them to fill out the questionnaires!”

Yuigahama came in the room, with the stack of papers proudly raised in the air. What’s this? Was this Yukinoshita's special ability or something? She’s like our cat whenever Komachi came home…

“Thank you, I’m sorry for leaving the rest to you, Yuigahama-san.”

When Yukinoshita spoke to her, Yuigahama answered as she took her designated seat.

“No, no, it’s fine with me. It looked like only the guys from our classes were hanging around anyway.”

From what Yuigahama said, it looked like there weren’t many papers filled out amongst the stack of papers she scattered about. Still, this amount was something that only Yuigahama could achieve.

“Well, even if I went around asking, no one would answer me.”

“I suppose so. If it was Hikigaya-kun, it’s likely you’d be seen as a lawless religious solicitor.”

“That’s right. I have way too much nonconformist charisma that it’s dangerous.”

I retorted since she was poking fun at me and Yukinoshita let out an astounded sigh. The echo of that sigh continued.

“In your case, it’s scary since I can imagine you as the founder of a religious sect…”

Hiratsuka-sensei uttered with a somber face. Wait, what’s with that serious look…? I mean, if Yukinoshita went around herself, I was pretty sure people would gently refuse her because they’d be too wary of her.

Even I wanted to let out a sigh, but that was when Yuigahama went “now, now”, mediating the situation.

“Anyway, why don’t we take a look?”

After urging us, we scattered the papers and began to inspect them. Yuigahama read aloud from one piece of paper from the stack.

 

'''Q. What career do you want your spouse to have?

'''A. I want to marry a voice actor!

 

It took me less than a moment to figure out who wrote that.

“Okay, yeah, next, next. Then again, this guy isn’t even in our class…”

I instantly rejected Zaimokuza’s answer sheet and we continued to look through the next questionnaires one by one.
 
 

'''Q. Is there anything you may be concerned about regarding marriage?
 
 

'''A. I totally can’t cook. Also, cleaning. Can’t do it.
 
 

'''A. My relationship with my mother-in-law, living together and separately, and my inheritance. It’s because I have a lot of siblings
 
 

'''A. I’m worried about Hayama x Hachiman’s future
 
 

As we assessed the answers read aloud, I went “bleh”, feeling a little annoyed. Especially with that last one. Written anonymously or not, you could tell in a heartbeat who wrote what… We FINISH with NO HINT.<ref>Seems like a reference to Square-Enix, not really sure.</ref>

“Easy to guess who wrote what…”

“Well, it’s people from our class after all.”

True enough, it’s just like Yuigahama said. All of them were undoubtedly answers coming from people in our class. It was probably Miura, Kawasomething-san, and Ebina-san…

For Miura, she was, like, consistent with how she normally was that I couldn’t think negatively of her. As you’d expect from the Queen.

As for Kawasomething-san… Seems rough for her, huh… She was giving off vibes like Sachi Usuko-san<ref>Sachi Usuko is a fictional character that’s played by one of the Morning Musume girls on the Japanese TV variety show called Hello! Morning. Sachi Usuko is a character with “weak happiness”.</ref> people so I really wanted her to try her best to grab ahold of happiness.

Ebina-san was more or less out of the question.

“What do you think of putting these out for display?”

Yukinoshita tilted her head with a pensive look. No, you didn’t need to think twice about it, these were no good… It looked like I wasn’t the only one with those thoughts as Hiratsuka-sensei turned the papers over and groaned.

“As I thought, these answers aren’t very realistic.”

“Is that something you should be saying…?”

I reflexively shot a fixed stare at Hiratsuka-sensei. In disregard of me, Yuigahama crossed her arms and thought.

“But it’s hard to answer since we don’t know what’s good and bad about marriage life. And since there’s no one here with experience, there’re a lot of things we don’t get too…”

Well, the only samples we had were our parents and it’s not like we’re actually conscious of the fact. It might even end up different if you tried to watch them with a new perspective, but trying to become someone and think like them was extremely difficult. It’s particularly even more so with those in the middle of puberty whose self-awareness inflated to ridiculous levels.

No matter what you did, you couldn’t become someone else.

Even our parents felt the same way. In reality, having to marry and live together with someone else was probably far more difficult than we could imagine, no doubt.

As I slipped into deep thought, Yukinoshita spoke up as if something came to mind.

“I believe I have someone in mind if it’s someone young with simulated experience on the matter.”

“Eh? Really?”

When Yuigahama asked attentively, Yukinoshita showed a smile.

“Yes. When it comes to knowing the pains of taking care of a useless bum in close proximity, then I believe she would be the most qualified.”

Yukinoshita answered in a very detailed manner. Hearing that, my eyes ended up sparkling in turn.

Eh, you knew someone like that? Really, seriously? Someone like that would totally support me for life. Hurry up and introduce her to me. With this, I was pretty much winning at life.

…Or so I thought.

After that, not an hour had passed and the person Yukinoshita had in mind had arrived. It was a face that I recognized all too well. In fact, from this morning even.

 
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“So, why Komachi?”

My eyes spontaneously turned rotten, starkly different from the shining glitter in my eyes earlier. In contrast, Komachi wore a grinning smile on her face as she was standing at the front of the door.

“Didn’t you hear me? That there was someone going through the pains of taking care of useless weight.”

Could it be? No, there wasn’t a need to hypothesize because that “useless weight” was probably referring to me… Well, since she didn’t say useless person, then this was a rather mild phrasing coming from Yukinoshita. Maybe she’s in a good mood today, hm?

Once Yukinoshita gave an outline of the situation, Komachi went “hoh, hoh” and nodded.

“Please let me see those surveys or whatever.”

Komachi shot her hands out and Yukinoshita gently handed over the stack of papers. She tilted her head up and down, nodding as she sifted through the papers one by one.

“…I see, I think I have the gist of what everyone’s generally worried about.”

Quick to comprehend and adapt truly made her a capable little sister. Even the problem this time, she quickly understood it. Well, putting Zaimokuza aside, the insecurities regarding marriage life in the future for Miura and Kawasaki were understandable. Not discussing Ebina-san was a no brainer, right?

Komachi and the rest of us all reached a common understanding of the situation.

“Uh huh, it’s just we’re not sure how to go from here.”

“We can’t just put these out as they are now… It’d be really helpful if you had any ideas about what to do.”

After Yuigahama and Yukinoshita spoke, Komachi placed her index finger on her temple, doing circular motions while thinking.

“Fumu fumu… Ha! Komachi light bulb!”

She then clapped her hands, making a slapping sound. This bizarre dramatic acting was fishy... It looked like she wasn’t thinking of anything good… But regardless of my unease, the other three sent her stares full of expectation. Having received those looks, Komachi erected her index finger and triumphantly began speaking.

“For now, based on these surveys, everyone’s hopelessly lacking in wife points. We need to start off with raising those points.”

“What the heck are ‘wife points’…?”

“Don’t worry about the trivialities. Basically, we’ll shift the direction of the plan to how to become more like a bride!”

She nonchalantly ignored my concerns and on top of that, she even started to redirect the direction of the plan. Listening to Komachi’s energetic words, Hiratsuka-sensei spoke up.

“Fumu, so it’s something like a bridal training course.”

“That’s a good phrase! Komachi will take it!　☆”

She performed a bizarre gesture as if writing a memo in her palm, stood up, and loudly proclaimed.

“Without further ado… We will now begin the bridal training course! Thump, thump ♪ Wife points showdown~!! Don don, pafu pafu!”

Yukinoshita, Hiratsuka-sensei, and I shot dubious stares at Komachi, but for some reason, only Yuigahama was enthusiastically clapping her hands.

“Like I said, what the heck are ‘wife points’…?”

It looked like I wouldn’t be getting the answer to my concerns for an eternity.

 
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The wife points showdown or whatever was to be done on another day because Komachi had some preparations to do on her end.

And that day was upon us. Although we gathered at the club room, as Komachi had instructed, the group of girls were nowhere to be seen.

And now I had to wait for some time for them to get in contact with me.

In the meantime, I was left alone in the Service Club room and was forced to kill some time. Well, it’s not like that’s a bad thing or anything. Since ages ago, I was super good at holding the forte while everyone was out anyway.

As I was absorbed in reading while waiting for them, my cellphone phone vibrated. Upon checking, it was a mail from Komachi.

…Just what exactly was she planning to do by having everyone gather at the home economics room? But, well, when it came to requests from my little sister, the one who typically saw to them were me.

I gallantly left the club room and headed for the home economics room.

The hallway afterschool with no signs of people was comfortable. It was submerged in a silence that seemed like a lie from its normally boisterous levels.

But as I approached the home economics room, it was oddly getting noisier. I could even hear shrieks sometimes running down the hallway too.

Hey, hey… It was starting to get too scary to enter the home economics room now…

But I was already at front of the door.

I mustered my courage and opened the door.

When I did, Komachi was wearing an apron, standing by waiting for me.

“Ah, finally here. Okay, let’s get started, onii-chan.”

“Exactly what’s getting started…?”

After I asked, Komachi took a daunting pose and placed her hands on her hips.

“Starting now is the bridal training! Thump, thump ☆ Wife points showdown~♪”

When she exclaimed in a high voice, Komachi revealed a ladle from behind her. What’s this? What BØY<ref>Hareluya II Boy</ref> were you trying to be?

Once she set herself up by pretending the ladle was a microphone, she did a jerking turn to behind her.

“We’ll start off first with a cooking showdown!”

Ahead of where she turned to were three people sporting the same apron appearance as Komachi: Yukinoshita, Yuigahama, and Hiratsuka-sensei. Sitting at the table situated further in were two familiar faces.

“We look forward to working with all of our judges!”

In response to Komachi’s call, one person waved his hands.

“I’m not sure why I was called here, but… Everyone, do your best!”

“Fumuu, the less you explain, the deeper it is, this setting as of late. Very well! I, the Master Swordsman, will play along with your games!”

They were Totsuka and Zaimokuza. Did Komachi call these two here? When I got confused, Komachi pointed at the table seat.

“Okay, onii-chan, please have a seat at the judge’s seat.”

So it looked like those in aprons would make food while the people designated at the seats would judge. I wasn’t getting a good feeling, but even if I was unwilling here, Komachi would do this and that to force my participation.

Just as I was instructed, I took my position at the seat prepared for me.

Frankly, I had a lot of doubts regarding this development. But amongst them, there was just one thing that bothered me the most that I had to make sure of.

“Should Totsuka really be sitting here? Hey, should he be here?”

I figured I’d ask Komachi, but she nonchalantly ignored me, and turned around to face Yuigahama and the others. Hold on, wasn’t ignoring me like that a little mean?

“The theme is a boy’s desired homemade cooking. And the first batter up is Yui-san!”

Upon her announcement, Yuigahama readily took a step forward. In her hands was a plate with a metallic lid that I sworn I had seen in a high class restaurant before

“Um, the menu is…”

“Japanese hamburger!”

In the middle of Komachi’s questioning, Yuigahama answered. At the same time, she removed the metallic lid and showcased her dish as if it was an artifact she had confidence in. But the reaction of Komachi who laid her eyes on it wasn’t so positive.

“…Err—”

Komachi was completely baffled. Understandable.

Dripping all over the deeply blackened body of mass was sauce. There were also deep brown fried vegetables along with tattered green onions.

…Japanese? Which part was? If anything, there wasn’t a hint of Japanese in this dish because it looked like it was the scene of a volcano… It was the kind of visual where if you mentioned the Kilauea volcano, I’d probably believe it. In the first place, where was the hamburger element in it? Then again, was this edible?

Despite my retreating, Zaimokuza gallantly reached out with his hand, apparently getting high spirited from the thought of eating a girl’s handmade cooking.

“Goramu goramu. Nano, nano, Nanjiro! It is as they say of ages past. That one should not judge from what you see before you. It is likely that there exists a hidden brilliance in this dish deep within its exterior…”

Zaimokuza was unusually spouting some impressive words, but in reality, he wasn’t saying anything correct, since the words he spoke were a little empty.

When he carried the hamburger to his mouth, Zaimokuza moaned “mu!” as if he was enlightened with a divine oracle and popped opened his eyes.

“Buhebo!”

When he made a super subdued groan, he fell flat on the desk. He didn’t move a single inch since then. The inside of the room buzzed into silence.

The criminal was someone amongst us…

Komachi stared at Zaimokuza and after confirming that he may not be coming back to this world, she spun towards me.

“Ummmm, since the Chuuni-san collapsed, next is… Onii-chan.”

“Eh?”

When I became bewildered from being pointed at, Yuigahama’s cooking slid into my view.

“Guh…”

I sank into silence when the cooking with the horrific visual stared at me.

Even if Zaimokuza was known to have absurdly, annoying overreactions, for him to be damaged that much made me unable to muster my courage. As I stiffly sat there, Yuigahama caressed the bun of her hair as she laughed, trying to gloss it over

“Hi-Hikki, y-you don’t have to force yourself to eat it…”

She averted her down casted eyes and made a feigned laugh. No, if I could, I wouldn’t force myself at all. They did tend to say “where might is master, justice is servant” after all.

But even so, I couldn’t just throw in the towel here. I had to give my gratitude for being given life. Not to mention Zaimokuza already fulfilled the victim quota and, well, also, um, you know. It’s not so often this kind of opportunity came along.

Aah, besides, there was no way I could allow Totsuka to consume any of this.

In order to charge up my courage, I sent a look to Totsuka who was beside me.

“Hachiman? Is something wrong?”

As if my abrupt look to Totsuka was strange, Totsuka tilted his head and smiled.

I want to protect this smile…

Right now, the only one who could protect it was me. Might’s coming through, so get lost justice.

With a strong will, I took my chopsticks. I then grabbed the plate and threw everything into my mouth.

Crush, bite, gulp. In just that one bite, the curtains to the Koshien<ref>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koshien_Stadium</ref> of Hellish Tastes were raised.

“Hikki…”

It felt like Yuigahama was looking at me with teary eyes and quite frankly, I was the one in tears, but that wasn’t something I could possibly say out loud.

With everyone watching me with abated breath, I somehow managed to swallow everything.

The home economics room filled with silence and only the sound of the chopsticks I put down reverberated.

I let out a small breath and slowly opened my mouth.

[[File: YahariLoveCom_v075_051.jpg|thumbnail|200px]]

“Yeah… Well, how should I say this? If you prepare yourself and forcibly eat it, it’s not something you could not eat…”

It had zero human points, let alone wife points.

“Your comment’s too weird!”

Yuigahama let out a heartbroken scream, but if you’re going to say something like that, try a little harder… Because I most certainly did.

“I’m not sure what to think if you’re saying that with a blue face like that…”

Yukinoshita looked somewhat fed up and astonished and Komachi quickly lined up next to her.

“Next is Yukino-san!”

With Komachi urging her, Yukinoshita carried over her cooking. In the same manner as Yuigahama’s plate from earlier, her plate was covered with a metallic lid of the sort.

“Please present your menu!”

“I made paella…”

Upon lifting up the cover, on the plate was beautiful paella. Yuigahama raised her voice in admiration at what she had looked at.

“Oh~, Italian cooking.”

“Paella’s a Spanish dish.”

“Eh? But it was at Saizeriya<ref>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saizeriya</ref>… Eh?”

Yuigahama was confused when Yukinoshita snappily corrected her. I understand. Saizeriya certainly did offer paella. The Mediterranean Sea Pilaf had (paella) written next to it after all.

That paella was brought to us judges. Seafood was the star of dish, lavished with meat and vegetables and with the rice simmered in saffron also appearing fresh, the distant Mediterranean Sea breeze ascended upwards.

…Well, not that I had ever been to the Mediterranean Sea though.

Since I completely devoured all of Yuigahama’s cooking earlier, I gave the honors to Totsuka. If it’s Yukinoshita’s food, then there shouldn’t be anything to worry about.

When I gave way to Totsuka, he perked up with a smile and quickly grabbed his spoon. He then took a bite.

“Woow, Yukinoshita-san, you really are a good cook!”

“It’s not that big of a deal. It’s simply a matter of getting used to it.”

There was a part of Yukinoshita who truthfully thought so, showing no concern over embarrassment of the sort. She said so in a calm manner like always.

Following Totsuka, I grabbed a bite myself. The rice was cooked properly, the balance of ingredients was good, and even my appetite was getting stimulated again. No matter what it was, I had not a single complaint. It’s just that it didn’t feel very bridal…

“It has a normal good taste that it’s hard to comment on…”

I thought there wasn’t particularly too much to say and Yuigahama raised her hand.

“Me too! I want to eat some too!”

“Okay, okay, let’s all help ourselves to the dish after we finish~!”

Komachi interrupted and gently kept Yuigahama at bay.

“Now then, next is Komachi. Here you go, meat and potato stew.”

She wasn’t acting particularly presumptuous when she presented her food, but the one who was the most knowledgeable when it came to Komachi’s cooking was none other than I. Just like always, it was delicious. Then again, why the heck was she participating in this showdown? There wasn’t any meaning in increasing her wife points because she wasn’t getting married any time soon.

“Yeah. Well, you know. It’s like always. Also, you’re trying to show off too much with your selection.”

“Kuh, our closeness backfired…”

Komachi clicked her tongue as she spoke and Totsuka promptly followed up.

“But it’s really good though?”

Because Totsuka had uttered so straightforwardly that his words were filled with truthful warmth, causing Komachi to shed tears.

“Uuu, Totsuka-san, you’re such a good person… Your wife points are so high…”

“I feel the same way too…”

Frankly, he was without a doubt the top runner here. Komachi and I let out sighs, each of our sighs having a different meaning.

But Komachi shook her head and came back to her senses.

“Hah, not good, not good. Now, for the star performer, we have Hiratsuka-sensei.”

Hiratsuka-sensei wore a daring smile, full of confidence, and proudly stepped forward as if meeting the expectations of how she was presented.

“What did sensei cook?”

“Fufufu, this!”

Tada! Came off the silver cover and what appeared was a plate full of brown colored meat. A large helping of meat and bean sprout along with a large bowl of white rice.

The meat, meat, and meat that bared forth its instincts as if a violent, animalistic nature was awakened. And then, the savory aroma that stimulated the appetite, completely squeezing out the feeling of hunger.

This combination was something I was familiar with. There was no doubt about it.

“Don’t tell me, this is!? Only the meat and bean sprouts are cooked, with the entirety of it being covered in yakiniku sauce!”

“Can you really call that cooking…?”

Yukinoshita said so in doubt, but Hiratsuka-sensei ignored her and shot me a question, full of confidence.

“How about it, Hikigaya?”

How vexing! But I couldn’t help but feel it! (The deliciousness)

I regret to say, but I had no choice but to acknowledge it…

“Delicious… It’s super delicious… The yakiniku sauce is awesome…”

“Praise me…”

Hiratsuka-sensei popped a vein at her brow and glared at me. Uh, but, if you’re going to call that cooking, even I could make it… Menu in mind, the wife points were really low, you know?

 
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Ultimately, unable to gauge their wife points with just cooking, we proceeded on to the next stage of the contest.

“Now then, next is the ‘What would you do at a time like this?’ wife quiz!”

When she announced with a loud voice, urging the girl group with “please have a seat” to the long table and not explaining anything, they sat in a row. On the other hand, Totsuka still remained sitting at the seat for the judges. Zaimokuza’s corpse was left as is. We couldn’t object to Komachi’s instructions since we had requested her help as the Service Club, so we had no choice but to comply obediently.

“Starting now, I’ll be asking everyone questions that will gauge your wife points. Everyone should write their answers as if they were a wife.”

Fumu, so in other words, she was doing a case study by means of a quiz, huh? So those who sat at the long desk would be the answering participants. I see. If that’s how things were going to be, where I should sit was all but natural.

“So without further ado… Er, what are you doing there, onii-chan…?”

“I’m aiming to be a full-time house husband after all.”

Komachi asked me having noticed my seat relocation, but my answer was very much simple. Since I had to act as the judge earlier in the cooking showdown, I couldn’t participate, but I was confident that I had far more wife points than the girls here. I’ll teach them a thing or two about what it means to be a wife.

“Hachiman, do your best!”

When Totsuka waved at me with a smile from the judge’s seat, Komachi gave up going “oh well” and smiled.

“Well, whatever. Okay, let’s get started~. Question: ‘Your mother-in-law lodged a complaint regarding your cleaning. What do you do at a time like this?’ Please write your answer on the flip board!”

Ah, so we had a flip board, huh? There certainly was one situated at where our hands were. Just when did Komachi prepare these…?

I quickly wrote down my answer without batting an eyelash. Having some extra time, I checked with how the others were doing. Yuigahama was groaning while Yukinoshita began writing her answer smoothly. Hiratsuka-sensei was mumbling something as she scribbled away.

After confirming that everyone finished, Komachi spoke up.

“Now then, your answers, bam!”

The boards were flipped over one by one as Komachi pointed at us sequentially.

The first one was Yuigahama. Yuigahama went “here we go” and flipped over her board.

“Say sorry and do it over.”

It was an answer typical of Yuigahama. On TV, mother-in-laws tended to shut down any form of apology if you never got along, so I couldn’t say that was a very good thing… Seemed like she’d have it tough…

After her was Yukinoshita who flipped her board with a disinterested expression.

“Explain from the start how reasonable my cleaning methods are.”

Aah, this gave off THE YUKINOSHITA vibes. It looked like she’d be okay since she’d be able to shut down any arguments from her mother-in-law. In place of that, rather than her mother-in-law getting refuted, it’d be her husband who’d get refuted over and over again, so it seemed rough... For those around her.

Furthermore, Hiratsuka-sensei went “fufu” with a smile and answered.

“Talk with my fists.”

Mmm. Engage in physical conversation, huh? It must be that. So it was something like having duels for brains and basically settling all problems with a duel.<ref>Artificial Insect KABUTO BORG Victory by Victory</ref> If you were to give an extremely positive rationalization of this answer, then it meant gaining acceptance through confrontation and forming a truce. If I were to explain it with common sense, then it was more like “what in the world was this person saying?”

And then, it was finally my turn.

I quickly flipped my board over.

“Make the seasoning extra strong in her miso soup.”

You could relieve yourself of some stress by not forgetting to take your revenge. Moreover, if you redirected her attention to a new problem, she wouldn’t have any more complaints regarding your cleaning. It was one of those getting revenge in an unlikely place kind of things. It was just a question of adding more salt to the wound until it was my victory…

“Hoooh~, very individualistic answers I see… For the time being, sensei and onii-chan are out.”

Komachi took a sweeping look of the answers and made an “x” with her fingers and made a wry smile. No good, huuuh. Well, I guess adding extra salt might be a bit too unrealistic. Then making it sweeter would work. A sweeter taste would definitely be more noticeable.

Still, there really wasn’t anything worthwhile from answers in a quiz like this… As I thought that, Komachi revealed a flip board from behind her back. It looked like she had a model answer prepared.

“A Komachi-like model answer would be this. ‘Complain to my own mother and try harder tomorrow.’”

“It’s such an oddly realistic answer!?”

Yuigahama answered with a slightly retreating voice. You got that right. It’s kind of like being overwhelmed with that feeling of trying hard as you suffered. What? Was there someone a real handful in the family or something?

Despite the heaviness of the answer, the person in question didn’t seem too bothered and cheerfully continued on.

“Let’s keep going~. Here’s the next question.”

When she said that, Komachi spoke with a tone of acting.

“Tomorrow is Christmas. But no thanks to your good for nothing husband, this month is a bit tight…”

Looking at the sniffing Komachi whose expression sank into gloominess, Yukinoshita murmured.

“Oh, it’s as if that’s like a certain someone.”

“That’s so true.”

“Well, there are men like that in the world after all. The women who support them are what you call good wives.”

In response to Yuigahama’s big nod, Hiratsuka-sensei answered seriously. Pardon me? Could you please stop looking at me as you say that?

Because the three spoke unanimously, they had interrupted Komachi in the middle of her reading. She placed her hands on her waist and frowned.

“I’m still in the middle of my question~… In that situation, what would you do about your child’s present?”

When she finished reading the question this time, Komachi cutely tilted her head. That being the signal, everyone began writing down their answer.

The ticking sounds of the long hand of the clock and the squeaking sounds of moving pens overlapped. Once a certain amount of time had passed, Komachi spoke up.

“Tiiiime’s uuup. Now then, your answer, bam!”

Just like earlier, Yuigahama was first.

“Cheap toy.”

Did their grades drop or something? Well, that was probably the safest option. And so, since the kids would be completely more knowledgeable about the price of the toys than the adults, they’d surely realize there was something going on in regards to the drop in grades, right...? The result was that she might raise children that would be very mindful of the mood.

Next was Yukinoshita.

“A book.”

I see. It also depended on what book was given, but a great reading experience was a bliss that couldn’t be replaced for anything else. As far as cost performance was concerned, it was satisfactory. It was a very befitting answer of an avid reader.

Following her was Hiratsuka-sensei with a smile.

“A Blu-ray box of a classic anime.”

That’s just something you want, isn’t it?

It was now my turn.

“Explain that Santa doesn’t visit naughty kids.”

…This was something my dad told me, I believe. That bastard… Just what were you saying to me as young as I was back then…? While it was fine that mom prepared something for me afterwards, my young heart was already resolved to hunt down Santa…

Looking at everybody’s answer, Komachi tapped on her temple.

“Aaahn, it looks like everyone didn’t pay close attention to the question. The core of the question lies with how to deal with the problem.”

Komachi erected her finger and said. Apparently it wasn’t a question about what kind of present to give to the child.

“That being said, a Komachi-like correct answer would be this.”

Komachi presented her board and read it aloud.

“Leave it to their grandparents.”

“Is that really fine…?”

Yukinoshita was astounded and looked at Komachi with cold eyes, but Komachi clicked her tongue as she waved her finger.

“It’s okay. Grandpa and grandma are so super sweet to their grandchildren. Source is Komachi.”

When I looked at Komachi who pointed at herself, I suddenly remembered. Speaking of which, that’s right. Back when I was a confused little child, both grandma and grandpa were very kind.

“Well, that’s true. But they tend to be sweeter with the younger one.”

“The melancholy of the eldest, huh?”

Hiratsuka-sensei laughed and said it in a teasing way. No, no, it wasn’t that melancholic at all. I mean even now, the one who pampers Komachi the most in my family was probably me anyway.

And the person in question, Komachi, looked at the judge’s seat.

“Umm. Having seen the answers up until now, what are your thoughts so far Totsuka-san?”

Once asked, Totsuka who had been watching the entire time thought about what to say and made a sudden smile.

“Being given a book for a present seems like an amazing experience.”

Alright, I know what present I’ll be going with this year.

Let’s go with a book. What kind of book should I get, hm…? Since he’s in the tennis club, then something related would be good. Or maybe a classic fairy tale or a novel or even a legend. My recommendation would be “The Little Prince”. In that case, I’ll stop midway and go with “The Prince of Tennis”!

It looked like the interview with Totsuka ended as I was thinking. Komachi once again began directing.

“Okaaay, thank you very much. Well, well, this is the last question.”

When she said that, Komachi started up a little play.

“’Recently, my husband has been coming home late… Could it be an affair?’ What would you do at a time like this? Now, please put your answers on the flip board!”

At the participant seats, Yuigahama groaned over and over, Yukinoshita was quiet pretending not to recognize anything except for broadly grinning and Hiratsuka-sensei was blabbering about something while molding her hands into a fist while actively making noises with her fingers. This was a little late, but I really didn’t like sitting here…

I wrote down my answer on the board hoping for this to hurry up and end already and Komachi announced the end of the thinking time.

“And time’s up~. Now then, let’s see all your answers at once.”

Komachi extended both her hands outwards and then everyone simultaneously spoke their answers.

“Be worried.”

The way Yuigahama spoke was already worried.

“Hunt him down.”

Yukinoshita’s tone was sharp like an edged tool.

“The fist of punishment.”

Hiratsuka-sensei clutched her fist as she answered.

“Get consolation money, child support and divorce.”

When I presented my board and spoke, Komachi nodded as she looked at each one.

“Looks like everyone’s presented their answer~.”

I emulated Komachi as she examined the answers one by one and looked at every other answer. And my eyes stopped on one of them.

“What the heck do you mean by “hunt him down”… That’s super scary…”

When I said that, Yukinoshita tilted her head with a blank face.

“Oh, I must have mistaken it for question him. However, it boils down to the same thing.”

She then made a smile. Scary. What’s with this person? Scary. It wasn’t just me because Totsuka and Yuigahama and of course Hiratsuka-sensei were shocked too.

But it looked like it wasn’t something entirely out of the question as an answer for Komachi.

“Putting aside onii-chan’s answer, everyone else’s is on the right track, buuut a correct Komachi-like answer would be something like this.”

She then raised her own flip board.

“’Believe in him.’ This has a lot of Komachi points.”

The girl group let out an “ooh” in admiration as if she concluded things on a good note of the sort. To be in middle school and have this awareness, or rather conversely, it’s exactly because she was in middle school that she was watching a dream. Either way, with this kind of answer, once she was betrayed, she’d end going through a terrible experience.

I didn’t think at all that believing was necessarily the one solution to every situation. Not believing, in other words, suspecting was a self-defense mechanism of your own heart. The act of abandoning that form of defense was no different from hurting yourself.

“Is that really okay?”

When I asked her with eyes full of doubt and caution, Komachi cutely tilted her head.

“Mmm, the person Komachi likes would probably be someone who’d look like he wouldn’t get involved in an affair. And since he’d be honest to a fault as well as a hinedere<ref>One of those archetype types that Komachi makes up for Hachiman. First time she used it was back during the camping trip when Hachiman comments on Yui in her cat costume. It’s basically twisted dere</ref>-san, I wouldn’t have to worry too much.”

“…Is there really someone like that out there?”

Is she an idiot…? In the first place, an incomprehensible guy who was weirdly honest to a fault and was twisted was definitely no one decent. Aim for a better guy.

“You’d be surprised.”

Komachi showed an embarrassing smile, but she immediately jumped right back into her usual high spirited self.

“Now then, it’s the long awaited final match!”

She raised her voice and with that, it was finally the start of the closing heart thumping Wife Points Showdown.

Like I said, what the heck are wife points?

 
<center><big>×　×　×</big></center>
 

I sat absentmindedly in the home economics class, being forced to wait for quite a bit of time.

It looked like Totsuka was pulled away from the middle of his club activities so he went back. Just before leaving, he mentioned what a bummer that he wouldn’t get to see everyone in wedding dresses, but I was more bummed out by the fact that I wouldn’t get to see Totsuka in a wedding dress instead… No, given the occasion, I wouldn’t mind seeing him in a tuxedo either! In fact, I want to see him in one!

As I was engrossed in my lone, mute emotions, the door clattered open and Komachi came in.

When I looked, she was in a wedding dress.

It was an unorthodox dress with a mini-skirt. As for the cloth, instead of being pure white, it had a yellowish huge, making prominent a healthy, bright, and lively cuteness.

With her new appearance, Komachi’s spirits were higher than even before.

“Happy, Embarassing Bride Outfit Showdown~! And so that being the case, Komachi changed into a dress too. Onii-chan, looky, looky!”

“Yeah, yeah, you're the cutest in the world.”

When I said that, Komachi shoulders made a clacking sound when they dropped and the motivation in her voice vanished.

“There it is. Saying whatever he wants again. Well, whatever. Now then, we'll start off the show with Yui-san.”

After Komachi made her announcement when she faced the door, the sound of the door timidly clattering open could be heard.

Yuigahama peeked in only with her head and looked around the room restlessly. Finally looking like she made her resolve, she entered the room.

The cloth of her dress was pink in color, an appearance with a brilliant glamor which served to complement Yuigahama’s hair color. The short skirt was fluffed out and surpassing what I had thought, it made it more conspicuous how slender her legs were. The expanded skirt wrapped around her waist and her boldly exposed chest area with the glimmering spangle and lamé was bright. Frankly, it was hard to look at her directly.

Whether it was because she was nervous or she wasn’t used to wearing the dress, her struts were awkward and stiff. When our eyes met, her cheeks turned flush red as if being in the wedding dress was really embarrassing after all. I could sense her embarrassment as well and it was starting to infect me too, so please stop glancing at me…

When Yuigahama finally made her way beside Komachi, she moved behind Komachi as if using her as a shield.

“Um... Ko-Komachi-chan, where'd you get this?”

“Ahaaan, it's a secret ♪.”

Komachi winked and brushed it off. She probably borrowed them from the rival companies involved in the plan. She was my little sister that didn't leave a nook or cranny unturned.

“Okay, okay, next is Yukino-saan!”

When Komachi called her name, the door opened without a sound. And then, gracefully entering the room without even the slightest sound of footsteps was Yukinoshita.

Everyone instinctively held their breaths.

The pure white dress was elegantly arced in such a way that served to emphasize the lines of her body. Her bosom gave presence to the flower decorations and the gentle-sloping curves lustrously stretched around her feet like the fins of a mermaid. From her head, the long, long laced veil hung from her head resembled a blanket of piling snow atop her jet black hair. The dress didn’t try to hide her pure white skin. In fact, it was kindly encompassing her as if to promote that beauty.

Behind the covering of the veil, Yukinoshita closed her eyes and slowly walked in a manner to conceal her face.

“...Why me as well?”

I could hear that mutter escape from her veil.

She seemed rather upset. Even if she couldn’t be seen acting tough, it was easy to tell from her aura, and I mean just her aura. When her veil lightly fluttered, you could see a glimpse of her cheeks mixed with discontent and flushed bright red from embarrassment.

“Ooh, she is most certainly upset... Not even the veil can hide her true nature...”

“...What was that?”

A glare packed with coldness and intensity pierced me from behind the veil. It had to be that. Just like how the white kimono had the bridal headdress, the veil of the dress should be expected to have a similar effect. Although it seemed like it didn’t really have that effect for Yukinoshita.

Yukinoshita lined up next to Yuigahama as well and Komachi observed the two with a look of satisfaction. There was just one more person left in this Bride Outfit Showdown.

“Now then, for our final contestant, Hiratsuka-sensei~♪!”

Compared to how Komachi presented the other two, she seemed more relaxed this time. It made me curious as to why it sounded like she was saying final loser instead of final contestant.

But in spite of that soft announcement, the door slowly opened. In that instant, tranquility visited the room that made everyone forget to even breathe.

Easing into the home economics room was a beautiful woman with her eyes gracefully closed, taking single steps inwards while avoiding trampling on the long, continuing veil.

When Komachi went out to the front, the one who called her out was surprised herself and grew stiff.

“…Who?”

While bewildered, Komachi squeezed out a single word. No, I was thinking the same thing…

Her black hair that was always straight was tied into a bundle, consolidated together at a slightly high position. The interweaving laces that followed from there lightly wrapped around her exposed back but even so, it was unable to hide the beautiful curvatures that extended from her nape to her shoulder blades.

The dress had an orthodox, slightly classic style and that alone emphasized the beauty of every single part of her body. Her snow white gloves were thin that stretched to her fingers and the long skirt that expanded starting from her waist which acted as a simple tube top that decorated her hips emphasized the fine details of her skin and her abundant bosom.

“Hi-Hiratsuka-sensei. So pretty…”

“She should just look like that all the time…”

Yuigahama and Yukinoshita raised their voice in admiration and surprise, being moved from the sight before them despite being of the same sex.

“Hikigaya… How is it? I’m pretty good, aren’t I?”

Hiratsuka-sensei turned towards me and made a boastful laugh. It was an innocent smile that looked like she succeeded in playing a prank, filling in the missing piece of the dress.

It would’ve been preferable had I said something tactful at the moment, but apparently my eyes were absorbed in her appearance. When I noticed I was silent, I scratched my cheeks to try to hide my embarrassment.

“A-Aah… Well… Um… You’re very pretty.”

When I managed to say something, Hiratsuka-sensei blinked her eyes several times.

“…I-I see… T-Thank you.”

Hiratsuka-sensei buried her face in her bouquet and mumbled. The way she was trying to hide her redness that reached up to her ears didn’t coordinate with her age at all that it made her adorable. Really, just why couldn’t she get married…?

With Yuigahama, Yukinoshita, and Hiratsuka-sensei gathered, this was the end of the Bride Outfit Showdown. With the final showdown over, Komachi announced with a loud voice.

“Result presentation~!”

Komachi clapped her hands as she said that and we followed in suit and gave applause as well.

She nodded in satisfaction and Komachi made a sweeping look of the home economics room.

What she looked at were the piling plates in the sink, the flip boards and signing pens, and then, the girls in wedding dresses.

After seeing everything, Komachi made a wry smile.

“Aah, everyone was totally no good~… The winner’s pretty much Koma…”

“…”

Just as she was about to finish speaking, there was a stare filled with pressure coming from somewhere. A strong will that wouldn’t allow her to say any further could be felt. I looked in the direction of where I could feel that abnormally strong will and Hiratsuka-sensei was exuding a serious murderous intent.

Even so, Komachi attempted to finish her words.

“T-The winner is…”

“……”

As if trying to run away from that stare, Komachi looked away from Hiratsuka-sensei. A sweat fell from her brow.

“The, winner, is…”

“………!”

In the face of the overwhelming intensity, Komachi faltered and her shoulders went clack as they dropped. She continued the rest of her words with a powerless voice that sounded like it would disappear.

“T-The winner is… Hiratsuka-sensei, right…”

When she spoke fragmentally, Hiratsuka-sensei made a bright smile. This person’s way too happy here…

“Mm? I-Is that so? Well, ahahaha! Wow, to think I’d be the winner, huh! I wonder if marriage Is just around the corner, hm…?”

Yuigahama made a “tahaha” strained laugh to the shamelessly blurting Hiratsuka-sensei and Yukinoshita was silently amazed and let out a brief sigh. Komachi approached me with a sobbing voice going “fuee”, sniffed her nose, and wiped her tears.

“I-I was scared…. I was sooo scared…”

“There, there…”

As I patted Komachi’s head while cheering her up, something suddenly came to mind. That’s right. It’s because she had a part of her that was like this that Hiratsuka-sensei couldn’t get married, huh…

Looking at Hiratsuka-sensei who was celebrating by herself, Yuigahama clapped her hands as if she thought up of something.

“Ah, since we went through the trouble, let’s take a picture together!”

“Ah, that sounds nice! C’mon, onii-chan.”

Komachi who heard the suggestion suddenly made a smile. I knew she was faking her tears, but onii-chan wanted her to try just a little bit harder… And then, since we had to take the picture, she pushed on me from behind.

“Don’t push…”

When I was pushed to the front of the window where the glow of the setting sun began to shine through, standing there was Yukinoshita moved to the side as if trying to avoid me. She then tried to fade out from there.

“I’ll refrain.”

Although she said that, Yuigahama who was waiting in her path caught her.

“C’mon, Yukinon too.”

“Don’t cling onto me…”

Yuigahama pulled Yukinoshita along right towards the middle. She then pulled me closer by my sleeve.

“Don’t pull on me…”

“Yeah, yeah!”

She made a pleasant smile, further pulling on Yukinoshita’s arms and mine.

“We’re all ready to go here! I’m taking the picture!”

When Komachi finished setting the camera on her cellphone, likely using an automatic timer, she flew towards us.

“This isn’t so bad every now and then, right?”

Hiratsuka-sensei said with a gentle tone. She stood next to me and gently placed her hand on my shoulder. Well, if it’s every now and then. Ah, I’ll send the picture to Totsuka afterwards.

And then, the sound of the shutter echoed in the evening home economics room.

[[File:YahariLoveCom_v075_075.jpg|thumbnail|200px]]
 
<center><big>×　×　×</big></center>
 

It was late at night on Friday, a few days since the Wife Points Showdown.

We had our dinner and the only ones remaining in the living room was Komachi and I, my parents already having gone to sleep.

I was slumped on the sofa looking at my laptop while listening to the sound of Komachi washing the dishes in the kitchen. It completely went over my head, but we had to write a column that would be used on the page of the local magazine. Starting tomorrow was a weekend so if I concentrated late into the night, I should be able to make some progress.

Mammals were supposedly nocturnal beasts by nature. Since I was a mammal as well, I would be much more active during the night. Really, I want to do some breastfeeding.

I wrestled with the manuscript that I had yet to write a single word for, wondering what I should write for the thing they called a column. There was barely any time left until the deadline. Just what the heck did we do up until now, but that’s not it, seeee? Nothing’s just coming to mind, seeee? Do you understand this feeling, hm? You probably don’t riiiight? Because I totally don’t. Whatever, let’s just hurry up and write something.

I would repeatedly write and erase, erase and write, gradually getting things solidified in the process. My hands would stop whenever I contemplated about the things I needed to write and my language. The time I spent playing Kancolle on the side began to become longer than the time I spent typing away on the keyboard.

I guess this was as far as I could go for today huh…

Just as I was about to call it a day, the cellphone which I left on the table further away rumbled. The vibration notified me of an incoming call. Aah, but I couldn’t move my hands right now.

When I gave up and ignored it, Komachi turned off the faucet with a squeak and she returned from the kitchen while drying her hands with a towel. On her way back, she grabbed my cellphone and tossed it to me.

“Onii-chan, phone.”

“Mm.”

The phone went smack when I caught it. Well, since she got me the phone and all, there was no way I couldn’t pick up the phone now. Upon looking at the display, the caller was Yuigahama. I rested the cellphone on my shoulders all the while having an idea of what she was calling me for and started the phone as I did work.

“Hello?”

“Ah, Hikki, are you done?”

Bullseye. It was about the manuscript. If I had it done, I would’ve sent it over to you, jeez.

“Like it’d be that easy. Are you guys done on your end?”

“Uh huh, I drew the pictures. Yukinon is putting everything together. Once we get Hikki’s manuscript, we’re all done.”

Yukinoshita was doing the editing and compiling while Yuigahama was doing cut-out illustrations. It was a division of labor where each of us was assigned a job based on our aptitude.

Then again, the fact that they were waiting on my manuscript put unnecessary pressure which caused my hands to move slower though… When I went slightly quiet, being a little apologetic, I could hear a faint voice on the other end.

“Is he already finished?”

It was apparently Yukinoshita. Oh, was Yuigahama staying the night at Yukinoshita’s? Those two sure were hitting it off, hm…?

“Eh? Oh, okay. She asked if you’re done already.”

I could still hear Yuigahama’s voice, clear as ever. It looked like the phone was picking up Yukinoshita’s voice who didn’t seem to have been all that farther away.

“Not yet.”

“He said not yet. Eh, okay, I’ll ask.”

It sounded like Yuigahama was talking with Yukinoshita. There was a small pause before she answered again.

“She asked when you’ll be done.”

“No clue… Then again, this middleman business is a real pain.”

There wasn’t a need to play this telephone game, was there…? When I said that, on the other end of the phone was the exchange, “could you switch with me?” “okay, here”, that was slightly audible.

“Hello.”

“Yo.”

The one who spoke on the phone was Yukinoshita. Speaking of which, this might’ve been the first time we’ve ever spoken on the phone. While thinking those kinds of things, Yukinoshita went straight to the point.

“When will you be done?”

I reflexively winced to her usual, unchanging cold tone. Even on the phone, her words were packed with a forcible pressure.

“S-Sometime this week…”

When I stuttered on my words due to the slight feelings of guilt taking its toll on me, a small sigh could be heard from the other end of the phone.

“Today’s Friday, so I can assume by ‘sometime the week’ you mean today, right? Do you know when the deadline is?”

“B-By Monday…”

“That’s called next week. We’ll leave your column blank and move on ahead. Once you’re done, send it over.”

“Right. Ah, by send, you mean”

“Bye.”

She hung up the phone, not bothering to wait for me to finish my reply. Only the sound of buzzing could be heard. I glared at my phone and muttered to myself.

“…How can I send you anything if I don’t know your address?”

That’s why, no matter how hard I tried, the delivery of the manuscript would be pushed to Monday anyway. It couldn’t be helped. It was Yukinoshita’s fault for not listening to me properly… Well, the fact I wouldn’t meet the deadline made us even, yep.

I let out a brief sigh, being relieved from finishing that phone call. I flung my cellphone aside and rotated my shoulders.

But there wasn’t much time left to work. It was a real pain, so let’s get this over with quickly.

When I reengaged with the computer once again, coffee was offered to me before my eyes.

I looked up and Komachi was standing with two cups, one in each hand.

I took a cup from her with gratitude and Komachi took a seat next to me. It looked like she was going to stay awake and hang around.

“You don’t need to wait for me or anything.”

I wasn’t really sure how long it’d take. I might even have to stay up all night. When I said that, she shook her head.

“It’s okay. I want to read it so I’ll wait.”

“…If you say so.”

Well, tomorrow’s a weekend. It should be fine even if it’s a little later than usual. After taking a sip of my coffee and saying that, I began typing away on the keyboard.

Working alone usually meant I’d take it easy, but with someone waiting on me nearby, the only thing I could do was put in some effort and get things done.

In hoping to get as done as soon as possible, I continued to write and write with my poor writing and the pages and time began to pile.

In the quietness of the night, the sound of key presses echoed. Occasionally, only the sound of falling water droplets could be heard.

During that time, amongst all those sounds, there was a faint breathing of someone sleeping.

Having finished a majority of the piece and thinking that there was just a little more left, I took a look to my side and Komachi was dozing off.

With the comfortable weight resting against my shoulders, I closed my eyes for a split moment.

However, it was that instant.

Without waking up Komachi, I quietly hammered in the final paragraph that flashed by in my head.

 

Whether it is marriage or the future, no one knows what will happen down the road.

Common sense of the world dictates that to prepare meant to bring forth new sorrow.

But the right to wish for happiness is something held by everyone.

The effort for what is to come should not be neglected. In conclusion, the fine ladies of the world should claim a full-time house husband of their dreams before it is too late. And done.

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===Translation Notes===

<references/>

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| Back to [[My youth romantic comedy is wrong as I expected v7.5 S.S. 1|Short Story 1]]
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| Forward to [[My youth romantic comedy is wrong as I expected v7.5 S.S. 2|Short Story 2]]
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Mondaiji-tachi ga isekai kara kuru soudesu yo:Volume 6 Chapter 2

2014-05-29T05:32:55Z

Monsterbandage: /* Chapter 2 */

==Chapter 2==

===Part 1===

[Kouen, City of Brilliant Flames], Processing Workroom District—Number 88th workroom.

Asuka gazed at the yellow colored pillar of smoke that rose from the brick chimney on the roof with appreciative admiration reflected in her eyes. Perhaps it was the intriguing beauty that didn’t seem to match the environment of the industrial workrooms that caught her eye.

The ‘Rare Sacred Iron’ Soldier<ref>[magref notes:‘Rare Sacred Iron’ I’m placing it like this though the text didn’t have the ‘’ stuff. Somehow it looks neater to me….]</ref>—Deen had already been transported to the biggest warehouse in the workroom district.

During the battle with the Huge Dragon in [Underwood], Deen had been wrecked up badly and had been handed over to [Will O’ Wisp] for the repairs.

Seeing Deen being fully repaired to his original state, Asuka gave a cheer in delight.

“Deen…… You’re fixed! It’s good to see you……!”

“DeN”

The single eye of Deen lit up as he responded to his master’s voice. His body frame should have been strapped down firmly earlier on but probably due to being notified on Asuka’s arrival, they have released those restrictions on him.

“He had been in quite a wrecked up state……so I’m taking it that this is the gift that Izayoi’s been talking about?”

“Yahohohohoho! Of course it’s not just that!”

A blaze started to pour out of a candle that sat on one of the candle holders built in the wall.

“It’s been some time, good to see you<ref>[magref notes: yes I added the good to see you part… sounds more English like what he’s supposed to say.]</ref>, Asuka-san! Kuro Usagi-san!”

“YES! It’s good to see that you are still your usual self, Jack san!”

“Nn, that’s right. Hearing your cheerful voice puts me in cheerful mood too.”

Asuka and Kuro Usagi, who had cocked her rabbit-ears to the side, gave their greetings together.

Sweeping their gazes around the room, the two murmured admiringly.

“Come to think about it, is it really okay for us to borrow such a large workroom? It looks replete<ref>[magref notes: replete-filled]</ref> with all sorts of equipment……the price couldn’t have come cheap right?”

“Yahoho! Actually, this place was loaned to us with Sala-sama’s introduction! This is also the studio<ref>[magref notes: studio-workroom/warehouse, using it interchangeably]</ref> of Sala-sama while she was still a member of [Salamandra] then!”

The original studio of Sala——hearing Jack’s words, Asuka took another look around the warehouse.

Handcrafted candlesticks could be seen lining the walls, giving the studio a uniquely playful atmosphere. The scattered equipment looked worn at their handles, giving the feel of being used quite often in their master’s projects and the sense of nostalgia left behind by their owner. And at the same time, the room was filled with a very feminine and yet authoritative style of decoration which fitted the description of Sala perfectly.

After taking in the room’s layout with her eyes,

“Well then, Jack what’s that Gift you spoke of?” Asuka suddenly stopped her pacing as she looked to Jack with anticipation shining in her eyes.

The flames in Jack’s pumpkin head had also taken on a sharper intensity as he replied:

“Hoho……We have called you over today for the fulfillment of one of the Alliance conditions—the refining process and ritual for endowing the Gift properties to the [Diamond Iron Ore] has just completed.”

“Is that for real?”

“Yes. And besides the new equipment that have been created according to the list placed in the orders, we have also prepared two new Gifts for Asuka-san……Having said that, we’re still not officially in an Alliance as of yet and we do not have the right to procure a cache of [Diamond Iron Ore] either. So we could only use what little that remained of the ores kept in the treasury of [No Name].”

A serious flame burnt in the depths of the hollowed out eye holes of the pumpkin head.

The ores that he spoke of most probably referred to the [Diamond Iron Ore] that was brought to [Six Scars].

“It’s just that these ores were too little in this sort of urgent situation. So after obtaining the permission from Izayoi-san and Kasukabe-san, I’ve prioritized the creation of Gifts for Asuka-san.”

“That….Wouldn’t that mean ……you are giving me three Gifts?”

“Amazing! With this, it will certainly give a great boost to your combat prowess!”

Kuro Usagi started to wave her arms in joy.

The unexpected Gifts caused Asuka to be surprised to the point of being disconcerted in her thoughts.

At the same time, she started to feel uneasy with the arrangement. Kudou Asuka’s body was just that of an ordinary girl and this had been proven many times in her fights. No matter how strong the equipment may be, it might just be a waste of effort. That was something that she learnt in her fight with Percher and she had kept that lesson well in mind.

Asuka clenched her fists as she muttered in a rarely seen polite tone.

“To prepare these many Gifts at one go……When I’m already struggling with Deen. Wouldn’t it have been better to create Gifts for Izayoi<ref>[magref notes: ok this is just for fun…. Not too sure but it seems like Asuka is close to Izayoi huh from this speech….]</ref> or Kasukabe-san……”

“But Asuka-san. There’s no doubt that you will die if you continue fighting Demon Lords with just your current get-up, you know?”

“Wha……!” Asuka swallowed the rest of her question.

Perhaps that half of a shout was due to her surprise from hearing such blunt words coming from the gentlemanly Jack which was quite unthinkable in itself. But regarding that straightforward comment that didn’t have a scrape of reservation, Asuka was clear about that fact as well. Unable to come up with a retort, Asuka could only droop her shoulders in a dejected manner. And Jack only smiled as he started to bobble his pumpkin head while continuing:

“Asuka-san, the three of you hold a different talent respectively. And amongst them, your talent could be said to be the rarest—another way to put describe it would be to liken it as a cherry blossom that is late to bloom.”

“I’m…..a cheery blossom that is late to bloom?”

“That’s right. In order to allow the new petals to fully unfurl in its full glory, I’ll present you with these Gifts—The masterpieces that [Will O’ Wisp] created through the pooling of our resources and strengths! After obtaining these Gifts, the fog of Asuka-san’s worries will disperse like dew with the coming of a new dawn!”

So we hope that you will believe in yourself.

The fiery will and words of motivation seemed to flow deep into Asuka’s heart. The Pumpkin gentleman held Asuka’s hands as he returned the wine red Gift Card to its rightful owner once more. As the Gift card had been left in his care all these while.

Seeming to have been affected by Jack’s contagious cheerful smile, Asuka’s taut face started to relax.

“Thank you Jack. The Gift you’ve made for me……I will use it well.”

“Yahoho, please use it well then! For I’m sure that would really make those two happy as well!”

……Mhm? Asuka tilted her head.

One would be Ayesha and the other would be referring to whom?

But before she could ask the question, Jack had already happily continued with his words.

“Come on, now let’s proceed to the Stadium of the Game Stage area!”

“Game…Game Stage?”

“That’s right! Though I’ve seen Asuka-san’s battle all these while……what you need the most is to be more comfortable with using the Gifts! And that means to accumulate as much battle experience as possible! Then the battle tactics of Garol would also be put to practical use right?! Yahohoho!” Jack’s pumpkin head revolved in the air as he laughed.

Feeling a sense of dread, Asuka and Kuro Usagi exchanged a surprised glance at each other.

“Could… Could it be that ……you want me to join the Game? For real?”

“<nowiki>That’s~~~</nowiki> OF COURSE! As part of the commemoration for the first ever hosting of the Convention, we will not be collecting any Participating fee you know?! Please use this chance—And pluck the crown in the Game of <Duel of Creators> in just a breath.”

“Wha……”The both of them opened their mouths in a half exclaim before getting stumped. The reason didn’t need to be said.

Yō would also be participating in the Game. The both of them had just wanted to voice out their protests when there came the sound of heavy footsteps moving in what seemed to be a bad temper and a familiar voice that interrupted their words.

“HAAAAAAAAAAH? The ones who are here to retrieve Deen and ‘Fortress’ is actually the [No Name]s? What’s this all about? I’ve not heard about this, you know?

“Please…Please wait a moment! It’s better to leave this place to Jack-sama to……”

“Quit your nagging! The one who repaired those two items is none other than my great self! All of you better shut your traps!”

“Don’t …Laius-sama!”

“Eh?” the sound escaped the lips of Asuka and Kuro Usagi in surprise as they looked at each other.

“……Kuro Usagi, I’m not dreaming right? I seemed to have heard a familiar despicable name being mentioned.”

“Des…Despicable, Kuro Usagi will leave that aside for now but that name of Laius, could it be……”

In the next moment, the door that led to the back was kicked open.

And appearing from the billowing dust cloud was a man who had a [Medusa Head] Flag engraved before his chest.

Previously defeated by the [No Name]s a few months earlier—Laius of [Perseus] was staring at them in rage.

===Part 2===

Little Garden, Outer Gate Number 54545’s Stage Area, The Arena before the [Tablet of the Sea of Stars].

Kasukabe Yō had just arrived in the area and the sparkling sculptures of glass flowers that decorated the area around her made it one of the most beautiful places within [Kouen City]. But it wasn’t merely those glass pieces that made the corridor such a beautiful place. It was the addition of precious gemstones that gave off the twinkling light of stars that made the place take on a dream-like quality.<ref> [magref notes: original would be The various gemstones that seemed to give off a radiance like those of stars also served to make the corridor even more eye-catching. Errr…. Nvm I think the direct translations would have erased all the artistic sense in the description so yeah…]</ref>

This corridor also served as an area to commemorate the generations of crafters who had helped in the building as well as maintaining of the North Side Territories for various monuments in remembrance of the crafters that had been gathered in this place.

And if Yō were to come through as the champion of the Game such as the <Duel of Creators> during the Birth of the Fire Dragon Matsuri, she would obtain the rights to carve her Community’s name and Flag onto the Corridor of Displays. Aside from that, if one won in a Game hosted to compete within the technique and art of crafted masterpieces, they would also obtain the right to display their accomplishment in the stone pedestal of the Corridor of Displays.

Looking around at the countless precious masterpieces showcased around her, Yō started to feel a sense of doubt taking seed in her heart as she tilted her head.

(''……Is it really possible for me to take part in this Game?'')

Just as mentioned earlier, the North Side is where Gifts of refining metals, manufacturing by crystallizations, alchemical arts and the like circulated widely. And perhaps it was due to the climate of this region, the population of Humans were dense in these areas. The fact that the race of Humans didn’t possess much power was one that everyone knew well. As long as the birth is an ordinary one, it wouldn’t be too much to say that Humans ranked at the lowest rungs of the power ladder. But in the North Side, the talent of creating Gifts though the techniques of Human or Spirit alike were highly prized treasures there.

Hence the creativity of Humankind in developing techniques and skills received high praise and the North soon became a place that made it easier for Humankind to call it their home. Amongst them were Communities that have left their mark on the [Tablet of the Sea of Stars], having had their strength recognized and receiving high praise from [Salamandra].

And those who were now gathered in the arena were all fierce competitors who would wish to leave their mark of their accomplishments behind for generations to come. In a large collection of strong competitors, would it really be a good idea for herself to be mixed in amongst them……Yō started to ponder such stuff as she stared blankly in front of her.

(''Just visiting this Corridor of Displays has already been quite a pleasant experience for me. Even for the Community, I shouldn’t allow any smear to get on our reputation……right?'')

Yō tilted her head as she started to give it some thought. Having been brought up in an environment that lacked much interactions with others, Yō didn’t know much about these sort of things. Just shortly before, Yō might still be able to ask Calico Cat’s opinion about it, but he’s no longer by her side. Having been injured in the battle against the huge Dragon, he had decided to retire and spend the rest of his life in [Underwood]’s Great Tree.

(''……'')

Yō continued to stare at the displays with a distant look in her eyes.

That was something that was decided after they had both sat down to talk about it.

Calico cat had been born on the same day as Yō and he’s an old cat who has seen through fourteen winters with her. It could even be said that he’s closer than her next of kin.

And precisely due to that reason, Calico cat was very worried with Yō’s capability in interacting with other Humans more than anyone else.

“Ojou, you aren’t alone anymore, you need to learn how to live amongst humans in society from today onwards.”

Having been told of such a thing by Calico who was heavily covered in bandages, Yō couldn’t bring herself to deny it. After all it was a separation that would have to come sooner or later. Though she might feel lonely, but the rejection of such a request would have been equivalent to betraying the other.

So Yō hid her sadness while passing Calico cat to Garol of [Six Scars] while entrusting the future care and treatment of the wounds to him. The people of [Six Scars] who were also future allies in their Alliance had also readily agreed to her request to care for Calico Cat while treating him like one of their own.

Obtaining the guarantee of the others that the environment of the Great Tree helped recovery at a faster speed, the human and cat then set off on their separate paths. Hence from that day onwards, Yō had to reach her own conclusions.

For if she couldn’t do that, she wouldn’t be able to face Calico Cat squarely with pride.

(''Nn. Garol-san had already given me encouragement by making known his support for me. I must do my best as well.'')

Yō clenched her fists tightly.

He who had claimed to be her father, Kasukabe Koumei’s friend, Garol had really helped the [No Name]s a lot. But he never brought up any talk of his past with her father and had only left this line for her when they were about to go their separate ways—

“Currently, I can’t say anything about it. But if you really want to know Koumei, you will need to chase after his footsteps. Only then will you understand what kind of man he is.”

The next two months following that day, Yō had tried her best to search for a trace on her father’s whereabouts but had come up with nothing.

Leticia had also been adamant with a reply of ‘Its fine to just wait for now’. And so she had come to visit the Corridor of Displays to look at the [Tablet of Sea of Stars].

(''It’s said that there are only a handful of Corridors for displays in Little Garden and I had thought that it might be a place to start searching for my father’s crafted pieces……But it sure seems like it’s not that easy after all.'')

Troubled by the lack of results, Yō crossed her arms. There was still another method for her to get a lead. And that was to participate in the Game while registering the [Genome Tree] as the specific Gift to be used while observing the reaction of the crowd then.

But to appear in the Game where many famous blacksmiths and sculptors had signed up to vie for glory, it still gave her the feeling of uneasiness. If it were only a blemish to her name and becoming a laughing stock, it might have been much easier to bear but she didn’t want to bring shame to [No Name] again because of that.

<nowiki>*Plonk!*</nowiki>

Ouch. That hurts. But Yō still couldn’t think up of a solution. She who couldn’t arrive at a plan could only reach up to take the sharp yet blunt weapon that had been dropped on her head.

(''……what is this?'')

That was a blunt weapon that took the appearance of a cross while its topmost was a rounded piece. From the shape of it, it would be more similar to a ‘hammer’ than a cross.

……No, isn’t it literally a hammer?

(''This is really dangerous. If it weren’t me, a person might have been grievously injured.'')

Yō looked around her but it’s a really impossible task to find the culprit amongst the crowd that milled around the Corridor of displays. Tilting her head quizzically, Yō thought to herself that perhaps in the craftsman city of [Kouen City], hammers dropping from nowhere might just be a common thing. Just then—

<nowiki>*Plonk!*</nowiki>

Another strike came flying at her.

Yō gripped the hammer in her hand tightly. Once might have passed for a coincidence but twice would make it clearly intentional. Moreover for the person to escape Yō’s five senses that were as sharp as a wild beast, that would make the throw truly unusual.

(''……'')

She quietly took on a battle stance. Since there’s a second, a third wouldn’t be that surprising.

Closing her eyes to focus on her hearing, Yō prepared herself for the third wave.

Yō wasn’t that forgiving to laugh while receiving some unknown attacks. Izayoi had said that the market rate for him was to return things tenfold. Whereas for Yō, she would want to return it a hundredfold.

Preparing to sense the hammer that would fly out from the crowd at her—

“…..Are you alright?”

“?!!”

Yō almost leapt out of her skin.

Suddenly having a stranger striking up a conversation with her, Yō had almost fallen to the ground in her surprise.

And that was to be expected for in the state where Yō had heightened her senses to the maximum, for this female stranger to approach this close would have been impossible. But it was a fact that the young lady<ref>[magref notes: girl or lady? Hmmm young girl would be very young… young lady might sound a little older…>.<]</ref> stood before her and it could be said to be a flawless sneak attack.

“Uh, um……”

[[Image:Mondaiji-tachi_ga_isekai_kara_kuru_soudesu_yo_v06_001a.jpg|thumb]]

Yō’s mouth was half agape as she looked at the girl who seemed to be the same age as herself.

Then, she was stumped by surprise once more.

The young lady had a sweet baby face with a slightly wavy twin tailed hairdo, her curvaceous body-line didn’t seem to match the age that she appeared to be from just the face alone. Although her height did not differ greatly from Yō’s, her breasts were filled out like those of a grown woman. The black and blue laced Gothic Lolita outfit boldly revealed her legs and part of her breasts, making her look very attractive.

The bold choice of dressing would have made others to think that she’s trying to lure men to fall for the temptations but those eyes of hers were pure and innocent while defenselessly revealing large parts of her body. Be it guys or girls, anyone would definitely have their pulse set racing at the sight of such a girl.

But with such an overly tempting and attractive appearance, it had instead triggered the caution in Yō’s heart.

(''This child……isn’t human?'')

Doll-like—A demon in the form of a girl. That was the line that flashed through Yō’s mind.

The girl did not notice Yō’s caution as she moved closer look at Yō’s face:

“……is your head fine?”

“Ah, Nn. It’s fine. But who are you?”

The girl gave a slight nod.

The girl’s every action was incredibly cute and just that slight nod already compounded to the overall cuteness. Even if it’s Yō, she would also be unable to beat up such a cute girl. So possessing that level of understanding, Yō—

<nowiki>*Swish!*</nowiki>

“!”

Only gave a chop with her hand with a strength that wasn’t too little … just enough to smash a boulder.

“Let’s call it quits like that.”

“……Nn.”

The mysterious girl nodded her head. It would seem that she had given it some self-reflection.

Yō sorted out her thoughts as she planned to make a self-introduction but the girl was a step ahead in taking the initiative.

“You are joining the Game too?”

“……Game? You mean the <Duel of Creators>?”

The girl nodded her head as the pair of pure and innocent eyes stared at Yō fixedly.

Though Yō’s a laconic person, this girl seemed to be even more reserved with her words. It’s truly Yō’s first time to have met such a strong opponent for she had never met a girl who’s more laconic<ref>[magref notes: I’m sure I used the word laconic before. But if you are wondering about it, it means a person with very few words/to the point.]</ref> than herself.

Yō, who haven’t decided whether to turn up for the event, nodded her head while replying:

“……Nn. I will be joining.”

A smile spread across the girl’s face.

“Great. With this, I can complete the promise I’ve made to Koumei.”

“Eh—“At the moment when Yō was left speechless—

The girl vanished without any warning.

“—That must be a lie right?!”

Vanishing into thin air. That’s right, just vanishing.

It wasn’t by disguising her scent or a rapid get-away nor was it taking to the skies. Such biological disguises would not be able to fool the senses of Yō.

The girl who had suddenly appeared had also simply vanished before Yō without a trace.

(''How did she do that……No compared to that……'')

Koumei—That was the name which people who are close to her father Kasukabe Koumei used to call him. Then, the girl might have been referring to her father by saying the name ‘Koumei’.

(''Could it be……that I’ve actually found a lead on my father’s whereabouts?'')

Yō gazed towards the arena from the Corridor of Displays as her eyes were no longer clouded with the troubled look of earlier.

Looks like she had finally found a reason to appear in the ring.

While looking out for the figure of the sweet looking girl, Yō made her way to the registration office.

===Part 3===

—[Ruby Cave], Underground bathhouse

The North had abundant precipitation in the form of snow but it didn’t really rain much.

And that was no exception for [Kouen City] that received the protection of the chandelier. It was the responsibility for the [Floor Master] for the intervention with the weather of Little Garden but there’s always an inherent difference in the climates of the North Side as compared to the East Side that experiences a spring season throughout the whole year. Of which the Masters would be unable to eliminate with their powers even if they wanted to.

It’s all thanks to the bonfires on the chandelier that the snow rarely collected on the pathways. But the canals were another matter entirely as it often froze up when the temperatures drop with the onset of a heavy snowfall.

And to solve that problem, they created underground canals.

[Kouen City] was a natural fortress that had its entire back of its Outer Wall built against a huge mountain range. The mountain range that was covered with a dense forest served as a huge natural reservoir, forming the lifeline that runs through the lands.<ref>[magref notes: This part is where the author tries to use some artistic talent in describing a drainage basin where all the water flows from the higher points in the region:mountains , and converge to form a river that runs down through Kouen City. Free diagram of a mountain range and drainage basin at the top.]</ref>

Through means of channelization, they led the flow into the underground canals to control the flow.

The bathhouse that Percher and the others were visiting at the moment was one that was close to the by-product of the heat manufacturing plant which prevents the freezing of the flow in the channels.

(''……No. Compared to all that… Isn’t the progress of the situation way too strange?'')

Thinking up to that point, Percher, who was in the children’s changing room, gave a sigh of relief.

Rin and Sandora who had also escaped into the changing room were happily undressing themselves with a harmonious atmosphere that seemed to take the things that were happening around them in their stride.

“Right~A Public bath for children. And naturally there won’t be any adults coming here.”

“Nn. Although it’s not their usual business hours, but I’ve asked the staff at the counter to let us in.”

“Ooh! As expected of Sandora! That’s just an abuse of authority as the leader of the Community!”

And it was just as Rin had said. This sort of situation was the worst possible scenario for Percher for in the bathhouse for children, there was definitely not a chance for them to meet the other members of [No Name].

(''Being unable to meet up with Asuka and the others……Then I should at least tell Jin in on the situation……'')

The ‘Piper of Hamelin’ Ring that was worn on Jin’s right hand bore witness to their contract. And due to the contract that forges the relation between them as Master and subordinate, they were able to communicate through the contract ring in secret.

It would be simple for her to tell Jin that ‘Rin and His Highness are our enemies’ through the link in the contract ring, but—

(''……in the instant that their identities are exposed, they would be sure to show their true colors and bare their fangs.'')

The crux of the problem now was whether Jin’s capable of hiding it from them while he receives the message.

Although Jin did possess the capabilities in bargaining which he has started to pick up, but he’s still fundamentally a youth and Percher wasn’t that confident in him being able to hide his inner feelings.

No matter how much Percher was rattled by this situation, she could only rein those feelings in for now.

(''Although I don’t know what sort of scheme they are up to, but those two are willing to play along with the current situation. Perhaps it’s just underestimating us, but this condition of the situation is still quite good.'')

In any case, I must first dig up the intent of the other party.

Having reached a decision in her thoughts, Percher started to undress by undoing the buttons on her maid outfit. Though she really hated baths, but she didn’t want to let them out of her sight. So Percher followed Rin and Sandora who had proceeded towards the baths before her—

“AH, Jin! You guys came in first?!”

And she tripped over herself.

“ “——Hah……?!” ”

Percher and Jin gave a loud cry in surprise and the reason needn’t be said.

This was a normal bathhouse that was similar to any other in the world——which means that everyone was naked in there.

===Part 4===

—Let’s backtrack time by a little.

Jin who had taken off his clothes in a jiffy sat beside a pedestal that sprayed hot water to wash his hair.

With a practiced action of pressing out the shampoo, Jin made it foam and bubble. And he could tell from just the fragrance given off by the shampoo that the public bath had prepared shampoo that could be said to be of a high quality.

This should be shampoo made from the distilled essence of petals. And it could be said to be a luxury item to the [No Name]s.

Rubbing the white foamy shampoo suds in his palms—Jin was a bit troubled.

The source of the troubles was of course that white haired golden iris youth who sat silently in a corner.

(''This…This is so awkward……'')

It’s just been a quarter of an hour since they first met each other and his real name was still unknown. Within just that short span of meeting each other, he had already ended up in this situation where they saw each other’s naked body.

The situation defied conventional logic—in a certain sense, Jin did not have any method to break this strange atmosphere around him.

“……”

Jin slid a sidelong glance.

The youth who was called His Highness was sitting before the mirror to be used for washing one’s hair without a word nor did he do anything at all as he just sat in a straight posture while staring at the pump that dispensed the shampoo. That scene was really strange.

The shampoo found in this place was definitely a highly priced product and it was clear that the living standards between a 5 digit and a 7 digit was just that wide.

But this youth’s gaze didn’t seem to be one that looked at it in distaste—But it was more of a gaze from one who had never seen such a thing before and it was curiosity that filled his eyes.

“Erm, that… Your Highness-kun?”

“Yes, is something the matter?”

The serious reply from the youth responded to Jin’s nickname for him, causing Jin to feel more troubled.

Originally thinking to warm the atmosphere with a joke of calling him with that ‘Your Highness-kun’ that didn’t seem to be a superior nor a junior way of addressing someone, but when used upon this youth that seemed unbound by the rules of this world, jokes didn’t seem to have an effect on him.

It seems like I must use a much simpler joke to launch my attack, Jin thought to himself while setting his determination for the task.

“That……even if you keep staring at the pump for the shampoo……”

“Oh is that so? So this is called a pump.”

<nowiki>*Uwa!*</nowiki>

“It….It is called a pump. Shampoo is contained within it.”

“Oh, I see, I get it now. Pressing this part will cause a rise in the internal pressure and cause the fluid to rise from within. Though it’s a simple structure but it sure is a landmark invention.”

“That…That’s right.”

“Nn.” His Highness reached out his hand to the shampoo pump in admiration.

At this point, Jin pursed his lips in an unpleasant foreboding.

“Could it be….you have never washed your hair……”

“That’s rude. My hair is washed every day.”

“Really?”

“Yes. It’s just that I don’t wash it myself.”

His Highness replied with a serious expression.

……seems like he’s telling the truth. His hair was normally washed by others.

Jin could only give a long sigh while looking up at the ceiling.

“……Just asking in advance, do you know how to wash your hair?”

“Although I’m not too sure, but I do know of the theory behind it. The water and shampoo comes into contact with air to have a chemical reaction and then rubbing it to form bubbles, that’s all, right?”

“Ye…Yes! You need to use the foam to remove the oil from your hair.”

“So it’s like that. Jin’s really knowledgeable. Okay—“

His Highness excitedly pressed on the pump. Was it just overthinking things a bit? For it seemed like he was really enjoying this process of forming a large amount of foamy bubbles in his hands before washing his hair with a face of amazement.

Jin asked with a wry smile:

“Normally your hair is washed by a servant of yours?”

“Ah, Nn. There are three exclusive attendants to follow me but Graiya Oji-chan’s really clumsy with his movements and the task of washing my hair is mainly left to Aura or Rin.”

“Rin……Could it be that girl just now? You allow girls to wash your hair?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

His Highness lifted his head of white hair while having a surprised expression but that movement caused a bit of the shampoo suds<ref>[magref note: sud is the soapy water.]</ref> to get into his eye and he quickly closed his eyes seemingly in pain. It would seem that His Highness had really never washed his hair on his own before.

Jin was dumbfounded as his mouth was agape, but he raised a serious question:

“Your Highness……is the successor of your Community?”

“Precisely because I am that I’ve gotten such an intimate nickname like that.”

“And your real name?”

“Secret. Jin, if you are able to guess it, I will tell you.”

He game a smile as he lifted his head again. This time, it caused some suds to drip into his other eye and he used his hand to rub it in reflex. The first time washing his hair was instantly turned into a tragedy.

“……washing my own hair by myself sure is tough.”

Muttering while tolerating his pain. It should have been pain enough to become irritable but perhaps this coolness was part of his talent and Jin was secretly impressed.

Just as he applied the soap suds to his hair and was about to scrub—

“AH, Jin! You guys came in first?!”

Jin tripped over himself. And it was while in his sitting position that he tripped together with the stool to turn a full half circle with the momentum.

“ “——Hah……?!” ”

This was a normal bathhouse that was similar to any other in the world——which means that everyone was naked in there.

“You…You must be lying right?”

Of course it wasn’t a lie, nor was it a metaphor.

Five youths of both guys and girls were all without their clothes—No, to be more precise, with the exception of Rin who wrapped a bath towel around herself, the other four youths of both guys and girls were all naked.

But Sandora paid it no mind as she rushed over with her red hair swaying behind her.

“Jin, it’s been three years since we last bathed together! And I remember that we used to bathe together in the past too!”

“Ara, so Jin also did get help from others. And here I thought that I was the only weird one.”

“Eh? Nno…wawait, that’s not it…!”

Jin frantically tried to explain as he stammered on his words.

Ignoring Jin’s situation, Rin who was wrapped up in a bath towel walked up to His Highness.

“Uwa! His Highness is actually washing his own hair! What mind of emotional change could have caused this?!”

“No, it’s not an emotional influence but a situational one. If there’s no one around to help me, I would just have to do it alone right?”

“Ooh, I see!” Rin replied, impressed. She then started to help His Highness to wash his white hair in a matter-of-factly. ……What sort of relation did those two have?<ref>[magref notes for fun: What is this relationship, the two men getting incredible feeling. That’s google translate …. Boy girl Love-love became yaoi love love XD]</ref> It really seemed to be getting weirder by the moment.

But upon seeing their actions, Sandora had also taken an interest in it as she came to stand behind Jin.

“Then, let me help Jin to wash as well!”

“San…Sandora!”

Sandora happily wriggled her fingers in excitement. To avoid any misunderstanding, she’s still currently in the nude.

Jin covered the part that logically required his covering as he ran around the bathhouse with a red face. And Sandora happily chased after him while Rin looked on at them in a happy mood.

Only Percher was alone in a corner covering her body as she muttered wordlessly to the Heavens:

(''……this sort of situation. What do you want me to do?'')

[[Image:Mondaiji-tachi_ga_isekai_kara_kuru_soudesu_yo_v06_078.jpg|thumb|center]]

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===Translator’s notes===
<references/>

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Talk:Mondaiji-tachi ga isekai kara kuru soudesu yo:Volume 1 Chapter 8

2014-05-16T16:55:28Z

Monsterbandage: Created page with "quick question, in this part "Kuro Usagi grabbed the hand of Jin who almost got himself caught up in the collateral destruction. Those who possessed wings to fly had taken off..."

quick question, in this part "Kuro Usagi grabbed the hand of Jin who almost got himself caught up in the collateral destruction. Those who possessed wings to fly had taken off to the skies but even then, the terrible sight before him still caused him to hold his breath in shock." isnt Kuro Usagi the judge in this game so she shouldn't be able to interfere in any way like she did when she saved Jin. Is this a plot hole or is there like a loop hole to the judge status?

Talk:Mondaiji-tachi ga isekai kara kuru soudesu yo:Volume 5 Prologue

2014-02-28T06:25:50Z

Monsterbandage:

You know, I don't want to be a Pest, but we need consistency. In a lot of things. Did Percher/Pest have multiple names in Japanese too? That would explain this, I mean it's not just different romanizations of the same name.
So let's discuss her name here, and decide what to do with her. Personally I don't really care if I have to change her name everywhere in volume 2, or everywhere in volume 5. [[User:Draconic|Draconic]] ([[User talk:Draconic|talk]]) 09:47, 5 January 2014 (CST)

magref doesn't use the wiki, so if you want to have a discussion with him, you should post in the forum. If it is an alternative interpretation from what was used previously (magref's comment implies that it is), my recommendation would be to wait until Firebird and/or the other translators can weigh in before changing anything in either location. It will be easy enough to change in the future with find and replace, after there has been proper discussion among the translators and supervisor. --[[User:Cthaeh|Cthaeh]] ([[User talk:Cthaeh|talk]]) 13:56, 5 January 2014 (CST)

I see... I hope Firebird will see this soon, and he can discuss the matter with magref. I didn't plan on changing her name in either place until the translators have confirmed it between themselves. [[User:Draconic|Draconic]] ([[User talk:Draconic|talk]]) 15:22, 5 January 2014 (CST)

Talk:Mondaiji-tachi ga isekai kara kuru soudesu yo:Volume 5 Prologue

2014-02-26T07:15:33Z

Monsterbandage:

Talk:Mondaiji-tachi ga isekai kara kuru soudesu yo:Volume 3 Chapter 5

2014-02-21T06:13:04Z

Monsterbandage: Created page with "small question why does asuka call jin, jinoniichan here “Long…Long time no see……Is it right to reply that way, Jin-oniisan?” i dont remember her doing this before a..."

small question why does asuka call jin, jinoniichan here
“Long…Long time no see……Is it right to reply that way, Jin-oniisan?”
i dont remember her doing this before and isnt she older than him?

Talk:Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai: CONNECT When It All Began

2013-10-23T06:44:45Z

Monsterbandage:

omg i love this. I read the manga version of this a while back and it made me laugh so hard back then. My face looked like the yao ming meme while i was reading this. TY for translation!

Talk:Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai: CONNECT When It All Began

2013-10-23T06:44:24Z

Monsterbandage: Created page with "omg i love this. I read the manga version of this a while back and it made my laugh so hard back then. My face looked like the yao ming meme while i was reading this. TY for t..."

omg i love this. I read the manga version of this a while back and it made my laugh so hard back then. My face looked like the yao ming meme while i was reading this. TY for translation!

Talk:My youth romantic comedy is wrong as I expected v7 Chapter 6

2013-10-16T07:08:18Z

Monsterbandage:

"An unfamilliar ceiling..." - Evangelion reference.

Zaimokuza came to invite me like how Nakajima would go to invite Isono. - 'Sazae-san' reference (?) [[User:Kiyoso|Kiyoso]] ([[User talk:Kiyoso|talk]])

For this line: " As the older brother, I’m very [is there something that should be here? like certain or happy]that my little sister was loved by so many people."

Talk:Hidan no Aria Archived

2013-09-06T22:54:46Z

Monsterbandage: /* Translation/Editing Board */

== Translation/Editing Board ==

Hi! I've finally finished translating Volume 10 Chapter 1. Guys, please help me edit. I don't think I did a good job though.

I'm currently working on Volume 10 Chapter 3, after I finish this chapter (it'll take about half a week), I will head on to the Afterword, and then you guys can read it :D

People who are worrying about Volume 11 to 14, please bear with us. As of now, many translators seem to be dormant. I think only Hiyono and I are working on it. And apparently Hiyono has ceased his operations temporarily, though he still roams in Baka-Tsuki once in a while.

Also, this Discussion Topic is for everyone who is translating/editing to congregate. Of course, if you want to ask for our progress, you can.

[[User:KanzakiAria|KanzakiAria]] ([[User talk:KanzakiAria|talk]]) 03:32, 28 June 2013 (CDT)

If you guys are doing CN->EN I'd like to join in; if there's any editing external to B-T, that too. [[User:LB Kasen|LB_Kasen]] ([[User talk:LB Kasen|talk]]) 01:27, 14 July 2013 (CDT)

If you can, wait no more, start helping out. I've ceased my operations temporarily because it was kinda lonely. [[User:KanzakiAria|KanzakiAria]] ([[User talk:KanzakiAria|talk]]) 02:09, 14 July 2013 (CDT)

Okay. I just wanted to ask who edited the main page for HoA, because I haven't finished the Volume10 Afterword. I'm going to finish it tomorrow, so stay tuned. (After I complete it, you might not see me for a week, I'm reading Baka to Tesuto to Syokanju.) [[User:KanzakiAria|KanzakiAria]] ([[User talk:KanzakiAria|talk]]) 09:12, 17 July 2013 (CDT)

It's a wiki, so you can always just check the page history. For example, in this case, this is the answer to your question: [http://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/index.php?title=Hidan_no_Aria:Volume10&action=history]
[[User:Hiyono|Hiyono]] ([[User talk:Hiyono|talk]]) 11:14, 17 July 2013 (CDT)

I have joined as an editor for this project, simply because I like HnA and would like to give back to the HnA community. I will do regular editing of full chapters at a time, every 1-3 days. --[[User:Rohan123|Rohan123]] ([[User talk:Rohan123|talk]]) 09:11, 19 July 2013 (CDT)

Grrrrrr, exams are coming so I got banned from BT and my raws on my PC, so I think I'll have to go MIA till September.... Sorry guys. [[User:KanzakiAria|KanzakiAria]] ([[User talk:KanzakiAria|talk]]) 04:45, 26 July 2013 (CDT)

Do you guys know if they are going to translate all the books or just a few. And if it is just a few are you guys going to keep up translating?

No idea yet. Currently, Im not giving a damn about the license and hosting it on my blog. Im not sure bout the others. I could use my private storage system too. --[[User:KanzakiAria|KanzakiAria]] ([[User talk:KanzakiAria|talk]]) 02:49, 6 September 2013 (CDT)

You are my hero KanzakiAria! If you decide to do that can you send me / post a link to blog? -- [[User:Frozzendeth|frozzendeth]]

I'll definately be reading it there http://tokyobuteihigh.wordpress.com/ --[[User:Monsterbandage|Monsterbandage]] ([[User talk:Monsterbandage|talk]]) 17:53, 6 September 2013 (CDT)

== Translation ==
Are there anyone who is currently traslating volume 11-14?

I've been wondering... did the translators working on this put it on hiatus? becuase ive noticed that for the longest time, there has been no progress
Yo... the author of this series... he uses a pen name right? He's not actually named "middle school" right?

Hey I've been editing lately. I've found Kinji's last name spelled Tohyama and Tooyama, we should keep his name uniform at least. I'm gonna change them all to Tohyama, Tooyama is awkward for me for some reason. -blackfaia

nice novel, with a monthly manga and a coming anime

I wanted to compliment the translators on the speed and quality of their translation. You guys are dropping these volumes one by one, thank for your hard work.

WHERE ARE THE TRANSLATORS XD WHY WON'T THEY REPLY! WHY WONT THEY LET ME TRANSLATE >_<!!!
--[[User:Seoulfighter|Seoulfighter]] 08:40, 11 May 2010 (UTC)

Why not just continue translating until they reply?

start translating from ch 3 so you are sure you won't translate the same thing^^

Mr. Seoulfighter, please lend us your godly powers and translate this LN, thank you very much ~Ghost

Fine I'll start picking this up soon since I've received no contact from the other translators, and realized it's never been updated. but right now I have to find a job to help pay for college -.-... my dad wasted my tuition on my stepmother... WASTED 35,000$ on her jewelry and clothes(tears)!
--[[User:Seoulfighter|Seoulfighter]] 02:43, 6 July 2010 (UTC)

:That's sad. Sometimes I wonder how parents can be this cruel and selfish... --[[User:Darklor|Darklor]] 20:31, 6 July 2010 (UTC)
::If this happened to me, I'd give those parents of mine a MASSIVE chewing out. I mean seriously, WTF? Well, good luck to you though Seoulfighter.

you have my sympathy Seoulfighter-san. Your tuition fee must be the top priority because it is the job of the parents to make sure their children graduate from school... Thanks again ~ Ghost

don't worry abouts TL and think about yourself, Real Life has top priority^^(even if this will make us a little sad)

I got contacted by the original translator, and Undying told me that his hard drive got wiped so he won't be working on this project. I guess for now, while I wait for a reply from the places I applied to I'll do some translating.

As for my parents if I tried to chew them out my dad would start a Socratic Seminar about how my line of logic is flawed and his is correct this lasts for 3 HOURS and can go up to 6 if I argue... my mom is poor, and my dad sold my car(My dad had 3 cars one of which he had originally planned on giving to me.) and gave that money to my sister.
--[[User:Seoulfighter|Seoulfighter]] 18:52, 13 July 2010 (UTC)

:Your mom is poor? Step-mom or real mom?

::My Real mom who has a job... and my step-mom who is leeching off my father... both are poor. - seoulfighter

:::I get the feeling that you don't really like your stepmom...

children suffered because of their irresponsible parents.... Hang-on seoulfighter ~ Ghost

Your dad doesnt like you (anymore)? You haven't made him angry, did you? --[[User:Darklor|Darklor]] 20:54, 17 July 2010 (UTC)
^^Your confidence made me lol. Either his father doesn't like him now, or his father never liked him... I will cry now.

lol No my dad never said he doesn't like me. He says he loves me like all his children =.=... which is meaningless considering all of us were kicked out to accommodate my stepmother... As for what I did to piss him off. He asked me during college to be a dog that just studies and stay in my room, and listen to every command he gives me =.=. What would YOU do if your parents said those words to you... Then said they only have your best interest in mind...
--[[User:Seoulfighter|Seoulfighter]] 06:44, 2 August 2010 (UTC)

Not all parents' words are correct, they are also human who commit mistakes. Have you talked about how you feel with your father? Maybe you and your father misunderstood each other. Misunderstanding might cause great conflict on the future. ~ Ghost

I have talked to him sat down face to face and tried to sort it out. The only thing that ended up happening is that he said I'm being illogical. He said he couldn't understand why I can't just listen to everything he says and have faith that every decision he's making for me is the best for me =.=. I'll start translating some more to blow off some steam >_<!
--[[User:Seoulfighter|Seoulfighter]] 21:05, 16 August 2010 (UTC)

Man, your life's almost like a mix between Hayate No Gotoku and Cinderalla, you have my sympathy. ~ Aussie Curry.

wow... just finished reading the last chapter of volume one... I must say... chapter 5 is basically as long as the first 4 chapters combined... I'll refrain from giving spoilers but that was really an unexpected twist that I should have seen coming...

its almost a month or more since the last update..... any news? This and <sword art online> made me craving for more LOL ~ghost

Last time I checked, Spadey was approximately 42% done. Expect chapter 5 to be completed at least by the end of this month, if not the next.
--[[User:Asian InvAsian|Asian InvAsian]] 05:07, 23 September 2010 (UTC)

If you want, I can give you some spoilers on both this and SAO --[[User:Eveonder|Eveonder]] 05:20, 23 September 2010 (UTC)

ow thanks for the update! and about the spoiler... thanks but I will wait for the complete chapter ^^ --[[User:Ghost|Ghost]]

did he used the word dog?REAlly? wow i know who is in the (hell)list--[[User:Cognitio|Cognitio]]

Here i go again and asking for the status LOL --[[User:Ghost|Ghost]] 10:35 , 15 October 2010 (GMT + 8:00)

Since the manga release at snail pace....I am waiting for the last chapter here... [[User:xenocross|xenocross]]

If you want an update, I'd suggest you look in here -> http://www.baka-tsuki.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=44&t=2527&start=75 --[[User:Asian InvAsian|Asian InvAsian]] 02:31, 25 November 2010 (UTC)

If you want an update, I'd suggest you look in here -> http://www.baka-tsuki.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=44&t=2527&start=75 --[[User:Asian InvAsian|Asian InvAsian]] 02:31, 25 November 2010 (UTC)

Summary of previous discussion: Translator is trying to go to school. Has problems. Will gambatte. Our heartfelt approval.
--[[User:Novium|Novium]] 20:28, 21 March 2011 (EDT)

--I don't know how else to contact translators of this series, so I'll post here. Seeing as the anime adaption is coming out in around a week, I'm guessing there will be a lot more views of this series. As such, I wouldn't mind if the translators spit out a roughly translated version of the next few volumes, I have 2+ hours a day I can spend fixing up English, I can probably revise a chapter a day if need be. --[[User:Asteradragon|Asteradragon]] 8:52, 6 March 2011 (EST)

--Speed translating is an insult to the craft. - [[User:YoakeNoHikari|YoakeNoHikari]] 21:55, 10 April 2011 (UCT)

Only if it's done horribly. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] 21:01, 16 April 2011 (UCT)

The anime is out now.. thats what brought me here. If you do decide to do a fast translation I would like to add that I can also edit anything you put out. -blackfaia

Vol 8 ?

Are their any plans to continue translating this series? Because it seems volume 8 and 9 in particular are almost done but their hasn't been any updates in quite some time...

Yo anyone want Vol 14? ISBN978-4-8401-4932-7 http://www.mediafactory.co.jp/bunkoj/book_detail/945 - Sexy

We need volume 8 and 9, to have pdf versions since they are finished [[User:Zeru|Zeru]] ([[User talk:Zeru|talk]]) 00:36, 23 January 2013 (CST)

...Look, all the pdfs are done by fans. BT doesn't have a staff per say. Bottom line, do your own pdfs, or wait for a fan to do up one.--[[User:Teh Ping|Teh Ping]] ([[User talk:Teh Ping|talk]]) 07:55, 23 January 2013 (CST)

==The Anime==

The Anime is starting today or tomorrow, does anyone have some hope for it? --[[User:Darn2k|Darn2k]] 12:40, 14 April 2011 (UCT)

Slightly disappointing, but they do have to condense a lot of things in anime, so I'm not going to be too critical - [[User:YoakeNoHikari|YoakeNoHikari]] 18:13, 16 April 2011 (UCT)

I can't say I disagree, but so far it doesn't look to bad. Though I have to admit I don't think Aria's voice is quite right, it just feels slightly wrong.--[[User:Darn2k|Darn2k]] 18:28, 16 April 2011 (UCT)

A bit too cutesy for my taste, but that's Kugyuu for you - [[User:YoakeNoHikari|YoakeNoHikari]] 19:07, 16 April 2011 (UCT)

But the seiyu voice fits. I did think Aria's mannerisms were a lot similar to Louise from Zero no Tsukaima, but they went even further and added a dash of Nagi from Hayate no Gotoku, Aria's voice could not be in better hands since Kugimiya-san did both. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] 21:07, 16 April 2011 (UCT)

I don't know, it just seemed a bit too "squeeky" or a little too grating to fit with the character, at least that is what I think from reading the first 3 books.--[[User:Darn2k|Darn2k]] 21:42, 16 April 2011 (UCT)

そうだった。She's described as having a Seiyuu like voice, so they can't go wrong there. XD However, I did think her voice would be slightly lower, possibly a more Shana-like tone. Anyways, do you guys like the OP/ED - [[User:YoakeNoHikari|YoakeNoHikari]] 22:00, 16 April 2011 (UCT)

My Opinions: OP = 3.5/5 , ED 2/5. Some parts of the OP sounded similar to Asura Cryin's OP (to me at least), loved that one. Fav. part from ep 1 (+ -)"Aaaa, Watashi no magazine!!!". BTW how far do you think the anime will cover the story? [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] 04:01, 17 April 2011 (UCT)

Shows ended now and it seems the DVD/Blu-Ray of vol.1 of the anime did not sell well enough for a second season so far. Thinking I am gonna have to stick to just reading the story here.[[User:ROOMA4HELL|ROOMA4HELL]] 04:39, 6 July 2011 (UCT)

== Picture Positioning ==

I'd like to discuss and debate about the picture positioning in the light novel chapter parts. Currently the pictures are being placed in such an order as to mimic the light novel position. (ie: text page ends picture page begins). However I believe that this is problematic to be used ''here'' because in reading a light novel one can see the picture page as well as the text page side by side when they open onto that page thus allowing easy comparison between the line and it's corresponding picture. But here, due to the layout being continuous it does not allow the corresponding to occur so smoothly. Instead the reader passes the line that the picture corresponds to and finds the image 10 to 20 lines below that right next to text lines that have either little or absolutely no relation to the picture at all. I acknowledge the argument that this is how the author wished it to be, however I wish to make a point that this was because of the very basic format of all books. No matter what page you open to, unless you fold one side to the back there will always be two pages before you. So I have two ideas to give here:
# Match the pictures' locations to the text lines most suited for them.
# Mark the end of each page with a <nowiki>----</nowiki> to insert a line signifying the end of a novel page(like demonstrated below) and making the pictures bigger so they may seem page sized as well.

----

:3. Make no changes and let the text and pictures remain unmatched.

Wow that's three. LOL. Personally, I believe the first idea is the best even if it does go against the original ordering. Does anyone have any objections and explanations as to why? [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] 22:52, 26 April 2011 (UCT)

<s>I'll go with the first option. Initially, I thought that the picture placement was just some kind or bug or error or something. It didn't really occur to me that that was intentional. ;) Anyway, it will help the reader identify the scene and image better, since the picture is placed beside or near the accompanying text.</s> My ignorance is showing, sorry about that. Anyway, I read (or looked at a page, trying to find a word I know) the source and the images are pretty much around where they are here, the only difference being the format (page-to-page vs continuous). Cross-referenced other series (specifically ZnT) and the editing is the same. So even though it's not spot on, it is how the page is intended w/ the only difference being format. So I guess, 3rd option? [[User:Seyrine|s13]] 16:05, 27 April 2011 (UCT)

I'm not putting the pictures anywhere else. Each author chooses where to put their pictures for a very specific reason. If you think it doesn't correspond well, then minimize a picture of the photo and read it side by side.- [[User:YoakeNoHikari|YoakeNoHikari]] 15:34, 27 April 2011 (UCT)

The OP is not incorrect that you can see the pictures side by side when you're reading it, but I prefer to just put it in at the end of the page, because, well...that's just how I see it. Putting it at the beginning would not necessarily be incorrect, but it's nice to read something before you look at the picture for it, which is the author's intent. - [[User:YoakeNoHikari|YoakeNoHikari]] 17:09, 27 April 2011 (UCT)

What you are saying ''is'' partly true. But only in cases where the picture relating to the text is on the ''backside'' of the related text page. When it is on the page on the side it is obviously there so that the picture and the text could be easily referenced. Even here because of the picture's size it can be made to look as though it is right next to the page. That is what I believe the author's original intention is. I'm not wrong am I? [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] 17:16, 27 April 2011 (UCT)

Rather I would say that because of the transition from side-by-side to continuous format the resulting positions of the pictures are something the author had not originally wanted, wouldn't you agree? As such shouldn't we choose from point 1 or 2 and not 3 regardless of how it's being done in the other light novels pages? Isn't it only correct that we do this? [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] 19:12, 27 April 2011 (UCT)

Finally from what you have been saying, it seems that you want the format to be as follows:

''text'' '''page1''' 
''picture'' '''page2''' 
''text'' '''page3'''

but instead it's '''''actually''''' like this:

''text'' '''page1''' 
''text'' '''page3''' ''picture'' '''page2'''

'''Note:''' Point 1 would make it like this:

''text'' '''page1''' ''picture'' '''page2''' 
''text'' '''page3'''

whereas Point 2 would show it like this:

''text'' '''page1''' 
----
''picture'' '''page2''' 
----
''text'' '''page3'''

So which format would you prefer. According to this, even the current format is actually against the original author's wishes, isn't it?  [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] 12:43, 28 April 2011 (UCT)

give it a few days before concluding that people are not answering. some of us are busy people in RL. besides, not everyone watches the pages, or are able to sift through the flood of "recent changes" to find their object of interest. bring it to the forums in that case. begging your pardon, as a translator, I think this is so trivial that I won't even waste time debating or discussing it. discussing stuff like terminologies such as the butei articles is more constructive than a few image placements, and there are very few indeed; begging your pardon again. if you really want to, you can set up a poll in the forums, but that would only make sense if a lot of people are actually concerned with this topic of interest. whatever the case, the supervisor (or translators) makes the final decision. on a side note, given that this is relatively popular project, nobody posting means no one cares about this? and sorry for my typing because I hate caps hahaha :3 --[[User:Larethian|Larethian]] 13:17, 28 April 2011 (UCT)

No problem. I do understand and it was my intention to wait. Plus the purpose of this topic is to persuade the editors and as stated in my previous post ''(see hidden text)'' the comment was just for motivation and I apologized to those who would take it the wrong way, finally I didn't actually say anything wrong, only laughed ''(evilly yes but only laughed)'', LOL. Besides, if my intention was not to persuade through discussion and debating the issue I wouldn't have started this in the first place. Trivial, it might be on face, but I still think it is worth discussing because of it's deeper implications. Plus if nobody cares doesn't that mean that any format is applicable? I think that is wrong, which is why I wish to confirm others views on this. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] 13:46, 28 April 2011 (UCT)

I didn't say that you are saying something wrong. It's just my opinion that it's a trivial thing, just as it's in your opinion that it's important. Different opinions that's all. No right or wrong. --[[User:Larethian|Larethian]] 14:06, 28 April 2011 (UCT)

True. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] 18:49, 28 April 2011 (UCT)

Yes indeed. Going over the previous posts I see that this is indeed a difference in opinion. Clarity is indeed needed. My opinion is that of a single reader, what's yours? Oh and we might need other readers' opinions as well, after all I am not the only one or a representative of all the readers. No, not at all. Thus more input from both sides would be appreciated. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] 21:42, 28 April 2011 (UCT)

Hmm... I wouldnt see any reason to do it different as it is done in the other translations... - aka text page / picture page / text page, but if you like you could put the corresponding line also under the picture (like it was done for Haruhi) to get a matching effect... --[[User:Darklor|Darklor]] 01:08, 29 April 2011 (UCT)

Yeah that is being done here and there. But it still feels weird to scroll down a whole screen or two just to get to the picture that matches the text, especially when in the book the text-picture pages are side-by-side '''(See the layout example a few posts back for details)''. ''(After checking)'' See, the picture's still side-by-side even here, just with the wrong text page, so to speak. I'm proposing we correct that. The journey of a 1000 miles starts with the first step but if we don't take the first step how will the journey begin? So why not take the first step when the result is an improvement? If it's a problem of time consumption while revising previous chapters then can't you let me take care of that detail. That way the translators won't have to stop their work. I can do it all within a few hours, albeit a bit roughly in the cases where the picture does not have labels. But even so. It's actually better than setting it next to the wrong page start. As said before I believe setting the picture, next to the page, after the one it is meant for (ie:

'''page1''': ''text'' 
'''page3''': ''text'' | '''page2''': ''picture''

) is not how the author wished it, though this is just my view as a reader. But it does hold some water, no? We could even switch the ordering around to make it even closer to the original format like so:

'''page2''': ''picture'' | '''page1''': ''text'' 
'''page3''': ''text''

What do you think? Oh and the offer, of me doing it if translators too busy translating, still stands. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] 01:50, 29 April 2011 (UCT)

My opinion: remove the stupid text under the pictures and "Match the pictures' locations to the text lines most suited for them."

That's how I do it for every series [[User:Vaelis|Vaelis]] 07:53, 29 April 2011 (UCT)

I'm not too busy translating, I'm too busy reading other things. Just because I translate this fanatically doesn't mean I don't have a mountain of other things to read/watch. As it stands, I'm practicing my Japanese by reading Mayo Chiki!, which is kind of a weird order, but that's irrelevant.

My opinion: I don't care enough to argue about it. If you're so horribly against putting it down there, then change it, but as I translate, I'm going to keep doing it the way it is currently. If you want to change it, then just do so after I put it in. - [[User:YoakeNoHikari|YoakeNoHikari]] 18:09, 2 May 2011 (UCT)

That's fine with me. So to confirm, I can set the picture next to the related text while revising and there won't be an edit war over it, right? Cause that's really scary. This one time... Oh well that's... well, forget that. Anyway, I have permission to match text with pictures while revising, right? [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] 22:36, 2 May 2011 (UCT)

Well, can I? Can I? Can I? Pleeeease? ''(Hoppity, hoppity, hop)'' [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] 18:42, 3 May 2011 (UCT)

At this point, I couldn't care less. If such a trivial thing irks you so badly, then by all means, go ahead and change it. I certainly won't be wasting time and effort to change it back. - [[User:YoakeNoHikari|YoakeNoHikari]] 19:05, 3 May 2011 (UCT)

Thank you! (Nyari) [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] 19:14, 3 May 2011 (UCT)

== Fuuma's speech to be changed==

I would like to change all of Fuumas "I" to "Oneself"/"myself" or "this one". Anything along those lines represent the "Sessha" she uses to refer to herself.
I would like opinions on this matter, for while "Myself/oneself" is my favorite, it should be the most easily-read one that prevails.

--[[User:Novium|Novium]] 22:59, 2 May 2011 (UCT)

http://www.baka-tsuki.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=44&t=2527&p=82653#p82653

Forum backlink.

--------
An example would make things more clear. Though personally I think it a pretty good idea. It does conform to the ancient/honorable/humble manner of speaking. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] 18:46, 3 May 2011 (UCT)

<nowiki>*</nowiki>Facepalm*. You know what, let's just change all of Patra's "I"s to "My Majesty". Also, "Myself hasn't been able to meet with you for a while," "Oneself hasn't been able to meet with you for a while," "Me myself hasn't been able to meet with you for a while," "This unworthy one hasn't been able to meet with you for a while."

I'm not budging. This is ''not'' open to discussion. How does a servant refer to himself in front of his lord in ''English''? "Your lord master, your servant hasn't grown enough crops this year."?. That's what somebody says when they speak to God. - [[User:YoakeNoHikari|YoakeNoHikari]] 19:02, 3 May 2011 (UCT)

--------

Yoake also has a point. But check this page out as well. It might help. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Illeism Illeism]. Just keeping an open mind here. I mean fansubbing translators usually do try and keep the Japanese manner of speech in their work rather than completely going English. The exotic manner is rather appealing. Just a thought though. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] 19:08, 3 May 2011 (UCT)

I have an idea of how to completely retain the meaning. I write warawa or sessha and then link to the wikipedia page. That sound good? - [[User:YoakeNoHikari|YoakeNoHikari]] 19:28, 3 May 2011 (UCT)

That is also a good idea. AH! Found it! This link would be better: ''http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_pronouns''. For Archaic references like ''sessha'' appending ''#Archaic_personal_pronouns'' would help ''(subsection link)'' [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] 19:36, 3 May 2011 (UCT)

----------
I was actually joking because that's amazingly retarded and nobody really cares enough, but, whatever floats your boat. Good luck fitting warawa in when I used me rather than I to refer to her. - [[User:YoakeNoHikari|YoakeNoHikari]] 19:38, 3 May 2011 (UCT)

Yeah, I'm being rude on purpose. I feel that the English language has no way of showing how bad of an idea I think this is if I don't resort to vulgarity. Rather, 'better; is a comparative phrase, and since I never actually mentioned a noun to which to compare to, a better word would be 'good'. At any rate, これは全然ひどい、全然無意味、全然迷惑なことって絶対変わらず。 - [[User:YoakeNoHikari|YoakeNoHikari]] 19:47, 3 May 2011 (UCT)

----------
I see. But you also do have a point. Not everyone would be able to understand right off the bat that way. Oh well. By the way they actually did used to say ''"My liege, your servant requests permission to withdraw."'' or ''"Your servant would like to beg forgiveness for his tardiness."'' Rankings in the Royal court did actually effect the manner of speech greatly. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] 19:54, 3 May 2011 (UCT)

Please. Please. Please. Please. Please. Don't make Fuuma say 'your student'. Please. Please. Please. Please. Fansubbers can translate how they want, the seas could boil and the Earth would crack, but don't make a ninja call herself 'your student' in front of Kinji. There's an t/l note already, can we let it go? I'll make a concession and expand on it as well as adding a link.- [[User:YoakeNoHikari|YoakeNoHikari]] 20:03, 3 May 2011 (UCT)

Naze nara... kore wa zenzen hidoi, zenzen muimi, zenzen meiwaku na koto ka? LOL. Jodan desu. Yes explaining in more detail in the Translation Notes and References pages is also another good idea/option. Actually I think it is the best one yet. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] 20:10, 3 May 2011 (UCT)

-----------
There is one short reference. But seriously Yoake, please consider what I am proposing seriously.
I'd like to stress that I am not attacking your translations here; I'm giving an opionion, not demanding word-by-word translations. If this insults you, I apologize for not putting it in kinder words.
But I won't have you being rude without properly hearing me out. It is demeaning.

Now, back to the matter itself:

There are archaic english that would properly convey the nuance of her speech; and I belive it would be worth the effort to try getting it across.
Now, I don't want to be harsly spoken, and I respect you work Yoake - In fact I really enjoy it. I just think we should be able to work something out to make it more along the authors intentions.I myself am not a native speaker, but I can see how:

"Oneself hasn't been able to meet with you for a while," should be written as "One has not been able to meet Instuctor for a while", reflecting the inpersonal part of sessha, and the second-part reference to oneself. Hasn't and the like are actually a good idea in my opinion, but they can be written to make a point of reflecting speech-patterns instead of as a rule.
As for Patra, aren't a royal "We" sufficient to reflect her nature coupled with a notice in the text?

In fact, most light novels translations fail on this part and I think everyone here could try to figure something out together instead of bashing the notion. Is that too much to ask for from a free wiki?
I sure don't think so.

Is this insufficient? I think that we should be able to see merit in this proposal.

With respect / --[[User:Novium|Novium]] 00:07, 4 May 2011 (UCT)

Well done, great explanation. Strong points. What do you think Yoake? There is ''some'' weight in the arguments is there not? Indeed such ways of speaking have been used in ancient literature as well as medieval times. And yes, in English the use of the words "We" and "Us" are plural forms however they were used by royals to refer to themselves (them being the leader/representative of their people probably brought on that effect). The use of plural form is regarded as a sign of great respect in many languages. That is a hard fact. Humility also meant referring to oneself in the third-person. The arguments are indeed sound. Are they not? [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] 00:27, 4 May 2011 (UCT)

A famous example of the use of "One" and "Oneself" for self referral is the character of Andrew Martin in the film [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bicentennial_Man_%28film%29 Bicentennial Man]. It chronicles the story of a robot and his journey into humanity. Before being ordered by his master to use "I" Andrew referred to himself as "one" or "oneself" as originally programmed to do so. It's a wonderful and beautiful story, you guys should try seeing it sometime. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] 02:35, 4 May 2011 (UCT)

No.

Third person referral has a completely different meaning in Japanese. Since there is no equivalent for one, third person referral through using their names such as Riko saying "Riko" instead of I is a very feminine style of speech. As such, I'm not willing to use any third person. Go look at the forum. - [[User:YoakeNoHikari|YoakeNoHikari]] 07:00, 4 May 2011 (UCT)

I've read the forum posts. Now I understand why "One" or "Oneself" is not used here for "Sessha". It might be equivalent in some respects but not exactly. I see. I learned something new. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] 13:50, 4 May 2011 (UCT)

I can agree with the royal "we". That's it. = [[User:YoakeNoHikari|YoakeNoHikari]] 15:14, 4 May 2011 (UCT)

See, discussions can actually help improve oneself if you see them in a certain way. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] 16:10, 4 May 2011 (UCT)

I am not a translator or even an editor and therefore have less value than the dirt on your shoes. But in light of my self-deprecation I hope you will accept my opinion. I agree with Yoake. Even someone referring to themselves as 'we' is a little weird to read in English, since it is not something that anyone ever does, unless they are a faggot. (forgive me) Imagine someone calling themselves we... If you want to create a suitably "exotic" atmosphere I think including suffixes after names, and leaving some nouns untranslated (but obviously in romaji) is good enough. -blackfaia

That's only because there are very few countries nowadays where kings and queens reign in full power (England has royalty but they're only figureheads). However, the royal terms "we" and "us" have been historically proven to be used. Pity English doesn't have honorific terms for the word "you" other than "Thee". Just an info tip. Not trying to revive this talk. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] 03:45, 28 May 2011 (UCT)

== Question about Translation Notes ==

Why are the translation notes and references on a separate page when they can be even more easily shown as a list at the bottom of each chapter via use of the '''ref''' tag? It's so bothersome to have to either navigate to a new page or open it in a new tab or window just to see a small note. Using the '''ref'''erence tag allows for in-page navigation (ie: new page doesn't need time to load, screen just zeros in on the reference or back to text ''without'' page loading). So why? [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] 11:48, 22 May 2011 (UCT)

Well its ''even'' more bothersome if you have to look up these references yourself. HnA is a light novel that has a substantial number of references and allusions to famous people, furthermore it is up to the translators creed. Also how is it that difficult to click on translation notes that simply opens a new page? Unless the readers are just being lazy. This really seems like a trivial matter to me. -[[User:Hiro Hayase|Hiro Hayase]] 16:47, 23, May 2011 (UCT)

Yeah well. Readers '''are''' lazing around, according to the elderly. LOL. But seriously, ''as a reader'' I would prefer having the translation notes at the bottom of the page rather than opening a new page. It might be lazy but it is ''faster'' in loading/navigation. If it's a problem of too much trouble I'd be happy to do it for you guys. I just think making a '''whole''' new/separate page for those notes is ''wasteful''. "A new page + data" takes more space than simply "data at the bottom of an already existing page". [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] 21:36, 23 May 2011 (UCT)

Well, it might be useful when you transform it unto a PDF format. Speaking of PDF, can someone go edit V2? [[User:Kira0802|きら]] 23:06, 23 May 2011 (UCT)

I can edit HnA volume 2 since I have nothing else to do atm Kira0802. Here's my opinion as a reader: just leave it as it is, this is such a trivial matter. If the reader wants such high-quality material, then they could learn the language and simply buy the light novels. Also, note that some translators do not bother making said these references at all, whether its the translation notes or foot notes at the bottom. -[[User:Hiro Hayase|Hiro Hayase]] 00:10, 24, May 2011 (UCT)

Sorry, but learning the language takes years of hard work. Plus not every country has access to places that actually sell the light novels. The reason people come to online light novel, manga and anime sites is ''because'' they '''don't want''' to wait. But even if it does seem like a trivial thing, there are benefits to it:

# People won't have to wait for a whole new page to load. (Not everyone has high speed DSL.)
# Navigating back and forth between translation notes and text is easier. (See next point for reason)
# Internal links are automatically generated when using '''ref''' tag making it easier for the translator while writing.
# Website space is conserved. (Size of New Page + Translation Notes > Size of Translation notes on an ''already existing page'')

I'd be happy if you can give me points that can legitimately favor leaving the translation notes on a separate page. If it's just because of the trouble of doing the work I said I can do it. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] 14:29, 24 May 2011 (UCT)

Instead of worrying about the convenience of foot notes vs translation notes, editing takes priority. There are still a number of HnA volumes and chapters that still needs editing and proofreading. That should be your first responsibility as an editor. Although if you still feel so strongly about this issue, then its best to take it to the forums. The translators and supervisors get the last say in regards to this issue. [[User:Hiro Hayase|Hiro Hayase]] 17:31, 24 May 2011 (UCT)

Here's my suggestion. If you're so bothered by this, Zero, then we can make a short reference at the bottom. If you want a more detailed, then we'll use the TL note&ref. [[User:Kira0802|Kira]] 18:07, 24 May 2011 (UCT)

Let's look at the different points:

"1. People won't have to wait for a whole new page to load. (Not everyone has high speed DSL.)" -> the page with the translation's note are only text, it's really small.

"2. Navigating back and forth between translation notes and text is easier. (See next point for reason)" -> if it's '''well done''', you can easily go back and forth between the two. I know it's not the case right now but the editors should learn how to do it, it's not that hard.

"3. Internal links are automatically generated when using '''ref''' tag making it easier for the translator while writing." -> it's not the translator's job but the editor's job.

"4. Website space is conserved. (Size of New Page + Translation Notes > Size of Translation notes on an ''already existing page'')" -> who cares?

Anyway you can look at every BT projects and I'm almost sure that all of them put reference notes on a separate page and personally I like it this way. I don't want to see tl notes who pollute the bottom of the page of the translation. So if you want an argument then it's aesthetic, and I always privilege it. [[User:Vaelis|Vaelis]] 18:45, 24 May 2011 (UCT)

[[Sword Art Online]] doesn't and I think it looks good. But as to your counters:

# Even if the page is small it ''still'' takes time to load. Time which could be further shortened by using the ref tag. The ref tag ''exists'' for this reason.
# Why bother doing something the more complex way when you can do it the easier way. Oh... and there is no way to make a backlink to the referring text unless you actually make subsections in the chapters when using different pages for the translation notes (Something that will mess up the natural ordering of the chapter). But ref tagging allows '''not only''' to generate an automatic link ''to the note'' but a ''backlink'' to the referring text. Ref tagging is a legit and popular way to add reference notes, used in all wikias and wikipedia sites as well. This site seems to be a model of those and ref tags are here as well. So why not use it??? Furthermore it will allow for a more interactive experience. People can scroll down to the references and use the back link to check the referring text as they see fit. (ie: using the link for reference 1 but then catching sight of the next reference note 2 and using the backlink to check the referred text for ''that'' note. Not everyone just reads through the whole thing once, you know).
# Translation notes are the translator's job. But that's not even a valid point. So what if it was the editor's job. I'm not talking about external links here like names like [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genghis_Khan Genghis Khan], I'm talking mainly about the translation notes that should normally appear at the bottom of the page for easy referral and its links <nowiki>[1] [2] [3]</nowiki>. I'm saying ref tagging makes not only the translator but the editor's job easier by taking the linking job off their hands. So why not use it? Plus the <nowiki>[1] [2] [3]</nowiki> are quite obviously a mimicry of the referral system. That's how the referral links are shown.
# "Who cares" is definitely not a valid argument. Isn't it always better to strive for advancement? Such terms only seek to arrest making something better. Why not just open your mind to the possibilities rather than closing it. I do have good and valid points. Don't shoot them down with such terms, it sounds wrong.

Finally I apologize if any of my earlier comments seemed like an attack. That was not my intention. I only wished for something that actually allows for an improvement to the current system. Well mainly it is the backlinking. But it also is true that it saves website space, is that not a good thing? Saving space means more data can be saved, no? Well basically we will only be the space of the page container that will be reduced but every little bit helps, does it not? And complex coding can be avoided, is that not better? All one has to do is write so: <nowiki><ref>Enter translation note here</ref></nowiki> where the text that should refer is; instead of writing the external link <nowiki>[http://www.baka-tsuki.com/???]</nowiki> and then writing the translation notes in the page it refers to. Give it a thought, which process is more complex??? Also I don't thing any two humans have the exact same aesthetic sense. Why not think about the benefits of the ref system. And tell me of the benefits of the current system. I'm sure there must be some. I always concede when there are more benefits for using another system. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] 23:04, 24 May 2011 (UCT)

Also there is one more point I'd like to make, though I'm not 100% sure about it. I think that the ref system is properly transferred during the use of template insertions like compiling into Full Text pages. I'm sure that problem was addressed during the development of the ref system. Though we might have to run some tests to make sure. But hey, it will solve the problem in the full text version's references if I'm right, right? Though I would like to point out that I not 100% sure about it. Maybe 85%. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] 23:11, 24 May 2011 (UCT)

Okay I just checked SAO's [[Sword_Art_Online:Volume_4]] page, the references '''do''' transfer seamlessly. That's point 5 for the ref system (100% sure now). Come on I'm sure there must be some positive points for letting the current system stay. No system is without benefits. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] 23:20, 24 May 2011 (UCT)

Hummmm....It starts to become a bit heated. So I recommend you to post it in the forums. Of course, posting politely will be asked. [[User:Kira0802|Kira]] 23:24, 24 May 2011 (UCT)

Yeah, you're right. I apologize for that. But you know. I'm not asking for a full change in the whole website. Just recommending a change in Hidan no Aria's pages. If everyone believes that there are valid reasons for the system to stay this way then that is fine with me as well. I just want to know the reasons and feel that they are valid enough. I proposed this system not because I like or dislike it but because I sincerely believe that the ref system is better than the current one. That's why I gave the four... oops five now, reasons that I felt were beneficial to everyone. All of my reasons are legit. They actually do help better the site. I'm not too familiar with forums though so, if you really do want to take it there, it's fine so long as you provide a link for me. I just want this discussion to be resolved by professionally discussing the pros and cons of both systems. Not personal like or dislike. I'm fine with things being the way they are, I just need to be persuaded that there are better reasons for it to stay like this. That's all. It's just that no one is actually bringing forth any pros for the current system so far. There must be some if people prefer it, right? But I won't take reasons like "It's too much hard work or bothersome to change things now." I've already said I'm willing to do ''all'' the work if the ref system is implemented (I'm a ''really'' hard worker). Also ''one'' reason such as it won't look good is not enough. You have to have at least as many points as I do. (Tension breaker: If thou wishest to dissuade me, telleth me what advantages the current system hath. LOL.) [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] 00:24, 25 May 2011 (UCT)

@Zero I think what some of them meant is that Editing takes priority, so can the editors fix the English first?

@Vaelis Well actually, I'm in the process of changing my projects from Translator's Notes page to using "ref"s. All my new translations use "ref"s. ^_^

Just to share my experiences, initially I didn't like it because I have less control on the formatting. I used to use a separate page and provide back links to navigate back to the page the reader was on. But I found that the back links will work wrongly on the FULL TEXT version. Of course, I can use some programming tricks and some of the new wiki's extensions to overcome this maybe, but using "references" solve this problem easily, since I put my "Translator's Notes header" and <nowiki><references/></nowiki> under <nowiki><noinclude></noinclude></nowiki> at the footer. The FULL TEXT version will then not have reincludes of the "References", and I can just add the <nowiki><references/></nowiki> at the bottom of the FULL TEXT page easily. The backlinks are generated automatically. Another trivial advantage is that I can use the "name" id to share the same reference across a page (though normally I don't do that). Oh yeah, when I read using my tablet over a intermittent 3G connection, I'd prefer not to open a separate page. But the key issue I wanted to solve is the problem of lacking seamless backlinks from the notes. You can check out [[Itsuka Tenma no Kuro Usagi#itsuten_v1|Itsuten Volume 1]] or [[Densetsu no Yūsha no Densetsu#daiden vol1|Daiden Volume 1]] on how I utilized it. ^_^ --[[User:Larethian|larethian]] 01:27, 25 May 2011 (UCT)

I agree editing takes priority. I am working side by side the posted translation to fix spelling, punctuation and grammatical errors. I even put in many of the external links that others miss. I'm saying I can do both jobs. That's just how much of a hard worker I am. And yeah. I had seen the backlink problem in the full text version. It comes due to having two reference lists, one the full pages own generated one, the second from the chapter pages themselves. I had already known that the '''noinclude''' tag makes sure that the text encapsulated is not shown when the page is encapsulated in another using <nowiki>{{Insert page name here}}</nowiki>. So I had thought that that would solve the problem. I actually have a long history of wikipedia and wiki editing spanning 5 years, and templates are my expertise. I'm glad there is someone in my support. Thanks. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] 11:36, 25 May 2011 (UCT)

I leave it to the editors, but unless I take the time to figure out this wiki works, (I'm not,) I'm going to continue to use off-page references. Actually, to tell the truth, your attitude makes me want to stab my eyeballs out. Not for any particular reason. Don't feel obliged to care, either. - [[User:YoakeNoHikari|YoakeNoHikari]] 09:05, 30 May 2011 (UCT)

Now, now, I agree I have suggested more than a few changes, but I had zero, and I mean 0%, ill intentions. And using the ref tag is not that hard. It will make your job easier, Yoake. So don't be so stubborn and try to think of all the possibilities that this site has to offer. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] 10:32, 30 May 2011 (UCT)

I don't particularly mind not having off-page notes, rather, I agree with you, I like how seamless the transition is between the note and the text. However, I can hardly say the same for how you're going about with this. You're saying that you're doing this for the betterment of the site and not your personal preference, which is full retard, because this kind of thing is completely personal and subjective. It's like trying to decide whether Monet's or Picasso's works are better. Personally, I think a five year old draws better than Picasso. Or, Hemingway and Tolkien. Personally, I think Hemingway writes like a five year old. What you're doing is trying to provide reasons as to ''why'' you think Hemingway writes like a five year old, and then blowing other's points as invalid or 'not a reason' because they're subjective when that's exactly what you're doing. Then, you say: "I'm a hard worker," as if Hiro doesn't do his fair share of editing. And, how the hell does it make my job easier? What? It makes it easier for me to understand Japanese? - [[User:YoakeNoHikari|YoakeNoHikari]] 10:51, 30 May 2011 (UCT)

Rather than editing two pages and switching between them you can add the translation note on the same page, at the reference line, seamlessly. That's how your job can become easier. By cutting down the time it takes for you to write the external link to the translation page, opening the page and then writing the translation note at it's place. These three steps are cut down to one <nowiki><ref>Insert Transation note here</ref></nowiki>. I never said anyone was not a hard worker. I merely mentioned myself and my intentions were not to belittle anyone. I never shot down any of the points except the one where the words ''"Who cares?"'' were mentioned. If I was really as you say I am I would not have bothered with this discussion, at all. Instead I did bother with it. The only reason I really mentioned being a hard worker was to remove one problem: ''"Who would be willing to spend time on changing things?"'' You must admit that is a reason that influences most changes. So by saying I will do it and telling just how much of a hard worker I am, I am preventing the following thoughts: ''"It's too troublesome." "I don't wanna do it." "It'll take too long."'' If it really was for my personal preference I would not have given such rational reasons for the change. Now, I would like for you to give me rational reasons as to why the current system is better than the reference system, which ''is used'' by some projects on this site. I'm an not adverse to having the current system, as long as you can actually give me some real points for it. And besides, it's not like I will suddenly start converting anything without approval. I don't see why you're being so hostile. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] 16:16, 30 May 2011 (UCT)

You want to hear what might be a real point to Vaelis? "I like it." Do we need any other points? All your points are just things that you like, therefore, his point carries the exact same weight as all your points combined. - [[User:YoakeNoHikari|YoakeNoHikari]] 17:08, 30 May 2011 (UCT)

What I'm trying to say is, rather than constructing this as a rational argument, which it's impossible to do so properly, it's a matter of personal preference. I mean, this decision mostly affects the readers, so the best thing to would be to ask them. Since you're good at wikis, is it possible to organize a poll or something in the front page? Rather, this is something that would be better measured with a majority, rather than points, which is a rather selfish way of doing things. It's simply not taking everyone's opinions into account, which is what something like this should do, rather than with rational points. - [[User:YoakeNoHikari|YoakeNoHikari]] 17:48, 30 May 2011 (UCT)

But a poll without understanding the pros and cons of both systems just seems like a blind popularity contest to me (Example: A beauty contest with the girls hidden). Sorry, but my specialty in wikis is templates, what you're suggesting might involve bots and other complex mechanisms. I'm afraid I'm currently incapable of doing that. Even if it is my preference at least I did give pros for the reference system. Up until now, other than a small mention on the font style there has been absolutely no pros given forward for the current system despite my asking over and over (And I did ask over and over). Well, here's a compromise, how about putting this discussion on hold until all the translations are finished? It would give time to mull things over. I've seen giving a break to discussions helps clear up some things. Even I might change my mind. Or would you rather we keep on discussing? It does cut into translation/editing time doesn't it? [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] 07:30, 31 May 2011 (UCT)

The thing is, this is supposed to be a popularity contest. In essence, this change is based on what people like, whether they like having an off-page reference, or <nowiki><ref></nowiki>. I'm not really translating regularly, as exams are coming up, and it's not like I'm working set hours, so it's not wasting my translation time, as such. - [[User:YoakeNoHikari|YoakeNoHikari]] 16:27, 31 May 2011 (UCT)

True. But every popularity contest has to have the subjects displayed and their advantages and disadvantages noted. But nobody even bothers to point out any advantages to the current system. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User Talk:Zero2001]] - 14:07, 31 May 2011

Advantages: Translator can put whatever the hell she wants without inhibition XD. Doesn't mess up the aesthetics of the page, (for some.) Allows for additional information to be put where necessary. Makes it easier to keep track of. - [[User:YoakeNoHikari|YoakeNoHikari]] 16:27, 31 May 2011 (UCT)

Nice debate. Well even if you do a poll I don't know if anyone will vote. You could just make a thread about this and stick a poll in there if you want. But, as a reader, I can clearly say that having refs on the same page is better. Honestly though, it makes nearly no difference whatsoever, majority of readers won't care too much either way. Since this is the case, whatever is more convenient for the translator should be used. I mean... this is baka-tsuki. You have minimal contact with your readers anyways, so just do what you want.--[[User:Blackfaia|Blackfaia]] 00:04, 12 June 2011 (UCT)

== quick question ==

Who's on the cover of volume 8? I don't recognize her. --[[User:Saganatsu|Saganatsu]] 06:32, 5 June 2011 (UCT)

See here: ***SPOILER*** http://forums.animesuki.com/showthread.php?p=3574281#post3574281 ***SPOILER*** --[[User:Remotemine|Remotemine]]

== Problem: Incomplete Translations ==

So yea, the problem I would like to address is the one regarding '''incomplete translations'''.

The translators '''have not finished volume 8''' yet they start on 9? How will the readers get a full experience if they can't read the whole thing?

I would love to translate but unfortunately, I'm not fluent in Japanese. I'm not here to bitch, I'm just trying to resolve a problem. This post may become irrelavant as the translations progress, but as of now, I see incomplete translations.

Thanks for your attention,

-Kuro Light XIII

Same here, I would love to continue reading, but unfortunately there aren't any translations. So please, if you can translate it. I would help if i could ...

As I posted on Kuro's talk page, the reason why people translate after an unfinished volume is that we should keep the greatest constancy possible. Meaning that there's a max of 2 translators per volume, and preferably only one. [[User:Kira0802|Kira]] ([[User_talk:Kira0802|Talk]]) 16:31, 9 April 2012 (CDT)

Thx for the reply. So that means that volume 8 is currently with no translator... can you give a date by which the tranlation is complete(if you can manage to get a translator for that volume). If you can I would be very grateful...

There still hasn't been any progress with the translations of vol 8 since I last checked... please someone translate it,, im begging you -KuroLightXIII

man guys i love the anime guys and was so excited becuz of the light novel but found out that it only till 8 volume are complete....im on my

knees mann to anyone who are willing to take time off from real life to translate this piece of novel... honestly im being a bitch here becuz

im irritated it like watching clannad after story without watching it ending or angel beats without the tearful ending or code geass and just

watching the 1st season... but im still thankful for translating this work till volume 7 - loyal fan

As much as I want to agree with you guys about the incomplete translations, I'm asking you to please stop this kind discussion. Asking them to quickly finish translating can be a very rude thing (it depends on how you view it though) and this is something that I've recently understood as well. The translators are doing this without any type of monetary reward and requires a lot of sacrifice on their part. As those that cannot even contribute to the novel's translation, we show our appreciation to them by saying thanks and try to give them some moral support with words but that's it. You should understand as well how hard it is to cope with real life matters especially since it's more important than translating LNs for free. The only thing we can do now is pray that someone will be willing to complete the translations and at the same time show our appreciation to the ones who finished the earlier volumes. If you guys still want the translations to be finished, you can try asking some translators that's almost finished with their project to continue with this one once they're done but don't persist if they refuse. They've done their part and that's more than enough. A more definite solution would be to learn the Japanese language ourselves and buy the LNs. This way you don't bother the translators and you're also supporting the authors who we should ultimately give thanks to for writing the LNs in the first place. - Cataccountant

Hello, I am not currently a translator for baka tsuki, but I would like to become one. I have 2 years of Japanese schooling, 5 months of living there on exchange, and a ridiculous amount of anime that I have watched. I am a native English speaker with a tendency to read every book I enjoy within a few hours, so there shouldn't be many problems with vocabulary. I would like to try translating Hidan no Aria if possible, unfortunately I have not yet found a local store to pick up the untranslated volumes. If I am able to get access to the Japanese version I would happily work on translation. Please let me know if this would be possible, and if there is another way to get the raw versions.
Thanks,
- 0Starkller0

@0Starkller0 --Before I bought my real copies, I always found my JP raw volumes over at jCafe. Just a few weeks ago they were still available there so you should still be able to find them pretty quickly. Hope that helps a bit. Good Luck! --[[User:Fallton13|Fallton13]]
Thanks, I got my copy of volume 10 already, 8 and 11 are in the mail. Ordered them from kinokuniya online store. - 0Starkiller0

Hey, i was wondering if you are really going to translate HnA and if yes are you going to finish volume 8 or jump right into one of the untranslated volumes? - Daeverius

I hope translator can quickly finish volume 8 and 9. because I can not read in Japanese, sincerly I beg for translator to finish it. Thanks.

Volume 14, HNA will probably be published this month. There's no one to translate the volumes 10,11,12,13? Please. Thank you.

== Image Editing ==
Went ahead and edited the images from volume 1 to volume 7, I'll continue with them as translators finish their job translating, so once volume 8 and 9 get properly finished i'll work on the images for these volumes. --[[User:Krytyk|Krytyk]] ([[User talk:Krytyk|talk]]) 19:37, 15 December 2012 (CST)

Thanks for the hard work. I'll wait vol 8 & 9 eagerly.

Thanks for the translation. I'll be eagerly awaiting the volumes 10, 11, 12 and 13

I hope the translation vol. 10 finish soon. I'am looking forward for it. thanks [[User:Zerocrack|Zerocrack]] ([[User talk:Zerocrack|talk]]) 21:06, 10 June 2013 (CDT)

== 10th Volume ==

How come the second chapter is already done while chapter 1 has not seen major advance since last August? --[[User:Kemm|Kemm]] ([[User talk:Kemm|talk]]) 05:54, 7 February 2013 (CST)

Because the ones working are different Translators | [[User:Koakuma|Koakuma]] ([[User talk:Koakuma|talk]]) 07:02, 7 February 2013 (CST)

== AfterWord/Author's Notes ==
Hey guys just curious as to why there aren't any of the afterwords/author's notes for HnA at all. I noticed that they actually do exists, and I am wondering if its on purpose or is it just forgotten? I wonder if anyone else would be interested in doing them with me if you guys think we should add them in for completions sake. -- [[User:Royaloyalz|Royaloyalz]] ([[User talk:Royaloyalz|talk]]) 06:37, 8 February 2013 (CST)

I can't speak on behalf of previous translators to say why they haven't been done, but they definitely exist. They're really quite short, so I'll see about taking a stab at them.
--[[User:Hiyono|Hiyono]] ([[User talk:Hiyono|talk]]) 09:56, 8 February 2013 (CST)

== So. ==

What would it take for a commissioned translation effort? I'm willing to offer. [[User:LB Kasen|LB_Kasen]] ([[User talk:LB Kasen|talk]]) 17:24, 5 May 2013 (CDT)

I don't see what you mean.
--[[User:KanzakiAria|KanzakiAria]]

== Original Sources ==

Currently I'm only working as a full-time editor. If anyone can point me to Chinese sources for chapters 10-14, I shall translate for you guys ASAP. Just saying, the project supervisor has dropped this project though the translators and editors are still at work. Please bear with it.

[[User:KanzakiAria|KanzakiAria]] ([[User talk:KanzakiAria|talk]]) 00:05, 27 June 2013 (CDT)

Try to contact one of the translators, since the projects at this wiki are mainly translated fro chinese, with the direct translation from japanese on second place. (Though there's always someone to check the correct terms from japanese sources. --[[User:Kemm|Kemm]] ([[User talk:Kemm|talk]]) 19:08, 26 June 2013 (CDT)

Hi, please do not openly talk about "raws" which have a connotation of illegally scanned copyright infringement. In theory, you should own the actual book you're translating from. Anyway, if you're looking for Chinese sources, you should be aware of lightnovel.cn, which is sort of the Chinese equivalent of Baka-Tsuki:
http://lknovel.lightnovel.cn/main/vollist/66.html

And Kemm: please do not insult translators such as js06, Teh_Ping, Tap, Code-Zero, hayashi_s, stellarroze, etc (just to name a few) who actually translate from Japanese to English. On what basis do you assert that Japanese translation is secondary? Even in the case of Hidan no Aria, YoakeNoHikari switched from Chinese to Japanese sources quite early on.

--[[User:Zzhk|Zzhk]] ([[User talk:Zzhk|talk]]) 19:46, 26 June 2013 (CDT)

Thanks, I've already started to translate Volume 10. I'm not supposed to translate Chapter 1, but I'm already 90% done on my private copy. Waiting for Yoake to reply to my registration though.

I see what you mean by copyright infringement, but I really can't find any on the Singapore market. I would say that this is for "private use" though. Please forgive me.
[[User:KanzakiAria|KanzakiAria]] ([[User talk:KanzakiAria|talk]]) 00:05, 27 June 2013 (CDT)

Zzhk, I know that there are translators who translate directly from japanese, and was about to include it on my previous post, but didn't know how to fit it; what I meant is that, going by quantity, I have found that, for some reason, they number less than those who make use of chinese sources (that's why "second place"). And when I talk about "raws" (though maybe I'm misusing it) I don't mean only so-called "public raws" (illegal) but also physical copies (that can be bought or lent) and digitalizations of owned copies for personal use (so as to no have to translate with one hand on the keyboard and the other turning pages, being able to read it on your PC, laptop or e-book reader or for preservation purposes). --[[User:Kemm|Kemm]] ([[User talk:Kemm|talk]]) 06:31, 27 June 2013 (CDT)

== PDF files ==

The PDF files of volume 1 to 7 have been remove from MF can someone reup them ty
Edit: NVM that found them https://www.dropbox.com/sh/cgf7kw5qvbc6img/z9tAs_KOPf

== Vol. 11, and the issue of JP/CN/EN translations. ==

You may have noticed that I registered most of Vol. 11, but have not posted anything. I currently have drafts of chapter 2 and a segment of 3, translated from a Chinese raw. It has become obvious that translating indirectly will cause problems, so I will be rewriting my drafts with the Japanese version as reference. Of course, I don't actually know Japanese, but some info for dubious segments can still be gleaned. What would be nice, however, is a translation checker. Would one of the other translators be willing to do a once-over of the original Japanese text and the translated script side by side to make sure they're consistent? [[User:LB Kasen|LB_Kasen]] ([[User talk:LB Kasen|talk]]) 12:49, 14 August 2013 (CDT)

Ah, so you're still on task. Okay, vol 11 was out quite long ago so I can't find the JP version at the closest store from my home. (That store only has vol 14)

Since you do not understand JP and there aren't many TLCs around, I can't help much either. From what I've heard, the CN raws are actually very accurate even though some format is changed. Use this powerful checklist:

1. Translation has everything from the raw

2. Keep to the proverbs and idioms used in the raw. (If it isn't an English idiom or proverb, do a direct translation. Then do an explanation of it in Translator's Notes.)

3. Try to keep to the same sentence structure. If impossible, feel free to change it a bit.

4. Punctuation should be kept to the raw's. If impossible, at least stick to the punctuation for dialogues.

5. Try to have synonyms, but make sure they mean the same thing. However, if the author is trying to put across the fact that the speaker is trying to copy a phrase or word from someone else, keep it constant.

6. 100% correct grammar. Okay, that's a bit too strict. But maximize your English potential, please. I'll try to get some friendlier editors like Rohan to help out.

7. The dialogues must have the same interjections as used in the raw. (Ah, huh, uwa and stuff like that.)

8. The dialogues must sound realistic. Unless, the style is purposely created by the author. (See Jeanne's part for example.)

9. NO TRIMMING OF INFORMATION.

10. You may use some profound or posh words, but try to have simpler vocabulary so to reach a larger audience.

11. Terms and jargon must be included. Especially when it comes to weapons and stuff like that. If you don't know what to call them, ask me through email.

12. Have passion and pride in your work.

It's pretty much my criteria for all of my translations so far. You should use it, these are stuff that Nano Desu and Ping has always emphasized on. With these criteria, the translation should be at least 99% similar to the original JP work. (We can't expect the fan translations to be that good. Go buy the traditional or simplified Chinese version if you're extremely picky.)

--[[User:KanzakiAria|KanzakiAria]] ([[User talk:KanzakiAria|talk]]) 19:53, 14 August 2013 (CDT)

== volume 15 ==
does someone know what going on with volume 15? - is it "published" ? - it's just that I didn't see anything about it, and I was wonder about this matter

:It is published scroll to the very bottom and you see it says to be released August 23 2013. so it is published in Japan however they just have yet to put too much info about on the site at this point.[[User:Yascob99|Yascob99]]

== Main Page ==
The Main page of the project seems to have out of date info for example It says 11 volumes as of march 2013 and currently it is over a year later and on volume 15 can someone change this to more updated info?[[User:Yascob99|Yascob99]]

:Updated all info and added a section for vol.15. As I said back when I added it to the series overview, the first ideogram in the name is chinese only (foreign to japanese) and its translation may not be accurate; by the ruby text I think it could be star-related, and I expect that it'll be explained on the novel. Once someone reads it, please check and correct the translation.--[[User:Kemm|Kemm]] ([[User talk:Kemm|talk]]) 15:21, 30 August 2013 (CDT)

Thanks for the update! I'm not going to buy Vol 15 to TL yet, though. [[User:KanzakiAria|KanzakiAria]] ([[User talk:KanzakiAria|talk]]) 19:42, 30 August 2013 (CDT)

Talk:Hidan no Aria Archived

2013-09-06T22:53:58Z

Monsterbandage: /* Translation/Editing Board */

== Translation/Editing Board ==

Hi! I've finally finished translating Volume 10 Chapter 1. Guys, please help me edit. I don't think I did a good job though.

I'm currently working on Volume 10 Chapter 3, after I finish this chapter (it'll take about half a week), I will head on to the Afterword, and then you guys can read it :D

People who are worrying about Volume 11 to 14, please bear with us. As of now, many translators seem to be dormant. I think only Hiyono and I are working on it. And apparently Hiyono has ceased his operations temporarily, though he still roams in Baka-Tsuki once in a while.

Also, this Discussion Topic is for everyone who is translating/editing to congregate. Of course, if you want to ask for our progress, you can.

[[User:KanzakiAria|KanzakiAria]] ([[User talk:KanzakiAria|talk]]) 03:32, 28 June 2013 (CDT)

If you guys are doing CN->EN I'd like to join in; if there's any editing external to B-T, that too. [[User:LB Kasen|LB_Kasen]] ([[User talk:LB Kasen|talk]]) 01:27, 14 July 2013 (CDT)

If you can, wait no more, start helping out. I've ceased my operations temporarily because it was kinda lonely. [[User:KanzakiAria|KanzakiAria]] ([[User talk:KanzakiAria|talk]]) 02:09, 14 July 2013 (CDT)

Okay. I just wanted to ask who edited the main page for HoA, because I haven't finished the Volume10 Afterword. I'm going to finish it tomorrow, so stay tuned. (After I complete it, you might not see me for a week, I'm reading Baka to Tesuto to Syokanju.) [[User:KanzakiAria|KanzakiAria]] ([[User talk:KanzakiAria|talk]]) 09:12, 17 July 2013 (CDT)

It's a wiki, so you can always just check the page history. For example, in this case, this is the answer to your question: [http://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/index.php?title=Hidan_no_Aria:Volume10&action=history]
[[User:Hiyono|Hiyono]] ([[User talk:Hiyono|talk]]) 11:14, 17 July 2013 (CDT)

I have joined as an editor for this project, simply because I like HnA and would like to give back to the HnA community. I will do regular editing of full chapters at a time, every 1-3 days. --[[User:Rohan123|Rohan123]] ([[User talk:Rohan123|talk]]) 09:11, 19 July 2013 (CDT)

Grrrrrr, exams are coming so I got banned from BT and my raws on my PC, so I think I'll have to go MIA till September.... Sorry guys. [[User:KanzakiAria|KanzakiAria]] ([[User talk:KanzakiAria|talk]]) 04:45, 26 July 2013 (CDT)

Do you guys know if they are going to translate all the books or just a few. And if it is just a few are you guys going to keep up translating?

No idea yet. Currently, Im not giving a damn about the license and hosting it on my blog. Im not sure bout the others. I could use my private storage system too. --[[User:KanzakiAria|KanzakiAria]] ([[User talk:KanzakiAria|talk]]) 02:49, 6 September 2013 (CDT)

You are my hero KanzakiAria! If you decide to do that can you send me / post a link to blog? -- [[User:Frozzendeth|frozzendeth]]

I'll definately be reading it there --[[User:Monsterbandage|Monsterbandage]] ([[User talk:Monsterbandage|talk]]) 17:53, 6 September 2013 (CDT)

== Translation ==
Are there anyone who is currently traslating volume 11-14?

I've been wondering... did the translators working on this put it on hiatus? becuase ive noticed that for the longest time, there has been no progress
Yo... the author of this series... he uses a pen name right? He's not actually named "middle school" right?

Hey I've been editing lately. I've found Kinji's last name spelled Tohyama and Tooyama, we should keep his name uniform at least. I'm gonna change them all to Tohyama, Tooyama is awkward for me for some reason. -blackfaia

nice novel, with a monthly manga and a coming anime

I wanted to compliment the translators on the speed and quality of their translation. You guys are dropping these volumes one by one, thank for your hard work.

WHERE ARE THE TRANSLATORS XD WHY WON'T THEY REPLY! WHY WONT THEY LET ME TRANSLATE >_<!!!
--[[User:Seoulfighter|Seoulfighter]] 08:40, 11 May 2010 (UTC)

Why not just continue translating until they reply?

start translating from ch 3 so you are sure you won't translate the same thing^^

Mr. Seoulfighter, please lend us your godly powers and translate this LN, thank you very much ~Ghost

Fine I'll start picking this up soon since I've received no contact from the other translators, and realized it's never been updated. but right now I have to find a job to help pay for college -.-... my dad wasted my tuition on my stepmother... WASTED 35,000$ on her jewelry and clothes(tears)!
--[[User:Seoulfighter|Seoulfighter]] 02:43, 6 July 2010 (UTC)

:That's sad. Sometimes I wonder how parents can be this cruel and selfish... --[[User:Darklor|Darklor]] 20:31, 6 July 2010 (UTC)
::If this happened to me, I'd give those parents of mine a MASSIVE chewing out. I mean seriously, WTF? Well, good luck to you though Seoulfighter.

you have my sympathy Seoulfighter-san. Your tuition fee must be the top priority because it is the job of the parents to make sure their children graduate from school... Thanks again ~ Ghost

don't worry abouts TL and think about yourself, Real Life has top priority^^(even if this will make us a little sad)

I got contacted by the original translator, and Undying told me that his hard drive got wiped so he won't be working on this project. I guess for now, while I wait for a reply from the places I applied to I'll do some translating.

As for my parents if I tried to chew them out my dad would start a Socratic Seminar about how my line of logic is flawed and his is correct this lasts for 3 HOURS and can go up to 6 if I argue... my mom is poor, and my dad sold my car(My dad had 3 cars one of which he had originally planned on giving to me.) and gave that money to my sister.
--[[User:Seoulfighter|Seoulfighter]] 18:52, 13 July 2010 (UTC)

:Your mom is poor? Step-mom or real mom?

::My Real mom who has a job... and my step-mom who is leeching off my father... both are poor. - seoulfighter

:::I get the feeling that you don't really like your stepmom...

children suffered because of their irresponsible parents.... Hang-on seoulfighter ~ Ghost

Your dad doesnt like you (anymore)? You haven't made him angry, did you? --[[User:Darklor|Darklor]] 20:54, 17 July 2010 (UTC)
^^Your confidence made me lol. Either his father doesn't like him now, or his father never liked him... I will cry now.

lol No my dad never said he doesn't like me. He says he loves me like all his children =.=... which is meaningless considering all of us were kicked out to accommodate my stepmother... As for what I did to piss him off. He asked me during college to be a dog that just studies and stay in my room, and listen to every command he gives me =.=. What would YOU do if your parents said those words to you... Then said they only have your best interest in mind...
--[[User:Seoulfighter|Seoulfighter]] 06:44, 2 August 2010 (UTC)

Not all parents' words are correct, they are also human who commit mistakes. Have you talked about how you feel with your father? Maybe you and your father misunderstood each other. Misunderstanding might cause great conflict on the future. ~ Ghost

I have talked to him sat down face to face and tried to sort it out. The only thing that ended up happening is that he said I'm being illogical. He said he couldn't understand why I can't just listen to everything he says and have faith that every decision he's making for me is the best for me =.=. I'll start translating some more to blow off some steam >_<!
--[[User:Seoulfighter|Seoulfighter]] 21:05, 16 August 2010 (UTC)

Man, your life's almost like a mix between Hayate No Gotoku and Cinderalla, you have my sympathy. ~ Aussie Curry.

wow... just finished reading the last chapter of volume one... I must say... chapter 5 is basically as long as the first 4 chapters combined... I'll refrain from giving spoilers but that was really an unexpected twist that I should have seen coming...

its almost a month or more since the last update..... any news? This and <sword art online> made me craving for more LOL ~ghost

Last time I checked, Spadey was approximately 42% done. Expect chapter 5 to be completed at least by the end of this month, if not the next.
--[[User:Asian InvAsian|Asian InvAsian]] 05:07, 23 September 2010 (UTC)

If you want, I can give you some spoilers on both this and SAO --[[User:Eveonder|Eveonder]] 05:20, 23 September 2010 (UTC)

ow thanks for the update! and about the spoiler... thanks but I will wait for the complete chapter ^^ --[[User:Ghost|Ghost]]

did he used the word dog?REAlly? wow i know who is in the (hell)list--[[User:Cognitio|Cognitio]]

Here i go again and asking for the status LOL --[[User:Ghost|Ghost]] 10:35 , 15 October 2010 (GMT + 8:00)

Since the manga release at snail pace....I am waiting for the last chapter here... [[User:xenocross|xenocross]]

If you want an update, I'd suggest you look in here -> http://www.baka-tsuki.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=44&t=2527&start=75 --[[User:Asian InvAsian|Asian InvAsian]] 02:31, 25 November 2010 (UTC)

If you want an update, I'd suggest you look in here -> http://www.baka-tsuki.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=44&t=2527&start=75 --[[User:Asian InvAsian|Asian InvAsian]] 02:31, 25 November 2010 (UTC)

Summary of previous discussion: Translator is trying to go to school. Has problems. Will gambatte. Our heartfelt approval.
--[[User:Novium|Novium]] 20:28, 21 March 2011 (EDT)

--I don't know how else to contact translators of this series, so I'll post here. Seeing as the anime adaption is coming out in around a week, I'm guessing there will be a lot more views of this series. As such, I wouldn't mind if the translators spit out a roughly translated version of the next few volumes, I have 2+ hours a day I can spend fixing up English, I can probably revise a chapter a day if need be. --[[User:Asteradragon|Asteradragon]] 8:52, 6 March 2011 (EST)

--Speed translating is an insult to the craft. - [[User:YoakeNoHikari|YoakeNoHikari]] 21:55, 10 April 2011 (UCT)

Only if it's done horribly. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] 21:01, 16 April 2011 (UCT)

The anime is out now.. thats what brought me here. If you do decide to do a fast translation I would like to add that I can also edit anything you put out. -blackfaia

Vol 8 ?

Are their any plans to continue translating this series? Because it seems volume 8 and 9 in particular are almost done but their hasn't been any updates in quite some time...

Yo anyone want Vol 14? ISBN978-4-8401-4932-7 http://www.mediafactory.co.jp/bunkoj/book_detail/945 - Sexy

We need volume 8 and 9, to have pdf versions since they are finished [[User:Zeru|Zeru]] ([[User talk:Zeru|talk]]) 00:36, 23 January 2013 (CST)

...Look, all the pdfs are done by fans. BT doesn't have a staff per say. Bottom line, do your own pdfs, or wait for a fan to do up one.--[[User:Teh Ping|Teh Ping]] ([[User talk:Teh Ping|talk]]) 07:55, 23 January 2013 (CST)

==The Anime==

The Anime is starting today or tomorrow, does anyone have some hope for it? --[[User:Darn2k|Darn2k]] 12:40, 14 April 2011 (UCT)

Slightly disappointing, but they do have to condense a lot of things in anime, so I'm not going to be too critical - [[User:YoakeNoHikari|YoakeNoHikari]] 18:13, 16 April 2011 (UCT)

I can't say I disagree, but so far it doesn't look to bad. Though I have to admit I don't think Aria's voice is quite right, it just feels slightly wrong.--[[User:Darn2k|Darn2k]] 18:28, 16 April 2011 (UCT)

A bit too cutesy for my taste, but that's Kugyuu for you - [[User:YoakeNoHikari|YoakeNoHikari]] 19:07, 16 April 2011 (UCT)

But the seiyu voice fits. I did think Aria's mannerisms were a lot similar to Louise from Zero no Tsukaima, but they went even further and added a dash of Nagi from Hayate no Gotoku, Aria's voice could not be in better hands since Kugimiya-san did both. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] 21:07, 16 April 2011 (UCT)

I don't know, it just seemed a bit too "squeeky" or a little too grating to fit with the character, at least that is what I think from reading the first 3 books.--[[User:Darn2k|Darn2k]] 21:42, 16 April 2011 (UCT)

そうだった。She's described as having a Seiyuu like voice, so they can't go wrong there. XD However, I did think her voice would be slightly lower, possibly a more Shana-like tone. Anyways, do you guys like the OP/ED - [[User:YoakeNoHikari|YoakeNoHikari]] 22:00, 16 April 2011 (UCT)

My Opinions: OP = 3.5/5 , ED 2/5. Some parts of the OP sounded similar to Asura Cryin's OP (to me at least), loved that one. Fav. part from ep 1 (+ -)"Aaaa, Watashi no magazine!!!". BTW how far do you think the anime will cover the story? [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] 04:01, 17 April 2011 (UCT)

Shows ended now and it seems the DVD/Blu-Ray of vol.1 of the anime did not sell well enough for a second season so far. Thinking I am gonna have to stick to just reading the story here.[[User:ROOMA4HELL|ROOMA4HELL]] 04:39, 6 July 2011 (UCT)

== Picture Positioning ==

I'd like to discuss and debate about the picture positioning in the light novel chapter parts. Currently the pictures are being placed in such an order as to mimic the light novel position. (ie: text page ends picture page begins). However I believe that this is problematic to be used ''here'' because in reading a light novel one can see the picture page as well as the text page side by side when they open onto that page thus allowing easy comparison between the line and it's corresponding picture. But here, due to the layout being continuous it does not allow the corresponding to occur so smoothly. Instead the reader passes the line that the picture corresponds to and finds the image 10 to 20 lines below that right next to text lines that have either little or absolutely no relation to the picture at all. I acknowledge the argument that this is how the author wished it to be, however I wish to make a point that this was because of the very basic format of all books. No matter what page you open to, unless you fold one side to the back there will always be two pages before you. So I have two ideas to give here:
# Match the pictures' locations to the text lines most suited for them.
# Mark the end of each page with a <nowiki>----</nowiki> to insert a line signifying the end of a novel page(like demonstrated below) and making the pictures bigger so they may seem page sized as well.

----

:3. Make no changes and let the text and pictures remain unmatched.

Wow that's three. LOL. Personally, I believe the first idea is the best even if it does go against the original ordering. Does anyone have any objections and explanations as to why? [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] 22:52, 26 April 2011 (UCT)

<s>I'll go with the first option. Initially, I thought that the picture placement was just some kind or bug or error or something. It didn't really occur to me that that was intentional. ;) Anyway, it will help the reader identify the scene and image better, since the picture is placed beside or near the accompanying text.</s> My ignorance is showing, sorry about that. Anyway, I read (or looked at a page, trying to find a word I know) the source and the images are pretty much around where they are here, the only difference being the format (page-to-page vs continuous). Cross-referenced other series (specifically ZnT) and the editing is the same. So even though it's not spot on, it is how the page is intended w/ the only difference being format. So I guess, 3rd option? [[User:Seyrine|s13]] 16:05, 27 April 2011 (UCT)

I'm not putting the pictures anywhere else. Each author chooses where to put their pictures for a very specific reason. If you think it doesn't correspond well, then minimize a picture of the photo and read it side by side.- [[User:YoakeNoHikari|YoakeNoHikari]] 15:34, 27 April 2011 (UCT)

The OP is not incorrect that you can see the pictures side by side when you're reading it, but I prefer to just put it in at the end of the page, because, well...that's just how I see it. Putting it at the beginning would not necessarily be incorrect, but it's nice to read something before you look at the picture for it, which is the author's intent. - [[User:YoakeNoHikari|YoakeNoHikari]] 17:09, 27 April 2011 (UCT)

What you are saying ''is'' partly true. But only in cases where the picture relating to the text is on the ''backside'' of the related text page. When it is on the page on the side it is obviously there so that the picture and the text could be easily referenced. Even here because of the picture's size it can be made to look as though it is right next to the page. That is what I believe the author's original intention is. I'm not wrong am I? [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] 17:16, 27 April 2011 (UCT)

Rather I would say that because of the transition from side-by-side to continuous format the resulting positions of the pictures are something the author had not originally wanted, wouldn't you agree? As such shouldn't we choose from point 1 or 2 and not 3 regardless of how it's being done in the other light novels pages? Isn't it only correct that we do this? [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] 19:12, 27 April 2011 (UCT)

Finally from what you have been saying, it seems that you want the format to be as follows:

''text'' '''page1''' 
''picture'' '''page2''' 
''text'' '''page3'''

but instead it's '''''actually''''' like this:

''text'' '''page1''' 
''text'' '''page3''' ''picture'' '''page2'''

'''Note:''' Point 1 would make it like this:

''text'' '''page1''' ''picture'' '''page2''' 
''text'' '''page3'''

whereas Point 2 would show it like this:

''text'' '''page1''' 
----
''picture'' '''page2''' 
----
''text'' '''page3'''

So which format would you prefer. According to this, even the current format is actually against the original author's wishes, isn't it?  [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] 12:43, 28 April 2011 (UCT)

give it a few days before concluding that people are not answering. some of us are busy people in RL. besides, not everyone watches the pages, or are able to sift through the flood of "recent changes" to find their object of interest. bring it to the forums in that case. begging your pardon, as a translator, I think this is so trivial that I won't even waste time debating or discussing it. discussing stuff like terminologies such as the butei articles is more constructive than a few image placements, and there are very few indeed; begging your pardon again. if you really want to, you can set up a poll in the forums, but that would only make sense if a lot of people are actually concerned with this topic of interest. whatever the case, the supervisor (or translators) makes the final decision. on a side note, given that this is relatively popular project, nobody posting means no one cares about this? and sorry for my typing because I hate caps hahaha :3 --[[User:Larethian|Larethian]] 13:17, 28 April 2011 (UCT)

No problem. I do understand and it was my intention to wait. Plus the purpose of this topic is to persuade the editors and as stated in my previous post ''(see hidden text)'' the comment was just for motivation and I apologized to those who would take it the wrong way, finally I didn't actually say anything wrong, only laughed ''(evilly yes but only laughed)'', LOL. Besides, if my intention was not to persuade through discussion and debating the issue I wouldn't have started this in the first place. Trivial, it might be on face, but I still think it is worth discussing because of it's deeper implications. Plus if nobody cares doesn't that mean that any format is applicable? I think that is wrong, which is why I wish to confirm others views on this. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] 13:46, 28 April 2011 (UCT)

I didn't say that you are saying something wrong. It's just my opinion that it's a trivial thing, just as it's in your opinion that it's important. Different opinions that's all. No right or wrong. --[[User:Larethian|Larethian]] 14:06, 28 April 2011 (UCT)

True. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] 18:49, 28 April 2011 (UCT)

Yes indeed. Going over the previous posts I see that this is indeed a difference in opinion. Clarity is indeed needed. My opinion is that of a single reader, what's yours? Oh and we might need other readers' opinions as well, after all I am not the only one or a representative of all the readers. No, not at all. Thus more input from both sides would be appreciated. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] 21:42, 28 April 2011 (UCT)

Hmm... I wouldnt see any reason to do it different as it is done in the other translations... - aka text page / picture page / text page, but if you like you could put the corresponding line also under the picture (like it was done for Haruhi) to get a matching effect... --[[User:Darklor|Darklor]] 01:08, 29 April 2011 (UCT)

Yeah that is being done here and there. But it still feels weird to scroll down a whole screen or two just to get to the picture that matches the text, especially when in the book the text-picture pages are side-by-side '''(See the layout example a few posts back for details)''. ''(After checking)'' See, the picture's still side-by-side even here, just with the wrong text page, so to speak. I'm proposing we correct that. The journey of a 1000 miles starts with the first step but if we don't take the first step how will the journey begin? So why not take the first step when the result is an improvement? If it's a problem of time consumption while revising previous chapters then can't you let me take care of that detail. That way the translators won't have to stop their work. I can do it all within a few hours, albeit a bit roughly in the cases where the picture does not have labels. But even so. It's actually better than setting it next to the wrong page start. As said before I believe setting the picture, next to the page, after the one it is meant for (ie:

'''page1''': ''text'' 
'''page3''': ''text'' | '''page2''': ''picture''

) is not how the author wished it, though this is just my view as a reader. But it does hold some water, no? We could even switch the ordering around to make it even closer to the original format like so:

'''page2''': ''picture'' | '''page1''': ''text'' 
'''page3''': ''text''

What do you think? Oh and the offer, of me doing it if translators too busy translating, still stands. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] 01:50, 29 April 2011 (UCT)

My opinion: remove the stupid text under the pictures and "Match the pictures' locations to the text lines most suited for them."

That's how I do it for every series [[User:Vaelis|Vaelis]] 07:53, 29 April 2011 (UCT)

I'm not too busy translating, I'm too busy reading other things. Just because I translate this fanatically doesn't mean I don't have a mountain of other things to read/watch. As it stands, I'm practicing my Japanese by reading Mayo Chiki!, which is kind of a weird order, but that's irrelevant.

My opinion: I don't care enough to argue about it. If you're so horribly against putting it down there, then change it, but as I translate, I'm going to keep doing it the way it is currently. If you want to change it, then just do so after I put it in. - [[User:YoakeNoHikari|YoakeNoHikari]] 18:09, 2 May 2011 (UCT)

That's fine with me. So to confirm, I can set the picture next to the related text while revising and there won't be an edit war over it, right? Cause that's really scary. This one time... Oh well that's... well, forget that. Anyway, I have permission to match text with pictures while revising, right? [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] 22:36, 2 May 2011 (UCT)

Well, can I? Can I? Can I? Pleeeease? ''(Hoppity, hoppity, hop)'' [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] 18:42, 3 May 2011 (UCT)

At this point, I couldn't care less. If such a trivial thing irks you so badly, then by all means, go ahead and change it. I certainly won't be wasting time and effort to change it back. - [[User:YoakeNoHikari|YoakeNoHikari]] 19:05, 3 May 2011 (UCT)

Thank you! (Nyari) [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] 19:14, 3 May 2011 (UCT)

== Fuuma's speech to be changed==

I would like to change all of Fuumas "I" to "Oneself"/"myself" or "this one". Anything along those lines represent the "Sessha" she uses to refer to herself.
I would like opinions on this matter, for while "Myself/oneself" is my favorite, it should be the most easily-read one that prevails.

--[[User:Novium|Novium]] 22:59, 2 May 2011 (UCT)

http://www.baka-tsuki.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=44&t=2527&p=82653#p82653

Forum backlink.

--------
An example would make things more clear. Though personally I think it a pretty good idea. It does conform to the ancient/honorable/humble manner of speaking. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] 18:46, 3 May 2011 (UCT)

<nowiki>*</nowiki>Facepalm*. You know what, let's just change all of Patra's "I"s to "My Majesty". Also, "Myself hasn't been able to meet with you for a while," "Oneself hasn't been able to meet with you for a while," "Me myself hasn't been able to meet with you for a while," "This unworthy one hasn't been able to meet with you for a while."

I'm not budging. This is ''not'' open to discussion. How does a servant refer to himself in front of his lord in ''English''? "Your lord master, your servant hasn't grown enough crops this year."?. That's what somebody says when they speak to God. - [[User:YoakeNoHikari|YoakeNoHikari]] 19:02, 3 May 2011 (UCT)

--------

Yoake also has a point. But check this page out as well. It might help. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Illeism Illeism]. Just keeping an open mind here. I mean fansubbing translators usually do try and keep the Japanese manner of speech in their work rather than completely going English. The exotic manner is rather appealing. Just a thought though. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] 19:08, 3 May 2011 (UCT)

I have an idea of how to completely retain the meaning. I write warawa or sessha and then link to the wikipedia page. That sound good? - [[User:YoakeNoHikari|YoakeNoHikari]] 19:28, 3 May 2011 (UCT)

That is also a good idea. AH! Found it! This link would be better: ''http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_pronouns''. For Archaic references like ''sessha'' appending ''#Archaic_personal_pronouns'' would help ''(subsection link)'' [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] 19:36, 3 May 2011 (UCT)

----------
I was actually joking because that's amazingly retarded and nobody really cares enough, but, whatever floats your boat. Good luck fitting warawa in when I used me rather than I to refer to her. - [[User:YoakeNoHikari|YoakeNoHikari]] 19:38, 3 May 2011 (UCT)

Yeah, I'm being rude on purpose. I feel that the English language has no way of showing how bad of an idea I think this is if I don't resort to vulgarity. Rather, 'better; is a comparative phrase, and since I never actually mentioned a noun to which to compare to, a better word would be 'good'. At any rate, これは全然ひどい、全然無意味、全然迷惑なことって絶対変わらず。 - [[User:YoakeNoHikari|YoakeNoHikari]] 19:47, 3 May 2011 (UCT)

----------
I see. But you also do have a point. Not everyone would be able to understand right off the bat that way. Oh well. By the way they actually did used to say ''"My liege, your servant requests permission to withdraw."'' or ''"Your servant would like to beg forgiveness for his tardiness."'' Rankings in the Royal court did actually effect the manner of speech greatly. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] 19:54, 3 May 2011 (UCT)

Please. Please. Please. Please. Please. Don't make Fuuma say 'your student'. Please. Please. Please. Please. Fansubbers can translate how they want, the seas could boil and the Earth would crack, but don't make a ninja call herself 'your student' in front of Kinji. There's an t/l note already, can we let it go? I'll make a concession and expand on it as well as adding a link.- [[User:YoakeNoHikari|YoakeNoHikari]] 20:03, 3 May 2011 (UCT)

Naze nara... kore wa zenzen hidoi, zenzen muimi, zenzen meiwaku na koto ka? LOL. Jodan desu. Yes explaining in more detail in the Translation Notes and References pages is also another good idea/option. Actually I think it is the best one yet. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] 20:10, 3 May 2011 (UCT)

-----------
There is one short reference. But seriously Yoake, please consider what I am proposing seriously.
I'd like to stress that I am not attacking your translations here; I'm giving an opionion, not demanding word-by-word translations. If this insults you, I apologize for not putting it in kinder words.
But I won't have you being rude without properly hearing me out. It is demeaning.

Now, back to the matter itself:

There are archaic english that would properly convey the nuance of her speech; and I belive it would be worth the effort to try getting it across.
Now, I don't want to be harsly spoken, and I respect you work Yoake - In fact I really enjoy it. I just think we should be able to work something out to make it more along the authors intentions.I myself am not a native speaker, but I can see how:

"Oneself hasn't been able to meet with you for a while," should be written as "One has not been able to meet Instuctor for a while", reflecting the inpersonal part of sessha, and the second-part reference to oneself. Hasn't and the like are actually a good idea in my opinion, but they can be written to make a point of reflecting speech-patterns instead of as a rule.
As for Patra, aren't a royal "We" sufficient to reflect her nature coupled with a notice in the text?

In fact, most light novels translations fail on this part and I think everyone here could try to figure something out together instead of bashing the notion. Is that too much to ask for from a free wiki?
I sure don't think so.

Is this insufficient? I think that we should be able to see merit in this proposal.

With respect / --[[User:Novium|Novium]] 00:07, 4 May 2011 (UCT)

Well done, great explanation. Strong points. What do you think Yoake? There is ''some'' weight in the arguments is there not? Indeed such ways of speaking have been used in ancient literature as well as medieval times. And yes, in English the use of the words "We" and "Us" are plural forms however they were used by royals to refer to themselves (them being the leader/representative of their people probably brought on that effect). The use of plural form is regarded as a sign of great respect in many languages. That is a hard fact. Humility also meant referring to oneself in the third-person. The arguments are indeed sound. Are they not? [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] 00:27, 4 May 2011 (UCT)

A famous example of the use of "One" and "Oneself" for self referral is the character of Andrew Martin in the film [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bicentennial_Man_%28film%29 Bicentennial Man]. It chronicles the story of a robot and his journey into humanity. Before being ordered by his master to use "I" Andrew referred to himself as "one" or "oneself" as originally programmed to do so. It's a wonderful and beautiful story, you guys should try seeing it sometime. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] 02:35, 4 May 2011 (UCT)

No.

Third person referral has a completely different meaning in Japanese. Since there is no equivalent for one, third person referral through using their names such as Riko saying "Riko" instead of I is a very feminine style of speech. As such, I'm not willing to use any third person. Go look at the forum. - [[User:YoakeNoHikari|YoakeNoHikari]] 07:00, 4 May 2011 (UCT)

I've read the forum posts. Now I understand why "One" or "Oneself" is not used here for "Sessha". It might be equivalent in some respects but not exactly. I see. I learned something new. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] 13:50, 4 May 2011 (UCT)

I can agree with the royal "we". That's it. = [[User:YoakeNoHikari|YoakeNoHikari]] 15:14, 4 May 2011 (UCT)

See, discussions can actually help improve oneself if you see them in a certain way. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] 16:10, 4 May 2011 (UCT)

I am not a translator or even an editor and therefore have less value than the dirt on your shoes. But in light of my self-deprecation I hope you will accept my opinion. I agree with Yoake. Even someone referring to themselves as 'we' is a little weird to read in English, since it is not something that anyone ever does, unless they are a faggot. (forgive me) Imagine someone calling themselves we... If you want to create a suitably "exotic" atmosphere I think including suffixes after names, and leaving some nouns untranslated (but obviously in romaji) is good enough. -blackfaia

That's only because there are very few countries nowadays where kings and queens reign in full power (England has royalty but they're only figureheads). However, the royal terms "we" and "us" have been historically proven to be used. Pity English doesn't have honorific terms for the word "you" other than "Thee". Just an info tip. Not trying to revive this talk. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] 03:45, 28 May 2011 (UCT)

== Question about Translation Notes ==

Why are the translation notes and references on a separate page when they can be even more easily shown as a list at the bottom of each chapter via use of the '''ref''' tag? It's so bothersome to have to either navigate to a new page or open it in a new tab or window just to see a small note. Using the '''ref'''erence tag allows for in-page navigation (ie: new page doesn't need time to load, screen just zeros in on the reference or back to text ''without'' page loading). So why? [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] 11:48, 22 May 2011 (UCT)

Well its ''even'' more bothersome if you have to look up these references yourself. HnA is a light novel that has a substantial number of references and allusions to famous people, furthermore it is up to the translators creed. Also how is it that difficult to click on translation notes that simply opens a new page? Unless the readers are just being lazy. This really seems like a trivial matter to me. -[[User:Hiro Hayase|Hiro Hayase]] 16:47, 23, May 2011 (UCT)

Yeah well. Readers '''are''' lazing around, according to the elderly. LOL. But seriously, ''as a reader'' I would prefer having the translation notes at the bottom of the page rather than opening a new page. It might be lazy but it is ''faster'' in loading/navigation. If it's a problem of too much trouble I'd be happy to do it for you guys. I just think making a '''whole''' new/separate page for those notes is ''wasteful''. "A new page + data" takes more space than simply "data at the bottom of an already existing page". [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] 21:36, 23 May 2011 (UCT)

Well, it might be useful when you transform it unto a PDF format. Speaking of PDF, can someone go edit V2? [[User:Kira0802|きら]] 23:06, 23 May 2011 (UCT)

I can edit HnA volume 2 since I have nothing else to do atm Kira0802. Here's my opinion as a reader: just leave it as it is, this is such a trivial matter. If the reader wants such high-quality material, then they could learn the language and simply buy the light novels. Also, note that some translators do not bother making said these references at all, whether its the translation notes or foot notes at the bottom. -[[User:Hiro Hayase|Hiro Hayase]] 00:10, 24, May 2011 (UCT)

Sorry, but learning the language takes years of hard work. Plus not every country has access to places that actually sell the light novels. The reason people come to online light novel, manga and anime sites is ''because'' they '''don't want''' to wait. But even if it does seem like a trivial thing, there are benefits to it:

# People won't have to wait for a whole new page to load. (Not everyone has high speed DSL.)
# Navigating back and forth between translation notes and text is easier. (See next point for reason)
# Internal links are automatically generated when using '''ref''' tag making it easier for the translator while writing.
# Website space is conserved. (Size of New Page + Translation Notes > Size of Translation notes on an ''already existing page'')

I'd be happy if you can give me points that can legitimately favor leaving the translation notes on a separate page. If it's just because of the trouble of doing the work I said I can do it. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] 14:29, 24 May 2011 (UCT)

Instead of worrying about the convenience of foot notes vs translation notes, editing takes priority. There are still a number of HnA volumes and chapters that still needs editing and proofreading. That should be your first responsibility as an editor. Although if you still feel so strongly about this issue, then its best to take it to the forums. The translators and supervisors get the last say in regards to this issue. [[User:Hiro Hayase|Hiro Hayase]] 17:31, 24 May 2011 (UCT)

Here's my suggestion. If you're so bothered by this, Zero, then we can make a short reference at the bottom. If you want a more detailed, then we'll use the TL note&ref. [[User:Kira0802|Kira]] 18:07, 24 May 2011 (UCT)

Let's look at the different points:

"1. People won't have to wait for a whole new page to load. (Not everyone has high speed DSL.)" -> the page with the translation's note are only text, it's really small.

"2. Navigating back and forth between translation notes and text is easier. (See next point for reason)" -> if it's '''well done''', you can easily go back and forth between the two. I know it's not the case right now but the editors should learn how to do it, it's not that hard.

"3. Internal links are automatically generated when using '''ref''' tag making it easier for the translator while writing." -> it's not the translator's job but the editor's job.

"4. Website space is conserved. (Size of New Page + Translation Notes > Size of Translation notes on an ''already existing page'')" -> who cares?

Anyway you can look at every BT projects and I'm almost sure that all of them put reference notes on a separate page and personally I like it this way. I don't want to see tl notes who pollute the bottom of the page of the translation. So if you want an argument then it's aesthetic, and I always privilege it. [[User:Vaelis|Vaelis]] 18:45, 24 May 2011 (UCT)

[[Sword Art Online]] doesn't and I think it looks good. But as to your counters:

# Even if the page is small it ''still'' takes time to load. Time which could be further shortened by using the ref tag. The ref tag ''exists'' for this reason.
# Why bother doing something the more complex way when you can do it the easier way. Oh... and there is no way to make a backlink to the referring text unless you actually make subsections in the chapters when using different pages for the translation notes (Something that will mess up the natural ordering of the chapter). But ref tagging allows '''not only''' to generate an automatic link ''to the note'' but a ''backlink'' to the referring text. Ref tagging is a legit and popular way to add reference notes, used in all wikias and wikipedia sites as well. This site seems to be a model of those and ref tags are here as well. So why not use it??? Furthermore it will allow for a more interactive experience. People can scroll down to the references and use the back link to check the referring text as they see fit. (ie: using the link for reference 1 but then catching sight of the next reference note 2 and using the backlink to check the referred text for ''that'' note. Not everyone just reads through the whole thing once, you know).
# Translation notes are the translator's job. But that's not even a valid point. So what if it was the editor's job. I'm not talking about external links here like names like [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genghis_Khan Genghis Khan], I'm talking mainly about the translation notes that should normally appear at the bottom of the page for easy referral and its links <nowiki>[1] [2] [3]</nowiki>. I'm saying ref tagging makes not only the translator but the editor's job easier by taking the linking job off their hands. So why not use it? Plus the <nowiki>[1] [2] [3]</nowiki> are quite obviously a mimicry of the referral system. That's how the referral links are shown.
# "Who cares" is definitely not a valid argument. Isn't it always better to strive for advancement? Such terms only seek to arrest making something better. Why not just open your mind to the possibilities rather than closing it. I do have good and valid points. Don't shoot them down with such terms, it sounds wrong.

Finally I apologize if any of my earlier comments seemed like an attack. That was not my intention. I only wished for something that actually allows for an improvement to the current system. Well mainly it is the backlinking. But it also is true that it saves website space, is that not a good thing? Saving space means more data can be saved, no? Well basically we will only be the space of the page container that will be reduced but every little bit helps, does it not? And complex coding can be avoided, is that not better? All one has to do is write so: <nowiki><ref>Enter translation note here</ref></nowiki> where the text that should refer is; instead of writing the external link <nowiki>[http://www.baka-tsuki.com/???]</nowiki> and then writing the translation notes in the page it refers to. Give it a thought, which process is more complex??? Also I don't thing any two humans have the exact same aesthetic sense. Why not think about the benefits of the ref system. And tell me of the benefits of the current system. I'm sure there must be some. I always concede when there are more benefits for using another system. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] 23:04, 24 May 2011 (UCT)

Also there is one more point I'd like to make, though I'm not 100% sure about it. I think that the ref system is properly transferred during the use of template insertions like compiling into Full Text pages. I'm sure that problem was addressed during the development of the ref system. Though we might have to run some tests to make sure. But hey, it will solve the problem in the full text version's references if I'm right, right? Though I would like to point out that I not 100% sure about it. Maybe 85%. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] 23:11, 24 May 2011 (UCT)

Okay I just checked SAO's [[Sword_Art_Online:Volume_4]] page, the references '''do''' transfer seamlessly. That's point 5 for the ref system (100% sure now). Come on I'm sure there must be some positive points for letting the current system stay. No system is without benefits. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] 23:20, 24 May 2011 (UCT)

Hummmm....It starts to become a bit heated. So I recommend you to post it in the forums. Of course, posting politely will be asked. [[User:Kira0802|Kira]] 23:24, 24 May 2011 (UCT)

Yeah, you're right. I apologize for that. But you know. I'm not asking for a full change in the whole website. Just recommending a change in Hidan no Aria's pages. If everyone believes that there are valid reasons for the system to stay this way then that is fine with me as well. I just want to know the reasons and feel that they are valid enough. I proposed this system not because I like or dislike it but because I sincerely believe that the ref system is better than the current one. That's why I gave the four... oops five now, reasons that I felt were beneficial to everyone. All of my reasons are legit. They actually do help better the site. I'm not too familiar with forums though so, if you really do want to take it there, it's fine so long as you provide a link for me. I just want this discussion to be resolved by professionally discussing the pros and cons of both systems. Not personal like or dislike. I'm fine with things being the way they are, I just need to be persuaded that there are better reasons for it to stay like this. That's all. It's just that no one is actually bringing forth any pros for the current system so far. There must be some if people prefer it, right? But I won't take reasons like "It's too much hard work or bothersome to change things now." I've already said I'm willing to do ''all'' the work if the ref system is implemented (I'm a ''really'' hard worker). Also ''one'' reason such as it won't look good is not enough. You have to have at least as many points as I do. (Tension breaker: If thou wishest to dissuade me, telleth me what advantages the current system hath. LOL.) [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] 00:24, 25 May 2011 (UCT)

@Zero I think what some of them meant is that Editing takes priority, so can the editors fix the English first?

@Vaelis Well actually, I'm in the process of changing my projects from Translator's Notes page to using "ref"s. All my new translations use "ref"s. ^_^

Just to share my experiences, initially I didn't like it because I have less control on the formatting. I used to use a separate page and provide back links to navigate back to the page the reader was on. But I found that the back links will work wrongly on the FULL TEXT version. Of course, I can use some programming tricks and some of the new wiki's extensions to overcome this maybe, but using "references" solve this problem easily, since I put my "Translator's Notes header" and <nowiki><references/></nowiki> under <nowiki><noinclude></noinclude></nowiki> at the footer. The FULL TEXT version will then not have reincludes of the "References", and I can just add the <nowiki><references/></nowiki> at the bottom of the FULL TEXT page easily. The backlinks are generated automatically. Another trivial advantage is that I can use the "name" id to share the same reference across a page (though normally I don't do that). Oh yeah, when I read using my tablet over a intermittent 3G connection, I'd prefer not to open a separate page. But the key issue I wanted to solve is the problem of lacking seamless backlinks from the notes. You can check out [[Itsuka Tenma no Kuro Usagi#itsuten_v1|Itsuten Volume 1]] or [[Densetsu no Yūsha no Densetsu#daiden vol1|Daiden Volume 1]] on how I utilized it. ^_^ --[[User:Larethian|larethian]] 01:27, 25 May 2011 (UCT)

I agree editing takes priority. I am working side by side the posted translation to fix spelling, punctuation and grammatical errors. I even put in many of the external links that others miss. I'm saying I can do both jobs. That's just how much of a hard worker I am. And yeah. I had seen the backlink problem in the full text version. It comes due to having two reference lists, one the full pages own generated one, the second from the chapter pages themselves. I had already known that the '''noinclude''' tag makes sure that the text encapsulated is not shown when the page is encapsulated in another using <nowiki>{{Insert page name here}}</nowiki>. So I had thought that that would solve the problem. I actually have a long history of wikipedia and wiki editing spanning 5 years, and templates are my expertise. I'm glad there is someone in my support. Thanks. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] 11:36, 25 May 2011 (UCT)

I leave it to the editors, but unless I take the time to figure out this wiki works, (I'm not,) I'm going to continue to use off-page references. Actually, to tell the truth, your attitude makes me want to stab my eyeballs out. Not for any particular reason. Don't feel obliged to care, either. - [[User:YoakeNoHikari|YoakeNoHikari]] 09:05, 30 May 2011 (UCT)

Now, now, I agree I have suggested more than a few changes, but I had zero, and I mean 0%, ill intentions. And using the ref tag is not that hard. It will make your job easier, Yoake. So don't be so stubborn and try to think of all the possibilities that this site has to offer. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] 10:32, 30 May 2011 (UCT)

I don't particularly mind not having off-page notes, rather, I agree with you, I like how seamless the transition is between the note and the text. However, I can hardly say the same for how you're going about with this. You're saying that you're doing this for the betterment of the site and not your personal preference, which is full retard, because this kind of thing is completely personal and subjective. It's like trying to decide whether Monet's or Picasso's works are better. Personally, I think a five year old draws better than Picasso. Or, Hemingway and Tolkien. Personally, I think Hemingway writes like a five year old. What you're doing is trying to provide reasons as to ''why'' you think Hemingway writes like a five year old, and then blowing other's points as invalid or 'not a reason' because they're subjective when that's exactly what you're doing. Then, you say: "I'm a hard worker," as if Hiro doesn't do his fair share of editing. And, how the hell does it make my job easier? What? It makes it easier for me to understand Japanese? - [[User:YoakeNoHikari|YoakeNoHikari]] 10:51, 30 May 2011 (UCT)

Rather than editing two pages and switching between them you can add the translation note on the same page, at the reference line, seamlessly. That's how your job can become easier. By cutting down the time it takes for you to write the external link to the translation page, opening the page and then writing the translation note at it's place. These three steps are cut down to one <nowiki><ref>Insert Transation note here</ref></nowiki>. I never said anyone was not a hard worker. I merely mentioned myself and my intentions were not to belittle anyone. I never shot down any of the points except the one where the words ''"Who cares?"'' were mentioned. If I was really as you say I am I would not have bothered with this discussion, at all. Instead I did bother with it. The only reason I really mentioned being a hard worker was to remove one problem: ''"Who would be willing to spend time on changing things?"'' You must admit that is a reason that influences most changes. So by saying I will do it and telling just how much of a hard worker I am, I am preventing the following thoughts: ''"It's too troublesome." "I don't wanna do it." "It'll take too long."'' If it really was for my personal preference I would not have given such rational reasons for the change. Now, I would like for you to give me rational reasons as to why the current system is better than the reference system, which ''is used'' by some projects on this site. I'm an not adverse to having the current system, as long as you can actually give me some real points for it. And besides, it's not like I will suddenly start converting anything without approval. I don't see why you're being so hostile. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] 16:16, 30 May 2011 (UCT)

You want to hear what might be a real point to Vaelis? "I like it." Do we need any other points? All your points are just things that you like, therefore, his point carries the exact same weight as all your points combined. - [[User:YoakeNoHikari|YoakeNoHikari]] 17:08, 30 May 2011 (UCT)

What I'm trying to say is, rather than constructing this as a rational argument, which it's impossible to do so properly, it's a matter of personal preference. I mean, this decision mostly affects the readers, so the best thing to would be to ask them. Since you're good at wikis, is it possible to organize a poll or something in the front page? Rather, this is something that would be better measured with a majority, rather than points, which is a rather selfish way of doing things. It's simply not taking everyone's opinions into account, which is what something like this should do, rather than with rational points. - [[User:YoakeNoHikari|YoakeNoHikari]] 17:48, 30 May 2011 (UCT)

But a poll without understanding the pros and cons of both systems just seems like a blind popularity contest to me (Example: A beauty contest with the girls hidden). Sorry, but my specialty in wikis is templates, what you're suggesting might involve bots and other complex mechanisms. I'm afraid I'm currently incapable of doing that. Even if it is my preference at least I did give pros for the reference system. Up until now, other than a small mention on the font style there has been absolutely no pros given forward for the current system despite my asking over and over (And I did ask over and over). Well, here's a compromise, how about putting this discussion on hold until all the translations are finished? It would give time to mull things over. I've seen giving a break to discussions helps clear up some things. Even I might change my mind. Or would you rather we keep on discussing? It does cut into translation/editing time doesn't it? [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] 07:30, 31 May 2011 (UCT)

The thing is, this is supposed to be a popularity contest. In essence, this change is based on what people like, whether they like having an off-page reference, or <nowiki><ref></nowiki>. I'm not really translating regularly, as exams are coming up, and it's not like I'm working set hours, so it's not wasting my translation time, as such. - [[User:YoakeNoHikari|YoakeNoHikari]] 16:27, 31 May 2011 (UCT)

True. But every popularity contest has to have the subjects displayed and their advantages and disadvantages noted. But nobody even bothers to point out any advantages to the current system. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User Talk:Zero2001]] - 14:07, 31 May 2011

Advantages: Translator can put whatever the hell she wants without inhibition XD. Doesn't mess up the aesthetics of the page, (for some.) Allows for additional information to be put where necessary. Makes it easier to keep track of. - [[User:YoakeNoHikari|YoakeNoHikari]] 16:27, 31 May 2011 (UCT)

Nice debate. Well even if you do a poll I don't know if anyone will vote. You could just make a thread about this and stick a poll in there if you want. But, as a reader, I can clearly say that having refs on the same page is better. Honestly though, it makes nearly no difference whatsoever, majority of readers won't care too much either way. Since this is the case, whatever is more convenient for the translator should be used. I mean... this is baka-tsuki. You have minimal contact with your readers anyways, so just do what you want.--[[User:Blackfaia|Blackfaia]] 00:04, 12 June 2011 (UCT)

== quick question ==

Who's on the cover of volume 8? I don't recognize her. --[[User:Saganatsu|Saganatsu]] 06:32, 5 June 2011 (UCT)

See here: ***SPOILER*** http://forums.animesuki.com/showthread.php?p=3574281#post3574281 ***SPOILER*** --[[User:Remotemine|Remotemine]]

== Problem: Incomplete Translations ==

So yea, the problem I would like to address is the one regarding '''incomplete translations'''.

The translators '''have not finished volume 8''' yet they start on 9? How will the readers get a full experience if they can't read the whole thing?

I would love to translate but unfortunately, I'm not fluent in Japanese. I'm not here to bitch, I'm just trying to resolve a problem. This post may become irrelavant as the translations progress, but as of now, I see incomplete translations.

Thanks for your attention,

-Kuro Light XIII

Same here, I would love to continue reading, but unfortunately there aren't any translations. So please, if you can translate it. I would help if i could ...

As I posted on Kuro's talk page, the reason why people translate after an unfinished volume is that we should keep the greatest constancy possible. Meaning that there's a max of 2 translators per volume, and preferably only one. [[User:Kira0802|Kira]] ([[User_talk:Kira0802|Talk]]) 16:31, 9 April 2012 (CDT)

Thx for the reply. So that means that volume 8 is currently with no translator... can you give a date by which the tranlation is complete(if you can manage to get a translator for that volume). If you can I would be very grateful...

There still hasn't been any progress with the translations of vol 8 since I last checked... please someone translate it,, im begging you -KuroLightXIII

man guys i love the anime guys and was so excited becuz of the light novel but found out that it only till 8 volume are complete....im on my

knees mann to anyone who are willing to take time off from real life to translate this piece of novel... honestly im being a bitch here becuz

im irritated it like watching clannad after story without watching it ending or angel beats without the tearful ending or code geass and just

watching the 1st season... but im still thankful for translating this work till volume 7 - loyal fan

As much as I want to agree with you guys about the incomplete translations, I'm asking you to please stop this kind discussion. Asking them to quickly finish translating can be a very rude thing (it depends on how you view it though) and this is something that I've recently understood as well. The translators are doing this without any type of monetary reward and requires a lot of sacrifice on their part. As those that cannot even contribute to the novel's translation, we show our appreciation to them by saying thanks and try to give them some moral support with words but that's it. You should understand as well how hard it is to cope with real life matters especially since it's more important than translating LNs for free. The only thing we can do now is pray that someone will be willing to complete the translations and at the same time show our appreciation to the ones who finished the earlier volumes. If you guys still want the translations to be finished, you can try asking some translators that's almost finished with their project to continue with this one once they're done but don't persist if they refuse. They've done their part and that's more than enough. A more definite solution would be to learn the Japanese language ourselves and buy the LNs. This way you don't bother the translators and you're also supporting the authors who we should ultimately give thanks to for writing the LNs in the first place. - Cataccountant

Hello, I am not currently a translator for baka tsuki, but I would like to become one. I have 2 years of Japanese schooling, 5 months of living there on exchange, and a ridiculous amount of anime that I have watched. I am a native English speaker with a tendency to read every book I enjoy within a few hours, so there shouldn't be many problems with vocabulary. I would like to try translating Hidan no Aria if possible, unfortunately I have not yet found a local store to pick up the untranslated volumes. If I am able to get access to the Japanese version I would happily work on translation. Please let me know if this would be possible, and if there is another way to get the raw versions.
Thanks,
- 0Starkller0

@0Starkller0 --Before I bought my real copies, I always found my JP raw volumes over at jCafe. Just a few weeks ago they were still available there so you should still be able to find them pretty quickly. Hope that helps a bit. Good Luck! --[[User:Fallton13|Fallton13]]
Thanks, I got my copy of volume 10 already, 8 and 11 are in the mail. Ordered them from kinokuniya online store. - 0Starkiller0

Hey, i was wondering if you are really going to translate HnA and if yes are you going to finish volume 8 or jump right into one of the untranslated volumes? - Daeverius

I hope translator can quickly finish volume 8 and 9. because I can not read in Japanese, sincerly I beg for translator to finish it. Thanks.

Volume 14, HNA will probably be published this month. There's no one to translate the volumes 10,11,12,13? Please. Thank you.

== Image Editing ==
Went ahead and edited the images from volume 1 to volume 7, I'll continue with them as translators finish their job translating, so once volume 8 and 9 get properly finished i'll work on the images for these volumes. --[[User:Krytyk|Krytyk]] ([[User talk:Krytyk|talk]]) 19:37, 15 December 2012 (CST)

Thanks for the hard work. I'll wait vol 8 & 9 eagerly.

Thanks for the translation. I'll be eagerly awaiting the volumes 10, 11, 12 and 13

I hope the translation vol. 10 finish soon. I'am looking forward for it. thanks [[User:Zerocrack|Zerocrack]] ([[User talk:Zerocrack|talk]]) 21:06, 10 June 2013 (CDT)

== 10th Volume ==

How come the second chapter is already done while chapter 1 has not seen major advance since last August? --[[User:Kemm|Kemm]] ([[User talk:Kemm|talk]]) 05:54, 7 February 2013 (CST)

Because the ones working are different Translators | [[User:Koakuma|Koakuma]] ([[User talk:Koakuma|talk]]) 07:02, 7 February 2013 (CST)

== AfterWord/Author's Notes ==
Hey guys just curious as to why there aren't any of the afterwords/author's notes for HnA at all. I noticed that they actually do exists, and I am wondering if its on purpose or is it just forgotten? I wonder if anyone else would be interested in doing them with me if you guys think we should add them in for completions sake. -- [[User:Royaloyalz|Royaloyalz]] ([[User talk:Royaloyalz|talk]]) 06:37, 8 February 2013 (CST)

I can't speak on behalf of previous translators to say why they haven't been done, but they definitely exist. They're really quite short, so I'll see about taking a stab at them.
--[[User:Hiyono|Hiyono]] ([[User talk:Hiyono|talk]]) 09:56, 8 February 2013 (CST)

== So. ==

What would it take for a commissioned translation effort? I'm willing to offer. [[User:LB Kasen|LB_Kasen]] ([[User talk:LB Kasen|talk]]) 17:24, 5 May 2013 (CDT)

I don't see what you mean.
--[[User:KanzakiAria|KanzakiAria]]

== Original Sources ==

Currently I'm only working as a full-time editor. If anyone can point me to Chinese sources for chapters 10-14, I shall translate for you guys ASAP. Just saying, the project supervisor has dropped this project though the translators and editors are still at work. Please bear with it.

[[User:KanzakiAria|KanzakiAria]] ([[User talk:KanzakiAria|talk]]) 00:05, 27 June 2013 (CDT)

Try to contact one of the translators, since the projects at this wiki are mainly translated fro chinese, with the direct translation from japanese on second place. (Though there's always someone to check the correct terms from japanese sources. --[[User:Kemm|Kemm]] ([[User talk:Kemm|talk]]) 19:08, 26 June 2013 (CDT)

Hi, please do not openly talk about "raws" which have a connotation of illegally scanned copyright infringement. In theory, you should own the actual book you're translating from. Anyway, if you're looking for Chinese sources, you should be aware of lightnovel.cn, which is sort of the Chinese equivalent of Baka-Tsuki:
http://lknovel.lightnovel.cn/main/vollist/66.html

And Kemm: please do not insult translators such as js06, Teh_Ping, Tap, Code-Zero, hayashi_s, stellarroze, etc (just to name a few) who actually translate from Japanese to English. On what basis do you assert that Japanese translation is secondary? Even in the case of Hidan no Aria, YoakeNoHikari switched from Chinese to Japanese sources quite early on.

--[[User:Zzhk|Zzhk]] ([[User talk:Zzhk|talk]]) 19:46, 26 June 2013 (CDT)

Thanks, I've already started to translate Volume 10. I'm not supposed to translate Chapter 1, but I'm already 90% done on my private copy. Waiting for Yoake to reply to my registration though.

I see what you mean by copyright infringement, but I really can't find any on the Singapore market. I would say that this is for "private use" though. Please forgive me.
[[User:KanzakiAria|KanzakiAria]] ([[User talk:KanzakiAria|talk]]) 00:05, 27 June 2013 (CDT)

Zzhk, I know that there are translators who translate directly from japanese, and was about to include it on my previous post, but didn't know how to fit it; what I meant is that, going by quantity, I have found that, for some reason, they number less than those who make use of chinese sources (that's why "second place"). And when I talk about "raws" (though maybe I'm misusing it) I don't mean only so-called "public raws" (illegal) but also physical copies (that can be bought or lent) and digitalizations of owned copies for personal use (so as to no have to translate with one hand on the keyboard and the other turning pages, being able to read it on your PC, laptop or e-book reader or for preservation purposes). --[[User:Kemm|Kemm]] ([[User talk:Kemm|talk]]) 06:31, 27 June 2013 (CDT)

== PDF files ==

The PDF files of volume 1 to 7 have been remove from MF can someone reup them ty
Edit: NVM that found them https://www.dropbox.com/sh/cgf7kw5qvbc6img/z9tAs_KOPf

== Vol. 11, and the issue of JP/CN/EN translations. ==

You may have noticed that I registered most of Vol. 11, but have not posted anything. I currently have drafts of chapter 2 and a segment of 3, translated from a Chinese raw. It has become obvious that translating indirectly will cause problems, so I will be rewriting my drafts with the Japanese version as reference. Of course, I don't actually know Japanese, but some info for dubious segments can still be gleaned. What would be nice, however, is a translation checker. Would one of the other translators be willing to do a once-over of the original Japanese text and the translated script side by side to make sure they're consistent? [[User:LB Kasen|LB_Kasen]] ([[User talk:LB Kasen|talk]]) 12:49, 14 August 2013 (CDT)

Ah, so you're still on task. Okay, vol 11 was out quite long ago so I can't find the JP version at the closest store from my home. (That store only has vol 14)

Since you do not understand JP and there aren't many TLCs around, I can't help much either. From what I've heard, the CN raws are actually very accurate even though some format is changed. Use this powerful checklist:

1. Translation has everything from the raw

2. Keep to the proverbs and idioms used in the raw. (If it isn't an English idiom or proverb, do a direct translation. Then do an explanation of it in Translator's Notes.)

3. Try to keep to the same sentence structure. If impossible, feel free to change it a bit.

4. Punctuation should be kept to the raw's. If impossible, at least stick to the punctuation for dialogues.

5. Try to have synonyms, but make sure they mean the same thing. However, if the author is trying to put across the fact that the speaker is trying to copy a phrase or word from someone else, keep it constant.

6. 100% correct grammar. Okay, that's a bit too strict. But maximize your English potential, please. I'll try to get some friendlier editors like Rohan to help out.

7. The dialogues must have the same interjections as used in the raw. (Ah, huh, uwa and stuff like that.)

8. The dialogues must sound realistic. Unless, the style is purposely created by the author. (See Jeanne's part for example.)

9. NO TRIMMING OF INFORMATION.

10. You may use some profound or posh words, but try to have simpler vocabulary so to reach a larger audience.

11. Terms and jargon must be included. Especially when it comes to weapons and stuff like that. If you don't know what to call them, ask me through email.

12. Have passion and pride in your work.

It's pretty much my criteria for all of my translations so far. You should use it, these are stuff that Nano Desu and Ping has always emphasized on. With these criteria, the translation should be at least 99% similar to the original JP work. (We can't expect the fan translations to be that good. Go buy the traditional or simplified Chinese version if you're extremely picky.)

--[[User:KanzakiAria|KanzakiAria]] ([[User talk:KanzakiAria|talk]]) 19:53, 14 August 2013 (CDT)

== volume 15 ==
does someone know what going on with volume 15? - is it "published" ? - it's just that I didn't see anything about it, and I was wonder about this matter

:It is published scroll to the very bottom and you see it says to be released August 23 2013. so it is published in Japan however they just have yet to put too much info about on the site at this point.[[User:Yascob99|Yascob99]]

== Main Page ==
The Main page of the project seems to have out of date info for example It says 11 volumes as of march 2013 and currently it is over a year later and on volume 15 can someone change this to more updated info?[[User:Yascob99|Yascob99]]

:Updated all info and added a section for vol.15. As I said back when I added it to the series overview, the first ideogram in the name is chinese only (foreign to japanese) and its translation may not be accurate; by the ruby text I think it could be star-related, and I expect that it'll be explained on the novel. Once someone reads it, please check and correct the translation.--[[User:Kemm|Kemm]] ([[User talk:Kemm|talk]]) 15:21, 30 August 2013 (CDT)

Thanks for the update! I'm not going to buy Vol 15 to TL yet, though. [[User:KanzakiAria|KanzakiAria]] ([[User talk:KanzakiAria|talk]]) 19:42, 30 August 2013 (CDT)

Seirei Tsukai no Blade Dance:Volume6 Chapter1

2013-08-29T22:09:43Z

Monsterbandage: /* Part 1 */

==Chapter 1 - The First Dawn==

===Part 1===

Chirp chirp...

The singing of birds could be heard from the forest. A cold early morning that chilled one to the bones.

Chirp~

A soft sensation could be felt near his cheek--

Kamito woke up with a start.

He was surrounded by darkness. The light streaming into the tent was also rather weak.

Half awake, he was just about to get up from the simple bed--

"...!?"

A pang of intense pain could be felt from his ribs.

"Speaking of which, I'm still wounded..."

Kamito groaned painfully.

It happened last night--during the first night of the «Blade Dance» festival, he received these injuries when battling Leonora Lancaster, the ace of the «Knights of the Dragon Emperor» who represented Dracunia.

Even though it was a brief battle lasting only a couple of minutes, Kamito was still cornered to the verge of death by Leonora who had become a berserker through the awakening of «Dragon Blood». Using her elemental waffe of the strongest class, the «Dragon Slayer», she penetrated his chest deeply.

Kamito was able to make a comeback and defeat Leonora only thanks to the revived sword spirit Est. To this date, the «Demon Slayer» had already saved him from many desperate crises. Even though she had closed off her heart due to past tragedy, in the end, she still responded to Kamito's summons and returned to the battlefield.

"...Hmm?"

Suddenly, Kamito noticed a sense of dissonance.

Trying to get up from the simple bed, Kamito found his arm--

Being gripped tightly by a small and icy-cold hand.

"E-Est!?"

Kamito was shocked.

Before his eyes was a beautiful girl with silver-white hair, sleeping soundly with light breathing noises.

Her curled up body was wrapped in a blanket. Her sleeping form almost resembled a tiny angel.

However, the problem was--

"...!"

Her manner of attire, which was basically nude... That was the situation.

Other than the black kneesocks that covered her legs, her entire body was bare.

Lustrous silver-white hair. Skin as smooth and white as fresh milk.

From the gaps of the blanket, two mild protrusions were faintly visible.

Her adorable breath brushed against his arm, causing a strange ticklish feeling.

"What should I do now, given this..."

Kamito muttered in a quandary.

Est's hand was currently gripping Kamito's arm tightly. This prevented him from getting up directly.

Seeing her sleeping so soundly, it would be a pity to wake her up on purpose.

Besides... Gazing at Est's peaceful sleeping face, Kamito recalled.

The reason she was like this, was probably because she felt insecure.

Normally she would sleep in the form of a sword in order to reduce the consumption of power, but now she was maintaining the appearance of a young girl. This was the proof.

In order to save Kamito who was being devoured by the «Brand of Darkness», Est had sacrificed herself and disappeared from this world. At the time, she recalled the past memories she had forgotten.

She recalled the life of her first contractor -- «Sacred Queen» Areishia Idriss. Her memories had been stolen by the curse.

Even though Est was currently incomplete, holding only one tenth of her original power, she still inherited the attributes of the demonic sword which robbed its owner's life. If he continued to maintain his contract with Est, Kamito would soon meet the same fate as her past contractors.

Nevertheless, Kamito had made a promise with Est.

Whether your curse or your fate as a demonic sword, I will accept all of it -- that was what he had said.

''I will win the «Blade Dance» together with Est --''

Watching Est's peaceful sleeping face, Kamito renewed his resolve.

The winner of the «Blade Dance» was to be bestowed a miracle by the Elemental Lords.

Through this miraculous power, capable of making any «Wish» come true, changing Est's fate as a demonic sword was not impossible.

"«Wish»...?"

Kamito felt a pang of pain in his left hand, the one covered by the black leather glove.

Beneath the glove was the spirit seal from his past contracted spirit.

Three years ago, Kamito was known as the «Strongest Blade Dancer». In order to realize ''her'' «wish», he had emerged as the victor of the «Blade Dance».

''At the time -- What kind of wish did I make for her...''

Somehow, almost all of his memories of that day were gone.

What he could recall were merely scraps of images.

The figure of the darkness spirit devoured by a pitch-black «wish».

After that, three years had passed--

She appeared before Kamito once more.

As the subordinate of a different and mysterious Ren Ashbell.

"Kami... to..."

"Hmm?"

Feeling a squirming presence, Kamito looked down at Est.

Only to find her still sleeping with cute breathing noises.

...Apparently she called out Kamito's name from her dreams.

"I am your sword... Your wish is my command..."

Kiss~

"E-Est...!?"

His fingertips felt the soft sensation of her lips.

Just as Kamito frantically tried to withdraw--

"Mmm... Kamito... I... love..."

Kiss~ Kiss~

Est held on to Kamito's arm tightly.

"So..."

What should he do, just as Kamito agonized, at this moment--

Snap... Sounds of twigs breaking could be heard coming from outside the tent.

"...!?"

"...E-Excuse me, Kamito. W-What do you think y-you are d-do, d-doing?"

At the entrance to the tent, a girl was wielding Flametongue, her shoulders trembling.

Her long hair was tied into twintails on opposite sides of her head. Her eyes were like rubies infused with burning flames. Despite the slight paucity of her bosom, the proportions of her figure were as beautiful as a statue of a goddess.

Claire Rouge. Originally the high-born daughter hailing from the prestigious family of Duke Elstein.

A cute and beautiful girl who mesmerized people on sight.

However--

"How do you intend to e-ex, e-explain?"

In her current state, she was almost akin to a berserk flame spirit.

"Hey, hey... The tent is catching on fire!"

Kamito called out frantically--

"And I-I was so w-worried about you!"

Her twintails standing upright on end, Claire walked directly over.

"N-No, this is a misunderstanding!"

"...~tsk, what is this, isn't that your explanation every single time!?"

Tears were beginning to well up in those ruby-like eyes.

At this moment--

"Fuaah..."

Est finally woke up.

Yawning adorably, she rubbed her eyes with her hands.

...Apparently not completely awake.

"Mmm..."

Just as Claire stopped advancing, in that very instant.

Kiss~

" "What!?" "

Kamito and Claire screamed simultaneously.

Because Est kissed Kamito on his cheek.

"Y-You, y-you, what are you d-doing!?"

Claire shouted with her face all red.

"I am Kamito's contracted spirit. Offering a morning kiss to the contractor is a natural duty."

"L-Liar, I've never heard of anything like that!?"

Trembling, Claire's hair made noises as she shook... Indeed, it has never been heard of before.

"Not lying."

Kiss~

"...~tsk, Kamito, you must have taught weird ideas to Est again..."

"I have no idea! Besides, what do you mean by 'again'!?"

The tent's wooden support column began to emit black smoke.

...No good. If this continued, the entire tent will turn into charcoal.

Kamito hastily racked his brains for a way to escape the crisis--

"B-By the way, I am being ordered around by you as your contracted spirit, right?"

"...? That's right, after all, you are my slave spirit."

Claire nodded matter-of-factly... Truly deplorable, but whatever.

"Well then, I will also offer a morning kiss to my master."

"...Uh?"

Claire was instantly frozen with shock.

In this situation, the term master -- referred to Claire, naturally.

"W-Wha, w-what is this! Some kind of joke?"

"It can't possibly be a joke."

"Ahhhh..."

Sliding her finger lightly across her chin, Claire made a cute scream.

"I-If you dare do such a thing, don't expect me to forgiiii... Uwah!"

"Hey, just relax--"

As soon as he blew lightly in her ear, Claire suddenly lost all strength and collapsed.

Before she fell over, Kamito frantically caught and supported her back.

"S-Seriously, what are you doing...!"

Claire instantly blushed bright red and began to anger. But unbelievably, she made no effort to resist meaningfully.

Probably having bathed in river water, her smooth skin gave off the scent of soap.

"Your ears are your weak points, you know."

"Uwah, n-no...!"

Usually domineering in personality, Claire was unexpectedly meek when others took the initiative. Kamito knew that very well.

Even though she was the violent Hell Cat Girl, her true nature was a pure and delicate young lady.

Kamito embraced Claire as she lay powerlessly in his arms.

"Well then, please accept this morning kiss... Master."

Whispering softly in her ear, he drew his lips lightly towards Claire's face--

"...~tsk!"

Puff!

Instantly, Claire's head began to emit steam.

"Waaaaah, Kamito you jerk!"

Her face all red, Claire noisily swayed her twintails as she ran away.

"...Seriously, she's still so cute."

Kamito shrugged and smiled wryly.

That said, perhaps he really went too far this time. Even though this method was very effective in dismissing her anger, it did create problems later.

...Perhaps he should prepare his grave while he still had time.

"--Kamito is the Demon King of the Night."

Est was expressionless -- However, her murmuring voice sounded subtly unhappy.

Caressing Est's head, Kamito said:

"Est, it's fine if you want to sleep a while longer. Have you recovered your power?"

"Yes, Kamito. In order to become your sword, I will focus on recovering my power."

Est nodded obediently and went back to sleep.

Covering her still naked body with a blanket, Kamito then changed his uniform.

Walking out of the tent, he took a deep breath of the refreshing early morning air.

--At this time, he noticed something had fallen before the tent.

It was a coil of unimpressive bandages. Also, there was a basket of fruit.

"...That girl, she even brought these things... Feels like I'm the bad guy now."

Scratching his face, he was just about to pick up the objects on the ground when--

"Fufu, Kamito-kun, you surely brought to life your beast-like self just now."

Rustle rustle... A girl appeared out from the thicket.

Gorgeous waist-length black hair. Light gray eyes, adorned by cute lashes.

Wearing a bold uniform that was styled like a low-cut dress, she was the Empire's former imperial princess.

"...Fianna!? You s-saw!?"

"--I will also offer a morning kiss to my master."

"Gaaaaaah!"

While maintaining a serious expression, the imperial princess imitated Kamito's voice.

Kamito instantly ducked, clutching his head in his arms.

"--Well then, please accept this morning kiss... Master."

"Aaaaaah... I-I beg you, please stop it... Please stop this."

"Fufu, Kamito-kun is so cute~"

Watching Kamito rolling around on the ground in embarrassment, Fianna smiled mischievously with a chuckle.

===Part 2===

"How amazing. While I was sleeping, you've built a «stronghold» already?"

"No, it's only half complete. We need an even sturdier «stronghold» this time. A fortress-class stronghold that not even Dracunia's «Knights of the Dragon Emperor» could breach."

Kamito and Fianna walked side by side in the quiet forest.

Although ordinary people could only see a forest here, anyone with sufficient elementalist potential would notice an invisible barrier spread out between the trees.

To have constructed this level of a barrier within the span of merely one night, she truly lived up to her name as the Princess Maiden who was the original candidate for Queen. During this time, other teams were probably constructing their own «strongholds», but surely none of them could have surpassed Fianna's in strength.

Faced with such a solid «stronghold», there probably would not be any teams making an assault like Leonora's group last night.

Land protected by multiple barriers was equivalent to a sturdy castle to elementalists. The protection from the earth spirits bolstered divine power, and through the leylines flowing underground, one could even obtain blessings such as the recovery of fatigue.

"Of course, mechanisms for intercepting intruders are also perfect~"

"Yeah. Even this number of spirits have been tamed completely."

Surveying the little spirits flying across the forest, Kamito nodded with great feeling.

"Fufu, I'm looking forward to seeing elementalists from other teams fall into the traps."

"...Isn't that statement a little abnormal for a prestigious imperial princess to make?"

As Fianna smiled malevolently, Kamito cast a gaze of surprise--

Suddenly something passed them beneath their feet.

"...!?"

It was too late by the time they noticed. Just as Kamito was thinking there was something rising from the ground, numerous vines of plants appeared from underground and suspended Fianna in midair.

"...Ah! What are you doing... Insolent ones!"

Restrained and tied up by the vines, the imperial princess was struggling in panic. However, the more she moved the tighter the vines wrapped themselves around her soft bosom and buttocks.

Apparently, there were still some earth spirits who had yet to submit to her command.

"Yah, ahhh, this tickles...!"

The skirt of her uniform was swept up, offering a tantalizing view of her pure white panties.
[[image:STnBD V06 025.png|thumb]]

"Ah, K-Kamito-kun... Please d-don't look!"

Fianna frantically tried to hold down her skirt. However, suspended in midair, she could not move freely and her skirt was lifted higher and higher.

"...S-Sorry... Uwah!"

With great awkwardness, Kamito found a very cute butt suddenly thrust before his nose.

A pair of extremely soft-looking white panties dominated Kamito's view entirely.

Pulled upwards by the vines, the panties were being embedded deeply into her bottom.

"Ah, owww... It hurts... Oooh... S-Save me...!"

Tear drops appearing from her eyes, Fianna moaned painfully.

"H-Hold on! I'm going to cut the vines now!"

Kamito took out a short sword from the chest of his uniform and prepared to sever the vines--

In that instant, one of Fianna's legs was pulled vertically up this time.

The short skirt was entirely curled up, exposing the white panties clearly in view.

"...!?"

"N-No, I don't want to look like this in front of Kamito-kun--!"

Fianna struggled frantically in an unsightly manner.

"Fianna, c-calm down! If you move randomly, my hand will -- Ah!"

Intending to sever the vines, Kamito's hand slipped.

Shred!

With the sound of something tearing, a piece of white fabric fluttered to the ground.

"..."

"..."

Embroidered with a cute design, it was the fair imperial princess' panties.

"I-Iyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"

===Part 3===

"Seriously, Kamito-kun is such a pervert! The Demon King of the Daytime!"

"Like I said, I'm sorry..."

Faced with Fianna pouting angrily, Kamito apologized again and again.

"I-I really didn't mean to do that!"

"...Hmph -- How would I really know?"

The imperial princess cast a gaze of suspicion. Perhaps due to her unclothed nether region, she was unable to remain calm as she tightly held down the sides of her skirt, her legs moving awkwardly as she walked.

"I-If I knew it was going to be seen anyway, I should have worn more appropriate underwear..."

"The pair just now was very cute too... Ah, wait..."

"...~tsk, Kamito-kun!"

Thud thud thud thud.

Blushing intensely, Fianna hammered her fists against Kamito's back.

Even though she was always teasing boldly, her true nature was a pure and innocent princess.

"S-Seriously, that's why Kamito-kun is such a jerk who doesn't know anything!"

Suddenly making a turn, she began to walk away.

"Where are you going?"

"Off to teach those earth spirits a good lesson. So that the incident just now does not happen a second time!"

Fianna left the path in the woods and entered the depths of the thicket.

...Apparently, Kamito had really made the princess displeased.

"...Well, as long as she stays in the barrier, there shouldn't be any danger."

Kamito sighed and continued along the path.

Leaving the forest -- Kamito arrived at the place where he had engaged Leonora in blade dance last night.

This was originally part of the dense forest but the majority of the trees had fallen over from the violent winds while the ground was scarred with craters.

This was the trail of destruction remaining from Leonora's going berserk.

''...An opponent I have no wish of facing again, but undoubtedly she will advance to the finals.''

Kamito muttered with a sigh.

The «Blade Dance» festival this time was far more deadly than the last -- that was what his battle with Leonora impressed upon him.

''However, Ren Ashbell's team definitely surpasses the «Knights of the Dragon Emperor» by far...''

Not only the other Ren Ashbell who had invited Kamito to dance at the ball -- but also the «Instructional School»'s monster, Muir Alenstarl. Demon Caster Sjora Kahn.

As well as--

''That black knight...''

That particular person. Even amongst the gathering of monsters in «Team Inferno», that person's ominous aura stood out.

An elementalist's instincts sensed it -- some kind of heretical beyond-human existence.

"Are we able to win? Against those kinds of people--"

During the two months since he had joined the Academy through Greyworth's machinations, Kamito had already recovered the majority of his combat sense.

Not only did he retrieve the power that earned him the title of the «Strongest Blade Dancer» three years ago, his new contract was with Est who belonged to the strongest class of sword spirit.

''However, it's still not enough...''

Unrelated to swordsmanship or the resilience of the body, a more fundamental issue of power--

"...Hmm?"

Kamito suddenly stopped walking.

Dissimilar to the smell of branches burning, an intense aroma was reaching his nose.

''...This smells great.''

Rumble. His stomach began to growl as if awakened.

...Speaking of which, I haven't eaten anything since dinner last night.

Making his way towards the direction of the aroma, at a clearing on the riverside, he found the back view of a blonde high-class young lady.

Happily humming a song, she cooked soup in a pot.

Kamito tip-toed and approached--

"Rinslet, what are you doing?"

"Uwah, K-Kamito-san!"

Surprised from behind, Rinslet screamed cutely and turned around.

Bathed beneath the morning rays, her long and platinum blonde hair displayed dazzling luster.

Her beautiful emerald green eyes opened wide.

Dressed in an apron around her uniform, she was holding a bowl and a spoon in her hands.

To be frank, this get up did not suit her identity as a high-class young lady at all, but the contrast proved to be rather adorable.

"Seriously, don't scare me with a sudden greeting!"

Rinslet pouted, slightly miffed.

"...Sorry. I was attracted by the aroma. Are you making breakfast now?"

"Yes. But it's still at the stage of preparations--"

Kamito glanced behind Rinslet as she nodded. It was a simple makeshift kitchen.

A counter top had been built using chopped down logs. Stones had been piled up to make a stove. Fish caught from the river were being kept fresh using massive ice blocks created by her prided ice magic.

"...This looks quite legit. How did a noble lady like you learn to cook?"

Though Kamito himself was capable of simple cooking, Rinslet's skills had already reached the level of top chefs.

He wanted to find the secret to her progress.

"By preparing food for Carol every day, I naturally became skilled."

"Why are you cooking for the maid when you are the mistress?"

"It is a noble's responsibility to provide personally prepared delicious food to the ones who serve us. Noblesse oblige or something like that, that was what Carol taught me."

"...Uh, are you sure you weren't tricked by Carol."

Kamito stated in shock.

...Come to think of it, Rinslet was equipped with various skills one would not expect to find in a sheltered high-class lady. In a certain sense, this was all thanks to a certain useless maid.

"By the way, Kamito-san, are your injuries okay?"

"Yeah, how should I say this..."

Faced with Rinslet's worried inquiry, Kamito nodded as he tried turning the joints in his arms.

Last night, Kamito's chest had been pierced by Leonora's «Dragon Slayer». Ending up with only a few broken ribs was truly fortunate. As for the broken bones, they had already been set and healed by Fianna during his sleep.

Fianna had mentioned before that Kamito possessed exceptional self-recovery abilities. This was most likely due to entering a contract with a sword spirit possessing steel attributes, resulting in a reinforced body.

"...That's wonderful."

"That said, I'm still quite exhausted."

Smiling wryly, he replied.

"Right. That's what I was thinking, so I am preparing a special soup with nourishing effects."

Rinslet smiled tenderly.

This charming smile made Kamito's heart begin to race--

"R-Really? It'd be wonderful to drink some soup in this cold weather."

Trying to hide his loss of composure, Kamito glanced at the soup in the pot.

"In my homeland, this sort of weather counts as warm actually."

"Naturally, how could this compare to Laurenfrost, the land of ice and snow..."

The soup was amber in color and made with chicken, wild vegetables and various spices.

"Looks really tasty..."

"...Sneaking a taste is not allowed."

Rinslet warned with a raised finger.

"...Not allowed?"

"Where is your pride as an elementalist? That sort of behavior is disgraceful... O-Or perhaps, Kamito-san, this is the kind of attitude you take to steal a taste of girls?"

"How did the conversation come to this!?"

Seeing Rinslet glancing at him with a frown, Kamito retorted back--

...Rumble. His stomach was growling.

"..."

"Seriously, you're hopeless... Just to be clear, this is a special exception, okay?"

"...Thanks."

Rinslet took a large spoon to serve the soup, delivering it before Kamito.

"...Umm, what?"

"Your arm is still injured, right? H-Hurry and open your mouth..."

Rinslet blushed and said.

...Clearly, she intended to feed him with a "Say ah~ and open up" kind of scene.

"No, this level of injury..."

"You don't need me?"

Rinslet made a hurt expression.

Kamito frantically shook his head--

"Ah, no... Please feed me!"

His heart rate rising, he drank the soup in one gulp.

The chicken and the vegetables were well-stewed and melted in his mouth. The fragrant taste spread all over his tongue.

''Ah, this soup...''

Suddenly, Kamito recalled what happened on the first day when he entered Areishia Spirit Academy.

At the time, Rinslet had brought warm soup to Kamito when he was hungry and staying in that crude little hut that was no different from a stable.

''Definitely, at the time, she said it was because Carol had cooked too much...''
[[image:STnBD V06 037.png|thumb]]

Thinking back now, since that useless maid could not possibly have cooked, Rinslet must have made up the excuse to hide her embarrassment.

Due to Rinslet's usual unapproachable airs, Kamito originally mistook her for an arrogant high-class lady. Her true nature was actually a kind-hearted and benevolent girl.

"...Rinslet, you're such a wonderful person."

Kamito could not stop himself from blurting out.

"W-What are you saying, so suddenly!"

"Ah, no..."

"I-I am not some kind of wonderful person. Clearly I am a villain."

Sent into a panic, Rinslet began talking incomprehensibly.

Her lack of forthrightness also felt rather adorable.

"By the way, where's Ellis?"

"The Captain? She's performing a dedicatory blade dance beside the river."

"...I see. Well then, let me go greet her briefly."

Wrapping things up here, Kamito decided to stop hindering Rinslet while she cooked.

Waving to Rinslet, Kamito made his way towards the riverbank.

===Part 4===

Walking along the riverbank, Kamito found a towering cliff.

This was where Claire and the other had battled the «Knights of the Dragon Emperor». The cliff was still littered with the destruction caused by the fight against the dragon spirit.

"...To think an outdoor bath that could not have been easy to construct, would be virtually destroyed."

Muttering, he walked towards the edge of the cliff at the same time--

"Hah! Fu--!"

Accompanied by vigorous shouts, the sound of slicing wind could be heard.

Peering out by from the side of the cliff, he found a girl swinging a sword, her hair in a ponytail.

Her body was clad in light armor. Her dark-brown eyes were stern.

This was the Captain of the Sylphid Knights -- Ellis Fahrengart.

"Yah, hah--!"

She swung her sword with forceful motions, producing sounds of sharp slicing wind.

Rather than sword training, this was a ritual blade dance performed as an offering to spirits inhabiting the river.

Her graceful and spectacular blade dance caused Kamito to watch in awe.

The profile of her stern face seemed especially beautiful.

Soon after, Ellis re-sheathed her sword by her waist and took a deep bow towards the river.

From the water surface appeared faint light as water spirits gathered to dance.

Apparently the spirits were pleased with Ellis' blade dance.

As Ellis wiped her sweat in relief, Kamito greeted her.

"Hi, Ellis."

"K-Kamito... You saw it!?"

Ellis turned around, her dark-brown eyes opening wide.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to peep..."

Kamito scratched his head and walked towards Ellis.

"Ellis, your blade dance was really beautiful."

"...!? I-I... Beautiful!?"

"No, I'm talking about your blade dance, Ellis... But anyway, you're quite beautiful too."

Ellis instantly blushed.

"Y-You, what insolence! Prepare to die, I'll make you into onion gratin!"

Swiftly drawing her sword, she stabbed the point of the blade towards Kamito's neck.

"What the heck, getting angry so suddenly!"

"C-Calling me beautiful, surely that cannot be what you seriously think...!"

"No, I simply blurted out what's on my mind..."

"Oooh..."

Blushing more intensely, the Captain stuttered as if she was at a loss.

"Y-You, why did you come here?! ...Could it be, to peep!?"

"Idiot, why would anyone do that!?"

Kamito frantically denied--

"Hmph, that I know... After all, there is nothing worth seeing even if I were taking a bath in the water!"

Ellis suddenly turned her gaze away as if she was sulking.

As a normal healthy male, of course the thought had crossed his mind before... But if he were to say this out loud, she would surely slice him in earnest, so it would be best to keep quiet for now.

"I was just about to start the morning purification rite and training. What perfect timing for you to be here, Ellis, would you like to perform morning practice with me? We haven't trained together for quite a while."

"Hmm... Morning practice? Sure."

Sheathing her sword, Ellis coughed lightly.

Back at the Academy, Kamito would occasionally spar with Ellis for morning practice. Although she also had Sylphid Knights meetings early in the morning, it was a perfect way to release the tension in her body before class.

"But are your injuries okay?"

"Yeah, so I'd like to get some exercise... But please have mercy."

"Acknowledged."

The two distanced themselves and drew their swords.

Ellis used a long sword while Kamito used the short sword he kept for defense. Though they were both using weapons that were different from their actual elemental waffen, this was fine for the purposes of physical training.

Readying her sword stance, Ellis watched Kamito silently.

"Come, Ellis--"

Just as Kamito spoke, in that instant--

"Hah--!"

With a vigorous shout, Ellis charged.

Despite treading over uneven riverside terrain, she still made a series of aggressive slashes. The name of the Sylphid Knights' Captain truly was not just for show.

Kamito blocked the sharp sword with his short sword. The blades clashed violently many times.

Sparks flew. High pitched metallic noises resounded.

This was a spectacular blade dance performed with perfect synchronicity.

However, a displeased expression appeared on Ellis' face--

"Kamito, stop trying to accommodate me. If you are just playing around, I will not be pleased."

"You have a point... But Ellis, different from my swordsmanship that was trained at the «Instructional School», yours is the orthodox style of the knightly sword, right? If you try to accommodate me, you might pick up bad habits."

"No matter. My sword style is too rigid. After last night's blade dance, that was what I realized greatly. Hence, I hope you can teach me your sword skills. In order to obtain victory in this «Blade Dance» festival!"

"...!"

Ellis swung her sword in a heavy downward strike. Kamito blocked as his eyes widened in surprise.

This was an attack which manifested the power of Ellis' resolve to get stronger.

"...If that's the case, I understand."

Her well-practiced sword style was indeed rather easy to predict.

It was probably okay to teach her some of those so-called unorthodox sword skills.

Kicking the ground to leap backwards for some distance, Kamito switched his short sword to a reverse grip. Ellis held her sword horizontally and made a courageous charge -- this was based on her highly accomplished spear skills.

In that instant, Kamito suddenly lowered his stance and made a light sweeping kick.

"Ah!"

Ellis' eyes widened in surprise. Though she did not fall over, Kamito took advantage of her momentary loss of balance to grab her arm and shove her back against the ground.

Then swiftly he immobilized her legs. Though Ellis struggled desperately, it was impossible for her to escape due to the restraining of her joints.

"Guh... H-How underhanded, Kamito!"

"Even if the enemy is wielding a sword, it doesn't mean they will always fight with a sword. I suppose it's fine if you're facing a noble-minded knight, but there exist elementalists who fight this way."

"Y-You may have a point..."

Ellis grumbled with a reluctant expression--

Then suddenly her face went red.

"Uh?"

"K-Kamito, this posture..."

"...!?"

Only when pointed out did he notice.

The fact that he was pushing a girl down against the ground, their legs intertwined together.

Plus the fact of Ellis' slightly lifted skirt, clearly exposing her black panties.

"S-Sorry...!"

Kamito frantically tried to stand up, but--

"W-Wait!"

Ellis gripped his wrist tightly.

"L-Let this continue a little while longer, I do not mind..."

"...Uh?"

Maintaining this posture of pushing Ellis down on the ground, Kamito widened his eyes at the sight.

The uniform drenched with sweat. The heaving bosom that quivered with every breath she took.

Diverting the gaze of her slightly moistened dark-brown eyes, Ellis expelled warm breath as she spoke:

"Y-You have to take responsibility..."

Ellis pouted her lips as if sulking.

"Responsibility?"

"The one who changed me from a knight, i-into a woman, is you..."

"Wha, what d-do you mean by that!?"

Just as Kamito stared dumbfounded--

"Incinerate until nothing remains, O scorching conflagration -- Fireball!"

An incantation of spirit magic could be heard -- then immediately, the nearby ground exploded.

Sent flying by the shock of the explosion, Kamito fell into the river.

"W-What the heck!? ...Holy, this is really scalding!"

The river water was boiling as bubbles rose up.

"...Hey, Kamito? Just now, what was happening there?"

Turning his gaze, he found Claire wielding Flametongue, approaching slowly from the shallows.

"All I could see was the sight of you pushing Ellis down on the ground, eh?"

...She was smiling. So terrifying.

Feeling his life was endangered, Kamito frantically tried to escape--

The crisp sound of water changing state could be heard.

"What!?"

Suddenly, he found a massive wall of ice erected before him.

This was Rinslet's specialty, the spirit magic of «Ice Wall»--

"Oh my, Kamito-san, where do you think you're going?"

Appearing in the opposite direction from Claire was Rinslet.

Smiling calmly, she wielded her elemental waffe, the magic bow.

"R-Rinslet...!"

"Enemies of womankind must be frozen in cold storage -- this is one of the Laurenfrost family's precepts."

"...!?"

Losing his escape route, Kamito rapidly changed directions and ran towards the forest on the opposite shore.

"Hey, stay right there!"

Hearing the sound of freezing arrows fired from behind, Kamito found them whizzing past his back.

At the last second, Kamito jumped into the thicket in the forest--

In that instant, he found his legs entangled by the vines of numerous plants, making him fall flat on his face.

"...These are dryads!?"

"Fufu, Kamito-kun, the spirits earlier have now been trained properly~"

Appearing from the depths of the forest was the great imperial princess smiling impishly.

"Fianna...!"

"Just to deter you from acting naughty towards other girls, Kamito-kun, you need to be taught a lesson too."

While Kamito was immobilized, Claire and Rinslet also gathered around.

"Ha, haha..."

Kamito laughed convulsively.

===Part 5===

The sound of numerous footsteps and the intense clashing of swords could be heard from the forest.

Running through the gaps between the trees were girls wielding all sorts of elemental waffen -- dressed uniformly in knightly attire colored red against a white background, this was the uniform of the «Rupture Division», the team representing the Principality of Rossvale.

Moving with well-trained coordination, the five girls were chasing after prey.

"--Esil and Yustra, take a detour to the right. Swiftly flank the target, encircle and exterminate."

The one leading the party was a girl with dark-brown hair and a child-like face.

Milla Bassett -- the leader of the «Rupture Division», and the youngest elementalist taking part in this year's event.

Bearing an azure right eye and an amber-colored left eye.

The girl's heterochromic eyes coldly focused on the prey.

The target of their hunt was a beautiful black-haired girl dressed in a dark-colored dress.

«Team Inferno»'s darkness spirit.

"Let all shadows be incinerated to ashes -- Evil Flame!"

The girl fluttered her dress as if she were dancing, chanting high level magic carrying the darkness attribute.

Pitch black flames of conflagration were emitted from her finger tips, assaulting the girls in pursuit--

All it took was one lick of these tongues of magical flames for the trees in the forest to vanish instantly.

However, Milla Bassett swung her sword using spirit magic, defeating the black flames.

"How foolish. Our spirits possess resistance against the attribute of darkness."

"Right. How annoying it is to face you people who employ spirits with the holy attribute."

The darkness spirit girl landed lightly on the ground.

"--Hence, you shall be defeated here."

"...!?"

In that instant, the girls in pursuit all halted.

Beneath their feet on the ground, a glowing magic circle appeared.

"--This is the «Isolation Barrier»!?"

The girls of the «Rupture Division» instantly fell to their knees like puppets whose strings have been severed.

This was a barrier for cutting off access to leylines, thereby severely weakening the divine power of elementalists.

This was no ordinary defensive barrier -- rather, it was a trap set by a top Princess Maiden, specifically for killing elementalists.

"How could this happen, did you plan on luring us here from the start?"

Milla Bassett looked up in shock.

The darkness spirit girl chuckled and smiled adorably.

"Rejoice -- for you have become live sacrifices for «Nepenthes Lore»."

An ominous roar could be heard rumbling in the depths of the forest.

This was neither a beast's howl nor a human's yell.

Simply hearing the sound was enough to feel a horrific chill along the spine as if frozen -- It was that repulsive and otherworldly of a sound.

Then--

Suddenly, numerous black chains extended from afar to entangle the limbs of the girls collapsed on the ground.

Before they even had the chance to scream, the girls instantly lost consciousness.

"...What are you doing?"

Milla Bassett gazed at the darkness spirit girl.

Only Milla had been able to detect the ominous presence and evaded the chains with the slimmest of margins.

"Oh my, you do have a most interesting «Eye»."

"...!?"

Milla reflexively covered her left eye with her hair.

By her feet were her teammates who had collapsed to the ground unconscious.

In this despairing situation, she must rack her brains to seek survival.

With only one member remaining, chances of victory were unlikely in a confrontation against a high level darkness spirit. Should she unleash the power of her «Eye» -- No, with the «Rupture Division» currently in disarray, unleashing it was not possible.

...Rumble...!

The earth shook -- from the depths of the forest, that particular ominous presence was approaching.

The darkness spirit's contractor -- Nepenthes Lore.

"I -- the «Rupture Division», shall not fall here."

Without time to hesitate, Milla decided to retreat.

Manifesting her sword of spirit magic, she swiftly sliced apart the magic circle of the «Isolation Barrier».

"--You won't be able to escape."

The darkness spirit girl smiled lightly and released black flames--

However, Milla effortlessly dodged the incoming flames and disappeared into the depths of the forest.

===Part 6===

"A mere rabbit, letting her escape isn't really a problem, but--"

The darkness spirit girl, Restia, narrowed her dusk-colored eyes slightly, murmuring to herself.

"--That «Eye», truly cannot be left alone."

To Restia personally, the annihilation of the «Rupture Division» was simply incidental.

Her original purpose was to provide divine power to the elementalist, «Nepenthes Lore», for recovering energy.

However, their division leader, the girl's «Eye» was a separate matter. Left to roam free, it could prove to be a hindrance during an inopportune time.

"For the sake of the plan, there is a need to clear all obstacles -- Have you eaten your fill?"

As if responding to the girl's question--

The black chains, formed from magic, slid smoothly and withdrew from the girls' bodies.

At some point in time, a black knight, clad in ominous armor, had started standing behind Restia.

The armor of darkness creaked noisily, as if about to burst from the expanding interior--

Absorbing divine power from the elementalists, assimilating their energy.

"--You won't have to wait long, Kamito."

Smiling, Restia casually retrieving the «Rupture Division»'s «Magic Stones».

The «Instructional School's Assassin» Jio Inzagi, the «Academy's Strongest Spirit Contractor» Velsaria Eva Fahrengart, «Monster» Muir Alenstarl, as well as the «Dragon Knight» Leonora Lancaster... Within a mere month, Kamito had already fought several formidable foes.

The experiences of these battles should probably awaken the dormant existence hidden in his body.

"Kamito, this is my reward for you. Let me prepare your final enemy--"

Nepenthes Lore -- the manifestation of the Demon King's will.

Born through forbidden secret arts, a monster of darkness.

--Yet another illegitimate child left behind by the Demon King.

<noinclude>{{SeireiDance Nav|prev=Seirei Tsukai no Blade Dance:Volume6 Prologue|next=Seirei Tsukai no Blade Dance:Volume6 Chapter2}}</noinclude>

Seirei Tsukai no Blade Dance:Volume5 Chapter6

2013-08-25T07:25:57Z

Monsterbandage: /* Part 4 */

==Chapter 6: The Sacred Sword's Memories==
===Part 1===
In the bottomless darkness, Kamito fell endlessly.

Engulfed by the blackness, Kamito opened his eyes in the viscous darkness.

He could not feel the passing of time – it might have been a few hours, or maybe a few seconds, he had lost the capability to perceive it.

In this space, Kamito found a sword swallowed by the darkness.

It was a beautiful long sword inscribed with spirit language.

Upon seeing the sword, every fibre of Kamito's body awakened.

''– It's Est!''

He was certain this feeling could not be wrong.

He brushed away the heavy nether entangling him, and approached the sword.

But, the moment his hand touched the handle of the sword –

The sword suddenly emitted a bright dazzling light that pushed away Kamito's outstretched hand.

"What!?"

A sharp pain pierced his fingertips.

This was – an obvious rejection.

"Est... Why – "

"– Kamito, I cannot be your sword."

"I don't understand what you're saying!"

"– Because, I can recall it now. My sins... my unforgivable sins."

"Sins?"

In his mind, this word could hardly be linked with the beautiful, radiant silver sword before his eyes.

"I do not wish to repeat my mistakes, so – "

''... This is... What...?''

Kamito felt a splitting pain in his head.

A tremendous rush of images flooded into his head.

''... A-Are these Est's memories?''

===Part 2===

This was a story that had happened in the distant past.

At that time, the continent was separated into several tiny countries. It was a time of war and turmoil.

The main characters of the story were the sacred sword of legend and a young maiden.

Areishia Idriss – this girl came from a nameless village by the border.

The shepherd girl had a lovely face, and she was especially proud of her head of brilliant gold hair.

She ought to have grown up normally, fallen in love normally, led a normal life, and found normal happiness.

However, the year she turned fourteen, an incident happened to this otherwise ordinary girl that led people to call her the Sacred Queen.

One day, when she ascended the mountain to pick firewood, she happened upon a sword in the old ancestral hall.

It was a sacred sword that no one in many centuries had been able to remove.

The maiden reached out to lift the sword, completely unaware that a powerful spirit was sealed inside it.

In that instant, a blade spirit emerged from the dazzling glow.

"Who are you?"

The blade spirit's response to the girl's question was:

"I am your sword, milady. I will give myself wholly and completely to my elementalist – you."

The girl did not know why the sacred sword of legend would pick her, a mere ordinary shepherd girl, to make a contract with. However, she innocently accepted this contract.

Truthfully, the girl felt only loneliness.

On the other hand, the blade spirit had no feelings, and knew only to loyally serve its contracted master, the girl.

She was not a typical spirit, but a spirit weapon crafted for use in the war during the Archeozoic Era.

So I have no use for feelings – said the blade spirit coldly.

However, because the girl had lived her whole life as an ordinary shepherd, she could not understand such deep philosophical matters.

That sort of thing isn't important –

The girl was simply happy at having found her first female friend.

"What is your name?"

"My true name cannot be pronounced in your language. However, in spirit language, you may call me «Terminus Est»."

"This name sounds a little long... How about I just call you Est?"

"My name is not Est, it is Terminus Est."

"I'd rather not, it's quite hard to say. It's decided then, your name shall be Est."

The girl broke into a sudden smile, and reached out to pet Est on the head.

"Mistress, please do not do that."

Est protested with a blank expression.

This is the story of what happened after the chance encounter of the Sacred Queen and the legendary sacred sword.

The matter of the contract between the unknown shepherd girl and the legendary sacred sword quickly spread throughout the entire country.

That a young lady with no elementalist heritage could contract with a legendary-level spirit – such a thing was enough to turn the girl into a savior, into a supernatural sacred queen.

As there were virtually no elementalists in that era, people had to endure the havoc wreaked by the revolting spirits.

And so, the girl began using the power provided by the blade spirit to bring peace to the world, by either appeasing – or defeating those spirits.

The people lauded the girl's efforts, and gave her the name of «Sacred Queen».

Regardless of how exhausted or unhappy she was, the girl would always have a smile to encourage others.

There were some who were jealous of her, who despised her, and even those who only associated with her for the fame and glory.

Despite all this, the girl still fought on, sword in hand.

"Mistress, why do you fight for these people?"

One day, the blade spirit asked the girl this question.

Why fight – this was the first time the sword, by nature a spirit weapon, had felt any sort of curiosity towards such matters.

"Because this is something only I can do; therefore I must fight."

"I cannot understand your meaning. But as I am your sword, I will do your bidding, mistress."

"Est... Don't say such upsetting things, you are after all my only friend."

"... Friend?"

"That's fine, let's eat. The bread I baked today smells delicious."

"Mistress, please allow me to repeat – I have no need to consume human foods."

"... It's really lonely eating by myself. Come on, eat with me, please?"

"... If this is my mistress's order, I will obey."

The blade spirit nodded expressionlessly.

However, one could observe a little confusion on her face.

In her heart sprouted a very tiny flicker of – something like an emotion.

The bravery of the girl with the sacred sword slowly became known across the whole continent.

At the same time, the terror of the most vicious demon king plunged the continent into strife and suffering.

The countries united to send out armies to take down the demon king, but they all failed miserably. In the face of the spirit soldiers commanded by the demon king, the countries's armies could only beat a quick retreat.

In the end, the people had no choice but to pin their last hopes on a young lady.

A mere girl of only fourteen years of age, a girl who had not even experienced the taste of love.

"Est, I must fight... I must fight, for everyone who is suffering on this earth."

"Yes, mistress. I am your sword – I will do anything for you."

And so it was that the girl plunged herself wholeheartedly into the bloody battle.

The blade spirit of what would later be known as the «Demon Slayer Sacred Sword» witnessed all this.

She had no choice but to bear witness to the entire series of events – including the tragic conclusion about to unfold.

===Part 3===

"– to... Kamito!"

"Mmmhm..."

Kamito opened his eyes to find Fianna looking at him anxiously.

"Kamito... Are you all right?"

"I-I fainted..?"

"Mmm, but just for a few minutes."

"Is that so..."

He felt as if he had been unconscious for several hours, but it appeared as if that was not the case.

Reicha, who was breathing heavily by the side, continued by saying:

"I have successfully removed the «Brand of Darkness» on Kamito-sama."

"... Really?"

"Yes, but..."

Reicha's face fell and she murmured in a low voice.

"I'm afraid Kamito-sama's blade spirit... has not yet..."

"..."

Kamito shifted his gaze towards the spirit mark on his right hand.

The mark that had just been shining brightly was now completely unresponsive.

"Est..."

"Kamito-sama... During the period you were unconscious, did you see anything in your mind?"

"In my mind..."

Kamito rubbed his aching temples, then –

He suddenly seemed to remember something.

A sword, falling in endless darkness.

And being sharply rejected when he stretched out his hand towards Est.

In that moment, Kamito recalled her memories.

He recalled the memory of Est with a girl – the first one she had made a contract with.

What he did not understand, though, was why that memory would make Est reject him.

"Unforgivable sin... was that it?"

... Was that what was trapping Est in the darkness, her unforgivable sin?

"Ooooo.."

Then, Reicha suddenly went limp and fell towards the ground.

"Are you all right!?"

Kamito quickly rushed to support her.

Her slim body lay weakly in Kamito's arms.

"Should we take you to the infirmary?"

"Y-Yes. I'm so sorry, I seem to be a little tired..."

"Ritual magic is very tiring, furthermore just yesterday Reicha had to perform the ritual of listening to the pronouncements of the Elemental Lord."

"I'm sorry... It's all because of me..."

"Don't say that, it's my body that has always been weak..."

As Reicha shook her head in denial, Kamito lay her down on the bed to rest.

"We should make a move, the princess maiden responsible for attending to the Queens is coming soon."

"Mmmhm, I know."

Kamito nodded in agreement, bowed deeply towards Reicha and said:

"Reicha, thank you for saving me. I won't forget this debt I owe you."

"N-No need to be so..."

"We'll meet next time. Then, I'll meet you as the victor of the «Blade Dance»."

Fianna and Reicha, the latter still resting on the bed, grasped each other's hands tightly.

"All right. Although I cannot cheer for teams representing specific countries at the opening ceremony, you can be sure I will be supporting sempai's team in my heart."

===Part 4===

Inside the bag that the messenger from the school had sent to Claire's room were the latest updates about their enemies.

"In conclusion, the top priority now should be to formulate a plan of attack for Kamito to take action outside the battlefront."

All alone, Claire paced the empty room while reading the material, thinking deeply about battle tactics.

"Ellis will find it too hard to attack at the frontline by herself, should I also remain at the front or not..?"

Up until now, the plan had been for Kamito to use his overwhelming force to attack at the forefront, while the other four would assist him from the side. However, with Kamito unable to summon Est, this plan simply could not be used.

The alternative she thought of now was to move Claire, who would originally have been in the middle orchestrating the entire assault, to the front, and have her attack alongside Ellis. While this arrangement was nowhere near as likely to penetrate an enemy's defenses as the one with Kamito attacking alone, fire and wind elements naturally complemented each other very well, which gave them much offensive potential.

"But... If so, I'd worry about something happening to Fianna at the rear."

Fianna had received virtually no combat training, and her usual role was to provide assistance from the rear through her rituals, which would increase the power of blade spirits. In the previous plan, Claire would protect her from the centre, but if Claire were to be moved to the front, she would have no way of ensuring Fianna's safety. In that case, all depended on whether Rinslet, who played the dual roles of sniper and support fire, could protect her alone.

"... This plan must also be reconsidered."

Claire crumpled up the piece of paper she had been making notes on and threw it away.

Scarlet helped her turn the waste paper on the floor into ashes.

"I've thought for so long and I still haven't come up with any good ideas..."

Any plan she could think of had an obvious flaw, and none were suitable solutions.

"... Turns out that we have always relied too much on Kamito and Est."

Claire sighed, and turned back to the documents provided to them by the Academy.

Aside from formulating their own strategies, it was important in such a long drawn-out war to also analyze their opponents' situations, so as to take advantage of their weaknesses.

''It goes without saying that the opponent we need to be most wary of is –''

Claire flipped open the document and looked down at its first page.

What was written on it was – the Team Representing the Religious Country of Alphas.

This document was regarding the strongest of the blade dancer teams – «Team Inferno».

However, the forms on the document were virtually all blank, as they had no way of finding out even the names of the team members.

The only information they had about this enemy's military capability was the elementalist girl who had attacked Claire and the others last night – Muir Alenstarl. Frankly speaking, if there were three other elementalists as skilled as she was on their team... their chances of winning were nil.

"Overall, let's keep this in mind for later consideration."

She put the document on her lap, and began browsing the other reports.

There were a total of twenty-four teams contesting in the Blade Dance. Generally speaking, every country could enter one team, but countries such as the Ordesia Empire, which were large and had many outstanding elementalists, could field several teams.

The Quina Empire in the east and the Island Nation of Robica had two teams each, and the only country other than Ordesia to be represented by three teams was the Holy Kingdom of Lugia.

Of the teams from these countries, the ones they most needed to watch out for were the «Four Gods» of Quina, the «Sacred Knights» of the Holy Kingdom of Lugia, and Milla Bassett – the most talented young elementalist in this iteration of the Blade Dance was representing the Principality of Rossvale as part of the «Rupture Division».

And then there was –

"– Public Enemy Number One... the Dracunia Duchy's «Dragon Knights»."

Dracunia had emerged victorious in many previous seasons of the Blade Dance, and was indeed a strong country with a stellar track record.

And Claire herself had seen Leonora's power up close before.

Her destructive «Death Gaze» – her Nidhogg had displayed immense overwhelming force to destroy the flying craft's military spirits.

The documents supplied by the Academy listed her power as being of AAA grade.

Claire had earned an AA grade while at the Academy, and so had Ellis. Rinslet was A, while Fianna was D. However, Fianna's grade was recorded when she was not officially studying, so it was not an accurate measure. Incidentally, the one who singlehandedly took down «Team Scarlet», Velsaria Eva, was graded AAA.

Of course, because this was an overall analysis done up by lecturers at the Academy, one could not rely wholly on it to predict an elementalist's strength. For example, even though Rinslet was graded one level lower than Claire, when the two of them fought, they were often evenly-matched.

"... In conclusion, it is just a rough guideline."

Leonora Lancaster is a very outstanding elementalist; that was the undeniable truth.

But here in the «Blade Dance», in a gathering of the best elementalists, there was actually nothing exceptional about her.

However... Leonora's file contained something that was particularly noteworthy.

It was information about «dragon blood» – the power she gained from her special bloodline.

Looking at Leonora's new evaluation after the discovery of her special power, Claire could not help but stare, her eyes wide in surprise.

"– S level."

Historically, there have only been a handful of elementalists ever to have earned such a grade. In recent years, the young Greyworth Ciel Mais had been ranked SS level, but that truly was an exception among exceptions.

Leonora's power was first revealed publicly when she was fourteen. She awakened in the trial rally for the Knights of the Dragon Emperor, and in a matter of mere minutes, demolished all other competitors who had also been hoping to join the ranks of the Knights.

According to the booklet, the «dragon blood» power could not be unleashed at will, but was an ability that was almost uncontrollably explosive –

"If at all possible, I hope we won't have to face her."

Claire signed, and placed the half-read booklet on the table.

At that time, the door suddenly opened – it was Kamito, who had changed back into his normal uniform.

"Kamito... Hey, why do you look like you can barely even stand!"

Turning pale, Claire bolted up from the chair and rushed to his side.

"... The curse-breaking ritual was more exhausting than I had imagined."

Not caring that he was still dressed in his uniform, Kamito collapsed onto his bed.

"And the «Brand of Darkness»?"

"Mmmm... All thanks to Fianna's princess maiden friend, the curse was successfully broken."

Kamito unbuttoned his shirt to reveal the scar on his chest –

"Aieeeeah!"

"What's with that cute shrill scream..."

"W-Who asked you to suddenly take off your clothes!"

Blushing in embarrassment, Claire yelped.

She sneaked a glance at Kamito's firm, muscled chest... and something started thumping wildly in her own chest.

"But, the thing is, Est still hasn't – "

Kamito cast his gaze downwards and shook his head.

"Oh..."

Looking at Kamito's sad hopeless expression, Claire could not help but also feel her heart aching for him.

Kamito was powerful, so powerful that he left his same-age counterparts at the Institutional school in the dust.

Precisely because of that, it was easy to forget one thing –

In truth, Kamito, like his friends, was just an easily hurt sixteen-year-old.

Claire leapt lightly onto the bed, leaned tenderly on Kamito's side and said:

"Don't worry, Est will definitely come back."

"Claire..."

Kamito suddenly lifted his head –

"... I can see your panties."

"... Huh? Waaaahhhh! Stupid... You're so stupid! Pervert!"

===Part 5===

The tower resonated with the music of the ball. Meanwhile, in the garden...

Stood that girl in the bright red mask.

"It is finally about to begin... Ren Ashbell."

"Yes."

A black-winged angel suddenly fell behind her.

The girl had hair as black as midnight and eyes as amber as the sunset; she was surely the darkness elemental Restia.

"It seems that... Kamito has passed your trial."

"That the blade spirit would move to take the brunt of the curse was a surprise to me, but that was only an emergency solution – the «gate» that has been opened will definitely not be able to close now."

Ren Ashbell spoke coldly.

"If he really becomes swallowed by the darkness, won't that ruin your plans?"

"If that man's tolerance level is so low, he would not be able to become my trump card, in any case."

"Have you found a Queen willing to serve him?"

"I have found several candidates to choose from, but that is none of your business."

"– The candidate you speak of wouldn't happen to be your sister, would it?"

All of a sudden, the grass and trees all around them burst into flames.

And in a moment, turned into ashes that scattered to the ground.

"Darkness elemental, you would do well to watch your tone of voice."

"Oooh, scary... I was just joking."

The only things to be heard in the darkness were the endless echoes of mocking laughter.

The black-winged darkness elemental had already disappeared, unnoticed.

Ren Ashbell smacked her lips lightly, and turned her gaze towards a cluster of trees in the garden.

"– Eavesdropping is an activity only for lowlifes... Dracunia girl."

"You mustn't be serious, you found out a long time ago, didn't you?"

The figure that emerged from behind the trees was indeed the Dracunia contestant Leonora Lancaster.

She was staring intently at Ren Ashbell with pupils glowing red.

She was emanating a dangerously murderous aura, so much so that anyone would have been aware of her presence.

She was holding a huge blade – the Dragon Slayer Sacred Sword.

"– Look at you all fierce-like, what highly important matter can I help you with?"

"The «dragon» within me wishes to do battle with a fellow strong warrior. I hope you will accept."

Although Leonora's choice of words was polite, her tone of voice revealed her unconcealable intense feelings.

Her eyes burned with the aggressive hunger of someone looking for a good fight. Anyone who knew her normal personality would surely think that this was someone else altogether.

"You have the Dracunia-inherited blood of the dragon, do you now – you certainly are one interesting girl."

Ren Ashbell mused from behind her mask.

"Come... Strongest blade dancer, draw your sword!"

Leonora grasped her sword tightly, preparing herself to meet an attack. Her conscious mind tried to temper her impulsivity with logic and reason, but her body gave off an aura that made one think that she was liable to attack them at any moment.

"Think of your own standard and reconsider. A rookie like you isn't even worth using my Godslaying Flame on."

"You will... regret this... Ren Ashbell!"

Leonora, rendered incoherent by rage, charged forward with all her strength.

She struck a blow far stronger and faster than any mere human would have been able to muster.

In a flash, the stone flooring in the garden shattered into innumerable fragments and flew in all directions – !

Except –

"Nice move, but too bad... Swords can't cut through flames."

In the spot where Leonora's sword had struck, the figure of the Strongest Blade Dancer was nowhere to be found.

"... What!?"

Leonora turned; right then, a mighty force struck her directly on the chest.

"Oooh... Aaaah...!"

Leonora bent over in pain, and the masked girl murmured beside her ear:

"It might be interesting to take the «dragon» to meet the «demon king». Power like yours might just be useful to assist in his awakening."

"... What... are you... saying..."

With her hand still pressed to Leonora's chest, on the spot where her blow had struck her, Ren Ashbell chanted a brief curse.

A black flame emerged from her fingertips, then spread to Leonora's heart.

"Rejoice, Dracunia girl – I will tell you who your most suitable opponent is."

"Aaaaa... aaaaaaaaaaah!"

The girl's tortured cry reverberated through the garden –

Leonora then lost consciousness.

===Part 6===

In the darkness – Est sat, holding her knees, her head bowed, silent and deep in thought.

She was overjoyed that Kamito was willing to take her back.

She was also happy that he thought of her as an irreplaceable part of his existence.

However, Est was herself unable to return those feelings.

Because she was constrained by the memories given to her by her «main body».

– Becoming his sword was an unforgivable action.

– Becoming his sword was an unforgivable action.

– Becoming his sword was an unforgivable action.

The mantra repeated itself continuously, endlessly.

Blade spirit Est – her existence was a sin branded on her body that could never be removed.

"... Kamito... I... I can no longer..."

In the unknown darkness, Est began to cry.

===Part 7===

The Savior Queen stood for a long while on the vast mountainous plains, her sword plunged into the ground.

Her current state was nothing like the Sacred Queen the people knew of – her pure white armor was stained with blood and filth, while her usual optimism was nowhere to be found.

The girl was battling enemies greater than just the armies of the Demon King.

She also had to face endless victories and losses, schemes and betrayals.

Somewhere along the way, the number of people she could trust dwindled down to one – the sword that had fought alongside her the entire journey.

"Let me ask you, Est..."

"Mistress, what request do you have?"

"Are you willing to stay by my side always?"

The girl broke into a smile reserved only for her best friend – the tender smile of an innocent shepherd girl.

"I am your sword; I will protect you until the end of your life."

"You are right... You are my sword, and for now that is all that matters."

At Est's emotionless response, the girl smiled a hollow smile.

"Mistress?"

"But, one day, when the demon king is defeated, when this war is over, I hope you can become – "

Then, the girl had said something –

Something that, no matter how hard she tried, Est simply could not remember.

<noinclude>{{SeireiDance Nav|prev=Seirei Tsukai no Blade Dance:Volume5 Chapter5|next=Seirei Tsukai no Blade Dance:Volume5 Chapter7}}</noinclude>

Seirei Tsukai no Blade Dance:Volume5 Chapter4

2013-08-16T06:07:44Z

Monsterbandage: /* Part 3 */

==Chapter 4: Laurenfrost Sisters==
===Part 1===
Kamito and the others returned to the tower just before the sun had fully sunk past the horizon.

As with yesterday, there was a ball in the great hall of the tower. This one had nothing to do with the commencement ceremony, however; it was simply an activity organized for the aristocrats, so there were virtually no elementalists participating. As they were to do battle in the main tournament event the very next day, they were simply not in the mood to go to something as frivolous as a ball.

Kamito returned to his own room and gathered the things he would take with him tomorrow.

The items he put into the bag included some easy-to-carry food and a lantern made of spirit crystals, and other necessities for survival in the forest.

As the rules of the game limited the weight of things he could bring with him, the items had to be carefully selected

"The individual fight three years ago was much easier than this..."

At that time, Kamito only had to concern himself with beating the opponent immediately in front of him.

However, this time, he would have to make plans to ensure the survival of all his group members.

Because alone, Kamito was no match for Ren Ashbell.

No... as things were right now, without Est, he probably did not have enough power to beat even Leonora Lancaster and the other elementalist teams.

"... I must not become a burden to the others."

Kamito muttered to himself. Then –

From outside the room came sounds made by lovely girls.

"Wow, so beautiful! My sister's hair is really pretty!"

"Ah ah... Mireille, don't pull my hair!"

... That was Rinslet's voice.

"What is it?"

Kamito opened the door and walked to the hallway –

And saw a little girl playfully tugging at Rinslet's hair.

"...... Rinslet, what're you doing?"

"Ah... Kamito-san!?"

At the sound, Rinslet turned her head in surprise.

"Kamito?"

The little girl playing with her hair turned to face Kamito too.

Just like Rinslet, the little girl also had a head of gorgeous pale gold hair.

The white dress she was wearing contrasted very nicely with her clear emerald-green eyes.

The little girl looked to be about seven or eight. While she was still young, she looked extremely cute, and somewhat alike to Rinslet.

"Oh wow, it's Kamito onii-chan! Look, I see Kamito-chan!"

Grinning widely, the girl took big strides towards Kamito –

And, with a bump, buried her head in Kamito's tummy.

"Ahhh... what!?"

Stunned, Kamito could not respond, but Rinslet hastily ran over, saying:

"Mireille, you cannot do that! You are a lady of the Laurenfrost family, how can you display such thoroughly indecent behavior! "

"It doesn't matter, Kamito-chan will soon be Mireille's brother-in-law anyway."

"... What?"

Upon hearing the girl's words, Kamito could not help but frown in puzzlement.

"M-M-Mirelle! W-W-W-What rubbish are you saying!"

"Huh? Doesn't sister always write in her letters to me... ooo, ooo..."

Rinslet quickly put her hand over the girl's mouth.

Kamito scratched his head and said:

"... Uh, this kid... is Rinslet's younger sister?"

"That's right. My name is Mireille Laurenfrost, and I am the third daughter of the Laurenfrost family."

Breaking free of Rinslet's grasp, the girl curtsied to Kamito like a perfect aristocrat.

Her lively emerald-green eyes danced cutely.

When she grew up, she would surely be a noble beauty, just like Rinslet.

"I am Kazehaya Kamito, teammate of Rinslet –"

"I know, little pet dog of your teammate and my elder sister, right?"

Mirelle smiled sweetly and said.

"L-Little pet dog, what the hell?"

"M-Mirelle! Stop talking nonsense!"

Rinslet quickly hushed her, but Mirelle simply wore an innocent look and continued:

"Huh, that's not right? Then, is it... boyfriend?"

"O-Of course not! H-H-How can he be... b-boyfriend..."

The elder of the two sisters clapped her hands to her cheeks, her face so red that she looked about to go up in smoke.

"Oooh... elder sister is embarrassed now, how cute!"

"... Hmph, I h-hate you, stop speaking nonsense to bully me!"

[[File:STnBD V05 111.jpg|thumbnail|right]]

Rinslet gently patted Mireille on the back.

Looking at the two of them, Kamito could not hold back a smile.

''... Silly Rinslet, losing all dominance before her little sister.''

While this scene was indeed hilarious, to be mistaken for Kamito's lover or girlfriend was certainly not very nice for Rinslet.

Kamito gently placed his hand on Mirelle's head.

"Ai!"

Mirelle squealed as if she was being tickled.

"I am neither Rinslet's pet dog, nor her boyfriend. You shouldn't vex your sister like that."

"... Oh... uh-huh. Kamito-kun, I'm sorry."

Blushing slightly, Mirelle nodded.

It seemed that, like her sister, she was a naturally honest and good child.

"Oooh... you didn't have to deny it so thoroughly..."

For some unknown reason, Rinslet pursed her lips and bore a slightly unhappy expression.

Then –

"It can't be Kamito-san, the one who captured all three of us young ladies with your sweet talk..."

"Carol!? When did you come –"

The maid, who had appeared out of nowhere, smiled and chuckled.

At Carol's words, Rinslet stared at Kamito in astonishment and said:

"K-Kamito-san... n-no, I will not have a threesome with my sister!"

"Rinslet... Are you thinking of rude indecent things?"

Rinslet took a step forward and reached out as if to protect her sister, while Kamito rolled his eyes at her.

"I-I think, if I'm together with my big sister... I don't mind doing anything at all."

This little sister was really something, to say such odd things.

Carol cleared her throat, pinched the back of Mirelle's neck and said:

"All right, Mirelle-san... your elder sister has things to do, so let's be good and go back to our room."

"Oooh... but I still want to play more with Kamito-kun."

Seeing that Mirelle was about to defiantly shake her head in refusal, Carol whispered in her ear:

"Be good, you mustn't disrupt your sister's private time!"

"Oh... t-true. I see, Carol."

Mirelle abruptly stopped her fuss and grasped Rinslet's arm tightly.

"Sister, I'll be cheering you on tomorrow, you must save Judia and bring her back!"

Her innocent, smiling expression suddenly turned very serious.

Opposite her, Rinslet also nodded with a look of firm determination.

"I know, leave it to me."

Mirelle gently released her sister's arm, broke out into her original smile, and turned towards Kamito.

"Kamito-kun, after the Blade Dance ends, you must come visit our Laurenfrost area."

"Mmm, I know."

"If Kamito-kun could really be my brother-in-law, that would be so great..."

"Huh?"

With those words, which left Kamito shaken, Mirelle –

Exited from the other end of the hallway, accompanied by Carol.

"I h-hate her... taking care of this little sister really gives me a headache..."

"But Rinslet is an elder sister who really knows how to take care of people."

"B-But of course, I am after all the eldest sister of the house."

Rinslet rumpled her long hair, a little embarrassed.

Kamito suddenly grew curious about the name Mirelle had mentioned in passing.

"Oh yes, who was that Judia person you two were talking about just now?"

"..."

A dark cloud passed over Rinslet's face.

"S-Sorry... did I just ask a question I shouldn't have?"

"N-No, not at all!"

Lowering her gaze, and shaking her head, Rinslet said:

"Judia is my other sister, the second Laurenfrost daughter."

"So you have another sister."

"Mmm. She's now in the Laurenfrost castle, in a long unwakeable sleep."

Tearfully, Rinslet told the whole story to Kamito.

The second daughter of the Laurenfrost family, Judia Laurenfrost, was originally a highly ranked, excellent princess maiden of the «Divine Ritual Institute». However, just a few years ago, while performing a sacrificial ritual towards the Water Elemental Lord, she made a mistake. In a fury, the Elemental Lord imprisoned her in a curse of never-melting ice.

The Earl of Laurenfrost had recruited elementalists from all over the empire in an attempt to break the curse, but to no avail. Despite possessing the power of a variety of high-level spirits, they could not break the curse.

After that, Judia had lain unmoving, dormant in a deep sleep..

"... a curse of the Water Elemental Lord? That must be something no human elementalist can break."

"Yes, there remains only one way to save Judia."

Clenching her fists, Rinslet continued: "That is the reward of the Blade Dance victors – the Elemental Lord's blessing. My «wish» will be for the Water Elemental Lord to have mercy and bestow his forgiveness, to let me save Judia."

"Rinslet..."

Her words rekindled a fire in Kamito's mind.

''Yes, it's not just me...''

Claire, Ellis, Fianna... and Rinslet as well. His partners in the «Blade Dance» all had a strong unshakeable motivation.

The disappearance of Est, right before his very eyes, had dampened Kamito's spirits and made him a little more withdrawn.

However, he could not afford such excuses.

Resting both his hands on Rinslet's shoulders, Kamito told her:

"Rinslet, we absolutely must achieve the final victory."

"Y-Yes, you're right!"

Rinslet blushed and smiled happily.

Probably because she usually preferred to wear a stubborn, haughty look, Kamito felt that this candidly smiling Rinslet looked immensely adorable.

"Well, Kamito-san... I'll head back to my room and get ready."

"Sure."

Rinslet shyly turned and dashed towards the other end of the corridor.

"... Well then, I too will continue my preparations."

Kamito shrugged his shoulders and started back towards his room. Then –

"Hee hee... Kamito, you're just as popular as ever."

"Fianna!?"

Fianna was standing at Kamito's door, and appeared to have been there for quite a while.

"How was it? Had a good date with Claire and the rest?"

The second royal princess smiled and teased Kamito.

"... Date? Not at all, that was just –"

Midway through his sentence, Kamito stopped, not knowing how best to continue.

From an objective point of view, it did indeed look like a date... maybe.

Furthermore, it looked like an outing of a frivolous womanizer with three pure, untarnished beauties.

At Kamito's reaction, Fianna sighed, dumbfounded, and said:

"Ah... I see Kamito now is not just a devil at night, but a devil in the daytime as well."

"... Devil in the daytime, what's that?"

"Never mind, it was I who got you guys to go out and have fun... from now on it'll be my turn to show you my moves."

"... Your turn, your moves? What do you mean?"

Kamito tilted his head, not understanding.

Fianna suddenly looked serious.

"I found an acquaintance who can break the curse on you."

"Really!?"

While Kamito and the others were touring the streets, Fianna had been searching for people who could destroy the «Brand of Darkness».

"... Fianna, thank you very much."

"You're welcome ... However, there still remains one problem."

"A problem?"

"As she is a high-ranked princess maiden, I cannot simply ask her to leave the Grand Shrine, so meeting with her will be a bit difficult. Thus, I will need you to come with me personally, Kamito."

"... Oh, so that's it? Of course I can go with you."

"Wonderful. So, without further ado, can I please ask you to hurry and change your clothes?"

"Change my clothes?"

"Yes, I recall that Kamito... you seem to be very good at dressing up as a girl?"

===Part 2===

– A few minutes later.

Before the mirror in the room stood a dark-haired girl.

"..."

"... This is too surprising, I never expected it to be so accurate."

"You rascal, don't tell me you're actually pleased..."

"N-No such thing, it's just our only solution."

Fianna gazed into the distance, trying to brush over the issue.

''She's definitely enjoying this...''

Kamito muttered testily.

Indeed, the reflected girl in the mirror was Kamito, wearing the ceremonial outfit of the «Divine Ritual Institute».

There was a black wig on his head and makeup powder on his face.

With even a layer of pale cherry-colored lipstick on his lips, he looked the very picture of a young maiden.

[[File:STnBD V05 119.jpg|thumbnail|right]]

"What a beauty... Although your outline is a little different, such beauty is unmistakable... You truly look like the former Ren Ashbell. If you walked the streets looking like this, you will certainly be the subject of much talk."

"H-Hey... could you keep it down –"

Kamito instinctively looked around.

Although they were indoors, there was no guarantee; the walls had ears.

Upon seeing Kamito's embarrassed countenance, Fianna smiled sweetly and said:

"However this outfit really is a masterpiece. It's so pretty I want to call everyone over to feast their eyes on it."

"... Please don't!"

Kamito desperately pleaded with Fianna, as if begging for his life.

"Oh... careful, with such loud cries, you'll be heard by people in the corridor."

Suddenly, just at that moment –

From the other side of the door came the sound of something dropping on the floor.

"...!?"

Kamito turned in the direction of the sound –

"Ka-Ka-Kamito!? W-what in hell are you doing!?"

It was Claire, an expression of shock and horror on her face. Scattered on the floor were things that had fallen from her hands.

"C-Claire!? Y-You're mistaken, it's not what you think – ah!"

Kamito rushed forward, wanting to explain himself.

However, in his haste, he tripped over the hem of the garment and fell, and the chest pad fell out of his chest and tumbled to the floor

... Everyone was silent for several seconds.

"Uh... Well, this..."

Breaking the silence, Claire opened her mouth and said:

"N-No, it doesn't matter... I don't mind! O-Only... I was just surprised to suddenly find out that you have such a hobby. U-Uh... everyone has their own hobbies, after all!"

"That's what I'm saying, you're mistaken!"

Kamito drew himself upright and explained loudly, but Claire played the fool and pretended not to hear.

"Y-You don't have to hide, it's all right! That... you look very appropriate in that, and I think you look pretty dressed as a girl. Although this hobby is something you probably don't want to make public, I support you, Kamito; I'm rooting for you, yeah!"

"I don't need your support!"

"Ha ha... Kamito, that's fantastic."

Fianna laughed, watching the duo.

"Fianna... I beg you, help me explain this to Claire, please."

"Well, I have no choice... I would have liked to see more of this good show."

"... What do you mean?"

Claire gave her a puzzled look.

"It's a long story... Kamito and I are about to sneak into the Grand Shrine, to ask a high-ranked princess maiden to destroy the «Brand of Darkness» on his body.

"You mean... the Grand Shrine?"

At this, Claire's jaw dropped in shock.

That was a perfectly understandable reaction. The Grand Shrine was after all the most holy area of the entire floating island, not accessible to even Blade Dance participants.

"W-What do you intend to do there! Don't you know that there are very powerful guardian spirits keeping watch over the place?"

"Obviously I don't plan to storm the front gates! We will enter through a secret passageway; therefore, I need Kamito to take on the appearance of a princess maiden."

"But... t-this is too dangerous..!"

"Then, you tell me, is there any other way to rid Kamito of the curse?"

"T-That..."

Seeing Claire at a loss for words, Kamito gently placed a hand on her head.

"Ah! ... W-What are you doing!"

"Don't worry, I won't be as clumsy as to get caught."

"..."

In response, Claire bit her lip nervously –

"Well, all right... I know..."

She nodded reluctantly.

"However, in that case, I have to come along too."

"That won't do. The fewer people sneaking in, the better. And Claire, your hair color simply stands out too much."

"Claire, are you worrying about me?"

"Stupid! O-Of course not."

"Rest assured, I will return Kamito safely to you in one piece."

"... Oooh... I w-wasn't even thinking anything of the sort!"

"Ha ha... Well then, I'll leave you to mind the house. Kamito, let's go."

Fianna waved goodbye to the furiously blushing Claire, who then –

Rushed over.

She pressed her soft chest to Kamito's arm.

"Hey hey! Fianna!?"

Butterflies in his stomach, Kamito blushed.

"Oooh... S-So what... Kamito you idiot!"

Claire rushed out of the room in tears.

===Part 3===

In this part of the floating island, Ragna Ys, was a chain of vast underground caves.

No one alive today knew when it had been constructed, or even for what purpose.

There was a figure standing at this place where even the highest ranked princess maidens were ordered to stop.

She was the girl in the bright red mask – Ren Ashbell.

She was in an area carved into a square space.

A stark contrast to the natural caves surrounding it, this room had obviously been built by man.

The small stone room was in fact the sacred True Sanctuary.

The Grand Shrine erected aboveground was merely there to provide a majestic appearance.

There was a rotting smell wafting about the place.

The masked girl was staring at the black sarcophagus placed in the middle of the room.

The mere presence of the sarcophagus gave its surroundings a sinister and ominous air.

"– I have searched for you for a long time, Ren Ashbell."

Out of the blue came the childish voice of a young maiden.

A gray-haired girl slowly walked out of the darkness.

She was Muir Alenstarl.

She, who had been missing since the battle last night, was the second-ranked «beast» in the Instructional School.

"It seems that the fourth person is finally here. Lily is fetching her here now."

"Is that so? That princess really brings trouble to other people."

The one they were talking about was the fourth member of Team Inferno – Sjora Kahn. She and Lily were different from Muir in that they had not been picked by Ren Ashbell's own people, but were elementalists appointed on recommendation by the religious Alphas Theocracy.

The Alphas Theocracy had not provided Ren Ashbell with any information on Sjora's abilities, because Sjora's other responsibility was to monitor all of Ren Ashbell's actions.

"Muir Alenstarl... You looked for me only to talk to me about this?"

"Of course not. Let me ask you... you fiend, what have you done to my brother?"

Muir asked severely, as if a knife had been stabbed into her neck.

"You are dissatisfied with how I unleashed his full power?"

"It should be Muir's responsibility to awaken my own brother."

"It was not my intention to deny you that, but because of other reasons, I had no choice but to speed up the initial plan."

Ren Ashbell shrugged her shoulders, seemingly without any second thoughts.

"And if my brother's body cannot bear it, what do you intend to do then?"

"If so, it will mean that he does not have the right to be the one to succeed the Demon King – that's all."

"What are you saying...!"

At this, Muir's expression turned sharp and murderous.

"You can't accept that? Then next time... wake him using your own hands."

After saying that, Ren Ashbell tossed Muir a small, delicate ring.

"... And this is?"

"I got this «Mythical Class» ancient artifact from the old fogeys at Alphas. The three military spirits sealed within are all weapons that were scrapped by the international guidelines."

"Do you think Muir will be so easily bribed by this toy of yours?"

"This is merely a token of our good friendship; please accept it."

"... Hmph, I'll just watch and see how long you can endure this."

While putting on the ring, Muir glared angrily at her.

"Although Muir is helping you for now, I am not like Lily. If you dare lay a hand on my brother again, I will kill you without mercy."

"Whatever... Go ahead, if you can."

Ren Ashbell easily shrugged off Muir's ferocious glare, then –

Turned again towards the black sarcophagus.

"Speaking of which... What are you doing here?"

"A resurrection ritual."

"... Huh? What's that?"

"Bringing spirits of the dead back to the living world – the Institutional School regards this as the most forbidden act of all."

"Bringing spirits of the dead...?"

Ren Ashbell was placing a chain of jewels on the sarcophagus.

That was the «Blood Stone» – found only in the original spirit world, such a highly prized spirit crystal contained power that ordinary spirit crystals could not possibly rival.

Next, in a clear bright voice, she started singing a chant that sounded like a curse.

"O Nether World Elemental Lord, I humbly beg you to call back the souls of the seeds of darkness – "

From behind the mask came some hard-to-understand spirit language.

If there had been princess maidens from the Institute there, they would certainly be very surprised.

For only the highest ranked princess maidens were permitted to sing the High Ancient language.

Bump, bump – from the black sarcophagus came sounds like a heartbeat.

Suddenly, the bright red «Blood Stone» shattered!

Then –

Sizzle... Hiss... Sizzle

With tiny movements, the lid of the sarcophagus slowly opened, and from the resulting small crack – emerged something!

"W-What on earth... is this...?"

Muir Alenstarl could not help but flinch at the repellent, horrifying sight before her eyes.

"He is the previous Ren Ashbell – Nepenthes Lore."

Ren Ashbell's voice echoed brightly in the stone room suffused with the smell of rotting flesh.

"He is also – the fifth member of «Team Inferno»."

<noinclude>{{SeireiDance Nav|prev=Seirei Tsukai no Blade Dance:Volume5 Chapter3|next=Seirei Tsukai no Blade Dance:Volume5 Chapter5}}</noinclude>

Seirei Tsukai no Blade Dance:Volume5 Chapter3

2013-08-15T20:06:24Z

Monsterbandage: /* Part 4 */

==Chapter 3: Dragonia's Allurement==
===Part 1===
After leaving the cafe, Kamito and the others took a stroll near the port.

Surrounded by the three lovely ladies, Kamito still received quite a few stares from passers-by that made him feel uncomfortable, but since they were some distance away from the centre of the shopping street, the situation was much better.

"Can we take a look in that store?"

Rinslet's outstretched hand was pointing at a stall that specialized in selling aristocratic dresses.

"No problem." "Yeah, I don't mind."

Claire and Ellis nodded in agreement.

"Rinslet, are you buying clothes now?"

Kamito asked, puzzled. As the Blade Dance would begin tomorrow, she would not have many opportunities to wear anything else other than her uniform.

"I'm not buying them for myself; I'm getting them for Carol and my little sister."

"Your sister?"

"Yes, my sister specially came to watch me show off my talents."

Rinslet fluffed her long hair happily.

At that moment, the maid Carol had arrived at the port ready to greet the girl Rinslet was talking about.

"Oh, turns out Rinslet has a little sister too... I imagine she must look just like her older sister; she must be a beautiful, pleasant child."

"K-Kamito-san, w-what nonsense are you spouting..."

At Kamito's casual thoughtless chatter, Rinslet blushed, embarrassed.

"M-My sisters are very good-looking as well!"

"My sister Velsaria is a beauty too!"

"Uh... why are you guys suddenly saying all these..."

Claire and Ellis felt an inexplicable sense of competitiveness.

"Well, I'll wait patiently outside. Call me when you're done."

As Kamito turned to leave, Claire tugged on his sleeve to stop him.

"You have to come in with me."

"... Why? This shop only sells girls' clothing, doesn't it?"

"I-It doesn't matter... we have to stay together."

"Well... Hey...!"

Kamito was forcibly pulled into the shop by his sleeve.

The shop was unexpectedly spacious. In addition to fashionable clothing, it also sold items like underwear.

"Well then, let me first pick out something for my sister."

Rinslet happily disappeared into the shop.

"Kamito, wait here for me... I'll go try something on."

"Try something on?"

"... U-Uh, I mean, so you can help me make a decision."

Claire's cheeks flushed.

''... Oh, I get it.''

Kamito was struck by a sudden understanding, and could not hold back a smile.

Having grown up in a sheltered aristocratic family, Claire was probably not used to choosing her own clothing.

''... Nonetheless, it's hardly a good idea to ask me for advice.''

"I'd be glad to help... but I take no responsibility!"

"It doesn't matter, I just want your thoughts."

Claire lifted her two ponytails proudly, smiled sweetly and said:

"I want you to admire me after my gorgeous makeover."

"I look forward to it... But, with so amazing a model, I'm sure any clothes you pick would look good."

"... S-Stupid! You're talking nonsense again!"

Claire flushed at Kamito's teasing and left with her face red.

===Part 2===

At the instant Claire left Kamito's side –

''... Good opportunity!''

At a corner of the shop, Ellis was silently shouting to herself.

Now all the hindering people were out of the way.

Of course, as a Knight, Ellis prided herself on her honesty and nobility.

Normally, she would never take such actions behind the backs of the other two.

However, some things were too important to concede.

''Now is the perfect time!''

Ellis firmly pursed her lovely lips.

Upon further reflection, ever since arriving on this floating island, she had always been half a beat slower than the other two.

The outfit she wore to purify herself in the lake was the plain competition swimwear, the evening gown she so painstakingly prepared was no match for Claire's superior beauty, and even just now, she had been slower than Claire and Rinslet to hold Kamito's hand, and had to settle for his arm.

''I-I absolutely must find some way to improve my position right now...''

Ellis secretly shot a look towards Kamito's side profile.

It was a face she was very used to seeing; nevertheless, it set butterflies aflutter in her stomach.

To think that at first she held prejudices against him just because he was a male elementalist.

She had thought he would destroy the strict discipline of the Academy, and that he was an enemy of hers.

However, things had changed.

''Kamito... I –''

A new emotion budded in the heart of this young girl, who had previously known only of a strict education.

She still could not figure out what this unknown feeling was.

Nonetheless –

''Kamito, I would love to find out more about you...''

Ellis stroked the ribbon her sister—Velsaria—had given her.

She felt doing that would help her muster her courage.

Suppressing her rapidly throbbing heart, Ellis took a step forward.

===Part 3===

A tug.

"Huh?"

Feeling a pull on his sleeve, Kamito turned his head and saw –

Ellis, who was red-faced, had her hand on the sleeve of Kamito's uniform.

"Ellis... what is it?"

"That... c-come with me!"

"...?"

Tugging at Kamito's cuffs, Ellis pulled him into a small room partitioned off by curtains.

It turned out to be a dressing room with a huge mirror.

"W-What are you doing!?"

"K-Keep it down! Do you want to be blasted into crabmeat butter croquettes?!"

Ellis unsheathed her sword with a hiss, leaving Kamito with no choice but to raise both his hands and nod in submission.

"... But, why are you bringing me into a dressing room?"

"Uh, uh, actually... i-it's because I want you to comment on the clothing I try on."

"Comment on clothing?"

"Right. It's a rare opportunity, so I'd also like to buy some clothes. It's just that... I'm ashamed to say I don't exactly know much about girls' dresses."

... Oh, so she wants me to give her some advice?

''Something isn't right. Claire and Rinslet are both here, so why pick me?''

"If it's girls' outfits you need help with, I think it's better you ask the shopkeepers."

"... Oooh, I-I just want to know what you like!"

"Oh... so that's what it is..."

At Ellis's ferocious glare, Kamito could not help but take a few steps back in fear.

"...Well, all right, what clothing would you like to try on, Ellis?"

"Ah... uh, right now I'm torn between these two pieces –"

Ellis coughed loudly –

Then took out two different articles of clothing and presented them to Kamito.

"Oh, so it's a choice between black and white..."

The cloth before him was dotted with intricate lace flowers.

The fabric was smooth and gave off a sense of quality. It should probably be silk? The upper edge was also lined with lovely lotus leaf decorations –

"... Hey, isn't this underwear!"

Kamito spat, repelled.

No mistake about it, what Ellis was holding was indeed a set of high-class underwear.

"Well, answer quickly... w-which one do you like!"

Ellis herself seemed embarrassed; as she asked her question, her face flushed bright red.

"Y-You want me to choose..."

Kamito swallowed.

Ellis's face bore an extremely serious expression. She did not look like she was joking in the slightest, but was genuinely wanting Kamito's advice.

On the one hand was pure and lovely white.

On the other was mature, sophisticated black.

''Ellis is a high-spirited, brave and heroic Knight Captain... common wisdom would say to pick white, I guess.''

... No, precisely because of this, reverse thinking might be better.

For an honest and pure girl like Ellis, if she wore mature and womanly black underwear... the contradiction would certainly be arousing.

"Kamito, h-hurry up and decide, please! This is really embarrassing."

"Oooh, I know..."

Kamito nodded hastily and made his decision:

"... I would choose the black, I think the mature black underwear suits you well."

"Y-Yes, really... On days where the difference between winning and losing is critical, I'll often wear black underwear."

Ellis nodded, apparently satisfied.

Say, that time he had accidentally peeked in on the girls changing clothes at the Sylphid Knights' general meeting , Ellis had also been wearing black underwear... which means to say there had been some important game that day?

"T-Then I'll get this, next I just need to make sure it's the right size."

"Mmm, then... I'll leave first –"

Kamito sighed in relief and started to move out of the dressing room. Then –

"Oh no... that rascal Kamito, where on earth has he gone now? I clearly told him to wait here!"

Kamito suddenly heard Claire huff.

Surprised, Kamito quickly shut the dressing room curtain he had just half-opened.

''... This is terrible!''

If Claire found him and Ellis nestled in the dressing room together, he would certainly be burned to a crisp.

Kamito quickly turned to tell Ellis about Claire being right outside –

"E-Ellis... what are you doing!?"

Kamito could not help but stare, wide-eyed and tongue-tied.

In the blink of an eye, Ellis had already taken off her uniform and put on the set of underwear.

"Aaaaaa –"

"... Wow!"

Seeing Ellis on the verge of shrieking, Kamito quickly covered her mouth with his hand.

"Mmmm..."

He used his momentum to push Ellis's whole body against the wall, then whispered in her ear:

"Don't make a sound... Claire's nearby."

"...!?"

Ellis's eyes widened in surprise.

"... Kamito? Where on earth has he run off to?"

Claire was searching everywhere; by the sound of her voice, she was very close.

Even the slightest movement would give them away.

The duo huddled against the wall, barely daring to even breathe.

"..."

"..."

A little sigh of relief escaped from between Kamito's fingers over Ellis's mouth.

Through her underwear, he could feel the softness of her huge bosom. Kamito felt as if his furiously beating heart was loud enough to be heard.

''E-Ellis's chest was really something...''

Her tender breasts wobbled and changed shape as his arm pressed against them.

For some unknown reason, moist ripples were swimming in Ellis's pair of brown eyes as well.

... Like this, they passed tens of seconds, that felt like forever.

Claire had probably gone somewhere else, since her voice could finally no longer be heard.

"...Whew."

It appears the crisis had been averted. A weight lifted from Kamito's shoulders, and he caught his breath.

"K-Kamito... you...!"

Ellis quickly moved away from Kamito, and sharply glared at him.

"W-Why did you suddenly do that!"

"... I'm sorry, it was an urgent situation, I'm so sorry."

While apologizing profusely, Kamito turned away from the underwear-clad Ellis.

"Uhm... Never mind, in any case it was I who asked you to help me pick underwear in the first place."

[[File:STnBD V05 079.jpg|thumbnail|right]]

Ellis softly cleared her throat, shyly lifted her eyes in Kamito's direction and said:

"Oh – Oh yes..."

"What is it now?"

"Do you think t-this underwear really... looks good on me?"

Ellis rubbed her attractive and alluring thighs against each other while shyly asking.

"Ah, I think it looks good. How should I say it... I feel excited when I look at it."

"R-Really...!"

At Kamito's candid answer, Ellis's lips curved upwards in a happy smile.

"Excellent... Then at the critical moment, I will be sure to wear it."

"... Critical moment? Oh, you mean the competition that starts tomorrow."

"I hate you... That's not at all what I meant!"

As if she wanted to be purposely difficult, Ellis pinched Kamito's arm.

''... That Ellis could actually say something like "I hate you" was adorable.''

===Part 4===
After departing the dressing room, Kamito, feigning as if nothing much had happened, tapped Claire's shoulder and said.

"– Claire, sorry to have kept you waiting."

"Y-You rascal, where did you go! I was looking for you everywhere!"

"Sorry, I went outside the shop for a second... Oh, the dress you're wearing is very cute."

"Huh... R-Really? You really think it's very cute?"

A puff of hot air emerged from the top of Claire's head, and her two ponytails bobbed up and down.

She was wearing a white dress of a more mature style, that was also cut very low in the front.

Truthfully speaking, the chest area of the dress looked a bit collapsed, but Kamito intentionally neglected to mention this point. Additionally, leaving aside the issue of whether or not the dress was suitable, Claire was as lovely as ever.

"Hmph... Well, never mind. From now on, I forbid you to come and go anytime you wish. You're to stay by your master's side, got it?"

"All right, I get it."

It seemed like he had successfully managed to appease the Hell Cat maiden.

Fortunate to have avoided being burnt to a crisp, Kamito let out a sigh of relief.

"Ho ho, looks like you bought something revealing by accident."

"W-What's the matter with me, why would I go so far as to buy such provocative underwear..."

As the other two waited at the front of the stall, Rinslet finished shopping for her sister and Ellis bought her underwear. The task completed, they headed towards the Biblion, a short walk away from the port.

Situated on a slightly raised plot of high land, it looked like a huge citadel from the outside.

Like the tower where Kamito and the others were settled at, this building had also been repaired through ancient relic restoration.

In terms of sheer size, the Biblion could not compare to the library of seals, the pride of the Areishia Spirit Academy, but it was home to many ancient rare collections and even legendary forbidden books.

Such a place was one where they were likely to find a way to destroy the «Brand of Darkness» eroding Kamito, or even a clue as to how to bring back the disappeared Est.

As Kamito and the others entered the building, the sight that greeted them was that of innumerable bookshelves, each as high as the ceiling.

"This library sure is huge..."

"We'll take charge of researching the «Brand of Darkness». Kamito, go look for clues on Est – there should be quite a bit of information here about legends of the Demon Slaying Sacred Sword."

"Oh, okay."

Kamito nodded to show his agreement, then walked to the bookshelf that held records of legends from all across the continent.

On his way there, low murmurs of the «Divine Ritual Institute»'s princess maidens whispering to each other floated into his ear.

"Quick, look, it's the male elementalist." "He's the pervert we've heard rumors about?" "Careful, don't look at his eyes, you'll be defiled!"

''W-Why do even the princess maidens in the Sanctuary know of those rumors about me?''

Kamito sighed heavily and began searching for documents about the Sacred Sword.

===Part 5===

Meanwhile, Claire and the others, led by the librarian, had entered the sealed archives located underground.

After all, the curse Kamito bore was one even Fianna—once the second-best princess maiden of the «Divine Ritual Institute»—could not destroy.

As such, it would be a waste of time to simply browse literature on general spirit magic. Therefore, after some thought, the girls decided to instead focus their research on the forbidden books in the sealed archives.

The forbidden books covered quite a diverse range of content; for example, some held confidential information on the curse-bearing seal—a technique many countries had now banned the research of.

"Given the nature of that curse, it might be something similar to the curse-bearing seal."

"That is a possibility... Furthermore, there are also signs that Ren Ashbell's Alphas Theocracy is secretly conducting research on the curse-bearing seal –"

"While we're at it, it might be better if we investigated the Alphas Theocracy as well."

One by one, Claire and the others began flipping through the forbidden books displayed on the shelves.

Although they were all aristocratic daughters from distinguished families, just their princess maiden status alone would not get them access to these forbidden books.

All of them could have access to these books only because of their particular situation—they were participants in the Blade Dance.

"Records of the punitive expedition of S-rank spirits in a deep sleep in the spirit forest... nope."

"Data on the curse-bearing seal collected during the time of the Blue Baltic War... Oh, this one might contain a clue."

"... Ancient Taboo Magic... This book should be useful—Ahhh!?"

While looking through the collections, Ellis let out a shriek of shock.

"Ellis, did you find a clue!?"

"What's happened to you? Why is your face so red?"

"N-Nothing! It's nothing at all –"

"...?"

Claire stole a glance at the book was Ellis holding open.

Then –

"Ah ah ah! W-What is this!"

Claire blushed hotly as well.

The picture on the book was a portrait of a princess maiden in a very indecent position.

The taboo ritual magic—this content of book was so explicitly realistic that even Claire, who had a soft spot for provocative romance novels, could not help but take three steps backwards.

"N-Nasty... this is simply too obscene!"

"Captain, you pervert!"

"N-No! I was looking for books about rituals and accidentally took this one, that's all!"

From the way Ellis was hurriedly shaking her head in denial, one could tell this
noble Knight girl had been quite shocked.

"..." "..." "..."

They were silent for a while.

Looking at the taboo book before them, the girls swallowed nervously.

"I say... w-why don't we flip through it briefly and take a look?"

Claire proposed a suggestion, a note of slight hesitation in her voice.

"... T-That could be good, there might be something useful in there, you never know."

"Y-Yes... one can't deny there is such a possibility –"

[[File:STnBD V05 086.jpg|thumbnail|right]]

Rinslet and Ellis both nodded, but averted their glances, not comfortable with looking at each other.

Claire nodded and psychologically prepared herself, then began flipping through the book with trembling fingers.

Then –

"... Wow!? W-What is this thing! I-I don't understand..."

"What's going on... b-blindfold him, and then do something like that... aaaah!"

"Is t-this... a man's... thing?"

"Put it i-in one's mouth... and... a-also lick it?"

"T-To go as far as to put that in between one's breasts... ewwww... h-how could one be willing to do such a thing!"

"..." "..." "..."

These girls were relatively innocent, and would be shy to merely hold hands with a boy of their own age.

The impact of peeping into the unknown world left them suddenly speechless.

The only sound to be heard was the flipping of pages, echoing in the silent sealed archives.

In all honesty, all three of them thoroughly enjoyed what they saw.

===Part 6===

While Claire and the others were getting excited in the underground archives –

"... Whew... when I finish reading these, I will have died of exhaustion."

Kamito moved the heap of documents onto the table and began his investigation on the legends of the Sacred Sword.

The Demon Slayer Sacred Sword—also known as the «Sacred Sword of Severian», was a highly prized sword of legend.

The source of this name came from the Sacred Queen—Areishia Idriss's legend.

She was the wielder of the «Sacred Sword», as well as the one who vanquished the demon king.

There was no one on this continent who did not know her name.

Surprisingly, however, most people knew only the name of Areishia Idriss, and not the truth of her exploits. Furthermore, future generations had embellished many of her legends, such that the truth was virtually impossible to know.

''... All right, never mind, the great Sacred Queen isn't important.''

His immediate priority right now was the «Sacred Sword» she wielded.

Only paying attention to phrases related to the «Sacred Sword», Kamito flipped through the document quickly.

A «Sacred Sword» able to vanquish the Demon King was definitely no ordinary weapon.

The most likely argument was—the Sacred Sword had in truth been created from high-level spirits.

After eliminating the Demon King, the Queen Areishia had apparently sealed the contract spirit that had fought alongside her all the way in one of the swords inside the castle of the devil king.

The sword used to seal the spirit, the sword that she had relied on to do all this, was the «Sacred Sword of Severian».

As for the reason why Areishia would want to seal her own contract spirit inside the sword—no one knew. Similarly, there was much speculation as to her whereabouts after she eliminated the Demon King, but no conclusive answer.

Kamito closed the book, speechless..

''The conclusion is... we still cannot say anything for certain; what is unknown is still unknown.''

Although they had accessed a wide range of documents, virtually all of them contained only hearsay with no basis in fact.

As for the spirit forest that Est had originally been sealed in, he could not find anything more detailed than what was already in the library of seals.

– Having said that, however, Kamito had not had high hopes in the first place.

''However many similar documents I look at, there is no way to bring Est back.''

Moreover, whether or not Est was the real Demon Slaying Sacred Sword did not matter. To Kamito, she was his important partner, a point that would not change regardless of anything.

"Est..."

Kamito gently stroked the spirit seal on his right hand.

Est, with dazzlingly beautiful silver-white hair, virgin milky white skin, and a face that usually held no expression, until Kamito stroked her head; she would then narrow her eyes in a smile to show her pleasure.

''... Est will surely come back to me.''

To believe in her wholeheartedly and await her return – that was all Kamito could do for her now.

Kamito got back to his feet, picked up the pile of documents with both his hands and prepared to return them to the shelves..

Just as he finished putting all the books back to their original display positions –

"– You are Kazehaya Kamito?"

Kamito turned in the direction of the sudden call.

"Oh my god!"

The young lady before him was one he had met before.

The reason for Kamito's inadvertent shocked scream was because he really did not want to bump into such a person.

"What the – is that a greeting you thought up yourself? Kazehaya Kamito?"

The girl frowned unhappily.

With thick bright shoulder-length black hair, she had an icy kind of beauty.

The girl was wearing a beret inlaid with the crest of a flying dragon, as well as a black military uniform that gave her a majestic aura and suited her very well.

She was also staring coldly at Kamito, through her glasses, with a strong and forceful gaze.

She was a contestant from Dracunia, Leader of the Knights of the Dragon Emperor – Leonora Lancaster.

In this Blade Dance, she was among the more promising elementalists and favorites to win the tournament.

However, she was also a dangerous girl who was seeking to physically deal with Kamito's lower half.

"Y-You fool, what are you doing here?"

"What a stupid question. Obviously, I'm gathering intelligence on other countries' teams."

Leonora pushed at her spectacles with her middle finger, gave Kamito an exasperated look and replied.

So that was it... Indeed, there were some documents in her hands. Despite possessing power few other players could rival, she still put in the effort to find out about her competitors – she truly was a formidable opponent.

Kamito then raised a question about another thing he had realized:

"You didn't wear glasses before, did you?"

"... You really are a worse pervert than the rumors say, if even such subtle changes cannot escape your notice."

"Uh... is this a subtle change?"

... If it were a change of hairstyle, he might not notice, but glasses were rather difficult to overlook.

"I only wear them to read. My eyesight is actually quite poor. I use spirit magic during the blade dance to strengthen my vision."

The Dragon Knight maiden stared at Kamito coldly, and continued:

"Say it directly if you wish... say I don't look good in glasses."

"Ah...? Not at all, I think the look suits you, I think it's very cute."

"W-What nonsense are you saying! You pervert with a glasses fetish!"

"What now..."

The sudden and inexplicable scolding left Kamito squinting and mumbling in confusion.

Leonora cleared her throat and replied with a question of her own:

"And you, why are you coming to a place like this?"

"... Ah, uh, because I wanted to investigate some things."

It would be a disaster if his competitors came to know about him losing Est.

Kamito gave a vague answer hoping to evade the topic, but –

Leonora suddenly turned her gaze towards the shelf Kamito had returned his books to.

"So, the thing you're investigating has to do with your contract spirit?"

"... Ah!?"

Surprised, Kamito instinctively struck a combat pose to fend off an enemy.

"... Even you guys know about it?"

"Are you referring to – your blade spirit's disappearance?"

"..."

Leonora's frosty gaze seemed to pierce right through Kamito.

"Sorry, I took the liberty to spectate the battle between you and the military spirits."

"... So that's how."

Apparently, she had seen the full course of the battle between the crowd and Muir Alenstarl.

At that time, in order to prevent anyone from becoming aware of the battle outside, Ren Ashbell had laid down a large-scale Isolation Barrier around the tower, but it had not deceived an elementalist as powerful as Leonora.

"So you just silently watched Claire and the others get hurt?"

"Did I have an obligation to enter combat to rescue them?"

"This..."

Kamito forcibly swallowed nasty words of accusation.

She did indeed have a point. By no means was she obliged to extend a helping hand to a rival team's elementalists.

"You are too naive. The «Blade Dance» is no friendly contest, it is a symbolic war with matters of national prestige and prosperity at stake."

Her line of reasoning was quite correct.

The victorious country of the Blade Dance would receive all manner of blessings from the Elemental Lord – the influence of this was large, and could even affect the fortunes of the entire country.

Furthermore, the Dracunia Knights were surely not the only ones who had watched the skirmish on the side.

"In any case, I'm sure you guys loved watching us beat each other bloody."

She was not to blame – although Kamito understood this in his heart, he could not keep the harsh words from escaping his mouth.

"No... in fact, regarding the disappearance of your blade spirit, I'm also very sorry."

Shaking her head, Leonora spoke up unexpectedly.

"I could feel that spirit had strength to equal my Dragon Slayer Sacred Sword – as a knight, I had very much hoped to do battle with you at your peak condition."

Looking at her sincere expression, Kamito's response was –

"Leonora, you're mistaken."

"Mistaken?"

"Est has not really disappeared. Also... her real strength is far more than you know."

"... Oh, if that's so, I'm sorry."

Leonora smiled and nodded in understanding.

It was perhaps an illusion, but in that moment, her pupils seemed to change color.

"I don't intend to go easy on you, though. As the saying goes in our country— «The dragons of Dracunia will go all out to take down even hunting lions» —I will do everything in my power to defeat you."

"That's fine... show me what you got."

Kamito replied indifferently, but sighed bitterly to himself:

''This girl really is a rival...''

Leonora Lancaster possessed solid power, and could stand up to the strongest elementalist in the Academy – Velsaria.

The «Nidhogg» she summoned was a dragon spirit that could, in a single blow, instantly vaporize the military spirit that attacked the flying ship. The extent of its power was hard to comprehend.

However, that was not where the true power of this dragon girl lay.

Although she also had overwhelming strength, it did not make her arrogant. She was not complacent or careless even against weaker opponents – this impeccable temperament was her most threatening weapon.

With things in their current state, with Est lost, they really could not fight her.

"Well, if you insist –"

All of a sudden, Leonora abruptly pushed Kamito against the bookshelf.

"... You!?"

Kamito just barely stopped himself from shouting.

A pair of upwardly curving eyes regarded Kamito from beneath glasses.

The faintly sweet smell of shampoo tickled Kamito's nose.

"... W-What do you want!?"

"Wasn't it you who just said 'show me what you've got'? Kazehaya Kamito."

Leonora held her index finger to Kamito's lips, and stepped even closer to him.

Her perfectly bouncy breasts pressed tightly against Kamito's arm.

''... This... this one's chest really is unexpectedly big!''

She probably dressed to cover her figure, like Ellis.

''... I'm so stupid, this isn't the time to have such nonsense thoughts!''

Although the two of them were hidden by bookshelves, there were several princess maidens nearby. If they were caught, they would surely be sent to the
Divine Ritual Institute's council for this delinquency.

"Your heart's beating faster, is my body getting you excited?"

"D-Doesn't that go without saying? To be held so tightly by s-such a cute girl as you –"

"... C-Cute? Me?"

The dragon girl stared with wide eyes in surprise.

"That's the first time... any man's said something like that to me..."

"A-Anyway, let me go!"

"How will that do."

"... What do you mean?"

"As I just said, «The dragons of Dracunia will go all out to take down even hunting lions». After seeing your battle against Muir Alenstarl last night, our country's military personnel made an emergency decision to change our strategy against you.

"Strategy against me?"

"Which is to chop off your thing before you sink your evil clutches into any of your princess maiden Knight teammates."

"That's your state policy!?"

Kamito could not help but roar.

Dracunia... that country was more terrible than he had even imagined.

"But our military also came to another conclusion – as you are the only male elementalist in the world, it would be a terrible pity to have such an outstanding bloodline end just like that."

"... Oh, I think I understand what you mean."

Kamito said under his breath, rolling his eyes.

In simple terms, they were currently in a situation commonly known as the Beauty Trap.

"Obediently grovel at my feet – Kazehaya Kamito."

Leonora was whispering sweet words that turned one's head numb.

''T-This girl, she really has completely changed from last time...!''

Previously, Kamito only had to accidentally brush against her chest for this Dragon Knight maiden to faint; she had originally been more innocent than even the Academy girls.

Even if it was because she had been ordered to do so, how did she manage to tempt Kamito like this?

The girl before him – seemed to be an entirely different person.

"Hey, are you even..."

At that moment, Kamito suddenly realized –

Leonora's originally black pupils now had a smoky red coat, as if burnt by a flame.

''... What's going on?''

Just when Kamito was frowning in thought –

"You really are a stubborn man who refuses to obediently submit, contrary to what the rumors say..."

Leonora picked the skirt of her uniform up by both sides, and slowly lifted it upwards.

"... What!?"

At this, Kamito's heart involuntarily started to throb.

Accompanied by the sound of cloth friction, her skirt approached even closer to the edge of modesty.

For some unknown reason, although it had already long passed the warning line – her panties were nowhere to be seen.

"Hey... y-you're going to expose your panties!"

"You needn't worry, as servants of the dragon, we Dracunia princess maidens... don't have the habit of wearing panties."

"How is that nothing to worry about!"

Indeed, he had heard of elementalist princess maidens choosing not to wear underwear to enhance their connection with their spirits.

"Abandon resistance, then proclaim your eternal loyalty to my country."

"P-Please stop...!"

In pace with the rubbing sounds of fabric, in only a second, her skirt would be completely lifted. Then –

"Y-You two! Wh-Wh-Wh-What unspeakable things are you doing!"

"...!?"

<nowiki>*</nowiki>Gogogogogo...!*

It was none other than –

Claire, her shoulders quivering and her two red ponytails bristling in anger.

"D-Disgusting... that you would think to do something so immoral and depraved in the sacred Biblion..."

"We left you alone for just a moment, and you take the opportunity to do such a thing!"

Ellis and Rinslet were also glaring at Kamito furiously.

"N-No, it's not what you think! It's..."

"Disturbed by hindering nuisances..."

With a sigh, Leonora swiftly separated herself from Kamito.

"... Leonora?"

Kamito looked at her, puzzled, and realized something –

Sometime ago, the burnt smoky red glaze on her pupils had disappeared, to be replaced by the original black.

Additionally, the look on Leonora's face suggested that the something possessing her had just disappeared.

"I'm very sorry, just now the «Dragon Blood» in my body seemed to have awaken carelessly."

"«Dragon Blood»?"

This strange word left Kamito puzzled.

However, Claire's alert ears twitched.

"– Then... We'll continue some other time. The next time we meet will probably be on the battlefield."

Leonora turned and quickly marched, military-style, from the scene.

"..."

Kamito watched her image move increasingly further away.

"... Go on, speak... You rascal, what were you doing with that woman?"

Claire questioned Kamito coldly.

"I bumped into her accidentally, and we just shared some idle chat about the main event tomorrow... I swear."

"... Ooh, is that so? Forget it."

"Have you found out anything about Est?"

"No, there was nothing useful... what about you, any findings?"

Kamito returned the question, then –

The three ladies blushed tomato-red.

"W-We found nothing!"

"Right! A-And also, we definitely didn't peek at any taboo magic books, oh!"

"T-That is...!"

"...?"

At their distraught reactions, Kamito frowned in confusion.

===Part 7===

It was sunset by the time the group left the Biblion.

On the return carriage, Kamito asked Claire:

"Hey, remember the «Dragon Blood» Leonora talked about just now? What is that?"

"... About that, I've only ever heard rumors."

Resting her cheeks on her hands, Claire mused:

"That's a specific kind of constitution... It's said that people with «Dragon Blood» will very rarely be born as princess maidens in service of the dragon. Legend has it that when the «Dragon Blood» awakens in the princess maiden's body, she will become one with the «dragon»."

"Become one with the «dragon»?"

What on earth did those words mean? It was difficult to understand.

However, what he could say for sure was that – Leonora had obviously become a completely different person just now.

''To think that such a noble Dragon Knight would actually become like that...''

Recalling the touch of her soft breasts set Kamito's stomach aflutter.

"Hey... Kamito, you aren't thinking nonsense, are you?"

"N-No, I'm not... just thinking that Leonora is quite the formidable opponent, that's all –"

"R-Really, yeah, if it were that girl's chest... she should be able to put it in between!"

"Between? Between what?"

"O-Or, you could say... unless you mean, your measurements are so large that even that girl would not be able to fit it...?"

"... What?"

Confused, Kamito looked towards Ellis and Rinslet, sitting opposite, and for some unknown reason, they were both red-faced with embarrassment.

''Oh well, never mind...''

Kamito lowered his body slowly onto the carriage seat.

Gazing out the window at the scenery, he noted the sun setting gradually into the hills.

The main competition of the Blade Dance, the war, would commence tomorrow.

It would be a long day, full of arduous Blade Dance presentation.

Today was the last day he would have so much leisure time to enjoy with his teammates.

At this thought, Kamito inadvertently reached out a hand to touch her – his partner sword, usually always hanging at his waist.

"..."

However, his hand met only emptiness.

He could feel not even the slightest pain from the spirit seal on his right hand.

===Part 8===

The sword, luster all lost, fell for what felt like eternity through an endless darkness.

She was not dormant, yet not conscious, only silent and still.

Whether to call this feeling peace or torture varied from person to person, but truth be told, these additional definitions were meaningless – stillness was stillness.

The sword sank in the pitch-blackness; it was a world with nothing bar darkness.

''Kamito...''

Her power almost all lost, all the blade spirit could do was to call his name.

''Kamito... I am your sword, so –''

The spirit whispered, and at that moment –

Out of the darkness suddenly shot a dazzling light.

The figure that appeared in the light was – a naked, pale-skinned, silvery-white-haired maiden.

She looked just like Est in human form.

''– Who are you?''

The sword asked the girl before her.

''I am the consciousness of the one... previously known as the «Demon Slayer Sacred Sword».''

The silvery-white-haired girl answered, her expression blank.

''You... are me?''

''Yes. You are me – whereas I, am you complete.''

At her answer, Est finally understood the true identity of the girl.

''You are my «body»... right?''

''Yes, I am your higher physical presence.''

The girl nodded, expressionless.

She was the highest-level blade spirit with overwhelming power – the real Demon Slayer Sacred Sword.

When Est had made an incomplete spirit contract with Kamito, she had split into two individuals.

Perhaps it was because Est had lost her power and was on the verge of disappearing that the loop joining the two of them could once again reconnect.

''I cannot stay for much longer.''

The girl who looked exactly like Est gently stretched out her right hand to her –

And commanded in a cold expressionless voice:

''I command you to immediately destroy the contract with Kazehaya Kamito, and come back to me.''

For her, this was a request there was no denying to.

After all, Est's contract with Kamito was in the first place an informal, happenstance event.

Because the Demon Slayer Sacred Sword had not originally intended to make any contracts with elementalists.

Even she herself did not know why she had let herself become the contract spirit to that boy.

These conflicting emotions split to form «Terminus Est» – this was the origin of the other Est.

However, now that the contract «gate» between Est and Kazehaya Kamito was closed, she could take advantage of this time to fuse back the missing piece «Terminus Est».

Unexpectedly –

''... I-I refuse.''

The sword—Est—turned down the outstretched hand of the Sacred Sword maiden.

The sword cut through the surrounding darkness, and pointed its tip towards the girl's throat.

''– You refuse?''

''I do not... I do not want to break my contract with Kamito...''

''You are merely a part of me, yet you want to defy my wishes?''

''I am the sword of Kamito, not something of yours.''

Est expressed her desire to refuse clearly to the maiden.

''– I understand, it seems... that elementalist has germinated in you the seed of self-awareness.''

Again expressionless, the girl said quietly.

Her silvery white hair, which exuded a faint light in the dark, whipped up violently.

''But I do have to tell you, Est... you—or I should say, I—do not have the right to become the sword of any person.''

''... I don't understand what you mean?''

''Because my existence itself is a kind of sin.''

''– Sin?''

The sword could not understand the meaning in the girl's words because, in the moment that she contracted with Kamito, she lost most of the memories she had in common with her original body.

The present Est was left with a handful of incomplete past memory fragments.

As well as the memory of the short period of time spent with Kamito and the others.

''Recall it, the sins that you – and I – must bear.''

The silvery-white-haired girl gently touched the tip of the sword.

In an instant, memories flowed like a fierce torrent into Est's mind –

''Recall it, the events with the very first person to contract with me... Areishia Idriss.''

<noinclude>{{SeireiDance Nav|prev=Seirei Tsukai no Blade Dance:Volume5 Chapter2|next=Seirei Tsukai no Blade Dance:Volume5 Chapter4}}</noinclude>

Talk:Mondaiji-tachi ga isekai kara kuru soudesu yo:Volume 1 Chapter 4

2013-08-12T19:21:07Z

Monsterbandage:

''The one who appeared was a woman 2-3 years older than Izayoi and the girls, and she had gorgeous blond hair fluttering freely.''

did leticia appear before galdo in here adult form? if i remember correctly she was in here loli for when she made her first appearance in the anime. [[User:Monsterbandage|Monsterbandage]] 2013-08-12T21:06:54

:Yes it seems she did. Makes sense to negotiate with her more intimidating form. In the anime it was indeed her younger version.--[[User:Firebird|Firebird]] ([[User talk:Firebird|talk]]) 14:18, 12 August 2013 (CDT)

Ty. was curious about tat. By the way, the characters in this series speak in a pretty weird way. is it because the original japanese was written in an unorthodox way?

Hidan no Aria:Volume10 Chapter5

2013-07-14T00:33:22Z

Monsterbandage: /* 5th Ammo - Surprise Rose */

== 5th Ammo - Surprise Rose ==

As we made our way back to my dorm in Watson's Porsche, an awkward silence filled the car.

The atmosphere was pretty much what you'd expect from a situation where a lovers' tryst had been discovered by a peer.

By the way, Watson had made a speedy recovery, and in an attempt to comfort me, offered the following words, "Don't worry about it, Shiranui gave us his word he wouldn't say a thing."

Well, on that point, we're agreed. Shiranui's not the type to run his mouth.

The problem is...just how am I supposed to face him now? He's one of my few friends, or rather, without him, doesn't that only leave Mutou? What's more, the next time Shiranui sees Mutou and I together, in all likelihood, he'd think some unnecessary thoughts. Haha.

Inwardly mocking myself, I exited the car in front of the dorms.

Though falling five times while making my way up to my room on the fifth floor, I, at last, found myself at the entrance to my room.

Kaname was nowhere to be found, likely having left to buy one thing or another.

I lifelessly crawled across the floor, making my way to the sofa, where I fiddled with my Beretta and brooded dangerously to myself, "With this, I could end things whenever I wanted..."

My heart heavy, my mind seemed to want to escape reality, instead seeking solace in sleep. Perhaps what I was experiencing were the aftereffects of Mezza Hysteria? Lethargy, after all, was quite common once the effects of Hysteria Mode had passed.

-Well, even though it's only 6 PM, let's rest for a bit. Just keeping my eyes open is an effort...

 

...That's three outs...

...''CHOP!'' ''CHOP!'' ''CHOP!''...

I awoke to the sound of people talking and what seemed to be a knife cutting something on a chopping board.

(...?)

Raising my head to peek in the direction of the kitchen, I caught sight of Kaname, who had already returned.

Judging by the smell of curry in the air, it seemed she was making dinner.

It was now...7 o' clock? It looked like I'd been asleep for an hour or so.

"...Ah, Onii-chan. I'm sorry, did I wake you?"

Kaname showed me an apologetic smile as she placed sliced carrots into a salad.

"Don't worry about it. It's my fault for falling asleep at such an odd hour."

It might have been because I was better rested, but my condition felt improved. As I picked myself up-

Kaname laid her knife atop the cutting board, washed her hands, and raced to my side.

She ''plopped'' herself down next to me, giggling as she watched me, smiling from ear to ear.

"...What?"

"Can we chat for a bit? This time is reserved for conversing with your cute little sister."

"Cute little sister? According to you?"

"I've sniffed out every corner of this room with Onii-chan's scent."

"Please don't ignore me, and especially not to say something that weird."

"About that...Onii-chan doesn't have any naughty books? I couldn't find even one."

What...what the hell?

What's with the strange question from out of left field? I'm about ready to drop here, have mercy on me.

"None."

Who the heck would buy something so terrifying?

Why on Earth would I plant a Hysteria Mode land-mine for myself?

"-But that's strange, Onii-chan."

"The strange one here is you, alright? Why would you look for something like that, anyway?"

"I was trying to figure out Onii-chan's preferences. I can't find a common theme among the girls I've seen so far."

"That would because I don't have any. Why would I have preferences for something I can't stand to begin with?"

"But, but~"

Kaname tugged at my sleeve like a spoiled child.

"I want to know what kinds of things excite Onii-chan. That way I can become the kind of little sister that suits Onii-chan's preferences."

"Why do you have to become anything? Please try and keep things within reason."

As I waved my hands to shoo Kaname away-

She simply revealed a puzzled expression, pulling one leg up on the sofa, and turned to look at me.

This movement completely bared her white thighs from under her miniskirt.

(...Ugh...)

Although it seemed Hysteria Mode was unlikely to react to Kaname, I nonetheless guardedly averted my gaze.

It was probably a result of our topic of conversation, but I quickly realized that I had little immunity against thighs.

The subtle fragrance of women and their thighs - these two things were undeniably a danger to me.

"This isn't the time to hold back, Onii-chan. When a rare delicacy finds itself in front of you, not helping yourself is simply too irrational!"

"Delicacy...?"

This time I was the one with a look of puzzlement.

Kaname stuck out her index finger, adopting a look that said, "Listen, listen~"

"A brother and sister, separated at birth, suddenly reunited. The brother is a high school student, the sister, in junior high. What's more, the sister is utterly adorable."

"...?"

"After being reunited, the two live alone under the same roof. From the photos and videos she's seen, the brother completely matches the sister's preferences. When they finally meet, the sister falls for him deeply, so deeply she can't help herself."

"...?...?"

"A situation like this, what is it if not a rare delicacy? In «{{Furigana|Sister|My}} Goth», that's how it's always been regarded. That's why 'helping yourself' is only appropriate-"

"-That! Though I'm still not quite clear on things, but that kind of thing only happens in those games Riko plays or manga! Something like that could only happen in a world gone mad."

"That's not right, Onii-chan. It's happened in reality, and right before you, too."

Having taken my response as a rejection of her, she protested strongly.

"If I were to describe this in game terms, we're already in the last stage, Onii-chan. The common route's already over, the affection levels on both sides are at their max. All the various odds and ends of the plot have already been resolved, and you've entered the Kaname route. Even so, Onii-chan's been running all over, and you haven't done a thing to me. If things go on like this, you'll get a bad end, you know!"<ref>Some VN terms here. They're pretty self-explanatory, though, so I won't bother explaining. If you need to Google them, be careful :P</ref>

Saying this, Kaname grabbed my hand-

And pulled them towards her chest. Ignoring my instinctive attempt to pull away, she deliberately placed my hand atop her breast.

"Just look...My body's just burning up. That's why, Onii-chan, you can do to me what it is guys always want to do. I just know it'll be good."

"That's sick! You've been saying over and over you're my sister, so why would you mention something like, like ''that''!"

I immediately brushed off her hand, to which Kaname-

Gave a smile as if about to reveal her hidden trump card.

"Because that way Onii-chan and I can become an Arcanum Duo<ref>Haha. Now this is a difficult one. To understand this, a short description of how kanji/furigana are used in HnA is necessary. Kanji (characters) have specific meanings attached to them, but can be read in different ways. To resolve this, furigana (the tiny kana you see next to kanji) are used to show how it ought to be read.

In HnA, the author will frequently introduce series-specific terminology by pairing kanji giving a literal description of the term with katakana showing its name.

In this case, the katakana name part reads Arcanum Duo, whereas the kanji bear the description of siblings crossing extremes. What this means Kaname will explain in just a moment.</ref>. It theoretically exists, you know - the strongest brother-sister combo in the world."

"Strongest...brother and sister...?"

"With the ability to trigger one another's HSS, the two of us would become an unrivaled, invincible team."

"Wait just a sec. When you say HSS- are you talking about Hysteria Mode?"

"Hysteria Mode? Is that what you call HSS, Onii-chan? Then yes, within my body exists the gene carrying the ability to enter HSS, that is, Hysteria Mode."

"Wha...what?"

"Because I'm your sister."

...

"-That said, I've never actually entered HSS before, so truth be told, I'd always worried about whether I really could. But after meeting Onii-chan, I'm sure now. I definitely can. The two of us can undoubtedly become this world's strongest pair."

Having spoken this far, Kaname looked as if about to drop another bomb on me.

"Onii-chan is currently a participant in the 'Far East Warfare'. If Onii-chan was willing to enter HSS with me, then I'd be more than willing to help you out. As long as the two of us can enter HSS at will, no matter who the opponent is, they'd not stand a ghost of a chance. Whatever it is Onii-chan wants, or needs, you'd need only stick out your hand and grab it, no?"

-How is it? Not a bad offer, right?

Kaname squinted her eyes, her expression alone sufficient for me to hear the unspoken question.

Thoughts of the {{Furigana|Golden Shell|Karagane}} rose unbidden. More than half of those red stones had fallen into Grenada's grasp, and if we failed to retrieve them, it would spell Aria's doom.

"But uh, well, you see, the catalyst of Hysteria Mode is sex- er sorry, it's love<ref>Probably obvious, but the term here is referring to romantic love.</ref>. You know, that kind of thing. An upstanding person wouldn't engage in something like that so casually. Even if you're male and female, you still shouldn't try to force these things."

Kaname laughed, interrupting my half-mumbled response.

"That's exactly right. It's not like we think love is a joke either. Love is no game; it's for war."

With this, I finally understood.

I faintly realized just why it was she pestered me so.

If I posed a simple hypothesis, then this strange situation suddenly began to make sense.

Though I wasn't entirely ready to follow that theory; nevertheless...

Supposing things were as Kaname had said, and we were truly siblings-

Then this girl just might be capable of Hysteria Mode, even if I had never heard so much as a whisper about a female version before.

What's more, her normal abilities had proven more than sufficient to suppress Aria and the others.

More specifically, she, via some unknown method - perhaps even the Los Alamos Elite plan that Watson had mentioned? - had had her physical abilities enhanced. Even though she'd since escaped, from the looks of things, it seemed they still hadn't completely severed their relationship with America.

What worried me was this-

It occurred to me that Kaname's preoccupation with attaining Hysteria Mode was for the goal of further enhancing her abilities.

The problem was, Kaname had yet to enter said state. It seemed she shared a distaste for men no less intense than my distaste for women.

I'm not sure what it is that has her so set on me, but regardless, she seems to have taken a fancy to me.

For this reason, she's chosen me to help her enter Hysteria Mode, and has grown close to me-

Because I'm the only one in this world who can help her obtain the strength she seeks, the partner who can help her enter Hysteria Mode.

Furthermore, it looks like she plans on forming a team with me, becoming a pair who stand above all.

This, putting aside whether or not it's true for a moment, poses a danger in more ways than one.

Suddenly my train of thought was interrupted by Kaname, who leaned in against me.

That unparalleled ability to seize the opportunity was reminiscent of Riko.

"Those with HSS have superlative fighting abilities, but this is countered by a weakness to the opposite sex of equal degree. Because of this condition, the other gender will never understand us, especially during this youthful period where sexual excitement occurs easily enough."

"Um, well..."

Facing me, who'd been left speechless by her words, Kaname's eyes, the color of the deep ocean, raised to meet mine.

"Even if someone else likes you, it'd only be a superficial feeling for the Hysteria Mode you, and not the real you. This misunderstanding inevitably becomes the foundation for mistaken feelings. In other words, in this world, there will never be a girl who could ever truly understand you, and thus truly love you. I am the sole exception, as one who bears the same cross."

She spoke in an alluring tone: were we not the same after all? Was it not thus natural for us to lick one another's wounds, to find comfort in one another?

"Only if Onii-chan continues to be with me can you truly experience love. Even though you've said over and over that this is something wrong, something strange, but in truth, isn't it just the opposite? I am the only person who can truly have a normal relationship with Onii-chan, the only one who could ever be Onii-chan's true love."

Having thus spoken, Kaname pulled something out: a «{{Furigana|Sister|My}} Goth» box.

"Even though Onii-chan loves me, it seems you're still not ready to talk about it yet. That's why you're resisting this, but it's okay, we can talk later. Right now, I can't wait any longer. For the moment, you just need to do this one thing with me...yeah, just this...is enough."

She flipped over the «{{Furigana|Sister|My}} Goth» package.

(...!)

Because I've never felt any particular reason to, this is the first time I've taken a good look at it.

On the back of the box, in stark contrast to the intentionally cute designs drawn on its front, is what can only be described as an extremely provocative image.

"What, what the hell are you saying! What do you mean 'you just need to do this one thing with me'! Have you completely lost your mind!?"

I desperately looked away from the anime-ish illustrations.

"Onii-chan, you're the one who's not making any sense here. Ethics are just a headache to anyone with HSS. Let me say something - love is not the catalyst for Hysteria Mode. As long as people have the desire to do so, they can easily separate these two things. Love on one hand, ''that'' on the other. So you see, there's no problem here."

Kaname expounded upon a topic I had intentionally never before considered.

"Because Onii-chan is a guy, you've probably had to fight hard against your natural sex drive. Spending everyday having to suppress those urges, it's been hard, hasn't it? But there's no need to worry about that anymore. Just think of me as a toy. That's how I see it anyway."

"What, what do you mean 'toy'...?"

"I am Onii-chan's plaything."

As she said this, she suddenly pressed against me, all her soft parts, from top to bottom, glued against my body.

Her body language simply shouted, "This is it."

"That is to say, even if you were to consider this as mutual exploitation, I wouldn't mind. Even if the order's been reversed, there've definitely been cases before where love has sprouted from such actions- such things are recorded in the TellaNA system."<ref>An intelligence interface system described in chapter 3.</ref>

From the body of the gently smiling Kaname, came the sweet fragrance of caramel.

Her skill at speaking and her beguiling movements reminded me of Riko.

At the same time I finally came to appreciate something else, Kaname's intellect.

Kaname had previously declared to me that she'd acquire all the skills of Aria, Shirayuki, and Riko, who I 'loved'. Though in her own unique way, it now occurred to me that she'd matched Aria's unyielding strength, Shirayuki's spirit of devotion, and Riko's feminine coquettishness. And all that in order to better appeal to me.

This girl had completely captured the distinctive features of those three, and that simply by analyzing the various things they'd left in the room - their books, and games, and such - and then modified them in order to match her own style. Even though she had the assistance of that TellaNA intelligence interface, but to come this far in two weeks was simply beyond words.

Taking this into consideration, even though she seemed like quite the strange individual, er, ''was'' quite the strange individual-

It doesn't look like the name "man-made genius" is just for show. She was undeniably brilliant.

-This is bad. People like her are dangerous, because they know how to hide their intelligence. They understand well how to use words to lay siege to their opponent, and thus engaging in conversation with them can be dangerous...or so we'd been taught in Inquesta classes.

-I needed to end this conversation ASAP, even if it meant drastic measures. I can't allow her to keep leading me by the nose.

If things took a turn for the worse, then things would end up like they did in that locker room, and she'd do something strange once more.

"...!"

I shook myself vigorously, in an effort to pry Kaname loose.

"Aaa!"

Exclaiming in surprise, Kaname dropped to the sofa, and tried to get up.

I made ready my escape.

(Now then...no, wait.)

It wasn't just because she wanted to become stronger that she sought to use me to enter Hysteria Mode.

Nor was it simply because she liked me that she'd approached me like this.

No, something else was making her anxious.

Though she had obviously not spoken a word about this, but I could more or less understand what was happening deep within a girl's heart.

This was the first time I'd ever experienced this.

Even if I hadn't heard a word of explanation, but I still intuitively understood.

I'm not sure how, whether it was because of some similarity in the way we act or speak or what, but I can tell what it is she feels within her heart.

And I can also tell that...from the bottom of her heart...she really likes me so much it's abnormal.

-But...forgive me.

"...Kaname, I don't know who you are, or what your purpose is, but none of that matters to me. Hysteria Mode, if you ask me, is an accident waiting to happen. If I could, I'd discard it without a second thought. Accordingly, I have no particular desire to familiarize myself with it, especially to the point of discarding all morality like you suggest. And you, value yourself more; don't abuse yourself like this."

As I spoke, I thought to myself that it might be best if I slept over at Mutou's tonight.

After I turned to head down the hallway, I came to the sudden realization that my pistol wasn't in my belt, where I expected, and as I again turned to retrieve it-

"-Onii-chan is being so unreasonable-"

I heard Kaname mutter under her breath.

She flipped around and dashed into the kitchen, where she ferociously grabbed hold of a kitchen knife.

"-Oi!"

As I shouted in dismay, she moved to cut me off, blocking my path to the hallway.

In the darkness of the unlit hallway, her eyes gleamed.

She's not budging an inch!

"Onii-chan, that's three outs, and three outs calls for a change."

Kaname's pupils are dilated, her teeth gritted.

-What, what's going on here? What's with the violent outburst?

This sudden change in personality is almost like two different people.

Is it because she's decided that further debate is futile and more extreme measures are now warranted?

No, I don't think that's all there is to it.

I've always felt like Kaname's constantly repressing something...

And because our conversation was not resolved to her satisfaction, her patience had finally given way.

"That reminds me, Onii-chan."

From within the darkness of the hallway, Kaname's voice came forth, as well as the quiet sound of her bare feet advancing across the wood floor.

Hidden in the shadows, I could just make out her face, her frozen smile cold as death.

That expression was as different as could be from the beguiling smile she'd shown earlier, filling me instead with spine-chilling horror.

"What...what is it?"

"Onii-chan, you haven't broken your promise with me, have you?"

"Pro, promise?"

Oh...

Is she referring to the promise she extracted from me when I demanded that she not attack without reason: "Promise me, that you will neither touch nor embrace another girl."

That's what she's talking about, right?

"-As long as Onii-chan is honest in his confession, then for each betrayal I will punish you but once. If you try and hide things from me, however, I will stab you ten times over for each lie. Now, Onii-chan, how many times have you broken your promise?"

''~step~'' ''~step~''

Kaname continued to walk towards me, gripping her knife with both hands.

As Kaname stepped into the light of the living room, the sharpened point of her knife was first to cross the threshold.

"Go ahead and say it. C'mon, just tell me."

It seems she plans to thrust straight forward. Under the fluorescent light of the room, the knife flashed dangerously- and aimed directly at my throat.

The distance, about four meters.

Given her abilities, this was already within her Killing Range.

I needed to do something, and quickly, or I might meet my end.

(-My gun...!)

It wasn't holstered, so it must be behind me, by the sofa. If it wasn't there, however...if Kaname had already hidden it...No, I had no way to be sure, and turning my head to look would be suicidal. Such a careless mistake might see her knife embedded in the back of my skull.

...That being the case, the only weapon at my disposal was the butterfly knife in my pocket.

But if the motion of me pulling it out were to set her off, I could well find her flying at me.

Moreover, back in the Shinagawa Geofront, all she'd needed handle Aria, Shirayuki, and Reki was a blade.

It was possible her weapon hid some secret, but that aside, her physical abilities were more than dangerous enough already. My current situation was way too disadvantageous.

It seemed, at best, all I could hope for was to block the blade.

In brief, my best chances of survival lay in attempting to placate her.

"The, the promise. I've kept it."

As I tried to convince her, I retreated backwards ever so slowly.

"You've also been doing your best to keep your end, right? That's why there's no need for this. Hurry up and put that away."

I broke out into a cold sweat.

"Onii-chan, you're hiding something from me."

''~STEP~''

Kaname closed the distance between us.

"Onii-chan, you've hidden three things from me, so I guess I'll stab you 30 times?"

Having finally stepped fully into the light...this time she wore no expression at all-

Almost like a robot about to carry out its programmed routine.

"St, stop...!"

"I have no desire to hurt someone I love, but because Onii-chan lied, I have no choice. Love requires sacrifice, and sacrifice, Onii-chan, ''hurts''."

It's, it's no use. This wasn't a situation I could negotiate my way out of from the start. She's completely gone over the edge.

And yet-

On the other hand, this might be my only chance.

Those are the eyes of a predator. The eyes of a mind having lost all reason.

I could hear a soft ''-pant-'' ''-pant-'' as well.

When someone's in such a state, their abilities decrease. Even if their strength increases, their precision is reduced drastically. Furthermore, what Kaname holds in her hands is not really a weapon, but rather a simple kitchen knife.

There's nothing I can do but pray for luck, and gamble with her.

"Put the knife down!"

As I threatened her, I pulled my butterfly knife out.

Flipping out the blade in an instant,

"-Why!?"

I caught the blade of Kaname, who howled as she flew at me, with my own.

''CLANG!''

As our blade edges clashed, sparks flew. Fortunately, the many hundreds of times I'd practiced during my time in Assault the previous year came in handy, and I caught her blade between the grooves of my knife.

Twisting my blade viciously, I snapped the blade of her knife clean off.

-But it seemed, Kaname had never intended on relying on the knife to begin with.

"Why won't Onii-chan understand!?"

-''BANG!''

"Uoh!"

I...I was just shot!

Even if I was wearing my bulletproof uniform, I was still shot at close range.

Worse, she'd simultaneously kicked my right knee, which hadn't quite healed.

Looking closely, she had my Beretta.

-From the beginning, she'd only used the knife as a distraction, planning from the start to seal my movements with the gun.

In front of Kaname, so much more resourceful than I, I fell, sprawled across the floor.

"I've always been upfront with Onii-chan! Whatever you wanted, I accepted! And yet Onii-chan is ''still'' like this!"

Kaname held her finger over the trigger, as she howled into the empty air.

Both her eyes and her lips were swollen in anger, and she seemed primed to open fire at any moment.

Relying on my unhurt leg and my arms, I desperately pulled backwards.

The entrance to the hallway was already blocked by Kaname, so that route had been sealed.

(The...balcony...)

I need to crawl my way there, then man up and make the jump, escaping into the sea. That's my only hope.

In order to avoid revealing my plan, I glanced at the mirror to reaffirm the balcony as a viable escape plan.

What I saw was...

Something I'd last seen in the video of the Shinagawa Geofront engagement-

A floating X-shaped strip of cloth, flitting this way and that like a dragonfly.

That was Kaname's armament which simultaneously handled offense and defense.

It seems she's had it simply hover over the male dorms this entire time.

That piece of cloth hovered just outside of the balcony, almost as if warning me against entry.

Kaname faced me down, whom had nowhere left to run.

"-Did you really think you could escape?"

Slanting her eyes, she smiled.

Her gaze reminded me of a hunter staring down wounded prey.

"You were really trying to run just now, weren't you, Onii-chan? Such disobedient feet you have. Even though you love me so much, why would your feet try to betray you like that? Oh, that's right. It's because you can still walk, isn't it?"

Kaname raised her bare leg and viciously stomped on my injured knee.

"Onii-chan, I saw it all, you know? Fuuma Hina, Kanzaki Aria, and...this was really too careless of me, I could never have imagined Elle Watson was also a girl? How absurd."

"..."

Memories of the past few days bubbled forth from within my mind.

When I ran into Fuuma-

In the bamboo grove nearby, we'd found the bamboo broken and in general disarray.

The kiss with Aria on the rooftop-

The word "TRAITOR" etched all around the air conditioning radiator.

The eyes glaring at us through the keyhole as Watson and I engaged in rehabilitation.

That was all...

(That damn stalker!)

Those were all traces of Kaname, stalking me...!

"Hey, Onii-chan, tell me what needs to happen here. Be honest...should I break your legs? If I do that, then you won't be able to walk anymore, let alone leave your room."

Almost as if playing a piano, her toes gently caressed my knee.

"Oh, I know, why don't we do this? Onii-chan can just stay on the sofa forever, and don't worry, I'll take care of everything."

She...she wants to make me a prisoner in my own home!?

Kaname revealed a bright expression completely at odds with the terrifying words coming out of her mouth.

"Afterwards, I'll just force Onii-chan to fall into Hysteria Mode. Good, sounds like a plan. If I do it like this, you'll understand, won't you, Onii-chan?"

Kaname gradually raised her leg, preparing to plunge it down with great force!

"...!"

This is bad...!

From the look in her eyes, it didn't seem she planned to stop with just my right knee.

And if that wasn't enough to calm her down, then perhaps even my arms...

If that were to happen, then I'd really be up a creek without a paddle.

I broke out in a cold sweat due to the pain, and out of sheer desperation,

"Kaname! ...I...I get it already! I'll, I'll try to do what you've asked!"

I groaned as I covered my knee with my hands.

"''TRY''...?"

"That's right! Whatever you want, whenever you want, it's ok! I'll accept you!"

Truth be told, even though she was an amazingly beautiful girl...but as I thought of the highly provocative imagery I'd seen on the back of that box actually occurring to me, I just about fainted.

Then again, compared to becoming Kaname's prisoner, with her holding power over my life and death, this was definitely still preferable.

Beggars can't be choosers, after all.

Moreover, this path carried the possibility of seeing Kaname leave my side eventually.

"Onii-chan..."

Having heard my answer, Kaname seemed to lose all strength.

Nor did she finish her attack on my knee, instead returning her foot to the wood floor once more.

"I'm so happy Onii-chan finally understands. As expected, Onii-chan is a kind and tender person: willing to understand me, willing to accept me, willing to love me. This just makes me so happy."

Kaname stared off into space, mumbling to herself.

Picking my words carefully, I continued,

"However, if I'm unable to enter Hysteria Mode as you predict, then you need to give this up. You've said that your hope is to see the two of us in Hysteria Mode, fighting together, right? Well, a weapon that can't be relied on is no weapon at all. If such a thing were to fail in the midst of a real battle, we'd be in unwarranted danger."

-From my experience, Kaname is not a trigger for my Hysteria Mode.

Thinking back to that time in the locker room, even with such a high degree of contact between us, Hysteria Mode had failed to activate.

Taking that as reference, I was fairly confident I could withstand anything she could throw at me.

If things continued down their present course, Kaname would probably end up leaving, wouldn't she?

In other words, in order to see her eventually leaving me, I'd have to first allow her to get closer. To put it succinctly, I'd lose the battle, but win the war.

"Well, if you put it like that...ok. Alright, I get it. I'll do my best to make Onii-chan enter HSS, and with an intensity you've never experienced before!"

Kaname seems to be quite motivated, clenching her fist and breathing excitedly.

Hrm. It seems I've instead kindled her fighting spirit.

Well, it's not like this wasn't a last resort.

I didn't have any way of dealing with her rampage in any case.

"..."

I wiped the sweat from my forehead, and pulled my injured knee towards me.

"-Onii-chan."

At which point, Kaname, almost as if switching masks, broke out in the most adorable smile.

She gave off an aura of utter normality, as if her violent outbreak was just an illusion. Bending down, she laid the Beretta on the floor.

She then extended her arm, slender, as befitted her age, to me, before cheerfully pulling me to my feet.

"Then, let's eat. The curry's already ready."

 

-Kaname's style of wielding blades was highly reminiscent of a soldier's.

In short, she fights to kill.

(If by some chance, she ''really'' tries to attack me...)

Even if she doesn't intend it, the possibility of my death isn't zero.

That girl loses all semblance of reason once she loses it, and the resulting lack of precision might just be enough.

Incidentally, after we'd finished dinner, Kaname had suddenly declared "I need to review something really quick", before grabbing «{{Furigana|Sister|My}} Goth» and disappearing into her room.

I spent the night in trepidation, but she never reappeared.

Before heading off to bed, I figured it best if I tried to figure out what exactly the deal was with this «{{Furigana|Sister|My}} Goth» game. A quick Internet search revealed images of a younger sister binding her older brother with chains, whipping him and the like, which I dared not investigate further. The hell ''is'' this game?

If Kaname had been using this game as reference, then it looks like until now, I'd been making all the wrong choices.

That being the case, once she finally decided to make her move, I hadn't the slightest clue what was actually going to happen.

It was possible those two circumstances I had just seen would happen to me.

(I need to act quickly to protect myself...!)

In this manner, the day passed.

As Saturday morning dawned, I seized upon Kaname's carelessness to make my escape, making my way to Odaiba Seaside Park.

Before me lay the ocean, behind me a vast lawn. Amidst the scenic landscape, I found a bench upon which to wait for a certain someone.

In my hand I held something which hardly suited me - a bouquet of roses.

They were wrapped in paper, however, so I wasn't embarrassed about the image I gave off.

-So why was I sitting here, holding these roses? Well, it's a bit complicated.

Today's meeting had a certain purpose. I was here to rendezvous with a bodyguard.

Kaname had clearly made an exception to the rule of individuals allowed to live with me, that is, family.

And so I thought:

If I had someone superbly strong became a family member, able to enter and leave my place as they desired-

Then even if Kaname tried to do something horrifying to me, they could rescue me from what would inevitably be a tragic ending.

Taking the members of Deen as a starting point, I began to compile a mental list of the strongest members. Unfortunately, the majority of them were unable to pass as a member of my family.

I mean, after all, whether you were counting by ethnicity or by appearance, I was 100% Japanese.

In that respect, Aria, Riko, and Watson were out of the picture. Jeanne, well, she was never ''in'' the picture to begin with. Reki was a descendant of the Genji, but there's no way her acting abilities would hold up. Tamamo would have been optimal - if I had a pair of fox ears growing out of my head, that is.

That left only-

Shirayuki.

She was, like me, quite distinctively Japanese.

Since we were childhood friends, I think she could pass as a half-sister of mine.

When it comes to her last name...hmm, how about she was adopted into the Hotogi family to serve as a miko, but she's now returning to the Tohyama household?

So for the moment, she'll be "Tohyama Shirayuki", a member of my family.

Even then, it's not like I don't understand that this setting is terribly, ''incredibly'' forced...

(...But it's not like I have any other choice!)

Moreover-

Today was November 14th, coincidentally Shirayuki's birthday.

Even though I'd completely forgotten about it, but this morning Konayuki had sent a lacquered chest all the way from the Hotogi Shrine in Aomori.

I'd given her a call in protest only to have her announce it was a gift for her sister's birthday. She told me: "Because Onee-sama is rarely home, rather than cause the Post Office an inconvenience, I decided to send it to Tohyama-sama instead. Please do me a favor and give it to her for me." Having been treated like a gofer, I snarled back, "Did you ever consider whether it was an inconvenience to ''me''!?" and hung up the phone.

Although truth be told, I ought to feel rather fortunate.

In order to coax Shirayuki into acting as a member of my family, I'd planned on celebrating her birthday with her. Because of all that'd happened with Kaname recently, she'd been quite distant.

The problem was, after celebrating Aria's birthday, I've not done anything similar since, so I'm rather lacking in confidence. I'd subsequently given a call to the Girl's Customer Support Center - Jeanne. She'd answered me in a stern voice, saying, "Flowers. There's not a girl in this world who wouldn't be happy to receive flowers. It's pretty much a law of nature."

And so, first thing in the morning, I'd set out to a part of Academy Island where I'd never previously set foot, the flower shop, and purchased a bouquet of roses. When it came to flowers, I only knew about chrysanthemums and tulips, but the florist had confidently recommended to me: "If you're going to give a gift to a girl, it has to be roses."

And that's why I'm sitting here, holding roses, and waiting for Shirayuki.

The florist lady had told me, "It's gotta be a surprise", and had thus wrapped the roses in a huge piece of paper. The problem was, I had no idea what was an appropriate time to pull them out in order to constitute a surprise.

Whatever, forget it. It's just Shirayuki anyway.

But man, these flowers are huge. Since I didn't know the first thing about flowers, I'd thrown the last of my savings into this. They really were heavy though; if I'd known earlier, I'd have only bought half.

As I sat, musing over the morning's happenings, I slowly massaged my knee.

(It really hurts still...Sure hope the ligament's not injured...)

Since I'd dealt with Kaname's tantrum more or less, walking wasn't a problem...

But because I only had the vaguest memory of Assault's lessons on how to wrap a joint injury, it still rather hurt.

(Might as well just get rid of this makeshift brace. This probably isn't the time to be stingy, I really should go pay Ambulace a visit.)

Having run a little low on patience, I rolled up my pant leg, and ripped the dressing off.

Rubbing my knee a bit, I returned to the bench.

"Kin, Kin-chan, good morning."

It seemed Shirayuki had come from the direction of the lawn.

As she met my gaze, she gave an embarrassed smile.

Coming over to the bench, she held down the fluttering skirt of her sailor uniform with her hand.

"-I mentioned this on the phone, but you're sure no one followed you?"

"Nn, nn. Yeah, I double-checked the whole way here."

Shirayuki nodded vigorously as I again checked our surroundings.

Kaname doesn't seem to take stalking me lightly, so you can never be too sure.

This was in accordance with something I'd learned in Inquesta previously: If you have a rendezvous to make, and you can't be sure you're not being followed, try to meet in a space where it's easy to fully assess your surroundings.

Because this was a wide open space without so much as a shadow to hide in, I was able to ensure there was no one following us.

That said, there still existed the possibility of long range surveillance.

For that reason, we'd probably best get indoors as soon as possible.

"Um, about that. Kin-chan said you had something important to talk about. What was it?"

"It's not something we can talk about here. Let's head somewhere else first. Let's see..."

Saying that, I glanced around quickly, flowers in hand.

At the far end of the lawn, I could make out the recently annexed white chapel of a Nikko Hotel.

Good, we'll head there.

Even Kaname wouldn't dare ambush someone in a sacred place like that, right?

"Let's make our way to that church."

I rose, only to have my knee scream in pain.

I guess my decision to discard the bandage was poorly made after all.

Nonetheless, it wasn't yet at the point where I couldn't walk. We'd better move.

"O-ok. Kin-chan, eh? That's..."

Shirayuki glanced at the package in my hand, voice rising in anticipation.

Oi oi oi. Don't tell me the surprise is ruined already. Looking closely, I can see a few stems sticking out. Ms. Florist, would it have killed you to have wrapped these a bit better?

 

As was the norm for a church, the chapel was open to all, though with nary a soul in sight.

Natural light poured in through the skylight, and reflected off the white walls, filling the room with warmth and light. What a comforting place.

"Ooh. How pretty. It's so romantic."

Shirayuki took in her surroundings with a look of enchantment evident on her face.

At first I'd been worried at the prospect of bringing a miko into a Christian church, but it seems my fears were groundless.

It seems that Shirayuki had no difficulty keeping the two separate.

Then again, if she wasn't capable of at least this much, then there's no way she'd have been able to make it in the madhouse that was SSR.

Although even I felt like I was overdoing it, but standing near the door, or rather, a keyhole, reminded me of bad memories, so I walked down the aisle, deeper into the chapel.

Shirayuki reverently followed behind me.

"Everytime I'm with Kin-chan, my heart seems to skip a beat."

Shirayuki laughed with her hands on her cheeks, twisting her body this way and that.

Skip a beat?

Is it because of all the danger we've faced together?

Does that mean she has presentiments of battle from merely being around me? Well, I guess that way of thinking isn't wrong, Shirayuki.

"-I guess it's going to be like this everyday from today on. I should prepare myself."

"From today on...? Everyday...? What, what do you mean?"

Shirayuki responded strangely to my use of "everyday", so I instead pulled her with me, one step at a time, up the stairs.

"...!"

My knee chose this point to start throbbing again. Man, that decision to rip off the dressing was really a bad idea.

-Against my will, I fell to one knee.

About to tumble to the floor, I quickly grasped Shirayuki's hand.

It's probably too late for this to be a pleasant surprise, but what the heck, why don't I give her the flowers now.

I subsequently tore the wrapping paper, revealing the crimson red roses within.

"-Kin, Kin-chan?"

"Happy Birthday, Shirayuki. There's more, but let me first say this- what I'm about to say, you're free to accept or reject as you wish."

From the skylight above, a pillar of light shone down, lavishing radiance directly upon me and Shirayuki, still in shock.

Shining above Shirayuki's lustrous black hair was a beam of resplendent light, like the halo of an angel.

"But before you say anything, remember this. Far from coming to me easily, I agonized over this, but my answer is still the same- You're it. If you turn me down, there's no one else. If it's not you, then it's no one."

My knee throbbed once more. I'd better wrap this up as soon as possible, and head over to Ambulace for a rest.

That does it for the prologue, let's leave the details for another time.

Forget beating around the bush, I'm just going to cut to the point here.

Doing my utmost to maintain my kneeling posture, I raised my head to look at Shirayuki and asked,

 
"-Shirayuki. Won't you please become Tohyama Shirayuki?"
 

As I spoke-

''~GONG~'' ''~GONG~''

The church bells rang.<ref>Church bells ringing out after a wedding are a Western tradition, if you missed the reference.</ref> They're announcing the time, I guess?

That's just perfect. Even if someone happened to be eavesdropping, the bells would have covered things up just fine.

At this unexpected turn of good fortune, I couldn't help but grin.

Shirayuki's limpid eyes shone bright-

"Yes!"

Eh?

Surprisingly she agreed without further ado.

Man, just how submissive can you be? I haven't even explained all the details yet.

Speaking of which...

What's the deal with her expression?

-It's the face of someone who has at last realized their life's desire-

Clutching the roses to her chest, she seems moved beyond words.

"In other words, from today on, we're family. So please live with me once more. I know preparations will take some time, but I'm willing to wait."

"...Ok!...Kin-chan-sama...Kin-chan...sama!"

Did the light get into her eyes or something? Shirayuki bowed her head, burying it amidst her flowers.

"I understand, even if it's Shirayuki, it's still not an easy thing to so readily become a member of my family."

This was, after all, a task which combined bodyguard duties with undercover work.

For this kind of thing, I, who had spent half a year in Inquesta was probably better suited to the task.

Well, I guess I'll take the lead, then. Let me let her know.

"It's ok. Just leave it all to me. All you need to do is follow."

Ignoring the pain in my knee, I made an effort to stand.

"Alright...Aah, Kin-chan, thank you. From the time we were small, I, I've always been waiting for this exact moment to come."

...?

"But it came so suddenly...! This is the greatest day of my life!"

Shirayuki...san?

Shirayuki gripped her flowers with both hands, raising her head to the heavens as if beckoning.

Was accepting my request really something that would make a person that happy?

"...Kin-chan-sama...Let this day forever be celebrated as a national holiday. It's a holiday, a holiday."

What, what the hell? It feels almost like a host of angels are surrounding her, blowing their trumpets in celebration.

Don't tell me she actually summoned something? You sure can't take mikos lightly, I guess.

I rubbed my eyes and double-checked that it had just been my imagination before beginning my explanation.

"So anyway, recently my continued wellbeing has been threatened by Kaname...GIV. Even though she pretends to be a docile, obedient child at school, but the second the two of us are alone, it becomes obvious her mind turns a little, you know. I mean, just from the way she calls herself my little sister you can tell what how far gone she is."

"Holiday~"

"Did you hear a word of what I just said?"

You know, I've been feeling like Shirayuki's eyes are kinda unfocused here.

She reminds me of a cat that's just been run through the shower, just frozen in complete shock.

"Hey, listen up."

"Whee!"

"Counting by age, you'd be Kaname's older sister. In that girl's mind, she's my younger sister. That is to say, please don't fight, alright?"

"It's~a~holiday! I've gained another younger sister!"

"One more thing. It seems to Kaname, as long as they're family, living together is ok. I want to make use of that point, and have you join my family. Please always stay by my side- Uh, hello? Shirayuki?"

She...she fainted! While still holding on to her flowers, and even while still standing, she fainted!

What's more, the expression on her face makes it seem like she's died and gone to Heaven!

With a bodyguard like this, will I really be alright? We haven't even started, and I'm already feeling a little less safe.

Well, it's not like I had anyone else to rely on in the first place. Just this once, I'm in your care, Shirayuki.

Carrying her on my back, I'd made my way back to the bus stop before Shirayuki came to. She then proceeded to make the strangest comment, "You know, Kin-chan, I'm 100% OK with it, but from the viewpoint of the law..."

I yelled back, "Stop worrying about that!" and forcibly pulled her along.

 

Slightly worried about her lifeless state, I saw her off at the bus stop before making my way to Ambulance. I returned home after they finished tending to my knee, making it home at about 7 PM.

As I rode the elevator, I thumbed off the safety on my Beretta, reloaded to capacity, as well as sharpened the edge on my butterfly knife.

To a third party, I probably looked like I was about to enter a war-torn battlefield. I was really just heading home.

"...I'm back."

I opened the door, and stepped inside.

Though the living room light was lit, I saw no sign of Kaname.

Where did she run off to this time? Right as I had that thought, I heard sounds from the direction of the kitchen.

Making my way down the hallway, I noticed something fishy. The wooden floor was littered with drops of water.

What's going on here?

Confused, I made my way into the kitchen-

Only to crash into Kaname.

"...!"

"..."

Popsicle in mouth, Kaname appeared thoroughly astounded.

She was dressed in striped underwear...

...but only on her bottom half.

From the looks of things, she'd just finished a bath, and after drying her hair, had wandered over to the fridge to grab a popsicle. Geez, even if this is your house, isn't this still a bit unrestrained?

The worst part was, I'd chosen this exact moment to come home.

"...I'm...I'm sorry!"

When you think about it, this was really the fault of the person who'd so carelessly wandered out in her underwear, but that didn't stop me from stammering out an apology.

Though thankfully the ends of the towel wrapped around her neck hung down, miraculously hiding her breasts from view-

But still...the subtle curves of her immature chest...were seen by me...

As I reflexively dropped my gaze, what filled my view instead were her panties. What the hell kind of underwear is this? It doesn't cover anything! I mean, I know that girls' bodies are smaller, but still, this is too much! Don't tell me this is the rumored T-back that Riko had previously mentioned.

-''thump!''

Deep within me, that familiar feeling of blood flowing began.

Hey! ''Hey!''

Listen here, inner me! How dare you choose a moment like this to pull this kind of stunt!?

What happened to all the trust I placed in you back when I was facing down Kaname?

This is bull; she's just a junior student, and my self-proclaimed little sister to boot! The hell do you think you're doing, reacting to her-

Even though I've never thought of her as such, but...on the off chance she ''is'' my sister-

And I fall into Hysteria because of her-

This would be the greatest failing of my entire life!

Last month, Riko told me I was becoming less and less like a human. Now I was about to make that come true, in a completely different way! I was falling down the path of a beast, no less.

-Hehe.

Having lost my mind to panic, Kaname's laugh startled me.

"...It doesn't matter how much you think about it, Onii-chan. What the brain and the body want are two different things."

Naked from top to bottom, Kaname advanced towards me, one step at a time.

Madly scrambling, ''crawling'' to my bedroom for dear life, I frantically yanked out one of my shirts.

"Hur-, hurry up and cover yourself up! Maybe you think it's okay because you consider us siblings, but still, as a girl, you're too unguarded!"

Trying with all my might to avoid the slightest glance of her body, I waved my shirt in her direction-

-Which she grabbed.

''~rustle~'' ''~rustle~''

I guess she put it on?

"..."

I cautiously turned my head.

(...!)

I...

Had made a terrible mistake. Crap.

Kaname stood there, wearing my shirt, her thin, thin underwear covering her bottom half.

...For some reason, that only made her all the more seductive.

THE HELL IS THIS!? How on earth is it that putting on more clothes made things more provocative than wearing just about nothing at all!?

Kaname drew one step closer.

"Don't worry about it so much, Onii-chan. Or rather, there's no need to think about anything at all."

As if to box me in, she stood with her back to the door, and gradually advanced.

I finally realized one very important fact: This...was the bedroom.

Even though the closet had drawn me here, finding myself trapped in this location, I only had myself to blame.

At last, Kaname-

Barely clothed, leaned into my chest.

Keep, keep a grip, Kinji...!

This is quite possibly the greatest trial of my endurance in my entire life.

If I can't hold on, the two of us might pass the point of no return!

"Isis and Osiris were brother and sister. So were Izanagi and Izanami. In Sweden, marriage law only forbids those marriages where blood relations exist on both sides of the family. In other words, as long as only one parent is shared, then brothers and sisters can marry."

"-What the hell are you saying!?"

"You're restraining yourself, aren't you, Onii-chan? I understand - that feeling in the pit of your stomach, the blood, beginning to flow...That's why, as I said, the possibility is certainly there."

Kaname gazed at me with those beautiful eyes-

"I'm begging you, Onii-chan- Hold me tight..."

She stared straight into my soul, and pleaded with me.

What, what're the two of us ''doing''?

If this was a normal household, then our parents, discovering their children engaged in some shady activities would punish us with a stiff warning...but in ''this'' house, it was just the two of us. There was no one to stop us.

No, wait, that's not right.

Wasn't it for this exact reason that I'd picked myself up a bodyguard just earlier?

"-Kaname! Starting from today, I have another half-sister coming to live with us."

"-eh? That's-"

"The reason you're staying here is because you're family, right? That's why, if there's another family member, you have no choice but to accept it. The rules that you made yourself, you must abide by!"

Having worked myself up, I spoke in a flurry. The problem was, would she believe it?

Even though I was anxious as could be within, Kaname didn't laugh.

Far from it; she seems to have taken my words at face value.

Contemplating my words-

She slowly nodded her head.

"-Then let's speed things up a bit. There's no time like the present."

"Er, huh?"

Right as my words left my mouth-

Kaname grabbed my sleeve and pulled me in the direction of the closet.

In order to stop her, I shifted my center of gravity, and struggled to the side-

Employing what appeared to be judo, Kaname caught hold of my tie and jacket, and pulled me once more in her direction. Dragging me with her own body, she deliberately fell back onto the bed.

"...!"

Kaname lay on the bed-

With me, pressing down on her.

That technique just now was way too showy.

"..."

The way things look, it's almost like I pushed Kaname down.

Kaname lay on her back, eyes gazing at me.

It's here. The moment has finally arrived.

"Onii-chan, before things go too far, there's something I want to tell you. Afterwards, you have to forget it, and never speak a word of it ever again. What I'm about to say...comes from the bottom of my heart, but is also against our rules."

Her eyes took on a serious expression I had never seen before.

"Wh, what is it?"

"You know, I...never really cared about combat. All of this...was for the sake of this moment. As long as I could live to experience this, then it's enough. That's because Onii-chan, you're my first love...and also my last."

Kaname's sea blue eyes fluttered...

As if about to sink into the deepest, darkest depths of the sea, she stood on the shore, and bared her heart to me.

"Kaname..."

You...

Why are your eyes so filled with sorrow?

For what purpose is it-

For what possible reason could the young, adorable you-

Shed tears like this? All while putting up a strong, smiling front?

"Onii-chan."

As Kaname's slender arm encircled me-

-I finally understood.

Having gradually switched into Hysteria Mode, I finally understood what it was with Kaname.

Kaname, she...will inevitably...

"Onii...chan..."

Kaname softly closed her eyes.

As if resolving herself to cross some line deep within her, she took a deep breath.

"I...won't let Onii-chan turn back. I, already cannot turn back. Just this once is enough, please treat me as a woman...!"

She forced those resolve-filled eyes open once more.

At that moment, before my eyes, I saw her cast off her child self.

Kaname...seems to have resolved herself. It seems at this moment, she is no longer an artificially enhanced warrior, no longer my younger sister, but just a girl with an iron resolve. Discarding all thought, and crossing the boundaries of the relationship we'd had until now...

In order for us to understand one another, she implored of me.

And I-

Finally comprehending what I had been musing over, I spoke as if to accept her.

"...You seem nervous."

Relying on the half of me which was now in the grip of Hysteria Mode, I murmured to her.

"Of course. But don't mind me, Onii-chan. Hold me."

"If that's how it is, then just relax. If you're this stiff, then there's nothing we can do, right?"

Supporting myself with one elbow on the bed, I pressed in close to Kaname, and gently caressed her cheek and hair with my other arm.

Remembering that Kaname had mentioned she was fond of my looks, I supported her head with my hands, allowing her to look directly at me.

"Aaah..."

Kaname, seemingly having misunderstood my actions as finally agreeing to her demands, let out a voice both joyous and demure.

"Aah, Onii-chan...Onii-chan is looking at only me. And I am only looking at Onii-chan."

Kaname's slim arm wrapped around my back.

Her deep blue eyes were moved to tears.

"Wha, what is this...? This feeling...! From within my heart, my core, my center...From deep within, something's happening. I'm scared...I'm scared, Onii-chan."

At last, it's begun. For the first time since her birth, Kaname's experiencing Hysteria Mode.

From this intimate distance, I watched Kaname's body, trembling without ceasing, and reflected on what was about to occur.

Kaname had always sought after, and dreamed about, using me to enter Hysteria Mode.

That dream...was about to be realized.

Unfortunately...it might not be what she was expecting.

If my guess is correct, the second Kaname's dream comes to fruition-

She will know despair.

So much so that afterwards, she will likely wish to disappear from the face of this Earth.

If that truly happens to be the case, then the various weapons in this room are a danger...though admittedly, this thinking might be a tad overprotective.

Thinking thusly, I reached my hand to my Beretta.

As part of the same motion-

My finger gently drew a line from Kaname's shoulder down her slender curves to her lower back.

It seems she misunderstood what I was doing, because she closed her eyes, and revealed an expression of mixed excitement and unease.

My finger drew ever so slowly down,

Until it neared her hips.

"-Ah!"

Her moist eyes, half-closed, snapped open in surprise.

Followed by which,

"...!"

Pulling back her arm which had been wrapped around me, she placed it against my chest.

It's as I thought.

Placing her arm against my chest...

She pushed, as if to reject me.

"No...no...no~"

"..."

[[File:Aria10_267.jpg|thumb]]

Testing my theory, I leaned in even further.

"No...! -Brothers and sisters, this kind of thing...no!"

...''~drip~''...''~drip~''...

Kaname spoke as if to contradict everything she'd said until now-

While making the most lovable, most adorable expression yet, eyes overflowing with tears.

Her previously formidable strength was all but gone as she tried to push me away.

She was fighting back with all the strength of a cute little animal, and it seemed the slightest effort was all it would take to subdue her. Her knees, near my legs, trembled, inspiring pity, as she tried to lock her legs.

She's...scared.

This is no act. There's no way an act could reach such a degree.

She's...changed.

(As expected...)

As I lifted myself up, Kaname turned completely red, wiping her tears from her eyes with her hands...

As she continued to sob.

Her trembling, her fear - her every action evoked a primal male instinct to conquer, an extraordinary feeling of absolute loveliness.

The current Kaname was utterly incomparable to the her up until now. She exuded a charm that would drive men mad.

If it was any other man before her, I imagine his mind would be all but lost to thoughts of her.

However...

"...Put on your clothes, Kaname."

I sat up and tidied up my clothes.

For the time being, I'm not going to worry about whether or not she's my sister-

But there's one thing I've come to realize.

And it's due to that realization that I haven't raised a hand against her.

Kaname's current condition is that of Hysteria Mode-

-the female version.

If take my own experiences with Hysteria Mode as analogous, then it all makes sense.

Even though saying this myself is pretty humiliating, but when I enter Hysteria Mode, I become "irresistible" to women in every way. Whether it be my protectiveness or the way I speak, my every action tugs at their heartstrings.

Using this as a metaphor, the female Hysteria Mode enacts exactly the opposite change in body and mind. One will become such that men cannot help but want to protect you, and in this way, ensnare their hearts and minds.

...For example, the current Kaname.

(It's likely that that's not all there is to it either.)

Kaname, still trembling, sat up and looked at me with tear-filled eyes.

Looking at her, I inferred the existence of another change that had come upon her.

The male Hysteria Mode grants unparalleled strength. The central nervous system is primed for operation, and holding nothing back, one's full potential is unleashed. But this is all for the purpose of protecting women.

Looking at Kaname, however, it seems that the female version has the reverse effect.

It's a change which instead incites a feeling in men that they must do whatever it takes to protect her.

Hysteria Mode: men fight, and women are protected, with the result being that the enemy is taken down and the women escape unscathed.

From the evolutionary viewpoint of multiplying and protecting offspring, such a scheme only makes sense.

I stood up, and exited the bedroom. In my heart, I murmured-

-Kaname.

The way things look, it seems you've failed.

It doesn't like a male-female HSS pair produces two superhumans...just one.

The so-called "Arcanum Duo" you described to me earlier seems to be purely hypothetical.

Given how hard it is for Kaname to trigger my Hysteria Mode, it seems only logical when it ends sooner than normal.

As for Kaname, she doesn't seem willing to leave the room, as I can still hear her sobs from within.

"..."

Slightly worried, I glanced toward the bedroom, peeking through a crack in the doorway.

Leaving the door purposely ajar like that is just too sly. Not only does it give off the impression that it'd be a minor thing to enter, but any time you'd pass by, you'd be struck by the desire to look in.

Through the slit in the doorway, I could faintly see Kaname huddled on the bed, her knees clutched to her chest, as she silently cried.

This scene was again one that left you feeling unable to leave her alone.

I didn't think it likely that this was intentional on Kaname's part, but rather that Hysteria Mode was drawing out her full feminine potential.

(Forcibly drawing someone in...before suddenly becoming weak and delicate at the critical juncture...)

It's not like I had room to talk, but...female Hysteria Mode sure played dirty.

If it was someone unfamiliar with the nature of Hysteria Mode, they'd likely find themselves unavoidably feeling pity for her, and thus enter the room. After entering and seeking to comfort her, without noticing, things would probably pass the point of no return.

Normal Kaname, violent Kaname, and now Hysteria Mode Kaname.

Almost like two, no, three separate personalities.

Although this feeling was slightly different from the empathy of a fellow sufferer...

As one who also bore the curse that was Hysteria Mode, I could well understand how distraught she must be.

 

It wasn't until later that night, around 9 PM or so, that Kaname finally left the room.

She had changed into the uniform I'd left for her by the door. She didn't speak a word.

It looked as if the realization of the true nature of her Hysteria Mode had sunk in, and her lifeless eyes appeared devoid of spirit.

It seemed that her Hysteria Mode had since ended.

Perhaps the female Hysteria Mode lasts a lot longer than the male one?

Or maybe it's simply that it's harder to distinguish when its effects have faded.

"...You hungry?"

At my attempt to make conversation-

She slowly nodded her head, the look of utter dismay never leaving her face, her eyes never meeting mine.

"Go ahead and eat. Although, saying that is kinda weird, since you made the curry after all."

Speaking to her as gently as possible, I went back into the kitchen.

I filled a plate with the reheated curry, and the two of us walked back to the dinner table...

And ate in complete silence.

Kaname's thoughts still seemed to be in disarray. I'd probably best let her think things through for a bit. When all is said and done, this wasn't exactly the kind of situation that called for chatter, and I had no plans on reminding her of the futility of what had just happened.

Nonetheless, at this point in time, it was vital that I not leave her alone.

At the very least, when it came to the little things in life that she so looked forward to, such as eating together like this...it was the least I could do to keep her company.

I'll wait for her to speak when she's ready.

(...)

This feeling reminded me of when I was young. I'd get into a heated argument with my schoolmates over some tiny thing or another, which would break out into a fight. Later, on the way home, I'd fall into a disheartened silence like she's going through right now.

At those times, Nii-san would do what I'm doing right now.

Never staring, he'd just eat along with me silently, never prying for details. He'd simply allow me to act as we did everyday.

This simple act...filled my heart with peace.

It let me know that I still had family, I still had a place to call home.

In that home, I had a brother who would lovingly forgive everything.

Recalling those memories was enough to move me to tears, such was the strength of that feeling of comfort.

As I sat there, accompanying Kaname, who continued to eat her curry in silence-

I remembered-

That time I spent with Nii-san...it was curry too.

<references />
<noinclude>
{{Hidan no Aria Nav|prev=Hidan no Aria:Volume10_Chapter4|next=Hidan no Aria:Volume10_Epilogue}}
</noinclude>

Hidan no Aria:Volume10 Chapter4

2013-07-11T08:04:24Z

Monsterbandage:

After school the following day-

Due to Kaname's constant nagging that I go to the movies with her, to the point of even physically pulling me, some mysterious anxiety plaguing her, I was left with no alternative but to follow her to Odaiba.

As we arrived in Odaiba, I made my way to the theater box office to purchase two tickets for an action film, when Kaname unexpectedly produced two previously-purchased tickets for a romance film.

Simply throwing them away would be too much of a waste, so I was forced to escort my self-proclaimed little sister as we sat side-by-side in that dim theater, and watch some sickeningly sweet romance film which I couldn't care less about.

Worse, at each and every plot point which saw the male and female characters stuck together, Kaname would grab my hand.

Even when I rebuffed her efforts, she'd simply reach out once more. I resigned myself to the torturous fate of "holding hands during a movie".

That girl kept rubbing the back of my hand with her fingers. Just what on Earth is she up to?

As the movie finally drew to a close-

"That was so good-!"

"...Well, the story was alright, I guess."

We headed to the McDonald's next door for a cup of coffee and a brief rest.

I was constantly worried that Kaname would, like the other day in the locker room, flip some weird switch and once again enter that mode so much like an animal in heat. In any case, it looks like today things are just fine.

"Especially that sunset scene. I wonder how they shot it?"

"It doesn't look like they used a rail. My guess is they took a helicopter shot at low-altitudes. Those birds seemed to be CG, though."

"Ah? No way!"

"It was a clever use of backlighting for shadows. Still, that scene was pretty skillfully done. By suddenly thrusting a setting unrelated to the story at the viewer, they completely changed the mood. It's a good trick."

"Ohh. That's right, the second I saw that scenery, I definitely felt a lot more relaxed. That natural scenery sure was beautiful."

As I chatted with Kaname, whom it seemed loved movies...

I discovered some of my sentiments were shared by her.

On an impulse, I shifted the topic to action movies. Delighted not one bit less, she continued the discussion.

Even thrillers and comedies, her feelings were exactly the same as mine. How surprising.

...To be honest, for a girl to share my interests like this; this is a first for me.

After all, considering the animal movies Aria likes, Shirayuki's favorite hard-to-understand old man films, or those artistic films requiring a peculiar sense of aesthetics that Riko watches, the girls of Baskerville sure have some strange tastes. Reki, of course, has never watched a movie before.

...But back to the topic at hand...

Back there in the theater, when she held my hand, and waved hers in excitement, I could see the numerous bandages she wore.

When I asked her about them,

"Ah. This is...because yesterday I made a present for Onii-chan, but I used too much strength, and pricked myself."

"A present?"

"That would be this! Here."

Having thus spoken, Kaname...reached into her Butei High designated bulletproof backpack, and pulled out a paper bag with the word "LOVE" written in large red letters.

At first I mistakenly thought that label was printed, but remarkably, it was entirely handwritten.

Just the bag itself was terrifying enough, but that didn't stop Kaname from handing it to me, her expression exclaiming "Open it! Open it!"

Without any other choice, I ripped the heart sticker sealing the bag closed (which the sticker, I should note, also seemed to be handmade), and ''kacha'' ''kacha'' pulled out what was contained within.

"..."

It's a handmade...

Plush...

Me.

It's deformed, sure, but without a doubt, it's me.

Attached to its left breast is a label: "Onii-chan".

"It was my first time doing something like this, so it was hard fought."

Even though Kaname cutely stuck her tongue out...but, but this thing...is moist with blood.

Signs that it's been vigorously washed were apparent as well, isn't this just like something from the set of a horror movie!?

Even though she mentioned pricking herself, but for there to be this much blood, no matter how I look at it, wasn't she badly hurt before she even started?

"...?"

With great consternation, I removed the "Kinji doll" completely from the bag. That leaves...

Attached to the right hand of the Kinji doll is a "Kaname doll".

The hands of the two dolls are connected by a red string, tying them together, as if to say, "No matter who tries, no matter what happens, nothing will ever separate them". <ref>[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_string_of_fate Red string of fate]</ref>

"Onii-chan, do you like it?"

How on Earth could I like it? This kind of bloodstained doll! Are you trying to pick a fight!?

I was this close to blurting out these three lines...

But Kaname looked at me, eyes pleading "Praise me, praise me", as she laughed brightly.

With the atmosphere the way it is, she might just kill herself if I say something wrong. She seems to hold me on quite the pedestal.

Nevertheless, if I praise her too much, next time it might just be a full-size doll of me. With a full-size doll of her to match, of course.

Accordingly, I responded weakly.

"Um, yeah. Sure."

After answering, I returned the two dolls to their heart-covered bag with trembling hands.

"So anyway. What's the occasion?"

"Celebrating our becoming lovers."

"...Huh?"

"Well, Onii-chan, you've hugged me, kissed me, brought me to your home in secret, talked to me publicly at school; both in public and in private you've showered me with your love. You even promised me you won't meet with any other girls or love any other girls."

"..."'

Um, I'm pretty sure what we agreed on was pretty different from what she just said.

"-Onii-chan. Haven't I dutifully kept our promise?"

Right I was about to throw the dolls away, Kaname painstakingly smiled and asked me this.

"Hmm?"

"I've been keeping our promise. I haven't done anything violent to anyone. That's why Onii-chan also hasn't met with any other girls or embraced any other girls, right?"

Confronted with her candid smile and question- yesterday's incident with Fuuma flashed through my mind.

But in any event, it's not like this happened anywhere near her, so it's not like I have any responsibility to report on it, right?

No matter how you look at it, it was out of my control anyway.

"Right."

Hearing my response,

"Hmm?"

Kaname continued to stare at me, her face not having so much as twitched the entire time.

"You know me, I've been quite friendly with my classmates. Haven't killed a one. Don't worry, Onii-chan."

"Isn't that obvious?"

Why emphasize that?

"That thing before with Onii-chan, I was happy, you know."

"What thing?"

"When you protected me, back on the bus."

...?

Ohh. She means that time when we returned from the Butei hospital, when everyone crowded around, and I helped hold people back. It's quite surprising she still remembers.

Even describing it as "protecting", how exaggerated.

"That's why, I'll protect Onii-chan too. From shrewish women. If there are ever any sluttish women calling you to strange places to do strange things, make sure to let me know. There's no point in worrying about things alone."

Truth be told, my utmost wish right now is that someone would save me - from you.

"Today I wanted to confirm something."

"Which is?"

"Whether or not Onii-chan truly loves me. But Onii-chan was willing to go on a date with me, so I finally understood. I am loved by Onii-chan. When we were watching the movie, Onii-chan was willing to accept my hand - just like those dolls. I'm so happy. I can't help but want to cry out that if we could go on like this forever, it would be so wonderful. That's how I honestly feel."

"...For...forever..."

"I'll always love Onii-chan, and Onii-chan will also love me. Our mutual love will last for all eternity."

Her subtle gaze seemed to aimed at the bag with the dolls.

Laughing lightly, she gently stroked her wounded hand.

 

Several days later, I received a call from Watson informing me that Aria and the others had been released from the hospital.

They were originally a rather rowdy bunch; my guess is, the reason they hadn't left the hospital until now is that "training camp" or whatever of theirs.

Even though Watson had already assisted me in explaining to them that the reason I was caring for Kaname was the strategy decided upon by Deen, but what Kaname had done in front of them was still easily misunderstood.

Under the status quo, if I were to run into Aria and the others in the course of normal school duties...

It'd be bad for my health no matter how I think about it.

Particularly Aria. If I'm not careful, she might just open fire instead of saying hello.

That being the case, I'd better start by humoring the good master.

Giving a call to my master, she responded with a command, "I also have something to say to you, come on over".

When I inquired as to her current whereabouts-

"I'm on top of the SSR building."

She answered thusly.

(Supernatural Searching Research?)

Ugh. I've got a bad feeling about this. Pretty soon, I'm bound to have ulcers.

 

I arrived at the SSR building I sorely did not want to see, climbed the mystifying stairway that had totem poles for handrails, passed through the magician-painted doors, and exited on the rooftop.

Under the light of the setting sun, I saw Aria, eyes closed, a complicated expression on her face, sitting in the lotus position.

Standing next to her, an SSR third year sempai, Tokitou Juria.

On the fence around us were seated a handful of seagulls.

"..."

Even more foreign looking than the quarter Aria was the half, Tokitou-sempai.

She extended her pale white fingers, resting her hand on Aria's head.

As if able to see me, Sempai turned those pale blue eyes whose pupils could be clearly seen to face me. 

"Uh. I'm a second year, Tohyama, a classmate of Kanzaki Aria over there."

"Please, be calm."

Tokitou-sempai coldly responded. She was SSR's chief representative- she'd already received her recommendation to begin study next year in Russia, in the parapsychology program reportedly begun by the Soviets.

The impression she gave was of someone strikingly clever, and her grades were excellent.

But for various reasons, she had always been estranged from her fellow students.

"Ah! Kinji."

Aria finally noticed my presence and opened her eyes.

Look, you. Would it kill you not to sit in the lotus position with a skirt on?

The scenery underneath that short skirt was thankfully hidden by shadows, but if weren't for that backlighting, I'd have already struck out.

"Pay attention. Focus your mind."

Having been commanded by Sempai in a low voice wholly unsuited for a girl, Aria once again closed her eyes as if meditating.

...It sure is strange. That Aria, listening so obediently?

I stood silently off the side for some time.

I heard some sort of ear-piercing sound, probably from a far off jet or something similar.

"...Kanzaki. What was already bad has become worse. Your frontal lobe center's begun to emit Fmθ (frontal midline theta) brain waves. Just because the boy you like has appeared in front of you is no reason to lose focus."

"Wh, what?"

Her head raised, Aria's canines were bared.

Blushing so red that it could be clearly seen even in the sunset, she blinked in surprise.

She faced me, turned back to face Sempai, and then looked once more at me, her gaping mouth distorted into an amoeba-like shape. That's an expression Aria only wears when she's literally stunned speechless.

"-Your dream is to be held by that person?"

Hearing Sempai say this-

''Kaboom!'' Aria's blushing face hit an entirely new level.

The way her face turns red is just like Hilda's three-stage transformation.

(Held by...me?)

The hell does that mean?

Well, I've definitely held her in a bridal carry before, even if that was while in Hysteria Mode.

When we spar, I frequently grab a hold of her to practice throws. Not that I've ever succeeded; she's always either counter-thrown me, or bit me, or even poked me in the eyes.

"~!"

Aria ''thump!'' ''thump!'' ''thump!'' bounced around while maintaining lotus position, in an attempt to vent her aggression (though seemingly without uttering a word). Tokitou-sempai, in the meantime,

"Even though your outer appearance is decidedly that of a young child, but the things you think about are quite precocious; even I can't help but be embarrassed. Wait until you're a little older to think about those sorts of things. If you do those kinds of things with that delicate body of yours, you might just break,"

Told Aria with a reluctant sigh.

"Wait! No! There's no way I would! Wrong! You're wrong! You're completely mistaken! Absolutely mistaken! That's, that's WRONG!"

Aria finally spoke.

Retreating a step, she waved her arms and stamped her feet like a child throwing a tantrum, denying Tokitou-sempai's assertion in wild abandon.

This was the reason for Tokitou-sempai's social isolation.

From the time she was small, Tokitou-sempai has always had ESP; in her homeland of Russia, she'd previously appeared on TV, her expertise the ability known as scanometry. This was the ability to read brain waves through the medium of touch, and from those, interpret one's thoughts.

If what she saw she perceived as having potentially adverse consequences (even if only slightly so), she'd made it a habit of warning the person in question. Sempai seemed to regard this as a sort of a guiding tenet for her life.

Unfortunately, just like Aria was doing currently-

I'd heard that each and every person who'd been read had taken immediate offense, protesting with great umbrage that they'd never had such thoughts.

Because of this, she'd quickly become a hated individual. Besides SSR, Sempai had no place to call home, truly a solitary and lonely existence.

"-Then, let's call it a day, Kanzaki. Ever since Tohyama arrived, you've been completely distracted, to the point that I can no longer see a thing. Even if I've been able to grasp your alpha waves using your sigma rhythms as a base, there's no way to recover from that minimal mu curve. Simply put, this is the condition of one who is otherwise pre-occupied." <ref>Did that make not an ounce of sense to you? Good, me either.</ref>

"No! That, that... NO! NO WAY!"

Trying to rise from where she'd been throwing a tantrum, ''thud!''

Aria instead tripped, falling over backwards and planting headfirst.

Just what has her so freaked out? To the point of falling over in such terrifying fashion.

It seems even the gulls atop the fence are flabbergasted at Aria's antics.

"Listen up, Kanzaki. The metier you seek isn't something you achieve through sheer force of will. It comes when you truly regard your target as part of your own body, the feeling you're aiming for should be as natural as moving an arm or a leg."

"Like a part of your body, huh. Then what do I do if it ''is'' a part of my body?"

"That just makes things simpler. The kidoujutsu used by the second-year Hotogi applies similar methods in physical enhancement techniques."

"So um, this body part. What if, for example, it were something like hair?"

"Hair? Hmm. Well, for hair like yours, let me. Perhaps imagine it as having grown two extra arms, or maybe wings; that sort of image. The greater your ability to picture it in your mind, the better. A more conventional method might be to look at pictures of an angel or Buddha and practice that way."

"I, I see. In that case, I shouldn't have any problems imagining it. I just need to remember either Riko or Hilda, which should be plenty."

"?"

"It's nothing. I was just talking to myself."

"...One other thing. Eat whatever it is you like. Right now, you're like a budding flower; there's no way to tell what exactly it is that will cause that flower to blossom. Anyway, whether it be the first type, or perhaps even a mix of the fourth type ESP, use of one's ability - intentional or otherwise - will take something out of you. Afterwards, you'll notice a craving for those nutrients. So, how is it? Anything you want to eat in particular?"

"Mm. Peach buns."

Hey, look here, you. That's what you want all the time anyway isn't it?

"Peach buns is it? Kanzaki, you must be quite the sugar fiend."

Tokitou-sempai, having so spoken, turned to face the door to the rooftop, in other words, where I was standing.

Her twin, pale-blue eyes, pupils like black spots, zeroed in on me like a pair of leveled guns.

"You. Move. I won't think it rude. Though I will not, or rather, have no desire to, look in on the heart of a man, if I accidentally bump into you, because you haven't created proper distance, and you mistakenly think I tried to look, then I will not be pleased."

Hearing Tokitou-sempai's words, I carefully steered clear of her, and approached Aria.

No matter how precise Tokitou-sempai's powers were...I couldn't help but pity her. With the way things were for her, even daily life must be terribly inconvenient.

Just as Tokitou-sempai exited the roof, leaving me alone-

"Theeeeeeeeere's something I need to say first! Everything Sempai said just now, it's all wrong, alright? There's NO way I would think something so shameful! From the moment I was born, I've never once thought anything like that! It's wrong, WRONG!"

I walked over to Aria's side, who was screaming over and over "Wrong! Wrong!"

From the start, it's not like I was worried about what kinds of things she was thinking.

What's important isn't that.

"-Hey. Aria. What was that just now?"

"Practice for telekinesis, though it's not like it worked."

...As I thought...

Taking advantage of when I wasn't around to do the one thing I most dreaded!

Striking, slashing, shooting; this girl who could just about open a store in offensive techniques was now trying to add psychic powers to her repertoire.

I've counted before, the number of times she's opened fire on me is incontrovertibly more than the enemies we've faced. For her to master another superfluous weapon is of great concern to my continued wellbeing.

Please don't learn something like that. Regrettably, I'm quite clear; even if I tell her this, there's no way she'll just stop.

"Please don't learn something like that."

"Even if you say that, I'm not going to just stop. You should be quite clear on this, no?"

Upon hearing the conversation play out exactly the way I imagined, I couldn't help but be discouraged.

All I can do is to prepare myself. Maybe I ought to go take the picture they'll use in my funeral portrait.

"Why do you want to waste time and energy learning something like that?"

"I'm not telling you."

Tossing her head aside in response, I asked Aria more directly.

"Is this in order to revenge yourself against Kaname?"

"...Kamome?" <ref>Kamome = seagull</ref>

Aria, having seemingly misunderstood, turned to look at the seagulls on the fence around us.

"Not kamome, Kaname. In short, GIV."

Hearing my response, Aria sharpened her already jagged gaze, her piercing glare focused on me.

"Oh? You've even helped her choose a Japanese name. How kind. Seems like you like her, that middle-school student, you lolicon!"

''Bam!'' She abruptly stomped on my foot.

"That, THAT HURTS! It's not like I had a choice! She'd already gone around calling herself my sister, even transferring to this school! If I'd let her call herself GIV..."

"-I'll tell you what I told Watson: that tramp ambushed us, put us in the hospital! She's clearly an enemy! AN. ENEMY. And yet, ''still'' you people...!"

Aria glared at me with her camellia-colored eyes, her personal grudge evident in her gaze.

"Listen to me, Aria. Kaname was sent by GIII as an emissary of sorts. After she attacked you, she laid down her arms- even helped carry you all to the hospital! Right now, they still haven't chosen sides; they belong to neither Grenada nor Deen. If we want to persuade them to join- Ow! OW! That hurts! Stop it, stop hitting me!"

''Bam!'' ''Bam!'' ''Thump!'' ''Thump!''

"Shut up, shut UP, ''SHUT UP''! You traitor!"

I grabbed hold of her head, and held her back; her tiny arms, swinging, hit only air. Like this, by relying on the difference in our arm lengths, I could keep her punches from connecting.

Having sealed her fists with this completely conventional method, pouting, she puffed her cheeks like a blowfish.

"Hmph! Forget it. You clearly just ''love'' that girl, and Watson and the others are scared witless. Continuing this conversation will just lead us in circles, so I'm not going to bother repeating myself. We'll do what we think is right; who cares what you guys do."

"You only talk, never listen..."

"That's you!"

At this anime-sounding retort from Aria, we traded glares.

"Changing topics, where's that girl staying now?"

"My room. With the way things have developed, I've been left responsible for keeping an eye on her."

"I knew it~"

Aria stuck out her lower lip, mood bad to the extreme.

"GIV...Kaname, you called her? Kan-a-me-chan~ As long as that suuuuper cute little sister of yours is to be found at your place, you can be sure I won't! There's not a chance in Hell that I'll share a room with an enemy!"

"Do you have to be so cutting? It's not like that was your place to begin with, anyway. It's not like I feel all that safe having to live together with her either, you know? It's to the point where I've considered asking one of you girls to be a bodyguard-"

Before I could finish what I was saying, all of a sudden one of the seagulls ''flap'' ''flap'' took flight.

These gulls from the Tokyo Bay are larger than normal, and subsequently, the sounds made as they flap their wings is also louder than normal. Both Aria and I reflexively turned to look.

It was almost as if it had sensed something bad was about to occur, and consequently, had beat a hasty retreat.

Don't tell me...the weather's going to take a turn for the worse?

"Kinji!"

Aria grabbed hold of my ear, and pulled my head back around to face her.

"You, you...don't tell me you did some, something weird to that girl?"

Flushed red, Aria bared her canines.

"Wha...huh?"

"If you've really done something, forget opening holes- be careful that the British Air Force doesn't blow the entire male dorms to smithereens!"

"Are you trying to start a war?! Listen, Aria-"

"Bu, bu, BUT, didn't you guys ki, ki, kiss!? You lech! You're seriously something; at that level, forget shameful, it's almost admirable! This damn womanizer!"

This time Aria used her legs to engage in a lower, middle, and upper attack combo.

Ouch, it really friggin' hurts!

This girl, because her hands have been rendered useless, has begun to kick without mercy.

"Like I had anything to do with that! She's the one who kissed me; you were there!"

"Even Riko couldn't help but exclaim 'To touch even his little sister, Kii-kun is seriously a human ditching humanity'!"

What do you mean "a human ditching humanity"?

Riko's words sure are hard to understand. <ref>I could have phrased this better, but since Kinji seems to be having a hard time understanding it himself, I intentionally made it more ambiguous. Riko uses "人間離れ人間". 人間 means human/humanity. 離 refers to separating from or leaving. The idea seems to be that Riko is saying that through his relationship with Kaname, he's abased himself to the point he ought no longer be counted as part of humanity.</ref>

"What do you have to say for yourself!? You've, you've even kissed me! And Shirayuki, Riko, even Reki! Honestly! This kissing bandit! Don't tell me you've kissed your sister again since then!?"

"Bam!" "Bam!" Aria began to stamp on the floor with great strength, intimidating me. I-

"Well, that's..."

This is bad. After that, it's true that we kissed.

But that was because I'd been grabbed so tightly by Kaname that I couldn't move, couldn't escape what came next.

It's not like I'd had any impure feelings about it either.

That said, it's not like I was completely blameless...but still, there should be room to defend myself.

In order to avoid having to deal with a roundhouse kick from Aria, or having her "open" holes in me, I'd better explain.

"Listen. If we're talking about whether or not it happened, well, it happened. But still! You, who grew up in England, should understand, that was just-"

"You...YOU! Come on here! You guys have only known each other for one week...just how far have things gotten between you!?"

"Let me speak! Stop always interrupting!"

"And...and with your own sister!"

Aria stabbed a finger in my direction, her posture loosening. I shouted in response,

"Listen to me! Kaname, she was never my sister to begin with! You're not the only one who's being driven half-mad by that self-proclaimed little sister!"

Right as I said that,

-''Boom!''

From near the large radiator installed on the rooftop, a burst of noise erupted.

-''Pasha!''

This time, the remaining seagulls all took flight in a hurry.

"-Iyaa!"

Causing Aria to scream as she jumped at me.

With her barreling into me, I fell backwards, crashing into the rooftop fence.

(...What was that sound just now...?)

I looked in the direction the sound had originated form.

There didn't seem to be anything strange about that old-fashioned radiator though; even after several moments had passed, nothing changed.

I guess something inside it must have broken down?

"Hey, Aria. Let go of me already."

With Aria in front of me, and the fence behind, I couldn't budge an inch.

But still she buried her head in my chest, refusing to release her grip.

This situation reminded me of the one with Kaname, except that Aria was holding on much more tightly.

"...wrong..."

Aria seemed to be muttering to herself as she whispered,

"...I'm the one who's wrong. Kinji sent me that ring on my birthday, clearly showing how he feels...but I didn't know how to respond...I'm the one at fault here..."

"Aria?"

Because she kept mumbling to herself, I lowered my head and sneaked a peek at her face.

Her face seemed to undergone a transformation, and she raised her head to answer my questioning gaze.

Her face showed her steely resolve.

Stifling her anger, she looked at me with uncertainty in her eyes.

"...That girl...really isn't your sister?"

"Why are you so suspicious of that?"

At my less-than-joyful rejoinder, she again spoke,

"Kinji, do you remember...Do you remember the fight with Jeanne, in that underground warehouse?"

"...?"

"At that time...you told me, 'As long as I live, I will trust you.'"

"Oh...yeah...I remember."

Even though I said it under the influence of Hysteria Mode, but still, it's embarrassing enough to want to die.

"Wait a moment. Why would you bring that up all of a sudden?"

"Because what I have no evidence to support what I'm about to say; it's purely my intuition."

"Intuition...?"

"I feel that...between Kinji and that girl...exists some kind of unbreakable bond. This feeling is the same as the one I felt back then from Kana. Even though I'm still not sure I'm entirely convinced about the thing with that beautiful sempai, that is, your brother?, but to be honest, according to my intuition, it feels right. And right now, what I feel is similar, if you ask me. That is to say, that girl, GIV, or Kaname, whatever...I think she might really be your sister."

Even though I wanted to reject her words with a laugh...

But...I couldn't.

Even though the impression given by the textbooks in Inquesta classes is so far apart as to sometimes forget who she really is-

The Kanzaki H. Aria standing in front of me at this moment is without a doubt the flesh and blood of the one-and-only Sherlock Holmes.

When it came to the Sherlock who I'd battled on the IU, it was assuredly his nearly supernatural deductive ability that had brought him reputation and fame, but in all honesty, his intuitive prowess was no less impressive.

From that point on, I've been more than clear on one thing.

Aria has, without a doubt, inherited that intuition of his.

And that Aria has just told me...that Kaname might really be my sister.

"With that said, however, the relationship between you and Kana seems different from that of you and Kaname. I'm not quite sure how to explain this clearly, but...if I was to make an analogy, if I were to draw the relationship between you and Kana, you two would be one large and one small version of the same shape, similar, but not identical." <ref>[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Similarity_(geometry) Similarity]</ref>

Mm...I think I more or less understand.

After all, my brother really embodies the idealized form of my abilities.

"When it comes to you and Kaname, on the other hand; you two feel like two comma shapes, like Yin and Yang, only showing their true shape when placed together. That's how it seems to me."

Two shapes, incomplete on their own, which only achieve their true form when combined together.

I guess that's how she sees the relationship between Kaname and I?

It definitely isn't the clearest explanation, but still, what she said...

Truly has no basis, and yet carries quite the persuasive power.

I consequently entered a deep state of contemplation, pondering her words, until Aria grabbed me by my lapels.

"...Do you like her?"

"Don't waste my time with that crap. How could that even be possible?"

"Then..."

"...?"

"Then...let's just stay like this for a moment."

Aria held me, once more lowering her head and burying her forehead in my chest.

The atmosphere made it hard to refuse, so I looked to the heavens, trying my best to avoid the fragrantly sweet smell of cape jasmine which wafted over from her body.

The seagulls rode the air currents in the evening sky as they spiraled higher and higher.

"I...think I need to be a little bit clearer too."

"...Clearer?"

Having heard only bits of her mumbling, I asked for clarification.

"Lo, lo, lower your head! Un, un, until I can reach it with my face!"

She uttered forth the strangest command.

"Why? I don't want to. Your head..."

Almost blurting out, "Has an aroma that'll land me in Hysteria Mode if I'm careless", I swallowed my words and raised my head even higher.

"Er, that is, it doesn't matter who, no one wants their face stuck to someone else's head, right?"

"...Stop whining! Look down, down!"

Though her tone sounded almost like that of a drill sergeant calling, "Right, FACE!", by now, my pride was on the line. I stubbornly kept my head held high.

"..."

"..."

The silence continued unabated for a short time, before...

"Then...Kin, Kinji."

When Aria called out, her voice shaking, I lowered my gaze, but only my eyes.

Unexpectedly, her whole body was trembling.

What's going on here? Even though her head's lowered enough that I can't see clearly, she seems to be blushing. From her neck to the tips of her ears, she's thoroughly red.

"Um, then, then...Your, your..."

"...?"

"Your shoelace is undone?"

Reacting to Aria's strange question, as if stiffly read from a script, I couldn't help but look down in response.

At that precise instant, Aria closed her eyes, straightened her back, and stepped forward.

"...!"

"...!"

That blushing face, that tiny mouth...pressed down on my lips.

Without warning, Aria seemed to have become intensely feverish, the boiling heat of her body passing through her lips to me...This is...

[[File:Aria10_189.jpg|thumb]]

(A kiss...)

I was kissed...?

My brain only just made the connection.

By the time I came to this realization, Aria had already flipped around with her back to me, pigtails drifting along.

And swiftly bolted for the rooftop door like racing the 100 meter.

"ARIA!"

Just what is this supposed to mean?

I prepared to follow after her, but she dashed through the door like a bullet, hands clutched to her chest, as she disappeared down the other edge of the stairwell.

I didn't have the slightest hope of catching her at that speed. In any case, because of the injury to my right knee, it's not like I could run anyway.

"..."

I held my hand to my lips, confirming the beating of my heart.

Aria hadn't opened her eyes to confirm the location of my mouth, instead her clumsy kiss had seen our faces crash one against another, our teeth clacking as they collided...man, it friggin' hurts.

Even though the pain had slowed the feeling for a moment...

Here it comes.

That familiar flow of blood.

- Hysteria Mode -

As expected, if it's Aria, it'll appear. Quite easily too, and intensely.

My mind turned crystal-clear, my entire brain seemed to awake, and quite discernibly, I felt my senses sharpen.

Moreover, something like a sixth sense made itself known...and reported.

- An ominous feeling.

Back then, that sound that scared away all the seagulls...I had better double check what caused it. Was it really just a simple accident?

As I deliberated on the matter, I unconsciously drew my weapon.

I kept an eye out for anything suspicious as I circled around to the other side of the air conditioner.

"..."

But forget a person, not so much as a kitten appeared.

That said, there ''was'' one thing that stuck out as being rather odd.

Though the neat design of the manufactured fence ought to be laid out in a regular rhombus pattern, in this case, irregularities appeared all over.

Large rhombuses, small rhombuses, even triangles...

It looked as if some unknown person had distorted the shape of the fence time and time again with their bare hands.

Although this irregularity was clearly the work of a person, neither hide nor hair could be found of this mysterious stranger.

It's not like pranks like these were all that uncommon; I, myself, had done similar things when younger...but still, the sheer number of distortions was definitely out of the ordinary.

Approximately 50 different places had been twisted beyond repair...it was no ordinary mind that responsible for this.

"..."

My Hysteria Mode-enhanced perception also noted something else as out-of-the-ordinary.

Here where I stood, below my feet, beneath my shadow, something was strange.

I knelt down on a single knee, and touched the cement floor.

The floor was clearly irregular...strike that; rather, the floor itself was, for the most part, as expected, but had clearly had been left scored in places.

Though my immediate thought was that some sort of tool had left these scars, I don't think that's the case.

My fear is that this...was the work of a person; the scars carved into the cement floor by their nails with horrifying strength.

Seeing the slivers lying atop the floor, I guessed this to have occurred quite recently.

It probably happened sometime between when Aria and I kissed and when she had left- repeatedly and endlessly gripping - and scoring - the cement with their hands.

(Wait...is this writing? Letters, it looks like.)

"T...r...a...i..."

With my shadow in the way, the letters were hard to make out. I moved a little, allowing the setting sun to shine blood-red on the ground, illuminating the words before me.

The words scrawled into the ground weren't just on the ground...they were etched into the wall as well.

"Traitor" "Traitor" "Traitor" "Traitor" "Traitor"<ref>For those interested, the original was in katakana, and spelled out "ウラギリモノ" - traitor.</ref>

(What the hell is this?)

My blood ran cold. Who? Who could be responsible for such a thing, so much like a dark ritual to invoke a curse?

Well, then again...

This was, after all, the SSR building, a veritable Pandora's Box of strange types from whom such behavior would come as no great surprise.

 

Likely a result of that scene, straight out of a horror movie, the effects of my Hysteria Mode dissipated faster than normal.

Returning to the dorms, I found Kaname watching a satellite broadcast of a baseball match.

The announcer spoke in English, so it seemed she was watching an MLB playoff game?

"Ugh...two outs. How unreasonable, almost like gutting someone with a kitchen knife."

In response to her whispered, incomprehensible comments,

"Hey, I'm home."

As I greeted her,

Kaname's entire face seemed to smile as she turned to face me.

"Ah, Onii-chan. Welcome back. Dinner's already ready."

Looking more closely, the glass tabletop was littered with caramel candy wrappers.

Of the same kind as those I had previously bought for her at the convenience store.

She seemed to have gone on some sort of binge...was the game really that boring?

"Oi, Kaname. We still haven't had dinner yet, don't fill up on that sort of thing."

"Eh? Why?"

"What do you mean 'why'? Because it's bad for you. And to eat so many!"

I spoke as I took off my coat, and turned to look at her-

Only to find her, once again, with tears filling her eyes.

"Wha, what is it this time?"

"I'm so happy. Love can truly be found here. This just goes to show, I really am the best; after all, I ''am'' the youngest. Onii-chan's love for me is definitely deeper than it is for anyone else."

Kaname not only seemed to be speaking to herself, but seemed even to have drawn some inane conclusion on her own.

"You, just how in the world did you come to 'that' conclusion?"

"Because Onii-chan is worried about my health."

Kaname, having made a mountain of this minuscule molehill,

Began to rub her fingers against the back of the sofa.

Her fingers were now completely covered in Band-Aids; this time, her entire fingertips having been injured.

"Hey, what's up with your fingers?"

"Oh, um, this is, well..."

Diverting her gaze from me slightly, she replied,

"When...when I was cooking, I was a little careless."

"Can you really hurt yourself that badly just cooking? Are you alright?"

"Nn. Don't worry. Ehehe, I'm fine, I'm fine."

Kaname showed a bashful expression, waving her hands in embarrassment.

Honestly, I can't decide if she's amazing or just clumsy.

Afterwards...

Immediately upon returning home, the scent had given away that tonight's dinner was again curry.

Every two or three days, Kaname would again make curry.

"Do you really like curry that much?"

I asked, as we ate together.

"I don't ''dislike'' it."

"Only that much? Then why cook it every couple days? Not to mention, each time the taste is the same."

"Mm. That's because the first time I made it Onii-chan said it was delicious."

"Just, just because of that? I'm amazed you even remember."

"As long as it's Onii-chan, whatever you say, whatever you do; I remember everything."

Kaname looked down at the plate of curry with a wistful expression.

"When you told me that, I was so happy...so every time since I've used the same ingredients and the same sauce, in order to reproduce that same flavor, without differing by so much as a gram."

She nonchalantly said something pretty outrageous.

"Not even a gram different? Surely you're not serious?"

"I'm the kind of person who never forgets anything."

She lowered her head, her eyes peeking through her bangs as she watched my eyes.

That gaze...seen through the shadow of her hair seemed almost a glare. Why glare at me?

Then again, she is quite the moody child. It's pointless trying to interpret her every action.

I replied with a simple "Oh, is that so," before continuing to eat my decidedly delicious curry once more.

 

When it came to normal subjects, the level of instruction at Butei High was rather low by comparison.

It's possible it was because, as rumored, "that kind" of mind was predominant among Butei High students. However, the more likely explanation was simply that, as compared to the "well-rounded" nature preferred among normal students, "excellence in a specific expertise" gave a Butei High student the better chance of becoming a truly top-quality Butei. As a result, placing emphasis where emphasis was due had naturally given rise to the current way of things.

This being the case, one who was immersed in the Butei High curriculum for the entirety of their three years became quite the abnormal person, making such training a one-way trip. As an example, take Aria or Reki. While both are top-rated Buteis, put either of them to work in a normal company as OLs <ref>[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Office_lady Office lady]</ref>, and they'd surely make a mess of things.

Thus, it was for the sake of growing up as a normal adult that I so desperately wanted to switch schools.

(For the time being, let's put everything else aside, and at least work hard at these normal classes.)

Just as I'd finally motivated myself to take this English class seriously...

-''Don!'' ''~roll~'' ''~roll~''

Almost as if intended to disturb my concentration, something flew from behind me and rolled onto my desk.

"?"

I picked up what looked to be a wad of paper.

It looked to have been treated with an alkaline solution, a technique Butei often used to pass confidential information to one another.

I carefully straightened out the paper.

"Discovered 3's true identity. Come to the art equipment room at 1700 hours for debriefing.

P.S. At the same time, how about some rehabilitation?

L. Watson"

Having read the contents of the paper, I turned to Watson, who frowned in disgust, her face appearing to protest, "Moron! Look forward!"

When Watson had lobbed the paper my way, Aria had been blowing her nose, while Riko was fast asleep...It seemed neither of them had noticed our interaction.

But seriously, Watson. Did you really need to communicate with this thing? Couldn't you have just sent me a text, like a normal person?

As I entered the dimly-lit art equipment room, with its curtains drawn, I complained to Watson as I had planned, to which she responded that I'd promised to ignore all texts from her.

She seemed a bit disagreeable.

I could tell from the way she struck my foot with a paper bag enclosing a female school uniform.

This bastard. While in public, she puts up the facade of a dignified honor student, but the second we're alone, she's like a mischievous brat. What was with that just now?

I've always felt like her interactions with me were rather perfunctory, almost like putting on a show. Damn her, looking down on people like that.

"As long as the contents include the words 'rehabilitation', you always pretend you haven't seen a thing."

Watson's cheeks flushed slightly in anger. Well, it's not like there isn't something to what she said...

Watson had relentlessly sent me invitations for rehabilitation, and I had just as consistently completely ignored them.

The so-called "rehabilitation" referred to her dressing up once more as a girl. Watson, who had entered Butei High as a cross-dressing student, was training in preparation for confessing her true gender and her inevitable return to society. According to Watson, this was also to serve as training for me, who she described as having insufficient understanding of the opposite gender, giving me the opportunity to increase my familiarity with those of the feminine persuasion.

And what exactly did that entail?

The two of us locked in a room, as Watson would simultaneously conduct her training to become more feminine while I sought to "become more manly".

Simply put, it saw the two of us engaging in a low-level roleplay; in other words, we played house. Even though we're clearly second years in high school already.

The important point, if you ask me, was-

There was no way I wanted to be caught alone with a girl (Watson) in a small, dark room like this one.

Hence my desperate attempts to avoid her messages at all costs. Can't you take a hint, Watson?

What made things worse was the nigh-obsessed attitude she seemed to take towards these things. Ever since she'd realized that I'd been ignoring her messages, she'd tried every method imaginable to stubbornly force me to come. Take this time, for example, where she'd intentionally paired up her invitation with a matter of actual importance.

In just such a manner, I'd found myself coerced into attending some five, six "rehabilitation" sessions.

"I know you can't wait to get started with the rehabilitation, but first, fill me in. The '3' written on that paper just now- that was referring to GIII, yes?"

"Indeed. You're going to join me for rehabilitation in just a sec, right? I've been waiting for this for so long."

Having reminded me again of the fate that awaited me, she reached her hand into her backpack and pulled out a single page of A4 paper.

"Though I'm still unclear regarding the one who lives with you, GIV, that is, Kaname, but I believe I've been able to ascertain the true identity of GIII."

"You found out from contacts in Informa?"

"No. The name seemed familiar to me, so I visited the Liberty Mason Grand Lodge in London. As I was looking through the American group's 'Non-friendly party list', in the section for 'Agents having received, but rejected, an invitation from Liberty Mason' I found GIII's name. He seems to be quite the big-shot in American Butei circles. Furthermore, his detailed information was all classified at the 'Secret B' level."

"A big-shot?"

"Yeah, famous to the point that we pulled his data pretty much instantaneously. Here's part of what we found."

Watson pulled out a photo.

I saw a man who looked just like GIII.

Although he wore a black suit and black sunglasses, it was, without a doubt, GIII.

"Huh...hey, wait, this...It can't be...?"

What had astounded me wasn't GIII, though.

Rather it was the man next to him, about to enter a black Rolls-Royce.

This person...was the 44th President of the United States of America...Barack Obama.

From where GIII stood relative to the President in the picture, he seemed to be employed in an escort or bodyguard capacity.

"This is the real thing. He's originally an American Butei, but more than that, he's not just an S-rank either, but a rank higher- an R-rank."

"R-rank...?"

"You haven't heard of it? Among the Butei in Japan exists another R-rank, so I figured you'd heard of it. This rank really exists, and there are only seven Butei in the entire world who have been bestowed with this rating. Since they nearly all serve heads of state or royalty exclusively, they've taken the first letter of the word 'Royal' to serve as their rank name, hence 'R-rank'."

An existence superior even to S-ranks...R-ranked Buteis.

Further, there are only seven of them in the whole world...just how crazy are these guys?

Even if we look at S-ranked Buteis, there are only 712 of them in the entire world.

"An S-ranked Butei can singlehandedly deal with a company of soldiers. An R-rank, on the other hand, can fight an entire ''battalion''. If it's small enough, then just one of these individuals could suppress an entire country."<ref>According to Wikipedia, a company consists of anywhere from 80-250 soldiers, whereas a battalion can range from 300-1200.</ref>

"My God. Next time, pass on sharing all the gory details, please. I more or less understand what kind of nightmarish existence GIII is now. This is ridiculous...how can someone like that even exist?"

Seeing me grow weak at the knees, Watson continued to flip through the information recorded in English.

"Even though the data is still somewhat unclear, GIII's genius seems to be man-made, that is to say, his abilities appear to be artificially enhanced."

"Man-made...genius...? What the hell are you talking about?"

-Wait, hadn't I heard this before?

Watson seemed to have more or less figured out what was on my mind, so she nodded.

"IU- after the second World War, the submarine IU definitely disappeared, but the plans for its creation were handed over to the United Nations by the Germans. Ever since then, the Americans have been plumbing its depths for research. Their results came in the form of the 'Los Alamos Elite', a plan to artificially create superhumans with science."<ref>GIII is CAPTAIN AMERICA. [TN: I know this isn't a real TN note, but I couldn't help myself.]</ref>

They seem to have inherited the IU philosophy.

Although, as compared to the superstitious IU, they seemed to have tackled the problem with a scientific approach.

"The thing is, successful results of the Los Alamos Elite program are quite few. Or rather, zero."

"Zero? Is GIII not a success?"

"Well, at first he was most definitely considered a success. Even at an institution like Los Alamos, his rate of learning was such that it was only a matter of time before the positions of teacher and student between him and the staff had swapped. When it comes to athletic ability, though unofficial, I've heard he's broken countless Olympic records. The clincher is- he did all this while only a teenager."

"Then isn't that a huge success? He even became the personal bodyguard for the President, an elite among elites."

"Up to here, yes. Unfortunately, at some point afterwards, things changed."

"...Things changed?"

"The notes say he went mad. When he escaped from the laboratory where he was raised, with his bare hands, he crippled every member of the entire unit stationed there."

An entire unit...with his bare hands...?

Just how strong is this guy?

And he's insane, to boot. This is no joke.

"Afterwards, the American government sanctioned a hit on him, and they didn't just send one assassin. But even though these were the best, the vast majority of them couldn't catch so much as his scent. Those that did manage to find him never returned."

"...They were killed?"

"No. They became his subordinates. GIII has a real aura of leadership about him, a real charisma. Some minor differences aside, it's just like you."

"Please don't talk about us like we're the same. I'm nothing like that."

Tsuzuri-sensei had said the same thing before. For whatever reason, people seem to occasionally make this mistake. It's not like I even have that many friends, after all.

"-The driver who brought us back from the Shinagawa geofront is another individual who was turned by GIII. With the way things were, it was like sending assassins after GIII only served to increase the size of his group. The American government came to this realization, and called off the hit. They've since switched to negotiations instead, which are yet ongoing."

A "man-made genius" that even the American government can't handle...

A monster like that, there's no way he would ever lose to a group with mediocre grades like ours.

It looks like Tamamo and the others were right...crossing swords with someone like that is definitely not a good idea.

Having finally understood what we were up against, I was at last able to accept this point.

"GIV, Kaname, appears to have been another artificial superhuman who fled with GIII as he escaped the lab. It's just that since she escaped without ever having entered society as he had, there don't seem to be any records of her existence."

Oi. It's not like I hadn't figured out that much on my own. I mean, look at their names!

"...Why would guys like that want to take part in this 'Far East Warfare'?"

"That I'm still unclear on. We're looking into it."

"..."

"Ok, now the debriefing is over. Let's get started on the rehabilitation."

"..."

"We're starting the re~ha~bi~li~ta~tion, yes?"

Watson showed an expression like that of a small dog whose master had refused to play ball.

"Ah, right."

I, who had gotten lost in a train of thought, quickly raised my head.

Whatever...she'd done her part, so I might as well obediently play along.

I can keep her company for today, I guess.

"Ahem. The setting for today's 'play' is this: I'm a female club manager, and you're a member of the selfsame club. The scenario as well as the script are recorded in the notebook."

"Aren't you going way overboard with this? And please, for the love of God, say the full name - 'role play'; 'play' sounds weird."<ref>I probably don't need to explain this, but in case you didn't catch the subtext: They're engaged in role plays, etc. and so Kinji feels there's a sexual connotation to Watson's usage of the term "play".</ref>

My protest seemed to go in one ear and out the other.

"What kind of club should it be Tohyama? How does an old-fashioned equestrian club sound?"

"How is that old-fashioned? Anyway, who cares what kind it is, just hurry up and begin."

"Ok. Then, Tohyama, go and face the door. I'm going to change."

Shortly after speaking, Watson reached into her paper bag and pulled out a school uniform. From behind me...

''~rustle~'' ''~rustle~''

...came the sounds of Watson taking off her clothes.

Because she'd violently compelled me to watch before, I knew that beneath her male clothing, only her bottom half was covered by female underwear.

That means that, right now, that..."that" is completely exposed?

So fair it seemed to glow in the light of the setting sun, ''that''...

(This, this is bad!)

Strange memories threatened to bubble forth from deep within my memory.

If I was to enter the so-called "Recall Hysteria", that is to say, if I was to enter Hysteria Mode all on my own at these memories, then I'd have played quite the fool.

I need to think of something else, distract myself.

Even if this is completely stupid, let's look for stains on the door or through the keyhole.

Doing so, I noticed something strange about this terribly ordinary door.

(...Hmm?)

Some sort of light seemed to come in through the keyhole, and looked almost to waver...

Moreover-

I could have sworn I heard someone gritting their teeth in anger on the other side of the door.

(Don't tell me there's someone on the other side...?)

I knelt down, and peeked through the keyhole into the hallway.

Though the hole was, of course, quite small, and thus I couldn't get a clear picture of the whole hallway...

But I at least could see what was immediately in front of me, and there didn't appear to be anyone in front of the door. That sound must have been made by someone passing by.

Be that as it may, what I had heard was no illusion. Maybe it was best to end this rehabilitation session as soon as possible?

"Are you done changing?"

I inquired of Watson.

"Not, not yet. When I was putting on my neckerchief, the hook for my bra came loose. This is such bad luck."

Is the play-by-play really necessary!?

"...Ok, I'm good. Man, when you wear a skirt, the wind keeps blowing in. This just feels so weird."

Finally hearing the words I'd been waiting for, I turned my head - as if playing Red Light, Green Light - to see Watson, dressed up like a girl in her sailor uniform.

Although, to be accurate, she was a girl to begin with, so the ''real'' "dress-up" is when she pretends to be a guy normally. Sadly, the opposite impression seems well engraved into my mind.

(On another note...when I look carefully...she really is a girl, isn't she?)

The slender lines of her legs give off a healthy feeling; for them to always be hidden by pants really is a shame.

"...What do you think you're staring at, Tohyama? Oh wait! No, never mind, it's ok! Look to your heart's content. I am, after all, a girl. There's no way I can allow something this small to throw me off. I know even if you normally don't show it, deep down, you're still fond of me."

"What the hell?"

"That's how the script goes."

Watson answered me as she stabbed the notebook with her finger.

"What do you mean 'that's how it goes'? You're the one who wrote this! Why would you write something like that?"

"What, what's wrong with that? What I write is my decision!"

Having thus responded, Watson's legs shifted into what appeared to be a boxing stance.

If she were to hit me, I don't know that I could let it go, although, in this situation, it was probably best to just lower my head and go along with the flow.

"...And then? What's the plan for today?"

"Well, let's start just like we've done before, with small steps."

The term "small steps" referred to a technique from psychology designed for overcoming one's phobias. It involved increasing exposure to one's fear step by step, little by little.

In Watson's case, she'd set as her goal the ability to have others see her as a girl without feeling nervous or anxious.

The first step was for us to converse normally from within a distance of a meter, afterwards narrowing the distance to 75cm, 50cm, 30cm, and so forth.

"Our previous record saw our shoes separated by five centimeters. Today, I'd like to close that gap entirely. If we can achieve that, then that'd be extraordinary."

And just what part of that is extraordinary?

You know, forget it, whatever makes her happy. Whatever it takes to end this even a second earlier.

"Alright, then come on over."

"Nn. Don't run, ok? Er, wait, that's not it- Then, please just stay where you are, Tohyama...kun."

Just one sentence spoken like a girl was enough to make her blush...

Saying that, she proceeded to walk towards me as if amidst a minefield, careful step following careful step.

Her pink skirt lightly swayed...

Upon closer inspection, she seemed to have even swapped out her shoes for the brown ones designated for female students.

"...Here, here I come, Tohyama-kun."

I waited quietly as she slowly closed the gap between us, stopping just in front of me.

And then, as if steeling her resolve, she took one final step forward.

Finally, her shoes made contact with mines, or rather, could even be said to be slightly atop of mine.

"..."

"..."

Watson was shorter than me, so her head only came up to my chin. Together with the slight warmth of body heat, a slight fragrance of cinnamon floated gently from her short hair.

(...)

This is what makes Watson dangerous.

Because she normally feels like a guy, the second she displays her feminine side like this...

The feeling of disparity makes you particularly aware of how cute she is.

As an example, take Riko in comparison. Because Riko is the kind of girl who gives off a heightened sense of femininity, the second she appears before me, I'm on guard. Having thus prepared myself, even when she closes in on me, I'm able to handle it. In this way, my body will naturally protect itself in a way that makes it non-trivial to fall into Hysteria Mode. Although, I have to say, this approach ''is'' pretty sad.

When it comes to Watson, however, my body makes no such instinctive preparations.

Since the way she normally acts is, for all intents and purposes, just like a guy, I can't help but let down my guard around here.

And the second she does something truly girl-like-

I find myself in my current situation, my blood pressure having jumped to the brink of danger in a flash.

"...Tohyama, kun. How are you? The horses are looking quite good today, too."

As I wordlessly waited, Watson coyly greeted me.

The demure aura she produced once again reminded me she was a girl. Ugh.

Unlike the coquettish and unreserved Riko, the feeling Watson gave off seemed much more appropriate for a girl her age.

Calm down, keep it cool Kinji.

I'd already fallen into Hysteria Mode here once before, no need to make that mistake again.

"Er, you alright there Watson? This 'is' pretty close."

"I'm alright. I even think it's quite, quite comfortable! Oh, and uh, I've told you before. When I'm dressed like this, you're to call me 'Elle'."<ref>It's written "L" on the letter she sent Kinji, so I left it as-is above. She uses "エル", i.e. L/Elle in katakana here, though, so I opted for the female name which was likely intended.</ref>

"Uh, yeah. Sorry about that, Elle."

"I sure hope everything will go well today. I'll do my best."

"As will I."

Do my best not to enter Hysteria Mode that is.

I thought to myself that I'd better take a deep breath, calm myself down a little, when just as I inhaled-

Crap. I'd achieved the opposite effect. Inhaling deeply had only served to fill my lungs and nostrils with the sweet aroma emanating from Watson. What the heck was I thinking?

Thanks to having self-destructed, I found myself 'just' on the edge of falling into Hysteria Mode.

"Alright then. Today, I'll do it, Tohyama."

"Do what?"

"Rest easy."

"Huh?"

"It's only on the cheek. Not, not, not the lips! Let's leave that for next time!"

"That's why I'm asking you-"

Right as I was about to repeat my question, Watson's face, flush to the tips of her ears, suddenly raised her head-

And lightly placed her lips on my cheek.

-...!

This must be what they mean when they say that things come in threes.<ref>This isn't a terribly common English saying, though it does get used. See [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rule_of_three_(writing) this] for more detail. The original saying in Japanese/Chinese is one that seems common outside of English: if it happens twice, it'll surely happen thrice.</ref>

First Kaname, then Aria, and now, the real curveball, Watson, had kissed me.

That makes it three on the month already. When did I become such a celebrity?

"...!"

"I, I did it!"

Watson seemed wholeheartedly ecstatic as she bounded towards me.

Her soft arms, chest, waist- her entire body stuck to me like glue. She really is a girl.

"I did it, Tohyama! Counting on you for rehabilitation was the right decision after all. Only after actually doing it do I now understand. How, hmm, how do I describe this...It's really something that fills you with joy. Without a doubt, this is a necessary step on my path to becoming a girl. Ok, let's give it another go, or rather, several."

Saying that, she again pecked me on the cheek...and not just a few times.

"Stop, stop! Once is more than enough!"

"I want, I want more. Tohyama, I like...I like you- that's how the setting goes. That's the only reason."

What the hell kind of club is this? Whatever happened to the horses!?

Unlike the sexy, mature ambiance of Riko and Shirayuki, Watson felt more like a young girl...which for some reason, only served to make her seem all the cuter. Consequently,

I embraced Watson, having entered into Mezza Hysteria-

Which, though mild, was yet indisputably Hysteria Mode.

-At that moment.

My slightly enhanced senses picked up a sound-

''~scritch~'' ''~scritch~'' ''~scritch~''

I once again the sound of gritted teeth, gnashing in anger, drifted over from the other side of the door.

Looking through the keyhole, I met someone's gaze!

"-Wait, WAIT! Elle!"

"Tohyama, Tohyama."

"Not that! I know you're excited by the results of your rehabilitation, but I need you to calm down."

"...?"

Picking up Watson in a bridal carry, I let her down behind the statue of Venus.

Stealthily placing myself at her side, I stole a glance at the pair of eyes on the other side of the door, which continued to peek through the keyhole.

Furthermore, the "scritching" sound had continued without ceasing, which I could only hear as the sound of teeth gritted in extreme irritation.

Though I desperately hoped that the other person had not been able to grasp the situation through the small keyhole, I had no expectation that what they ''had'' seen would lead to them to think that they'd witnessed anything but a lover's tryst.

Turning to Watson, a blank look on her face, I quietly whispered in her ear-

"There's someone watching! Let's end our rehabilitation for today, hurry up and change back."

"-What, what are you saying?"

Watson had abruptly turned so red I wouldn't have been surprised to see steam expelled from atop her head.

She proceeded to frantically extract her male clothes from within the paper bag.

"Hurry! I need to confirm the situation in the hallway."

"Toh, Tohyama! Help me! I'm shaking so hard I can't change on my own!"

In response to her voice, trying its hardest not to cry, without allowing myself the slightest glance of her flesh-

I pulled her shirt from the bag.

As Watson slowly removed her top in a panic, arms and legs trembling, I turned my head, and again assessed the situation on the other side of the door.

Whoever it was had seemed to realize we'd noticed their presence, as their prying glance had disappeared from the keyhole.

My ears also picked up the sound of someone sprinting down the hallway. They seemed to have made a precipitous retreat.

(That rat...)

No matter how you look at it, normally when you'd run into a guy-girl pair in a place where no one ought to be...

You'd mind your own business, and pretending you hadn't seen a thing, quietly leave.

Though I didn't have the opportunity to explain our situation more fully, the two of us were, indisputably, both afflicted individuals, and that we might transcend our impairments, were undergoing rehabilitation. And yet someone had had the nerve to snoop!

"We'd better get out of here, Watson. Whoever it was is now gone, but if they went to grab someone else, this could be trouble."

"Ah, mm."

As Watson seemed to have finished changing-

I stuffed her skirt into the bag, and taking her hand, charged towards the door, which I opened without delay.

At which point, Watson refused to move a step further.

"What's the matter? We need to leave ''now''."

"Wait, wait a moment, Tohyama. My lapels need to be fixed."

Watson fixed the lapels of her coat with her left hand. Looking further, it seemed only part of her shirt was tucked into her pants, quite the sloppy look. Whatever, I had no time to look after her.

Thinking thusly, I roughly pulled Watson out of the art equipment room with me.

"Eh? Tohyama-kun and...Watson-kun?"

When who did we chance upon, but our classmate whom had just ascended the stairway-

Assault's pretty-boy, Shiranui.

Shiranui's eyes nearly popped out of his head in shock.

In his hands were copper plates used for etching; it seemed he'd been asked by the art teacher to help carry things?

Having caught sight of Shiranui, Watson instinctively covered her chest, which, unlike Aria, was only flat by reason of having been bound by a sarashi. <ref>[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarashi Sarashi]</ref>

With the way she was dressed, a glance was all it would take for anyone to realize that she'd only just put on her clothes, and in a hurry at that.

Seeing me struck absolutely speechless, and the nearly-frightened-to-tears Watson hiding behind my back, Shiranui-

"Um..."

His face showed he dearly wanted to ask, "What in God's name happened here?" but didn't know how.

"..."

My face frozen like a plaster bust, I frantically tapped my Hysteria Mode-enhanced mind for assistance.

The voyeur from before had fled the scene, so it probably wasn't Shiranui.

(But this current situation is no less dangerous!)

Within my brain-

An image of Shiranui-meijin facing off against Tohyama-ryuou in a shogi match floated to the surface.<ref>[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meijin_(shogi) Meijin] and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ryu-oh Ryu-ou] are the two most prestigious designations in professional shogi.</ref>

On the board, Shiranui's ferocious offensive has begun. Against the attack of Shiranui, Tohyama must defend.

I turned to Watson for aid, but her forehead was glued to my back, her head buried against me. It looks like this girl, upon falling into a panic, has the tendency to shut down like the power's been cut, leaving everything to others to fix. How cunning.

(Looking at this objectively, our situation's not good. SO NOT GOOD!)

What Shiranui has seen is as follows:

In the supposedly empty optional-class building, from within the confines of the art equipment room...

Those who are definitely not participating in any art classes, or alternatively, those who have no valid reason to be here at this time - Watson and I - were seen.

Furthermore, it looks like within that same room, Watson had removed his clothes.<ref>This is not a mistake. I know Watson is a girl, and thus this ought to be a "she". However, this is Kinji's portrayal of Shiranui's thought process, and Shiranui doesn't know she's a girl.</ref>

To continue the shogi analogy, my rook's already been captured by his bishop.

No, in reality, with the situation being that I'd been seen hiding in the art equipment room with a "girl who'd taken off her clothes, engaged in some unknown activity", I should actually say that I was behind a hundred, no, a thousand moves.

Though I couldn't reject this situation strongly enough, if this incident were taken as a guy-girl rendezvous, then that'd be one thing.

The by-far larger problem was-

Shiranui doesn't know Watson's a girl.

Instead, he thinks she's a guy.

In other words, from Shiranui's perspective-

Watson (a guy) and I had just exited the art equipment room where "he'd taken off his clothes as part of some unknown activity".

(Doesn't that make check?!)

In my shogi-filled mind, both my gold and silver generals had already been captured.

Watson's good looks were well known throughout the school. During the Ristorante Mask activity, many male students had lost their minds over her sailor uniform-clad appearance. That is to say, she was a guy well beloved by other male students (although she was actually a girl).

And who was the first to raise his hand against her, but the notorious playboy - me. In other words, Tohyama Kinji, this second year high school student, had already grown tired of toying with women, and had decided to give pretty boys a taste.

-That's probably pretty much what Shiranui's thinking right now?

In my mind, both my knight and lance had just disappeared.

Adding fuel to the fire was the fact that Watson and I were holding hands, and could thus be seen to have quite the mutual affection. Because Watson's clothes were also disheveled, one might surmise that our relationship had gone quite far.

At last, the entirety of my pawn force vanished from atop the game board.

(I, I need to defend myself-)

Even if all that remained was my king, with his forces scattered in disarray, the ever disgraceful Tohyama-ryuou's slightly Hysteria Mode-enhanced mind made one final play: "Because I was considering taking up art next year, I thought I'd try my hand at a sketch. Watson here agreed to be my model."

This is too forced, isn't it? Regrettably, because I was only partially in Hysteria Mode, this was the best I could come up with.

Even though I'd come up with a similar excuse that time with Fuuma, she'd only fallen for it because she was an idiot. Shiranui, on the other hand, was quite bright. There was no way this was going to cut it.

Nonetheless, if I didn't do ''something'', I'd lose by simply running out of time.

Hurry- hurry my mouth! Say something! Real men need guts; who cares what it is, just try!

"Shi, Shiranui! Listen to me! The reason why I'm here with another guy-"

As I opened my mouth at last,

Shiranui extended a hand as if to say, "You don't need to say another word."

Then, speaking in that gentlemanly manner only possible for such a rare Butei specimen as he,

"Don't worry about it. This isn't the kind of thing the public ever needs to know. My lips are sealed, I promise."

He then gave a stiff, awkward smile.

From that warm and gentle smile, belying the terrible misunderstanding that lay behind it, shone the kindness of that heart as wide as the ocean, openly accepting the two who had tasted of the forbidden fruit.

Not that he was able to completely hide his shock, his fingers trembling.

Within my mind, I saw Tohyama-ryuou's complete and utter destruction, whom, with nowhere left to retreat, could only bow his head and accept defeat.

"Toh, Tohyama, let's go."

Having spoken not a word until this moment, Watson pushed me from behind.

Taking me, whose mind had flooded completely with white, out of the optional-classes building.

<references />
<noinclude>
{{Hidan no Aria Nav|prev=Hidan no Aria:Volume10_Chapter3|next=Hidan no Aria:Volume10_Chapter5}}
</noinclude>

Hidan no Aria:Volume10 Chapter3

2013-07-11T06:40:31Z

Monsterbandage: /* 3rd Ammo - Secret of the Deep Blue -Deep Blue- */

== 3rd Ammo - Secret of the Deep Blue -Deep Blue- ==

After I brought my self-proclaimed and publicly recognised sister, Tohyama Kaname back to my dorm –

“…?”

Because Shirayuki has been busy with the Cultural Festival, my room should be in a deep mess… But right now, it seemed to be quite organized and clean.

No, it’s overly clean.

Firstly, except for my shoes, there were no other shoes in the shoe cabinet.

Also, the living room and mini-room were also different. Aria’s heart-shaped pillow, Shirayuki’s clothes cabinet, Riko’s games – they were all gone.

But… my stuff still remained.

It feels like I’ve gone back to the time before Aria moved into my dorm.

“Hey, erm… Kaname, didn’t you say just now, something about trespassing in my room…” I asked. While the suspect who was in the washroom replied…

“This place is a Tohyama home, so Tohyama Kaname coming into this place should be no problem. After all, family members can go into family residences anytime they like.”

Then, she rinsed her mouth noisily.

Looking closely, the toothbrush cup that Kaname was holding matched my toothbrush cup. Where did she get that? This way, it already looked like we were siblings with a good relationship.”

“Why do I feel like there are many things that have disappeared…”

“I sent all the stuff with their scent to the hospital,” said Kaname with a look of displeasure.

“You did this kind of thing again…”

“The pillow with Aria’s smell, I sent it out after tearing it. Also, I either cut or creased the Shirayuki’s black lingerie and Riko’s games before sending them out. It was really tedious.”

“…”

“It should have already reached the hospital, I think? Pink-hair and the others will probably get a huge fright after opening the parcel. Hehe, I feel like jumping for joy just thinking about it.” Kaname said with a dark expression and gloomy smile – an icy chill ran down my spine.
How can there be such a sinister girl? This is unmatchable even by the dark side of Shirayuki when bullying Aria.

As an elder, I should warn her, right?

“Kaname, let me tell you.”

“Hm?”

While I scratched my head and put on an angry expression, Kaname seemed to have “Yes, what happened?” written on her face. She seemed to not know about whether she did something wrong.

“Erm… I know you don’t really like Aria and the others, but your approach is too nasty. For example, you took advantage of the fact that nobody was at home and destroyed other people’s things.”

“…Eh, why are you angry?”

“Although there was no other choice, but since you self-proclaim to be one of the Tohyamas, you must not do such despicable things from now on. Got it?” Using a tone that could make people stop retorting…

Kaname looked up at me with an aghast expression, then nodded her head.

'Hm…? How come she nodded at me that easily?'

“I-I know. Then, I will try my best to learn what are “despicable things”, and I will not do these things from this day onwards.”

For some reason, it feels like she is afraid of being hated by me. Even her body was trembling slightly.

“B-but – I also have something to warn Onii-chan!”

After Kaname shook her head like she was trying to revive her emotions, she used her eyes that had a strong will to look at me.

“…What is it?”

“Onii-chan’s taste of women is horrendous! A shorty, one that fakes purity, a fake fairy, a mute girl – I can’t believe Onii-chan keeps those weird and wacky things!”

Looking at her furious expression, I felt like recoiling.

What do you mean by “keep”? Are you treating them like pets? At least they are humans, right?

*sigh* Given those four derogatory remarks, I could already see who she was pointing to, so I’m not one to talk.

“Listen. Onii-chan is the best male in the world, but in this regard, Onii-chan is not conscious enough. You need to change your attitude of “As long it’s a girl, there’s no difference”. Those women are to~tally not worth Onii-chan’s love. That’s. Too. Un. Reason. Able!” Said Kaname, entering her preaching mode as she pointed at me with her index finger. Looks like she is angry at the fact that Aria was residing in my dorm.

Well, I do agree on that part. After all, I do feel helpless at the fact that they live in my dorm.

“ – Even that kind of woman wants to be Onii-chan’s girlfriend, that is simply inexcusable. Let’s say, all the women here are not allowed to do so. So, promise me one thing.”

“What is it?”

“Promise me not to touch or even worse, hug any girl other than me.”

“What promise, I never ever wanted to touch or hug any girl! Who would do that kind of thing!”

“Then promise me, swear to me, that you will not touch any woman other than me.”

“Yes, I swear!”

“If I see any woman trying to stick with my Onii-chan, I will assassinate her!”

“Hey, hey! To start, don’t keep talking about killing people. If you want to be by my side, then no matter what happens, don’t do anything violent, ok?” I emphasized.

Kaname stared at me…

And nodded earnestly again.

It feels like she really is my sister.

“…”

Just when I was suspecting whether she really understood that and started glaring hard at her –

“…Ah…”

Kaname looked up at my eyes which were staring at her, without blinking her eyes…

…Uwa…

Blushed inexplicably.

“Onii, Onii-chan…”

“What is it now?”

After being asked by me, Kaname was happy and bashful as she revealed a shy smile before bowing her head.

“So, so handsome.”

“What?”

“So hand. That sharp expression just now, made my heart skip a beat. A-and, the thought that we will be living together by ourselves just… just makes me feel like exploding. I don’t know, if it will be possible this time?”

“…?”

“Oh no.”

“What oh no?”

“Really like.”

“Hey, hey…”

“Like. Like. I like you a lot. What do I do?”

Kaname looked downwards. Her face, the back of her neck, and even her head was redder than a beetroot.

Looks like her face is all red, and I’m talking about the intense kind of red.

Although I hope that isn’t true, but according to the atmosphere, the words she uttered just now was definitely 100% sincere.

“I-I think that’s a bit contradicting of you.”

“Why?”

“Although I don’t admit it, but you self-proclaim to be my sister, right?”

“It isn’t self-proclamation, it is true.” Said Kaname, who looked up with her blushing face.

“…Since you say so, then isn’t talking about liking me too strange?”

“Eh? Why?”

“Why are you showing a face of sincere puzzlement? Is there a sister in this world that admits to liking her brother?”

“? ? ?”

Because it seemed that Kaname didn’t understand what I was saying, thus…

“I mean, there would be a problem with blood-related people saying that.”

I had to resort to carefully explaining to her about this general common sense that even made me feel ashamed by just talking about it.

“Blood relations are only a small problem.”

“You mean a huge problem! Go and study about the laws in Japan!”

“That’s my line. Although marriage is forbidden, love is still legitimate!”

Damn… a lawless is actually talking to me about the law.

Just when I had nothing to say after her rebuttal –

“Onii-chan! Like, like, like, I really like! Like, like…”

Taking hold of the opportunity, Kaname leaned on my body while acting like a spoilt kitten.

It feels as if she is in a trance. Am I a silver vine?

“No, don’t cling onto me! Also, more importantly, what is good about me that is worthy of being liked?”

I used a puzzled expression to look at this beautiful yet strange girl.

And all she did was to maintain her terrifying state…

“Yeah, yeah, there are lots of them – For examples, your looks…"
“My looks? I think you better visit the optometrist. In the eyes of most girls, my looks are that of a gloomy person, you know?”

“There’s no such thing, you’re handsome.”

From Kaname’s eyes, I could see that she was serious.

“How can I be handsome. I –”

Kaname interrupted me in mid-sentence and hugged my body tightly. Then, she used her hand to stroke my back gently.

It-it tickles! What kind of trick is this, I am getting goosebumps!

“Oh, and… I also like your gentle personality. Onii-chan is extremely gentle to me, and even bought milk candy for me.”

“Come on, are you a child that has been abducted with candy? That thing is only worth 105 yen.”

“The price doesn’t matter. I still have the candy wrapping. I shall write today’s date on it, then keep it for my lifetime.”

“…”

Just now, my words, “what is good about me that is worthy of being liked”, seemed to have become a landmine –

This ended up in Kaname saying stuff about what she likes about me. Endless praises came out of her mouth, causing me to have goosebumps. She was talking about it to the extent that it looked as if she was worshipping the gods.

Even when I was sick of her praises and went to brew coffee, she tagged along, her mouth full of praises.

It seemed that Kaname’s world was overflowing with love, and no obstacle could stop her.

This woman really isn’t normal in any bit.

She actually turned out to be so fond of me… Looks like I shouldn’t advise her to go to the optometrist, but instead the psychiatrist.

Although Kaname promised me to restrain herself from committing violent acts, I just couldn’t trust her.

If I were to evict her, there is no guarantee that she will not do anything violent, and she would probably start a comprehensive war with Aria.

So…

It looks like my last resort is to let this strange girl, Kaname stay in my room.

Moreover, Kaname is a subordinate of GIII. To Deen, she can be regarded as a guest.

(Although they gave me a bullshit task of “Romeo”…”)

I once heard from Shiranui that a “Romeo” task is different from “Honey Trap” in the way that “Romeo” doesn’t start with using the body to lure the other party. Instead, it was to let the other party have a good impression of you.

However, when I look at it, the first step probably has been completed, I’m sure? After all, since the start, Kaname had already had a good impression of me.

But what do I do next… I don’t know, neither did I want to know.

Thus, I escaped reality by reading books and watched DVDs. Unconsciously, time flew by and it was already nighttime.

By the way, throughout this whole period of time, Kaname was like a small duck who recognized a wrong mother duck. She kept on following me, even to the extent that she followed me to the washroom.

This also remained the same when I was watching TV on the sofa. As I watched the TV programmes, she sat beside me, grinning.

A normal man would probably be happy if there was such a beauty beside him, right? But now the situation was happening to me. Because she really made me feel uneasy, when it was evening, I warned her sternly to move away.

In the end, she stood behind the kitchen curtain, revealing only half of her body and face. Then, she looked at me for a full two hours.

Because that made me feel peculiar, I said angrily, “Don’t do that either.” –

And she went into the kitchen.

“…”

It felt like if I went to look at her, I would have lost some kind of battle, hence I decided to continue watching TV.

*Chk* – *Chk* –…

(…?)

There seemed to be a weird noise coming from the kitchen.

*Chk* – *Chk* – *Chk* –…

After thirty seconds, I finally admitted defeat and turned to look,

“Uh!”

I couldn’t help but to make a sound.

K-Kaname… she was actually sharpening my kitchen knife.

And she was wearing a sailor uniform with a fluttery skirt (she apparently took Riko’s for her own use).

“What…what are you doing?”

“Preparing to cook dishes, Onii-chan.”

– I’m not your onii-chan.

Since things have become like this, it would be foolish to emphasize this fact with her.

Although I think I was losing in patience to her, but never mind.

“This is a good kitchen knife.”

Kaname grabbed the knife and showed it to me, smiling.

How do I put it…When Kaname… is holding a sharp object… her expression seems to have a unique sense of terror.

Who knows, she may just like sharp objects like her broadsword. It feels as if she has changed, her eyes were slightly stiff.

“Erm…I heard that that knife was a branded one from Seki, please don’t break it. It belongs to Shirayuki.”

“I know that, I could determine from the smell. But since it’s something useful, I confiscated it. This skirt was also confiscated.”

After Kaname used her index finger to twirl the kitchen knife, she inversed her hand, taking the knife and putting in on the chopping block.

“We are a family of two, so let the little sister be responsible for cooking. From today onwards, I will personally make fresh and hot food for Onii-chan to eat.”

“What… dishes don’t fit with your image, right? Why do you want to do this?”

“I want to replace Hotogi Shirayuki.”

“…?”

“Kanzaki Aria, Hotogi Shirayuki and Mine Riko. They obviously aren’t our family, yet they reside in this dorm. Which means, those women have good skills, right? So what I want to do is to take up all the responsibilities and acquire their skills so that they will have no use. Hm, it’s very reasonable, right?”

After exposing her devilish smile –

She equipped a pair of crimson-colored sunglasses.

I have seen… that thing before.

That was what she was wearing when she was fighting with Aria and the others.

“What’s that? That isn’t a weapon, right?”

“The Tella Net Assist System – Um, how should I put it. It is something like a integration of a cell phone, Internet, broadcast and military radio? It is a high-dimensional intelligence interface. Basically, this thing can read my brainwave patterns, then shows the things that are recommended based on the patterns.”

“It shows, huh… but… why don’t I see it?”

“You can’t see it from the front as this monitor is made of an optical multilayer screen. Above, there is a layer of translucent liquid crystal film. Necessary information will be continuously displayed at the top. It feels like the thoughts of the brain are directly connected with the network.”

“I have never even heard of such thing. Which company came up with it?”

“It isn’t for sale. Because it is still in testing, so it should be expensive. One of this would probably take about twenty to thirty million U.S. dollars. Only the Pentagon and Los Alamos uses it. To me, it is my cell phone.”

Twenty to thirty U.S. dollars…?

One U.S. dollar is about eighty Japanese yen. So that is – a cell phone that costs about two-two billion yen!

Just as my eyes were open in amazement, Kaname opened a PC Game box that was on the table

…That box, it seems familiar.

Isn’t that the game that I bought for Riko as payment for the information about Aria –

The so-called “gal-game” thing? “My Sister is a Goth Lolita”?

“Hey, that thing is…”

“A game. That is also one of the things that I confiscated from Mine Riko. I confiscated it because that fake fairy learnt how to make Onii-chan like her from this game.”

Kaname used a device similar to tweezers to grip the disc from the box.

Then, the disc started to rotate.

Looks like she was using the device to read the information in the disc, then used the thing called “Tella Net Assist” to investigate the contents.

“Especially this one, because it’s based on the theme of a younger sister’s love story. In order to let Onii-chan like me, I will try hard.”

“Don’t learn that kind of stuff! Moreover, that thing is R-rated – In short, you shouldn't access those stuff at your age.”

“Hm, looks like it’s better to make simple food.”

Kaname turned a deaf ear to me and put the disc and device on the table –

“Also, having the sister cooking dishes is the correct option. According to the contents, the relationship of the brother and sister is supposed to be improved through daily life. And, when making dishes – I must do this?”

As she said that, she crouched slightly, pointing her buttocks at me.
From her back, it was possible to catch a glimpse of her apron… Below the ribbon on her back, a pair of white thighs revealed themselves below the skirt.

As Kaname prepared the things she needed for cooking, her skirt would float according to her motion. It was a very tempting sight indeed.

If it was a normal man… he would not help but want to touch it and thus preventing her from making dishes, right? It would definitely be irresistible.

“Before finishing the dishes, the cute little sister needs to do this – exposing her back to the unsuspecting brother. Onii-chan, how does it feel? Are you in the least interested in Kaname’s thighs?”

“No, don’t say those disgusting things.”

“Just as the game starts, there isn’t a problem with touching it, you know? There also an option for “Lifting the skirt up from behind”.”

Kaname turned her head to look at me in such a manner that it looked like she was trying to read my thought.

“Are you an idiot, the only option I will choose is “Ignore”.”

Kaname muttered, “Onii-chan is so unreasonable~”, before opening the refrigerator and looked at the stuff inside –

[[Image:Aria10 131.jpg|thumb]]

“Mm, since there are these ingredients in the refrigerator, we’ll make curry.”

She probably used that Tella NA thing to check out what dishes she could make with the ingredients.

Wow, the things used to do with something worth a few hundred million yen are actually gaming and reading recipes.

I’m sure the developer in the Pentagon or elsewhere would cry if he or she heard of this.

“I’m done, Onii-chan!”

I walked into the living room after hearing Kaname’s lively call.

She… actually made curry.

Although it smells supposedly nice, I still didn’t lower my guard. Only after I swapped our plates did I take my seat.”

“How hateful, I obviously won’t poison it.”

After Kaname smiled bitterly, she sat across me happily.

The curry looked really ordinary, so I tasted a bit…

Of course, it tasted ordinary. Sigh, after all, no matter who cooks curry, it would taste nice.

Looking up, Kaname was eating the curry slowly.

“This kind of thing really makes me happy.”

“Is that like, the lines of the game?”

“Course not. The game is only for reference. This is my true feelings. I’m extra happy now.”

“What’s there to be happy about?”

“This is home, and this is family… something like that. Because this is the first time I’ve done this.”

“Done what? You mean eating at home?”

“Yup. Especially the point that I’m not consuming nutritional supplements, but instead, real food. It’s really tasty. Ah, it’s a bit weird to praise my own self, hehehe. So, Onii-chan, how does it taste? Is it nice?”

“Yeah, it’s nice.”

Because this really tasted not bad, I gave her a natural reply.

But as a result, she gave me a shy expression – She looked at me, ate a bit of curry, looked at me again and ate a bit of curry. She repeated this process, looking happily.

A person who can get so happy just by eating curry at home… This is the first time I’ve ever seen someone like that.

“You do have your own home, right?”

Because I was hoping she would go home ASAP, I asked her that question –

“No, I don’t have a home. Even though I have somewhere to live, that isn’t really a home.” Replied Kaname, whose face expressed a little sadness.

Somehow… it feels like she is running away from home.

“To me, this is my first home. This place belongs to Onii-chan and I – a home of the Tohyamas. Only family members can live here. And talking about family, only Onii-chan and I are included. So, at home, I have Onii-chan exclusively to me. This is the privilege of being a sister!”

“…”

Just because she had been playing house with me for this period of time, Kaname seemed to already be in ecstasy.

But… the incredible thing is…

Perhaps because I had always eaten stuff from convenience stores or luxurious dishes made by Shirayuki, this ordinary dinner at home… seems to give me a good feeling.

It reminds me of how I enjoyed dinner with my family when I was young.

Even the taste seemed to resemble the taste of the food back then.
The next morning, I was awakened by Kaname’s “Sister Alarm Clock”, in which she used a spoon to hit a pan to wake me up. After that, I ate the toast and fried egg that she prepared for me. This time, I didn’t swap our plates.

Looking closer, it seemed that Kaname had woken up really early to finish the housework. The house had become extremely clean, while our clothes were being hung out on the balcony. Her diligence seemed to match that of Shirayuki’s.

Then, the two of us took the bus. I was shot curious looks by the Butei High students.

Soon, Kaname alighted at Masters.

Although it’s unsafe to let her go off herself… but at least, we had made an agreement.

Also, I am, after all, a Butei. In addition to her agreement, I also prepared some preventive measures. However, it isn’t too perfect.

(But will it be that easy for that girl to transfer into this school?)

I thought about this throughout the general subjects…

Because it was lunchtime, I stood up and started walking to the school canteen.

“Well… can you help me call my Onii-chan? My name is Tohyama Kaname.”

It was the voice of Kaname, from the rear of the classroom.

“…Ah!”

I turned my head. Indeed, Kaname was standing there, wearing a sailor uniform…

She came… she came to my classroom!

The girls started shouting “So cute!” before touching Kaname’s head, while the boys began to stir at the sight of Kaname.

“Hey, hey…! Why are you here?”

I walked towards the rear in panic. Then, the boys followed me. What, what are you doing, guys?

“Seriously! Onii-chan, you forgot to bring your lunch!”

Her tone hardened as she saw me, totally different from what she was when she entered the classroom; gracious and kind-looking. It really looked like she was my little sister.

Then, plop!

She gave me a small basket filled with sandwiches.

Although I took the basket, I didn’t remember anything about preparing a lunch. What is she planning to do?

“She appeared! The rumoured sister!”

“Wow, she really exists!”

“Super cute!”

“I can’t believe it’s Kinji’s sister!”

Of course you won’t believe it, because even I don’t.

“Kinji, to what extent do you have to be a winner in life!”

“He actually has such a beautiful sister!”

“How enviable!”

The boys started to knock my head and kick me.

“Stop, why do I have to get hit!”

Even if there was a beautiful sister, the brother shouldn’t have anything to be happy about!

No, after all, I’m just a novice brother (this is what Kaname claimed, though), so I’m not so sure.

I pushed Muto, who was shouting “Exchange your sister with mine!” away, before pointing my Desert Eagle to ward off the other boys. Then, I pushed Kaname to the corridor.

After that, I endured the pain in my right knee and ran up the stairs, pulling Kaname into a deserted locker room and locked the door.

“…Oh!”

Then I noticed… what Kaname did just now was one of her tricks.

This girl, trying to make sure I admit that she’s my little sister, had “Kinji’s little sister” engraved in the minds of the people.

Just now, she used a trick, acting out a scene of “the daily life of Kinji and Kaname”.

… Unbelievable. She was obviously younger than me, but yet had a really smart brain.

“Hey, Kaname! Don’t come to the second year classroom!”

“Mm, I won’t go anymore.”

Her smiling face proved my theory – she only needed to make sure that people know I have a little sister. That was probably done, I’m sure?

“But… it feels really exciting to meet in the school. Originally, I could have Onii-chan exclusively to me, but now, it seems that I have to be more secretive in school. This feels terrific. I’m sure many girls who have a crush on Onii-chan now feel unwilling, right? Hehe. There’s a feel of superiority.”

Looking at Kaname talking shyly, with her hands holding her cheeks –

I was just going to lecture her on her actions,

“I heard a lot about Onii-chan, from my friends and senpais.

“What…?”

“Many people said, Onii-chan used to be a powerful Assault Butei. Many Assault Butei have good impressions of Onii-chan. Indeed, Onii-chan is really strong. Although your cold personality hasn’t really changed.”

She actually… went to investigate about such unnecessary matters.

“My past doesn’t have anything to do with you, right?”

“I just wanted to know more about things regarding Onii-chan. Ah, and…”

Kaname revealed a naughty smile.

“During morning break, a boy I didn’t know – brought me to a deserted place.”

“What…?”

“Then, he gave me a letter. I guess it’s a love letter?”

Ooh… it’s that kind of topic.

There’s actually someone that quick?

“…”

Because it was a topic I wasn’t good at, I was silent. Seeing this, Kaname took out an envelope from her skirt pocket.

“Um, what should I do? Can I treat him as a boyfriend for practice?”

As she said that, she took out the letter and gave it to me –

I thought for a while and decided to confirm the contents of the letter.

Where did this idiot come from? He only judged by Kaname’s looks. Does he know how dangerous she is?

Kaname too. She was the one who warned me not to touch other women –

“…?”

When I opened the letter –

“That was a lie, Onii-chan. Are you jealous?”

I actually saw this written neatly on the paper –

Hence, I looked up and prepared to launch a fist at Kaname, but trying to stop me from doing that, she hugged me tightly.

“Kaname… Can you not do this kind of inexplicable pranks?”

“Hehe! This is to confirm Onii-chan’s love. Seeing how unhappy Onii-chan was for me, I’m really glad. Onii-chan has started to love me, no, he has already loved me.”

Kaname was full of joy as she looked at me, intoxicated with slightly stiff eyes.

“N-no way. It’s just that if there’s a guy who wants to be close to you, that guy would be in constant danger –”

“Hehe! Don’t worry, Onii-chan, there’s no need to be jealous. Even if I am really wooed by someone, I will definitely not talk to the other guy. That’s because I hate boys. Onii-chan too, I heard that you are one who hates women.”

For some reason, Kaname seemed to be happy at the fact that I hated women –

“We really are alike,” said Kaname.

“…I guess so.”

After all, when we were on the bus the previous day, she seemed to be avoiding the boys.

When I agreed with her on this point –

“After all, we are siblings.”

Kaname gave me a blissful and intoxicated smile –

“Ah, what do I do? I’m too happy. My “like trigger” has been activated. I can’t go back to the classroom.”

“What is a “like trigger”…Don’t be long-winded, just go back to class, even though I don’t know which class you are in.”

“Onii-chan, Onii-chan – Accept my request, hug.”

“Hug?”

“I meant, hug me tightly.”

“Why!”

“Because I want to. So, please, hug me tightly. Tight~ly. That way, I can go back obediently,” said Kaname enthusiastically, with her face on my chest. Her arm was also clutching my back.

If this goes on, even I can’t go back.

If this can make her go back, just hug her.

“…”

To be safe, I made sure that the door was locked and nobody was around, then –

*hug*

I hugged Kaname, in a style for comforting little children.

“Ah…ah…Onii-chan…Onii, Onii-chan…” Said Kaname, whom was being embraced by me, in a sweet voice.

A teardrop trickled down her cheek and fell to her feet.

She…she actually cried in joy.

How do I put it… she really is a child with an unstable mood.

Perhaps every girl at her age is like her.

“Hey, hey… are you ok?”

Kaname raised her head, revealing an idle expression.

“No-nothing. I can’t take it anymore, can’t, stifle it. I, I can’t stop!”

From her tearful eyes, I could tell that she seemed to be unable to restrain some kind of desire.

She used to have a doll-like look and was polite to the classmates…

But now, she seemed to give out a different atmosphere. Judging from what she said just now, she was probably too excited because of meeting in school, I’m sure?

“Onii-chan, for to-today, I won’t have anymore requests, So –”

Said Kaname, who seemed to be full of pleasure…

She was even panting, giving out a caramel scent.

“Please, please, kiss me – Kissing me is enough –”

Hey, hey…!

What do you think you’re doing!

This is called pushing your luck too far, right?

What a tough girl. Just because I gave way a little, she starts to pressure me.

“Stop bullshitting, I thought we were siblings to you!”

“That’s why. So, it’s possible…Please, Onii-chan, kiss me…”

Kaname was already speechless.

Then, she parted her lips slightly, in a way that resembled sleep… she closed her eyes.

This action… even I knew what it meant.

Kaname was waiting for me. Waiting for me, to… do that.

“…Mm…”

Kaname continued to hold my body tightly.

If this goes on, I can’t go back. And this situation would continue.

Should I struggle to get away? No, that won’t work. She was better than Aria and the others in fighting, and I wasn’t even in Hysteria Mode. I was currently the useless Normal Mode Kinji.

And since just now – Kaname had been making me do things like that, if I reject her, she would feel too shameful, right?

If she becomes violent because of that… I would have no possibility of defeating her.

(What, what should I do…!)

Also – everything that Kaname requests for me to do was everything I considered taboo.

But, to think about why I hated these things… it was because I was avoiding Hysteria Mode.

(… The blood flow…)

Previously, when I hugged her, I had already realized it.

Indeed – even if I got into such a situation, my body still wasn’t excited; it was neutral.

Although I don’t know why, it was very hard to go into Hysteria Mode because of Kaname.

Who knows, there might even be no chance of going into Hysteria Mode. After all, she is a rather immature girl.

Also, when I was kissed by Kaname in Aria’s hospital ward, I was left unscathed.

There’s actually someone like that who exists…

This kind of thing… for my future, there shouldn’t be a problem with checking this.

… I had no other alternative.

In life, there are times where we have to overcome obstacles – Nii-san told me that once.

Hence, I… whispered into Kaname’s ears.

“Ka-Kaname, after I do it, you must be obedient and let me go, ok?”

After I said that, Kaname nodded.

“I…I won’t do anymore of such things, are you ok with that?”

Kaname nodded.

“Also, don’t tell anyone else, ok?”

*nod*

She nodded thrice.

Hence, I – with a sacrificing mood –
“ – Nn –”

I obliged Kaname.

And kissed her.

At that moment, Kaname was – probably too excited as her body was constantly shaking.

From her elastic-feeling lips, warmness went into my mouth.

(…)

But, as I expected… it was the same as last time.

There was totally no strange feeling.

It was like in European or American movies where foreigners gave greeting kisses; there was only a close feeling.

Hysteria Mode didn’t occur.

When I was surprised over this matter –

“…Nn! …Nn…!”

A fuzzy sound came from Kaname’s throat as her arms moved to the back of my head.

Hey, hey! Don’t apply so much force on my head, how long are you intending to kiss me!

I should have agreed on how long the process was.

“Pwah! That’s too long!”

Feeling uncomfortable in breathing, I pushed Kaname’s head backwards –

Our lips parted as I panted heavily.

In my mouth… there was a sweet taste, similar to caramel. I guess Kaname ate a bit just now?

“… Hah, hah… Terrific, it’s terrific… Being kissed by the person you like, it’s actually, actually so… hah… Awesome… awesome… awesome…”

Kaname, who was still embracing me tightly, revealed a seemingly painful expression as she panted heavily –

“Hey, hey, Kaname, you can’t even speak clearly now, you know? Let me go now.”

“Phew, phew, that’s, that’s true, even, even my heart is going to stop – And, now I know. I can, I definitely can. This is possible, just a bit more, just a bit more and…”

“What are you talking about, hey, calm down.”

After I comforted Kaname, Kaname released her arms –

“Thank…thanks… Onii-chan, thanks… thanks for embracing me voluntarily, and kissing me…like this, it really…feels like we’ve become lovers…” She talked about some gibberish things in a soft voice.

Her tears dripped endlessly as if it was unstoppable due to being too touched.

She was so excited that I felt she was going to become dangerous… Hence I really need to make her calm down.

“… Kaname, you obviously are strong, but yet you are such a crybaby. Why are you crying?”

“Because, because Onii-chan, has accepted me, and loved, loved me. So I, I’m now, really blissful…really blissful…blissful… I’m totally filled with bliss…”

I couldn’t stand it anymore, so I used my hand to wipe her tears – But Kaname grabbed my hand with her feverish hand.

“Onii-chan, mine, is only mine, Onii-chan… Thank you, thank you for loving me…From this time onwards, you must continue to love me…”

Speaking these stuff intoxicatedly… her attitude, how do I put it…

Even I, the person who was totally unknown to the thing called love, understood.

This was really – the actions of a girl in love.

And, that kiss just now, had changed the relationship between Kaname and I into “lovers” –

And now, facing the person she was supposed to “date”, she had already started to feel shy.

Looks like the bliss from having her dream come true is already making her so happy that it was impossible for her to extricate herself.

Sigh, even though this is what Kaname self-proclaimed…

… But, how do I put it? I have an uneasy feeling.

Although it wasn’t a battle scene, I still had a bad feeling.

Kaname also stopped her actions –

In the end, since that time till now, I hadn’t even seen her appear.

Because Aria and the others were in the hospital, I finally experienced a normal day without hearing a gunshot.

Even so, according to the Butei Charter Article Section 7, “Be ready with pessimism. Act with optimism”, I need to think of the worst situation possible and not take the matter lightly.

Hence – I should go and check on the “Preventive Measure”.

“Fuuma. Hey, where are you?”

I called the name of the “Preventive Measure” softly, while walking towards a park at the edge of Academy Island. Yesterday, I… ordered my junior – Fuuma Hina to monitor Kaname, who said she was going to transfer into Butei High.

And I also told her to meet at this park…

But as I scanned my surroundings, I couldn’t even see a hint where Fuuma was.

It was autumn and dusk had fallen earlier, so my surroundings were dimly lit.

All I could hear was… only the sound of insects.

(Could it be that, because the surveillance had been found out… Fuuma had been attacked by Kaname?)

I looked suspicious as I took my phone to dial for –

(…?)

There seems to be a sounding bell, somewhere in the bamboo forest.

It seems to be Enka. This is… Night Sakura by Sakamoto Fuyumi. Previously, Fuuma and I had went to a Karaoke box for an internship, and she sang this song proudly. Because she sang it so nicely, I still remember it.

When I was heading into the forest –

“Master.”

In the bamboo forest, the bamboo shoot beside my foot talked. In a Fuuma-like voice.

Fumma, you… when were you reborn into a bamboo shoot?

Or is it that you used Tamamo’s shapeshifting trick to become a bamboo shoot? When did you learn it?

“…What are you doing?”

“This is the art of earth camouflage. Because Master told me to be careful not to reveal myself.”

Looks like the truth was much simpler than I thought. She merely dug a hole in the ground and hid in it.

And that bamboo shoot was a tube for breathing.

(There should be a better way to hide…)

I heard that Fuuma was the descendant of a famous ninja, so she came in handy for espionage.

But as everyone could see, her performance in other aspects was not on par with other people, hence she was assessed as a B-ranked Butei.

Although I am obviously worse than her at the point that I have useless juniors, but for some reason, Fuuma seems to respect me a lot. Hence, as long I tell her “This is a kind of practice”, she will do anything for me, so I guess that’s a virtue.

Also because of this, I treat her as my sister.

Now let’s not talk about how weird “A high school male student talking to a bamboo shoot” is,

“So? What have you found out?”

I asked the bamboo shoot beside my foot.

“Yes. As Master said, she has transferred into this school this morning. Because she is only fourteen, she entered Class 1C as an intern. Thankfully, she is coincidentally in the same class as your disciple Fuuma. As I heard from the Masters, she seems to have come from the US Butei Agency.”

US… Butei Agency…?

Looking at it again, Kaname and GIII seemed to have “US” printed on their protective gear, and Kaname also talked about the Tella NA in US Dollars.

The United States, huh.

Looks like things aren’t what I thought them to be.

“How is she in class?”

“Awe-inspiring style, bright in academics while good in sports, just like a model student. I heard that she had completed Satellite Communications in Massachusetts Institute of Technology at the age of twelve.”

“Really?”

“It seems so.”

Not just in fighting… but good in academics?

It couldn’t be seen from her actions at home.

“What about others? Like the evaluation by her classmates, or has she been prone to bullying or hate, that kind of thing?”

“All the students think of her as awesome. She is courteous and thoughtful, hence she is well-liked by all.”

Well-liked…?

Kaname… that girl.

She really knows how to behave in public.

“However, she is only close to the girls. She seems to keep a distance from the boys.”

“Oh… I thought so. So? What does she usually talk about with the girls?”

“She keeps on praising her onii-chan – which is you, Master. Because she is really good with speech, hence Master now has better evaluation by the people in 1C.”

B-better evaluation… please, stop it.

“For example, in last month’s survey, fifty percent of the girls know about Master’s nickname “Gloomy”. Everyone used to think that Master was a beast –”

Hey, Fuuma, do you really respect me?

Can you not do that kind of pointless surveys?

“But now, the girls in 1C are now interested in Master, and even your disciple Fuuma was asked a difficult question, “Is Hina dating Tohyama-senpai”. What do you think about that, Master?”

“My thoughts don’t matter.”

“What do you think about that, Master?”

“Didn’t I just say that? My thoughts don’t matter. But, about Kaname –”

I sighed.

“For now… there’s no problem, right? She’s unpredictable.”

Since Kaname showed that kind of attitude… Looks like she isn’t going to harm the other students.

I’m relieved.

Who knows, Kaname might actually have an obedient nature, and she isn’t acting as a good girl.

“Also, she mentioned something about her rules in life, like “No acts of violence towards others” and “No disobeying stronger people because it’s simply unreasonable”.”

This was our promise – and what Kaname once said. This was information that I already knew.

“…Ok, I understand. We shall conclude this investigation, thank you for this.”

“To be able to be at Master’s service, your disciple is honoured.”

After the bamboo shoot finished speaking, I was just about to leave –

“…Master.”

But I was called by the bamboo shoot.

“What do you want?”

“Um… I’m deeply ashamed. Actually, there is a drawback with this camouflage…”

“Drawback?”

“Which is, one cannot climb out”

“…Are you kidding me…”

This fellow really is useless.

Originally, I was going to leave her there, but I still decided to help her.

Then, I grabbed the bamboo pole…

“It’ll be ok once I pull this out, right?”

“Indeed. This way, I will be able to stretch out my hand and climb out.”

“Then I’ll pull it out now?”

“I’ll be grateful.”

After our mini-conversation, I pulled it hard.

But, this really was… buried firmly. It was like a real bamboo shoot.

What the hell? Why do I have to pull out a bamboo shoot in autumn? Moreover, I’m using my bare hands.

Pull…pull…pull…! After I tried to pull hard a few times…

Pop!

I finally pulled out the bamboo shoot. Below, a Fuuma wrapped in a plastic bag was revealed.

The structure was actually that simple!

Ka…sha…ka…sha…

Fuuma, with her back facing me, came out from the plastic bad like a butterfly after metamorphosis; jumping out of the bag… – Bam!

“Uh, ah!”

I was hit by Fuuma’s back and went a few steps backward, towards the direction of the bamboo shoots.

Then, my body pressed against the bamboo, as if using the bamboo as a slingshot –

And then bounced back towards Fuuma.

“Get, get out of the way!”

“–!”

“?”

Sha!

I accidentally pushed Fuuma from her back and fell.

“…!”

“…!”

And the final posture we landed in was –

Fuuma’s limbs were lying on the floor, while my body was lying on hers.

It was probably because of a habit from Assault that I supported Fuuma’s body by hugging her body which was clad in a sailor uniform.

It, it feels like it was I who threw myself on Fuuma…!

And beneath us, there was a sheet of plastic. Coincidentally.

“–You, youyouyouyou! What is this, Master!”

Fuuma, with her limbs on the ground, was extremely surprised.

She turned her head, and saw that my face was just at the back of her neck –

Resulting in her body freezing.

(Oh… Oh no…!)

This is bad…!

Even if it had been an unexpected situation, this accident could still make me guilty of sexual harassment, and I wouldn’t be able to deny it.

According to Butei High regulations, Fuuma was my Amica – in other words, something like my disciple.

If something like sexual harassment happened between Amica, the punishment would be much more serious. Because, to the judge, this would be considered as a despicable act of abuse.

I heard that the Masters’ corporal punishment was just nothing compared to the punishment for this crime.

The punishment from Butei High Masters was extremely strict, and even people who have seen it will never believe that Japan was a country ruled by law. It could last till about three days and three nights, and one would face such serious violent punishment that one would yell “Just kill me!” almost every half a minute. It was that scary.

Although I’m not sure if it’s good or bad, I didn’t enter Hysteria Mode, but to prevent myself from facing those charges, I racked my mind for a solution.

How am I going to survive this ordeal…!

“Mas-master… ah…?”

Ah.

This is not good.

Fuuma, she – started to have a shy voice.

“May I ask what, what, what does this mean…? If, if I do this with Master without being married… Your disciple, your disciple will get scolded by her parents!”

This was obviously a representative of Fuuma’s doubt…!

My brain…!

(…Quick, think of a solution!)

If I keep silent, this situation will become worse.

Anything is ok, just say something!

“This, this, this is, practice!”

I just had to blurt that out.

“Prac-practice…? Why was that so sudden…!”

“Bu-Butei need to be able to go against any kind of sudden situation!”

I had no other alternative…

Since I had already said it, I had to continue lying.

Although in a sense, it had already become a big wrong.

“What, what, what kind of practice is this! Your dis-disciple has never heard of this move!”

“No, this is, this is a practice to perfect a posture.”

“This, this posture? B-but, this really looks like, that, that, men and women –”

“Don’t be long-winded! At least, this can exercise the muscles. Start to do push-ups and stuff like that.”

“W-w-w-w-we actually have to do those up-and-down moves?”

“Don’t panic! What’s wrong with up-and-down moves! I’m saying, this is, this can make you overcome your weakness of panicking; it’s kind of killing two birds with one stone.”

“Your disciple’s… weakness…!”

“Since long ago, when you were training with me for unarmed combat, you had always been unfocused. If that happens in real combat, you will have to face defeat. So from today onwards, no matter what I do, don’t lose your focus!”

[[Image:Aria10 159.jpg|thumb]]

“Your, your disciple has understood.”

What? She understood that easily?

I was only making some random excuses… but Fuuma accepted that so easily.

It’s, it’s really good, I’m lucky that my “disciple” was an idiot.

“In-indeed – this can make me concentrate better than combat practice. Master is very smart.”

“Not bad, huh?”

“Um…so, your, your disciple is going to budge. Master, please be lenient.”

Fuuma looked downwards shyly… then according to my instructions, she did random sorts of push-ups. Together with her movements, I followed suit.

However, it seemed that carrying me on her back was too tough,

“…Hmp! Hah! Hoo! Hmp!...”

Fuuma’s panting seemed to get a bit hasty. She looked like it was tough.

But, she really is a descendant of a ninja, she could still endure it.

Ah… Anyone who saw a boy and a girl close together secretively at night would definitely misunderstand. So Fuuma was scared of these “up-and-down moves” because of this?

I guess we should change a position.

Hence, I moved my hands to Fuuma’s waist and propped my upper body.

When Fuuma saw that I had changed my position,

“…Is, is this, real-really practice? Master?”

She was uncertain of the new position and uttered those words. I could feel a sense of shyness from her words.

I guess so. After all, if I were Fuuma, I would be frightened.

However, I could not do anything else. After all, I needed to make sure Fuuma didn’t misunderstand, so that I would not be killed!

“Yes, it really is!”

“I-I understand.”

This girl understood again, huh. It’s a bit lucky that she has me as her Amica.

From her appearance, it was obvious that she would grow up to become a beauty.

If she had a malicious Amica, who knows what danger she would face. I mean, as long anyone tells her to do something weird and calls it “practice”, she would definitely oblige, right?

Well, it is similar to the current situation. Just that I’m not malicious.

(Looks like I really need to help her watch out, so that she would not be scammed…)

Just like this, after five minutes – “Very good! Like that, your concentration and muscular endurance have improved. Practice stops here, you can go back now.” I said irresponsibly, sending Fuuma off. Before leaving, she said, “I sincerely thank Master for this practice”, making me feel guilty of what I did just now…

(F-finally, I survived this ordeal…)

When I sighed,

…Rustle! Snipsnipsnip… Snap!...

“…?”

There was a noise coming from the forest.

Does that mean… we had been seen…? But, looking from here, the direction of the forest was unclear due to the darkness. So to say, my current location should be unclear as well, right? Don’t tell me there are other couples here?

Just to be safe, I readied my gun and crept towards the direction of the noise…

… Nobody.

“…?”

However, something was strange.

There was some bamboo that had been destroyed.

And… there were traces of gnawing and breaking made by hands. There’s even blood.

The gnawing traces were by a human, and it was by a relatively petite person. It was probably by a female. But what is that person doing? Don’t tell me she’s trying to eat bamboo? It’s not like she’s a panda.

...

There was now completely no noise other than the sounds of insects.

Hidan no Aria:Volume10 Chapter3

2013-07-10T04:23:25Z

Monsterbandage:

== 3rd Ammo - Secret of the Deep Blue -Deep Blue- ==

After I brought my self-proclaimed and publicly recognised sister, Tohyama Kaname back to my dorm –

“…?”

Because Shirayuki has been busy with the Cultural Festival, my room should be in a deep mess… But right now, it seemed to be quite organized and clean.

No, it’s overly clean.

Firstly, except for my shoes, there were no other shoes in the shoe cabinet.

Also, the living room and mini-room were also different. Aria’s heart-shaped pillow, Shirayuki’s clothes cabinet, Riko’s games – they were all gone.

But… my stuff still remained.

It feels like I’ve gone back to the time before Aria moved into my dorm.

“Hey, erm… Kaname, didn’t you say just now, something about trespassing in my room…” I asked. While the suspect who was in the washroom replied…

“This place is a Tohyama home, so Tohyama Kaname coming into this place should be no problem. After all, family members can go into family residences anytime they like.”

Then, she rinsed her mouth noisily.

Looking closely, the toothbrush cup that Kaname was holding matched my toothbrush cup. Where did she get that? This way, it already looked like we were siblings with a good relationship.”

“Why do I feel like there are many things that have disappeared…”

“I sent all the stuff with their scent to the hospital,” said Kaname with a look of displeasure.

“You did this kind of thing again…”

“The pillow with Aria’s smell, I sent it out after tearing it. Also, I either cut or creased the Shirayuki’s black lingerie and Riko’s games before sending them out. It was really tedious.”

“…”

“It should have already reached the hospital, I think? Pink-hair and the others will probably get a huge fright after opening the parcel. Hehe, I feel like jumping for joy just thinking about it.” Kaname said with a dark expression and gloomy smile – an icy chill ran down my spine.
How can there be such a sinister girl? This is unmatchable even by the dark side of Shirayuki when bullying Aria.

As an elder, I should warn her, right?

“Kaname, let me tell you.”

“Hm?”

While I scratched my head and put on an angry expression, Kaname seemed to have “Yes, what happened?” written on her face. She seemed to not know about whether she did something wrong.

“Erm… I know you don’t really like Aria and the others, but your approach is too nasty. For example, you took advantage of the fact that nobody was at home and destroyed other people’s things.”

“…Eh, why are you angry?”

“Although there was no other choice, but since you self-proclaim to be one of the Tohyamas, you must not do such despicable things from now on. Got it?” Using a tone that could make people stop retorting…

Kaname looked up at me with an aghast expression, then nodded her head.

'Hm…? How come she nodded at me that easily?'

“I-I know. Then, I will try my best to learn what are “despicable things”, and I will not do these things from this day onwards.”

For some reason, it feels like she is afraid of being hated by me. Even her body was trembling slightly.

“B-but – I also have something to warn Onii-chan!”

After Kaname shook her head like she was trying to revive her emotions, she used her eyes that had a strong will to look at me.

“…What is it?”

“Onii-chan’s taste of women is horrendous! A shorty, one that fakes purity, a fake fairy, a mute girl – I can’t believe Onii-chan keeps those weird and wacky things!”

Looking at her furious expression, I felt like recoiling.

What do you mean by “keep”? Are you treating them like pets? At least they are humans, right?

*sigh* Given those four derogatory remarks, I could already see who she was pointing to, so I’m not one to talk.

“Listen. Onii-chan is the best male in the world, but in this regard, Onii-chan is not conscious enough. You need to change your attitude of “As long it’s a girl, there’s no difference”. Those women are to~tally not worth Onii-chan’s love. That’s. Too. Un. Reason. Able!” Said Kaname, entering her preaching mode as she pointed at me with her index finger. Looks like she is angry at the fact that Aria was residing in my dorm.

Well, I do agree on that part. After all, I do feel helpless at the fact that they live in my dorm.

“ – Even that kind of woman wants to be Onii-chan’s girlfriend, that is simply inexcusable. Let’s say, all the women here are not allowed to do so. So, promise me one thing.”

“What is it?”

“Promise me not to touch or even worse, hug any girl other than me.”

“What promise, I never ever wanted to touch or hug any girl! Who would do that kind of thing!”

“Then promise me, swear to me, that you will not touch any woman other than me.”

“Yes, I swear!”

“If I see any woman trying to stick with my Onii-chan, I will assassinate her!”

“Hey, hey! To start, don’t keep talking about killing people. If you want to be by my side, then no matter what happens, don’t do anything violent, ok?” I emphasized.

Kaname stared at me…

And nodded earnestly again.

It feels like she really is my sister.

“…”

Just when I was suspecting whether she really understood that and started glaring hard at her –

“…Ah…”

Kaname looked up at my eyes which were staring at her, without blinking her eyes…

…Uwa…

Blushed inexplicably.

“Onii, Onii-chan…”

“What is it now?”

After being asked by me, Kaname was happy and bashful as she revealed a shy smile before bowing her head.

“So, so handsome.”

“What?”

“So hand. That sharp expression just now, made my heart skip a beat. A-and, the thought that we will be living together by ourselves just… just makes me feel like exploding. I don’t know, if it will be possible this time?”

“…?”

“Oh no.”

“What oh no?”

“Really like.”

“Hey, hey…”

“Like. Like. I like you a lot. What do I do?”

Kaname looked downwards. Her face, the back of her neck, and even her head was redder than a beetroot.

Looks like her face is all red, and I’m talking about the intense kind of red.

Although I hope that isn’t true, but according to the atmosphere, the words she uttered just now was definitely 100% sincere.

“I-I think that’s a bit contradicting of you.”

“Why?”

“Although I don’t admit it, but you self-proclaim to be my sister, right?”

“It isn’t self-proclamation, it is true.” Said Kaname, who looked up with her blushing face.

“…Since you say so, then isn’t talking about liking me too strange?”

“Eh? Why?”

“Why are you showing a face of sincere puzzlement? Is there a sister in this world that admits to liking her brother?”

“? ? ?”

Because it seemed that Kaname didn’t understand what I was saying, thus…

“I mean, there would be a problem with blood-related people saying that.”

I had to resort to carefully explaining to her about this general common sense that even made me feel ashamed by just talking about it.

“Blood relations are only a small problem.”

“You mean a huge problem! Go and study about the laws in Japan!”

“That’s my line. Although marriage is forbidden, love is still legitimate!”

Damn… a lawless is actually talking to me about the law.

Just when I had nothing to say after her rebuttal –

“Onii-chan! Like, like, like, I really like! Like, like…”

Taking hold of the opportunity, Kaname leaned on my body while acting like a spoilt kitten.

It feels as if she is in a trance. Am I a silver vine?

“No, don’t cling onto me! Also, more importantly, what is good about me that is worthy of being liked?”

I used a puzzled expression to look at this beautiful yet strange girl.

And all she did was to maintain her terrifying state…

“Yeah, yeah, there are lots of them – For examples, your looks…"
“My looks? I think you better visit the optometrist. In the eyes of most girls, my looks are that of a gloomy person, you know?”

“There’s no such thing, you’re handsome.”

From Kaname’s eyes, I could see that she was serious.

“How can I be handsome. I –”

Kaname interrupted me in mid-sentence and hugged my body tightly. Then, she used her hand to stroke my back gently.

It-it tickles! What kind of trick is this, I am getting goosebumps!

“Oh, and… I also like your gentle personality. Onii-chan is extremely gentle to me, and even bought milk candy for me.”

“Come on, are you a child that has been abducted with candy? That thing is only worth 105 yen.”

“The price doesn’t matter. I still have the candy wrapping. I shall write today’s date on it, then keep it for my lifetime.”

“…”

Just now, my words, “what is good about me that is worthy of being liked”, seemed to have become a landmine –

This ended up in Kaname saying stuff about what she likes about me. Endless praises came out of her mouth, causing me to have goosebumps. She was talking about it to the extent that it looked as if she was worshipping the gods.

Even when I was sick of her praises and went to brew coffee, she tagged along, her mouth full of praises.

It seemed that Kaname’s world was overflowing with love, and no obstacle could stop her.

This woman really isn’t normal in any bit.

She actually turned out to be so fond of me… Looks like I shouldn’t advise her to go to the optometrist, but instead the psychiatrist.

Although Kaname promised me to restrain herself from committing violent acts, I just couldn’t trust her.

If I were to evict her, there is no guarantee that she will not do anything violent, and she would probably start a comprehensive war with Aria.

So…

It looks like my last resort is to let this strange girl, Kaname stay in my room.

Moreover, Kaname is a subordinate of GIII. To Deen, she can be regarded as a guest.

(Although they gave me a bullshit task of “Romeo”…”)

I once heard from Shiranui that a “Romeo” task is different from “Honey Trap” in the way that “Romeo” doesn’t start with using the body to lure the other party. Instead, it was to let the other party have a good impression of you.

However, when I look at it, the first step probably has been completed, I’m sure? After all, since the start, Kaname had already had a good impression of me.

But what do I do next… I don’t know, neither did I want to know.

Thus, I escaped reality by reading books and watched DVDs. Unconsciously, time flew by and it was already nighttime.

By the way, throughout this whole period of time, Kaname was like a small duck who recognized a wrong mother duck. She kept on following me, even to the extent that she followed me to the washroom.

This also remained the same when I was watching TV on the sofa. As I watched the TV programmes, she sat beside me, grinning.

A normal man would probably be happy if there was such a beauty beside him, right? But now the situation was happening to me. Because she really made me feel uneasy, when it was evening, I warned her sternly to move away.

In the end, she stood behind the kitchen curtain, revealing only half of her body and face. Then, she looked at me for a full two hours.

Because that made me feel peculiar, I said angrily, “Don’t do that either.” –

And she went into the kitchen.

“…”

It felt like if I went to look at her, I would have lost some kind of battle, hence I decided to continue watching TV.

*Chk* – *Chk* –…

(…?)

There seemed to be a weird noise coming from the kitchen.

*Chk* – *Chk* – *Chk* –…

After thirty seconds, I finally admitted defeat and turned to look,

“Uh!”

I couldn’t help but to make a sound.

K-Kaname… she was actually sharpening my kitchen knife.

And she was wearing a sailor uniform with a fluttery skirt (she apparently took Riko’s for her own use).

“What…what are you doing?”

“Preparing to cook dishes, Onii-chan.”

– I’m not your onii-chan.

Since things have become like this, it would be foolish to emphasize this fact with her.

Although I think I was losing in patience to her, but never mind.

“This is a good kitchen knife.”

Kaname grabbed the knife and showed it to me, smiling.

How do I put it…When Kaname… is holding a sharp object… her expression seems to have a unique sense of terror.

Who knows, she may just like sharp objects like her broadsword. It feels as if she has changed, her eyes were slightly stiff.

“Erm…I heard that that knife was a branded one from Seki, please don’t break it. It belongs to Shirayuki.”

“I know that, I could determine from the smell. But since it’s something useful, I confiscated it. This skirt was also confiscated.”

After Kaname used her index finger to twirl the kitchen knife, she inversed her hand, taking the knife and putting in on the chopping block.

“We are a family of two, so let the little sister be responsible for cooking. From today onwards, I will personally make fresh and hot food for Onii-chan to eat.”

“What… dishes don’t fit with your image, right? Why do you want to do this?”

“I want to replace Hotogi Shirayuki.”

“…?”

“Kanzaki Aria, Hotogi Shirayuki and Mine Riko. They obviously aren’t our family, yet they reside in this dorm. Which means, those women have good skills, right? So what I want to do is to take up all the responsibilities and acquire their skills so that they will have no use. Hm, it’s very reasonable, right?”

After exposing her devilish smile –

She equipped a pair of crimson-colored sunglasses.

I have seen… that thing before.

That was what she was wearing when she was fighting with Aria and the others.

“What’s that? That isn’t a weapon, right?”

“The Tella Net Assist System – Um, how should I put it. It is something like a integration of a cell phone, Internet, broadcast and military radio? It is a high-dimensional intelligence interface. Basically, this thing can read my brainwave patterns, then shows the things that are recommended based on the patterns.”

“It shows, huh… but… why don’t I see it?”

“You can’t see it from the front as this monitor is made of an optical multilayer screen. Above, there is a layer of translucent liquid crystal film. Necessary information will be continuously displayed at the top. It feels like the thoughts of the brain are directly connected with the network.”

“I have never even heard of such thing. Which company came up with it?”

“It isn’t for sale. Because it is still testing, so it should be expensive. One of this would probably take about twenty to thirty million U.S. dollars. Only the Pentagon and Los Alamos uses it. To me, it is my cell phone.”

Twenty to thirty U.S. dollars…?

One U.S. dollar is about eighty Japanese yen. So that is – a cell phone that costs about two-two billion yen!

Just as my eyes were open in amazement, Kaname opened a PC Game box that was on the table

…That box, it seems familiar.

Isn’t that the game that I bought for Riko as payment for the information about Aria –

The so-called “gal-game” thing? “My Sister is a Goth Lolita”?

“Hey, that thing is…”

“A game. That is also one of the things that I confiscated from Mine Riko. I confiscated it because that fake fairy learnt how to make Onii-chan like her from this game.”

Kaname used a device similar to tweezers to grip the disc from the box.

Then, the disc started to rotate.

Looks like she was using the device to read the information in the disc, then used the thing called “Tella Net Assist” to investigate the contents.

“Especially this one, because it’s based on the theme of a younger sister’s love story. In order to let Onii-chan like me, I will try hard.”

“Don’t learn that kind of stuff! Moreover, that thing is R-rated – In short, you shouldn't access those stuff at your age.”

“Hm, looks like it’s better to make simple food.”

Kaname turned a deaf ear to me and put the disc and device on the table –

“Also, having the sister cooking dishes is the correct option. According to the contents, the relationship of the brother and sister is supposed to be improved through daily life. And, when making dishes – I must do this?”

As she said that, she crouched slightly, pointing her buttocks at me.
From her back, it was possible to catch a glimpse of her apron… Below the ribbon on her back, a pair of white thighs revealed themselves below the skirt.

As Kaname prepared the things she needed for cooking, her skirt would float according to her motion. It was a very tempting sight indeed.

If it was a normal man… he would not help but want to touch it and thus preventing her from making dishes, right? It would definitely be irresistible.

“Before finishing the dishes, the cute little sister needs to do this – exposing her back to the unsuspecting brother. Onii-chan, how does it feel? Are you in the least interested in Kaname’s thighs?”

“No, don’t say those disgusting things.”

“Just as the game starts, there isn’t a problem with touching it, you know? There also an option for “Lifting the skirt up from behind”.”

Kaname turned her head to look at me in such a manner that it looked like she was trying to read my thought.

“Are you an idiot, the only option I will choose is “Ignore”.”

Kaname muttered, “Onii-chan is so unreasonable~”, before opening the refrigerator and looked at the stuff inside –

[[Image:Aria10 131.jpg|thumb]]

“Mm, since there are these ingredients in the refrigerator, we’ll make curry.”

She probably used that Tella NA thing to check out what dishes she could make with the ingredients.

Wow, the things used to do with something worth a few hundred million yen are actually gaming and reading recipes.

I’m sure the developer in the Pentagon or elsewhere would cry if he or she heard of this.

“I’m done, Onii-chan!”

I walked into the living room after hearing Kaname’s lively call.

She… actually made curry.

Although it smells supposedly nice, I still didn’t lower my guard. Only after I swapped our plates did I take my seat.”

“How hateful, I obviously won’t poison it.”

After Kaname smiled bitterly, she sat across me happily.

The curry looked really ordinary, so I tasted a bit…

Of course, it tasted ordinary. Sigh, after all, no matter who cooks curry, it would taste nice.

Looking up, Kaname was eating the curry slowly.

“This kind of thing really makes me happy.”

“Is that like, the lines of the game?”

“Course not. The game is only for reference. This is my true feelings. I’m extra happy now.”

“What’s there to be happy about?”

“This is home, and this is family… something like that. Because this is the first time I’ve done this.”

“Done what? You mean eating at home?”

“Yup. Especially the point that I’m not consuming nutritional supplements, but instead, real food. It’s really tasty. Ah, it’s a bit weird to praise my own self, hehehe. So, Onii-chan, how does it taste? Is it nice?”

“Yeah, it’s nice.”

Because this really tasted not bad, I gave her a natural reply.

But as a result, she gave me a shy expression – She looked at me, ate a bit of curry, looked at me again and ate a bit of curry. She repeated this process, looking happily.

A person who can get so happy just by eating curry at home… This is the first time I’ve ever seen someone like that.

“You do have your own home, right?”

Because I was hoping she would go home ASAP, I asked her that question –

“No, I don’t have a home. Even though I have somewhere to live, that isn’t really a home.” Replied Kaname, whose face expressed a little sadness.

Somehow… it feels like she is running away from home.

“To me, this is my first home. This place belongs to Onii-chan and I – a home of the Tohyamas. Only family members can live here. And talking about family, only Onii-chan and I are included. So, at home, I have Onii-chan exclusively to me. This is the privilege of being a sister!”

“…”

Just because she had been playing house with me for this period of time, Kaname seemed to already be in ecstasy.

But… the incredible thing is…

Perhaps because I had always eaten stuff from convenience stores or luxurious dishes made by Shirayuki, this ordinary dinner at home… seems to give me a good feeling.

It reminds me of how I enjoyed dinner with my family when I was young.

Even the taste seemed to resemble the taste of the food back then.
The next morning, I was awakened by Kaname’s “Sister Alarm Clock”, in which she used a spoon to hit a pan to wake me up. After that, I ate the toast and fried egg that she prepared for me. This time, I didn’t swap our plates.

Looking closer, it seemed that Kaname had woken up really early to finish the housework. The house had become extremely clean, while our clothes were being hung out on the balcony. Her diligence seemed to match that of Shirayuki’s.

Then, two of us took the bus. I was shot curious looks by the Butei High students.

Soon, Kaname alighted at Masters.

Although it’s unsafe to let her go off herself… but at least, we had made an agreement.

Also, I am, after all, a Butei. In addition to her agreement, I also prepared some preventive measures. However, it isn’t too perfect.

(But will it be that easy for that girl to transfer into this school?)

I thought about this throughout the general subjects…

Because it was lunchtime, I stood up and started walking to the school canteen.

“Well… can you help me call my Onii-chan? My name is Tohyama Kaname.”

It was the voice of Kaname, from the rear of the classroom.

“…Ah!”

I turned my head. Indeed, Kaname was standing there, wearing a sailor uniform…

She came… she came to my classroom!

The girls started shouting “So cute!” before touching Kaname’s head, while the boys began to stir at the sight of Kaname.

“Hey, hey…! Why are you here?”

I walked towards the rear in panic. Then, the boys followed me. What, what are you doing, guys?

“Seriously! Onii-chan, you forgot to bring your lunch!”

Her tone hardened as she saw me, totally different from what she was when she entered the classroom; gracious and kind-looking. It really looked like she was my little sister.

Then, plop!

She gave me a small basket filled with sandwiches.

Although I took the basket, I didn’t remember anything about preparing a lunch. What is she planning to do?

“She appeared! The rumoured sister!”

“Wow, she really exists!”

“Super cute!”

“I can’t believe it’s Kinji’s sister!”

Of course you won’t believe it, because even I don’t.

“Kinji, to what extent do you have to be a winner in life!”

“He actually has such a beautiful sister!”

“How enviable!”

The boys started to knock my head and kick me.

“Stop, why do I have to get hit!”

Even if there was a beautiful sister, the brother shouldn’t have anything to be happy about!

No, after all, I’m just a novice brother (this is what Kaname claimed, though), so I’m not so sure.

I pushed Muto, who was shouting “Exchange your sister with mine!” away, before pointing my Desert Eagle to ward off the other boys. Then, I pushed Kaname to the corridor.

After that, I endured the pain in my right knee and ran up the stairs, pulling Kaname into a deserted locker room and locked the door.

“…Oh!”

Then I noticed… what Kaname did just now was one of her tricks.

This girl, trying to make sure I admit that she’s my little sister, had “Kinji’s little sister” engraved in the minds of the people.

Just now, she used a trick, acting out a scene of “the daily life of Kinji and Kaname”.

… Unbelievable. She was obviously younger than me, but yet had a really smart brain.

“Hey, Kaname! Don’t come to the second year classroom!”

“Mm, I won’t go anymore.”

Her smiling face proved my theory – she only needed to make sure that people know I have a little sister. That was probably done, I’m sure?

“But… it feels really exciting to meet in the school. Originally, I could have Onii-chan exclusively to me, but now, it seems that I have to be more secretive in school. This feels terrific. I’m sure many girls who have a crush on Onii-chan now feel unwilling, right? Hehe. There’s a feel of superiority.”

Looking at Kaname talking shyly, with her hands holding her cheeks –

I was just going to lecture her on her actions,

“I heard a lot about Onii-chan, from my friends and senpais.

“What…?”

“Many people said, Onii-chan used to powerful Assault Butei. Many Assault Butei have good impressions of Onii-chan. Indeed, Onii-chan is really strong. Although your cold personality hasn’t really changed.”

She actually… went to investigate about such unnecessary matters.

“My past doesn’t have anything to do with you, right?”

“I just wanted to know more about things regarding Onii-chan. Ah, and…”

Kaname revealed a naughty smile.

“During morning break, a boy I didn’t know – brought me to a deserted place.”

“What…?”

“Then, he gave me a letter. I guess it’s a love letter?”

Ooh… it’s that kind of topic.

There’s actually someone that quick?

“…”

Because it was a topic I wasn’t good in, I was silent. Seeing this, Kaname took out an envelope from her skirt pocket.

“Um, what should I do? Can I treat him as a boyfriend for practice?”

As she said that, she took out the letter and gave it to me –

I thought for a while and decided to confirm the contents of the letter.

Where did this idiot come from? He only judged by Kaname’s looks. Does he know how dangerous she is?

Kaname too. She was the one who warned me not to touch other women –

“…?”

When I opened the letter –

“That was a lie, Onii-chan. Are you jealous?”

I actually saw this written neatly on the paper –

Hence, I looked up and prepared to launch a fist at Kaname, but trying to stop me from doing that, she hugged me tightly.

“Kaname… Can you not do this kind of inexplicable pranks?”

“Hehe! This is to confirm Onii-chan’s love. Seeing how unhappy Onii-chan was for me, I’m really glad. Onii-chan has started to love me, no, he has already loved me.”

Kaname was full of joy as she looked at me, intoxicated with slightly stiff eyes.

“N-no way. It’s just that if there’s a guy who wants to be close to you, that guy would be in constant danger –”

“Hehe! Don’t worry, Onii-chan, there’s no need to be jealous. Even if I am really wooed by someone, I will definitely not talk to the other guy. That’s because I hate boys. Onii-chan too, I heard that you are one who hates women.”

For some reason, Kaname seemed to be happy at the fact that I hated women –

“We really are alike,” said Kaname.

“…I guess so.”

After all, when we were on the bus the previous day, she seemed to be avoiding the boys.

When I agreed with her on this point –

“After all, we are siblings.”

Kaname gave me a blissful and intoxicated smile –

“Ah, what do I do? I’m too happy. My “like trigger” has been activated. I can’t go back to the classroom.”

“What is a “like trigger”…Don’t be long-winded, just go back to class, even though I don’t know which class you are in.”

“Onii-chan, Onii-chan – Accept my request, hug.”

“Hug?”

“I meant, hug me tightly.”

“Why!”

“Because I want to. So, please, hug me tightly. Tight~ly. That way, I can go back obediently,” said Kaname enthusiastically, with her face on my chest. Her arm was also clutching my back.

If this goes on, even I can’t go back.

If this can make her go back, just hug her.

“…”

To be safe, I made sure that the door was locked and nobody was around, then –

*hug*

I hugged Kaname, in a style for comforting little children.

“Ah…ah…Onii-chan…Onii, Onii-chan…” Said Kaname, whom was being embraced by me, in a sweet voice.

A teardrop trickled down her cheek and fell to her feet.

She…she actually cried in joy.

How do I put it… she really is a child with an unstable mood.

Perhaps every girl at her age is like her.

“Hey, hey… are you ok?”

Kaname raised her head, revealing an idle expression.

“No-nothing. I can’t take it anymore, can’t, stifle it. I, I can’t stop!”

From her tearful eyes, I could tell that she seemed to be unable to restrain some kind of desire.

She used to have a doll-like look and was polite to the classmates…

But now, she seemed to give out a different atmosphere. Judging from what she said just now, she was probably too excited because of meeting in school, I’m sure?

“Onii-chan, for to-today, I won’t have anymore requests, So –”

Said Kaname, who seemed to be full of pleasure…

She was even panting, giving out a caramel scent.

“Please, please, kiss me – Kissing me is enough –”

Hey, hey…!

What do you think you’re doing!

This is called pushing your luck too far, right?

What a tough girl. Just because I gave way a little, she starts to pressure me.

“Stop bullshitting, I thought we were siblings to you!”

“That’s why. So, it’s possible…Please, Onii-chan, kiss me…”

Kaname was already speechless.

Then, she parted her lips slightly, in a way that resembled sleep… she closed her eyes.

This action… even I knew what it meant.

Kaname was waiting for me. Waiting for me, to… do that.

“…Mm…”

Kaname continued to hold my body tightly.

If this goes on, I can’t go back. And this situation would continue.

Should I struggle to get away? No, that won’t work. She was better than Aria and the others in fighting, and I wasn’t even in Hysteria Mode. I was currently the useless Normal Mode Kinji.

And since just now – Kaname had been making me do things like that, if I reject her, she would feel too shameful, right?

If she becomes violent because of that… I would have no possibility of defeating her.

(What, what should I do…!)

Also – everything that Kaname requests for me to do was everything I considered taboo.

But, to think about why I hated these things… it was because I was avoiding Hysteria Mode.

(… The blood flow…)

Previously, when I hugged her, I had already realized it.

Indeed – even if I got into such a situation, my body still wasn’t excited; it was neutral.

Although I don’t know why, it was very hard to go into Hysteria Mode because of Kaname.

Who knows, there might even be no chance of going into Hysteria Mode. After all, she is a rather immature girl.

Also, when I was kissed by Kaname in Aria’s hospital ward, I was left unscathed.

There’s actually someone like that who exists…

This kind of thing… for my future, there shouldn’t be a problem with checking this.

… I had no other alternative.

In life, there are times where we have to overcome obstacles – Nii-san told me that once.

Hence, I… whispered into Kaname’s ears.

“Ka-Kaname, after I do it, you must be obedient and let me go, ok?”

After I said that, Kaname nodded.

“I…I won’t do anymore of such things, are you ok with that?”

Kaname nodded.

“Also, don’t tell anyone else, ok?”

*nod*

She nodded thrice.

Hence, I – with a sacrificing mood –
“ – Nn –”

I obliged Kaname.

And kissed her.

At that moment, Kaname was – probably too excited as her body was constantly shaking.

From her elastic-feeling lips, warmness went into my mouth.

(…)

But, as I expected… it was the same as last time.

There was totally no strange feeling.

It was like in European or American movies where foreigners gave greeting kisses; there was only a close feeling.

Hysteria Mode didn’t occur.

When I was surprised over this matter –

“…Nn! …Nn…!”

A fuzzy sound came from Kaname’s throat as her arms moved to the back of my head.

Hey, hey! Don’t apply so much force on my head, how long are you intending to kiss me!

I should have agreed on how long the process was.

“Pwah! That’s too long!”

Feeling uncomfortable in breathing, I pushed Kaname’s head backwards –

Our lips parted as I panted heavily.

In my mouth… there was a sweet taste, similar to caramel. I guess Kaname ate a bit just now?

“… Hah, hah… Terrific, it’s terrific… Being kissed by the person you like, it’s actually, actually so… hah… Awesome… awesome… awesome…”

Kaname, who was still embracing me tightly, revealed a seemingly painful expression as she panted heavily –

“Hey, hey, Kaname, you can’t even speak clearly now, you know? Let me go now.”

“Phew, phew, that’s, that’s true, even, even my heart is going to stop – And, now I know. I can, I definitely can. This is possible, just a bit more, just a bit more and…”

“What are you talking about, hey, calm down.”

After I comforted Kaname, Kaname released her arms –

“Thank…thanks… Onii-chan, thanks… thanks for embracing me voluntarily, and kissing me…like this, it really…feels like we’ve become lovers…” She talked about some gibberish things in a soft voice.

Her tears dripped endlessly as if it was unstoppable due to being too touched.

She was so excited that I felt she was going to become dangerous… Hence I really need to make her calm down.

“… Kaname, you obviously are strong, but yet you are such a crybaby. Why are you crying?”

“Because, because Onii-chan, has accepted me, and loved, loved me. So I, I’m now, really blissful…really blissful…blissful… I’m totally filled with bliss…”

I couldn’t stand it anymore, so I used my hand to wipe her tears – But Kaname grabbed my hand with her feverish hand.

“Onii-chan, mine, is only mine, Onii-chan… Thank you, thank you for loving me…From this time onwards, you must continue to love me…”

Speaking these stuff intoxicatedly… her attitude, how do I put it…

Even I, the person who was totally unknown to the thing called love, understood.

This was really – the actions of a girl in love.

And, that kiss just now, had changed the relationship between Kaname and I into “lovers” –

And now, facing the person she was supposed to “date”, she had already started to feel shy.

Looks like the bliss from having her dream come true is already making her so happy that it was impossible for her to extricate herself.

Sigh, even though this is what Kaname self-proclaimed…

… But, how do I put it? I have an uneasy feeling.

Although it wasn’t a battle scene, I still had a bad feeling.

Kaname also stopped her actions –

In the end, since that time till now, I hadn’t even seen her appear.

Because Aria and the others were in the hospital, I finally experienced a normal day without hearing a gunshot.

Even so, according to the Butei Charter Article Section 7, “Be ready with pessimism. Act with optimism”, I need to think of the worst situation possible and not take the matter lightly.

Hence – I should go and check on the “Preventive Measure”.

“Fuuma. Hey, where are you?”

I called the name of the “Preventive Measure” softly, while walking towards a park at the edge of Academy Island. Yesterday, I… ordered my junior – Fuuma Hina to monitor Kaname, who said she was going to transfer into Butei High.

And I also told her to meet at this park…

But as I scanned my surroundings, I couldn’t even see a hint where Fuuma was.

It was autumn and dusk had fallen earlier, so my surroundings were dimly lit.

All I could hear was… only the sound of insects.

(Could it be that, because the surveillance had been found out… Fuuma had been attacked by Kaname?)

I looked suspicious as I took my phone to dial for –

(…?)

There seems to be a sounding bell, somewhere in the bamboo forest.

It seems to be Enka. This is… Night Sakura by Sakamoto Fuyumi. Previously, Fuuma and I had went to a Karaoke box for an internship, and she sang this song proudly. Because she sang it so nicely, I still remember it.

When I was heading into the forest –

“Master.”

In the bamboo forest, the bamboo shoot beside my foot talked. In a Fuuma-like voice.

Fumma, you… when were you reborn into a bamboo shoot?

Or is it that you used Tamamo’s shapeshifting trick to become a bamboo shoot? When did you learn it?

“…What are you doing?”

“This is the art of earth camouflage. Because Master told me to be careful not to reveal myself.”

Looks like the truth was much simpler than I thought. She merely dug a hole in the ground and hid in it.

And that bamboo shoot was a tube for breathing.

(There should be a better way to hide…)

I heard that Fuuma was the descendant of a famous ninja, so she came in handy for espionage.

But as everyone could see, her performance in other aspects was not on par with other people, hence she was assessed as a B-ranked Butei.

Although I am obviously worse than her at the point that I have useless juniors, but for some reason, Fuuma seems to respect me a lot. Hence, as long I tell her “This is a kind of practice”, she will do anything for me, so I guess that’s a virtue.

Also because of this, I treat her as my sister.

Now let’s not talk about how weird “A high school male student talking to a bamboo shoot” is,

“So? What have you found out?”

I asked the bamboo shoot beside my foot.

“Yes. As Master said, she has transferred into this school this morning. Because she is only fourteen, she entered Class 1C as an intern. Thankfully, she is coincidentally in the same class as your disciple Fuuma. As I heard from the Masters, she seems to have come from the US Butei Agency.”

US… Butei Agency…?

Looking at it again, Kaname and GIII seemed to have “US” printed on their protective gear, and Kaname also talked about the Tella NA in US Dollars.

The United States, huh.

Looks like things aren’t what I thought them to be.

“How is she in class?”

“Awe-inspiring style, bright in academics while good in sports, just like a model student. I heard that she had completed Satellite Communications in Massachusetts Institute of Technology at the age of twelve.”

“Really?”

“It seems so.”

Not just in fighting… but good in academics?

It couldn’t be seen from her actions at home.

“What about others? Like the evaluation by her classmates, or has she been prone to bullying or hate, that kind of thing?”

“All the students think of her as awesome. She is courteous and thoughtful, hence she is well-liked by all.”

Well-liked…?

Kaname… that girl.

She really knows how to behave in public.

“However, she is only close to the girls. She seems to keep a distance from the boys.”

“Oh… I thought so. So? What does she usually talk about with the girls?”

“She keeps on praising her onii-chan – which is you, Master. Because she is really good with speech, hence Master now has better evaluation by the people in 1C.”

B-better evaluation… please, stop it.

“For example, in last month’s survey, fifty percent of the girls know about Master’s nickname “Gloomy”. Everyone used to think that Master was a beast –”

Hey, Fuuma, do you really respect me?

Can you not do that kind of pointless surveys?

“But now, the girls in 1C are now interested in Master, and even your disciple Fuuma was asked a difficult question, “Is Hina dating Tohyama-senpai”. What do you think about that, Master?”

“My thoughts don’t matter.”

“What do you think about that, Master?”

“Didn’t I just say that? My thoughts don’t matter. But, about Kaname –”

I sighed.

“For now… there’s no problem, right? She’s unpredictable.”

Since Kaname showed that kind of attitude… Looks like she isn’t going to harm the other students.

I’m relieved.

Who knows, Kaname might actually have an obedient nature, and she isn’t acting as a good girl.

“Also, she mentioned something about her rules in life, like “No acts of violence towards others” and “No disobeying stronger people because it’s simply unreasonable”.”

This was our promise – and what Kaname once said. This was information that I already knew.

“…Ok, I understand. We shall conclude this investigation, thank you for this.”

“To be able to be at Master’s service, your disciple is honoured.”

After the bamboo shoot finished speaking, I was just about to leave –

“…Master.”

But I was called by the bamboo shoot.

“What do you want?”

“Um… I’m deeply ashamed. Actually, there is a drawback with this camouflage…”

“Drawback?”

“Which is, one cannot climb out”

“…Are you kidding me…”

This fellow really is useless.

Originally, I was going to leave her there, but I still decided to help her.

Then, I grabbed the bamboo pole…

“It’ll be ok once I pull this out, right?”

“Indeed. This way, I will be able to stretch out my hand and climb out.”

“Then I’ll pull it out now?”

“I’ll be grateful.”

After our mini-conversation, I pulled it hard.

But, this really was… buried firmly. It was like a real bamboo shoot.

What the hell? Why do I have to pull out a bamboo shoot in autumn? Moreover, I’m using my bare hands.

Pull…pull…pull…! After I tried to pull hard a few times…

Pop!

I finally pulled out the bamboo shoot. Below, a Fuuma wrapped in a plastic bag was revealed.

The structure was actually that simple!

Ka…sha…ka…sha…

Fuuma, with her back facing me, came out from the plastic bad like a butterfly after metamorphosis; jumping out of the bag… – Bam!

“Uh, ah!”

I was hit by Fuuma’s back and went a few steps backward, towards the direction of the bamboo shoots.

Then, my body pressed against the bamboo, as if using the bamboo as a slingshot –

And then bounced back towards Fuuma.

“Get, get out of the way!”

“–!”

“?”

Sha!

I accidentally pushed Fuuma from her back and fell.

“…!”

“…!”

And the final posture we landed in was –

Fuuma’s limbs were lying on the floor, while my body was lying on hers.

It was probably because of a habit from Assault that I supported Fuuma’s body by hugging her body which was clad in a sailor uniform.

It, it feels like it was I who threw myself on Fuuma…!

And beneath us, there was a sheet of plastic. Coincidentally.

“–You, youyouyouyou! What is this, Master!”

Fuuma, with her limbs on the ground, was extremely surprised.

She turned her head, and saw that my face was just at the back of her neck –

Resulting in her body freezing.

(Oh… Oh no…!)

This is bad…!

Even if it had been an unexpected situation, this accident could still make me guilty of sexual harassment, and I wouldn’t be able to deny it.

According to Butei High regulations, Fuuma was my Amica – in other words, something like my disciple.

If something like sexual harassment happened between Amica, the punishment would be much more serious. Because, to the judge, this would be considered as a despicable act of abuse.

I heard that the Masters’ corporal punishment was just nothing compared to the punishment for this crime.

The punishment from Butei High Masters was extremely strict, and even people who have seen it will never believe that Japan was a country ruled by law. It could last till about three days and three nights, and one would face such serious violent punishment that one would yell “Just kill me!” almost every half a minute. It was that scary.

Although I’m not sure if it’s good or bad, I didn’t enter Hysteria Mode, but to prevent myself from facing those charges, I racked my mind for a solution.

How am I going to survive this ordeal…!

“Mas-master… ah…?”

Ah.

This is not good.

Fuuma, she – started to have a shy voice.

“May I ask what, what, what does this mean…? If, if I do this with Master without being married… Your disciple, your disciple will get scolded by her parents!”

This was obviously a representative of Fuuma’s doubt…!

My brain…!

(…Quick, think of a solution!)

If I keep silent, this situation will become worse.

Anything is ok, just say something!

“This, this, this is, practice!”

I just had to blurt that out.

“Prac-practice…? Why was that so sudden…!”

“Bu-Butei need to be able to go against any kind of sudden situation!”

I had no other alternative…

Since I had already said it, I had to continue lying.

Although in a sense, it had already become a big wrong.

“What, what, what kind of practice is this! Your dis-disciple has never heard of this move!”

“No, this is, this is a practice to perfect a posture.”

“This, this posture? B-but, this really looks like, that, that, men and women –”

“Don’t be long-winded! At least, this can exercise the muscles. Start to do push-ups and stuff like that.”

“W-w-w-w-we actually have to do those up-and-down moves?”

“Don’t panic! What’s wrong with up-and-down moves! I’m saying, this is, this can make you overcome your weakness of panicking; it’s kind of killing two birds with one stone.”

“Your disciple’s… weakness…!”

“Since long ago, when you were training with me for unarmed combat, you had always been unfocused. If that happens in real combat, you will have to face defeat. So from today onwards, no matter what I do, don’t lose your focus!”

[[Image:Aria10 159.jpg|thumb]]

“Your, your disciple has understood.”

What? She understood that easily?

I was only making some random excuses… but Fuuma accepted that so easily.

It’s, it’s really good, I’m lucky that my “disciple” was an idiot.

“In-indeed – this can make me concentrate better than combat practice. Master is very smart.”

“Not bad, huh?”

“Um…so, your, your disciple is going to budge. Master, please be lenient.”

Fuuma looked downwards shyly… then according to my instructions, she did random sorts of push-ups. Together with her movements, I followed suit.

However, it seemed that carrying me on her back was too tough,

“…Hmp! Hah! Hoo! Hmp!...”

Fuuma’s panting seemed to get a bit hasty. She looked like it was tough.

But, she really is a descendant of a ninja, she could still endure it.

Ah… Anyone who saw a boy and a girl close together secretively at night would definitely misunderstand. So Fuuma was scared of these “up-and-down moves” because of this?

I guess we should change a position.

Hence, I moved my hands to Fuuma’s waist and propped my upper body.

When Fuuma saw that I had changed my position,

“…Is, is this, real-really practice? Master?”

She was uncertain of the new position and uttered those words. I could feel a sense of shyness from her words.

I guess so. After all, if I were Fuuma, I would be frightened.

However, I could not do anything else. After all, I needed to make sure Fuuma didn’t misunderstand, so that I would not be killed!

“Yes, it really is!”

“I-I understand.”

This girl understood again, huh. It’s a bit lucky that she has me as her Amica.

From her appearance, it was obvious that she would grow up to become a beauty.

If she had a malicious Amica, who knows what danger she would face. I mean, as long anyone tells her to do something weird and calls it “practice”, she would definitely oblige, right?

Well, it is similar to the current situation. Just that I’m not malicious.

(Looks like I really need to help her watch out, so that she would not be scammed…)

Just like this, after five minutes – “Very good! Like that, your concentration and muscular endurance have improved. Practice stops here, you can go back now.” I said irresponsibly, sending Fuuma off. Before leaving, she said, “I sincerely thank Master for this practice”, making me feel guilty of what I did just now…

(F-finally, I survived this ordeal…)

When I sighed,

…Rustle! Snipsnipsnip… Snap!...

“…?”

There was a noise coming from the forest.

Does that mean… we had been seen…? But, looking from here, the direction of the forest was unclear due to the darkness. So to say, my current location should be unclear as well, right? Don’t tell me there are other couples here?

Just to be safe, I readied my gun and crept towards the direction of the noise…

… Nobody.

“…?”

However, something was strange.

There was some bamboo that had been destroyed.

And… there were traces of gnawing and breaking made by hands. There’s even blood.

The gnawing traces were by a human, and it was by a relatively petite person. It was probably by a female. But what is that person doing? Don’t tell me she’s trying to eat bamboo? It’s not like she’s a panda.

...

There was now completely no noise other than the sounds of insects.

Hidan no Aria:Volume10 Chapter2

2013-07-10T01:33:39Z

Monsterbandage:

Late that night, I received a notification from Watson.

Her inspections had revealed no major injuries to Aria and the others.

Having been struck both by debris and the concussive blast of a grenade, and yet suffering only minor injuries, the girls' stubborn vitality was truly worthy of the name Baskerville. Despite being left at a loss for words, I nonetheless heaved a sigh of relief.

Nevertheless, erring on the side of safety, those four were to be interned at Butei hospitals for a week. Haimaki, who had been twice hit by cars, faced a similar situation.

The following day-

Without leaving me sufficient time for recovery, Jeanne contacted me, saying, "In light of the GIII and GIV incident, we're convening a gathering of Deen."

Adding to that, after school today, the Halloween celebration begins (I'd heard that because of the break at the end of October, the festival had been changed to today). Masters had directed that all students leaving campus must be appropriately dressed. Simply speaking, we were to dress up as ghouls and goblins and the like.

Even though I was hardly in the mood to play along, if one of our horrifying teachers caught me in my uniform, I'd be beaten 'til I nigh looked the part. That being the case, meeting aside, I'd find myself in the hospital if I wasn't careful.

Consequently, I'd better at least borrow a hermit's robe and hood from Amdo, dressing up as an obake before attending the meeting. <ref>[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obake Obake]</ref>

The meeting place was the family restaurant Roxi, and in its shaded outdoor terrace-

Deen's members had already assembled.

Though I'd walked here without difficulty, my knee, which had been given a painful kick by GIV, continued to throb.

Because of the need to change clothing, I'd been running slightly behind schedule, but my knee had kept me from running, and I found myself unable to make our 3 o'clock meeting time, arriving just a little late at the appointed place.

"Sorry I'm late. In case you couldn't tell, it's me."

I announced myself, the sole remaining representative of Baskerville. Face nearly covered by my hood, I ordered a cup of Oolong tea before approaching the round table.

"You're late, Tohyama. Normally, you're already gloomy enough, but to go so far as to wear such drab garments..."

Jeanne d'Arc of IU's Daio Nomad turned to me, coffee cup in hand.

Under her right eye was a brilliant, snowflake-shaped sticker, on her head, a pointy black hat, and in her hand, a star-tipped wand. In short, a witch.

Hey, since she's a real witch, what's the point in dressing up as one? Why don't you try a little creativity every now and then?

"One of Tohyama, thou hast encountered some difficulty. Dost thine knee trouble thee?"

The one with even less of an imagination would be-

Bending her exposed tail into a "?", Tamamo inquired this of me. She wore a hakama, disguising herself as a fox spirit. You might also say she hadn't bothered to disguise herself at all, as she was a fox spirit to begin with. Just how relaxed can you be?

Even though she normally wears a hat to hide her ears, they're now in plain sight for all to see; is that really okay?

The only thing she's really done is to stick three black lines as whiskers on each cheek, but having done a poor job, the mere act of her turning has already resulted in the casualty of a single whisker.

On the other hand, the Liberty Mason representative Watson...

"Tohyama, the same goes for me. In case you couldn't tell, it's me."

She'd raced down a completely different path of mistaken creativity, having taken a Jack-o'-lantern - a real, hollowed-out pumpkin - for a mask, covering her head in this manner.

... Wearing something like that, isn't the pumpkin smell hard to bear?

From the neck down, she wore something like a white raincoat. This was undoubtedly a costume that would leave one clueless as to her true identity. Until she opened her mouth to speak, I had had no idea it was her.

"Oh my, everyone. What ominous appearances, though I must admit, quite cute indeed, hehe."

Hearing this light laughter, I turned to look at the laptop resting upon the tabletop.

On the screen was Meiya, apparently employing some Skype-like video functionality to take part in the meeting.

She was the envoy from the Vatican in this "Far East Warfare", and also a junior of Kana during her time as an exchange student at Rome's Butei High.

Meiya looked at the dubious-looking crowd that was us, revealing a smile as if a caretaker at a nursery. How utterly irritating.

Looking carefully, the window behind Meiya showed darkness, affirming the difference in time between our two locations.

"Disregarding the wait, let's begin our meeting. Yesterday, four members of the group belonging to Deen, Baskerville, including also a member of Ulus, were attacked and beaten by the supposedly 'unaffiliated' GIII and his subordinate GIV."

Jeanne skillfully began to explain the situation. She almost seemed to be the leader of the group, or perhaps a capable cabinet member.

"Yesterday, on the road home, I asked GIV for her reasons. Apparently the reason they fought in the Shinagawa River geofront was simply because they'd discovered Reki's presence. Reki included, before being ambushed, neither Aria nor any of the others had ever encountered GIII's group before. In brief, it was completely a surprise attack,"

Watson-the-human-pumpkin added.

"Even if they're lacking in numbers, this kind of sneak attack is still hard to countenance."

Jeanne's blue eyes blinked, and she shifted her legs beneath her hard tulle and satin panier.

"They seem to think nothing of contemptible, shameful tactics, an ideology where the ends justify the means."

Without appearing to recall what things she had done previously, Watson-the-pumpkin spoke thusly.

"What should we do now? GIII and GIV are currently operating separately. Should we seize this opportunity?"

As I cut to the heart of the matter-

Hmm...?

What? Everyone seems to have averted their gaze, including even Meiya on the computer screen.

What's going on with you guys?

"..."

The only response came from Tamamo, who closed both eyes, sipped her melon soda, and spoke,

"I understand thou art disturbed on behalf of thine companions, but despair not, little one. I ask thee, one of Tohyama, canst thou obtain victory?"

She opened her eyes, exposing a penetrating, inhuman perception.

"That's..."

"Now, from what Watson hast shared, those young ladies of Baskerville could do but naught against GIV. Their leader - GIII - is yet greater still. If thou still believest thou canst win, then share thine plan."

Tamamo's tail arched, pressing lightly against the back of the chair. I could only stutter.

"...Er, when it comes to specifics...I can't really think of anything on the spot..."

"One of Tohyama, stand not upon custom. In 'Warfare', no matter the time, regardless of who has challenged whom, all is permitted. Though such a tactic may be vile indeed, they have nonetheless committed no sin."

"You mean we shouldn't retaliate?! Our companions have been ambushed by despicable means!"

Though I frowned in heated emotion,

"Ambush? How was it an ambush? This is war."

Tamamo casually replied as she had before.

"What...!?"

"This thing called war is even so. It is utterly and altogether different from the spirit of fair competition in sports. Once more, war is not a mere scuffle. From times long past, reconciliation has only come after blood-soaked struggle."

Tamamo spoke, staring at me all the while, leaving me without rejoinder.

This...contemptible fox.

While looking like an elementary school student, she dares to talk back to a high school student.

"One of Tohyama, canst thou not understand this one point? Why there remains but one member left of Baskerville? This is their message to us, 'We are strong,' even going so far as to leave a messenger - GIV."

"But they're the enemy! Are you fine with letting the enemy run free?"

"Enemy? Then I ask thee, hast GIV bared enmity before thee? Didst she not cast off her armor and lay down her weapons? They have not as of yet shown true hostility towards Deen, instead giving room for negotiation. We must not, of ourselves, make ruin of this opportunity."

"That's...hmm, that's not wrong..."

"Moreover, it seems the weapon they employ is 'science', truly a peculiar existence."

Yours is the peculiar existence!

Nearly blurting this out, I instead swallowed my reply.

"The disciples of science and us - witches and spirits - a hard battle indeed. Worse，currently Ririirokane's particles are particularly dense."

Tamamo's puffed her cheeks unhappily.

"Ririirokane...?"

I remember, it ought to be a kind of Irokane located in Reki's homeland.

Before, when the three Koko sisters of Ranban had seized control of the Shinkansen, I'd heard something like "its anger has scattered invisible particles, rendering the ability of all the ability users in the world unstable." Is this related to that?

Jeanne turned her head to look at me, whose knowledge only skimmed the surface.

"Though this might be difficult to grasp, but Ririirokane looses particles that disturb the abilities of ability users. It's similar to how metallic chaff can render radar ineffectual, except only causing complications...the range of its effect is very broad."

"How broad?"

"Sufficient to cover a third of the Earth's surface area. At the time of the cultural festival, it again intensified. Japan now falls within its realm of influence."

Jeanne had declared this a hard thing to grasp, as it most certainly was.

A phenomenon that disturbed supernatural abilities on a global scale?

Speaking from the perspective of someone without supernatural ability, the scope of this was almost beyond belief, like something from science fiction or fantasy.

In any case, thinking back on the video we saw yesterday, Shirayuki's badminton-like kidoujutsu had certainly failed her.

If a similar phenomenon presented itself before Tamamo or Jeanne, then Deen's fighting strength would decrease dramatically.

"Spoken differently, current conditions naught but troublesome. Were we to engage in battle, perchance it is we who face destruction."

"So what do you suggest we do, Tamamo?"

"We entice them."

"What?"

"First GIII, and then GIV - we shall entice them to join Deen."

"What're you...saying?"

"In 'Warfare', persuading a powerful 'neutral' or 'unaffiliated' party to join is most advantageous. This is no different from true war."

"Stop playing around! How do you plan on convincing people like that to join us?"

"The methods of persuasion are not limited to just dialogue. From time immemorial, money, power, sex, and more have been used to achieve this goal. There have even been times when those seeking these benefits have loudly proclaimed their neutrality. There is a terribly rude saying which goes, 'If you wish to catch a fox, use aburaage.' <ref>[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aburaage Aburaage]</ref> If we can but discover what it is GIV desires, perchance she may yet join us in Deen."

What she likes?

As I tilted my head in thought, Watson raised her pumpkin head.

"Tohyama, regarding this, there's something we need to discuss."

"What's up?"

"Well, that GIV girl, yesterday in the car, talked over and over about how happy she was to finally meet you. To be honest, it was to the point where even I started to feel embarrassed. In other words, she seems to like you a lot."

"And your point is? You want me to sneak up on her?"

"No, no. What I mean is, to put it simply, Romeo."

"Romeo?"

I just about upturned my cup of Oolong.

This Romeo was a Butei term, referring to male seduction.

In order to deal with women difficult to overcome through direct conflict, they would instead send attractive men to get close to them...

And via seduction, get the opponent to either change sides or give up classified information.

The level of difficulty surpassed that of normal seduction, and Tokyo Butei High offered no courses in this specialization. Actually, if I remembered correctly, with the exception of Berlin and Bangkok, no Butei schools ''anywhere'' taught this.

It goes without saying that I haven't the least clue how to go about doing such a thing. Because of my HSS-ridden physiology, I've never so much as glanced at titillating material.

In any event, throwing this kind of thing at me, you're not that normal either, are you, Watson?

"Cut the crap, pumpkin head. Baskerville's been attacked and directly victimized by GIV. Even setting that aside, with regards to that dangerous individual-"

"Do you have any other ideas? This is all we're left with. Anyway, even if you don't look the part, in reality, you're quite proficient at tempting women, right? If we count, starting from Aria, there's Shirayuki, Riko, Reki, and who knows who else."

After Watson had finished speaking, her voice biting with sarcasm, the others...Um, about that...

Why are you all looking at me?

It's almost like you're looking at a habitual offender.

"Wow. That many, huh? You are truly Kana's brother; you seem most popular."

Hey Meiya, mind not using that awe-inspired tone of respect here?

In a plea for help, I turned to Jeanne, only to find a similar aura of complete misunderstanding in her eyes as she said, "Go get 'em".

"That's how it is. One of Tohyama, we entrust this task to thee."

"That's how...wait a moment, what do you mean 'That's how it is'! What do you want from me!"

"Go forth and befriend GIV. Care well for her, and bringest her into Deen. Peradventure, this will determine the life or death of this group. Labor most diligently!"

Tamamo sipped the last of her melon soda, and spoke these words.

Irritated beyond endurance, I gripped the table's edge, and prepared to use the technique which had been passed down by my grandfather, namely «Table Flip».

"Tohyama-san, at dusk, I - sorry, it should be late last night for you - also saw the video of GIV's attack."

Meiya's sweet, light-hearted voice interrupted my plans.

"I feel she's a very dangerous opponent to approach directly. Accordingly, we must first set about obtaining permission from the Paladins, in order to arrange for the manufacture and distribution of support supplies and the like."

"Support supplies?"

I asked the laptop that I had originally planned on flipping along with the table.

"Correct. I think even if we can't fight to win, we can at least safeguard ourselves."

"This is good, one of Tohyama."

"Good luck, Tohyama. When this is all over, make sure to report back with all the juicy details."

"Tohyama, I leave the rest to you. I need to return to care for Aria and the others."

Looking at Meiya, Tamamo, Jeanne, and Watson delivering their lines one at a time, as if in a play...

(Th, these bastards...)

Undoubtedly, they'd all planned this before my arrival.

It seems from the start, they'd already decided to make handling GIV my responsibility. Damn it!

Ah, it really makes me wholeheartedly regret being even just a little late.

Never again will I be late. In fact, now that I think about it, wasn't the reason why I ran into Aria and had to experience such trying times because I was late and missed the bus?

 

After being tricked by everyone, or rather, after having the meeting proceed exactly as they had planned...

As a parting shot, I'd flipped Tamamo along with the donation box she carried on her back end-over-end, crying "What good luck, give me that back", taking back the 10 yen coin I had previously thrown in. As everyone simultaneously decried my childishness, I turned and headed for the hospital.

Aria, Shirayuki, Riko, and Reki, just how are they doing?

I gave a call to Soumiya, in charge of treating Haimaki, telling her, "This Butei dog is Reki's, so settle any questions of cost with her," to which she responded that he was no dog, but a wolf. I ignored what she said, instead continuing to ask after the condition of the four. It seems they're doing well, and are close to regaining consciousness.

(Let's set aside what we talked about at the meeting for the moment; visiting the injured comes first.)

Accordingly, I bought a few peach buns and Calorie Mates, and rode the elevator to the third floor of the A-wing where they were.

''rustle''...

''rustle'' ''rustle''...

(...?)

''rustle'' ''rustle'' ''rustle''...

On the hallway floor...''rustle'' ''rustle''...a metal tray was moving.

It's abundantly clear there's no one here, but the tray was moving nonetheless.

Under normal circumstances, this sight would frighten someone near to death-

Unfortunately, it's sad to say I've already grown accustomed to seeing such an unnatural scene. My only reaction was mild surprise, and an offhanded "So this kind of thing exists too...", before casually watching the tray.

The tray was a polished, shiny bronze, covered in etchings of thorny vines and spiders...even though it was pretty terrifying, it was likely an antique.

The objects placed upon it seemed to be a paper carton of strawberry milk, a box of Pocky, and a croissant. It's all cheap stuff! Wait a moment, this is all stuff Riko loves.

(Hmm...?)

Underneath the tray seems to be a shadow just a mite larger than the tray itself. This is definitely also out of the norm.

I finally grasped its true nature.

"Hilda?"

Hearing my question, the tray suddenly froze.

It ever so slowly turned in my direction (oh, I didn't realize that way was facing front), before returning to face its original direction, and slid helter-skelter at full speed down the hall.

Moving at a pace similar to that of a person running, it turned the corner.

Since Aria and the others were in the same direction, I followed along behind the tray.

As expected, I saw Hilda.

She'd planned on escaping down the stairs only to realize she couldn't take the stairs while hiding in the shadow of the tray. She emerged from said shadow just in time for me to arrive. From the way things look, this seemed to be the case.

She traveled down one flight of stairs, before stopping in place.

What was particularly confusing was what she did next. Hilda, wearing a nurse's outfit, with her back to the wall, flicked open an ostrich feather fan, and covered her face.

What...What to say about this?

"Hey."

I called out to her.

"..."

She pretended not to hear.

"Hey, Hilda."

"...Who, who did you ask for? Haven't you got the wrong person?"

"Like there's anyone else strange enough to carry an ostrich feather fan? Are you feeling better?"

Hearing this, ''bang!'' Hilda closed her fan.

"Oh, if it isn't Tohyama?"

She's pretending like she just noticed...

"What a coincidence, meeting here. I ''just'' came up these stairs."

What's the point in lying?

A glance was all it took to tell how flustered she was, but that didn't stop Hilda from putting on a cool expression and turning to face me, her shoes clicking against the floor.

She was wearing a pair of white, high-heeled shoes.

(Actually, why is she dressed up as a nurse? It's pretty unbelievable, not to mention what kind of nurse wears high-heels?)

As I pondered this, frowning in the direction of Hilda's feet, she had the mistaken impression that I was staring at the tray at her feet, leading to...

"What's this? How, how unexpected. To have fallen here, completely by chance. A tray, it seems?"

Her cheeks blushing, she rattled off a load of nonsense.

This girl's ability to leave someone utterly mystified is no less than that of Aria's.

(...?)

I pondered for a moment.

This Spark Witch, the vampire Hilda had fought with Aria, Riko, and I last month, and suffered injuries grievous to the point of near-death, before being sent to this hospital.

At the time, she'd nearly died from massive blood loss, but thankfully, Riko's donated blood was able to save her life.

(And now, this tray seems to be full of things that Riko likes, and moreover, for her to be delivering it so sneakily...)

Is it because this time it's Riko's turn to stay in the hospital that she's taken the opportunity to show her appreciation?

But to so vigorously protest "the one delivering this tray is absolutely not me", it seems like "thanking Riko" is quite an embarrassing thing for her?

That would be why she's dressed up as a nurse (even though her skill in disguises is pitiful), in order to allow her to move about unnoticed.

"What 'fallen here', you *brought* this here. To give to Riko."

I signified the tray, at which point Hilda realized the gig was up.

Her entire face turned red as she blushed.

Her skin color is naturally white, perhaps she's originally Caucasian? In any case, because of this, the fact that her face was now all pink stood out all the more.

"Not, not a chance!"

"Moreover, aren't these all things that Riko likes?"

"-Tohyama! Seeing as these have been discarded here, they don't belong to anyone anymore. You should pick them up."

I was only just teasing, but her frown filled me with fear.

God forbid because of this she attack me with electricity or her ball lightning.

"Alright. I'm picking it up."

Taking the tray in my hands, I prepared to hand it back to her.

Except she wasn't willing to take it from me, instead turning her face from me with great gusto.

"Just make it so that that's stuff you bought."

"Why? Can't you just bring them to her yourself? Honestly, you're so roundabout."

"Stop talking so much and do as I asked. Right now, you're the only servant I can rely on."

"At what point did I become your servant?"

"This too, give this to her as well."

From who knows where, Hilda fished out a black, garbage-looking thing which she placed on the tray.

It looked like a piece of charcoal, a thin wire running through it shaped like an S.

"What's this?"

"Roast salamander."

"Gross!"

"-This rude servant! This is a reward bestowed by Countess Dracula, just what do you take it for!"

[[File:Aria10_067.jpg|thumb]]

''Snap!'' She rapped me on the head with her fan.

"That is the cure-all medicine I spent all night preparing. Give that to Riko."

"You just exposed yourself as having prepared this for Riko, you know?"

"Uuuu-!"

Seeing Hilda's eyes grow large, I couldn't help but sigh.

Unbelievable.

Aria is the same. So is Watson. Don't tell me it's a rule that aristocrats must all be this bad at expressing themselves?

"Toh-, Tohyama. Don't misunderstand. It's because- because I had no choice. In compliance with the rules of 'Warfare', as a captive noble, I have no choice in the matter. Don't get the wrong idea."

"And that's why I've been saying, if you want to apologize to Riko, just do it."

"Uhh, if the opportunity arises, we'll see."

Failing to reject the notion she apologized, she doesn't seem to have realized she's again misspoken.

This girl...From Informa's perspective, she's undoubtedly an E-class.

No, actually, she should be even worse than that, perhaps even the rarely-seen F-class?

"What do you mean 'if the opportunity arises'? Who knows when that will be? Why don't I keep you company, and we'll go together?"

"No can do. I...still can't face her. To be honest, I want to go, but, right now, it's still..."

Hilda shook her head like a willful child.

Her twin drill pigtails, like Aria's, shook like a rattle drum. Due to their spring-like structure, however, shaking her head results in far more extended motion as compared to Aria. This reached the point where Hilda extended her hands to hold her hair in place.

"-Returning to the topic at hand, Baskerville was really beaten quite savagely."

Having recovered her usual stern demeanor, she changed the topic.

"It doesn't matter who the opponent is- If the team that previously defeated me loses, this disgrace reflects upon me as well. Tohyama, the ones who did this, you want to deal with them thoroughly, yes?"

What to say, this really seems to fit Hilda's style, this way of forcing things down other's throats.

"At the moment, because of the issue with Ririirokane, I'm hardly in peak condition. Notwithstanding, given some time to recover- If Riko faces any danger, contact me immediately. I will flay and skewer whoever it is."

Having finished what she had to say, she turned, and heels clicking all the way, descended the stairs.

As she exited-

From the back of her uniform, I saw two holes appear, through which a pair of tiny black wings extended. It seems the wings that Riko had severed have started growing once more.

Since today was Halloween, no one thought twice about her "costume", but I simply thought, ah, she really isn't human.

Looking carefully, around her neck she carries still the cross that Watson placed there.

A vampire that wears a cross...reality and the movies sure are different.

"From dusk until dawn- leave things to me. If it's you, and I'm in a good mood, it's not like I couldn't lend a hand."

At this double negative Hilda threw out as she exited the stairwell back into the hall, I couldn't help but sigh.

Suddenly, from where the stairway broke line-of-sight to the hall-

(Riko...!)

I saw a forehead, arm, and thigh, covered in bandages, leaning against the wall.

She'd tied her sawed-off shotgun, the Winchester M1887, to her back with a belt.

From here, her profile was visible, her gaze directed this way.

"...Did you hear that?"

"Yes."

"Then take all of this. It's what Hilda brought for you."

I handed the tray to Riko.

She glanced at its contents: strawberry milk, Pocky, roast salamander, etc., before dusting herself off, grabbing the hem of her skirt with one hand like a bag, and filling it with the items atop the tray.

"And what do you think, Riko? It seems Hilda wants to get along with you."

"What a load of garbage. She's killed me once before, like that's something so easily forgiven."

Her mouth said one thing, her hands another. How very Riko-like.

What she said, however, is valid. Reconciliation after intensely striving against one another is not such an easy thing. This I truly understand, since my feelings regarding GIV are similar.

That said...

"Hadn't you tried to shoot me in the head before? In April, during the airplane hijacking. At that time, if I hadn't split your bullet with my knife, right now my name would be engraved on the Butei High Memorial Wall."

"Stop whining, Kinji. I only fired because I knew that Hystekin could handle anything."

Riko forcefully bit down on the straw for her milk, glaring at me all the while.

Hystekin? Oh, I see. In short, Kinji in Hysteria Mode.

Riko, who would use nicknames even for something like this, was actually eating the roasted salamander, alternating bites with gulps of her strawberry milk.

Looks like she's not the least bit skeptical of the food being poisoned.

In many ways, it seems she's quite confident in Hilda's pride as a noble.

"That girl Hilda sure is free. She's already brought stuff a few times already, but always unseen. So strange."

Riko spoke while stealing a glance in my direction.

What do you want me to say?

"Um...Well, why don't you both cool off a bit?"

"..."

"Anyway, she's basically admitted she's now a part of Deen. We are now participating in 'Warfare', which, for all intents and purposes, might as well be a real war. Even if she's that kind of person, but with that kind of power at her disposal, why not use her well? I'm not going to go so far as to demand you become the best of friends, but at the very least, please don't quarrel for no reason, ok?"

I copied what Tamamo had said to me, and after contradicting myself with my own words-

Riko turned around, back towards me, noisily finishing her strawberry milk with a ''slurp'', before nodding her head once.

She then spun back around to face me, and full of pretense, saluted.

"Don't let it trouble you anymore, Kii-kun. Riko will now lead you to the girls' room, A-Wing, room 303!"

"Just gonna skip past what we were talking about before, huh."

"Ayaya is here too!"

"Ayaya...? Oh, Hiraga-san? What for?"

"Fufufu. It's a surprise."

A surprise...?

I've got a bad feeling about this.

When all is said and done, Riko's "surprises" have never been something I've been happy to see.

 

Riko pulled me, full of trepidation, towards Room 303...

"...!"

First, the silhouette of a wolf entered my peripheral vision.

Laying on the white hospital bed was the Lone Wolf girl, accompanied by a real wolf.

She wore her normal uniform, on her head a headset, but also a pair of wolf ears. Haimaki's appearance was unchanged.

In Reki's hand was a half-eaten Calorie Mate, on her face, the usual blank expression.

Aside from a few bandages on her thighs, she didn't seem to have any other external injuries. For the time being, I felt relieved.

"Uhuhuhu. No matter times I see it, still as cute as ever Rekyu! Your costume is adorable!"

Riko threw out a real tongue-twister as she grabbed Reki in a hug. <ref>Tongue-twister because Riko uses a portmanteau of cosplay, "コスプレ" and Rekyu "レキュ", joining on the "レ" kana.</ref>

There's no way Reki thought of wearing those ears on her own...

This was probably the result of Riko assisting Reki, who had likely put no thought into a costume.

"Look, look, Kii-kun. There's even a tail!"

From underneath Reki's skirt, Riko pulled out a fake wolf tail. Reki, of course, gave no reaction whatsoever, but her skirt had been lifted to the point it was almost dangerous-

"The important thing here is, that is, where'd this come from?"

I frantically turned my gaze to look at the large sniper rifle beside the bed.

If at all possible, I wanted to avoid looking at that thing - a Barrett M82.

It was a long range sniper rifle used even in the war in Iraq.

"I purchased it from Amdo's Hiraga-san."

"Why on earth would you buy such a crazy thing?"

"In order to oppose the enemy encountered yesterday,"

Reki replied in an emotionless tone.

Even so, this is a formidable sniper rifle which employs 12.7x99mm rounds, you know?

Even being grazed by a shot could kill someone; a direct hit would probably blow them to pieces.

"This is an anti-materiel rifle. Is it not forbidden by international law?" <ref>[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-materiel_rifle Anti-materiel rifle]</ref>

[[File:Aria10_075.jpg|thumb]]

(...)

She didn't bother to reply.

Nor did she nod. She simply focused her gaze on me.

...She's serious.

"Fufufu. If you read the terms carefully, it never specifies that 50 caliber rounds aren't allowed, Kii-kun."

In response to Riko, whom, harboring evil intent, squinted her double eyelids,

"That's not the main issue here. That would be Butei Law, Article 9. To be honest, Riko, that shotgun of yours is also not something a Butei should have. In a situation where you absolutely cannot kill, there's no way to fire that gun."

I spoke for a bit longer. The result-

From Riko and Reki both, ''pa''.

They handed me a sheet of A4 sized paper each.

"What is this?"

It was a firearms permit from the Ministry of Public Security firearms inspection division.

...Unexpectedly, they have permission! And both of them!

"This is impossible. These have got to be fake!"

"Ayaya's work is without flaw. Nothing is imposssible!"

Pulling back the hospital bed curtains as she made her appearance was Amdo's Hiraga-san.

Those clothes she's wearing ought to be her Halloween costume, I believe? She wore a pumpkin-colored shirt, a black mantle, with pumpkin-shaped shorts or trousers.

Her hair was even held in place with mini-pumpkin ties. Such a cute child.

"Beginning just this month, Ayaya is willing to act as a surrogate for all firearm applications! Fuhahaha!"

...You're laughing like you won the lottery there, Hiraga-san.

My guess is...about 80 percent of that business is probably helping people obtain permission to use illegal firearms. Of course, that's where the money is.

"What perfect timing Tohyama-kun. Come! Here's the left part of 'Orochi'!"

I took the glove from her.

A few days earlier, I'd borrowed money from my grandparents in Sugamo to pay Hiraga-san with.

In short, I'd bought on credit. I still needed to find a way to pay them back as soon as possible.

"Ooh. Thank you very much."

Um, Hiraga-san. You didn't just pull this Orochi out of those pumpkin pants, did you?

"Speaking of which, Tohyama-kun, didn't you ask before about a wire anchor?"

"Yeah, that's right. Did you find one?"

I'd run into Hiraga-san a few days prior in the cafeteria, and had raised the question.

Having learned my lesson from the fight with Watson, where I'd nearly fallen to my death, I'd asked if she'd find me a safety cable that could be hidden.

"Here, this is a prototype. Though I can't make any guarantees, this is still a pretty revolutionary design!"

Again from within her pumpkin pants, Hiraga-san pulled something out. I sure hope there are pockets in there...

She'd handed me a small vinyl, ziplock bag, within which were bullets, but definitely no wires?

"They seem to be 9mm Lugers?"

"Though the speed is slow, but yep! This is an anchor wire which you fire from a gun «Anchor»!"

"A wire you fire from a gun...?"

"Exactly. As this bullet exits the muzzle, it splits into two, a pellet that resists air and another that shoots forward. As the former encounters the air, its mechanism will activate, trapping it within the gun barrel for around two seconds. At the same time, the latter flies forward, adhering to the target point with carbon particles."

Hiraga-san explained the construction of the bullet while wildly gesticulating like a small child.

"And? Why does this work as a wire anchor?"

"Between the two halves is a diphase liquid aramid fiber. When the halves separate, they create a long filament, like pulling taffy." <ref>[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aramid Aramid fiber]</ref>

So, in other words, firing this bullet creates a length of chemical fiber to the target point?

"There shouldn't be any problems with tensile strength, right?"

"A width of a single micron can support a weight of two tenths of a ton. Even if it become as slender as a string of pulled natto, it should be just fine. Liquid aramid fiber is a creation of Kyoto Synthetics, though the combination with the bullet is an Ayaya original, patent pending."

Patent pending...Hiraga-san really knows how to earn money.

She might just become a millionaire in the future.

"In order to grasp the timing, why don't you fire a few practice rounds? The air resistant pellet's been covered with a paint that releases light in reaction to pressure. After you've fired, just follow the blue light. Its advised range is 25 meters or less, at 50 meters, the filament risks snapping. "

In the midst of Hiraga-san's explanation-

"Kin-chan...?"

"Shi, Shirayuki?"

From my side Shirayuki appeared, dressed in an angel getup - though with her navel exposed.

On her back were two mini-wings, and a matching miniskirt; from top to bottom, the only thing that wasn't "mini" was that chest of hers, which threatened to spill out of her tubetop.

Atop the white ribbon she normally wore on her head, was a golden angel's halo made of wire. Though it looked pretty foolish...

What kind of costume was this?

Like hell there are such sexy angels in Heaven. If there are, then it'd be hell anyway, at least for me.

Shirayuki adopted an embarrassed, feminine pose,

"This, this set of Halloween clothes was prepared by Riko. Um..."

Those twin peaks just about to burst out of their nylon coverings...

Were quickly covered by the gun she held in hand.

Nononono. What you need to cover first is not your chest! I take that back, cover them both up!

As I was about to blurt this out for both my and Shirayuki's sakes-

I saw that which had not been seen for some time, Shirayuki's huge M60 machine gun, and was struck dumb.

The M60 - America's favorite general purpose machine gun.

Even though it was referred to in the same vein as guns like the Uzi, but in truth, they were worlds apart. This gun was intended for use in war!

Though its design was a bit dated given its age, but usage in the Vietnam War ranged not just from infantry but even to helicopters. It's the gun which has caused the single most bloodshed in the world.

Pushing Riko, who'd shouted "Yuki-chan is a true angel!", madly snapping photos left and right, to the side,

[[File:Aria10_081.jpg|thumb]]

"Shirayuki, it's not me who's telling you not to use that. It's the law!"

"But Hiraga-san helped me get my permit. In any case, Irokane Ayame's been stolen..."

Covering the lower half of her face with her machine gun, her eyes seemed to repeat, "But, but..."

Up to this point, it could still be considered quite adorable. Unfortunately...

"...Furthermore, that whore..."

Her eyes, piercing, narrowed like shamshirs, making me doubt my own eyes. What, what kind of expression is this? Her voice has even lowered a full octave.

"Wh-whore? Do you mean the one who attacked you...GIV?"

"-That person is strange! As we fought, she kept saying over and ''over'' that she is the existence closest to Kin-chan! Completely incomprehensible, isn't it? Absolutely inconceivable, right? Kin-chan? AhahahaHAHAHAHAHA- Simply insanity, isn't it?!"

Shirayuki's eyes glazed over, as she gripped her machine gun and loosed a wild, mad laughter.

Just which gate is this angel guarding? The unimaginable one here is you!

"Hey, {{Furigana|Hehi|Reki}}, {{Furigana|Hirafuki|Shirayuki}}, {{Furigana|Hiko|Riko}}, {{Furigana|hook, hook|look, look}}. That Fedex package just now was «Pastel»."

All of a sudden, a voice, half muffled by a peach bun, drifted over...

This time, making her appearance was, of course, Aria, a pair of twin swallowtail butterfly wings springing forth from her back.

"-ehh, Kinji? What's wrong with you! If you're going to come, it's the least you can do to let us know first!"

Trading stares with me, Aria frantically straightened her clothes.

She seemed to be dressed as a fairy, not unlike Disney's Tinkerbell, though her dress was pink instead. Riko probably made the decision in order to match her hair.

It was almost like watching dress-up in a kindergarten, the look well suited the tiny Aria. Still...

(...Even though this is a hospital, she's still wearing her guns...)

From between the teeth of her sawtooth-edged skirt, her large Government pistols revealed themselves.

This kind of fighting fairy, my guess is Walt Disney wouldn't approve? Her fellow fairies would undoubtedly pelt her with sticks and stones.

On another note, this fairy girl's chest seems to be even flatter than normal. Since her dress is strapless, it seems the pushup bra she normally relies on is not an option.

(...Still, what to make of this...)

All of you, to be willing to room with Riko, you have only yourself to blame.

I'm sure Riko simply took full advantage of Halloween as an excuse to dress everyone up as dolls.

As I was ruminating on Riko being the perpetrator of these events, I noticed a cardboard box aside her shotgun on the bed... I could see at least an obake and a mahou shoujo outfit, which had been haphazardly thrown aside. It seems many different outfits had been tried on since this morning.

It seems she'd already had her fill of Halloween, at least as far as dressing up by herself goes. What a free spirit this girl was.

"You seem lively enough, Aria. I'm not going to say my concern on your behalf was wasted, since I knew beforehand that about 70 percent of the norm was more than enough."

"What are you talking about? Like you could do anything that skillful."

Pretending as if she had no ulterior motive, Aria folded her arms, hiding her chest from view.

"More importantly, Kinji. Have you received «Cocktail» yet? By the way, my set's name is «Pastel»."

"Cocktail? Pastel? What on earth are you talking about?"

Seeing my frown, Aria handed me what appeared to be a crayon box.

"«{{Furigana|Butei Bullet magazine|DALM}}». We just received a care package from the Vatican. Because your 9mm Lugers are so small, producing them will require more time."

Aria spoke as she opened the box before her...

Contained within were what almost did seem to be crayons - .45 ACP bullets of every color.

Engraved below the coat of arms of the Vatican - «{{furigana|The Keys of Heaven|The Key of Saint Peter}}» - were some words in Italian that I was unable to decipher. Regardless, if they were as required by international law, I nonetheless knew what they read - DAL (Detective Armed Lethal), or Butei bullets.

The so-called Butei bullets were specialized bullets with added functionality.

Looking carefully, in addition to the bullets I'd used on the IU in the battle with Sherlock, grenade bullets, there were armor piercing and fragmentation bullets, as well as scatter shot, in addition to other lethal weaponry. Even included were the bullet types used in the battle between Reki and Koko - flash, cannon, smoke grenade, and flare - as well as other non-lethal bullets of every kind imaginable.

It seems «Pastel» referred to these sets of Butei bullets.

These must be those support supplies Meiya had mentioned earlier.

This is simply ridiculous, sending this kind of thing as a care package to a hospitalized patient. Can't you guys send snacks or fruit or those sorts of things?

"Those Italian gun makers sure know what they're doing. It really makes me want to do a study abroad at least once."

Amdo's Hiraga-san seemed enthralled by those bullets.

I just remembered, aren't Butei bullets prohibitively expensive?

To casually send these over, the Catholic Church sure isn't lacking for money, is it?

"That reminds me, all of you...loading up on ammo, applying for weapons permits, this is a hospital! Can't you just rest, like normal?"

After I chided those assembled-

"This is training camp. Always being the one attacked is no fun."

"The existence closest to Kin-chan has to be me! That kind of woman is no good, no good at all!"

"Fufufu. This kind of girls' gathering is just way too fun. Riko can hardly contain herself."

"Buteis always return an eye for a eye."

If I were to sum up Aria, Shirayuki, Riko, and Reki's arguments-

Simply put, due to having been thoroughly trounced by GIV, under the direction of Aria's aggression, Shirayuki's nonsensical wrath, Riko's desire for fun, and Reki's sense of professional duty-

The four had joined hands to seek retribution.

(...This is bad...)

For the time being, regardless of my feelings on the matter, Deen's group decision had been to bring GIII and GIV into the fold.

Unfortunately the four in front of me are just itching for a fight.

"Kinji, you help too. I've also ordered a jetpack from Hiraga-san."

"I can't take this anymore. Ugh. Aria, come over here for a bit."

In order to discuss things seriously, I grabbed the vice-captain of Baskerville, our little fairy, by her wings, and pulled her off to the side.

I closed the curtain with a ''clang'',

"Wh, wh, what's going on here? What do you think you're doing? Everyone's here!"

Aria frantically muttered something I couldn't understand.

"Aria. I know how the defeat by GIV has all of you feeling pretty discontent. Truth be told, if it were up to me, I'd like to go after them as well. That notwithstanding, as opponents, they're just too much for us. Consequently, just now, Jeanne, and Watson, and..."

"Kinji. The fact that our enemies are strong is something I understand very well. That's why we're having this training camp!"

Saying this, Aria climbed onto the bed like a young child, and reaching her hand through a crack in the curtain, pulled a letter over.

(...Ugh...)

Just...just now, when Aria had climbed onto the bed, her bottom facing me...

From beneath the miniskirt of this wondrous fairy pose...

Pink bloomers, completely exposed.

Fortunately, since their color matched her clothes, my brain seemed to register it as just a part of the rest of her clothes. Aria's actions seemed to show she thought similarly, so I didn't experience any problems with a sudden rise in blood pressure.

Even still, how horrid. Just too cute! Even if only on the outside, this girl was just too cute.

"Look here. This is the letter from the Vatican. Although it's written in Italian, but this part reads, 'One DALM set to Tohyama Kinji under the name «Cocktail».' My guess is they must have sent them pretty soon after. You didn't happen to sell them because you didn't have any money?"

"Like...like hell!"

"Why are you looking away? Look into my eyes and repeat that!"

"Ignore that for a moment! As leader of this Baskerville team, I'm ordering you not to fight with GIII and GIV. I have no idea why it is they've decided to join this 'Far East Warfare', but at this time, they're neither Deen nor Grenada. That's why, this is the decision of Tamamo and the others- we are to convince GIII and GIV to join us in Deen."

[[File:Aria10_088.jpg|thumb]]

"-What kind of crap are you spewing? That girl ambushed us!"

''Thump!'' Aria bared her canines and stomped on the ground.

Her swallowtail butterfly wings clapped as she raged. Mutiny!

"They're the enemy! It's so completely obvious! If I can't open holes in their bodies, how am I supposed to calm myself down? And then you say you even want them to join us? Fool! Moron! Just how stupid can you get, idiot Kinji!"

"Hey! Ow! Stop that! Don't always resort to violence!"

Retreating from Aria, whose wings continued to clap, as she chased me with chained hits, I fell backwards onto the bed-

"Wah!" "Yah!"

At that moment, Riko and Shirayuki's yelps of surprise came from the other side of the curtain.

I'd been thinking they'd been too quiet...

"-?"

Aria and I ran out from behind the curtains, quickly taking in the room environment.

What we found in the entrance to the room was-

"GIV...!"

That girl, standing there!

GIV wore a Butei High sailor uniform as if nothing was out of the ordinary, giving off a completely different impression from the armor/underwear combination from before.

Now she completely looks the part of a normal, female middle-school student.

"Like a moth to the flame! Get her, Yuki-chan! Rekyu!"

"Exactly right! Kin-chan, get back. Ricochets could be dangerous."

"..."

''grumble'' ''grumble'' ''grumble''

Riko raised her shotgun, Shirayuki, her machine gun, and Reki, her sniper rifle-

From three different directions, muzzles all turned to point at GIV.

"Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat's going on here?! If you're going to open fire, please wait until Ayaya's not in the room!"

Hiraga-san dove for dear life underneath the bed, tearfully crying out- and to be honest, I want to do the same.

GIV, on the other hand-

As if completely unaware of the guns pointing right at her, displayed a blinding smile, so much like the bloom of fresh flowers.

Towards me.

Her expression seemed so radiant as to even banish the thick aura of bloodlust which permeated the air.

In a flash, the space around her seemed to instead radiate life, carefree innocence, and purity.

A smile that stole away not only the desire to fight from the four around her, but nay, even their very souls.

GIV's demeanor, which seemed to all present to be that of an innocent young girl, led even Aria to reconsider whether or not to holster her weapons, as she took a quick step in my direction.

"I've finally found you, Onii-chan. Let's go, I'm hungry."

Grabbing my arm tightly, she forcefully leaned her weight against me.

To an outsider, we'd look like terribly close siblings, or even lovers.

"Ki, Kii-kun? What's the meaning of this...? Onii-chan...?"

"It, it, it can't be. Ki, Ki, Ki, Kin-chan's...imo....Kimouto? Imo, imouto-san?"

Though Riko and Shirayuki were utterly and thoroughly shocked, mouths agape, but without a doubt, the one who experienced the greatest shock by far was me.

"Not, not a chance! Like I have a little sister! Ever since yesterday, just saying whatever you want!"

I desperately denied her claim, which only made her grab me all the tighter, burying my arm in her chest.

(Uwah...!)

As I fell under the spell of the soft feeling enveloping my arms-

GIV flipped around in front of me-

"-!"

In order to understand what had just happened to me, I froze for a few seconds.

Just now, my lips had been touched by something soft, like the petals of a flower.

From GIV's chestnut, bob cut hair...

A sweet, caramel-like smell drifted deeply into my nostrils.

"-So that's a kiss...However, just that isn't enough,"

GIV murmured as she released my lips.

(...!)

Nya~ Aria let out an anime-ish sound.

Hiiii! Shirayuki loosed a shriek.

Uooooh! Riko panted excitedly.

Reki...'s companion, Haimaki, growled in surprise.

As these sounds mixed together-

(What...what just happened...!?)

I just about had a heart attack, and not just because of what had just happened with GIV.

Even in the face of all that had just happened, my blood pressure hadn't budged an inch. I was shocked.

What just happened...shouldn't it clearly have triggered Hysteria Mode?

In the past, whether it was Aria, Shirayuki, Riko, or Reki, the same response had happened each and every time.

But even after coming into direct contact with this girl in front of me-

I was decidedly ''not'' in Hysteria Mode.

I clearly needed to speak more with this girl, beautiful as a gemstone.

"Now I see...I'd always thought it strange, why would you help speak on behalf of your enemy?"

...''SNARL''...

Hearing the familiar howl of a small lioness, I timidly turned around.

"...KINJI! Are you turning on us!?"

"...Huh...?"

I confusedly glanced around as GIV continued to tightly cling to my arm.

Aria's face flushed red, her camellia irises hung wide, and her pink twin-tails trembled.

I'd originally thought Shirayuki had perished straight away, but she lay on the white hospital bed, where she'd fainted. Riko wore a bitter smile full of ill intent, and the look in Reki's eyes could freeze a man cold.

"Whether or not she's truly your sister, it doesn't change the fact that she's the Achilles heel responsible for your betrayal!"

The fairy which had quickly transformed into a crimson demon drew her gun, and took aim at me.

"Wha, what Achilles heel!"

"-Women! You, you ass! You and, and, and, that woman! Did that! And then you betrayed us!"

Aaaaaaa!

Aria screamed and shouted euphemisms I couldn't decipher, as she grew angrier and angrier.

This girl...she's already grouped GIV and I together as enemies!

"How horrible, Kii-kun! This is really too impressive. One moment you're all kissy-kissy and then the next you're angry, and then all of a sudden she's your little sister? What kind of eroge is this! Even Riko can't help but be attracted too."

Riko placed her forefingers over her head like horns, sputtering nonsense all the while, a sweat drop on her forehead.

In spite of her libertine views, for Riko to have had this sort of reaction- It seemed the act of kissing a self-proclaimed younger sister on the lips had lowered my standing in Baskerville, already at rock bottom, to buried somewhere deep within the Earth.

This time, it doesn't matter what I say, it doesn't seem either Aria or Riko will listen to a word I say.

Having thought through to this point, I realized I needed reinforcements.

"Oi, Reki. Give me a hand, would you? These two have been so pushy-"

"I'm not too sure what's going on, but I currently have no desire to speak with Kinji-san."

Ev, even Reki...!

She finally decides to show her human side now of all times!?

(...ugh...)

Aria, Riko, Reki, and even Shirayuki - who, lying collapsed on the bed, had forced her eyes open - stared daggers at GIV (and me!), emanating a murderous aura.

I hope this is all just one big misunderstanding but-

Everyone's guns...doesn't it look like they're leaning more in my direction?

(No, no way!)

If things continue down this path...worst comes to worst, I may find myself riddled with holes. Me and GIV both.

"Just wait a second and I'll explain!"

As I screamed for dear life, I shoved GIV from behind, preparing to make my exit.

Right as we reached the door, suddenly-

GIV spun around to face the Baskerville girls.

She wore an expression which had taken a full 180 from the smile she'd shown me, just indescribably contemptuous.

"Oi, Runt. Two-Face. Fraud. Mute. I'm not sure what kind of romantic comedy you guys had going on here with Onii-chan, but..."

Carrying on with a tone not only utterly lacking in femininity, but one completely crass and masculine-

"Little sisters are best. ''Nothing'' comes between a brother and his younger sister. These sibling bonds are absolute, completely unlike any other relationship with girls."

She wielded her words like a machete, ruthlessly cutting down the competition.

...Um...What?

It seemed as if I wasn't the only one who wanted to ask that question. Aria and the other girls were similarly speechless.

"I've already looked through Onii-chan's room."

"Hey, just when did you..."

"Your guys' stuff is all over the place! My sense of smell is very acute, just by the scent I can tell."

Smell...? What are you, a bloodhound?

"You guys...You've all lived in his room, haven't you! Living with girls who aren't family, this is unforgivable! Only those who share the same blood can live together, so that means you're all out! I'm going to help Onii-chan turn over a new leaf."

Having spoken her piece, "BAM!"

As if trying to break the door in half, GIV kicked the door shut.

 

This can't be true, right? There's no way that just happened.

There's just one thing I know for sure, the one thing that's been driving me insane. GIV. Is. Not. My. Sister!

For starters, our hair colors are different. This is a judgment method every first year Inquesta student learns: her natural hair color is clearly chestnut, as a quick glance at her eyebrows and eyelashes will reveal.

Her skin color is also slightly more pale than my own. Although at first glance her eyes seem black, but careful inspection exposes patches of blue. Finally, her bone structure is much better than mine.

(But still...Aria and those guys...)

Why is everyone so simple!?

Easily falling for GIV's mad ramblings.

What's more, this and every other time, all my protests went in one ear, and out the other.

(...That's why I've always said, women are honestly...)

This deeply-rooted frustration with women-

Accompanied by ancient grudges bubbled forth from deep within my heart.

When in junior high, because girls had discovered my HSS-plagued physique, I'd been sorely taken advantage of.

Just like back then, the second I'd return to normal and stand up for myself, they'd gang up on me.

Girls are far more likely than guys to break out into mass hysteria the second something happens. Afterwards, they'd all focus their vitriol on me. All of my past experiences were like this.

Though people would probably say this was just the difference between men and women, it didn't change the fact that I was a victim.

Adding on, all of this definitely played a role in my devoted apathy- and Butei High was no different. Girls were always talking behind my back: "Oh, he's so gloomy", "What a waste of talent", "What a womanizer", etc.

I'm always getting screwed over by women. Maybe they hate my personality.

No, I should say that it's likely the case. After all is said and done, there's more than enough evidence to attest to that.

"And? Where do you think you're going?"

As I left the hospital for the bus station to make my way home-

There was GIV, doing the exact same thing, following me as if it were the most normal thing in the world.

"Because I'm your little sister."

Saying this, she tried to lock arms with me.

"You were never my sister to begin with!"

As I roughly brushed her away, she looked at me, pain obvious in her eyes as they pled, "Why? Why act like this?"

Failing, she sneakily and tremblingly tried to hold my hand.

As I slapped her hand away with a ''pa!'', she revealed the disgruntled expression of a child who'd failed to have her way.

"Why are you angry, Onii-chan? Cheer up. Hurray, hurray, Onii-chan!"

Her poor mood was quickly replaced by vim and vigor as she tried to raise my spirits.

She waved my sleeve, forcing herself to be strong in an effort to help me.

What on Earth is she doing?

"Look here. Just look at what you've done, asking me why I'm angry..."

"What I've done? What do you mean?"

"Not even the least bit of self-awareness, great. First you attack all of the girls from Baskerville. Then you say all that stuff that's tantamount to declaring war. This is all because of you calling yourself my little sister that they've pushed me away. Even though I'm supposed to be the team leader, now I'm all alone."

"You're not alone, Onii-chan. From now on, I'll always be there for you. At a place closer to Onii-chan than anyone. Because I'm your sister, because I'm family. That's why there's no reason to be lonely."

GIV replied, raising her adorable face to look at me.

That baby face was innocent and guileless to the point it made one doubt whether or not what had transpired between her and the other girls was just a misunderstanding.

"I never said it was because I was lonely! It's because every time Aria misunderstands something, she goes on a rampage. Because every time, for God knows what reason, Shirayuki loses control. Riko just ''has'' to join in and add fuel to the fire each and every time. And Reki, she's always got to look at things in that strange way of hers. Having to deal with all of them all at once, what do you expect me to do from now on!?"

After hearing me finish my rant-

GIV appeared utterly mortified.

"Onii-chan, give me a moment."

Saying this, her skirt fluttered as she twirled and headed straight back to the hospital.

I was struck with a sense of foreboding, so I grabbed her wrist and called for her to stop.

"What do you think you're doing going back there?"

"You're always talking about those girls. As long as they're still around, you're going to keep worrying about them. That's why I definitely need to kill them. All of them. Give me five minutes or so, and we should be good."

"Kill, kill them- What the hell are you saying!?"

I used force in an attempt to pull her back towards me-

"But but-"

GIV's large eyes brimmed with tears.

"...!"

She's not faking.

She, for some unknown reason, is really crying because of some deep-seated resentment. At Aria and the others.

"Because all you do is talk about them! If they're no longer around, then you'll finally pay attention to me!"

(...!...)

Honestly, what is ''wrong'' with this girl?!

"Onii-chan is just too magnanimous- to show compassion even to those harpies. It's because of them that I still haven't had a chance to feel Onii-chan's affection! If they were to all disappear, I alone would enjoy Onii-chan's love!"

As she sobbed, she screamed, like a little child throwing a tantrum.

I grabbed her close, brow furrowed and said,

"The important thing here is I'm. Not. Your. Brother!"

"NO! Onii-chan is Onii-chan!"

I'm at my wit's end.

There's just no way to communicate with this girl.

"That's why Onii-chan has to live with only me! Love only me! If not, I'll crush all the members of Baskerville!"

"-!"

This girl is bad news. Even compared to Aria, she's bad news. She's insane.

There's no way I can let her run wild.

"-Stop! Don't look for them anymore!"

From the beginning, I've not been a person who gets stirred up very easily-

But that notwithstanding, my face, reflected on the nearby convenience store window, could only be described as furious.

Just like when my brother used to scold me.

"..."

GIV...

Puffed her cheeks ''muuu'', and glared at me, eyes full of tears.

"...Fine, let's compromise. Promise me one thing?"

"...What?"

"I can stay at Onii-chan's side?"

At this proposed condition, I responded-

"...Do whatever you want."

GIV, having heard my answer, wiped her eyes dry with the back of her hand and then smiled once more.

Her cuteness seemed straight out of a shoujo manga, complete with flowers blooming in the background.

"-Can you promise me one more thing?"

"Did you not say 'one thing'?"

At my response, she turned again in the direction of the hospital. Left with no other choice, I spoke,

"Fine, fine. What is it you want me to promise you?"

"Buy me some caramel candy."

...Huh?

At my puzzled expression, GIV raised her hand and pointed at the convenience store.

As the topic suddenly changed from killing people, I was floored for a brief moment.

Even so, if something this small was all it took to ensure the wellbeing of Aria and the other girls, then so be it. I brought GIV into the store with me, and purchased some caramel candies for her.

"...Here you go."

I peeled the Famimart seal off the candy, and handed them to her.

Like a small cat being fed, in a flash, she seized the candy.

Tearing open the bag, she carefully pulled out a piece, and opened the wrapping paper with a fingernail, exactly like a young child.

No, in truth, she ''is'' a young child. She has to be what, two, three years younger than me?

"Here, one for Onii-chan."

Smiling innocently, she handed me a piece.

Despite not really wanting it, I popped the candy in my mouth, and prepared to board the bus.

Because of the large number of students on board, I let go of GIV's hand, but not my sense of caution. She, however, didn't so much as glance back in the direction of the hospital. It seems because I've promised to obey her conditions, she's willing to listen to me.

(Honestly, what an enigmatic person...)

I turned to board the bus. GIV, who it seemed had never taken the bus before, timidly followed me on.

 

There were still quite a few passengers, so GIV and I grabbed the rail, rocking as the bus shook.

Given GIV's strange aversion to other male students, I was forced to accompany her where she stood, near the rear bus door, surrounded by female students.

And speaking of the other students...

It's readily apparent GIV is the center of attention.

Well, it's not like I can't understand. GIV is, after all, dressed in a Butei High sailor uniform.

Even though she was still a middle-school student, and thus not an actual member of Butei High, the fact that no one knew this, combined with her singular beauty, inevitably resulted in such a development.

The problem lay in her company.

I couldn't help but hear. As luck would have it, also seated on the bus were the second year girls Takane, Hayakawa, and Anesaki, the three from Connect who had always swiftly and extensively spread gossip behind my back. They whispered among themselves, "Looks like the playboy's switched girls again." "This time it's a middle-school student?" "It seems our earlier misgivings were well warranted." You guys sure are close. And what earlier misgivings?

"Hey, GIV."

I whispered to her ever so quietly. She tilted her head [?], clearly puzzled, as she lent me her ear.

"Why are you wearing the Butei High uniform? Doesn't this ruin your chances of people believing you're a transfer student?"

"All the Baskerville girls wear this, so I thought Onii-chan liked these kinds of clothes."

She laughed as she raised her head to look at me.

"Still, a transfer student. That idea's not half bad, Onii-chan. Mm. It's decided. I'll study at this school as well. Since I'm Onii-chan's little sister, I really should study up a little on Japanese culture."

And then uttered those words.

Talk about sticking your foot in your mouth. I'd shot myself in the foot this time, what transfer student.

She'll really do it. I'm not sure ''how'' she'll do it, but she's motivated if nothing else.

''chitter-chatter''...

(...Hmm?)

''chitter-chatter'' ''chitter-chatter''

There seemed to be a small commotion.

"Onii-chan?" "Did she just say 'Onii-chan'?" "There's no way Kinji's little sister would be that cute." "The situation seems to still be unclear." "But she definitely just said 'Onii-chan.'" "Is she really his sister?"

This is the worst. Those...idiots...!

Despite never registering a ''thing'' during class, and yet they seemed to have heard everything more than clearly enough just now.

"Hey, listen to me. This is, um, well, it's complicated. There's more to the story."

I was so flustered I didn't even know what I was saying anymore.

"Um, are you Tohyama-kun's little sister?"

Completely disregarding my existence, Connect's Takane went straight to the source.

"That's right. I'm his younger sister."

GIV's smile was blindingly pure.

(...She said it...!)

Whaaaaaaat!

The bus erupted into chaos.

Everyone jumped out of their seats, and swarmed us like so many bees.

"Hey, stop pushing...!"

In order to protect that slender form, I pressed my hand against the bus door, with her in between.

GIV was so surprised by my actions that she simply froze.

"Can, can I ask what's the matter? I'm just like any other little sister, after all."

Though she was still quite stunned, it didn't stop her from deliberately emphasizing the words "little sister", throwing the girls in the back of the bus into an uproar. The boys in front also made a racket, ''click'' ''click'' ''click'', as they wildly snapped photos.

Of course this included Takane and the other two as they completed the change into full interviewing frenzy.

"How old are you?" "14. I'm two years younger than Onii-chan." "Kinji's younger sister is. So. Cute." "I think Onii-chan's pretty dashing himself." "Your skin's so white! Almost like a mix." "That's because half my DNA is of Caucasian descent." "...? And? What are your interests?" "Major League Baseball." "Favorite phrase?" "Immoral."

Anyway, GIV. Using such polite language when in public? How pretentious.

In more ways than one, she's seized the initiative.

Tohyama Kinji has a younger sister.

At this moment in time, it's become the truth.

All of this seemed to be going as planned for GIV. As she was answering questions, she subtly and repeatedly interwove "Onii-chan" and "little sister" into her responses.

"-And what's your name?"

At this point, a girl threw out this question.

"Tohyama Gefo-"

I quickly covered her mouth as she nearly blurted out her real name.

-This idiot!

Tohyama GIV is such a weird name! At least make it "GIV Tohyama". No, I take that back, the problem isn't with the order in the first place! The real problem here is that the brother's name is clearly 100% Japanese, but the younger sister's name most decidedly isn't! This just makes an already inexplicable situation even more incomprehensible!

"Tohyama-kun! Why won't you let her answer!?"

"Exactly right! Kinji, her name! What's her name?!"

"We need to write it in the school paper. Hurry up and let her speak!"

As the bus just about began to riot, I racked my non-Hysteria Mode brain like my life depended on it.

"Uh...Um...Her name is...Uh..."

I need to think of a name that fits!

The Tohyama siblings' names are {{Furigana|Kinichi|金一}} and {{Furigana|Kinji|金次}}, so a "金" is necessary. {{Furigana|Kinko|金子}}? No, that's way too weird, like something from a hundred years ago. Think, think!, Kinji.

Looking at this from a different perspective, how about {{Furigana|Kana|金}}, the kun'yomi reading? <ref>[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kanji#Kun.27yomi_.28Japanese_reading.29 Kun'yomi]</ref> But Kana is my older brother's name, so let's change that a little. What to change, though? Well, she's a girl, so how about adding the character for {{Furigana|girl|女}}?

- {{Furigana|Kaname|金女}}.

Not bad, at least it's a person's name now.

"Her, uh, her name is- Tohyama Kaname!"

"Ehh?"

Looking at me in surprise, I immediately hid GIV's expression from view with my hand.

"Tohyama Kaname!" "Kaname-chan!" "So cute!" "Kaname!" "Kaname!"

Calls of "Kaname!" filled the bus as it made its rounds around the campus island.

I felt their twisted stares on me.

What...what have I gotten myself into?

 

Fairly leaping off the bus at the next stop, I found myself at Logi's multi-story parking structure.

Looking around, I saw nary a soul in sight.

No, wait, there seems to be someone. A tall kouhai from Assault, holding a revolver, a S&W M....29, or maybe a 329 or 629, laying asleep on a bench.

She's covered in dirt. My guess is she lost a fight, and after laying down to rest for a moment, fell asleep. Her magnum revolver is out in the open, rather than holstered where it should be...truly a careless individual.

But, seeing as she's asleep, I don't think she'll be able to hear to us speak.

Having thus decided, I had GIV stand in front of me.

"Seriously, just what is it you want? After what you just did, that whole crowd-"

As I started to admonish her-

She suddenly hugged me.

-The smell of a young girl wafted over. With her sticking this closely to me, I felt the softness of her still immature breasts pressed against me.

With my senses of smell and touch under attack at the same time, I was left stunned.

"...Kaname...My name is...Kaname..."

Burying herself in my chest, her tearful voice wavered.

Unlike her tears of frustration earlier, these seemed to be tears of joy. What a strikingly emotional girl.

"Kaname...it's a name, isn't it? A person's name?"

"No kidding. It's not like you left me any choice but to pick one."

"My name...Onii-chan gave me a name. I'm so happy...so happy..."

"What, what's wrong with you now? What're you crying for?"

"Because I'm too happy."

"Happy? What for?"

"A name. A real name. I've never had one before. Onii-chan...gave me a name. This is the first time...I've ever been treated like a person. It's too much. It's just like I'd dreamed...My Onii-chan is such a kindhearted person."

"...huh?"

Just as I was about to call her GIV once more, I felt strongly... that I shouldn't use that name anymore.

I'm not sure why, but that's just how it feels.

(This sucks. Just what is going on...?)

In an effort to clear the raging emotions within, I shook my head forcefully.

Just from the sight of her tears, I'm this shaken up?

Women's tears...what the heck is up with that? Thanks to them, I've been vexed beyond reason.

No matter how many tears this girl sheds, I won't be moved.

This girl, there's no way she's my sister.

"I...I helped you choose a name only because I was left with no choice back there!"

Like Hell I have a little sister.

"You were never my sister. I-"

"-Nn, it's fine. I know Onii-chan won't acknowledge me, because...until now, I've already been rejected so many times. So yes, I know."

She looked at me, eyes brimming with tears, voice choked with sobs.

As if deeply wounded by my words just now, her eyebrows drooped sadly.

But just as before, she nevertheless laughed bravely.

As if to cry, "Say whatever you want to say, just don't hate me."

"Ah...no..."

Why? I know just how dangerous this girl is...but why?

Why can't I treat her with indifference?

Is it because she's a girl? Because she's younger than me?

I can't allow myself to do anything that would truly hurt her.

"Still...I beg you...just promise me one thing?"

"...What...?"

"Please call me 'Kaname' from now on. Don't use that serial number anymore. Even if only when we're alone, that's enough."

What to say to that?

Because of what had transpired, the name "Kaname" has already spread throughout school.

If I continued to call her "GIV", it's possible an already complicated situation would take a turn for the worse.

"...I understand."

"...!"

GIV- Kaname, just from my willingness to do this one thing-

Gave a glowing smile brimming with joy, her body trembling.

As if to directly feel that happiness, she rubbed her forehead against me.

"Onii-chan. I'm Kaname. My name is Kaname. Kaname. My name is Kaname."

Voice still choked, she continued to repeat her name over and over.

Is it really something to be that happy about? It's something I literally spent about five seconds thinking up.

If I'd known it was going to be like this, I'd have put more effort into it.

Seeing her raise her head to look at me, very much like a cat being petted, I couldn't help but feel a slight regret-

"...!"

From the hand of my kouhai, lying on the bench-

The pistol slipped off her body, and fell towards the ground.

"!"

Kaname-

Sprinting faster than humanly possible, she spun in that direction, diving with arms before her.

-''Bang!''

The pistol, having hit the floor, accidentally went off.

Right as I heard the sound of the gunshot-

Kaname's back suddenly crashed into my chest.

"...!"

...A bullet suddenly dropped to the floor at her feet.

"Uh...wha? Hey, are you alright!?"

Reacting to the loud and abrupt noise, my kouhai suddenly awoke.

"If I was anyone else, you'd be facing a murder charge right now, and at the very least, life in prison. Take that safety-less revolver of yours, and empty its chamber. If you leave now, I won't say a word."

Hearing GIV speak thusly,

The first year bowed her head repeatedly as if kowtowing before an empress, frantically picking up her S&W which had rolled away, and exited the scene in a hurry.

"Onii-chan, you're not hurt, are you? I'm sorry, I ran into you."

Kaname turned around, holding the chest of her sailor uniform where she'd been hit.

There's no way it doesn't hurt. Even if her uniform is made of bulletproof material, it was still a .44 magnum bullet that hit her, and it didn't just graze her either.

That kind of impact force, if unlucky, can easily break a rib or two. It could even be fatal.

"I'm the one who should be asking you that!"

"I'm alright. After all, I'm wearing these kinds of clothes. In any case, an attack by a .44 caliber is something I've experienced hundreds of times already during training."

"Training...? More importantly, how did you know it was coming? Your back was turned when the pistol went off."

"In Onii-chan's eyes, I saw the reflection of that girl's gun falling. I saw the muzzle pointed in this direction, and that the hammer would strike the ground. Furthermore, that gun looked very old and very dangerous."

From...from the reflection in my eyes? She saw all that? And in such detail.

This alone was surprising enough, but what really surprised me was something else entirely.

This girl had very clearly-

Just used her own body as a shield-

For me.

Far from trying to take credit for doing as much, she even ignored her own injuries, first worrying on my behalf.

From the depths of her heart, Kaname really wanted to protect me.

An iron resolve which willingly took sacrifice in return for my wellbeing as a more than even trade.

-Deep within my heart, my feelings towards the existence called Kaname grew increasingly more and more muddled.

Kaname.

Just who on Earth are you?

<references />
<noinclude>
{{Hidan no Aria Nav|prev=Hidan no Aria:Volume10_Chapter1|next=Hidan no Aria:Volume10_Chapter3}}
</noinclude>

Talk:Main Page

2013-06-11T03:43:30Z

Monsterbandage: /* Mistake in the Android App Section */

== Onizuka-gto ==
Thanks for your initial work, I remember reading it and was really disappointed when I got the end, and realised this wasn't touched for a loooong time.

Thanks for inspiring me to jump into Wikipedia to sort out the Haruhi anime/manga/novel page.

Salutation, comrade!
May Haruhi Suzumiya bless you!

:

[[User:Onizuka-gto|Onizuka-gto]] 10:17, 16 April 2006 (PDT)

==Credit Due==
Not to be too eager to claim credit, since I haven't done that much, yet -- but might I suggest that at least some of the other contributing translators/proofreaders are credited on the front page of the Suzumiya Haruhi project pages? --[[User:Freak Of Nature|Freak Of Nature]] 08:04, 20 April 2006 (PDT)

== Translations as text files ==

I was wondering if someone could possibly put together a script to clean formatting for the translations, putting together an ePub for this is a pain in the ass sometimes :/

== April fool? ==
So that I can't visit this website on yesterday is a lie. Right? ^^" [[User:118.172.49.162|118.172.49.162]] 06:05, 2 April 2008 (PDT)

== Oops!! ==

On the left side bar, we have Ginban Kaleidoscope before Ghost Hunt! It should be the other way around! could someone fix this (I don't think I can, and if could, I wouldn't know how).

PS. While were working with the sidebar, should Utsuro no Hako to Zero no Maria be put up? we have over a volume, and don't seem to be missing anything.

== Out of Curiosity ==

I wonder how many (non-bot) people have tried to contact Thelastguardian at "thelastguardian@hotmailNOSPAM.comNOSPAM"

My guess is none. However, a few have probably tried to contact him/her at "thelastguardian@hotmailNOSPAM.com"
Copy and paste is really convenient, most of the time...

== IMTranslator Aid ==

Why not use Firefox's IMTranslator addon to translate into rough drafts and then correct the mistakes? Just a thought. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] 19:58, 16 April 2011 (UCT)

It would be extremely helpful both in translating and speeding up the translation of Visual Novel Scripts. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] 02:09, 17 April 2011 (UCT)

== would it be possible to implement semi-protection on this page? ==

It would prevent all the random spam from getting on without an account. Or are there reasons to not do so, technical or otherwise?

I'm also thinking that this would be a great idea. I had enough of tromadol addiction or something like that.

== Suplementy ==

Hello everyone

First of all sorry that I write in this topic but I have some technical problem with the use of this forum. When I'm trying to enter in the appropriate topic, I received a 404 error It's about the only topic in which I was able to enter. Do you have the same problems? What's going on?

---------
These are possible causes:
Please check your antivirus/firewall.
Are you in Japan? (Viewing is not supported from there, for obvious reasons)
Are you using an updated browser? Try another to be sure.

== Navigation Bar ==

It seems that all of the "To Aru Majutsu no Index" pages are now "Toaru Majutsu no Index," but the navigation bar on the left still has the older spelling. Not a broken link, just mildly irritating to see it need a redirect. [[User:CarVac|CarVac]] 23:46, 5 May 2011 (UCT)

Well, as for me, when I check the chapters, it's always 'To Aru' instead of 'Toaru'. [[User:Kira0802|Kira0802]] 00:48, 6 May 2011 (UCT)

Do you really want me to redirect all the links...? Thing is, the name got romanised into Toaru, but since we were using 'To Aru', the chapters are listed as 'To Aru...'. Gosh, I got 10+ volumes to redirect if that's the case...--[[User:Teh Ping|Teh Ping]] 04:42, 6 May 2011 (UCT)

I don't mind one way or the other, just shouldn't we be consistent? [[User:CarVac|CarVac]] 08:19, 6 May 2011 (UCT)

To be honest, you're not going to get me to do all those link changes -_-. I know I prefer consistency, but I don't think it's much of a problem with the chapters (unless you're using direct links). Right now, Oni isn't around at the moment, so I don't think that the link on the navigation bar will be changed anytime soon.--[[User:Teh Ping|Teh Ping]] 12:53, 7 May 2011 (UCT)

== weird naming error & strange orphan page ==

i found a weird page while googling the 7 volume series "Accel World" (it has recently recieved a manga adaptation). Apparently, there's a page for it here(5th on google) but because it was named wrong no-one here can find/see/access it. It's at [[Database:title=accel world]]. someone with an account should move/rename it to [[Accel World]] and add it to teasers or something.

The problem with that is, that it doesnt have a teaser at the moment. I think this page was created as a test a while ago... --[[User:Darklor|Darklor]] 02:37, 19 May 2011 (UCT)

See [[Database]]. Sigh... branched off into a separate wiki, which subsequently died. We now have a set of pages that are linked to by nothing. Do we want to try to revive this? I can see how it would be useful for attracting translators to projects that don't have a wiki page, especially ones that are forum shy, but other than that, I don't see any merit in it. most series that get an anime get a wiki all to themselves, anyway. Unless someone expresses some interested in restarting it, it would probably be better to delete the whole section. --[[User:Saganatsu|Saganatsu]] 06:15, 19 May 2011 (UCT)

== Affiliates ==

Shouldn't B-T affiliate itself with other translation groups that do lightnovels? I really liked how B-T linked to cetranslation on the frontpage to expand this community to other translation groups. Isn't it B-T's goal to expand the publicity of light novels to get them published in the language that promotes the most amount of interest from its readers? It would be awesome to see series listed on the left under a sub group (Affilates) [just like how theres Light Novels and Visual Novels] and list other light novels that are being translated from other sites. These links could link back to the original site like how Durarara!! was done. There is no other light novel database site that does this and I wish it would be B-T that would build a bigger community towards all translation groups. You might have to talk with other translation websites about it, but it would be every light novel reader's dream to find out that there are many other interesting series out there. [[User:Lp113|Lp113]] 19:12, 13 January 2012 (CST)

== Navigation ==
Can you make a navigation page, to list all the projects?

The light novels menu is incredibly long, such a long drop down menu doesn't help navigation.

[[Special:Contributions/70.24.244.198|70.24.244.198]] 23:59, 24 March 2012 (CDT)

==Monogatari Series in the Light Novels menu==
It used to say "Bakemonogatari" but was changed to "Monogatari" because the series expanded beyond Bakemonogatari, but the problem is, "Monogatari Series" is in the same position, so it's not in alphabetical order like the rest of the list. Can someone fix this?

== Densetsu no Yūsha no Densetsu in the 'Light Novels' menu ==

The Densetsu no Yūsha no Densetsu series is listed in the 'Light Novels' menu as "Dai Densetsu no Yūsha no Densetsu", which is the name of the series that is the sequel to the Densetsu no Yūsha no Densetsu series. It wold make more sense to use "Densetsu no Yūsha no Densetsu" in the menu because that is the actual series name. Can someone please change this?

== The ruling on Original Light Novels section. ==

Can someone explain to me the ruling on presenting a new light novel?
I have been working on materials and concepts for one, and now I want to present the story to the OLN section of BTsuki.

== tlwiki link broken ==

Now the page send to this link
http://www.tsukuru.info/tlwiki/index.php?title=Main_Page

but the new link is:
http://tlwiki.org/index.php?title=Main_Page
:still broken -- [[User:Ninjamask|Ninjamask]] ([[User talk:Ninjamask|talk]]) 17:34, 30 November 2012 (CST)

== To all of the people who make baka-tsuki possible ==
Thank you very much for your hard work! =D --[[User:Dright|Dright]] ([[User talk:Dright|talk]]) 20:24, 6 February 2013 (CST)

== talk page archiving ==

To the staff members of Baka-Tsuki:

Have there been any previous agreements on how to handle talk pages or the archiving of those on this project? Because there are no help pages, I'm just trying to ask that here. On Wikipedia, they say that "It is customary to periodically archive old discussions on a talk page when that page becomes too large. Bulky talk pages may be hard to navigate, contain obsolete discussion, or become a burden for users with slow Internet connections or computers." See [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:Archiving_a_talk_page Help:Archiving a talk page]. I think that at least the pages should be archived, if they become to long, as for example with 30+ obsolete discussions. If nobody cares, they could even be dumped. --[[User:Unkalibriert|Unkalibriert]] 06:22, 10 February 2013 (CST)

== Mistake in the Android App Section ==

Just a minor mistake: "a App" should be "an App"
--[[User:Dan.|Dan.]] ([[User talk:Dan.|talk]]) 00:12, 20 February 2013 (CST)

is there a way to install that app on an iphone or ipod touch?

== index page ==

Is there an index page? The sidebar list is all well and good, but it'd be easier to read if there was an index page.

-- [[Special:Contributions/65.92.180.137|65.92.180.137]] 03:48, 19 March 2013 (CDT)

== Watchlist & protection logs ==

Is there any way to hide protection logs from my Watchlist? I just got 46 emails when several Haganai pages were simultaneously protected. I didn't find anything in the Watchlist preferences that looked like it would be helpful. Can anybody help me with this? --[[User:Dan.|Dan.]] ([[User talk:Dan.|talk]]) 22:48, 29 March 2013 (CDT)

== Page suggestions ==

May i suggest that a page containing a list of all Light Novel adaptations anime be created? Because some people (including me) tends to see whether the series we like was already made into an anime or not. Also, by being adapted into anime most people (me) would feel a lot accepting into reading a new series, because i have many series that i didn't read just because the title is confusing and that the cover's artwork is messy.

Also, it would be nice to see updates of what chapters you guys have just finished in one box, so i also want to suggest to put the said box on the front page so that we don't have to visit each series just to know if it's already updated or not (and twitter is not really reliable :/)

== Question. ==

Can I ask a question? If I want to know about something where do I post it? I am new here because I just recently started reading Light Novels. Also while I'm asking is Date A Live Volume 5 Chapter 5 really blank? Also is Volume 4 Chapter 6 the start of Volume 4?

:You're probably not going to get any answers here. You might want to try the talk page for the series/chapter that you have the question about or the [http://www.baka-tsuki.org/forums/ forum]. --[[User:Dan.|Dan.]] ([[User talk:Dan.|talk]]) 13:56, 6 April 2013 (CDT)

== Missing alternative languages on the main page ==

Someone should update the alternative language list on the main page. Bulgarian, Dutch, Croatian, Bikolano and Arabic are missing. --[[User:Soryusu|Soryusu]] ([[User talk:Soryusu|talk]]) 08:31, 1 June 2013 (CDT)

Date A Live:Yoshino Fireworks

2013-06-09T00:52:56Z

Monsterbandage:

[[File:Yoshino Fireworks.jpg|403px]]

Timid and slightly introverted.

Yet she is a spirit that is more gentle than any human——Yoshino.

"Shidou-san......I, I, have a......place that I'd like......to go."

She plucked up her courage and invoked the [right to date] with Shidou.

The two who set out to view fireworks, However......

A night in summer.

Itsuka Shidou was in the kitchen preparing dinner as usual.

"shidou, what's for dinner tonight?"

A girl's voice sounded out from the living room.

Turning to look in that direction, he found the girl whose long hair was as dark as night as well as crystal-like eyes——Tohka was currently lying on top of a yoga ball and looking towards the kitchen. Although she lives in the apartment next door, she would occasionally enter the Itsuka residence to join them for lunch .

"Nn, it's slightly hot today. I'll make cold soba then."

"Oooh!"

When Shidou just finished his sentence, Tohka's eyes started to sparkle. After putting all of her weight onto the yoga ball, she made use of its rebound to stand up.

"Is, is there any pink colored noodles in there?"

"There are. And there are green ones too."

"Wh, what did you say......"

Tohka showed an expression as though she was a clergy who had received a message from the heavens, her two hands trembled.

What an emotional person. Shidou gave a bitter smile as he continued.

"So, can you go and tidy up the table for me first?"

"Nn, nn! Leave it to me!"

Tohka enthusiastically replied, after that she hastily clear the newspapers and magazines that covered the table.

It looks like she had discovered something in the midst of cleaning up, "Nn?", making such a curious sound, her hand stopped as well.

"Nn? What's the matter?"

"Umm, shidou, what is this?"

Saying that, she opened up a flyer. Printed on it was a picture of massive fireworks and related information of a fireworks festival being held nearby.

"It's a fireworks festival. So the time has come for this huh."

"Fireworks?"

Tohka widened her eyes and tilted her head to one side.

The same time as Tohka made that posture, the door to the living room opened suddenly, following that a petite figure walked in.

Since the only one that would enter without pressing the doorbell, other than Tohka and his parents who are overseas working, was his little sister Kotori. Shidou spoke while rhythmically chopping the onions.

"So you are finally back. Dinner is about to be ready so you should hurry up and change——"

Shidou stopped speaking after he turned around.

The girl who had walked into the room, was different from whom Shidou had expected.

She seemed to be just over ten years old. A light colored one piece dress clothed her snow white skin, she hid her blue hair using the wide brim of a sun hat. An oddly designed rabbit puppet was worn on her hand.

"Yoshino?"

After Shidou called out her name, Yoshino revealed her sapphire-like eyes from below her hat, as though trying to affirm Shidou's presense.

Those were a pair of beautiful eyes that a human couldn't possible have.

That's right. She——along with Tohka, strictly speaking, are not humans. They are lifeforms known as [Spirits] that are specially designated calamities.

Even so, their powers are currently being sealed via methods, as a result they are not that dangerous anymore. In truth, Yoshino who is under <Ratatoskr>'s protection, is currently living on board the living quarters of the airship, learning the necessary information for her to successfully integrate into human society.

"Go, good evening......Shidou-san, Tohka-san."

"Aha— long time no see Shidou-kun. How have you been doing? Have you constantly spend sleepless nights by yourself thinking about Yoshino?"

After Yoshino respectfully lowered her head, the puppet that was worn on her left hand——[Yoshinon] opened its mouth and gave out a cheerful voice.

Due to the difference in their tone and personalities, Shidou couldn't help but smile bitterly.

Although it looks like ventriloquism......but strictly speaking that was not the case. [Yoshinon] is a second personality that resides within Yoshino, what it says however is not controlled by Yoshino's will.

Truth is, at present, Yoshino too was covering [Yoshinon]'s mouth who had just uttered those words with a reddened face.

"I'm......I'm sor, ry......"

[Mm——! Mm——!]

Yoshino felt apologetic as she lowered her head once more, [Yoshinon] on the other hand was struggling to break free. It was adorable to see them like that, Shidou couldn't help but laugh.

"It's alright......Do you need something, Yoshino?"

Shidou questioned, Yoshino on the other hand jumped slightly.

"A, about.......that is......"

Yoshino seemed to be hesitant in speaking out, letting her eyes wander around, however she seemed to have come to a conclusion as she parted her lips.

"Y, you are still a......coward I see, Shidou....... You should be, feeling honored instead......Look at you, such a penniless, classless, useless nerd......I will grant you......your reason for existing. Tomorrow night......take me......to the fireworks festival. Su, such a task......even a flea like you who has evolved to a level nearing that of humanity......should be able to accomplish it right......?"

Yoshino stuttered, saying words that she'd normally would never say.

"Wh......wh, what's the matter, Yoshino?"

Tohka frowned in confusion as well, drops of sweat trickled down her cheek.

However Shidou made a different reaction. After the side of his face twitched, he slowly raised his head.

"............Hey, you rascal."

"......! So, sorry, sorry, sorry......! B, but......"

Yoshino bowed her head to indicate her apology from the bottom of her heart.

But Shidou was not blaming Yoshino at all. He only threw a sharp glance behind her——glaring at the door that Yoshino had opened before. As expected, Kotori who was shaking from trying to control her laughter was standing there observing the turn of events.

"Kotori! What are you trying to add into the oasis in my heart!"

"......So you are trying to say, that you want to go see the fireworks festival?"

After getting Kotori out from peeping behind the door, Shidou spoke while sighing.

He was told that Yoshino wanted to see the [Fireworks] that she read in books with her own eyes very much. ——She wanted to take the chance and use her [Dating Right] with Shidou, consulting Kotori about the matter.

"That's right. I remember that there's a fireworks festival at Tenbagawa tomorrow? You should bring her there."

The girl whose long hair was tied up using black ribbons——Kotori spoke while sitting on the sofa with a haughty attitude.

Explaining the so called [Dating Right], it is referring to the right of possessing Shidou for an entire day, Yoshino obtained it from a certain competition. Of course Shidou's protests were left unheeded......But more importantly it was because the situation could potentially escalate if the right was handed to anyone other than Yoshino from his protests, so there was no other choice other than to silently agree.

"If that was the case then can't you just let her say it out normally. What were you trying to make Yoshino do?"

"Well, if we didn't put it like that, it would be useless against Shidou who is as dense as a block of wood......So what is your reply?"

"I'm not really against it or anything......"

Shidou glanced at Tohka who was sitting by the side. Since she was the person that was most interested in this activity.

After hearing Kotori talk about the fireworks festival, her cheeks faintly blushed, the two balled up fists were trembling as well.

......In other words, she was controlling herself.

"Ha......!"

At that moment, it seems like she noticed Shidou's stare, Tohka's shoulders gave a jolt.

"Is, isn't that gr, great? Such a rare chance......The two of you should enjoy yourselves to the fullest."

Although Tohka said that. Tears could clearly be seen from the corner of her eyes, it was obvious that she was forcing herself.

Sweat formed on Shidou's face, turning to look at Yoshino. Yoshino too was making a similar expression as well.

"Umm......Tohka-san, if you are willing......do you want to come with us?"

"! Re, really!?"

After Yoshino said that, Tohka couldn't help but stand up——but she quickly shook her head forcefully as though trying to persuade herself.

"No......I can't. This date belongs to the winner Yoshino. If I were to join you, then it wouldn't be right."

Tohka twirled her fingers as she spoke.

Looking at her miserable state, Kotori couldn't help but shrug.

"Alright alright, we'll let Reine bring Tohka there. There's no problem as long as you two move separately right?"

As Kotori finished speaking, Tohka's expression brightened in an instant.

"! Uu......Well, if you all want me to go that badly, then I guess there's no helping it!"

Looking at Tohka, Shidou and Yoshino looked at each other and smiled bitterly.

◇

The next day, Shidou waited for Yoshino near the statue whose form is still up to one's imagination to find out at the nearest station from the fireworks festival.

The time as of now was not 6pm yet. There's still about an hour till the fireworks festival starts, however the figures of tourists have already filled the exterior of the station. Among them were tourists with the intention of touring the game stations, there were a number of people carrying packages of takoyaki or yo-yo balls who entered the station.

"Although I've already expected this......but there sure are a lot of people here."

"What are you still hanging around for. We've just sent Yoshino over, she should be heading there soon, the two of you better meet up successfully okay?"

As though replying to Shidou's monologue, Kotori's voice sounded into his right ear.

Althought Yoshino's mental state have stablized, he still put on the earphone on <Ratatoskr>'s request just in case.

"——According to the rules, we will not be giving you any instructions today, but there are <Ratatoskr>'s crew members on site as well. So feel free to ask if anything comes up."

"I understand."

"Well then, we'll leave Yoshino to you."

Saying that, the conversation with Kotori ended.

After affirming this fact, Shidou started to look around in order to search for Yoshino.

And then.

"I've, I've made you......wait."

[Ooh—, we've made you wait Shidou-kun.]

A familiar voice sounded out from somewhere near him, Shidou turned his gaze downwards.

"......!"

Shidou involuntarily widened his eyes due to seeing a scene that had totally exceeded his expectations.

Yoshino was not wearing the usual one piece dress, but a pale blue kimono. She did not wear her sunhat as well,in its place she used hair clasps to hold her beautiful hair in place.

All of that complemented Yoshino's doll like features, exuding an incomparable beauty. Shidou was instantly rendered speechless, staring at her figure.

"Shidou......san?"

"! Ah, sorry about that."

Brought back to reality after hearing Yoshino's hesitant voice, he looked around as an excuse for his behavior just now. However [Yoshinon] who has the same hair clasps as Yoshino started to snicker.

"Ayaya——? Don't tell me you were in a trance over Yoshino's kimono? Ah——, isn't that great Yoshino. It wasn't a waste in getting Reine to help out."

"Gu......"

"Yo, Yoshinon......! You, you shouldn't say such things. Shidou-san, wo, wouldn't......"

Yoshino hastily held [Yoshinon]'s mouth, turning to look at Shidou.

"Well......I do think that you are beautiful."

However Shidou said the truth, Yoshino's face instantly flushed red.

"Th, that, that is......"

Probably not expecting to really be praised by Shidou, Yoshino waved her right hand about in a panic, making attempts of hiding her own expression with the brim of her hat.

However what Yoshino has on her head at present was not the sunhat but hairclips shaped like flowers. Yoshino used her hand to cover her face before removing them and repeated the process a few times, before lowering her head in confusion as to what expression should she make.

The two of them silently faced each other with reddened faces, and although it was the perfect moment to interrupt, [Yoshinon] chose to just stay there with a sly grin.

"We, wewewell then......let's not just stand here, shall we go?"

"!Y, yes......! Then I'll be in......your care."

After Shidou spoke, Yoshino respectfully bowed her head showing an extremely panicked expression.

"Nn, let's walk this way."

Saying that, he started to walk in the direction of the river, however [Yoshinon]'s voice called out to him.

[Oi oi Shidou-kun. There's so many people here and you're just going to walk along ahead?]

"Eh?"

After turning around to look, he finally realized what was going on. Not only was the current Yoshino wearing a kimono, she was also wearing clogs that she was not used to wearing.

"You're right, I'm sorry. Since we still have time, let's walk over slowly."

[Tsk tsk tsk. That's not the problem Shidou-kun.]

"Eh?"

[Hurry up, Yoshino.]

Saying that, [Yoshinon] lightly hugged Yoshino's reddened cheeks.

Yoshino grit her teeth as she still had a look of panic on her face, making a sound after her determination was set.

"U, um, Shidou-san."

"What is it?"

"I......Today, I used the right to date......with Shidou-san."

"Nn, that's right."

"So......Today is, the, the date that I have with, Shidou-san......"

"Well, that is the case."

"That, so, about that......it's okay if you refuse......if you don't want to."

Yoshino timidly extended her right hand.

"Ca, can......you please hold my hand?"

Saying that, she looked at Shidou's face. It seems that Yoshino had made an extremely large resolution when she said that, the corner of her eyes were slightly wet, her lips were trembling as well.

"Oh. Of course we can."

Shidou who was moved for a moment, after putting on a calm, nonchalant expression, he took Yoshino's small hand.

Possibly frightened by the sudden touch, Yoshino's shoulders gave a jolt.

"! I'm sorry, did I scare you?"

"N, no......I'm alright."

"I, is that so. Well then——let's go."

"Alright......"

Yoshino hid her stunned expression as she deeply nodded her head. On the other hand, [Yoshino] was saying, [You did great. That's a good girl.] as it stroked her head.

Although it wasn't the first time he has held a girl's hand......But he was feeling exceptionally nervous for some reason.

At that moment——

"......!?"

Suddenly feeling that they were being watched from somewhere, Shidou turned his head and looked at his surroundings.

"Shidou-san......? Is......something wrong?"

"Nothing......I think I was just being paranoid."

It could be due to the fact that he was holding hands with such a beautiful girl, he had drawn the jealous gaze of a passer-by.

After taking a deep breath, Shidou gently held the fingers that felt as though they would break under the slightest pressure, slowly moving forward.

After following the flow of the crowd for fifteen minutes, they could see the various lights of the stalls on both sides of the path.

Yakisoba, takoyaki, cotton candy and various food stuff that one would usually find at the stalls aside, there were stalls displaying water balloons, goldfish scooping, shooting galleries, mini-sized sculptures and prizes from lotteries. Although there wasn't much difference between the stalls, business was booming.

"Waah......"

Yoshino widened her eyes, exclaiming in wonder.

"It's really......amazing."

[It sure is rowdy here——.Then again, what is this place for? Can we buy fireworks here? And can we light one and let it go?]

[Yoshinon] tilted its head in confusion, Shidou on the other hand could only smile wryly in response. If everyone here lit a large firework on their own, that would definitely be an amazing scene.

"That's not correct, they're going to light the fireworks on the other side of the river. They only sell food and toys here."

[Eh? What's that got to do with a fireworks festival?]

“Uuh……I, I don’t know myself……”

[Hn——. Looks like there seems to be some difficult philosophical question of life hidden within all this—]

[Yoshinon] seemed to have understood something as it kept nodding with folded arms.

Shidou’s face showed a cramped smile, turning to look at Yoshino.

“Is this Yoshino’s first time seeing these stalls as well?”

After Shidou inquired, Yoshino nodded her head rather excitedly.

“I’ve, seen them in, books before……but this is, the first time that I saw the real thing.”

“Is that so.”

She had such a happy expression on her face, it was worth bringing her to watch the festival after all. Shidou smiled as he checked the time on his handphone.

“There’s still some time till they let off the fireworks, let’s walk around.”

“! Can……I?”

“Of course, this is also part of the fireworks festival. Do you have anything you’d like to eat or have? Let me treat you.”

“Th, then I’ll……”

Yoshino looked around, frantically glancing at the stalls around her.

“Ahaha……I’m sorry. Let’s just look and see first. ”

“Ah, al, alright. I’m really sorry……”

Yoshino nodded her head, tightly holding onto Shidou’s hand.

Weaving through the crowd, Yoshino suddenly stopped.

“Nn? What’s the matter Yoshino?”

“Shidou-san……What is, that?”

Saying that, he turned to the left.

‘…………”

And then, Shidou froze wordlessly in place.

In that direction a shooting gallery was located. There were ten guns that fired corks displayed, inside the gallery there were several targets placed there.

There would not be a problem if that was the only thing they saw. It’s a shooting gallery that is not much different from the others.

However that would only be the case if the shooting target was not a half naked man wearing a mask that looked eerily familiar.

“Aaah……Hurry! Someone hurry up and shoot me!”

“Keep your mouth shut Kannazuki. It’s your disgusting fault that everyone is keeping away from here. If you really want someone to blast you to pieces that much then shut your mouth and wait there. Or don’t tell me you are unable to accomplish that? It seems that replacing you with a doll as a target would be the better choice huh?”

The owner of the stall sternly chided. Isn’t the owner a little too young to be manning a stall……Upon a closer look, isn’t that just Kotori in a disguise?

“Ku, Kuuuuu, but this is really making me impatient……!”

The man let out a frustrated sound while still tied onto the rack. ……No matter how you look at it, he was <Ratatoskr>’s vice-commander as well as the vice-captain of the aircraft vessel <Fraxinus>——Kannazuki Kyohei.

The surrounding people kept their distance, every stall were doing well except for this one.

Shidou grabbed his head. Although he had already heard that someone from the organisation had already infiltrated, however……

“Why is it like this!?”

“……!?”

Frightened by Shidou’s sudden cry, Yoshino jumped for an instant.

“Ah, so, sorry about that.”

“It’s, nothing……, but, that……Shidou-san, what is that?”

“Yoshino, let’s go to another stall.”

“Eh, but……”

Shidou forced Yoshino to leave with him without saying another word. It wasn’t just because he did not want to let Yoshino continue watching that scene……but it would be disastrous if Yoshino were to be tainted from their bad influence.

At that moment, Yoshino seemed to have discovered another object that has caught her curiosity. She stopped walking and asked Shidou.

“Um, then, Shidou-san, what is……that?”

“Hm?”

What Yoshino had seen, was the stall that sold crushed ice. Countless glittering ice fragments flew out of the massive machine.

“It’s beautiful……”

“Yeah, that’s crushed ice. A block of ice is shaved into small pieces before eating with syrup added to it.”

“Is it, food?”

Yoshino widened her eyes with surprise. Ahh, if one were to look at it without prior knowledge, it would be simply too beautiful to call crushed ice food.

“That’s right, it’s good. Would you like to try?”

“……!”

After Shidou asked, Yoshino nodded her head in agreement.

“Then……what flavour would you like?”

Shidou held Yoshino’s hand and walked to the store, asking her that question after looking at the board which had strawberry, melon and more flavours stated on it.

“I’ll leave it to you.”

“Eh? Then, I’ll get a……”

The same time Shidou looked at the menu, he looked at the person manning the stall.

……Speaking of which, he seemed to have seen this man onboard <Fraxinus>, in the end Shidou chose to ignore such issues. For all he knew, most of the stalls in the festival could be manned by the staff members of <Ratatoskr>.

An overprotective and extravagant support mission as usual.

"Excuse me, one Blue Hawaii please."

"Coming right up!"

The man used practiced movements to make a big mountain of ice in a cup, handing it over after colouring it with a layer of blue syrup.

Shidou did not order Blue Hawaii because it was recommended (it was more like, even Shidou himself had no clue what exactly was this flavour), he only thought that the sparkling blue colour suited Yoshino extremely well.

Shidou took the cup after paying, passing it over to Yoshino.

"This is for you"

"Th, thank you very much......"

Yoshino asked [Yoshinon] to help hold the cup, using a plastic spoon to scoop the blue ice, after scrutinizing it for a while, she placed it into her mouth.

"—————!!"

Her eyes widened in surprise, after looking left and right she looked up into Shidou's face, patting his body with an excited expression.

However her shoulders quickly gave a jolt, showing an expression that was full of apology.

"I'm, sorry, I've been a little......"

"Haha, did you like it?"

As Shidou asked, Yoshino vigorously nodded her head.

"It was cold, and sweet at the same time......But it was different from ice cream......amazing. This is a revolutionary, taste......"

Saying that, Yoshino proceeded to eat the crushed ice with big scoops.

"Ah, hold on. If you eat it too quickly......"

"..................Nn."

Too late. Yoshino had a bitter expression on her face as she rubbed her forehead.

"There's a, sharp pain in my head......"

"Eating chilled food too quickly will cause that. It's called brain freeze."

"This headache, has such, a delicious name......"

Yoshino squeezed out her words while tightly closing her eyes.

At the same time a sharp voice sounded out from within the crowd.

"——Oooh! Reine, I want to eat that next! What is that!?"

"......Regrettably, goldfish can't be eaten."

“Hm, is that so? I thought they were to be eaten raw too……”

Voices that they have heard before. Shidou, Yoshino as well as [Yoshinon] turned their heads at the same time.

“Eh, that was……”

“Tohka……san?”

[Seems like it——]

That’s right. Standing right there was Tohka in a kimono along with Reine who was taking her out to play while in a kimono as well.

On a side note, Tohka’s right hand was holding a massive stick of cotton candy, in between the fingers on her left hand were toffee apple, chocolate banana, dried squid and more foodstuff. Furthermore both her wrists were wearing glowing bracelets and the side of her head had a hero’s mask. One could say that it was a look that fully showed that she was enjoying this festival.

Tohka’s kimono was on par with Yoshino…… However due to her playful appearance, Shidou couldn’t help but laugh.

“Hey——, Tohka——”

Shidou called out Tohka’s name, Tohka on the other hand raised her eyebrows in surprise as she looked at Shidou and company.

“Hm? Ohh…… If it isn’t Shidou and Yoshino……huh——”

Tohka who was about to wave to them, suddenly jolted, swiftly hiding herself behind Reine’s back.

“……? Wh, what’s wrong with her……”

[Hm—, I think Tohka-chan does not want to let Shidou-kun see her in her current appearance?]

“Gh……Who knows.”

It doesn’t seem like Tohka would be the kind of person who would care about such details. Shidou tilted his head in confusion, leading Yoshino over to Reine.

“Good evening, Reine-san. What’s the matter with Tohka?”

“……About her huh,”

Reine shifted her body slightly, exposing Tohka who was hiding behind her.

Tohka’s shoulders jolted as she panicked, eating the cotton candy in her hand in a single bite, she used her free right hand to put the mask on.

“What are you doing, Tohka……”

“Ha, hahahaha! Tohka? Who’s that? My name is Daizu Anpanman! I’m a super hero that gives all starving children in the world delicious soy bread to eat!”

What a confusing hero character indeed.

Reine stroked Tohka’s head as she spoke.

“……Well, I think she probably wants to avoid interrupting your date in her own way.”

“Ahh……So that’s how it is.”

Shidou and Yoshino looked at each other for a while, lightly nodding their heads.

Although Shidou and Yoshino did not mind, but they couldn’t very well let Tohka’s good intentions go to waste.

“I see, then we’ll make a move first. ——We’ll leave the peace of the earth to you then.”

“Ah, shidou……”

Just as Shidou was about to leave, Tohka made a sound as though she did not want him to leave.

“Hm?”

“! I, it’s nothing! Leave it to me!”

“Haa……I was almost seen through. Luckily I bought a mask just now.”

Tohka placed her hero’s mask to one side, letting out a relieved breath.

It was really dangerous just now. If Tohka didn’t have a sudden stroke of inspiration, she would have interrupted Shidou’s and Yoshino’s date.

Although Tohka wanted a date with Shidou very much, watching fireworks together. However, she felt that she would like to wish Yoshino who had splendidly beat Tohka and Origami .

In addition, Tohka knew full well of the pain brought about when someone barges into someone’s date. That’s why she had made her decision; she would definitely not interrupt the date between Shidou and Yoshino today.

“……Hmm?”

Just at this moment, Tohka suddenly frowned.

The reason for that was simple. That’s because a girl that she was acquainted with had appeared in the crowd.

Using a pale purple sash to fix her white kimono, she was a girl with a slender figure. With hair that barely touched her shoulders, she had a face that was devoid of emotion. Isn’t that——

“Tobiichi Origami……? Wh, why is she here?”

That’s right. Tobiichi Origami was Tohka’s and Shidou’s classmate as well as Tohka’s natural enemy.

Tohka narrowed her eyes in suspicion, noting that Origami was looking at the backs of Shidou and Yoshino, increasing her pace as she intended to follow after them.

“! You, stop right there!”

Tohka cried out, using her right hand to grab Origami’s shoulder. If Tohka were to let Origami do as she likes, the date would definitely be ruined.

“……, Yatogami Tohka. Why are you here.”

Origami turned around, glaring at Tohka unhappily.

“That’s my line! What are you trying to do!”

“That’s none of your business. Let go of me.”

“I’m not letting go of you! I’ll not let you ruin their date!”

Tohka yelled out, Origami’s eyebrow twitched.

“A date. So it was a date?”

“Yeah. So you shouldn’t interrupt them. Since you know that now then you should——don’t ignore me!”

Tohka noticed that her arm was pushed aside, she quickly ran in front of Origami.

“Move aside. I can’t bear to see Shidou fall into the evil clutches of a Spirit.”

“Clutches? Yoshino is a nice girl. How can you——”

“You know nothing. A girl like her is the most terrifying of them all. Behind that obedient face of hers hides an extremely lewd nature. By acting innocent and weak, she triggers the male’s urge to protect her; she would then devour him once she manages to trick him to her side. She’s a woman that is as terrifying as those deep sea fish or rafflesia.”

“Wh, what nonsense are you saying. Yoshino would never do such things!”

“It’s useless trying to explain it to you. Move aside. If I were to let them escape into the darkness, Shidou’s chasity would be in danger.”

Each time Origami tried to slip past Tohka’s side, she would be blocked by Tohka. The two of them were locked in a stalemate just like that, glaring at each other just like that.

“……Ladies. What would you two say if I propose that you two settle this with a match?”

Reine’s voice sounded out from behind.

“Hm?”

“……Murasame-sensei?”

Origami frowned in suspicion.

However Reine paid no heed, she slowly pointed towards the stalls on the side.

It looks like a shooting gallery. There was no sign of the owner anywhere, only a notice with the words [I’ll be right back. Do use it as you like. Owner] was present.

“……You two will use 30 bullets each, the one who has the higher point wins. The loser obeys the winner……How’s the rules? Is it clear enough?”

“Hm……Alright, I’ll take her on!”

It was easy to understand indeed, Tohka nodded her head in agreement.

“I don’t see the point at all. I don’t have time for this.”

However Origami did not seem to agree, she turned around and tried to leave. However Tohka stood in her path once more.

“……You wish to get rid of this stalemate as soon as possible right? Tohka will obey you as long as you win the match. ——Or are you saying that, you don’t have the confidence to win against Tohka?”

Reine provoked Origami. After hearing that, Origami narrowed her eyes.

“What’s this, and I was wondering why didn’t you accept the match, so that’s how it was.”

Tohka nodded her head with an understanding expression, Origami on the other hand walked past Tohka, taking up the air rifle from the shooting gallery.

“Where’s the target?”

“Hm, why are you so full of energy now?”

Seeing Origami enter a battle state, Tohka ate the candy apple, chocolate banana and the squid that was in her left hand in a single mouthful. ……The smell of squid mixed with the sweet taste, was not delicious at all.

However she did not have the time to care about that. Leaving the trash to Reine, Tohka stood beside Origami and raised her weapon.

“It’s alright as long as I use this huh? Well then, let’s star——”

However after looking at the target inside the stall, Tohka froze.

For some reason there was a half-nude male wearing a mask that was tied to the rack, several circles indicating targets were drawn on his body. On a side note, the place that had the highest points was the 100 point on his loincloth.

“Th, this is……”

Cold sweat started to form on Tohka’s face, following that she noticed a petite figure within the stall.

“Hm?”

Peering further inwards due to curiosity. In the end she discovered Kotori who was in a kimono and hiding under a futon.

“Kotori……? What are you doing here?”

“! Aahh……Tohka. Um, I don’t really wish to see her right now……”

Saying that Kotori peeked at Origami who was currently aiming at the targets.

“Hm?”

Just as Tohka tilted her head in suspicion, Origami readied her rifle, calmly pressing down on the trigger with practiced hands.

“——Aha!?”

The cork flew out of the barrel and hit the loincloth directly. The target let out a pained but excited cry.

“……A 100 on the first try huh. ——Hm, take something from the prizes worth 100 points then.”

“Can I really take it like that?”

“……Yeah, the owner of the stall and I go way back. I was asked to look after this stall just now.”

“Is that so.”

Saying that, Origami let out a sigh with a relaxed expression.

“Guu……”

Tohka frowned, returning to the stall after parting from Kotori.

Imitating Origami, she readied her rifle and pressed the trigger. After letting out a [Pon!] sound, the bullet hit the target’s chest.

“Aha!”

“……Hm, the right nipple is——20 points huh. The prize is a fireworks set for children.”

Saying that, Reine entered the stall and took out a flat squared box that looked totally different from the [fireworks] that she had heard so much about.

However, that was meaningless to Tohka right now. At present, she was feeling extremely frustrated at herself for getting a lower score than Tobiichi Origami.

“Uoh……”

Just as Tohka was grinding her teeth in frustration, the target let out another strange cry. It seems that Origami has scored 100 points once more.

“How……How can I lose!”

Tohka readied her rifle once more, pressing the trigger after aiming

The time was 1850 hours.

There was still light when they were at the station just now, but now it was completely dark.

The cool air, faint sounds of insects as well as the starry night sky that one would never be able to see in the city, it could be said to be a wonderful place to be to watch fireworks.

There is still 10 more minutes till they start firing the fireworks. Shidou and Yoshino walked around the stalls in order to find a good viewing spot, walking towards the river.

“Are, you alright, Yoshino?”

Shidou voiced out as he held Yoshino’s hand tightly. That’s right, that’s because the fireworks were about to be set off, the human density present in the location significantly increased. This situation is just like the huge sale in the new year or the morning rush hour.

“I’m, fi……ne”

[Aha, we-su-re-ar-e-be-ing-squ-ee-zed-here.]

Listening to Yoshino and [Yoshinon]’s voice, he followed the flow of the crowd to the wide riverbank.

“Aha……it sure is crowded here.”

“Th, that’s right……”

[Oh my——. It’s the first time since Kotori-chan placed me in the washing machine that I’m feeling so messed up——]

Shidou lightly stretched as though he was looking up at the sky. Due to the clouds blocking the moon, the sky was pitch black. It was an excellent day to set off the fireworks.

He patted Yoshino on the shoulder, pointing towards the riverbank.

“Look, they are going to set off the fireworks from there.”

“Fr, from over…..there?”

[Eh—, where—?]

Saying that, [Yoshinon] looked out.

“It’s right there. See, that——”

Saying that, Shidou suddenly felt a sense of dread.

——At the sleeve of her kimono, Yoshino’s left hand can be seen.

“Eh……?”

Shidou rubbed his eyes, looking at Yoshino once more. But that wasn’t his imagination.

“……? Is, something the matter?”

[What’s wrong——.Ah, don’t tell me you want to go to the washroom? How could you Shidou-kun, you should have went before that——]

Yoshino raised her head, following her movements, her left hand went up too.

That’s right, the place where [Yoshinon] was supposed to be, yet there was no sign of the puppet at all.

Shidou widened his eyes. It probably got squeezed off just now with the crowd.

That being said, [Yoshinon] is not really the puppet that was doing the talking but the second personality within Yoshino. If Yoshino were to believe that she was still wearing the puppet, would she realize that the puppet had fallen off?

However Yoshino followed Shidou’s gaze towards her own left hand——

“Ha……”

Yoshino started panicking, as though her throat had something stuck in it.

“……!......!”

Letting out a silent cry, she frantically looked around. However there was no sign of [Yoshinon] anywhere.

Yoshino’s face turned pale, tears started to form as she let out an expression of despair.

That’s correct, Yoshino was timid in nature as well as slightly anthrophobic, if she didn’t have her best friend [Yoshinon] by her side, she would mentally break down from being overly stressed out.

If a Spirit’s mental state were to be unstable——

Suddenly, a warning sound went off inside Shidou’s ear. Kotori’s voice followed soon after.

“Shidou? Yoshino’s mental state is becoming chaotic. What on earth is happening!?”

“Ah, aaah——Actually Yoshinon got——”

However there was no time for him to explain, Yoshino’s sobs entered his other ear.

“Uu, ah, ah……”

“Ho, hold on! Calm down, Yoshino!”

“Uwaaaa, aa, aaaaaah……!”

Shidou’s cries did nothing to solve the problem, huge tears flowed out of Yoshino’s eyes.

And at the same time.

——The place where the fireworks festival was to be held, a massive downpour started to fall.

◇

“I’m, very……sorry, Shidou-san……”

Inside the shrine near the river, Yoshino faintly voiced out dejectedly.

Her neatly tied hair was now drenched in rain, her soaked kimono tightly clung onto Yoshino’s skin. Her snow white skin that could be vaguely seen through the kimono, made her seem extremely lascivious.

“You don’t have to mind it!”

[That’s right——, Yoshino didn’t do anything wrong. It’s Yoshinon’s fault for being too playful. I’ve made you worry—, I’m really sorry.]

Saying that, the puppet on Yoshino’s left hand stroked Yoshino’s head.

They were fortunate, under the assistance of the staff members of <Ratatoskr>, they swiftly located [Yoshinon]. It fell to the ground just now due to the movement of the crowd, there were still footprints on its face but it’s a good thing in itself that no further damage was found.

However due to the rain just now, the fireworks festival had no choice to be suspended.

Yoshino was originally a Spirit that controlled water and chill. When her powers are present, as long as she appeared, there would be rainfall.

Although, with her powers sealed, she is now able to live a normal life——but so long as her mental state became unstable, the sealed powers would start to go back to her.

The result……would be like this.

Due to the fact that [Yoshinon] was successfully found, the rain stopped, however it remains uncertain whether the fireworks would be set off. Yoshino felt extremely guilty due to the trouble she had caused everyone, her shoulders sank.

“I’m really……sorry……”

“I’ve already said, you don’t have to mind.”

Despite saying that, Yoshino still lowered her head in guilt.

At that moment, [Yoshino] clapped its hands as though it just thought of something.

[Really now—. It’s all ruined thanks to Yoshino—. You saw everyone’s disappointed faces right—.]

“Ah, auuuu……”

“Hey, you don’t have to——”

However [Yoshinon] ignored Shidou and continued.

[Yoshino——, Kotori-chan taught you before right. What should bad kids do?]

“Eh……?”

[Kids who do bad things must——?]

“That……be, be spanked……”

[That’s right. Spanking will cause you to reflect, so that you won’t do the same mistake in future—]

“Nn……nn.”

After Yoshino replied, [Yoshinon] quickly turned its head.

[So that’s how it is. Shidou-kun, you will spank Yoshino!]

“Ha……Haa!?”

Shidou couldn’t help but shout, frantically waving his hands in protest.

“No no no. Even though people often say that, but no one would do it in reality right?”

[Eh—. But Kotori-chan would often spank Kannazuki when he makes mistakes right? She uses a whip too.]

That was easily imaginable. Shidou’s face twitched, he supported his forehead with his hands.

[That’s why. Yoshino is the same. If we were to let her off so easily, she would make the same mistake over and over——. Is that okay with you——?]

“……, well……”

Yoshino bit her lip, standing up and used her hands to support herself on a nearby pillar.

“I, I beg you. I……don’t want, to let Yoshinon, and Shidou-san feel troubled……anymore.”

Yoshino said with a panicked face, raising her behind.

“E, even if you two are right……”

[We’re going to stay like this if Shidou doesn’t make a move——]

As Shidou was hesitating, [Yoshinon] smirked and spoke. Yoshino nodded her head as well as though she had made her decision.

“Ugu……”

It has already led to this, Shidou now has no way to reject them. Shidou walked to Yoshino’s back, raising his hand high.

[Ah—, wait a second.]

Just as Shidou was about to lightly……swing his hand down, [Yoshinon] stopped him.

Shidou on the other hand let out a sigh of relief. Looks like [Yoshinon] did not really wish for him to spank her bottom, but it just wanted Yoshino to take the opportunity to be a bit more courageous.

——However. Shidou quickly realized how naïve his thinking had been.

[You——can’t——. You have to spank her directly on her butt.]

Saying that, [Yoshinon] rolled up the corner of Yoshino’s kimono, showing her behind to him.

And for some reason Yoshino was not wearing any underwear underneath her kimono.

“Wh!?”

“……!”

Shidou glared in outrage, Yoshino on the other hand was trembling as though she had a seizure.

“Wh, why aren’t you wearing any underwear!”

“That’s because……Re, Reine-san said……that kimonos were supposed to be worn like this……Tohka-san too…..”

“Tohka as well!?”

[[Image:Yoshino Fireworks2.jpg|thumb]]

Despite Shidou’s yells, [Yoshino] did not pay attention at all, it started to make a rhythm by clapping.

[Come on, let the first one fly!]

“Shidou……san. This position, is embarrassing……so please hurry……”

“! Aaah……I don’t care anymore!”

Shidou apologized to the gods enshrined inside the shrine as he swung his hand down.

‘Pata!’ A clear cound echoed within the silent shrine.

“Kya……!”

[Another one!]

‘Pata!’

“Aah…………!”

[The last one!]

‘Pata!’

“Aaah......!!”

After a total of three hits, Yoshino’s body trembled, she let out short rapid breaths. Although he did not use much strength, but due to her skin being pale, there was an obvious change in colour.

“Ar, are you alright, Yoshino……”

“Y, yes……”

Yoshino weakly replied Shidou, hastily rearranging her kimono.

“About that……I’m really……thankful. I, I will pay attention in the future,”

“Oh, um……”

A mysterious sense of guilt assaulted him, Shidou awkwardly replied while scratching his face.

Looks like Yoshino had reflected fully on this. ……Well, even if she didn’t get spanked, I guess she would reflect on her mistake anyway.

However——if her feelings of disappointment have not yet disappeared……looks like it hasn’t. Her face still showed signs of regret.

Just as Shidou was deep in thought, he suddenly let out a shout.

“Yoshino, Yoshinon. I’ll be back soon, can you wait for me here?”

“……? Al, alright, I understand……”

[Hm—— Where are you going Shidou-kun? Ah, don’t tell me you are really going to the toilet this time?]

“Well, I’ll leave it like that.”

Regarding [Yoshinon]’s question, Shidou waved his hand and replied, lightly jogging to the location where all the stalls were at.

Although there were still quite a number of people, but a portion of the visitors left early due to the sudden downpour, the path became easier to walk. Shidou looked left and right, looking for that specific item.

“Gah……so it isn’t here huh. Looks like I have to go to the nearby convenience store……”

Just as Shidou was scratching the back of his head.

“Hey you! That was definitely cheating! You got to play by the rules!”

“I did not cheat. The rules did not state that we can only use a single rifle. Furthermore my current score is 10 times of yours, there’s no need for me to cheat.”

“You, what did you say!?”

A familiar squabble came from the direction of the shooting gallery.

Turning his head in that direction, he discovered Tohka and Origami were shooting at each other with air rifles. On their stomachs had targets on them. ……Somehow, it was slightly different from what Shidou knew about a shooting gallery.

“Tohka……and Origami. What are you two doing?”

“Hm?”

“——Shidou.”

After Shidou spoke, Tohka and Origami turned to face him at the same time.

Tohka hastily attempted to use her mask to hide her face, but she quickly found out that Yoshino was not beside Shidou, she tilted her head in wonder.

“Shidou? Where’s Yoshino?”

“Aaah……She had something to do.”

Shidou gave her a half-hearted response, moving his gaze elsewhere. He soon discovered the small mountain of candies and toys piled up at Tohka and Origami’s feet.

“……What’s all this?”

“Hm? Aah, this. These are all prizes from the gallery. Wonderful isn’t it! There are no more prizes, so we had to settle this with a frontal battle.”

“You only had a small part of the prize. Eighty percent of this belongs to me.”

“Wh, what are you saying!?”

Saying that, the two of them entered battle once more (that being said, but they had to refill their ammunition each time they fired, so it was still considered peaceful).

Shidou showed a bitter smile as he witnessed the scene——but he noticed something amongst the prizes that Tohka had won, he called out to her.

“Um, Tohka.”

“Nn? What is it?”

“I have a favour to ask of you……”

◇

“What is the matter with him……Shidou-san.”

[Hm——, that’s true——. It should be because of that right? Because he saw Yoshino who was drenched and couldn’t control his desires anymore? He didn’t have to go and settle it himself, cause Yoshino here is already ready——.]

“Yo, Yoshinon……”

Hearing [Yoshinon]’s voice, she raised her head to the sky.

At this point, the pitch black night sky entered her vision. ——If there were fireworks exploding across the sky right now, what a beautiful sight that would be.

“I wanted to……watch fireworks together, with Shidou-san……”

She looked to the stars and mumbled to herself. Footsteps came from in front of her as though responding to her words.

“Hey, Yoshino.”

“! Shidou-san……”

Yoshino’s shoulders gave a small jolt, looking to her front. “The words I said just now, did he hear them?” she threw a questioning gaze to [Yoshinon], it shrugged its shoulders as though saying [Who knows?].

“Sorry, I’ve kept you waiting.”

“It’s alright……but……where did you go?”

Yoshino asked in wonder, Shidou smiled as he raised the object in his hand.

“Look, at this.”

“Fireworks set……for children. ——Fireworks?”

Yoshino widened her eyes. That’s right. The square box in Shidou’s hands did have those words written.

“Wait a while.“

Saying that, Shidou opened the plastic box, taking out something similar to paper sticks, passing one of them to Yoshino.

“This is……”

“Well, you’ll know soon enough. ……Gah, I remember that I did place it somewhere around……”

Shidou took out a lighter from his pocket, lighting up Yoshino’s paper stick.

“Eh……?”

Yoshino who did not have a clue as to what was Shidou doing——quickly widened her eyes in surprise.

The end where Shidou lit the fire, started to shoot out golden fireworks with crackling sounds.

It was different from what Yoshino read in books, it was a small light. However they were still fireworks nonetheless.

“It’s so pretty……”

[Oh——, it sure is——]

“I know right? This is known as incense-stick fireworks. Well……they are incomparable to the ones in the sky though.”

Haha, Shidou said while laughing. Yoshino on the other hand vigorously shook her head.

“That’s……not true. This one is……beautiful.”

And then, from the front——in the direction from where Shidou had came from, footsteps could be heard once more.

“Shidou! Yoshino!”

The owner of the footsteps belonged to Tohka. She even forgot to disguise herself as she hastily ran over.

“Oh, Tohka. Thank you for your fireworks. Yoshino liked it very much.”

“That’s great. ——But, I got good news. It seems that they’re about to restart the firework performance!”

“Eh……?”

Just as Yoshino voiced out.

A whistling sound echoed out from nowhere……as though it came from a whistle——

Following that came an explosive sound, a massive flower bloomed in the sky.

“Oooh! It’s started! I’ve got to go. I’ve passed the message to you!”

Saying that, Tohka left in a panic. Looks like she really came to just pass the message.

“Haha……She really is busy.”

Shidou lightly smile, turning to look at Yoshino.

“Isn’t that great, Yoshino. Well then, let’s walk to the river then. We’ll be able to view it much clearer from there.”

Saying that, Shidou attempted to stand up.

However, Yoshino shook her head.

“Here, is better.”

“Eh?”

Shidou made a surprised expression. Yoshino continued to stare at the crackling incense-stick firework as she opened her mouth and spoke.

“I……prefer the fireworks over here.”

Saying that, Yoshino’s cheeks turned red. [Yoshinon]’s face——slowly turned red too, but it was uncertain if it was due to the glow of the fireworks.

End.

Seirei Tsukai no Blade Dance:Volume5 Chapter1

2013-06-02T03:29:27Z

Monsterbandage: /* Chapter 1: The Broken Sacred Sword */

==Chapter 1: The Broken Sacred Sword==

=== Part 1 ===

"—!?"

Waking up, he found himself on his soft bed.

... He sat up and looked back down at himself.

He was not wearing his school uniform, but rather a set of loose pajamas. It seemed that someone had helped him change while he was unconscious.

The dream he witnessed had caused him to break out into a cold sweat.

"I —"

What on earth —

Trying to recall the events that happened before he fainted, Kamito rubbed his dully aching head.

At that moment —

"Kamito, you're awake?"

From the corner of the room came a voice.

Kamito turned, and saw a beautiful girl in uniform sitting on a chair by the wall.

She had two red ponytails on the sides of her head.

Her translucent ruby-red pupils gazed anxiously in his direction.

"... Claire, you haven't been here all this time, have you?"

"Eh? No, not very long at all..."

Claire frantically shook her head.

However, dark circles at the corners of her eyes belied the fact that she had not had a good night's rest.

"I apologize for making you worry."

"I-It's nothing, I wasn't worrying."

Kamito returned Claire's concern with a wry smile, and took a look around the room.

This castle room had been arranged for the participants of the «Blade Dance». Looking at its spacious windows and quality household items, one could tell that this was not Kamito's usual residence, which was no different from a storage room, but a room from some unknown other place.

With dawn quickly approaching, the sun shone weakly through a slit in the curtains.

"That's good, get some sleep now. Your fever has not fully gone down."

"Ah? I have a fever?"

"Mmhm, it appears to have gotten better now, but you were burning up quite badly just a moment ago."

Claire bent over and placed her hand on Kamito's forehead.

The touch of her ice-cold skin felt incredibly comfortable. .... Oh. There was indeed still a bit of a lingering fever.

"Anyways, Claire –"

"Yes, what is it?"

"Uh, why did I faint?"

".......You don't remember?"

Claire's eyes opened wide in surprise.

"Don't tell me you have amnesia..."

"No, nothing that serious. It's just that my head's still groggy and I can't seem to remember what happened right before I blacked out."

Kamito shook his head silently.

"The events from the ball?"

"Yes, I remember that. You turned down the invitation from the crown prince of some country with the wave of a hand..."

"Uh, yeah."

"Around that time, Ren Ashbell invited me to dance –"

While massaging his aching temples, Kamito felt his memory gradually return in chronological order.

Something big must have happened.

''No mistake about that. There was something of extreme importance –''

"Ren Ashbell carved the «Brand of Darkness» on me, and then –"

Impatience burned in his chest.

Sparkling in the corner of his mind was an image of the radiant silver sword.

"And then, I –"

"Kamito, you rescued us from the hands of the «Institutional School» assassins!"

Looking at the upset Kamito, Claire spoke up.

"The «Institutional School» assassins?"

Kamito lifted his head abruptly.

''That's right. At that time, I battled Muir's military spirit–''

Claire's words prompted his memories of last night to return in a flood.

During the Blade Dance's opening ceremony last night, Muir Alenstarl, the «Instructional School» assassin calling herself Kamito's foster younger sister, had controlled a military spirit to attack Claire and company.

Marked by Ren Ashbell's «Brand of Darkness» and covered in wounds, Kamito raced towards the battlefield reluctantly, towards Muir Alenstarl's military spirit – but at that very moment, the curse of the mark took effect on Kamito's body, and he was overcome with blinding pain.

And then –

"...!"

The instant he regained his memory, Kamito's whole body stiffened, as if he'd been struck by lightning.

The image that sprung to mind was that of a girl – with mysterious violet eyes.

With beautiful silvery-white hair that reflected the moonlight.

With small hands that gently stroked his back.

And with lips that were cold as ice yet hot as fire when they touched his.

Then she turned into innumerable particles of light, which dissipated into a void—

That was the last Kamito saw of her.

"... Es... t?"

The name escaped from his lips in a trembling, spontaneous exhale.

It was the name of one who had always remained by his side, the name of an extremely important someone, the name of his contract spirit.

His slight memory disturbances earlier must have been because he had not wanted to face this fact.

"Kamito..."

Claire's low, worried words almost went unheard by Kamito.

"You must be joking... Est, why did she–"

Her meaningless words rang hollow.

His newly recovered memory insisted on replaying the last scene he saw before losing consciousness.

At that time, she had whispered in his ear:

Goodbye, Kamito –.

Blade spirit Est – with a head of silvery-white hair, just like a snow fairy.

His contract with her was originally a chance occurrence.

While maintaining a contract with a contract spirit from the past, the end result was an incomplete contract.

Originally, he could not even wield a tenth of the power with the contract. It must have been considerably painful for a powerful spirit like her.

However, Est had said that was all right.

To be able to contract with you, that alone is wonderful – she had said.

''But I –''

Three years ago, there was a day he had lost a previous contract spirit.

From that day onwards, he had vowed not to lose anyone important.

"Yet I – again!"

Est had disappeared.

She had sacrificed her very existence in order to save Kamito from being eroded by the curse of the brand.

"Damn –"

"Kamito!"

He threw up his hands in despair only for Claire to quickly catch hold of them.

She gazed steadily into his eyes, with the intent of calming him down.

"Est was not eliminated."

"Ah?"

"After all, your hands still bear signs of a spirit contract, right?"

Kamito's eyes widened.

"Y...es... indeed."

His right hand, the one in Claire's grasp, still bore a design of intersecting swords.

That was the proof of a spirit contract—the spirit seal.

If the contract spirit were to be eliminated, the spirit seal would then of course disappear.

The reason why Kamito had believed for all these three years that Restia had not vanished—the reason why he had retained a glimmer of hope—was entirely because the spirit seal inscribed on his left hand still remained.

The spirit seal connects the contractor to the contract spirit; it is a special «Gate».

Now the pain was too weak to be felt – but as long as the spirit seal on his right hand did not disappear, he would have proof that Est had not been completely eliminated.

"Est, she's still alive."

"Yes. And even if we cannot call her out now, there must be a way to do so."

If that's the case, I can't remain like this.

"... Ah ah ah ah ah!"

Biting back the pain coursing through his entire body, Kamito got up from the bed.

"Wait, wait a moment, what are you doing!? You still can't –"

"Est is waiting – I don't have the time to continue sleeping!"

Just as Claire's hands moved to stop him–

Gurgle gurgle ~

A lovely sound arose in the room.

"...Claire?"

All the strength had drained from his body.

"...... ~!Th-Th-This is a misunderstanding, t-there wasn't a strange sound just now!"

"You... don't tell me, you haven't had anything to eat since yesterday?"

"A-After all, you've been having a bad fever, well..."

Claire blushed and stammered.

"You can't afford to skip meals since tomorrow the battle begins."

"... I-I know. Speaking of which, you haven't eaten either."

"Well, I'm more or less accustomed to that..."

In his youth, Kamito had spent most of his time undergoing intense training at the «Instructional School».

The education he received there included even training to withstand starvation. Although he had no intention of attempting such a thing, he could now easily go without food for several days.

''Then again...''

Something suddenly occurred to Kamito.

''Everyone now knows that I was from the «Instructional School»...''

Precisely because they were important companions, he had not wanted them to know of his past.

Once they learnt of that, he thought that they would not want anything to do with him anymore.

It was only natural that one would think so.

On the contrary, they had treated Kamito –

"You... what you are or aren't accustomed to, that's entirely beside the point. If you don't eat well, you'll never regain your strength. Look, I even brought fruit here specially f-for you."

At this, Claire indicated the basket on the bedside table.

It was filled to the brim with delicious-looking ripe peaches.

"– Claire, thank you."

"Don't stand on courtesy, it's nothing. After all, they were brought back from the ball."

"No such thing!"

Kamito looked directly at Claire.

"Even after learning I was an orphan from the «Instructional School», you still stayed my friend, saying it didn't matter. ... About that, I'm still very glad."

"W-What, ah, well, that..."

Claire blushed and looked away.

"B-But of course, isn't that just how it is? Regardless of your past, you're my slave spirit now and that will not change!"

With a wry smile and a nod of his head, Kamito reached into the basket for a peach.

"Here, hand me a small knife, I'll cut it open."

"Leave it to me. You're the hurt one, get some rest."

"The peach is fragile, so it can be difficult to peel. I thought you weren't good at peeling fruits?"

"W-well, if you think that..."

Claire hid her face. Truth be told, it seemed that all the women at the institution, both young and adult, were all not that good at homemaking. It wasn't just Claire who was particularly bad at preparing fruits.

Kamito shrugged, picked up a knife from the table, and started peeling the peach in a repeated, circular motion.

Watching his deft handiwork, Claire asked emotionally:

"Did you learn this from that «Instructional School» too?"

"No, I picked up cooking and other skills during my travels. My travel companion was very picky when it came to the flavor!"

"...By companion, you mean that darkness spirit girl?"

"Yeah..."

While cutting the peach, Kamito's expression turned sour.

"Well – so it's like that..."

Claire looked doubtful.

"Look, it is peeled."

As if to change the subject, Kamito speared the peeled peach on a fork and presented it to Claire.

As she took a bite, some peach juice sprayed back at him.

"Yum yum~ so sweet, it's really delicious...!"

[[File:STnBD V05 025.jpg|thumbnail|right]]

Her two red ponytails danced in joy.

Claire put her hands to her cheeks, an expression of sheer bliss on her face. She looked so lovely one could accidentally lose oneself in admiration.

"Well, now, have another..."

Kamito raised the fork holding the peach. Like a cat being teased, Claire's gaze followed it in a trance-like state.

"Look, here it is!"

He moved his hand away.

"Ah!"

And again.

"R-Really now!"

Claire's mouth opened and shut as she chased the peach doggedly.

Left, right. ... And again.

Finding it very interesting, Kamito intended to continue for a little longer –

"... ~Oi, w-why are you so cruel!"

Claire snarled, tears welling in her eyes.

"... Sorry, just felt like you were as adorable as a cat, so."

"...?! W-what do you mean cute... s-stupid idiot, that's what you are!"

Into the mouth of the red-faced, frantically gesticulating Claire –

"Aah."

– went the peach.

And she bit down.

"Whew, ah, it's so delicious ..."

"Just like a cat."

Claire shot Kamito a look.

"Hey, isn't this situation backwards?"

"Hrm, backwards?"

"The injured person is you, but I'm the one eating."

"Well, it's a small matter, don't worry about it."

Kamito shrugged his shoulders, and conveniently put the peach into his own mouth.

The slightly tangy taste of the peach juice spread immediately in his mouth.

"Mmm, it really is delicious. It's thoroughly ripe!"

"I-isn't that the same fork..."

"... What's the matter?"

"N-No, it's nothing –"

Claire hastily took her eyes off him.

"Anyway –"

Kamito put the fork aside and asked.

"Yes, what?"

"What's the performance for the «Blade Dance»? The divination of the Queens have already been revealed, right?"

While Kamito was unconscious, the five Queens had held a ceremony at the great temple of the «Divine Ritual Institute». where the Five Elemental Lords bestowed their divine revelation. The performance was to be decided by this divine revelation – as for the competition format, it would be announced at a later date.

At this, Claire's expression grew serious.

"Mmhm, the blade dance performance to be presented will be – the «Tempest»."

"«Tempest», huh..."

That had been the competition format used for the Blade Dance not only in recent years, but also tens, and even hundreds of years ago.

The elementalists who will be presenting the blade dance performance will come together at the gathering place in the vast holy lands, and the teams will do battle with each other over a number of days. Each individual's combat skills will be put to the test, but beyond that, of even greater significance will be their tactical and strategic ability, as well as teamwork and cooperation.

"... It will be a tough battle."

"Indeed. On the other hand, they clearly could have chosen a knockout-style tournament. If so, I suppose this was the best possible outcome."

Claire nodded with a serious look on her face.

The blade dance performance's format would be the «Tempest». This piece of information was one he had previously thought about.

With the only constraint being "five elementalists to a team", a little investigating on the history of the Blade Dance would have made it clear that the number of possible performance formats numbered only about ten or so.

As a matter of fact, the Areishia Spirit Academy had even conducted an extensive training exercise under the assumption that this performance would be selected.

However, one could still hold out hope, for as long as possible, that this performance would not be chosen – this way of thinking was still true.

More so than individual skill, this competition format emphasized a team's combined strength. One would be hard-pressed to say this system had any benefits for Claire, who was still worried and unconfident in regards to teamwork.

Furthermore, «TEAM•SCARLET» had only formed recently. The five members had begun working together a mere few weeks ago. While each of them was a strong elementalist in his or her own right, their combined team strength still could not compare to that of the other teams.

''Furthermore...''

Kamito's gaze turned to the spirit seal inscribed on his right hand.

All along, Kamito's overwhelming strength had always been unrivaled amongst his companions.

However, Kamito was now in a state lacking his contract spirits.

Despite previously being known as the strongest Blade Dancer, without his contract spirit, Kamito could not reach his full strength as an elementalist.

Following that, he rested his hand lightly on the chest wound that was still aching dully.

''—The curse of this brand had yet to fade completely.''

The «Brand of Darkness» Ren Ashbell had engraved was even now still eating away at his body.

Although Est had suppressed the worst of the damage by sacrificing herself, she had not entirely destroyed it.

"Est..."

Murmuring her name, even injecting into it divine power, the spirit seal yielded no response.

Instead, an intense scorching pain invaded his entire body.

"... Ah, damn it..."

"You'd better not act rashly. What you can do now is to get a good rest in order to regain your strength and divine power."

"... Ah, ah, I know."

Clenching his lips tightly, Kamito nodded and laid flat on the bed again.

=== Part 2 ===

''... Kamito seemed to be pretty depressed.''

Outside Kamito's room, Claire let out a small sigh.

This was not unreasonable. After all, it was an elementalist who had lost their own contract spirit before his own eyes.

That bitterness, Claire understood all too well, as she too had lost Scarlet in the past. At that time, Claire had given up on herself, and had even allowed herself to be tempted by the dark spirit.

Of course, Est's eradication had left Claire somewhat shaken too.

For Est had not been just another contract spirit.

She was also an important companion of Claire's in the institution; for more than two months, they had fought side by side.

".......We need to quickly find a way to bring Est back."

The practical problem was that, without Est, «TEAM•SCARLET» had no chance of winning the battle royale. Kamito had incomparable strength, but an elementalist without a contract spirit at his side would not be able to do his best at a competition such as the «Blade Dance», where there were many tough opponents.

There must be a way to bring Est back – true, she had just said that, but what exactly one would need to do, she did not know. Assuming it was possible was fine and all, but they might not have enough time.

The Blade Dance battle would begin tomorrow; they could only afford to spare one day. If Kamito could not bring Est back in that time, they would have to rely on only the four remaining people to win the battle royale.

Although they did not intend on losing to the other teams, the fact of the matter was that their chances of victory against a strong opponent—such as, say, the Dracunia Dragons led by Leonora Lancaster—were slim indeed.

Moreover, in order to win the grand event, they would still have to take down Ren Ashbell, the most powerful of the Blade Dancers.

Then again, it was also possible for Kamito to look for another spirit to contract with.

''But, all things considered, that was not likely...''

Pacing around the portico, Claire shook her head. Leaving aside for the moment the issue of finding a suitable new contract spirit, Kamito would most certainly reject the idea of any other spirit but Est.

''Speaking of whom –''

Out of the blue, the image of that dark spirit girl inadvertently surfaced in Claire's mind.

Jet-black hair, billowing in the wind. A lovely girl with eyes the color of dusk.

''In the end, I still did not ask Kamito about her...''

A wave of pain rushed through her chest as she thought of it.

It was yesterday evening, in the courtyard of the castle: Kamito and the dark spirit girl, their lips locked in a kiss.

It wasn't that she lacked the opportunity to ask; it was just not a suitable time for such a matter. Shocked and upset over having lost Est, Kamito was not in a state for her to pursue the matter to completion.

''But that girl; what on earth was her relationship with Kamito...?''

The previous contract spirit was a girl of darkness who, even now, still held Kamito's heart.

The strange pain in her chest burned more and more intensely.

"W-Well, whatever, that rascal can get all kissy-kissy with whoever he wants to! It's got nothing to with me right?"

Claire reasoned this out with herself and then stopped outside the room.

She opened the door —

"...Huh !?"

There were three people in the room who rose from the couch in unison.

"Is Kamito awake!?"

Claire nodded her head in response to Ellis's query.

"Well, yeah, but it seems the fever has not receded yet. He should continue to rest."

".....Hmm, I see. All in all, it's good that he's doing alright."

"T-To actually have a girl worry so much over him. This guy still causes headaches like before!"

Rinslet crossed and uncrossed her fingers restlessly.

"... It was really all thanks to Est. My skills were simply ineffective against the curse of that brand."

In contrast with the other two, who seemed to have breathed sighs of relief, Fianna wore a somber expression.

Fianna was originally the second-best princess maiden overall in the «Divine Ritual Institute». Her power and skill at curse-breaking was comparable to that of the current princess maidens.

However, the «Brand of Darkness» inscribed by Ren Ashbell on Kamito's body contained a curse so strong that it left even Fianna helpless.

If at that time Est had not sacrificed herself, then —

Kamito's physicial body would have been utterly corroded by the curse. At worst, he might even have died.

"I have searched through a wide range of material but still couldn't find any information on this curse."

The pile of heavy books around Fianna was as high as a mountain.

She had brought these with her from the institution. They contained incantations and curses as well as documents related to spirits.

"But even now, I still cannot believe that..."

Ellis spoke while clenching her lips.

"That Ren Ashbell would go so far as to actually do such a thing —"

"... Yeah, I know."

Claire nodded.

The strongest Blade Dancer.

Her goal was to become a princess maiden elementalist, the most lauded person.

At the Blade Dance three years ago, her blade dance performance had mesmerized countless girls.

Whether it was Claire, Ellis, or anyone, they all held a powerful and honorable person like her in high respect. They had endured the Academy's numerous, strict training regimens in order to be an elementalist like her.

Which was why when Muir Alenstarl told them that it was she who had carved the «Brand of Darkness» onto Kamito's body, they completely could not bring themselves to believe it.

However, on further reflection—

''Not a single one of them knew anything about who she was...''

For example, what wish she made to the Elemental Lord as the victor of the Blade Dance three years prior.

Why, after reaching the highest possible level of renown, did she suddenly disappear without a trace from the eyes of the world.

And why, with things in their current state, would she want to make a return?

Speculation of all sorts were floating about, but it still remained a mystery.

Finally, why would the strongest active elementalist want to place a curse on Kamito.

The reason for that was unclear as well.

''For preemptive reasons, so as to reduce Kamito to a certain amount of strength before the battle royale?''

Even if that were so, there was no need to use such a circuitous strategy as a curse.

One would only need to fight with overwhelming brute strength to eliminate others, like what Muir Alenstarl did.

"Without conclusive evidence, that impostor elementalist may as well be the real Ren Ashbell."

"... But in that case, why not use her real identity?"

"Maybe there's some reason why she couldn't use her true identity," muttered Fiana.

"You think there is a hidden reason?"

"Ah... I-I didn't say anything!"

Addressing the frowning Claire, Fianna hurriedly shook her head.

"If there was someone masquerading as Ren Ashbell and using her name, I would never forgive her."

Placing her hands on the sword at her waist, Ellis spoke up.

"Come on, let's take the initiative to go ask her—"

"Impossible. We don't even know where she is in the first place."

Claire shook her head at Ellis's impulsive and dangerous proposal.

The team representing Ren Ashbell, Team Inferno of Alphas Theocracy, had apparently stayed in a tower outside the region where they waited for an opportunity to strike. No one knew where they were.

Moreover, Muir Alenstarl, who had vanished after yesterday's skirmish, had not given up on her plans to kill Claire and company. A slow, stealthy approach would be more practical than a direct dangerous one.

"Her intentions are indeed a major concern, but—the foremost problem here has to be Est."

Claire turned towards Fianna and asked,

"I'll get straight to the point. Est – can she still return?"

"That..."

Fianna stroked her chin, as though deep in thought.

"If Kamito's hand still shows signs of the spirit seal, it is evidence that Est has not been completely vanquished. Ordinarily, once she fully regains her power, she can return. It's just that –"

"Just that?"

"This is just my hypothesis – Est may have been trapped in a prison of the curse. Regarding this, I cannot be sure."

"What do you mean?"

"Est used her power to suppress the curse, but she did not completely break it. Now she might be held, shackled by the curse, unable to move."

"In order to rescue Est, we'll have to deal with the curse first, won't we?"

Ellis nodded with a serious expression.

"In regards to the «Brand of Darkness», I can get some help from the forces at the «Divine Ritual Institute». ... Next, there is the problem of Kamito himself. Although I don't think this will crush his spirits..."

"But, he seemed really upset......"

Even in front of Claire, he had put on a brave front so as not to let anyone see him weak. At the end of the day however, he could not hide how much the loss of Est had affected him.

By the looks of it, it should take him quite some time to get his act together.

"In that case......is there anything we can do for him?"

Rinslet said.

"Truthfully speaking, it's not that we don't have an option..."

"Eh, really?" "What's is it?" "D-Don't leave us guessing! Tell us directly, please!"

Hearing this, Claire and the others who were not giving up, gathered in front of Fianna.

Fianna sighed and said:

"... Help our own opponents. While it is infuriating, we really have no choice."

She uttered this sentence of cryptic meaning –

And then informed them on what they - can - do - for - Kamito.

"...!"

The trio's faces instantly turned bright red.

"W-Wait a minute! That sort of thing – how could we possibly to do that!"

"R-Really now! Such a shameful thing... as a knight, I cannot accept it!"

"Keep in mind that I am the eldest daughter of the noble Laurenfrost family!"

The wave of protest from the girls came at the same time.

"Hmm – so you mean to say that you don't want Kamito to recover?"

Fianna sharply spoke and pointed at them.

"T-That is..."

"Of course that isn't true–"

"... I-I didn't mean it like that, except–"

The three blushed and stammered.

A mischievous smile formed on Fianna's face.

"All right then, it's settled. There are all sorts of ceremonial props in the luggage I brought. Help yourselves.

As she spoke, she reached into the travel bag and took out a myriad of colorful costumes and props.

<noinclude>{{SeireiDance Nav|prev=Seirei Tsukai no Blade Dance:Volume5 Prologue|next=Seirei Tsukai no Blade Dance:Volume5 Chapter2}}</noinclude>

Talk:Mondaiji-tachi ga isekai kara kuru soudesu yo:Volume 2 Chapter 4

2013-05-24T15:30:02Z

Monsterbandage: Created page with "been wondering since i started reading the chapter why is there a space between the periods and quotation marks? --~~~~"

been wondering since i started reading the chapter why is there a space between the periods and quotation marks? --[[User:Monsterbandage|Monsterbandage]] ([[User talk:Monsterbandage|talk]]) 10:30, 24 May 2013 (CDT)

Talk:Date A Live:Volume 6 Prologue

2013-05-23T04:41:44Z

Monsterbandage:

Should it 'The Girl's Trust'? [[User:Zeru|Zeru]] ([[User talk:Zeru|talk]]) 22:59, 7 May 2013 (CDT)
:Girl's/Girls' is ambiguous whether in katakana or kanji (and will have to be decided based on the chapter contents), but Trust/Tryst is ambiguous in neither. Kanji would be completely different, and Tryst in katakana would have an 'イ' (or at least something from that column) in it, which Trust would not. If you feel it more likely that it deals with a single girl rather than several acting in concert (even better if you have the original text to check), it probably doesn't matter if you step in and change the apostrophe location for until an official decision is or is not made. -[[User:Multipartite|Multipartite]] ([[User talk:Multipartite|talk]]) 02:34, 8 May 2013 (CDT)

:Edit: I've found the table of contents, http://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/images/0/09/DAL_vol_6_009.jpg , and the word is 'shoujo-tachi' (with 'no' as the possessive), so definitely Girls' (since plural). 'Tryst' is kanji; checking it just in case. Indeed 'ouse', tryst, unless there's a different possibility for the hard-to-read second character. Probably not, since JDIC has only fifteen words with the first character in it, and only ouse's second character has the water radical on the left. 
:| 
:A question which just occurred to me is whether it's 'Tryst' or 'Trysts', but it seems relatively unlikely that several girls are having multiple trysts with multiple people, and more that they're having a single simultaneous tryst with the same person. Then again, it could also be sequential trysts. For the moment, leaving it as it is at least until more is known. Ah, also changing the chatper name in the main contents page as well. -[[User:Multipartite|Multipartite]] ([[User talk:Multipartite|talk]]) 02:49, 8 May 2013 (CDT)

:Second edit: (In both summaries, I misplaced the 」... aghh. No translation effect for now, unless one wanted to put it as [Third edit: deleted due to double-'s causing italics. -[[User:Multipartite|Multipartite]] ([[User talk:Multipartite|talk]]) 02:59, 8 May 2013 (CDT)], which could be inconvenient in terms of the readability. *shakes head to clear it* Sticking to the minimum necessary alteration, that being the insertion of the missing apostrophe after 'Girls'. Yes.) -[[User:Multipartite|Multipartite]] ([[User talk:Multipartite|talk]]) 02:58, 8 May 2013 (CDT)

errr.....okaay...all i can say is, lay off the coffee.....you're being too serious here(+hyper)--[[User:RikiNutcase|RikiNutcase]] ([[User talk:RikiNutcase|talk]]) 09:14, 8 May 2013 (CDT)
:<crooked smile> I don't actually partake of coffee, or anything else mood-altering except chocolate. If it helps, I am not under any stress; it is relaxing/pleasurable to carry out clear corrections, and enjoyable (like a puzzle?) thinking through a matter logically. In both cases, this applies even if I know what I do is something minor that someone else would eventually do anyway. Possibly-relevantly, I touch-type nearly as fast as I think. (I admittedly become embarrassed when I make a mistake, but I am glad to learn about mistakes I make and hopefully decrease them in future.) I hope that my existence is not disturbing to observe. While I'm writing this, thank you very much for your recent work on the fifth volume of Date A Live! (And for this prologue, I now understand how it can be multiple 'girls' yet a single tryst, along with why there were 「」 around 'shoujo-tachi'... ufufufufu...) (Unrelated, the line 'she was the owner of a beautiful and if the times were better' may be missing a word; I would suspect 'voice' except for that that would leave the phrase 'beautiful voice' repeated with the same wording three times in quick succession.) -[[User:Multipartite|Multipartite]] ([[User talk:Multipartite|talk]]) 10:14, 8 May 2013 (CDT)

oops--[[User:RikiNutcase|RikiNutcase]] ([[User talk:RikiNutcase|talk]]) 10:25, 8 May 2013 (CDT)
:<happiness> Another possible minor thing to change (just spotted), more ambiguous: the question 'Do you like crepe?' is similar to the question 'Do you like doughnut?' or 'Do you like eating icecream cone?'; discrete things which are liked as a plural 'in general' and eaten individually. ...Hmm, it's interesting that this pattern works for 'slice of cake' ('Would you like this slice of cake', 'Do you like slices of cake'), but not for 'cake', which seems to be treated as a material rather than a singular. (Same for bread or pizza, for that matter. Maybe because they're all divided into slices/servings?) Ah, but 'cupcake' is a singular rather than a material. 'Do you like cupcakes?', 'Do you like eating icecream cones?', 'Do you like doughnuts?', 'Do you like crêpes?'. As such, I suggest that 'crepe' be made plural. -[[User:Multipartite|Multipartite]] ([[User talk:Multipartite|talk]]) 13:03, 8 May 2013 (CDT)

LOL the first discussion was taken way to seriously. Anyways riki i changed some of the words again like last time. I replaced "Tenguu High School Combination Festival" to "Tenguu Joint High School Festival" (though It might be better to add City after the word Tenguu). Some other minor fixes (like crepe to crepes, since when talking about food, the plural form is used) were done so I'd like you to check. Dont have the raws yet so maybe I made a mistake in some. Looking forward to your TL again! Looks like I'll edit this one too. -[[User:Daylighter|Daylighter]] ([[User talk:Daylighter|talk]]) 15:31, 15 May 2013 (GMT +8:00)

[Shidou would most likely not choose the mentioned remark to his throat.] whats the last part of this sentence mean? something like "not choose to let the mentioned remark come out of his throat"?--[[User:Monsterbandage|Monsterbandage]] ([[User talk:Monsterbandage|talk]]) 23:41, 22 May 2013 (CDT)

Talk:Date A Live:Volume 6 Prologue

2013-05-23T04:41:29Z

Monsterbandage:

Seirei Tsukai no Blade Dance:Volume5 Chapter3

2013-05-20T03:49:46Z

Monsterbandage: /* Part 3 */

==Chapter 3: Dragonia's Allurement==
===Part 1===
After leaving the cafe, Kamito and the others took a stroll near the port.

Surrounded by the three lovely ladies, Kamito still received quite a few stares from passers-by that made him feel uncomfortable, but since they were some distance away from the centre of the shopping street, the situation was much better.

"Can we take a look in that store?"

Rinslet's outstretched hand was pointing at a stall that specialized in selling aristocratic dresses.

"No problem." "Yeah, I don't mind."

Claire and Ellis nodded in agreement.

"Rinslet, are you buying clothes now?"

Kamito asked, puzzled. As the Blade Dance would begin tomorrow, she would not have many opportunities to wear anything else other than her uniform.

"I'm not buying them for myself; I'm getting them for Carol and my little sister."

"Your sister?"

"Yes, my sister specially came to watch me show off my talents."

Rinslet fluffed her long hair happily.

At that moment, the maid Carol had arrived at the port ready to greet the girl Rinslet was talking about.

"Oh, turns out Rinslet has a little sister too... I imagine she must look just like her older sister; she must be a beautiful, pleasant child."

"K-Kamito-san, w-what nonsense are you spouting..."

At Kamito's casual thoughtless chatter, Rinslet blushed, embarrassed.

"M-My sisters are very good-looking as well!"

"My sister Velsaria is a beauty too!"

"Uh... why are you guys suddenly saying all these..."

Claire and Ellis felt an inexplicable sense of competitiveness.

"Well, I'll wait patiently outside. Call me when you're done."

As Kamito turned to leave, Claire tugged on his sleeve to stop him.

"You have to come in with me."

"... Why? This shop only sells girls' clothing, doesn't it?"

"I-It doesn't matter... we have to stay together."

"Well... Hey...!"

Kamito was forcibly pulled into the shop by his sleeve.

The shop was unexpectedly spacious. In addition to fashionable clothing, it also sold items like underwear.

"Well then, let me first pick out something for my sister."

Rinslet happily disappeared into the shop.

"Kamito, wait here for me... I'll go try something on."

"Try something on?"

"... U-Uh, I mean, so you can help me make a decision."

Claire's cheeks flushed.

''... Oh, I get it.''

Kamito was struck by a sudden understanding, and could not hold back a smile.

Having grown up in a sheltered aristocratic family, Claire was probably not used to choosing her own clothing.

''... Nonetheless, it's hardly a good idea to ask me for advice.''

"I'd be glad to help... but I take no responsibility!"

"It doesn't matter, I just want your thoughts."

Claire lifted her two ponytails proudly, smiled sweetly and said:

"I want you to admire me after my gorgeous makeover."

"I look forward to it... But, with so amazing a model, I'm sure any clothes you pick would look good."

"... S-Stupid! You're talking nonsense again!"

Claire flushed at Kamito's teasing and left with her face red.

===Part 2===

At the instant Claire left Kamito's side –

''... Good opportunity!''

At a corner of the shop, Ellis was silently shouting to herself.

Now all the hindering people were out of the way.

Of course, as a Knight, Ellis prided herself on her honesty and nobility.

Normally, she would never take such actions behind the backs of the other two.

However, some things were too important to concede.

''Now is the perfect time!''

Ellis firmly pursed her lovely lips.

Upon further reflection, ever since arriving on this floating island, she had always been half a beat slower than the other two.

The outfit she wore to purify herself in the lake was the plain competition swimwear, the evening gown she so painstakingly prepared was no match for Claire's superior beauty, and even just now, she had been slower than Claire and Rinslet to hold Kamito's hand, and had to settle for his arm.

''I-I absolutely must find some way to improve my position right now...''

Ellis secretly shot a look towards Kamito's side profile.

It was a face she was very used to seeing; nevertheless, it set butterflies aflutter in her stomach.

To think that at first she held prejudices against him just because he was a male elementalist.

She had thought he would destroy the strict discipline of the Academy, and that he was an enemy of hers.

However, things had changed.

''Kamito... I –''

A new emotion budded in the heart of this young girl, who had previously known only of a strict education.

She still could not figure out what this unknown feeling was.

Nonetheless –

''Kamito, I would love to find out more about you...''

Ellis stroked the ribbon her sister—Velsaria—had given her.

She felt doing that would help her muster her courage.

Suppressing her rapidly throbbing heart, Ellis took a step forward.

===Part 3===

A tug.

"Huh?"

Feeling a pull on his sleeve, Kamito turned his head and saw –

Ellis, who was red-faced, had her hand on the sleeve of Kamito's uniform.

"Ellis... what is it?"

"That... c-come with me!"

"...?"

Tugging at Kamito's cuffs, Ellis pulled him into a small room partitioned off by curtains.

It turned out to be a dressing room with a huge mirror.

"W-What are you doing!?"

"K-Keep it down! Do you want to be blasted into crabmeat butter croquettes?!"

Ellis unsheathed her sword with a hiss, leaving Kamito with no choice but to raise both his hands and nod in submission.

"... But, why are you bringing me into a dressing room?"

"Uh, uh, actually... i-it's because I want you to comment on the clothing I try on."

"Comment on clothing?"

"Right. It's a rare opportunity, so I'd also like to buy some clothes. It's just that... I'm ashamed to say I don't exactly know much about girls' dresses."

... Oh, so she wants me to give her some advice?

''Something isn't right. Claire and Rinslet are both here, so why pick me?''

"If it's girls' outfits you need help with, I think it's better you ask the shopkeepers."

"... Oooh, I-I just want to know what you like!"

"Oh... so that's what it is..."

At Ellis's ferocious glare, Kamito could not help but take a few steps back in fear.

"...Well, all right, what clothing would you like to try on, Ellis?"

"Ah... uh, right now I'm torn between these two pieces –"

Ellis coughed loudly –

Then took out two different articles of clothing and presented them to Kamito.

"Oh, so it's a choice between black and white..."

The cloth before him was dotted with intricate lace flowers.

The fabric was smooth and gave off a sense of quality. It should probably be silk? The upper edge was also lined with lovely lotus leaf decorations –

"... Hey, isn't this underwear!"

Kamito spat, repelled.

No mistake about it, what Ellis was holding was indeed a set of high-class underwear.

"Well, answer quickly... w-which one do you like!"

Ellis herself seemed embarrassed; as she asked her question, her face flushed bright red.

"Y-You want me to choose..."

Kamito swallowed.

Ellis's face bore an extremely serious expression. She did not look like she was joking in the slightest, but was genuinely wanting Kamito's advice.

On the one hand was pure and lovely white.

On the other was mature, sophisticated black.

''Ellis is a high-spirited, brave and heroic Knight Captain... common wisdom would say to pick white, I guess.''

... No, precisely because of this, reverse thinking might be better.

For an honest and pure girl like Ellis, if she wore mature and womanly black underwear... the contradiction would certainly be arousing.

"Kamito, h-hurry up and decide, please! This is really embarrassing."

"Oooh, I know..."

Kamito nodded hastily and made his decision:

"... I would choose the black, I think the mature black underwear suits you well."

"Y-Yes, really... On days where the difference between winning and losing is critical, I'll often wear black underwear."

Ellis nodded, apparently satisfied.

Say, that time he had accidentally peeked in on the girls changing clothes at the Sylphid Knights' general meeting , Ellis had also been wearing black underwear... which means to say there had been some important game that day?

"T-Then I'll get this, next I just need to make sure it's the right size."

"Mmm, then... I'll leave first –"

Kamito sighed in relief and started to move out of the dressing room. Then –

"Oh no... that rascal Kamito, where on earth has he gone now? I clearly told him to wait here!"

Kamito suddenly heard Claire huff.

Surprised, Kamito quickly shut the dressing room curtain he had just half-opened.

''... This is terrible!''

If Claire found him and Ellis nestled in the dressing room together, he would certainly be burned to a crisp.

Kamito quickly turned to tell Ellis about Claire being right outside –

"E-Ellis... what are you doing!?"

Kamito could not help but stare, wide-eyed and tongue-tied.

In the blink of an eye, Ellis had already taken off her uniform and put on the set of underwear.

"Aaaaaa –"

"... Wow!"

Seeing Ellis on the verge of shrieking, Kamito quickly covered her mouth with his hand.

"Mmmm..."

He used his momentum to push Ellis's whole body against the wall, then whispered in her ear:

"Don't make a sound... Claire's nearby."

"...!?"

Ellis's eyes widened in surprise.

"... Kamito? Where on earth has he run off to?"

Claire was searching everywhere; by the sound of her voice, she was very close.

Even the slightest movement would give them away.

The duo huddled against the wall, barely daring to even breathe.

"..."

"..."

A little sigh of relief escaped from between Kamito's fingers over Ellis's mouth.

Through her underwear, he could feel the softness of her huge bosom. Kamito felt as if his furiously beating heart was loud enough to be heard.

''E-Ellis's chest was really something...''

Her tender breasts wobbled and changed shape as his arm pressed against them.

For some unknown reason, moist ripples were swimming in Ellis's pair of brown eyes as well.

... Like this, they passed tens of seconds, that felt like forever.

Claire had probably gone somewhere else, since her voice could finally no longer be heard.

"...Whew."

It appears the crisis had been averted. A weight lifted from Kamito's shoulders, and he caught his breath.

"K-Kamito... you...!"

Ellis quickly moved away from Kamito, and sharply glared at him.

"W-Why did you suddenly do that!"

"... I'm sorry, it was an urgent situation, I'm so sorry."

While apologizing profusely, Kamito turned away from the underwear-clad Ellis.

"Uhm... Never mind, in any case it was I who asked you to help me pick underwear in the first place."

[[File:STnBD V05 079.jpg|thumbnail|right]]

Ellis softly cleared her throat, shyly lifted her eyes in Kamito's direction and said:

"Oh – Oh yes..."

"What is it now?"

"Do you think t-this underwear really... looks good on me?"

Ellis rubbed her attractive and alluring thighs against each other while shyly asking.

"Ah, I think it looks good. How should I say it... I feel excited when I look at it."

"R-Really...!"

At Kamito's candid answer, Ellis's lips curved upwards in a happy smile.

"Excellent... Then at the critical moment, I will be sure to wear it."

"... Critical moment? Oh, you mean the competition that starts tomorrow."

"I hate you... That's not at all what I meant!"

As if she wanted to be purposely difficult, Ellis pinched Kamito's arm.

''... That Ellis could actually say something like "I hate you" was adorable.''

===Part 4===
After departing the dressing room, Kamito, feigning as if nothing much had happened, tapped Claire's shoulder and said.

"– Claire, sorry to have kept you waiting."

"Y-You rascal, where did you go! I was looking for you everywhere!"

"Sorry, I went outside the shop for a second... Oh, the dress you're wearing is very cute."

"Huh... R-Really? You really think it's very cute?"

A puff of hot air emerged from the top of Claire's head, and her two ponytails bobbed up and down.

She was wearing a white dress of a more mature style, that was also cut very low in the front.

Truthfully speaking, the chest area of the dress looked a bit collapsed, but Kamito intentionally neglected to mention this point. Additionally, leaving aside the issue of whether or not the dress was suitable, Claire was as lovely as ever.

"Hmph... Well, never mind. From now on, I forbid you to come and go anytime you wish. You're to stay by your master's side, got it?"

"All right, I get it."

It seemed like he had successfully managed to appease the Hell Cat maiden.

Fortunate to have avoided being burnt to a crisp, Kamito let out a sigh of relief.

"Ho ho, looks like you bought something revealing on accident."

"W-What's the matter with me, why would I go so far as to buy such provocative underwear..."

As the other two waited at the front of the stall, Rinslet finished shopping for her sister and Ellis bought her underwear. The task completed, they headed towards the Biblion, a short walk away from the port.

Situated on a slightly raised plot of high land, it looked like a huge citadel from the outside.

Like the tower where Kamito and the others were settled at, this building had also been repaired through ancient relic restoration.

In terms of sheer size, the Biblion could not compare to the library of seals, the pride of the Areishia Spirit Academy, but it was home to many ancient rare collections and even legendary forbidden books.

Such a place was one where they were likely to find a way to destroy the «Brand of Darkness» eroding Kamito, or even a clue as to how to bring back the disappeared Est.

As Kamito and the others entered the building, the sight that greeted them was that of innumerable bookshelves, each as high as the ceiling.

"This library sure is huge..."

"We'll take charge of researching the «Brand of Darkness». Kamito, go look for clues on Est – there should be quite a bit of information here about legends of the Demon Slaying Sacred Sword."

"Oh, okay."

Kamito nodded to show his agreement, then walked to the bookshelf that held records of legends from all across the continent.

On his way there, low murmurs of the «Divine Ritual Institute»'s princess maidens whispering to each other floated into his ear.

"Quick, look, it's the male elementalist." "He's the pervert we've heard rumors about?" "Careful, don't look at his eyes, you'll be defiled!"

''W-Why do even the princess maidens in the Sanctuary know of those rumors about me?''

Kamito sighed heavily and began searching for documents about the Sacred Sword.

===Part 5===

Meanwhile, Claire and the others, led by the librarian, had entered the sealed archives located underground.

After all, the curse Kamito bore was one even Fianna—once the second-best princess maiden of the «Divine Ritual Institute»—could not destroy.

As such, it would be a waste of time to simply browse literature on general spirit magic. Therefore, after some thought, the girls decided to instead focus their research on the forbidden books in the sealed archives.

The forbidden books covered quite a diverse range of content; for example, some held confidential information on the curse-bearing seal—a technique many countries had now banned the research of.

"Given the nature of that curse, it might be something similar to the curse-bearing seal."

"That is a possibility... Furthermore, there are also signs that Ren Ashbell's Alphas Theocracy is secretly conducting research on the curse-bearing seal –"

"While we're at it, it might be better if we investigated the Alphas Theocracy as well."

One by one, Claire and the others began flipping through the forbidden books displayed on the shelves.

Although they were all aristocratic daughters from distinguished families, just their princess maiden status alone would not get them access to these forbidden books.

All of them could have access to these books only because of their particular situation—they were participants in the Blade Dance.

"Records of the punitive expedition of S-rank spirits in a deep sleep in the spirit forest... nope."

"Data on the curse-bearing seal collected during the time of the Blue Baltic War... Oh, this one might contain a clue."

"... Ancient Taboo Magic... This book should be useful—Ahhh!?"

While looking through the collections, Ellis let out a shriek of shock.

"Ellis, did you find a clue!?"

"What's happened to you? Why is your face so red?"

"N-Nothing! It's nothing at all –"

"...?"

Claire stole a glance at the book was Ellis holding open.

Then –

"Ah ah ah! W-What is this!"

Claire blushed hotly as well.

The picture on the book was a portrait of a princess maiden in a very indecent position.

The taboo ritual magic—this content of book was so explicitly realistic that even Claire, who had a soft spot for provocative romance novels, could not help but take three steps backwards.

"N-Nasty... this is simply too obscene!"

"Captain, you pervert!"

"N-No! I was looking for books about rituals and accidentally took this one, that's all!"

From the way Ellis was hurriedly shaking her head in denial, one could tell this
noble Knight girl had been quite shocked.

"..." "..." "..."

They were silent for a while.

Looking at the taboo book before them, the girls swallowed nervously.

"I say... w-why don't we flip through it briefly and take a look?"

Claire proposed a suggestion, a note of slight hesitation in her voice.

"... T-That could be good, there might be something useful in there, you never know."

"Y-Yes... one can't deny there is such a possibility –"

[[File:STnBD V05 086.jpg|thumbnail|right]]

Rinslet and Ellis both nodded, but averted their glances, not comfortable with looking at each other.

Claire nodded and psychologically prepared herself, then began flipping through the book with trembling fingers.

Then –

"... Wow!? W-What is this thing! I-I don't understand..."

"What's going on... b-blindfold him, and then do something like that... aaaah!"

"Is t-this... a man's... thing?"

"Put it i-in one's mouth... and... a-also lick it?"

"T-To go as far as to put that in between one's breasts... ewwww... h-how could one be willing to do such a thing!"

"..." "..." "..."

These girls were relatively innocent, and would be shy to merely hold hands with a boy of their own age.

The impact of peeping into the unknown world left them suddenly speechless.

The only sound to be heard was the flipping of pages, echoing in the silent sealed archives.

In all honesty, all three of them thoroughly enjoyed what they saw.

===Part 6===

While Claire and the others were getting excited in the underground archives –

"... Whew... when I finish reading these, I will have died of exhaustion."

Kamito moved the heap of documents onto the table and began his investigation on the legends of the Sacred Sword.

The Demon Slayer Sacred Sword—also known as the «Sacred Sword of Severian», was a highly prized sword of legend.

The source of this name came from the Sacred Queen—Areishia Idriss's legend.

She was the wielder of the «Sacred Sword», as well as the one who vanquished the demon king.

There was no one on this continent who did not know her name.

Surprisingly, however, most people knew only the name of Areishia Idriss, and not the truth of her exploits. Furthermore, future generations had embellished many of her legends, such that the truth was virtually impossible to know.

''... All right, never mind, the great Sacred Queen isn't important.''

His immediate priority right now was the «Sacred Sword» she wielded.

Only paying attention to phrases related to the «Sacred Sword», Kamito flipped through the document quickly.

A «Sacred Sword» able to vanquish the Demon King was definitely no ordinary weapon.

The most likely argument was—the Sacred Sword had in truth been created from high-level spirits.

After eliminating the Demon King, the Queen Areishia had apparently sealed the contract spirit that had fought alongside her all the way in one of the swords inside the castle of the devil king.

The sword used to seal the spirit, the sword that she had relied on to do all this, was the «Sacred Sword of Severian».

As for the reason why Areishia would want to seal her own contract spirit inside the sword—no one knew. Similarly, there was much speculation as to her whereabouts after she eliminated the Demon King, but no conclusive answer.

Kamito closed the book, speechless..

''The conclusion is... we still cannot say anything for certain; what is unknown is still unknown.''

Although they had accessed a wide range of documents, virtually all of them contained only hearsay with no basis in fact.

As for the spirit forest that Est had originally been sealed in, he could not find anything more detailed than what was already in the library of seals.

– Having said that, however, Kamito had not had high hopes in the first place.

''However many similar documents I look at, there is no way to bring Est back.''

Moreover, whether or not Est was the real Demon Slaying Sacred Sword did not matter. To Kamito, she was his important partner, a point that would not change regardless of anything.

"Est..."

Kamito gently stroked the spirit seal on his right hand.

Est, with dazzlingly beautiful silver-white hair, virgin milky white skin, and a face that usually held no expression, until Kamito stroked her head; she would then narrow her eyes in a smile to show her pleasure.

''... Est will surely come back to me.''

To believe in her wholeheartedly and await her return – that was all Kamito could do for her now.

Kamito got back to his feet, picked up the pile of documents with both his hands and prepared to return them to the shelves..

Just as he finished putting all the books back to their original display positions –

"– You are Kazehaya Kamito?"

Kamito turned in the direction of the sudden call.

"Oh my god!"

The young lady before him was one he had met before.

The reason for Kamito's inadvertent shocked scream was because he really did not want to bump into such a person.

"What the – is that a greeting you thought up yourself? Kazehaya Kamito?"

The girl frowned unhappily.

With thick bright shoulder-length black hair, she had an icy kind of beauty.

The girl was wearing a beret inlaid with the crest of a flying dragon, as well as a black military uniform that gave her a majestic aura and suited her very well.

She was also staring coldly at Kamito, through her glasses, with a strong and forceful gaze.

She was a contestant from Dracunia, Leader of the Knights of the Dragon Emperor – Leonora Lancaster.

In this Blade Dance, she was among the more promising elementalists and favorites to win the tournament.

However, she was also a dangerous girl who was seeking to physically deal with Kamito's lower half.

"Y-You fool, what are you doing here?"

"What a stupid question. Obviously, I'm gathering intelligence on other countries' teams."

Leonora pushed at her spectacles with her middle finger, gave Kamito an exasperated look and replied.

So that was it... Indeed, there were some documents in her hands. Despite possessing power few other players could rival, she still put in the effort to find out about her competitors – she truly was a formidable opponent.

Kamito then raised a question about another thing he had realized:

"You didn't wear glasses before, did you?"

"... You really are a worse pervert than the rumors say, if even such subtle changes cannot escape your notice."

"Uh... is this a subtle change?"

... If it were a change of hairstyle, he might not notice, but glasses were rather difficult to overlook.

"I only wear them to read. My eyesight is actually quite poor. I use spirit magic during the blade dance to strengthen my vision."

The Dragon Knight maiden stared at Kamito coldly, and continued:

"Say it directly if you wish... say I don't look good in glasses."

"Ah...? Not at all, I think the look suits you, I think it's very cute."

"W-What nonsense are you saying! You pervert with a glasses fetish!"

"What now..."

The sudden and inexplicable scolding left Kamito squinting and mumbling in confusion.

Leonora cleared her throat and replied with a question of her own:

"And you, why are you coming to a place like this?"

"... Ah, uh, because I wanted to investigate some things."

It would be a disaster if his competitors came to know about him losing Est.

Kamito gave a vague answer hoping to evade the topic, but –

Leonora suddenly turned her gaze towards the shelf Kamito had returned his books to.

"So, the thing you're investigating has to do with your contract spirit?"

"... Ah!?"

Surprised, Kamito instinctively struck a combat pose to fend off an enemy.

"... Even you guys know about it?"

"Are you referring to – your blade spirit's disappearance?"

"..."

Leonora's frosty gaze seemed to pierce right through Kamito.

"Sorry, I took the liberty to spectate the battle between you and the military spirits."

"... So that's how."

Apparently, she had seen the full course of the battle between the crowd and Muir Alenstarl.

At that time, in order to prevent anyone from becoming aware of the battle outside, Ren Ashbell had laid down a large-scale Isolation Barrier around the tower, but it had not deceived an elementalist as powerful as Leonora.

"So you just silently watched Claire and the others get hurt?"

"Did I have an obligation to enter combat to rescue them?"

"This..."

Kamito forcibly swallowed nasty words of accusation.

She did indeed have a point. By no means was she obliged to extend a helping hand to a rival team's elementalists.

"You are too naive. The «Blade Dance» is no friendly contest, it is a symbolic war with matters of national prestige and prosperity at stake."

Her line of reasoning was quite correct.

The victorious country of the Blade Dance would receive all manner of blessings from the Elemental Lord – the influence of this was large, and could even affect the fortunes of the entire country.

Furthermore, the Dracunia Knights were surely not the only ones who had watched the skirmish on the side.

"In any case, I'm sure you guys loved watching us beat each other bloody."

She was not to blame – although Kamito understood this in his heart, he could not keep the harsh words from escaping his mouth.

"No... in fact, regarding the disappearance of your blade spirit, I'm also very sorry."

Shaking her head, Leonora spoke up unexpectedly.

"I could feel that spirit had strength to equal my Dragon Slayer Sacred Sword – as a knight, I had very much hoped to do battle with you at your peak condition."

Looking at her sincere expression, Kamito's response was –

"Leonora, you're mistaken."

"Mistaken?"

"Est has not really disappeared. Also... her real strength is far more than you know."

"... Oh, if that's so, I'm sorry."

Leonora smiled and nodded in understanding.

It was perhaps an illusion, but in that moment, her pupils seemed to change color.

"I don't intend to go easy on you, though. As the saying goes in our country— «The dragons of Dracunia will go all out to take down even hunting lions» —I will do everything in my power to defeat you."

"That's fine... show me what you got."

Kamito replied indifferently, but sighed bitterly to himself:

''This girl really is a rival...''

Leonora Lancaster possessed solid power, and could stand up to the strongest elementalist in the Academy – Velsaria.

The «Nidhogg» she summoned was a dragon spirit that could, in a single blow, instantly vaporize the military spirit that attacked the flying ship. The extent of its power was hard to comprehend.

However, that was not where the true power of this dragon girl lay.

Although she also had overwhelming strength, it did not make her arrogant. She was not complacent or careless even against weaker opponents – this impeccable temperament was her most threatening weapon.

With things in their current state, with Est lost, they really could not fight her.

"Well, if you insist –"

All of a sudden, Leonora abruptly pushed Kamito against the bookshelf.

"... You!?"

Kamito just barely stopped himself from shouting.

A pair of upwardly curving eyes regarded Kamito from beneath glasses.

The faintly sweet smell of shampoo tickled Kamito's nose.

"... W-What do you want!?"

"Wasn't it you who just said 'show me what you've got'? Kazehaya Kamito."

Leonora held her index finger to Kamito's lips, and stepped even closer to him.

Her perfectly bouncy breasts pressed tightly against Kamito's arm.

''... This... this one's chest really is unexpectedly big!''

She probably dressed to cover her figure, like Ellis.

''... I'm so stupid, this isn't the time to have such nonsense thoughts!''

Although the two of them were hidden by bookshelves, there were several princess maidens nearby. If they were caught, they would surely be sent to the
Divine Ritual Institute's council for this delinquency.

"Your heart's beating faster, is my body getting you excited?"

"D-Doesn't that go without saying? To be held so tightly by s-such a cute girl as you –"

"... C-Cute? Me?"

The dragon girl stared with wide eyes in surprise.

"That's the first time... any man's said something like that to me..."

"A-Anyway, let me go!"

"How will that do."

"... What do you mean?"

"As I just said, «The dragons of Dracunia will go all out to take down even hunting lions». After seeing your battle against Muir Alenstarl last night, our country's military personnel made an emergency decision to change our strategy against you.

"Strategy against me?"

"Which is to chop off your thing before you sink your evil clutches into any of your princess maiden Knight teammates."

"That's your state policy!?"

Kamito could not help but roar.

Dracunia... that country was more terrible than he had even imagined.

"But our military also came to another conclusion – as you are the only male elementalist in the world, it would be a terrible pity to have such an outstanding bloodline end just like that."

"... Oh, I think I understand what you mean."

Kamito said under his breath, rolling his eyes.

In simple terms, they were currently in a situation commonly known as the Beauty Trap.

"Obediently grovel at my feet – Kazehaya Kamito."

Leonora was whispering sweet words that turned one's head numb.

''T-This girl, she really has completely changed from last time...!''

Previously, Kamito only had to accidentally brush against her chest for this Dragon Knight maiden to faint; she had originally been more innocent than even the Academy girls.

Even if it was because she had been ordered to do so, how did she manage to tempt Kamito like this?

The girl before him – seemed to be an entirely different person.

"Hey, are you even..."

At that moment, Kamito suddenly realized –

Leonora's originally black pupils now had a smoky red coat, as if burnt by a flame.

''... What's going on?''

Just when Kamito was frowning in thought –

"You really are a stubborn man who refuses to obediently submit, contrary to what the rumors say..."

Leonora picked the skirt of her uniform up by both sides, and slowly lifted it upwards.

"... What!?"

At this, Kamito's heart involuntarily started to throb.

Accompanied by the sound of cloth friction, her skirt approached even closer to the edge of modesty.

For some unknown reason, although it had already long passed the warning line – her panties were nowhere to be seen.

"Hey... y-you're going to expose your panties!"

"You needn't worry, as servants of the dragon, we Dracunia princess maidens... don't have the habit of wearing panties."

"How is that nothing to worry about!"

Indeed, he had heard of elementalist princess maidens choosing not to wear underwear to enhance their connection with their spirits.

"Abandon resistance, then proclaim your eternal loyalty to my country."

"P-Please stop...!"

In pace with the rubbing sounds of fabric, in only a second, her skirt would be completely lifted. Then –

"Y-You two! Wh-Wh-Wh-What unspeakable things are you doing!"

"...!?"

<nowiki>*</nowiki>Gogogogogo...!*

It was none other than –

Claire, her shoulders quivering and her two red ponytails bristling in anger.

"D-Disgusting... that you would think to do something so immoral and depraved in the sacred Biblion..."

"We left you alone for just a moment, and you take the opportunity to do such a thing!"

Ellis and Rinslet were also glaring at Kamito furiously.

"N-No, it's not what you think! It's..."

"Disturbed by hindering nuisances..."

With a sigh, Leonora swiftly separated herself from Kamito.

"... Leonora?"

Kamito looked at her, puzzled, and realized something –

Sometime ago, the burnt smoky red glaze on her pupils had disappeared, to be replaced by the original black.

Additionally, the look on Leonora's face suggested that the something possessing her had just disappeared.

"I'm very sorry, just now the «Dragon Blood» in my body seemed to have awaken carelessly."

"«Dragon Blood»?"

This strange word left Kamito puzzled.

However, Claire's alert ears twitched.

"– Then... We'll continue some other time. The next time we meet will probably be on the battlefield."

Leonora turned and quickly marched, military-style, from the scene.

"..."

Kamito watched her image move increasingly further away.

"... Go on, speak... You rascal, what were you doing with that woman?"

Claire questioned Kamito coldly.

"I bumped into her accidentally, and we just shared some idle chat about the main event tomorrow... I swear."

"... Ooh, is that so? Forget it."

"Have you found out anything about Est?"

"No, there was nothing useful... what about you, any findings?"

Kamito returned the question, then –

The three ladies blushed tomato-red.

"W-We found nothing!"

"Right! A-And also, we definitely didn't peek at any taboo magic books, oh!"

"T-That is...!"

"...?"

At their distraught reactions, Kamito frowned in confusion.

===Part 7===

It was sunset by the time the group left the Biblion.

On the return carriage, Kamito asked Claire:

"Hey, remember the «Dragon Blood» Leonora talked about just now? What is that?"

"... About that, I've only ever heard rumors."

Resting her cheeks on her hands, Claire mused:

"That's a specific kind of constitution... It's said that people with «Dragon Blood» will very rarely be born as princess maidens in service of the dragon. Legend has it that when the «Dragon Blood» awakens in the princess maiden's body, she will become one with the «dragon»."

"Become one with the «dragon»?"

What on earth did those words mean? It was difficult to understand.

However, what he could say for sure was that – Leonora had obviously become a completely different person just now.

''To think that such a noble Dragon Knight would actually become like that...''

Recalling the touch of her soft breasts set Kamito's stomach aflutter.

"Hey... Kamito, you aren't thinking nonsense, are you?"

"N-No, I'm not... just thinking that Leonora is quite the formidable opponent, that's all –"

"R-Really, yeah, if it were that girl's chest... she should be able to put it in between!"

"Between? Between what?"

"O-Or, you could say... unless you mean, your measurements are so large that even that girl would not be able to fit it...?"

"... What?"

Confused, Kamito looked towards Ellis and Rinslet, sitting opposite, and for some unknown reason, they were both red-faced with embarrassment.

''Oh well, never mind...''

Kamito lowered his body slowly onto the carriage seat.

Gazing out the window at the scenery, he noted the sun setting gradually into the hills.

The main competition of the Blade Dance, the war, would commence tomorrow.

It would be a long day, full of arduous Blade Dance presentation.

Today was the last day he would have so much leisure time to enjoy with his teammates.

At this thought, Kamito inadvertently reached out a hand to touch her – his partner sword, usually always hanging at his waist.

"..."

However, his hand met only emptiness.

He could feel not even the slightest pain from the spirit seal on his right hand.

===Part 8===

The sword, luster all lost, fell for what felt like eternity through an endless darkness.

She was not dormant, yet not conscious, only silent and still.

Whether to call this feeling peace or torture varied from person to person, but truth be told, these additional definitions were meaningless – stillness was stillness.

The sword sank in the pitch-blackness; it was a world with nothing bar darkness.

''Kamito...''

Her power almost all lost, all the blade spirit could do was to call his name.

''Kamito... I am your sword, so –''

The spirit whispered, and at that moment –

Out of the darkness suddenly shot a dazzling light.

The figure that appeared in the light was – a naked, pale-skinned, silvery-white-haired maiden.

She looked just like Est in human form.

''– Who are you?''

The sword asked the girl before her.

''I am the consciousness of the one... previously known as the «Demon Slayer Sacred Sword».''

The silvery-white-haired girl answered, her expression blank.

''You... are me?''

''Yes. You are me – whereas I, am you complete.''

At her answer, Est finally understood the true identity of the girl.

''You are my «body»... right?''

''Yes, I am your higher physical presence.''

The girl nodded, expressionless.

She was the highest-level blade spirit with overwhelming power – the real Demon Slayer Sacred Sword.

When Est had made an incomplete spirit contract with Kamito, she had split into two individuals.

Perhaps it was because Est had lost her power and was on the verge of disappearing that the loop joining the two of them could once again reconnect.

''I cannot stay for much longer.''

The girl who looked exactly like Est gently stretched out her right hand to her –

And commanded in a cold expressionless voice:

''I command you to immediately destroy the contract with Kazehaya Kamito, and come back to me.''

For her, this was a request there was no denying to.

After all, Est's contract with Kamito was in the first place an informal, happenstance event.

Because the Demon Slayer Sacred Sword had not originally intended to make any contracts with elementalists.

Even she herself did not know why she had let herself become the contract spirit to that boy.

These conflicting emotions split to form «Terminus Est» – this was the origin of the other Est.

However, now that the contract «gate» between Est and Kazehaya Kamito was closed, she could take advantage of this time to fuse back the missing piece «Terminus Est».

Unexpectedly –

''... I-I refuse.''

The sword—Est—turned down the outstretched hand of the Sacred Sword maiden.

The sword cut through the surrounding darkness, and pointed its tip towards the girl's throat.

''– You refuse?''

''I do not... I do not want to break my contract with Kamito...''

''You are merely a part of me, yet you want to defy my wishes?''

''I am the sword of Kamito, not something of yours.''

Est expressed her desire to refuse clearly to the maiden.

''– I understand, it seems... that elementalist has germinated in you the seed of self-awareness.''

Again expressionless, the girl said quietly.

Her silvery white hair, which exuded a faint light in the dark, whipped up violently.

''But I do have to tell you, Est... you—or I should say, I—do not have the right to become the sword of any person.''

''... I don't understand what you mean?''

''Because my existence itself is a kind of sin.''

''– Sin?''

The sword could not understand the meaning in the girl's words because, in the moment that she contracted with Kamito, she lost most of the memories she had in common with her original body.

The present Est was left with a handful of incomplete past memory fragments.

As well as the memory of the short period of time spent with Kamito and the others.

''Recall it, the sins that you – and I – must bear.''

The silvery-white-haired girl gently touched the tip of the sword.

In an instant, memories flowed like a fierce torrent into Est's mind –

''Recall it, the events with the very first person to contract with me... Areishia Idriss.''

<noinclude>{{SeireiDance Nav|prev=Seirei Tsukai no Blade Dance:Volume5 Chapter2|next=Seirei Tsukai no Blade Dance:Volume5 Chapter4}}</noinclude>

Seirei Tsukai no Blade Dance:Volume5 Chapter3

2013-05-19T23:34:07Z

Monsterbandage: /* Part 2 */

==Chapter 3: Dragonia's Allurement==
===Part 1===
After leaving the cafe, Kamito and the others took a stroll near the port.

Surrounded by the three lovely ladies, Kamito still received quite a few stares from passers-by that made him feel uncomfortable, but since they were some distance away from the centre of the shopping street, the situation was much better.

"Can we take a look in that store?"

Rinslet's outstretched hand was pointing at a stall that specialized in selling aristocratic dresses.

"No problem." "Yeah, I don't mind."

Claire and Ellis nodded in agreement.

"Rinslet, are you buying clothes now?"

Kamito asked, puzzled. As the Blade Dance would begin tomorrow, she would not have many opportunities to wear anything else other than her uniform.

"I'm not buying them for myself; I'm getting them for Carol and my little sister."

"Your sister?"

"Yes, my sister specially came to watch me show off my talents."

Rinslet fluffed her long hair happily.

At that moment, the maid Carol had arrived at the port ready to greet the girl Rinslet was talking about.

"Oh, turns out Rinslet has a little sister too... I imagine she must look just like her older sister; she must be a beautiful, pleasant child."

"K-Kamito-san, w-what nonsense are you spouting..."

At Kamito's casual thoughtless chatter, Rinslet blushed, embarrassed.

"M-My sisters are very good-looking as well!"

"My sister Velsaria is a beauty too!"

"Uh... why are you guys suddenly saying all these..."

Claire and Ellis felt an inexplicable sense of competitiveness.

"Well, I'll wait patiently outside. Call me when you're done."

As Kamito turned to leave, Claire tugged on his sleeve to stop him.

"You have to come in with me."

"... Why? This shop only sells girls' clothing, doesn't it?"

"I-It doesn't matter... we have to stay together."

"Well... Hey...!"

Kamito was forcibly pulled into the shop by his sleeve.

The shop was unexpectedly spacious. In addition to fashionable clothing, it also sold items like underwear.

"Well then, let me first pick out something for my sister."

Rinslet happily disappeared into the shop.

"Kamito, wait here for me... I'll go try something on."

"Try something on?"

"... U-Uh, I mean, so you can help me make a decision."

Claire's cheeks flushed.

''... Oh, I get it.''

Kamito was struck by a sudden understanding, and could not hold back a smile.

Having grown up in a sheltered aristocratic family, Claire was probably not used to choosing her own clothing.

''... Nonetheless, it's hardly a good idea to ask me for advice.''

"I'd be glad to help... but I take no responsibility!"

"It doesn't matter, I just want your thoughts."

Claire lifted her two ponytails proudly, smiled sweetly and said:

"I want you to admire me after my gorgeous makeover."

"I look forward to it... But, with so amazing a model, I'm sure any clothes you pick would look good."

"... S-Stupid! You're talking nonsense again!"

Claire flushed at Kamito's teasing and left with her face red.

===Part 2===

At the instant Claire left Kamito's side –

''... Good opportunity!''

At a corner of the shop, Ellis was silently shouting to herself.

Now all the hindering people were out of the way.

Of course, as a Knight, Ellis prided herself on her honesty and nobility.

Normally, she would never take such actions behind the backs of the other two.

However, some things were too important to concede.

''Now is the perfect time!''

Ellis firmly pursed her lovely lips.

Upon further reflection, ever since arriving on this floating island, she had always been half a beat slower than the other two.

The outfit she wore to purify herself in the lake was the plain competition swimwear, the evening gown she so painstakingly prepared was no match for Claire's superior beauty, and even just now, she had been slower than Claire and Rinslet to hold Kamito's hand, and had to settle for his arm.

''I-I absolutely must find some way to improve my position right now...''

Ellis secretly shot a look towards Kamito's side profile.

It was a face she was very used to seeing; nevertheless, it set butterflies aflutter in her stomach.

To think that at first she held prejudices against him just because he was a male elementalist.

She had thought he would destroy the strict discipline of the Academy, and that he was an enemy of her's.

However, things had changed.

''Kamito... I –''

A new emotion budded in the heart of this young girl, who had previously known only of a strict education.

She still could not figure out what this unknown feeling was.

Nonetheless –

''Kamito, I would love to find out more about you...''

Ellis stroked the ribbon her sister—Velsaria—had given her.

She felt doing that would help her muster her courage.

Suppressing her rapidly throbbing heart, Ellis took a step forward.

===Part 3===

A tug.

"Huh?"

Feeling a pull on his sleeve, Kamito turned his head and saw –

Ellis, who was red-faced, had her hand on the sleeve of Kamito's uniform.

"Ellis... what is it?"

"That... c-come with me!"

"...?"

Tugging at Kamito's cuffs, Ellis pulled him into a small room partitioned off by curtains.

It turned out to be a dressing room with a huge mirror.

"W-What are you doing!?"

"K-Keep it down! Do you want to be blasted into crabmeat butter croquettes?!"

Ellis unsheathed her sword with a hiss, leaving Kamito no choice but to raise both his hands and nod in submission.

"... But, why are you bringing me into a dressing room?"

"Uh, uh, actually... i-it's because I want you to comment on the clothing I try on."

"Comment on clothing?"

"Right. It's a rare opportunity, so I'd also like to buy some clothes. It's just that... I'm ashamed to say I don't exactly know much about girls' dresses."

... Oh, so she wants me to give her some advice?

''Something isn't right. Claire and Rinslet are both here, so why pick me?''

"If it's girls' outfits you need help with, I think it's better you ask the shopkeepers."

"... Oooh, I-I just want to know what you like!"

"Oh... so that's what it is..."

At Ellis's ferocious glare, Kamito could not help but take a few steps back in fear.

"...Well, all right, what clothing would you like to try on, Ellis?"

"Ah... uh, right now I'm torn between these two pieces –"

Ellis coughed loudly –

Then took out two different articles of clothing and presented them to Kamito.

"Oh, so it's a choice between black and white..."

The cloth before him was dotted with intricate lace flowers.

The fabric was smooth and gave off a sense of quality. It should probably be silk? The upper edge was also lined with lovely lotus leaf decorations –

"... Hey, isn't this underwear!"

Kamito spat, repelled.

No mistake about it, what Ellis was holding was indeed a set of high-class underwear.

"Well, answer quickly... w-which one do you like!"

Ellis herself seemed embarrassed; as she asked her question, her face flushed bright red.

"Y-You want me to choose..."

Kamito swallowed.

Ellis's face bore an extremely serious expression. She did not look like she was joking in the slightest, but was genuinely wanting Kamito's advice.

On the one hand was pure and lovely white.

On the other was mature, sophisticated black.

''Ellis is a high-spirited, brave and heroic Knight Captain... common wisdom would say to pick white, I guess.''

... No, precisely because of this, reverse thinking might be better.

For an honest and pure girl like Ellis, if she wore mature and womanly black underwear... the contradiction would certainly be arousing.

"Kamito, h-hurry up and decide, please! This is really embarrassing."

"Oooh, I know..."

Kamito nodded hastily and made his decision:

"... I would choose the black, I think the mature black underwear suits you well."

"Y-Yes, really... On days where the difference between winning and losing is critical, I'll often wear black underwear."

Ellis nodded, apparently satisfied.

Say, that time he had accidentally peeked in on the girls changing clothes at the Sylphid Knights' general meeting , Ellis had also been wearing black underwear... which means to say there had been some important game that day?

"T-Then I'll get this, next I just need to make sure it's the right size."

"Mmm, then... I'll leave first –"

Kamito sighed in relief and started to move out of the dressing room. Then –

"Oh no... that rascal Kamito, where on earth has he gone now? I clearly told him to wait here!"

Kamito suddenly heard Claire huff.

Surprised, Kamito quickly shut the dressing room curtain he had just half-opened.

''... This is terrible!''

If Claire found him and Ellis nestled in the dressing room together, he would certainly be burned to a crisp.

Kamito quickly turned to tell Ellis about Claire being right outside –

"E-Ellis... what are you doing!?"

Kamito could not help but stare, wide-eyed and tongue-tied.

In the blink of an eye, Ellis had already taken off her uniform and put on the set of underwear.

"Aaaaaa –"

"... Wow!"

Seeing Ellis on the verge of shrieking, Kamito quickly covered her mouth with his hand.

"Mmmm..."

He used his momentum to push Ellis's whole body against the wall, then whispered in her ear:

"Don't make a sound... Claire's nearby."

"...!?"

Ellis's eyes widened in surprise.

"... Kamito? Where on earth has he run off to?"

Claire was searching everywhere; by the sound of her voice, she was very close.

Even the slightest movement would give them away.

The duo huddled against the wall, barely daring to even breathe.

"..."

"..."

A little sigh of relief escaped from between Kamito's fingers over Ellis's mouth.

Through her underwear, he could feel the softness of her huge bosom. Kamito felt as if his furiously beating heart was loud enough to be heard.

''E-Ellis's chest was really something...''

Her tender breasts wobbled and changed shape as his arm pressed against them.

For some unknown reason, moist ripples were swimming in Ellis's pair of brown eyes as well.

... Like this, they passed tens of seconds, that felt like forever.

Claire had probably gone somewhere else, since her voice could finally no longer be heard.

"...Whew."

It appears the crisis had been averted. A weight lifted from Kamito's shoulders, and he caught his breath.

"K-Kamito... you...!"

Ellis quickly moved away from Kamito, and sharply glared at him.

"W-Why did you suddenly do that!"

"... I'm sorry, it was an urgent situation, I'm so sorry."

While apologizing profusely, Kamito turned away from the underwear-clad Ellis.

"Uhm... Never mind, in any case it was I who asked you to help me pick underwear in the first place."

[[File:STnBD V05 079.jpg|thumbnail|right]]

Ellis softly cleared her throat, shyly lifted her eyes in Kamito's direction and said:

"Oh – Oh yes..."

"What is it now?"

"Do you think t-this underwear really... looks good on me?"

Ellis rubbed her attractive and alluring thighs against each other while shyly asking.

"Ah, I think it looks good. How should I say it... I feel excited when I look at it."

"R-Really...!"

At Kamito's candid answer, Ellis's lips curved upwards in a happy smile.

"Excellent... Then at the critical moment, I will be sure to wear it."

"... Critical moment? Oh, you mean the competition that starts tomorrow."

"I hate you... That's not at all what I meant!"

As if she wanted to be purposely difficult, Ellis pinched Kamito's arm.

''... That Ellis could actually say something like "I hate you" was adorable.''

===Part 4===
After departing the dressing room, Kamito, feigning as if nothing much had happened, tapped Claire's shoulder and said.

"– Claire, sorry to have kept you waiting."

"Y-You rascal, where did you go! I was looking for you everywhere!"

"Sorry, I went outside the shop for a second... Oh, the dress you're wearing is very cute."

"Huh... R-Really? You really think it's very cute?"

A puff of hot air emerged from the top of Claire's head, and her two ponytails bobbed up and down.

She was wearing a white dress of a more mature style, that was also cut very low in the front.

Truthfully speaking, the chest area of the dress looked a bit collapsed, but Kamito intentionally neglected to mention this point. Additionally, leaving aside the issue of whether or not the dress was suitable, Claire was as lovely as ever.

"Hmph... Well, never mind. From now on, I forbid you to come and go anytime you wish. You're to stay by your master's side, got it?"

"All right, I get it."

It seemed like he had successfully managed to appease the Hell Cat maiden.

Fortunate to have avoided being burnt to a crisp, Kamito let out a sigh of relief.

"Ho ho, looks like you bought something revealing on accident."

"W-What's the matter with me, why would I go so far as to buy such provocative underwear..."

As the other two waited at the front of the stall, Rinslet finished shopping for her sister and Ellis bought her underwear. The task completed, they headed towards the Biblion, a short walk away from the port.

Situated on a slightly raised plot of high land, it looked like a huge citadel from the outside.

Like the tower where Kamito and the others were settled at, this building had also been repaired through ancient relic restoration.

In terms of sheer size, the Biblion could not compare to the library of seals, the pride of the Areishia Spirit Academy, but it was home to many ancient rare collections and even legendary forbidden books.

Such a place was one where they were likely to find a way to destroy the «Brand of Darkness» eroding Kamito, or even a clue as to how to bring back the disappeared Est.

As Kamito and the others entered the building, the sight that greeted them was that of innumerable bookshelves, each as high as the ceiling.

"This library sure is huge..."

"We'll take charge of researching the «Brand of Darkness». Kamito, go look for clues on Est – there should be quite a bit of information here about legends of the Demon Slaying Sacred Sword."

"Oh, okay."

Kamito nodded to show his agreement, then walked to the bookshelf that held records of legends from all across the continent.

On his way there, low murmurs of the «Divine Ritual Institute»'s princess maidens whispering to each other floated into his ear.

"Quick, look, it's the male elementalist." "He's the pervert we've heard rumors about?" "Careful, don't look at his eyes, you'll be defiled!"

''W-Why do even the princess maidens in the Sanctuary know of those rumors about me?''

Kamito sighed heavily and began searching for documents about the Sacred Sword.

===Part 5===

Meanwhile, Claire and the others, led by the librarian, had entered the sealed archives located underground.

After all, the curse Kamito bore was one even Fianna—once the second-best princess maiden of the «Divine Ritual Institute»—could not destroy.

As such, it would be a waste of time to simply browse literature on general spirit magic. Therefore, after some thought, the girls decided to instead focus their research on the forbidden books in the sealed archives.

The forbidden books covered quite a diverse range of content; for example, some held confidential information on the curse-bearing seal—a technique many countries had now banned the research of.

"Given the nature of that curse, it might be something similar to the curse-bearing seal."

"That is a possibility... Furthermore, there are also signs that Ren Ashbell's Alphas Theocracy is secretly conducting research on the curse-bearing seal –"

"While we're at it, it might be better if we investigated the Alphas Theocracy as well."

One by one, Claire and the others began flipping through the forbidden books displayed on the shelves.

Although they were all aristocratic daughters from distinguished families, just their princess maiden status alone would not get them access to these forbidden books.

All of them could have access to these books only because of their particular situation—they were participants in the Blade Dance.

"Records of the punitive expedition of S-rank spirits in a deep sleep in the spirit forest... nope."

"Data on the curse-bearing seal collected during the time of the Blue Baltic War... Oh, this one might contain a clue."

"... Ancient Taboo Magic... This book should be useful—Ahhh!?"

While looking through the collections, Ellis let out a shriek of shock.

"Ellis, did you find a clue!?"

"What's happened to you? Why is your face so red?"

"N-Nothing! It's nothing at all –"

"...?"

Claire stole a glance at the book was Ellis holding open.

Then –

"Ah ah ah! W-What is this!"

Claire blushed hotly as well.

The picture on the book was a portrait of a princess maiden in a very indecent position.

The taboo ritual magic—this content of book was so explicitly realistic that even Claire, who had a soft spot for provocative romance novels, could not help but take three steps backwards.

"N-Nasty... this is simply too obscene!"

"Captain, you pervert!"

"N-No! I was looking for books about rituals and accidentally took this one, that's all!"

From the way Ellis was hurriedly shaking her head in denial, one could tell this
noble Knight girl had been quite shocked.

"..." "..." "..."

They were silent for a while.

Looking at the taboo book before them, the girls swallowed nervously.

"I say... w-why don't we flip through it briefly and take a look?"

Claire proposed a suggestion, a note of slight hesitation in her voice.

"... T-That could be good, there might be something useful in there, you never know."

"Y-Yes... one can't deny there is such a possibility –"

[[File:STnBD V05 086.jpg|thumbnail|right]]

Rinslet and Ellis both nodded, but averted their glances, not comfortable with looking at each other.

Claire nodded and psychologically prepared herself, then began flipping through the book with trembling fingers.

Then –

"... Wow!? W-What is this thing! I-I don't understand..."

"What's going on... b-blindfold him, and then do something like that... aaaah!"

"Is t-this... a man's... thing?"

"Put it i-in one's mouth... and... a-also lick it?"

"T-To go as far as to put that in between one's breasts... ewwww... h-how could one be willing to do such a thing!"

"..." "..." "..."

These girls were relatively innocent, and would be shy to merely hold hands with a boy of their own age.

The impact of peeping into the unknown world left them suddenly speechless.

The only sound to be heard was the flipping of pages, echoing in the silent sealed archives.

In all honesty, all three of them thoroughly enjoyed what they saw.

===Part 6===

While Claire and the others were getting excited in the underground archives –

"... Whew... when I finish reading these, I will have died of exhaustion."

Kamito moved the heap of documents onto the table and began his investigation on the legends of the Sacred Sword.

The Demon Slayer Sacred Sword—also known as the «Sacred Sword of Severian», was a highly prized sword of legend.

The source of this name came from the Sacred Queen—Areishia Idriss's legend.

She was the wielder of the «Sacred Sword», as well as the one who vanquished the demon king.

There was no one on this continent who did not know her name.

Surprisingly, however, most people knew only the name of Areishia Idriss, and not the truth of her exploits. Furthermore, future generations had embellished many of her legends, such that the truth was virtually impossible to know.

''... All right, never mind, the great Sacred Queen isn't important.''

His immediate priority right now was the «Sacred Sword» she wielded.

Only paying attention to phrases related to the «Sacred Sword», Kamito flipped through the document quickly.

A «Sacred Sword» able to vanquish the Demon King was definitely no ordinary weapon.

The most likely argument was—the Sacred Sword had in truth been created from high-level spirits.

After eliminating the Demon King, the Queen Areishia had apparently sealed the contract spirit that had fought alongside her all the way in one of the swords inside the castle of the devil king.

The sword used to seal the spirit, the sword that she had relied on to do all this, was the «Sacred Sword of Severian».

As for the reason why Areishia would want to seal her own contract spirit inside the sword—no one knew. Similarly, there was much speculation as to her whereabouts after she eliminated the Demon King, but no conclusive answer.

Kamito closed the book, speechless..

''The conclusion is... we still cannot say anything for certain; what is unknown is still unknown.''

Although they had accessed a wide range of documents, virtually all of them contained only hearsay with no basis in fact.

As for the spirit forest that Est had originally been sealed in, he could not find anything more detailed than what was already in the library of seals.

– Having said that, however, Kamito had not had high hopes in the first place.

''However many similar documents I look at, there is no way to bring Est back.''

Moreover, whether or not Est was the real Demon Slaying Sacred Sword did not matter. To Kamito, she was his important partner, a point that would not change regardless of anything.

"Est..."

Kamito gently stroked the spirit seal on his right hand.

Est, with dazzlingly beautiful silver-white hair, virgin milky white skin, and a face that usually held no expression, until Kamito stroked her head; she would then narrow her eyes in a smile to show her pleasure.

''... Est will surely come back to me.''

To believe in her wholeheartedly and await her return – that was all Kamito could do for her now.

Kamito got back to his feet, picked up the pile of documents with both his hands and prepared to return them to the shelves..

Just as he finished putting all the books back to their original display positions –

"– You are Kazehaya Kamito?"

Kamito turned in the direction of the sudden call.

"Oh my god!"

The young lady before him was one he had met before.

The reason for Kamito's inadvertent shocked scream was because he really did not want to bump into such a person.

"What the – is that a greeting you thought up yourself? Kazehaya Kamito?"

The girl frowned unhappily.

With thick bright shoulder-length black hair, she had an icy kind of beauty.

The girl was wearing a beret inlaid with the crest of a flying dragon, as well as a black military uniform that gave her a majestic aura and suited her very well.

She was also staring coldly at Kamito, through her glasses, with a strong and forceful gaze.

She was a contestant from Dracunia, Leader of the Knights of the Dragon Emperor – Leonora Lancaster.

In this Blade Dance, she was among the more promising elementalists and favorites to win the tournament.

However, she was also a dangerous girl who was seeking to physically deal with Kamito's lower half.

"Y-You fool, what are you doing here?"

"What a stupid question. Obviously, I'm gathering intelligence on other countries' teams."

Leonora pushed at her spectacles with her middle finger, gave Kamito an exasperated look and replied.

So that was it... Indeed, there were some documents in her hands. Despite possessing power few other players could rival, she still put in the effort to find out about her competitors – she truly was a formidable opponent.

Kamito then raised a question about another thing he had realized:

"You didn't wear glasses before, did you?"

"... You really are a worse pervert than the rumors say, if even such subtle changes cannot escape your notice."

"Uh... is this a subtle change?"

... If it were a change of hairstyle, he might not notice, but glasses were rather difficult to overlook.

"I only wear them to read. My eyesight is actually quite poor. I use spirit magic during the blade dance to strengthen my vision."

The Dragon Knight maiden stared at Kamito coldly, and continued:

"Say it directly if you wish... say I don't look good in glasses."

"Ah...? Not at all, I think the look suits you, I think it's very cute."

"W-What nonsense are you saying! You pervert with a glasses fetish!"

"What now..."

The sudden and inexplicable scolding left Kamito squinting and mumbling in confusion.

Leonora cleared her throat and replied with a question of her own:

"And you, why are you coming to a place like this?"

"... Ah, uh, because I wanted to investigate some things."

It would be a disaster if his competitors came to know about him losing Est.

Kamito gave a vague answer hoping to evade the topic, but –

Leonora suddenly turned her gaze towards the shelf Kamito had returned his books to.

"So, the thing you're investigating has to do with your contract spirit?"

"... Ah!?"

Surprised, Kamito instinctively struck a combat pose to fend off an enemy.

"... Even you guys know about it?"

"Are you referring to – your blade spirit's disappearance?"

"..."

Leonora's frosty gaze seemed to pierce right through Kamito.

"Sorry, I took the liberty to spectate the battle between you and the military spirits."

"... So that's how."

Apparently, she had seen the full course of the battle between the crowd and Muir Alenstarl.

At that time, in order to prevent anyone from becoming aware of the battle outside, Ren Ashbell had laid down a large-scale Isolation Barrier around the tower, but it had not deceived an elementalist as powerful as Leonora.

"So you just silently watched Claire and the others get hurt?"

"Did I have an obligation to enter combat to rescue them?"

"This..."

Kamito forcibly swallowed nasty words of accusation.

She did indeed have a point. By no means was she obliged to extend a helping hand to a rival team's elementalists.

"You are too naive. The «Blade Dance» is no friendly contest, it is a symbolic war with matters of national prestige and prosperity at stake."

Her line of reasoning was quite correct.

The victorious country of the Blade Dance would receive all manner of blessings from the Elemental Lord – the influence of this was large, and could even affect the fortunes of the entire country.

Furthermore, the Dracunia Knights were surely not the only ones who had watched the skirmish on the side.

"In any case, I'm sure you guys loved watching us beat each other bloody."

She was not to blame – although Kamito understood this in his heart, he could not keep the harsh words from escaping his mouth.

"No... in fact, regarding the disappearance of your blade spirit, I'm also very sorry."

Shaking her head, Leonora spoke up unexpectedly.

"I could feel that spirit had strength to equal my Dragon Slayer Sacred Sword – as a knight, I had very much hoped to do battle with you at your peak condition."

Looking at her sincere expression, Kamito's response was –

"Leonora, you're mistaken."

"Mistaken?"

"Est has not really disappeared. Also... her real strength is far more than you know."

"... Oh, if that's so, I'm sorry."

Leonora smiled and nodded in understanding.

It was perhaps an illusion, but in that moment, her pupils seemed to change color.

"I don't intend to go easy on you, though. As the saying goes in our country— «The dragons of Dracunia will go all out to take down even hunting lions» —I will do everything in my power to defeat you."

"That's fine... show me what you got."

Kamito replied indifferently, but sighed bitterly to himself:

''This girl really is a rival...''

Leonora Lancaster possessed solid power, and could stand up to the strongest elementalist in the Academy – Velsaria.

The «Nidhogg» she summoned was a dragon spirit that could, in a single blow, instantly vaporize the military spirit that attacked the flying ship. The extent of its power was hard to comprehend.

However, that was not where the true power of this dragon girl lay.

Although she also had overwhelming strength, it did not make her arrogant. She was not complacent or careless even against weaker opponents – this impeccable temperament was her most threatening weapon.

With things in their current state, with Est lost, they really could not fight her.

"Well, if you insist –"

All of a sudden, Leonora abruptly pushed Kamito against the bookshelf.

"... You!?"

Kamito just barely stopped himself from shouting.

A pair of upwardly curving eyes regarded Kamito from beneath glasses.

The faintly sweet smell of shampoo tickled Kamito's nose.

"... W-What do you want!?"

"Wasn't it you who just said 'show me what you've got'? Kazehaya Kamito."

Leonora held her index finger to Kamito's lips, and stepped even closer to him.

Her perfectly bouncy breasts pressed tightly against Kamito's arm.

''... This... this one's chest really is unexpectedly big!''

She probably dressed to cover her figure, like Ellis.

''... I'm so stupid, this isn't the time to have such nonsense thoughts!''

Although the two of them were hidden by bookshelves, there were several princess maidens nearby. If they were caught, they would surely be sent to the
Divine Ritual Institute's council for this delinquency.

"Your heart's beating faster, is my body getting you excited?"

"D-Doesn't that go without saying? To be held so tightly by s-such a cute girl as you –"

"... C-Cute? Me?"

The dragon girl stared with wide eyes in surprise.

"That's the first time... any man's said something like that to me..."

"A-Anyway, let me go!"

"How will that do."

"... What do you mean?"

"As I just said, «The dragons of Dracunia will go all out to take down even hunting lions». After seeing your battle against Muir Alenstarl last night, our country's military personnel made an emergency decision to change our strategy against you.

"Strategy against me?"

"Which is to chop off your thing before you sink your evil clutches into any of your princess maiden Knight teammates."

"That's your state policy!?"

Kamito could not help but roar.

Dracunia... that country was more terrible than he had even imagined.

"But our military also came to another conclusion – as you are the only male elementalist in the world, it would be a terrible pity to have such an outstanding bloodline end just like that."

"... Oh, I think I understand what you mean."

Kamito said under his breath, rolling his eyes.

In simple terms, they were currently in a situation commonly known as the Beauty Trap.

"Obediently grovel at my feet – Kazehaya Kamito."

Leonora was whispering sweet words that turned one's head numb.

''T-This girl, she really has completely changed from last time...!''

Previously, Kamito only had to accidentally brush against her chest for this Dragon Knight maiden to faint; she had originally been more innocent than even the Academy girls.

Even if it was because she had been ordered to do so, how did she manage to tempt Kamito like this?

The girl before him – seemed to be an entirely different person.

"Hey, are you even..."

At that moment, Kamito suddenly realized –

Leonora's originally black pupils now had a smoky red coat, as if burnt by a flame.

''... What's going on?''

Just when Kamito was frowning in thought –

"You really are a stubborn man who refuses to obediently submit, contrary to what the rumors say..."

Leonora picked the skirt of her uniform up by both sides, and slowly lifted it upwards.

"... What!?"

At this, Kamito's heart involuntarily started to throb.

Accompanied by the sound of cloth friction, her skirt approached even closer to the edge of modesty.

For some unknown reason, although it had already long passed the warning line – her panties were nowhere to be seen.

"Hey... y-you're going to expose your panties!"

"You needn't worry, as servants of the dragon, we Dracunia princess maidens... don't have the habit of wearing panties."

"How is that nothing to worry about!"

Indeed, he had heard of elementalist princess maidens choosing not to wear underwear to enhance their connection with their spirits.

"Abandon resistance, then proclaim your eternal loyalty to my country."

"P-Please stop...!"

In pace with the rubbing sounds of fabric, in only a second, her skirt would be completely lifted. Then –

"Y-You two! Wh-Wh-Wh-What unspeakable things are you doing!"

"...!?"

<nowiki>*</nowiki>Gogogogogo...!*

It was none other than –

Claire, her shoulders quivering and her two red ponytails bristling in anger.

"D-Disgusting... that you would think to do something so immoral and depraved in the sacred Biblion..."

"We left you alone for just a moment, and you take the opportunity to do such a thing!"

Ellis and Rinslet were also glaring at Kamito furiously.

"N-No, it's not what you think! It's..."

"Disturbed by hindering nuisances..."

With a sigh, Leonora swiftly separated herself from Kamito.

"... Leonora?"

Kamito looked at her, puzzled, and realized something –

Sometime ago, the burnt smoky red glaze on her pupils had disappeared, to be replaced by the original black.

Additionally, the look on Leonora's face suggested that the something possessing her had just disappeared.

"I'm very sorry, just now the «Dragon Blood» in my body seemed to have awaken carelessly."

"«Dragon Blood»?"

This strange word left Kamito puzzled.

However, Claire's alert ears twitched.

"– Then... We'll continue some other time. The next time we meet will probably be on the battlefield."

Leonora turned and quickly marched, military-style, from the scene.

"..."

Kamito watched her image move increasingly further away.

"... Go on, speak... You rascal, what were you doing with that woman?"

Claire questioned Kamito coldly.

"I bumped into her accidentally, and we just shared some idle chat about the main event tomorrow... I swear."

"... Ooh, is that so? Forget it."

"Have you found out anything about Est?"

"No, there was nothing useful... what about you, any findings?"

Kamito returned the question, then –

The three ladies blushed tomato-red.

"W-We found nothing!"

"Right! A-And also, we definitely didn't peek at any taboo magic books, oh!"

"T-That is...!"

"...?"

At their distraught reactions, Kamito frowned in confusion.

===Part 7===

It was sunset by the time the group left the Biblion.

On the return carriage, Kamito asked Claire:

"Hey, remember the «Dragon Blood» Leonora talked about just now? What is that?"

"... About that, I've only ever heard rumors."

Resting her cheeks on her hands, Claire mused:

"That's a specific kind of constitution... It's said that people with «Dragon Blood» will very rarely be born as princess maidens in service of the dragon. Legend has it that when the «Dragon Blood» awakens in the princess maiden's body, she will become one with the «dragon»."

"Become one with the «dragon»?"

What on earth did those words mean? It was difficult to understand.

However, what he could say for sure was that – Leonora had obviously become a completely different person just now.

''To think that such a noble Dragon Knight would actually become like that...''

Recalling the touch of her soft breasts set Kamito's stomach aflutter.

"Hey... Kamito, you aren't thinking nonsense, are you?"

"N-No, I'm not... just thinking that Leonora is quite the formidable opponent, that's all –"

"R-Really, yeah, if it were that girl's chest... she should be able to put it in between!"

"Between? Between what?"

"O-Or, you could say... unless you mean, your measurements are so large that even that girl would not be able to fit it...?"

"... What?"

Confused, Kamito looked towards Ellis and Rinslet, sitting opposite, and for some unknown reason, they were both red-faced with embarrassment.

''Oh well, never mind...''

Kamito lowered his body slowly onto the carriage seat.

Gazing out the window at the scenery, he noted the sun setting gradually into the hills.

The main competition of the Blade Dance, the war, would commence tomorrow.

It would be a long day, full of arduous Blade Dance presentation.

Today was the last day he would have so much leisure time to enjoy with his teammates.

At this thought, Kamito inadvertently reached out a hand to touch her – his partner sword, usually always hanging at his waist.

"..."

However, his hand met only emptiness.

He could feel not even the slightest pain from the spirit seal on his right hand.

===Part 8===

The sword, luster all lost, fell for what felt like eternity through an endless darkness.

She was not dormant, yet not conscious, only silent and still.

Whether to call this feeling peace or torture varied from person to person, but truth be told, these additional definitions were meaningless – stillness was stillness.

The sword sank in the pitch-blackness; it was a world with nothing bar darkness.

''Kamito...''

Her power almost all lost, all the blade spirit could do was to call his name.

''Kamito... I am your sword, so –''

The spirit whispered, and at that moment –

Out of the darkness suddenly shot a dazzling light.

The figure that appeared in the light was – a naked, pale-skinned, silvery-white-haired maiden.

She looked just like Est in human form.

''– Who are you?''

The sword asked the girl before her.

''I am the consciousness of the one... previously known as the «Demon Slayer Sacred Sword».''

The silvery-white-haired girl answered, her expression blank.

''You... are me?''

''Yes. You are me – whereas I, am you complete.''

At her answer, Est finally understood the true identity of the girl.

''You are my «body»... right?''

''Yes, I am your higher physical presence.''

The girl nodded, expressionless.

She was the highest-level blade spirit with overwhelming power – the real Demon Slayer Sacred Sword.

When Est had made an incomplete spirit contract with Kamito, she had split into two individuals.

Perhaps it was because Est had lost her power and was on the verge of disappearing that the loop joining the two of them could once again reconnect.

''I cannot stay for much longer.''

The girl who looked exactly like Est gently stretched out her right hand to her –

And commanded in a cold expressionless voice:

''I command you to immediately destroy the contract with Kazehaya Kamito, and come back to me.''

For her, this was a request there was no denying to.

After all, Est's contract with Kamito was in the first place an informal, happenstance event.

Because the Demon Slayer Sacred Sword had not originally intended to make any contracts with elementalists.

Even she herself did not know why she had let herself become the contract spirit to that boy.

These conflicting emotions split to form «Terminus Est» – this was the origin of the other Est.

However, now that the contract «gate» between Est and Kazehaya Kamito was closed, she could take advantage of this time to fuse back the missing piece «Terminus Est».

Unexpectedly –

''... I-I refuse.''

The sword—Est—turned down the outstretched hand of the Sacred Sword maiden.

The sword cut through the surrounding darkness, and pointed its tip towards the girl's throat.

''– You refuse?''

''I do not... I do not want to break my contract with Kamito...''

''You are merely a part of me, yet you want to defy my wishes?''

''I am the sword of Kamito, not something of yours.''

Est expressed her desire to refuse clearly to the maiden.

''– I understand, it seems... that elementalist has germinated in you the seed of self-awareness.''

Again expressionless, the girl said quietly.

Her silvery white hair, which exuded a faint light in the dark, whipped up violently.

''But I do have to tell you, Est... you—or I should say, I—do not have the right to become the sword of any person.''

''... I don't understand what you mean?''

''Because my existence itself is a kind of sin.''

''– Sin?''

The sword could not understand the meaning in the girl's words because, in the moment that she contracted with Kamito, she lost most of the memories she had in common with her original body.

The present Est was left with a handful of incomplete past memory fragments.

As well as the memory of the short period of time spent with Kamito and the others.

''Recall it, the sins that you – and I – must bear.''

The silvery-white-haired girl gently touched the tip of the sword.

In an instant, memories flowed like a fierce torrent into Est's mind –

''Recall it, the events with the very first person to contract with me... Areishia Idriss.''

<noinclude>{{SeireiDance Nav|prev=Seirei Tsukai no Blade Dance:Volume5 Chapter2|next=Seirei Tsukai no Blade Dance:Volume5 Chapter4}}</noinclude>

Seirei Tsukai no Blade Dance:Volume5 Chapter2

2013-05-18T17:45:35Z

Monsterbandage: /* Part 4 */

==Chapter 2: Triple Date==
===Part 1===

Chirp chirp, tweet tweet... With their calls, the birds signaled the dawn of morning.

A warm ray of sunshine shone through the bedside windows into the room, rousing Kamito.

After talking to Claire this morning, he had returned to sleeping soundly once again, but it seemed that not too much time had passed.

Kamito had a fever not too long ago, but now it has almost completely faded away.

"Mmm... ah..."

He rubbed his bleary eyelids, moved around, and prepared to get out of bed.

At that moment –

"Aaah!"

"..."

His elbow suddenly touched something soft and gentle.

''Also, wasn't there some sort of lovely sound just now...''

Kamito blinked, puzzled by what it was, he turned his gaze toward the sound.

He saw a round mass of fluffy white fur, keeping him company beside him while he slept.

"... W-What is this?"

The unbelievable sight before his eyes startled Kamito.

However, he immediately thought of something...

Sneaking into my bed... the only one who would do such a thing is -

"Is it Est!?"

He hastily tossed aside the blanket.

"A-Ah! W-What in the world are you doing to me!?"

"... Huh?"

Kamito froze, speechless.

Hidden under the blanket was not the blade spirit who liked to dress in the nude with thigh-high socks.

What he saw was pure white fur, and a pair of long big ears that hung downwards.

And dazzling pale gold hair –

The lovely... Miss Bunny.

"... Hey, Rinslet! What do you think you're doing?"

"N-No, that's not right! I-I am Miss Bunny right now!"

Rinslet flushed red, embarrassed. The rabbit ear on her head twitched up.

"I said, Rinslet –"

"It's 'Miss Bunny'."

"Well, Miss Bunny."

Following her request, Kamito repeated obediently.

"This outfit of yours, what kind of act are you putting on?"

"This... I..."

In response, Rinslet could only rub both her kneecaps awkwardly while stuttering and unable to speak.

Seeing the usually stubborn and self-conscious Rinslet wearing such an expression gave Kamito an indescribable feeling of adoration.

''... Speaking of which, this outfit is too provoking, isn't it? It's practically blinding!''

A closer look would reveal that –

The Miss Bunny outfit Rinslet was wearing was at most being borderline immodest.

It was a set of very revealing erotic clothing, made of an undergarment-like material, with soft fluffy fur sewn on everywhere.

There was puffy fur on both her hands and feet, and a tail-like a ball of fur hanging from behind.

The greatest draw of the entire outfit however, had to be the the leather collar tied around her neck.

The elegant, aristocratic, wealthy princess wearing that collar... the combination was enough to give people wrong thoughts.

"I-I was turned into Miss Bunny by witchcraft... chuu!"

The maiden said it stiffly, as if reciting lines from a script.

"What's 'chuu'?"

"It's the cry of a rabbit."

"I can't imagine the cry of a rabbit sounding like that..."

Moving his gaze away from the huge twin peaks and valley right before his eyes, Kamito shook his head and spoke.

Right at this time -

"– K-Kamito, I've made breakfast for you!"

The door to the room suddenly opened.

The one standing there was the Captain of the Knights—Ellis.

"What!?"

Kamito fell speechless once again.

Ellis, who stood before him, was dressed like Rinslet in clothing that skirted the edge of modesty.

The only difference was that she wore dog ears instead of rabbit ones, and the fur on her hands were not white, but brown.

The ears atop her head swung constantly as she moved.

"E-Ellis... how is it that you too..."

"N-No, say no more!"

Red-faced and biting her lips, the embarrassed Ellis looked as if she wanted to find a hole to hide in.

"Oooh, i-if my elder sisters were to see me dressed like this, I don't know what they would say..."

Tears glowed from the corners of her brown eyes, probably because of how ashamed she felt.

''... Now... what is the situation?''

... What on earth had happened? Why would the pure-hearted and rule-abiding Captain be dressed in such a dissolute manner?

"J-Just don't mind my outfit, alright."

"Uh... how do you expect anyone to not mind that?"

Ellis ignored Kamito's confusing reply.

She cleared her throat with a cough, and pushed a small silver dining car in from the corridor.

"Ah?"

The aroma of freshly baked toast immediately filled the room.

"... Well, come have breakfast, I made these for you."

There was a meal of freshly prepared breakfast in the dining car; the steam above it had not yet dispersed.

The dishes included – toast grilled to the perfect degree, thick French-style pumpkin soup, deliciously tender omelets, Caesar salad with added tuna, and last but not least for dessert, there was yogurt topped with strawberry jam.

At first glance, although these were not exactly high-class, one could tell that every dish had been prepared with meticulous care.

"... You're such an expert! Did you do all these yourself, Ellis?"

"Y-Yes, I prepared these in the tower's kitchen. Only because I did not want to forget my culinary skills, it wasn't specially made for you!"

Ellis looked away, a look of embarrassment suddenly creeped across her face as she bent down beside Kamito.

"Captain, how can you do this!"

Disregarding Rinslet's protests, she addressed Kamito:

"I-I'll feed you... O-open your mouth, come."

"T-There's no need! I can do it myself –"

"Absolutely not, you're the one who's hurt after all."

"My wound has already fully healed –"

– Into his mouth.

Taking advantage of the moment Kamito's mouth was open, Ellis stuffed the omelette into his mouth.

"..."

"H-How is it?"

"... S-Super delicious!"

The omelette was not only just sweet enough, but it was also so soft and fluffy that it melted in his mouth. This beyond-perfect masterpiece by Ellis that confirmed the saying that the simpler the dish, the greater a test it was of the chef's skill.

"Is that really so! ... That's wonderful."

Ellis smiled shyly, the dog ears on her head moving up and down.

Seeing the usually serious and stern Captain wear such an expression, Kamito could not help but feel butterflies in his stomach.

"Hmph—Captain, you're too cunning to do this."

Rinslet puffed up her cheeks a little angrily and said.

"...Rinslet?"

"T-Then I shall give Kamito-san a massage."

Having said this, Rinslet immediately began kneading Kamito's shoulders with gentle strength.

"... What!?"

"How does it feel?"

"You're so good at this... my fatigue is slowly disappearing, wow."

Kamito was not just saying empty kind words of praise; Rinslet's massage technique was really of professional standard.

The comfortable sensation made all the tense muscles in his body relax one by one.

"You know, I give Carol massages all the time, because that child keeps praising me, I have unknowingly become very good at massaging."

"So that's why..."

... That a maid could get her master to knead her shoulders for her was, in a certain sense, almost too much.

"Uh huh, you'd better thank me well. I am the heir to the Laurenfrost clan. By right, I could never serve men in this way."

"W-Well..."

At this moment , Kamito suddenly felt two soft bumps against his back.

"But... only for today... everyone..."

Rinslet leant over and whispered into Kamito's ear:

"Everyone can become... Kamito-san's house pet."

"Uh... w-what did you just say – !"

In a panic, Kamito turned his head, then –

"M-Me too, just for today, I won't be your Captain!"

Then it was Ellis, who cried out, perking up her dog ears:

"I want to be K-Kamito's... little pet dog."

"Ellis!?"

What was the matter with the both of them?

"Kamito..." "Kamito-san..."

Their small animal tails swinging, the two of them stared at Kamito with fire in their eyes.

... Why is it that he felt dizzy with confusion? Could it be another fever?

''Hey, something's not right...''

The temperature in the room had rising steadily.

''Boom boom boom...''

"... Y-You guys... what mischief are you up to?"

"Claire?!"

Kamito turned and looked –

The door, which had not been closed, opened with a slam. Standing there was Claire with a burning-hot whip in her hand.

Her shoulders were trembling slightly in anger, and her two bright red ponytails pointed upright like flames.

However, what fixated Kamito's gaze was how she was dressed.

Atop her head was a pair of shaking red cat ears.

On her slim petite body was erotic clothing made of red fur.

Her bare white thighs were displayed so boldly that one could not look directly at them.

"H-How is it that you too are doing this? That outfit is...!"

Kamito muttered, dumbfounded, then –

"Waaaah! S-Stupid fool, what are you looking at!"

Claire blushed and crossed her knees shyly.

She then made a sound like a cat's low growl, and glared at Kamito with tears in her eyes.

"Hmph, what... in any case you must feel that my chest is disappointingly small, isn't that right!?"

"..."

Truthfully speaking, that set of clothing did indeed make Claire's chest seem even tinier.

Although that very same attire could bring out the valley between the breasts of Ellis and Rinslet, the undeniable fact of the matter was, the sight of Claire wearing it only gave a person the impression of looking at a washboard.

Having said that, however, it did not reduce the charm she exuded. Her despondency over her chest size in fact made her look pitiful and delicate, which only increased her loveliness.

"Not at all. How should I say it... I think you're awfully cute like this."

Kamito expressed his honest feelings.

"A-A-Ah! W-what nonsense are you spouting!"

Claire's cheeks grew redder and redder. She waved the whip in her hand, which made slapping noises.

"Oooh..." "Kamito-san!"

At this, one of Ellis's dog ears and Rinslet's rabbit ears cocked in Kamito's direction, and they puffed their cheeks slightly resentfully.

"I-I don't care any more... you really are such a terrible fool!"

Claire muttered haltingly, then walked towards Kamito –

Then she abruptly jumped onto the bed Kamito was lying in.

"... Uhhh... hey... you guys...!"

The three pretty girls dressed as erotic cute animals pushed each other around the small bed, their bare shoulders pressed against Kamito's arm.

"Well then, you tell me... is there anything I can do for you, Kamito?"

Claire bit her lip lightly and looked at Kamito with upward-glancing eyes.

"Anything I... want you to do?"

"Such as... oh yes, sleeping on my lap ... or help you clean your ears... things of that sort?"

"Sleep on your lap?"

Such an action was a common dream among all men.

Kamito inadvertently glanced at Claire's soft-looking thighs – and then swiftly moved his gaze away.

"Oh, but only for today! You usually are my slave, but only for today... I-I am willing... to be your slave!"

"S-Slave?"

Kamito questioned her and Claire nodded.

"Y-Yes! For today, I will agree to anything you ask of me! Y-You better prepare yourself!"

"Wait a moment, what do I have to prepare myself for?"

"K-Kamito... it's the same for me!"

"And me!"

Ellis and Rinslet also squeezed up to him, snuggling Kamito tightly with their bodies.

"But... n-no sexual orders though."

"Who would ever do that! What kind of person do you guys think I am!?"

"Huh, you didn't want to make any such orders? Oh, okay..."

For some reason, a disappointed look crept across her face as she muttered those words.

Letting out a sigh, Kamito said frustratedly:

"– Now can you tell me why the three of you are dressed like this?"

He bluntly asked the trio.

"This... that is because..."

The three ladies looked at each other in panic.

After a while, Claire finally surrendered and said: "B-Because after Est disappeared, you looked so down and depressed –"

"... Huh?"

"So we decided to dress like this to lift your spirits...!"

Blushing furiously, Claire awkwardly finished her explanation.

It is said that when an elementalist is in a poor mental state, they will have no way of summoning spirits. In more serious cases, they may sometimes even lose their princess maiden powers.

For example, Fianna had been dealt a severe emotional blow four years ago, and had been unable to use her power for a long period of time afterwards. When Scarlet was defeated by demon spirits, Claire had also fallen into grief, and suddenly found herself unable to summon Scarlet.

If the blow from the loss of Est caused Kamito's heart to be dominated by negative feelings of hatred, the «gate» between their hearts would truly close forever, never to open again. In truth, there were actually many princess maidens who had lost their status as elementalists because of such trauma to their souls.

''So simply put, they wanted to cheer me up – roughly this kind of intention?''

Evidently, he had made these ladies worry too much.

However, Kamito thanked them from the bottom of his heart for their thoughtfulness.

"... But why dress up as little animals and put on an act?"

Kamito asked.

"It's Fianna who told us this secret. Y-You rascal, you like this kind of thing, don't you?"

"That goddamn princess, oh..."

Kamito gritted his teeth and muttered.

... So that was it, these sexual animal costumes were all from Fianna's secret collection.

"That... can't be right, you don't like this look?"

"Hmm? Well... I didn't say I disliked it."

Despite the many objections he felt, Kamito reluctantly admitted it -

Truth be told, he really thought it was quite cute.

Moreover, that these snobby aristocratic daughters would be willing to embarrass themselves so thoroughly in order to cheer him up – whether or not their methods were right, their positive intentions were enough to make one want to frankly thank them.

"... All of you, thank you."

"I-I did not do it for you, Kamito, I just want Est back quickly, that's all."

As Claire turned her head away, the cat ears on her head moved as well.

Ellis and Rinslet, too, shyly shook their tails.

"– N-Now then, shall we take a walk outside?"

Claire, who cleared her throat, tugged at Kamito's pajamas and asked.

"Outside?"

"Today is our last rest day before the start of the main competition, of course we should go outside and have a good time! Staying locked in a room depressed all day is hardly the solution, right?"

"... That is true."

All Kamito could do now was to believe in Est and await her return.

If Kamito, her contractor, did not get out of his depression, the «gate» would become impossible to open.

Going outside to lift his spirits was perhaps a good idea.

"And on this floating island, there is even a Biblion managed by the «Divine Ritual Institute»."

Rinslet added.

"Biblion?"

"It has been said that a lot of antique-level information is archived within the sacred Biblion, information that cannot be found even in our library of seals. If Est is really the sealed spirit sealed within the ancient sacred sword, we might be able to find clues in those documents."

"... If that is so, it sounds like it would be worth a look."

Anecdotes of the Demon King Killing Sacred Sword could be found across the continent, and although truth and fiction were mixed in them, considering that Est was such a powerful spirit, it would not be surprising to find a mention of her in one of the ancient records.

"It is decided, now hurry up and get ready to go!"

"Mhmm, we can't be cheerful cooped up indoors all the time."

"And in a place so close to the port, there are many shops set up here too."

The three girls crowded together, all trying to take Kamito's arm.

"Wait, let me first change into my uniform... Also, you don't want to go out dressed like this either, right?"

"Aaah! O-Of course not!"

The girls blushed and quickly let go of Kamito.

===Part 2===

So –

Kamito and his friends, dressed in their uniforms, took a carriage ride to the port.

The sacred Biblion was apparently located not too far from here; plain and simple wooden structures were set up side-by-side in this area of the port, creating a lively atmosphere like that of a shopping street holding a celebration.

In addition, the various countries of the continent had also combined to raise funds for various food and entertainment facilities to welcome the spectators of the Blade Dance.

Because this was the original spirit world, which humans were forbidden to live in, this fantasy street would only appear for a few days.

It was a sight only visible during the Blade Dance.

"Wow – clear skies today."

"Mm, because we are on the clouds, of course."

Claire stretched like a cat as she walked, she and Kamito chatted while walking together.

Then, a cool refreshing breeze blew past, and Claire's tresses, tied into two ponytails, swayed in the wind.

Hanging distantly in the sky, the floating island — Ragna Ys — should have stood no chance against fierce winds, but because this sacred land had the additional protection of the Wind Elemental Lord, it was in no danger of being blown away.

Small flying crafts flew one by one between the gaps in the clouds and arrived at the port.

As the main event of the Blade Dance was about to begin, nobles from countries all over the continent had already begun to gather here.

"This really is spectacular."

"Only on the floating island can you see such a view."

Ellis and Rinslet expressed their amazement in muttered exclamations.

"... It would have been great if Fianna could have come with us."

While muttering, Kamito raised his head to the clear, vast blue sky.

At the moment, Fianna seemed to searching for a way to destroy the «Brand of Darkness» imprinted on Kamito. She had been tirelessly visiting old acquaintances from her time at the «Divine Ritual Institute».

"Later, let's buy some gifts to take back for Fianna, alright?"

"Mmm, yeah."

The slate street was lined with a wide variety of shops.

As they were only temporary stalls, the materials they were made of were not particularly impressive. However, the craftsmen or chefs working inside were top talents who had been recruited from many countries. The Blade Dance was an excellent opportunity to showcase the nation's prestige so countries tend to generously spend huge sums of money on this.

The group walked to the heart of the shopping street, and passed a group of tourists who had just alighted from a flying craft.

"I didn't want to say this but this place really is terribly crowded."

"Men everywhere... I'm starting to feel dizzy."

Ellis and Rinslet looked around uneasily.

It seems that the ladies, having grown up in such a sheltered environment, were not used to such bustling places.

Furthermore, the city here was different from the college city: men accounted for a greater proportion of the people here. Although they were among the best elementalists, here they immediately turned back into pure innocent girls. Whenever a man, passing by quickly, brushed shoulders with them, they would let out small squeals and press themselves tightly against Kamito.

Claire was no exception, from the very start, she had repeatedly been sticking close to Kamito then immediately pulling away.

Whenever she leaned against Kamito, she would move away blushing; when she next bumped into a strange passer-by, she would go back to Kamito.

''This foolish girl, what is she doing?''

When Claire leaned into him again, Kamito quickly took her hand.

"Aaaah! W-What are you doing!"

The fiery cat maiden cried angrily, her face red.

"Who taught you how to walk so unsteadily? That's awfully dangerous."

"Well... o-okay, I'll let you hold my hand, but in here only."

As the two of them held hands, Claire turned her gaze aside shyly.

"You're too cunning..."

Rinslet puffed her cheeks unhappily, then grabbed Kamito's empty other hand.

"Rinslet?"

"I-I'm afraid of you getting lost, so hold on to me tight."

Then Ellis, too, joined in; seeing that both Kamito's hands were full, she had no choice but to latch onto his arm.

"E-Ellis...!"

"Hey... Captain! You're blocking the way here!"

"I-It's you, not me! Let go of Kamito's hand now!"

"Ah... all of you, I can't walk like this!"

The girls, all clinging to Kamito, began to quarrel.

They made such a scene that nearby passers-by started to whisper among themselves:

"Quick, look over there, three noble girls are serving that young man, wow." "That's because he's the rumored male elementalist, you know..."

"That's too wicked of him, to sink his fangs into those poor delicate girls." "But, take a look at those girls' expressions; they don't seem to hate him at all." "They must be under some kind of strange magic spell, of course."

''Well... this situation seems to have gotten a little worse...''

Kamito had long been used to hostility from strangers.

However, he did not wish to tarnish the reputations of the ladies he partnered with.

"I say... there are far too many people here, so why don't we find someplace cooler to rest?"

"Mm, that sounds good..."

Claire and the others nodded to show their agreement. It seems they were also thinking the same thing.

They looked around in search of a shop they could have a cup of tea at. And then –

"Kamito-san, look... there's a «La Parfait» shop over there!"

Rinslet pointed towards a chic-looking café across the road.

"Say, is that the famous «La Parfait»!? I've always wanted to try their cakes."

"If I remember correctly, this café is very popular throughout the empire... I-I'm kind of interested as well."

Even Claire and Ellis knew of it. Evidently, the business that had set up that temporary stall was very famous.

"... In that case, shall we go there?"

"Agreed!" "Yes!" "Mmhm...!"

The trio nodded in agreement and dragged Kamito towards it.

===Part 3===

The «La Parfait» stall was almost fully packed, so much so that the group had to wait a little before being served.

While sitting at the entrance waiting to be served, Kamito examined the stall's decor. The horizontal beams of the ceiling were naturally bent like tree branches, Kamito was very appreciative of the warm atmosphere this unique wood imparted.

"I'm surprised this is such a relaxing place. When I heard you say it was one of the empire's most popular shops, I expected it to be much more posh and luxurious."

"This is only a temporary stall put up for the «Blade Dance», so of course it won't be so well-decorated. Their regular shops are so good aristocratic ladies would be willing to hide their identities just to patronize the shop incognito."

"Oh, so that's it... Hey, speaking of which, I'm not that loaded with cash..."

Kamito's face suddenly turned pale.

A shop even noble daughters would patronize incognito – this must certainly be a very high-class shop.

"If it were a regular shop, no matter how loaded you were, you'd still not be able to afford it."

"The stalls are free for the participants of the Blade Dance."

"I-I see..."

At Rinslet's words, Kamito let out a reassured sigh.

After a while, the four were led to their seats.

"I want a peach pie, a peach sorbet... and a peach mousse."

Claire flipped open the menu and gestured with her finger at the dessert options.

"Why are you getting so many peach options... haven't you already had some in the morning?

"N-None of your business... so what if I like them?"

"This raspberry-flavored cream puff also looks delicious."

"Y-Yes, that seems tasty."

"Oh... This dish puts some ice cream on a fresh hot apple pie to be eaten together..."

"Let's order one and divide it, everyone can have some. Kamito, what would you like?"

"Oooh... Well then, I'll have a scone, I guess..."

Kamito answered perfunctorily, but then –

"What's this attitude, you seem so reluctant."

"I really pity the dessert you order like that to eat."

"If you're a true man, you should pick decisively... Well, I'm talking about choosing cake."

For some unknown reason, Kamito found himself being severely berated by the ladies.

"S-Sorry..."

The three of them had always bickered when in training, but in these situations, they were always in full understanding.

Rinslet summoned a waitress, and one-by-one ordered those cakes and desserts with names that would accidentally make one bite their tongue.

"– And lastly, I'd like four cups of black tea from the Laurenfrost area."

"Yes."

"Ah... e-excuse me, wait a minute!"

Ellis called aloud to halt the waitress, who was preparing to leave.

"Yes?"

"Please add a little whipped cream and honey to my tea, and if you could, add some floating marshmallows as well."

"Uh... I'm sorry, esteemed guest, but our shop does not serve such a kind of drink."

"I-Is that so? Can you not make an excepti – oooh!"

Halfway through her sentence, Ellis stopped.

It was because Rinslet was pinching the back of her neck.

"Hey, what are you doing!"

"Oh my god, have you no shame! I don't like saying such things, but the Fahrengart family must really have no class!"

Rinslet was very particular about tea brewing, and so forbade Ellis from randomly adding ingredients as she wished.

"So what if you're from the Laurenfrost family, it's just a countryside noble family with more land, that's all!"

"Y-You wouldn't dare...!"

An intense mini-blizzard blew up beside Rinslet.

"N-No matter what, I don't care, if it's not sweet I won't drink it!"

"If that's so, why didn't you simply order cocoa just now?"

"Don't you think cocoa's a little too childish?"

"Only childish people would call cocoa childish!"

"Okay, okay, stop arguing, the cakes are here."

Claire lightly poked Rinslet's shoulder and said.

"Hmph... no matter, next time I'll teach our Captain how to drink tea."

"Sweet things are just nicer..."

Ellis said in a half-challenging manner through pursed lips.

Not long after, the dazzling array of desserts were delivered to their table.

Placed in silver containers, each of the cakes and breads looked like an exquisite art piece.

At the sight of them, the anger of the two aristocratic girls vanished and was replaced by expressions of joy.

"I can't help but feel that... to eat something so beautiful would almost be a waste."

"These snacks are made by the very best chefs representing our empire."

As Claire spoke, she opened her mouth wide and took a bite out of the peach pie.

"Waaah... it really is delicious!"

"This raspberry cream puff also tastes extraordinarily refined and delicious."

"Mmmm, there's probably some sweet wine added to this sponge cake... I must try that next time."

Kamito listened to the girls' comments, then put his own cake into his mouth.

"Oh, it's delicious."

Although he was no food connoisseur, the sweet taste in his mouth did give him a rich and noble feeling.

But, compared to this –

Looking at the joyous expressions on the girls' faces made Kamito feel inexplicably happier himself.

"Kamito, what is it?"

"Huh? Oh..."

Kamito was jolted out of his daze, only to find Claire suspiciously staring at him. He quickly averted his gaze and feigned ignorance.

"To think that this stall will be dismantled immediately after the Blade Dance, what a pity!"

"That's just how it is. But... there's a shop in the empire, so we will definitely have a chance to visit again."

"Mmm, next time we go, we must be sure to take Fianna... and Est."

Kamito looked down at the spirit seal on his right hand and murmured.

"Kamito ..."

"Kamito-san..."

At this, Ellis and Rinslet raised their heads.

"—Est will return, I promise."

Claire spoke in a calm but confident tone of voice.

"So... just trust in her and wait for her to return. The only person who can help her out in this way is her elementalist – you."

"... Mmmm, you're right."

Kamito nodded – and then mused:

''... Partners will make one stronger – that probably refers to this feeling I'm having now.''

Three years ago, the strongest blade dancers were indeed very swift and strong.

Solely in terms of skill as an elementalist, he was unrivaled.

But these physical powers were fragile and would easily be crushed by a strong blow; they were strengths developed through loneliness.

The Kamito in the past had no one to rely on.

After losing Restia, he was left only with eternal despair.

''Now, however, I have friends willing to support me.''

So my heart will no longer shatter.

I will not sink into despair again.

''... Thus far, Est has saved me many times.''

Kamito clenched his fist on the table.

''– So, it's my turn now. No doubt about it: I will save you.''

===Part 4===

The most important Sanctuary in the entirety of the floating island Ragna Ys—the Grand Hall of the Wind Elemental Lord—was located atop a hilly area. It was some distance away from the building where the blade dance participants were.

This white building was made from a combination of the best-quality materials and advanced technology. The huge construction covered the whole of the hill; one could appreciate its majesty even from outside of the floating island.

It was not only the place where the wind spirits listened to the spirit king's decrees to the holy land, but also where princess maidens from the «Divine Ritual Institute» chosen by the various nations would practice their devotions. Therefore, even the nobility of the country would absolutely not be allowed to enter.

However, at that very moment time, there was a lady outside the gate shouting anxiously:

"Please do me a favor! Grant me an audience with Reicha-sama–!"

She was individually seperated from the team of five in order to work separately from Kamito – Fianna.

Wearing a rare serious look, she pleaded with the guard standing at the gate.

"You really don't give up do you."

The middle-aged guard regarded Fianna with unfriendly eyes.

Her face clearly expressed her stubbornness.

"Please withdraw. Our «Divine Ritual Institute»'s gate will never open simply for any one, let alone getting an audience with Reicha-sama. Your requests will absolutely never be granted."

The guard uttered a statement he had probably repeated many times before.

''... This is so infuriating! These people are as stubborn as ever!''

Fianna cursed impatiently to herself.

Having said that, she had in fact expected such a reaction from the start, because the person she wanted to see was not someone who would meet with just anybody.

''If I could borrow her strength, it would certainly be enough to break the curse on Kamito. But...''

The guard looked down at Fianna, not bothering to conceal her expression of contempt.

Evidently, she had not the slightest inclination to open the door.

''... Well, I did know the reason ages ago.''

Refusing to give up, Fianna bit down on her lip.

The one she was thinking of was the Annihilation Spirit princess that had betrayed the Fire Elemental Lord – Rubia Elstein.

There had been high hopes placed on Fianna to be successor, but the incident with Rubia had left indelible horrors in her heart, causing her to lose the power of summoning contract spirits, and with that, her status as princess maiden.

And so Fianna Ray Ordesia became a lost princess maiden, thoroughly disappointing the people who had had great expectations of her and discrediting the «Divine Ritual Institute».

''... You narrow-minded people, who only know how to put in superficial effort, really disgust me.''

Even her own parents—The Areishia emperor and empress—and the various nobility were all no different.

When Fianna was still the princess maiden successor, these people had flattered her in every possible way. Once she had lost her contract spirit powers however, they immediately scorned and disdained her, changing their attitudes faster than one could turn the page of a book.

Of course, not all of them were like that. It was just that the «Divine Ritual Institute» organization had decayed under the weight of its long history, and so indeed had a darker side.

Seeing Fianna's stubborn refusal to leave, the guard shook her head and said:

"I do not wish to continue wasting my time on you."

Having said this, she turned and went back into the temple.

"Wait a minute—"

Fianna quickly moved to catch up with her, but—

"Aaaah!?"

Suddenly, a fierce wind rose and blew Fianna off her feet.

Fianna and Claire were different in that they had not received special combat training for elementalists. Too late to protect herself, she fell heavily to the ground.

"... What!?"

She saw something stand at the doors – a magical wind spirit that looked like a winged lion.

It was a Guardian Spirit; it made contracts with not elementalists, but buildings. This very building, was in fact—the true sanctuary.

"It appears impossible to break through the front gate..."

Fianna glared at the Guardian while nursing a scrape on her lip.

===Part 5===

A sword fell in mysterious darkness.

This shining, beautiful sword, swallowed by a sludge-like nothingness, was gradually losing its light.

''– How strange. What on earth is happening to me?''

Nonetheless, this sword apparently still retained its self-awareness.

Although the disappearance of her physical body had affected her, damaging her memory –

Her memory of that last event was crystal-clear.

She remembered his warmth as she embraced him with both hands on his back.

And, for just the briefest instant, the touch of their lips against each other.

Then – a harsh voice calling out her own name.

''...K-Kamito!''

Her radiance all lost, the sword slowly sank in the bottomless darkness –

<noinclude>{{SeireiDance Nav|prev=Seirei Tsukai no Blade Dance:Volume5 Chapter1|next=Seirei Tsukai no Blade Dance:Volume5 Chapter3}}</noinclude>

Seirei Tsukai no Blade Dance:Volume5 Chapter2

2013-05-13T04:52:08Z

Monsterbandage: /* Part 1 */

==Chapter 2: Triple Date==
===Part 1===

Chirp chirp, tweet tweet... With their calls, the birds signaled the dawn of morning.

A warm ray of sunshine shone through the bedside windows into the room, rousing Kamito.

After talking to Claire this morning, he had returned to sleeping soundly once again, but it seemed that not too much time had passed.

Kamito had a fever not too long ago, but now it has almost completely faded away.

"Mmm... ah..."

He rubbed his bleary eyelids, moved around, and prepared to get out of bed.

At that moment –

"Aaah!"

"..."

His elbow suddenly touched something soft and gentle.

''Also, wasn't there some sort of lovely sound just now...''

Kamito blinked, puzzled by what it was, he turned his gaze toward the sound.

He saw a round mass of fluffy white fur, keeping him company beside him while he slept.

"... W-What is this?"

The unbelievable sight before his eyes startled Kamito.

However, he immediately thought of something...

Sneaking into my bed... the only one who would do such a thing is -

"Is it Est!?"

He hastily tossed aside the blanket.

"A-Ah! W-What in the world are you doing to me!?"

"... Huh?"

Kamito froze, speechless.

Hidden under the blanket was not the blade spirit who liked to dress in the nude with thigh-high socks.

What he saw was pure white fur, and a pair of long big ears that hung downwards.

And dazzling pale gold hair –

The lovely... Miss Bunny.

"... Hey, Rinslet! What do you think you're doing?"

"N-No, that's not right! I-I am Miss Bunny right now!"

Rinslet flushed red, embarrassed. The rabbit ear on her head twitched up.

"I said, Rinslet –"

"It's 'Miss Bunny'."

"Well, Miss Bunny."

Following her request, Kamito repeated obediently.

"This outfit of yours, what kind of act are you putting on?"

"This... I..."

In response, Rinslet could only rub both her kneecaps awkwardly while stuttering and unable to speak.

Seeing the usually stubborn and self-conscious Rinslet wearing such an expression gave Kamito an indescribable feeling of adoration.

''... Speaking of which, this outfit is too provoking, isn't it? It's practically blinding!''

A closer look would reveal that –

The Miss Bunny outfit Rinslet was wearing was at most being borderline immodest.

It was a set of very revealing erotic clothing, made of an undergarment-like material, with soft fluffy fur sewn on everywhere.

There was puffy fur on both her hands and feet, and a tail-like a ball of fur hanging from behind.

The greatest draw of the entire outfit however, had to be the the leather collar tied around her neck.

The elegant, aristocratic, wealthy princess wearing that collar... the combination was enough to give people wrong thoughts.

"I-I was turned into Miss Bunny by witchcraft... chuu!"

The maiden said it stiffly, as if reciting lines from a script.

"What's 'chuu'?"

"It's the cry of a rabbit."

"I can't imagine the cry of a rabbit sounding like that..."

Moving his gaze away from the huge twin peaks and valley right before his eyes, Kamito shook his head and spoke.

Right at this time -

"– K-Kamito, I've made breakfast for you!"

The door to the room suddenly opened.

The one standing there was the Captain of the Knights—Ellis.

"What!?"

Kamito fell speechless once again.

Ellis, who stood before him, was dressed like Rinslet in clothing that skirted the edge of modesty.

The only difference was that she wore dog ears instead of rabbit ones, and the fur on her hands were not white, but brown.

The ears atop her head swung constantly as she moved.

"E-Ellis... how is it that you too..."

"N-No, say no more!"

Red-faced and biting her lips, the embarrassed Ellis looked as if she wanted to find a hole to hide in.

"Oooh, i-if my elder sisters were to see me dressed like this, I don't know what they would say..."

Tears glowed from the corners of her brown eyes, probably because of how ashamed she felt.

''... Now... what is the situation?''

... What on earth had happened? Why would the pure-hearted and rule-abiding Captain be dressed in such a dissolute manner?

"J-Just don't mind my outfit, alright."

"Uh... how do you expect anyone to not mind that?"

Ellis ignored Kamito's confusing reply.

She cleared her throat with a cough, and pushed a small silver dining car in from the corridor.

"Ah?"

The aroma of freshly baked toast immediately filled the room.

"... Well, come have breakfast, I made these for you."

There was a meal of freshly prepared breakfast in the dining car; the steam above it had not yet dispersed.

The dishes included – toast grilled to the perfect degree, thick French-style pumpkin soup, deliciously tender omelets, Caesar salad with added tuna, and last but not least for dessert, there was yogurt topped with strawberry jam.

At first glance, although these were not exactly high-class, one could tell that every dish had been prepared with meticulous care.

"... You're such an expert! Did you do all these yourself, Ellis?"

"Y-Yes, I prepared these in the tower's kitchen. Only because I did not want to forget my culinary skills, it wasn't specially made for you!"

Ellis looked away, a look of embarrassment suddenly creeped across her face as she bent down beside Kamito.

"Captain, how can you do this!"

Disregarding Rinslet's protests, she addressed Kamito:

"I-I'll feed you... O-open your mouth, come."

"T-There's no need! I can do it myself –"

"Absolutely not, you're the one who's hurt after all."

"My wound has already fully healed –"

– Into his mouth.

Taking advantage of the moment Kamito's mouth was open, Ellis stuffed the omelette into his mouth.

"..."

"H-How is it?"

"... S-Super delicious!"

The omelette was not only just sweet enough, but it was also so soft and fluffy that it melted in his mouth. This beyond-perfect masterpiece by Ellis that confirmed the saying that the simpler the dish, the greater a test it was of the chef's skill.

"Is that really so! ... That's wonderful."

Ellis smiled shyly, the dog ears on her head moving up and down.

Seeing the usually serious and stern Captain wear such an expression, Kamito could not help but feel butterflies in his stomach.

"Hmph—Captain, you're too cunning to do this."

Rinslet puffed up her cheeks a little angrily and said.

"...Rinslet?"

"T-Then I shall give Kamito-san a massage."

Having said this, Rinslet immediately began kneading Kamito's shoulders with gentle strength.

"... What!?"

"How does it feel?"

"You're so good at this... my fatigue is slowly disappearing, wow."

Kamito was not just saying empty kind words of praise; Rinslet's massage technique was really of professional standard.

The comfortable sensation made all the tense muscles in his body relax one by one.

"You know, I give Carol massages all the time, because that child keeps praising me, I have unknowingly become very good at massaging."

"So that's why..."

... That a maid could get her master to knead her shoulders for her was, in a certain sense, almost too much.

"Uh huh, you'd better thank me well. I am the heir to the Laurenfrost clan. By right, I could never serve men in this way."

"W-Well..."

At this moment , Kamito suddenly felt two soft bumps against his back.

"But... only for today... everyone..."

Rinslet leant over and whispered into Kamito's ear:

"Everyone can become... Kamito-san's house pet."

"Uh... w-what did you just say – !"

In a panic, Kamito turned his head, then –

"M-Me too, just for today, I won't be your Captain!"

Then it was Ellis, who cried out, perking up her dog ears:

"I want to be K-Kamito's... little pet dog."

"Ellis!?"

What was the matter with the both of them?

"Kamito..." "Kamito-san..."

Their small animal tails swinging, the two of them stared at Kamito with fire in their eyes.

... Why is it that he felt dizzy with confusion? Could it be another fever?

''Hey, something's not right...''

The temperature in the room had rising steadily.

''Boom boom boom...''

"... Y-You guys... what mischief are you up to?"

"Claire?!"

Kamito turned and looked –

The door, which had not been closed, opened with a slam. Standing there was Claire with a burning-hot whip in her hand.

Her shoulders were trembling slightly in anger, and her two bright red ponytails pointed upright like flames.

However, what fixated Kamito's gaze was how she was dressed.

Atop her head was a pair of shaking red cat ears.

On her slim petite body was erotic clothing made of red fur.

Her bare white thighs were displayed so boldly that one could not look directly at them.

"H-How is it that you too are doing this? That outfit is...!"

Kamito muttered, dumbfounded, then –

"Waaaah! S-Stupid fool, what are you looking at!"

Claire blushed and crossed her knees shyly.

She then made a sound like a cat's low growl, and glared at Kamito with tears in her eyes.

"Hmph, what... in any case you must feel that my chest is disappointingly small, isn't that right!?"

"..."

Truthfully speaking, that set of clothing did indeed make Claire's chest seem even tinier.

Although that very same attire could bring out the valley between the breasts of Ellis and Rinslet, the undeniable fact of the matter was, the sight of Claire wearing it only gave a person the impression of looking at a washboard.

Having said that, however, it did not reduce the charm she exuded. Her despondency over her chest size in fact made her look pitiful and delicate, which only increased her loveliness.

"Not at all. How should I say it... I think you're awfully cute like this."

Kamito expressed his honest feelings.

"A-A-Ah! W-what nonsense are you spouting!"

Claire's cheeks grew redder and redder. She waved the whip in her hand, which made slapping noises.

"Oooh..." "Kamito-san!"

At this, one of Ellis's dog ears and Rinslet's rabbit ears cocked in Kamito's direction, and they puffed their cheeks slightly resentfully.

"I-I don't care any more... you really are such a terrible fool!"

Claire muttered haltingly, then walked towards Kamito –

Then she abruptly jumped onto the bed Kamito was lying in.

"... Uhhh... hey... you guys...!"

The three pretty girls dressed as erotic cute animals pushed each other around the small bed, their bare shoulders pressed against Kamito's arm.

"Well then, you tell me... is there anything I can do for you, Kamito?"

Claire bit her lip lightly and looked at Kamito with upward-glancing eyes.

"Anything I... want you to do?"

"Such as... oh yes, sleeping on my lap ... or help you clean your ears... things of that sort?"

"Sleep on your lap?"

Such an action was a common dream among all men.

Kamito inadvertently glanced at Claire's soft-looking thighs – and then swiftly moved his gaze away.

"Oh, but only for today! You usually are my slave, but only for today... I-I am willing... to be your slave!"

"S-Slave?"

Kamito questioned her and Claire nodded.

"Y-Yes! For today, I will agree to anything you ask of me! Y-You better prepare yourself!"

"Wait a moment, what do I have to prepare myself for?"

"K-Kamito... it's the same for me!"

"And me!"

Ellis and Rinslet also squeezed up to him, snuggling Kamito tightly with their bodies.

"But... n-no sexual orders though."

"Who would ever do that! What kind of person do you guys think I am!?"

"Huh, you didn't want to make any such orders? Oh, okay..."

For some reason, a disappointed look crept across her face as she muttered those words.

Letting out a sigh, Kamito said frustratedly:

"– Now can you tell me why the three of you are dressed like this?"

He bluntly asked the trio.

"This... that is because..."

The three ladies looked at each other in panic.

After a while, Claire finally surrendered and said: "B-Because after Est disappeared, you looked so down and depressed –"

"... Huh?"

"So we decided to dress like this to lift your spirits...!"

Blushing furiously, Claire awkwardly finished her explanation.

It is said that when an elementalist is in a poor mental state, they will have no way of summoning spirits. In more serious cases, they may sometimes even lose their princess maiden powers.

For example, Fianna had been dealt a severe emotional blow four years ago, and had been unable to use her power for a long period of time afterwards. When Scarlet was defeated by demon spirits, Claire had also fallen into grief, and suddenly found herself unable to summon Scarlet.

If the blow from the loss of Est caused Kamito's heart to be dominated by negative feelings of hatred, the «gate» between their hearts would truly close forever, never to open again. In truth, there were actually many princess maidens who had lost their status as elementalists because of such trauma to their souls.

''So simply put, they wanted to cheer me up – roughly this kind of intention?''

Evidently, he had made these ladies worry too much.

However, Kamito thanked them from the bottom of his heart for their thoughtfulness.

"... But why dress up as little animals and put on an act?"

Kamito asked.

"It's Fianna who told us this secret. Y-You rascal, you like this kind of thing, don't you?"

"That goddamn princess, oh..."

Kamito gritted his teeth and muttered.

... So that was it, these sexual animal costumes were all from Fianna's secret collection.

"That... can't be right, you don't like this look?"

"Hmm? Well... I didn't say I disliked it."

Despite the many objections he felt, Kamito reluctantly admitted it -

Truth be told, he really thought it was quite cute.

Moreover, that these snobby aristocratic daughters would be willing to embarrass themselves so thoroughly in order to cheer him up – whether or not their methods were right, their positive intentions were enough to make one want to frankly thank them.

"... All of you, thank you."

"I-I did not do it for you, Kamito, I just want Est back quickly, that's all."

As Claire turned her head away, the cat ears on her head moved as well.

Ellis and Rinslet, too, shyly shook their tails.

"– N-Now then, shall we take a walk outside?"

Claire, who cleared her throat, tugged at Kamito's pajamas and asked.

"Outside?"

"Today is our last rest day before the start of the main competition, of course we should go outside and have a good time! Staying locked in a room depressed all day is hardly the solution, right?"

"... That is true."

All Kamito could do now was to believe in Est and await her return.

If Kamito, her contractor, did not get out of his depression, the «gate» would become impossible to open.

Going outside to lift his spirits was perhaps a good idea.

"And on this floating island, there is even a Biblion managed by the «Divine Ritual Institute»."

Rinslet added.

"Biblion?"

"It has been said that a lot of antique-level information is archived within the sacred Biblion, information that cannot be found even in our library of seals. If Est is really the sealed spirit sealed within the ancient sacred sword, we might be able to find clues in those documents."

"... If that is so, it sounds like it would be worth a look."

Anecdotes of the Demon King Killing Sacred Sword could be found across the continent, and although truth and fiction were mixed in them, considering that Est was such a powerful spirit, it would not be surprising to find a mention of her in one of the ancient records.

"It is decided, now hurry up and get ready to go!"

"Mhmm, we can't be cheerful cooped up indoors all the time."

"And in a place so close to the port, there are many shops set up here too."

The three girls crowded together, all trying to take Kamito's arm.

"Wait, let me first change into my uniform... Also, you don't want to go out dressed like this either, right?"

"Aaah! O-Of course not!"

The girls blushed and quickly let go of Kamito.

===Part 2===

So –

Kamito and his friends, dressed in their uniforms, took a carriage ride to the port.

The sacred Biblion was apparently located not too far from here; plain and simple wooden structures were set up side-by-side in this area of the port, creating a lively atmosphere like that of a shopping street holding a celebration.

In addition, the various countries of the continent had also combined to raise funds for various food and entertainment facilities to welcome the spectators of the Blade Dance.

Because this was the original spirit world, which humans were forbidden to live in, this fantasy street would only appear for a few days.

It was a sight only visible during the Blade Dance.

"Wow – clear skies today."

"Mm, because we are on the clouds, of course."

Claire stretched like a cat as she walked, she and Kamito chatted while walking together.

Then, a cool refreshing breeze blew past, and Claire's tresses, tied into two ponytails, swayed in the wind.

Hanging distantly in the sky, the floating island — Ragna Ys — should have stood no chance against fierce winds, but because this sacred land had the additional protection of the Wind Elemental Lord, it was in no danger of being blown away.

Small flying crafts flew one by one between the gaps in the clouds and arrived at the port.

As the main event of the Blade Dance was about to begin, nobles from countries all over the continent had already begun to gather here.

"This really is spectacular."

"Only on the floating island can you see such a view."

Ellis and Rinslet expressed their amazement in muttered exclamations.

"... It would have been great if Fianna could have come with us."

While muttering, Kamito raised his head to the clear, vast blue sky.

At the moment, Fianna seemed to searching for a way to destroy the «Brand of Darkness» imprinted on Kamito. She had been tirelessly visiting old acquaintances from her time at the «Divine Ritual Institute».

"Later, let's buy some gifts to take back for Fianna, alright?"

"Mmm, yeah."

The slate street was lined with a wide variety of shops.

As they were only temporary stalls, the materials they were made of were not particularly impressive. However, the craftsmen or chefs working inside were top talents who had been recruited from many countries. The Blade Dance was an excellent opportunity to showcase the nation's prestige so countries tend to generously spend huge sums of money on this.

The group walked to the heart of the shopping street, and passed a group of tourists who had just alighted from a flying craft.

"I didn't want to say this but this place really is terribly crowded."

"Men everywhere... I'm starting to feel dizzy."

Ellis and Rinslet looked around uneasily.

It seems that the ladies, having grown up in such a sheltered environment, were not used to such bustling places.

Furthermore, the city here was different from the college city: men accounted for a greater proportion of the people here. Although they were among the best elementalists, here they immediately turned back into pure innocent girls. Whenever a man, passing by quickly, brushed shoulders with them, they would let out small squeals and press themselves tightly against Kamito.

Claire was no exception, from the very start, she had repeatedly been sticking close to Kamito then immediately pulling away.

Whenever she leaned against Kamito, she would move away blushing; when she next bumped into a strange passer-by, she would go back to Kamito.

''This foolish girl, what is she doing?''

When Claire leaned into him again, Kamito quickly took her hand.

"Aaaah! W-What are you doing!"

The fiery cat maiden cried angrily, her face red.

"Who taught you how to walk so unsteadily? That's awfully dangerous."

"Well... o-okay, I'll let you hold my hand, but in here only."

As the two of them held hands, Claire turned her gaze aside shyly.

"You're too cunning..."

Rinslet puffed her cheeks unhappily, then grabbed Kamito's empty other hand.

"Rinslet?"

"I-I'm afraid of you getting lost, so hold on to me tight."

Then Ellis, too, joined in; seeing that both Kamito's hands were full, she had no choice but to latch onto his arm.

"E-Ellis...!"

"Hey... Captain! You're blocking the way here!"

"I-It's you, not me! Let go of Kamito's hand now!"

"Ah... all of you, I can't walk like this!"

The girls, all clinging to Kamito, began to quarrel.

They made such a scene that nearby passers-by started to whisper among themselves:

"Quick, look over there, three noble girls are serving that young man, wow." "That's because he's the rumored male elementalist, you know..."

"That's too wicked of him, to sink his fangs into those poor delicate girls." "But, take a look at those girls' expressions; they don't seem to hate him at all." "They must be under some kind of strange magic spell, of course."

''Well... this situation seems to have gotten a little worse...''

Kamito had long been used to hostility from strangers.

However, he did not wish to tarnish the reputations of the ladies he partnered with.

"I say... there are far too many people here, so why don't we find someplace cooler to rest?"

"Mm, that sounds good..."

Claire and the others nodded to show their agreement. It seems they were also thinking the same thing.

They looked around in search of a shop they could have a cup of tea at. And then –

"Kamito-san, look... there's a «La Parfait» shop over there!"

Rinslet pointed towards a chic-looking café across the road.

"Say, is that the famous «La Parfait»!? I've always wanted to try their cakes."

"If I remember correctly, this café is very popular throughout the empire... I-I'm kind of interested as well."

Even Claire and Ellis knew of it. Evidently, the business that had set up that temporary stall was very famous.

"... In that case, shall we go there?"

"Agreed!" "Yes!" "Mmhm...!"

The trio nodded in agreement and dragged Kamito towards it.

===Part 3===

The «La Parfait» stall was almost fully packed, so much so that the group had to wait a little before being served.

While sitting at the entrance waiting to be served, Kamito examined the stall's decor. The horizontal beams of the ceiling were naturally bent like tree branches, Kamito was very appreciative of the warm atmosphere this unique wood imparted.

"I'm surprised this is such a relaxing place. When I heard you say it was one of the empire's most popular shops, I expected it to be much more posh and luxurious."

"This is only a temporary stall put up for the «Blade Dance», so of course it won't be so well-decorated. Their regular shops are so good aristocratic ladies would be willing to hide their identities just to patronize the shop incognito."

"Oh, so that's it... Hey, speaking of which, I'm not that loaded with cash..."

Kamito's face suddenly turned pale.

A shop even noble daughters would patronize incognito – this must certainly be a very high-class shop.

"If it were a regular shop, no matter how loaded you were, you'd still not be able to afford it."

"The stalls are free for the participants of the Blade Dance."

"I-I see..."

At Rinslet's words, Kamito let out a reassured sigh.

After a while, the four were led to their seats.

"I want a peach pie, a peach sorbet... and a peach mousse."

Claire flipped open the menu and gestured with her finger at the dessert options.

"Why are you getting so many peach options... haven't you already had some in the morning?

"N-None of your business... so what if I like them?"

"This raspberry-flavored cream puff also looks delicious."

"Y-Yes, that seems tasty."

"Oh... This dish puts some ice cream on a fresh hot apple pie to be eaten together..."

"Let's order one and divide it, everyone can have some. Kamito, what would you like?"

"Oooh... Well then, I'll have a scone, I guess..."

Kamito answered perfunctorily, but then –

"What's this attitude, you seem so reluctant."

"I really pity the dessert you order like that to eat."

"If you're a true man, you should pick decisively... Well, I'm talking about choosing cake."

For some unknown reason, Kamito found himself being severely berated by the ladies.

"S-Sorry..."

The three of them had always bickered when in training, but in these situations, they were always in full understanding.

Rinslet summoned a waitress, and one-by-one ordered those cakes and desserts with names that would accidentally make one bite their tongue.

"– And lastly, I'd like four cups of black tea from the Laurenfrost area."

"Yes."

"Ah... e-excuse me, wait a minute!"

Ellis called aloud to halt the waitress, who was preparing to leave.

"Yes?"

"Please add a little whipped cream and honey to my tea, and if you could, add some floating marshmallows as well."

"Uh... I'm sorry, esteemed guest, but our shop does not serve such a kind of drink."

"I-Is that so? Can you not make an excepti – oooh!"

Halfway through her sentence, Ellis stopped.

It was because Rinslet was pinching the back of her neck.

"Hey, what are you doing!"

"Oh my god, have you no shame! I don't like saying such things, but the Fahrengart family must really have no class!"

Rinslet was very particular about tea brewing, and so forbade Ellis from randomly adding ingredients as she wished.

"So what if you're from the Laurenfrost family, it's just a countryside noble family with more land, that's all!"

"Y-You wouldn't dare...!"

An intense mini-blizzard blew up beside Rinslet.

"N-No matter what, I don't care, if it's not sweet I won't drink it!"

"If that's so, why didn't you simply order cocoa just now?"

"Don't you think cocoa's a little too childish?"

"Only childish people would call cocoa childish!"

"Okay, okay, stop arguing, the cakes are here."

Claire lightly poked Rinslet's shoulder and said.

"Hmph... no matter, next time I'll teach our Captain how to drink tea."

"Sweet things are just nicer..."

Ellis said in a half-challenging manner through pursed lips.

Not long after, the dazzling array of desserts were delivered to their table.

Placed in silver containers, each of the cakes and breads looked like an exquisite art piece.

At the sight of them, the anger of the two aristocratic girls vanished and was replaced by expressions of joy.

"I can't help but feel that... to eat something so beautiful would almost be a waste."

"These snacks are made by the very best chefs representing our empire."

As Claire spoke, she opened her mouth wide and took a bite out of the peach pie.

"Waaah... it really is delicious!"

"This raspberry cream puff also tastes extraordinarily refined and delicious."

"Mmmm, there's probably some sweet wine added to this sponge cake... I must try that next time."

Kamito listened to the girls' comments, then put his own cake into his mouth.

"Oh, it's delicious."

Although he was no food connoisseur, the sweet taste in his mouth did give him a rich and noble feeling.

But, compared to this –

Looking at the joyous expressions on the girls' faces made Kamito feel inexplicably happier himself.

"Kamito, what is it?"

"Huh? Oh..."

Kamito was jolted out of his daze, only to find Claire suspiciously staring at him. He quickly averted his gaze and feigned ignorance.

"To think that this stall will be dismantled immediately after the Blade Dance, what a pity!"

"That's just how it is. But... there's a shop in the empire, so we will definitely have a chance to visit again."

"Mmm, next time we go, we must be sure to take Fianna... and Est."

Kamito looked down at the spirit seal on his right hand and murmured.

"Kamito ..."

"Kamito-san..."

At this, Ellis and Rinslet raised their heads.

"—Est will return, I promise."

Claire spoke in a calm but confident tone of voice.

"So... just trust in her and wait for her to return. The only person who can help her out in this way is her elementalist – you."

"... Mmmm, you're right."

Kamito nodded – and then mused:

''... Partners will make one stronger – that probably refers to this feeling I'm having now.''

Three years ago, the strongest blade dancers were indeed very swift and strong.

Solely in terms of skill as an elementalist, he was unrivaled.

But these physical powers were fragile and would easily be crushed by a strong blow; they were strengths developed through loneliness.

The Kamito in the past had no one to rely on.

After losing Restia, he was left only with eternal despair.

''Now, however, I have friends willing to support me.''

So my heart will no longer shatter.

I will not sink into despair again.

''... Thus far, Est has saved me many times.''

Kamito clenched his fist on the table.

''– So, it's my turn now. No doubt about it: I will save you.''

===Part 4===

The most important Sanctuary in the entirety of the floating island Ragna Ys—the Grand Hall of the Wind Elemental Lord—was located atop a hilly area. It was some distance away from the building where the blade dance participants were.

This white building was made from a combination of the best-quality materials and the highest technology. The huge construction covered the whole of the hill; one could appreciate its majesty even from outside of the floating island.

It was not only the place where the wind spirits listened to the spirit king's decrees to the holy land, but also where princess maidens from the «Divine Ritual Institute» chosen by the various nations would practice their devotions. Therefore, even the nobility of the country would absolutely not be allowed to enter.

However, at that very moment time, there was a lady outside the gate shouting anxiously:

"Please do me a favor! Grant me an audience with Reicha-sama–!"

She was individually seperated from the team of five in order to work separately from Kamito – Fianna.

Wearing a rare serious look, she pleaded with the guard standing at the gate.

"You really don't give up do you."

The middle-aged guard regarded Fianna with unfriendly eyes.

Her face clearly expressed her stubbornness.

"Please withdraw. Our «Divine Ritual Institute»'s gate will never open simply for any one, let alone getting an audience with Reicha-sama. Your requests will absolutely never be granted."

The guard uttered a statement he had probably repeated many times before.

''... This is so infuriating! These people are as stubborn as ever!''

Fianna cursed impatiently to herself.

Having said that, she had in fact expected such a reaction from the start, because the person she wanted to see was not one who would meet with just anybody.

''If I could borrow her strength, it would certainly be enough to break the curse on Kamito. But...''

The guard looked down at Fianna, not bothering to conceal her expression of contempt.

Evidently, she had not the slightest inclination to open the door.

''... Well, I did know the reason ages ago.''

Refusing to give up, Fianna bit down on her lip.

The one she was thinking of was the Annihilation Spirit princess that had betrayed the Fire Elemental Lord – Rubia Elstein.

There had been high hopes placed on Fianna to be successor, but the incident with Rubia had left indelible horrors in her heart, causing her to lose the power of summoning contract spirits, and with that, her status as princess maiden.

And so Fianna Ray Ordesia became a lost princess maiden, thoroughly disappointing the people who had had great expectations of her and discrediting the «Divine Ritual Institute».

''... You narrow-minded people, who only know how to put in superficial effort, really disgust me.''

Even her own parents—The Areishia emperor and empress—and the various nobility were all no different.

When Fianna was still the princess maiden successor, these people had flattered her in every possible way. Once she had lost her contract spirit powers however, they immediately scorned and disdained her, changing their attitudes faster than one could turn the page of a book.

Of course, not all of them were like that. It was just that the «Divine Ritual Institute» organization had decayed under the weight of its long history, and so indeed had a darker side.

Seeing Fianna's stubborn refusal to leave, the guard shook her head and said:

"I do not wish to continue wasting my time on you."

Having said this, she turned and went back into the temple.

"Wait a minute—"

Fianna quickly moved to catch up with her, but—

"Aaaah!?"

Suddenly, a fierce wind rose and blew Fianna off her feet.

Fianna and Claire were different in that they had not received special combat training for elementalists. Too late to protect herself, she fell heavily to the ground.

"... What!?"

She saw something stand at the doors – a magical wind spirit that looked like a winged lion.

It was a Guardian Spirit; it made contracts with not elementalists, but buildings. This very building, was in fact—the true sanctuary.

"It appears impossible to break through the front gate..."

Fianna glared at the Guardian while nursing a scrape on her lip.

===Part 5===

A sword fell in mysterious darkness.

This shining, beautiful sword, swallowed by a sludge-like nothingness, was gradually losing its light.

''– How strange. What on earth is happening to me?''

Nonetheless, this sword apparently still retained its self-awareness.

Although the disappearance of her physical body had affected her, damaging her memory –

Her memory of that last event was crystal-clear.

She remembered his warmth as she embraced him with both hands on his back.

And, for just the briefest instant, the touch of their lips against each other.

Then – a harsh voice calling out her own name.

''...K-Kamito!''

Her radiance all lost, the sword slowly sank in the bottomless darkness –

<noinclude>{{SeireiDance Nav|prev=Seirei Tsukai no Blade Dance:Volume5 Chapter1|next=Seirei Tsukai no Blade Dance:Volume5 Chapter3}}</noinclude>

Seirei Tsukai no Blade Dance:Volume5 Chapter1

2013-05-12T23:16:16Z

Monsterbandage: /* Part 2 */

==Chapter 1: The Broken Sacred Sword==

=== Part 1 ===

"—!?"

Waking up, he found himself on his soft bed.

... He sat up and looked back down at himself.

He was not wearing his school uniform, but rather a set of loose pajamas. It seemed that someone had helped him change while he was unconscious.

The dream he witnessed had caused him to break out into a cold sweat.

"I —"

What on earth —

Trying to recall the events that happened before he fainted, Kamito rubbed his dully aching head.

At that moment —

"Kamito, you're awake?"

From the corner of the room came a voice.

Kamito turned, and saw a beautiful girl in uniform sitting on a chair by the wall.

She had two red ponytails on the sides of her head.

Her translucent ruby-red pupils gazed anxiously in his direction.

"... Claire, you haven't been here all this time, have you?"

"Eh? No, not very long at all..."

Claire frantically shook her head.

However, dark circles at the corners of her eyes belied the fact that she had not had a good night's rest.

"I apologize for making you worry."

"I-It's nothing, I wasn't worrying."

Kamito returned Claire's concern with a wry smile, and took a look around the room.

This castle room had been arranged for the participants of the «Blade Dance». Looking at its spacious windows and quality household items, one could tell that this was not Kamito's usual residence, which was no different from a storage room, but a room from some unknown other place.

With dawn quickly approaching, the sun shone weakly through a slit in the curtains.

"That's good, get some sleep now. Your fever has not fully gone down."

"Ah? I have a fever?"

"Mmhm, it appears to have gotten better now, but you were burning up quite badly just a moment ago."

Claire bent over and placed her hand on Kamito's forehead.

The touch of her ice-cold skin felt incredibly comfortable. .... Oh. There was indeed still a bit of a lingering fever.

"Anyways, Claire –"

"Yes, what is it?"

"Uh, why did I faint?"

".......You don't remember?"

Claire's eyes opened wide in surprise.

"Don't tell me you have amnesia..."

"No, nothing that serious. It's just that my head's still groggy and I can't seem to remember what happened right before I blacked out."

Kamito shook his head silently.

"The events from the ball?"

"Yes, I remember that. You turned down the invitation from the crown prince of some country with the wave of a hand..."

"Uh, yeah."

"Around that time, Ren Ashbell invited me to dance –"

While massaging his aching temples, Kamito felt his memory gradually return in chronological order.

Something big must have happened.

''No mistake about that. There was something of extreme importance –''

"Ren Ashbell carved the «Brand of Darkness» on me, and then –"

Impatience burned in his chest.

Sparkling in the corner of his mind was an image of the radiant silver sword.

"And then, I –"

"Kamito, you rescued us from the hands of the «Institutional School» assassins!"

Looking at the upset Kamito, Claire spoke up.

"The «Institutional School» assassins?"

Kamito lifted his head abruptly.

''That's right. At that time, I battled Muir's military spirit–''

Claire's words prompted his memories of last night to return in a flood.

During the Blade Dance's opening ceremony last night, Muir Alenstarl, the «Instructional School» assassin calling herself Kamito's foster younger sister, had controlled a military spirit to attack Claire and company.

Marked by Ren Ashbell's «Brand of Darkness» and covered in wounds, Kamito raced towards the battlefield reluctantly, towards Muir Alenstarl's military spirit – but at that very moment, the curse of the mark took effect on Kamito's body, and he was overcome with blinding pain.

And then –

"...!"

The instant he regained his memory, Kamito's whole body stiffened, as if he'd been struck by lightning.

The image that sprung to mind was that of a girl – with mysterious violet eyes.

With beautiful silvery-white hair that reflected the moonlight.

With small hands that gently stroked his back.

And with lips that were cold as ice yet hot as fire when they touched his.

Then she turned into innumerable particles of light, which dissipated into a void—

That was the last Kamito saw of her.

"... Es... t?"

The name escaped from his lips in a trembling, spontaneous exhale.

It was the name of one who had always remained by his side, the name of an extremely important someone, the name of his contract spirit.

His slight memory disturbances earlier must have been because he had not wanted to face this fact.

"Kamito..."

Claire's low, worried words almost went unheard by Kamito.

"You must be joking... Est, why did she–"

Her meaningless words rang hollow.

His newly recovered memory insisted on replaying the last scene he saw before losing consciousness.

At that time, she had whispered in his ear:

Goodbye, Kamito –.

Blade spirit Est – with a head of silvery-white hair, just like a snow fairy.

His contract with her was originally a chance occurrence.

While maintaining a contract with a contract spirit from the past, the end result was an incomplete contract.

Originally, he could not even wield a tenth of the power with the contract. It must have been considerably painful for a powerful spirit like her.

However, Est had said that was all right.

To be able to contract with you, that alone is wonderful – she had said.

''But I –''

Three years ago, there was a day he had lost a previous contract spirit.

From that day onwards, he had vowed not to lose anyone important.

"Yet I – again!"

Est had disappeared.

She had sacrificed her very existence in order to save Kamito from being eroded by the curse of the brand.

"Damn –"

"Kamito!"

He threw up his hands in despair only for Claire to quickly catch hold of them.

She gazed steadily into his eyes, with the intent of calming him down.

"Est was not eliminated."

"Ah?"

"After all, your hands still bear signs of a spirit contract, right?"

Kamito's eyes widened.

"Y...es... indeed."

His right hand, the one in Claire's grasp, still bore a design of intersecting swords.

That was the proof of a spirit contract—the spirit seal.

If the contract spirit were to be eliminated, the spirit seal would then of course disappear.

The reason why Kamito had believed for all these three years that Restia had not vanished—the reason why he had retained a glimmer of hope—was entirely because the spirit seal inscribed on his left hand still remained.

The spirit seal connects the contractor to the contract spirit; it is a special «Gate».

Now the pain was too weak to be felt – but as long as the spirit seal on his right hand did not disappear, he would have proof that Est had not been completely eliminated.

"Est, she's still alive."

"Yes. And even if we cannot call her out now, there must be a way to do so."

If that's the case, I can't remain like this.

"... Ah ah ah ah ah!"

Biting back the pain coursing through his entire body, Kamito got up from the bed.

"Wait, wait a moment, what are you doing!? You still can't –"

"Est is waiting – I don't have the time to continue sleeping!"

Just as Claire's hands moved to stop him–

Gurgle gurgle ~

A lovely sound arose in the room.

"...Claire?"

All the strength had drained from his body.

"...... ~!Th-Th-This is a misunderstanding, t-there wasn't a strange sound just now!"

"You... don't tell me, you haven't had anything to eat since yesterday?"

"A-After all, you've been having a bad fever, well..."

Claire blushed and stammered.

"You can't afford to skip meals since tomorrow the battle begins."

"... I-I know. Speaking of which, you haven't eaten either."

"Well, I'm more or less accustomed to that..."

In his youth, Kamito had spent most of his time undergoing intense training at the «Instructional School».

The education he received there included even training to withstand starvation. Although he had no intention of attempting such a thing, he could now easily go without food for several days.

''Then again...''

Something suddenly occurred to Kamito.

''Everyone now knows that I was from the «Instructional School»...''

Precisely because they were important companions, he had not wanted them to know of his past.

Once they learnt of that, he thought that they would not want anything to do with him anymore.

It was only natural that one would think so.

On the contrary, they had treated Kamito –

"You... what you are or aren't accustomed to, that's entirely beside the point. If you don't eat well, you'll never regain your strength. Look, I even brought fruit here specially f-for you."

At this, Claire indicated the basket on the bedside table.

It was filled to the brim with delicious-looking ripe peaches.

"– Claire, thank you."

"Don't stand on courtesy, it's nothing. After all, they were brought back from the ball."

"No such thing!"

Kamito looked directly at Claire.

"Even after learning I was an orphan from the «Instructional School», you still stayed my friend, saying it didn't matter. ... About that, I'm still very glad."

"W-What, ah, well, that..."

Claire blushed and looked away.

"B-But of course, isn't that just how it is? Regardless of your past, you're my slave spirit now and that will not change!"

With a wry smile and a nod of his head, Kamito reached into the basket for a peach.

"Here, hand me a small knife, I'll cut it open."

"Leave it to me. You're the hurt one, get some rest."

"The peach is fragile, so it can be difficult to peel. I thought you weren't good at peeling fruits?"

"W-well, if you think that..."

Claire hid her face. Truth be told, it seemed that all the women at the institution, both young and adult, were all not that good at homemaking. It wasn't just Claire who was particularly bad at preparing fruits.

Kamito shrugged, picked up a knife from the table, and started peeling the peach in a repeated, circular motion.

Watching his deft handiwork, Claire asked emotionally:

"Did you learn this from that «Instructional School» too?"

"No, I picked up cooking and other skills during my travels. My travel companion was very picky when it came to the flavor!"

"...By companion, you mean that darkness spirit girl?"

"Yeah..."

While cutting the peach, Kamito's expression turned sour.

"Well – so it's like that..."

Claire looked doubtful.

"Look, it is peeled."

As if to change the subject, Kamito speared the peeled peach on a fork and presented it to Claire.

As she took a bite, some peach juice sprayed back at him.

"Yum yum~ so sweet, it's really delicious...!"

[[File:STnBD V05 025.jpg|thumbnail|right]]

Her two red ponytails danced in joy.

Claire put her hands to her cheeks, an expression of sheer bliss on her face. She looked so lovely one could accidentally lose oneself in admiration.

"Well, now, have another..."

Kamito raised the fork holding the peach. Like a cat being teased, Claire's gaze followed it in a trance-like state.

"Look, here it is!"

He moved his hand away.

"Ah!"

And again.

"R-Really now!"

Claire's mouth opened and shut as she chased the peach doggedly.

Left, right. ... And again.

Finding it very interesting, Kamito intended to continue for a little longer –

"... ~Oi, w-why are you so cruel!"

Claire snarled, tears welling in her eyes.

"... Sorry, just felt like you were as adorable as a cat, so."

"...?! W-what do you mean cute... s-stupid idiot, that's what you are!"

Into the mouth of the red-faced, frantically gesticulating Claire –

"Aah."

– went the peach.

And she bit down.

"Whew, ah, it's so delicious ..."

"Just like a cat."

Claire shot Kamito a look.

"Hey, isn't this situation backwards?"

"Hrm, backwards?"

"The injured person is you, but I'm the one eating."

"Well, it's a small matter, don't worry about it."

Kamito shrugged his shoulders, and conveniently put the peach into his own mouth.

The slightly tangy taste of the peach juice spread immediately in his mouth.

"Mmm, it really is delicious. It's thoroughly ripe!"

"I-isn't that the same fork..."

"... What's the matter?"

"N-No, it's nothing –"

Claire hastily took her eyes off him.

"Anyway –"

Kamito put the fork aside and asked.

"Yes, what?"

"What's the performance for the «Blade Dance»? The divination of the Queens have already been revealed, right?"

While Kamito was unconscious, the five Queens had held a ceremony at the great temple of the «Divine Ritual Institute». where the Five Elemental Lords bestowed their divine revelation. The performance was to be decided by this divine revelation – as for the competition format, it would be announced at a later date.

At this, Claire's expression grew serious.

"Mmhm, the blade dance performance to be presented will be – the «Tempest»."

"«Tempest», huh..."

That had been the competition format used for the Blade Dance not only in recent years, but also tens, and even hundreds of years ago.

The elementalists who will be presenting the blade dance performance will come together at the gathering place in the vast holy lands, and the teams will do battle with each other over a number of days. Each individual's combat skills will be put to the test, but beyond that, of even greater significance will be their tactical and strategic ability, as well as teamwork and cooperation.

"... It will be a tough battle."

"Indeed. On the other hand, they clearly could have chosen a knockout-style tournament. If so, I suppose this was the best possible outcome."

Claire nodded with a serious look on her face.

The blade dance performance's format would be the «Tempest». This piece of information was one he had previously thought about.

With the only constraint being "five elementalists to a team", a little investigating on the history of the Blade Dance would have made it clear that the number of possible performance formats numbered only about ten or so.

As a matter of fact, the Areishia Spirit Academy had even conducted an extensive training exercise under the assumption that this performance would be selected.

However, one could still hold out hope, for as long as possible, that this performance would not be chosen – this way of thinking was still true.

More so than individual skill, this competition format emphasized a team's combined strength. One would be hard-pressed to say this system had any benefits for Claire, who was still worried and unconfident in regards to teamwork.

Furthermore, «TEAM•SCARLET» had only formed recently. The five members had begun working together a mere few weeks ago. While each of them was a strong elementalist in his or her own right, their combined team strength still could not compare to that of the other teams.

''Furthermore...''

Kamito's gaze turned to the spirit seal inscribed on his right hand.

All along, Kamito's overwhelming strength had always been unrivaled amongst his companions.

However, Kamito was now in a state lacking his contract spirits.

Despite previously being known as the strongest Blade Dancer, without his contract spirit, Kamito could not reach his full strength as an elementalist.

Following that, he rested his hand lightly on the chest wound that was still aching dully.

''—The curse of this brand had yet to fade completely.''

The «Brand of Darkness» Ren Ashbell had engraved was even now still eating away at his body.

Although Est had suppressed the worst of the damage by sacrificing herself, she had not entirely destroyed it.

"Est..."

Murmuring her name, even injecting into it divine power, the spirit seal yielded no response.

Instead, an intense scorching pain invaded his entire body.

"... Ah, damn it..."

"You'd better not act rashly. What you can do now is to get a good rest in order to regain your strength and divine power."

"... Ah, ah, I know."

Clenching his lips tightly, Kamito nodded and laid flat on the bed again.

=== Part 2 ===

''... Kamito seemed to be pretty depressed.''

Outside Kamito's room, Claire let out a small sigh.

This was not unreasonable. After all, it was an elementalist who had lost their own contract spirit before his own eyes.

That bitterness, Claire understood all too well, as she too had lost Scarlet in the past. At that time, Claire had given up on herself, and had even allowed herself to be tempted by the dark spirit.

Of course, Est's eradication had left Claire somewhat shaken too.

For Est had not been just another contract spirit.

She was also an important companion of Claire's in the institution; for more than two months, they had fought side by side.

".......We need to quickly find a way to bring Est back."

The practical problem was that, without Est, «TEAM•SCARLET» had no chance of winning the battle royale. Kamito had incomparable strength, but an elementalist without a contract spirit at his side would not be able to do his best at a competition such as the «Blade Dance», where there were many tough opponents.

There must be a way to bring Est back – true, she had just said that, but what exactly one would need to do, she did not know. Assuming it was possible was fine and all, but they might not have enough time.

The Blade Dance battle would begin tomorrow; they could only afford to spare one day. If Kamito could not bring Est back in that time, they would have to rely on only the four remaining people to win the battle royale.

Although they did not intend on losing to the other teams, the fact of the matter was that their chances of victory against a strong opponent—such as, say, the Dracunia Dragons led by Leonora Lancaster—were slim indeed.

Moreover, in order to win the grand event, they would still have to take down Ren Ashbell, the most powerful of the Blade Dancers.

Then again, it was also possible for Kamito to look for another spirit to contract with.

''But, all things considered, that was not likely...''

Pacing around the portico, Claire shook her head. Leaving aside for the moment the issue of finding a suitable new contract spirit, Kamito would most certainly reject the idea of any other spirit but Est.

''Speaking of whom –''

Out of the blue, the image of that dark spirit girl inadvertently surfaced in Claire's mind.

Jet-black hair, billowing in the wind. A lovely girl with eyes the color of dusk.

''In the end, I still did not ask Kamito about her...''

A wave of pain rushed through her chest as she thought of it.

It was yesterday evening, in the courtyard of the castle: Kamito and the dark spirit girl, their lips locked in a kiss.

It wasn't that she lacked the opportunity to ask; it was just not a suitable time for such a matter. Shocked and upset over having lost Est, Kamito was not in a state for her to pursue the matter to completion.

''But that girl; what on earth was her relationship with Kamito...?''

The previous contract spirit was a girl of darkness who, even now, still held Kamito's heart.

The strange pain in her chest burned more and more intensely.

"W-Well, whatever, that rascal can get all kissy-kissy with whoever he wants to! It's got nothing to with me right?"

Claire reasoned this out with herself and then stopped outside the room.

She opened the door —

"...Huh !?"

There were three people in the room who rose from the couch in unison.

"Is Kamito awake!?"

Claire nodded her head in response to Ellis's query.

"Well, yeah, but it seems the fever has not receded yet. He should continue to rest."

".....Hmm, I see. All in all, it's good that he's doing alright."

"T-To actually have a girl worry so much over him. This guy still causes headaches like before!"

Rinslet crossed and uncrossed her fingers restlessly.

"... It was really all thanks to Est. My skills were simply ineffective against the curse of that brand."

In contrast with the other two, who seemed to have breathed sighs of relief, Fianna wore a somber expression.

Fianna was originally the second-best princess maiden overall in the «Divine Ritual Institute». Her power and skill at curse-breaking was comparable to that of the current princess maidens.

However, the «Brand of Darkness» inscribed by Ren Ashbell on Kamito's body contained a curse so strong that it left even Fianna helpless.

If at that time Est had not sacrificed herself, then —

Kamito's physicial body would have been utterly corroded by the curse. At worst, he might even have died.

"I have searched through a wide range of material but still couldn't find any information on this curse."

The pile of heavy books around Fianna was as high as a mountain.

She had brought these with her from the institution. They contained incantations and curses as well as documents related to spirits.

"But even now, I still cannot believe that..."

Ellis spoke while clenching her lips.

"That Ren Ashbell would go so far as to actually do such a thing —"

"... Yeah, I know."

Claire nodded.

The strongest Blade Dancer.

Her goal was to become a princess maiden elementalist, the most lauded person.

At the Blade Dance three years ago, her blade dance performance had mesmerized countless girls.

Whether it was Claire, Ellis, or anyone, they all held a powerful and honorable person like her in high respect. They had endured the Academy's numerous, strict training regimens in order to be an elementalist like her.

Which was why when Muir Alenstarl told them that it was she who had carved the «Brand of Darkness» onto Kamito's body, they completely could not bring themselves to believe it.

However, on further reflection—

''Not a single one of them knew anything about who she was...''

For example, what wish she made to the Elemental Lord as the victor of the Blade Dance three years prior.

Why, after reaching the highest possible level of renown, did she suddenly disappear without a trace from the eyes of the world.

And why, with things in their current state, would she want to make a return?

Speculation of all sorts were floating about, but it still remained a mystery.

Finally, why would the strongest active elementalist want to place a curse on Kamito.

The reason for that was unclear as well.

''For preemptive reasons, so as to reduce Kamito to a certain amount of strength before the battle royale?''

Even if that were so, there was no need to use such a circuitous strategy as a curse.

One would only need to fight with overwhelming brute strength to eliminate others, like what Muir Alenstarl did.

"Without conclusive evidence, that impostor elementalist may as well be the real Ren Ashbell."

"... But in that case, why not use her real identity?"

"Maybe there's some reason why she couldn't use her true identity," muttered Fiana.

"You think there is a hidden reason?"

"Ah... I-I didn't say anything!"

Addressing the frowning Claire, Fianna hurriedly shook her head.

"If there was someone masquerading as Ren Ashbell and using her name, I would never forgive her."

Placing her hands on the sword at her waist, Ellis spoke up.

"Come on, let's take the initiative to go ask her—"

"Impossible. We don't even know where she is in the first place."

Claire shook her head at Ellis's impulsive and dangerous proposal.

The team representing Ren Ashbell, Team Inferno of Alphas Theocracy, had apparently stayed in a tower outside the region where they waited for an opportunity to strike. No one knew where they were.

Moreover, Muir Alenstarl, who had vanished after yesterday's skirmish, had not given up on her plans to kill Claire and company. A slow, stealthy approach would be more practical than a direct dangerous one.

"Her intentions are indeed a major concern, but—the foremost problem here has to be Est."

Claire turned towards Fianna and asked,

"I'll get straight to the point. Est – can she still return?"

"That..."

Fianna stroked her chin, as though deep in thought.

"If Kamito's hand still shows signs of the spirit seal, it is evidence that Est has not been completely vanquished. Ordinarily, once she fully regains her power, she can return. It's just that –"

"Just that?"

"This is just my hypothesis – Est may have been trapped in a prison of the curse. Regarding this, I cannot be sure."

"What do you mean?"

"Est used her power to suppress the curse, but she did not completely break it. Now she might be held, shackled by the curse, unable to move."

"In order to rescue Est, we'll have to deal with the curse first, won't we?"

Ellis nodded with a serious expression.

"In regards to the «Brand of Darkness», I can get some help from the forces at the «Divine Ritual Institute». ... Next, there is the problem of Kamito himself. Although I don't think this will crush his spirits..."

"But, he seemed really upset......"

Even in front of Claire, he had put on a brave front so as not to let anyone see him weak. At the end of the day however, he could not hide how much the loss of Est had affected him.

By the looks of it, it should take him quite some time to get his act together.

"In that case......is there anything we can do for him?"

Rinslet said.

"Truthfully speaking, it's not that we don't have an option..."

"Eh, really?" "What's is it?" "D-Don't leave us guessing! Tell us directly, please!"

Hearing this, Claire and the others who were not giving up, gathered in front of Fianna.

Fianna sighed and said:

"... Help our own opponents. While it is infuriating, we really have no choice."

She uttered this sentence of cryptic meaning –

And then informed them on what they - can - do - for - Kamito.

"...!"

The trio's faces instantly turned bright red.

"W-Wait a minute! That sort of thing – how could we possibly to do that!"

"R-Really now! Such a shameful thing... as a knight, I cannot accept it!"

"Keep in mind that I am the eldest daughter of the noble Laurenfrost family!"

The wave of protest from the girls came at the same time.

"Hmm – so you mean to say that you don't want Kamito to recover?"

Fianna sharply spoke and pointed at them.

"T-That is..."

"Of course that isn't true–"

"... I-I didn't mean it like that, except–"

The three blushed and stammered.

A mischievous smile formed on Fianna's face.

"All right then, it's settled. There are all sorts of ceremonial props in the luggage I brought. Help yourselves.

As she spoke, she reached into the travel bag and took out a myriad of colorful costumes and props.

<noinclude>{{SeireiDance Nav|prev=Seirei Tsukai no Blade Dance:Volume5 Prologue|next=Seirei Tsukai no Blade Dance:Volume5 Chapter2}}</noinclude>

Seirei Tsukai no Blade Dance:Volume5 Chapter1

2013-05-12T06:40:52Z

Monsterbandage: /* Part 1 */

==Chapter 1: The Broken Sacred Sword==

=== Part 1 ===

"—!?"

Waking up, he found himself on his soft bed.

... He sat up and looked back down at himself.

He was not wearing his school uniform, but rather a set of loose pajamas. It seemed that someone had helped him change while he was unconscious.

The dream he witnessed had caused him to break out into a cold sweat.

"I —"

What on earth —

Trying to recall the events that happened before he fainted, Kamito rubbed his dully aching head.

At that moment —

"Kamito, you're awake?"

From the corner of the room came a voice.

Kamito turned, and saw a beautiful girl in uniform sitting on a chair by the wall.

She had two red ponytails on the sides of her head.

Her translucent ruby-red pupils gazed anxiously in his direction.

"... Claire, you haven't been here all this time, have you?"

"Eh? No, not very long at all..."

Claire frantically shook her head.

However, dark circles at the corners of her eyes belied the fact that she had not had a good night's rest.

"I apologize for making you worry."

"I-It's nothing, I wasn't worrying."

Kamito returned Claire's concern with a wry smile, and took a look around the room.

This castle room had been arranged for the participants of the «Blade Dance». Looking at its spacious windows and quality household items, one could tell that this was not Kamito's usual residence, which was no different from a storage room, but a room from some unknown other place.

With dawn quickly approaching, the sun shone weakly through a slit in the curtains.

"That's good, get some sleep now. Your fever has not fully gone down."

"Ah? I have a fever?"

"Mmhm, it appears to have gotten better now, but you were burning up quite badly just a moment ago."

Claire bent over and placed her hand on Kamito's forehead.

The touch of her ice-cold skin felt incredibly comfortable. .... Oh. There was indeed still a bit of a lingering fever.

"Anyways, Claire –"

"Yes, what is it?"

"Uh, why did I faint?"

".......You don't remember?"

Claire's eyes opened wide in surprise.

"Don't tell me you have amnesia..."

"No, nothing that serious. It's just that my head's still groggy and I can't seem to remember what happened right before I blacked out."

Kamito shook his head silently.

"The events from the ball?"

"Yes, I remember that. You turned down the invitation from the crown prince of some country with the wave of a hand..."

"Uh, yeah."

"Around that time, Ren Ashbell invited me to dance –"

While massaging his aching temples, Kamito felt his memory gradually return in chronological order.

Something big must have happened.

''No mistake about that. There was something of extreme importance –''

"Ren Ashbell carved the «Brand of Darkness» on me, and then –"

Impatience burned in his chest.

Sparkling in the corner of his mind was an image of the radiant silver sword.

"And then, I –"

"Kamito, you rescued us from the hands of the «Institutional School» assassins!"

Looking at the upset Kamito, Claire spoke up.

"The «Institutional School» assassins?"

Kamito lifted his head abruptly.

''That's right. At that time, I battled Muir's military spirit–''

At Claire's words, his memories of last night returned in a flood.

Last night, during the opening ceremony of the Blade Dance, the assassin from the «Instructional School» Muir Alenstarl, claimed to be Kamito's sworn younger sister, manipulated the military spirit, and attacked Claire and company.

Branded by Ren Ashbell's «Brand of Darkness» and covered in wounds, Kamito raced towards the battlefield reluctantly, towards Muir Alenstarl's military spirit – but at that very moment, the curse of the mark took effect on Kamito's body, and he was overcome by a blinding pain.

And then –

"...!"

The instant he regained his memory, Kamito's whole body stiffened, as if he'd been struck by lightning.

The image that sprung to mind was that of a girl – with mysterious violet eyes.

With beautiful silvery-white hair that reflected the moonlight.

With small hands that gently stroked his back.

And with lips that were cold as ice yet hot as fire when they touched his.

Then she turned into innumerable particles of light, which dissipated into a void—

That was the last Kamito saw of her.

"... Es... t?"

The name escaped from his lips in a trembling, spontaneous exhale.

It was the name of one who had always remained by his side, the name of an extremely important someone, the name of his contract spirit.

His slight memory disturbances earlier must have been because he had not wanted to face this fact.

"Kamito..."

Claire's low, worried words almost went unheard by Kamito.

"You must be joking... Est, why did she–"

Her meaningless words rang hollow.

His newly recovered memory insisted on replaying the last scene he saw before losing consciousness.

At that time, she had whispered in his ear:

Goodbye, Kamito –.

Blade spirit Est – with a head of silvery-white hair, just like a snow fairy.

His contract with her was originally a chance occurrence.

While maintaining a contract with a contract spirit from the past, the end result was an incomplete contract.

Originally, he could not even wield a tenth of the power with the contract. It must have been considerably painful for a powerful spirit like her.

However, Est had said that was all right.

To be able to contracted with you, that alone is wonderful – she had said.

''But I –''

Three years ago, there was a day he had lost a previous contract spirit.

From that day onwards, he had vowed not to lose anyone important.

"Yet I – again!"

Est had disappeared.

She had sacrificed her very existence in order to save Kamito from being eroded by the curse of the brand.

"Damn –"

"Kamito!"

He threw up his hands in despair only for Claire to quickly catch hold of them.

She gazed steadily into his eyes, with the intent of calming him down.

"Est was not eliminated."

"Ah?"

"After all, your hands still bear signs of a spirit contract, right?"

Kamito's eyes widened.

"Y...es... indeed."

His right hand, the one in Claire's grasp, still bore a design of intersecting swords.

That was the proof of a spirit contract—the spirit seal.

If the contract spirit were to be eliminated, the spirit seal would then of course disappear.

The reason why Kamito had believed for all these three years that Restia had not vanished—the reason why he had retained a glimmer of hope—was entirely because the spirit seal inscribed on his left hand still remained.

The spirit seal connects the contractor to the contract spirit; it is a special «Gate».

Now the pain was too weak to be felt – but as long as the spirit seal on his right hand did not disappear, he would have proof that Est had not been completely eliminated.

"Est, she's still alive."

"Yes. And even if we cannot call her out now, there must be a way to do so."

If that's the case, I can't remain like this.

"... Ah ah ah ah ah!"

Biting back the pain coursing through his entire body, Kamito got up from the bed.

"Wait, wait a moment, what are you doing!? You still can't –"

"Est is waiting – I don't have the time to continue sleeping!"

Just as Claire's hands moved to stop him–

Gurgle gurgle ~

A lovely sound arose in the room.

"...Claire?"

All the strength had drained from his body.

"...... ~!Th-Th-This is a misunderstanding, t-there wasn't a strange sound just now!"

"You... don't tell me, you haven't had anything to eat since yesterday?"

"A-After all, you've been having a bad fever, well..."

Claire blushed and stammered.

"You can't afford to skip meals since tomorrow the battle begins."

"... I-I know. Speaking of which, you haven't eaten either."

"Well, I'm more or less accustomed to that..."

In his youth, Kamito had spent most of his time undergoing intense training at the «Instructional School».

The education he received there included even training to withstand starvation. Although he had no intention of attempting such a thing, he could now easily go without food for several days.

''Then again...''

Something suddenly occurred to Kamito.

''Everyone now knows that I was from the «Instructional School»...''

Precisely because they were important companions, he had not wanted them to know of his past.

Once they learnt of that, he thought that they would not want anything to do with him anymore.

It was only natural that one would think so.

On the contrary, they had treated Kamito –

"You... what you are or aren't accustomed to, that's entirely beside the point. If you don't eat well, you'll never regain your strength. Look, I even brought fruit here specially f-for you."

At this, Claire indicated the basket on the bedside table.

It was filled to the brim with delicious-looking ripe peaches.

"– Claire, thank you."

"Don't stand on courtesy, it's nothing. After all, they were brought back from the ball."

"No such thing!"

Kamito looked directly at Claire.

"Even after learning I was an orphan from the «Instructional School», you still stayed my friend, saying it didn't matter. ... About that, I'm still very glad."

"W-What, ah, well, that..."

Claire blushed and looked away.

"B-But of course, isn't that just how it is? Regardless of your past, you're my spirit slave  in the present and that will not change!"

With a wry smile and a nod of his head, Kamito reached into the basket for a peach.

"Here, hand me a small knife, I'll cut it open."

"Leave it to me. You're the hurt one, get some rest."

"The peach is fragile, so it can be difficult to peel. I thought you weren't good at peeling fruits?"

"W-well, if you think that..."

Claire hid her face. Truth be told, it seemed that all the women at the institution, both youths and adults, were all not that good at homemaking. It wasn't just Claire who was particularly bad at preparing fruits.

Kamito shrugged, picked up a knife from the table, and nimbly started peeling the peach.

Watching his deft handiwork, Claire asked emotionally:

"Did you learn this from that «Instructional School» too?"

"No, cooking and other skills I picked up during my travels. My travel companion was very picky when it came to flavors and tastes!"

"... Companion, meaning that dark spirit girl?"

"Yeah..."

While cutting the peach, Kamito's expression turned sour.

"Well – so it's like that..."

Claire looked doubtful.

"Look, it is peeled."

As if to change the subject, Kamito speared the peeled peach on a fork and presented it to Claire.

As she took a bite, some peach juice sprayed back at him.

"Yum yum~ so sweet, it's really delicious...!"

[[File:STnBD V05 025.jpg|thumbnail|right]]

Her two red ponytails danced in joy.

Claire put her hands to her cheeks, an expression of sheer bliss on her face. She looked so lovely one could accidentally lose oneself in admiration.

"Well, now, have another..."

Kamito raised the fork holding the peach. Like a cat being teased, Claire's gaze followed it in a trance-like state.

"Look, here it is!"

He moved his hand away.

"Ah!"

And again.

"R-Really now!"

Claire's mouth opened and shut as she chased the peach doggedly.

Left, right. ... And again.

Finding it very interesting, Kamito intended to continue for a little longer –

"... ~Oi, w-why are you so cruel!"

Claire snarled, tears welling in her eyes.

"... Sorry, just felt like you were as adorable as a cat, so."

"...?! W-what do you mean cute... s-stupid idiot, that's what you are!"

Into the mouth of the red-faced, frantically gesticulating Claire –

"Aah."

– went the peach.

And she bit down.

"Whew, ah, it's so delicious ..."

"Just like a cat."

Claire shot Kamito a look.

"Hey, isn't this situation backwards?"

"Hrm, backwards?"

"The injured person is you, but I'm the one eating."

"Well, it's a small matter, don't worry about it."

Kamito shrugged his shoulders, and conveniently put the peach into his own mouth.

The slightly tangy taste of the peach juice spread immediately in his mouth.

"Mmm, it really is delicious. It's thoroughly ripe!"

"I-isn't that the same fork..."

"... What's the matter?"

"N-No, it's nothing –"

Claire hastily took her eyes off him.

"Anyway –"

Kamito put the fork aside and asked.

"Yes, what?"

"What's the performance for the «Blade Dance»? The divination of the Queens have already been revealed, right?"

While Kamito was unconscious, the five Queens had held a ceremony at the great temple of the «Divine Ritual Institute». where the Five Elemental Lords bestowed their divine revelation. The performance was to be decided by this divine revelation – as for the competition format, it would be announced at a later date.

At this, Claire's expression grew serious.

"Mmhm, the blade dance performance to be presented will be – the «Tempest»."

"«Tempest», huh..."

That had been the competition format used for the Blade Dance not only in recent years, but also tens, and even hundreds of years ago.

The elementalists who will be presenting the blade dance performance will come together at the gathering place in the vast holy lands, and the teams will do battle with each other over a number of days. Each individual's combat skills will be put to the test, but beyond that, of even greater significance will be their tactical and strategic ability, as well as teamwork and cooperation.

"... It will be a tough battle."

"Indeed. On the other hand, they clearly could have chosen a knockout-style tournament. If so, I suppose this was the best possible outcome."

Claire nodded with a serious look on her face.

The blade dance performance's format would be the «Tempest». This piece of information was one he had previously thought about.

With the only constraint being "five elementalists to a team", a little investigating on the history of the Blade Dance would have made it clear that the number of possible performance formats numbered only about ten or so.

As a matter of fact, the Areishia Spirit Academy had even conducted an extensive training exercise under the assumption that this performance would be selected.

However, one could still hold out hope, for as long as possible, that this performance would not be chosen – this way of thinking was still true.

More so than individual skill, this competition format emphasized a team's combined strength. One would be hard-pressed to say this system had any benefits for Claire, who was still worried and unconfident in regards to teamwork.

Furthermore, «TEAM•SCARLET» had only formed recently. The five members had begun working together a mere few weeks ago. While each of them was a strong elementalist in his or her own right, their combined team strength still could not compare to that of the other teams.

''Furthermore...''

Kamito's gaze turned to the spirit seal inscribed on his right hand.

All along, Kamito's overwhelming strength had always been unrivaled amongst his companions.

However, Kamito was now in a state lacking his contract spirits.

Despite previously being known as the strongest Blade Dancer, without his contract spirit, Kamito could not reach his full strength as an elementalist.

Following that, he rested his hand lightly on the chest wound that was still aching dully.

''—The curse of this brand had yet to fade completely.''

The «Brand of Darkness» Ren Ashbell had engraved was even now still eating away at his body.

Although Est had suppressed the worst of the damage by sacrificing herself, she had not entirely destroyed it.

"Est..."

Murmuring her name, even injecting into it divine power, the spirit seal yielded no response.

Instead, an intense scorching pain invaded his entire body.

"... Ah, damn it..."

"You'd better not act rashly. What you can do now is to get a good rest in order to regain your strength and divine power."

"... Ah, ah, I know."

Clenching his lips tightly, Kamito nodded and laid flat on the bed again.

=== Part 2 ===

''... Kamito seemed to be pretty depressed.''

Outside Kamito's room, Claire let out a small sigh.

This was not unreasonable. After all, it was an elementalist who had lost their own contract spirit before his own eyes.

That bitterness, Claire understood all too well, as she too had lost Scarlet in the past. At that time, Claire had given up on herself, and had even allowed herself to be tempted by the dark spirit.

Of course, Est's eradication had left Claire somewhat shaken too.

For Est had not been just another contract spirit.

She was also an important companion of Claire's in the institution; for more than two months, they had fought side by side.

".......We need to quickly find a way to bring Est back."

The practical problem was that, without Est, «TEAM•SCARLET» had no chance of winning the battle royale. Kamito had incomparable strength, but an elementalist without a contract spirit at his side would not be able to do his best at a competition such as the «Blade Dance», where there were many tough opponents.

There must be a way to bring Est back – true, she had just said that, but what exactly one would need to do, she did not know. Assuming it was possible was fine and all, but they might not have enough time.

The Blade Dance battle would begin tomorrow; they could only afford to spare one day. If Kamito could not bring Est back in that time, they would have to rely on only the four remaining people to win the battle royale.

Although they did not intend on losing to the other teams, the fact of the matter was that their chances of victory against a strong opponent—such as, say, the Dracunia Dragons led by Leonora Lancaster—were slim indeed.

Moreover, in order to win the grand event, they would still have to take down Ren Ashbell, the most powerful of the Blade Dancers.

Then again, it was also possible for Kamito to look for another spirit to contract with.

''But, all things considered, that was not likely...''

Pacing around the portico, Claire shook her head. Leaving aside for the moment the issue of finding a suitable new contract spirit, Kamito would most certainly reject the idea of any other spirit but Est.

''Speaking of whom –''

Out of the blue, the image of that dark spirit girl inadvertently surfaced in Claire's mind.

Jet-black hair, billowing in the wind. A lovely girl with eyes the color of dusk.

''In the end, I still did not ask Kamito about her...''

A wave of pain rushed through her chest as she thought of it.

It was yesterday evening, in the courtyard of the castle: Kamito and the dark spirit girl, their lips locked in a kiss.

It wasn't that she lacked the opportunity to ask; it was just not a suitable time for such a matter. Shocked and upset over having lost Est, Kamito was not in a state for her to pursue the matter to completion.

''But that girl; what on earth was her relationship with Kamito...?''

The previous contract spirit was a girl of darkness who, even now, still held Kamito's heart.

The strange pain in her chest burned more and more intensely.

"W-Well, whatever, that rascal can get all kissy-kissy with whoever he wants to! It's got nothing to with me right?"

Claire reasoned this out with herself and then stopped outside the room.

She opened the door —

"...Huh !?"

There were three people in the room who rose from the couch in unison.

"Is Kamito awake!?"

Claire nodded her head in response to Ellis's query.

"Well, yeah, but it seems the fever has not receded yet. He should continue to rest."

".....Hmm, I see. All in all, it's good that he's doing alright."

"T-To actually have a girl worry so much over him. This guy still causes headaches like before!"

Rinslet crossed and uncrossed her fingers restlessly.

"... It was really all thanks to Est. My skills were simply ineffective against the curse of that brand."

In contrast with the other two, who seemed to have breathed sighs of relief, Fianna wore a somber expression.

Fianna was originally the second-best princess maiden overall in the «Divine Ritual Institute». Her power and skill at curse-breaking was comparable to that of the current princess maidens.

However, the «Brand of Darkness» inscribed by Ren Ashbell on Kamito's body contained a curse so strong that it left even Fianna helpless.

If at that time Est had not sacrificed herself, then —

Kamito's physicial body would have been utterly corroded by the curse. At worst, he might even have died.

"I have searched through a wide range of material but still couldn't find any information on this curse."

The pile of heavy books around Fianna was as high as a mountain.

She had brought these with her from the institution. They contained incantations and curses as well as documents related to spirits.

"But even now, I still cannot believe that..."

Ellis spoke while clenching her lips.

"That Ren Ashbell would go so far as to actually do such a thing —"

"... Yeah, I know."

Claire nodded.

The strongest Blade Dancer.

Her goal was to become a princess maiden elementalist, the most lauded person.

At the Blade Dance three years ago, her blade dance performance had mesmerized countless girls.

Whether it was Claire, Ellis, or anyone, they all held a powerful and honorable person like her in high respect. They had endured the Academy's numerous, strict training regimens in order to be an elementalist like her.

Which was why when Muir Alenstarl told them that it was she who had carved the «Brand of Darkness» onto Kamito's body, they completely could not bring themselves to believe it.

However, on further reflection—

''Not a single one of them knew anything about who she was...''

For example, what wish she made to the Elemental Lord as the victor of the Blade Dance three years prior.

Why, after reaching the highest possible level of renown, did she suddenly disappear without a trace from the eyes of the world.

And why, with things in their current state, would she want to make a return?

Speculation of all sorts were floating about, but it still remained a mystery.

Finally, why would the strongest active elementalist want to place a curse on Kamito.

The reason for that was unclear as well.

''For preemptive reasons, so as to reduce Kamito to a certain amount of strength before the battle royale?''

Even if that were so, there was no need to use such a circuitous strategy as a curse.

One would only need to fight with overwhelming brute strength to eliminate others, like what Muir Alenstarl did.

"Without conclusive evidence, that impostor elementalist may as well be the real Ren Ashbell."

"... But in that case, why not use her real identity?"

"Maybe there's some reason why she couldn't use her true identity," muttered Fiana.

"You think there is a hidden reason?"

"Ah... I-I didn't say anything!"

Addressing the frowning Claire, Fianna hurriedly shook her head.

"If there was someone masquerading as Ren Ashbell and using her name, I would never forgive her."

Placing her hands on the sword at her waist, Ellis spoke up.

"Come on, let's take the initiative to go ask her—"

"Impossible. We don't even know where she is in the first place."

Claire shook her head at Ellis's impulsive and dangerous proposal.

The team representing Ren Ashbell, Team Inferno of Alphas Theocracy, had apparently stayed in a tower outside the region where they waited for an opportunity to strike. No one knew where they were.

Moreover, Muir Alenstarl, who had vanished after yesterday's skirmish, had not given up on her plans to kill Claire and company. A slow, stealthy approach would be more practical than a direct dangerous one.

"Her intentions are indeed a major concern, but—the foremost problem here has to be Est."

Claire turned towards Fianna and asked,

"I'll get straight to the point. Est – can she still return?"

"That..."

Fianna stroked her chin, as though deep in thought.

"If Kamito's hand still shows signs of the spirit seal, it is evidence that Est has not been completely vanquished. Ordinarily, once she fully regains her power, she can return. It's just that –"

"Just that?"

"This is just my hypothesis – Est may have been trapped in a prison of the curse. Regarding this, I cannot be sure."

"What do you mean?"

"Est used her power to suppress the curse, but she did not completely break it. Now she might be held, shackled by the curse, unable to move."

"In order to rescue Est, we'll have to deal with the curse first, won't we?"

Ellis nodded a serious expression.

"In regards to the «Brand of Darkness», I can get some help from the forces at the «Divine Ritual Institute». ... Next, there is the problem of Kamito himself. Although I don't think this will crush his spirits..."

"But, he seemed really upset......"

Even in front of Claire, he had put on a brave front so as not to let anyone see him weak. At the end of the day however, he could not hide how much the loss of Est had affected him.

By the looks of it, it should take him quite some time to get his act together.

"In that case......is there anything we can do for him?"

Rinslet said.

"Truthfully speaking, it's not that we don't have an option..."

"Eh, really?" "What's is it?" "D-Don't leave us guessing! Tell us directly, please!"

Hearing this, Claire and the others who were not giving up, gathered in front of Fianna.

Fianna sighed and said:

"... Help our own opponents. While it is infuriating, we really have no choice."

She uttered this sentence of cryptic meaning –

And then informed them on what they - can - do - for - Kamito.

"...!"

The trio's faces instantly turned bright red.

"W-Wait a minute! That sort of thing – how could we possibly to do that!"

"R-Really now! Such a shameful thing... as a knight, I cannot accept it!"

"Keep in mind that I am the eldest daughter of the noble Laurenfrost family!"

The wave of protest from the girls came at the same time.

"Hmm – so you mean to say that you don't want Kamito to recover?"

Fianna sharply spoke and pointed at them.

"T-That is..."

"Of course that isn't true–"

"... I-I didn't mean it like that, except–"

The three blushed and stammered.

A mischievous smile formed on Fianna's face.

"All right then, it's settled. There are all sorts of ceremonial props in the luggage I brought. Help yourselves.

As she spoke, she reached into the travel bag and took out a myriad of colorful costumes and props.

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Seirei Tsukai no Blade Dance:Volume4 Epilogue

2013-05-12T06:04:00Z

Monsterbandage: /* Epilogue */

==Epilogue==

"No way, why......"

Muir Alenstarl who had lost {{Furigana|the annihilation spirit|Tiamat|margin=12}}—

Was standing stock still in the mud in shock.

That appearance was akin to a girl who had just dropped her favorite toy in the river.

The «Monster» that had been trying to kill Claire and the others until just now was nowhere in sight.

"Nii-sama was supposed to stay weak forever and ever......"

"Muir, I may have really become weak."

Kamito thrust his sword into the ground and held his hand out to the frightened Muir.

Muir tilted her head to the side.

"But now I have those around me who convert that weakness into strength."

"......"

Muir blinked her eyes—

"Wh-What's with that......"

Sulkily, she averted her eyes.


"I hate nii-sama. I hate you."

"Muir......"

And then.

His heart squirmed.

"......Aguu, ahhhhhh!"

Instantaneously. His entire body felt like it was burning up and intense pain ran throughout him.

With a anguished cry, Kamito fell to the ground.

"—Kamito!?"

Claire pulled the collapsed Kamito back up.

"......Wait, what's going on exactly!?"

"......It's nothing......"

"Idiot, there's no way that's true!"

"Kamito-san!"

"Kamito, what's wrong!"

Rinslet and Ellis, along with Fianna, all hurriedly rushed to his side.

"—Show me."

Fianna unbuttoned his shirt with a serious expression.


And then—

"......What is this!?"

Upon seeing Kamito's unveiled chest — she became speechless.

Roughly around his heart's location, an ominous black pattern was engraved.

"No way, a Cursed Armament Seal......!"

"What did you say!?"

Anxiety flashed across all four of their faces.

And.

"That woman, doing such things without asking me—"

Muir stood while biting her lips.

"......That woman? You, do you know anything?"

Claire sharply inquired and Muir flinched before shaking her shoulders.

Without her military spirit, she was now just a normal powerless girl.

"......Gu, ahh, ahhhhhhhh!"

Kamito vomited and tore at his own chest.

"It's dangerous at this rate. We need to report this to a «Divine Ritual Institute» quickly!"

"Got it!"


Ellis stood up and summoned her flying wind spirit—

And.

"—Move aside."

A quiet voice resounded.

"......?"

The location the voice came from — everyone looked towards that spot.

There stood Est who had returned to human form.

Coldly shining silvery white hair.

Mysterious violet pupils.

Est's profile lit by the moon gave off a godly feeling.

In the face of that beauty—

"Est......"

Kamito forgot about his burning pain for a moment.

"Kamito."

Est whispered.

With small, cold fingertips, Est touched Kamito's jaw and,

"I am your sword. Therefore—"


On Kamito's lips.

She planted hers.

"Es......t......!?"

Dizziness. His mind was attacked by a sweet drunken feeling.

He could only widen his eyes in shock.

The warmth of the touching lips.

The softness of the touching lips.

The silvery white hair caressing his cheeks.

Small fingertips were wrapped around his back.

Those delicate limbs which seemed like they could break at any moment.

The heat from those fingertips. Or possibly coolness.

He was wrapped in those strange and gentle sensations.

He felt his entire body relax.

Their lips parted lightly.

But the hair upon his cheeks did not part.

"......Est?"

And then—
[[Image:STnBD V04 256-257.jpg|200px|thumb]]

"Good bye, Kamito."

Est's body disintegrated into many light shards and disappeared into thin air.

"—Est!"

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Seirei Tsukai no Blade Dance:Volume4 Chapter10

2013-05-12T05:44:26Z

Monsterbandage: /* Part 1 */

==Chapter 10: Showdown with the Past==
===Part 1===

Inside the forest crackling from the fire—

"......Kamito is an assassin trained at the «Instructional School»?"

Claire muttered that, dumbfounded.

Ellis, Fianna and Rinslet all exchanged glances while collapsed on the ground.

«Instructional School» — if one were to ask the empire's people, there would be no one who had not heard that name.

Four years ago. At the same time as the Calamity Queen's rebellion, the empire's dark side was revealed.

In the intercontinental regions, orphans that appeared to possess the right disposition were gathered and trained as assassins by a gathering of fanatics.

"That kind of thing......"

It was not something that could be believed immediately.

But if it were true—

Kamito's uncommon strength.

It also explained why he hid his past so obstinately.

''......So that's what it was. That's why Kamito—''

Claire stood still and shut her mouth tightly.


"Aha, was it shocking? Onee-chan."

Muir said that with a sneer.

"Nii-sama is a monster just like me. He's not human."

Suddenly, «Tiamat»'s earth dragon head began chanting spirit magic.

Ghastly plants with living tendril extensions growing from it emerged from the ground and attacked Claire and the others.

The four who were completely drained of energy were at the mercy of the plants and were lifted into the air.

"Nooo!" "What is this!" "Da-Damn you, insolent thing!"

The slimy plants tore the girls' dresses and touched their bare skin like tentacles.

They struggled against the unpleasant feeling, but were unable to put up any resistance.

"Fufu, that's a good look. Onee-chans."

"N, fuaa......this......!"

Claire swung her Flame Tongue in an attempt to burn the plants but—

The flames disappeared like smoke and were completely extinguished.

''......I'm losing divine power!''

Spirits were unusable by anyone except pure maidens. Even if you had a close bond with the contracted spirit, this didn't change.

The purification ceremony that the spirit contracting princess maidens underwent before sacred rituals or blade dances was to achieve this condition.


The teasing disgraceful treatment wasn't without purpose. Muir was corrupting their bodies so they would be unable to use their contracted spirits.

But there was no time to feel shy from showing an unladylike appearance as the plants dug into their limbs.

Breathing was becoming difficult with the creaking sound of their bones.

"......Ah, guu......"

"You're crying out in a nice voice. I'd like to let Nii-sama hear it as well."

Said the innocently laughing young girl's voice.

''Kami......to......''

Inside her conscience that was growing faint—

Claire called that name.

''—Save me, Kamito!''

Just then, the flash of a sword.

''......Eh?''

A sudden floating feeling.


Following that, Claire's body fell down into the mud.

Ellis, Fianna and Rinslet were also successively freed from the plants.

"......"

Claire blinked.

Over there—

"Sorry, I made you wait."

Kamito stood there holding a gleaming silvery white sword.

===Part 2===
Kamito breathed heavily and stood a short distance from the roaring «Tiamat».

His face was pale as if lacking blood and he was drenched in cold sweat. Thanks to Est suppressing his condition, he could more or less continue to stand.

"Kamito......"

Claire let out a surprised voice.

"......So you've heard about me?"

"......"

[[Image:STnBD V04 240.jpg|200px|thumb]]


Silence answered him.

With just that, Kamito understood.

They had learned about his past.

"Kamito, is it true? That you were......"

"Yeah, it's true."

Kamito turned away from Claire and nodded.

"I'm the same as Muir, an orphan from the «Instructional School»."

He heard a gasp.

It wasn't just Claire. Ellis, Fianna and Rinslet as well.

They widened their eyes as the cruel truth was appended to Kamito's profile.

A disgusting child of darkness. Possibly a pitiful monster.

He didn't know which was better.

Whatever the case, their relationship would change from now on.

''......Well, it was bound to get out sooner or later.''

Kamito sighed deeply with resignation—

And continued forward to stand before Muir Alenstarl and «Tiamat».

"Claire, I'm sorry for keeping it secret until now. But—"


He gripped Terminus Est in both hands.

"I will definitely protect you all. That will never change."

"Kamito, y-you......"

Then.

Claire's trembling voice—

"Aren't you a fool!"

"Hah?"

Kamito let out a voice that fully ignored the atmosphere of the moment.

Over there — a whip sounded.

The leather whip struck his back just like always.

"That hurts! What's that for!"

While shouting, he turned around—

Gogogogogogogogo......!

Claire's shoulders were trembling.

Her twintails stood on edge like a flame.

"......O-Oi, Claire?"

Cold sweat ran down his cheek.


......She was angry. The hellcat ojou-sama was extremely angry.

"Y-Y-You......what do you mean by that?"

Claire rapidly advanced towards him.

Her ruby eyes glared at Kamito.

"A-About what?"

"The reason you wouldn't talk about your past!"

Slight tears were present on the corners of her eyes.

"If I knew about your past, you thought that I'd look at you with those kind of eyes?"

"N-No, because I came from that «Instructional School»......"

Kamito was overwhelmed and backed away.

"So what?"

"Eh?"

"Well, of course, I was a bit surprised, you know? I was surprised but—"

Claire pointed at Kamito's chest.

"Kamito is still Kamito. Aren't your worries stupid?"

"......"


Kamito was dumbfounded and—

"Kamito-san......that really is stupid."

"Yeah, that's right. Stupid beyond belief."

"Oh, Kamito-kun, that's so stupid ♪ ."

The three other ojou-samas also said as much with astonished expressions.

"Y-you guys......"

"Listen well, Kamito."

Claire glared at Kamito with upturned eyes.

"......!?"

Her face was close. It was a distance where lips would meet if they were any closer.

Or rather, if he actually looked, Claire was completely naked other than her panties.

Even in this kind of situation, his heart throbbed.

"Your past has nothing to do with it."

Claire gazed at Kamito with a serious expression.

"After all, you're our teammate and my important—"

"......Claire?"

While squirming, Claire's face lit up red. Kamito swallowed hard.


And then—

"Because you're my slave spirit!"

She screamed that.

"......Yeah, that's right."

Kamito smiled wryly.

''......I was really being stupid.''

He felt that he should have trusted his companions more.

It had only been two months since he had met Claire and the other ojou-samas.

But they had passed all that time together.

Even if they learned about his past, that time wasn't something that would change so easily.

Despite the fact that he should have known that—

"......Claire, sorry."

"Hmph, what a troublesome slave spirit."

Claire averted her eyes a little shyly.

"Nii-sama......"

And Muir Alenstarl muttered that.

"What are you saying? Nii-sama is a monster just like Muir!"


"Muir......"

Kamito looked up at the girl riding on «Tiamat»'s back.

"......I'm already not the same as the me from back then."

"That's a lie, nii-sama can't......"

Muir widened her eyes and—

Glared, not in Kamito's direction, but Claire and the others' direction.

"......I get it, nii-sama. You've been tricked by them."

"—Muir!"

The Cursed Armament Seal on her right hand began to glow ominously.

«Tiamat» roared madly and its interior portion grew larger.

The scales covering its body blew off and chunks of meat scattered.

"Muir's nii-sama — cannot be forgiven. I'll crush everyone."

"......"

Muir Alenstarl — a girl, who for some reason called him nii-sama, was a dear existence to him.

Having hardly changed, she still possessed a cute childish face.

A slight pain crossed his heart.

However—


"Sorry, Muir. The ojou-samas I must protect are here."

Kamito raised the demon slayer — Terminus Est in both hands.

"You can't abandon your past, nii-sama!"

"Yeah, I have no intention of abandoning it. This sword is—"

The sword in his hand shone with light—

"To protect those precious to me and carve the way to the future!"

Kamito jumped.

At the same time, «Tiamat»'s «Fire Dragon» released a breath of flames!

He didn't avoid it — pouring divine power into his blade, he blew away the flames.

''......Muir Alenstarl, a military spirit contracting expert.''

With a power that drew out a spirit's power to its limit — «Jester's Vise»'s user.

One who was without equal in large-scale destruction, the number two of the «Instructional School».

And the spirit she was controlling now, the {{Furigana|annihiliation spirit|Tiamat|margin=12}}, was a top-class spirit.

The opposing Kamito was heavily injured.

He wasn't the {{Furigana|strongest blade dancer|Ren Ashbell|margin=12}} anymore, but could he win with such rusty skills?

''—It doesn't matter!''

Kamito kicked the ground and accelerated.


For some reason, he didn't feel like he would lose. There was no prediction that showed him collapsed on the ground.

''Companions that trust in me are here — just that is making my body unbelievably light.''

"Ohhhhhh!"

Aiming at Kamito, the «Wind Dragon» began chanting spirit magic.

Innumerable wind blades were released. If they even grazed him, limbs would be lost.

"—O wind, to the brave warrior, grant your divine protection!"

From behind, he could hear the chant of a gallant knight captain.

A whirlwind gathered around him and protected his body. Ellis' specialty flying spirit. Kamito jumped and accelerated again — he dodged all the wind blades by jumping over them.

The gleaming white blade in the dark of night. With that, the «Wind Dragon»'s head flew into the air.

''One—''

"Wha......"

Muir opened her eyes in shock.

Mad with anger, «Tiamat» broke free of her control and attacked Kamito fiercely.

The «Earth Dragon» opened its rock-solid mouth filled with dull fangs. It dropped its head and in that instant, Kamito—

—A blade flash drew an arc and the «Earth Dragon»'s head fell like an iron hammer.

''Two—''


"Why!? Nii-sama, nii-sama isn't even awakened yet—"

"Muir, during our time at the «Instructional School», did you win against me even once?"

"......!?"

Muir's «Jester's Vise» paired with the {{Furigana|annihilation spirit|Tiamat|margin=12}} was indeed an unmatched weapon.

But that was only in terms of large-scale destruction.

Against Kamito who specialized in assassination, it was a bad match.

If each of the five heads was cut off one by one — it was not an unbeatable opponent.

The «Water Dragon» and «Fire Dragon» attacked at the same time from both directions. Kamito sunk his body — and flew using the power of the wind armor. Circling around behind the heads in an instant, he beheaded them both at once.

''That's four—''

These were the sword techniques for assassination taught at the «Instructional School». Kamito's true blade dance. Moves that were sealed in academy battles.

Kamito quickly corrected his stance — and just then.

The neck of the «Water Dragon» flapping in the air released a water breath.

Cutting the head off was not enough to be a killing blow. With that, Kamito's body was blown into the ground.


''......Kuu!''

He tried to stand quickly but—

In the mouth of the remaining «Holy Dragon», light gathered for its «{{Furigana|Judgment Flash|Holy Ray|margin=12}}».

It was an attack that would wipe away a human in an instant.

"—Kamito!"

The burning Flame Tongue drew a red line across the sky.

The flaming whip hit the «Holy Dragon»'s neck and stopped its movements momentarily.

With that—

"Freezing fangs, pierce — {{Furigana|Demon Ice Arrow|Freezing Arrow|margin=12}}!"

Rinslet's ice arrows struck the still-open mouth of the dragon and froze it.

No. It wasn't just a freezing arrow—

"—Wait naught for winter and bloom now, {{Furigana|Ice Break Flower|Ice Break|margin=12}}!"

In concert with Rinslet's words, the demonic ice shattered.

The resulting ice blades sliced all over «Tiamat»'s body.

"Ohhhhhhhh!"

The giant dragon's body stopped moving and in a split-second—

Kamito's demon-slaying blade destroyed the remaining «Holy Dragon» head.

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Seirei Tsukai no Blade Dance:Volume4 Chapter8

2013-05-11T17:07:28Z

Monsterbandage: /* Part 1 */

==Chapter 8: Ball Dance==
It was evening. The Blade Dance ceremony began at the castle serving as lodging for the representatives.

There were already many guests of honor assembled that were having friendly conversations in the grand hall of the castle.

There was elegant music flowing about, and chandeliers that were arranged lavishly with spirit crystals as decoration.

Extravagant seafood, meat, and fruit were laid out on a table lined up in the center.

Those invited to the ceremony were elementalists representing various countries and high-ranking royalty and nobles.

“This time, my country’s representative will be getting the victory.”

“What? The most superb elementalist is in my White Knights, you know?”

Even though they behaved politely on the surface, they unfolded a fierce war of words. Dressed in a formal suit, Kamito glanced at those nobles with an expression of being completely fed up.

''…Geez, it’s not like you’re the ones doing the blade dance…''

On the other side, the girls participating in the Blade Dance had nervous expressions.

They were equally competent, top-notch elementalists selected by the major nations of the continent.

These girls were about the same age as Kamito, and that was because the condition to partake in the Blade Dance was set that princess maidens had to be 20 years old and younger, following the oracle by the Elemental Lords..


This wasn’t restricted to the Blade Dance. Most of the important ceremonies dedicated to the spirits had the same condition. Spirits liked young pure maidens as offerings the best.

“…Anyway, they are still not here, huh?”

Holding a plate of a sauté of duck meat, Kamito looked around his surroundings relentlessly.

He still couldn’t see his teammate Ojou-samas.

Perhaps, they might have come across difficulties in wearing their dresses—but what was in his mind was whether Claire, who he had quarreled with, was coming.

After all, he wouldn’t be able to meet up with her in the castle later.

Looking at the entrance of the hall, he caught sight of one princess maiden being caught in a spot.

“Please don’t bring your animal inside!”

“Um, it isn’t a beast! This wolf is a friend of the forest!”

“Even if it’s a friend, no means no!”

…It seemed like the Druid girl was leading a wolf into the hall.

Although she was from a different team, it was a little embarrassing as they were representing the same academy.

Sighing in resignation, Kamito cast his sight downwards.

“Est, do you want to get something?”

He asked the sword-spirit girl holding a plate.


“I’d like fish next, Kamito.”

“Hn, you’re a good girl for not being picky. All the Ojou-samas have unbalanced diets.”

<nowiki>*</nowiki>Suri-suri* *Nade-Nade*

While he praised her, he stroked her head, and Est squinted.

Wearing a pure-white dress, Est was lovely, almost like a snow-fairy.

“…Est is cute.”

Stroking her head, he subconsciously let out his voice.

Est’s small ears twitched.

“Kamito?”

“Ah, it’s nothing…”

Kamito scratched his head in an attempt to dodge her question.

…That was a little embarrassing.

“Kamito, please say it once more.”

“Uh?”

“Once more.”

Est was gazing intently at Kamito with her mysterious eyes.

“E-Est is cute.”


“Kamito, once more.”

“You’re cute, Est.”

“More…”

“You’re cute, Est.”

“Kamito-kun, what are you doing?”

“Owa!”

Turning around—Fianna, dressed in a white dress, was staring at Kamito with reproachful eyes.

“Erm, that was, err…”

Upon trying to explain in a fluster—

“Before that, don’t you have anything to say?”

“Eh? A-Ahh…”

Even Kamito wasn’t such a quiet unsociable person to not notice that. No, as he didn’t notice until it was pointed out, he might indeed be a quiet unsociable person.

Kamito gulped.

It was a white dress, with a big opening at her chest area. Despite the daring design showing off her skin, the reason he could feel a sense of graceful elegance was because she was a real princess.


“…W-White also suits you.”

“Is that all?”

Seeming peevish, the princess pouted her lips.

“…Erm, you’re using pads.”

“I’m going to get angry, you know?”

“Wa-Wait!”

Fianna puffed out her cheeks. Kamito shook his head in a fluster.

And then—

“…You’re really pretty.”

He finally put his honest thoughts into his mouth.

“Hn, you pass. Kamito, your suit also suits you well.”

“…Why you. You made me say embarrassing things in public.”

“Fufu, it’s a punishment for not praising me from the beginning.”

Kamito could only sigh at Fianna, who impishly smiled.

“Hn, that reminds me, where’s Est?”

Before he knew it, he noticed that Est had disappeared.

Looking around his surroundings, he saw Est moving towards the dessert corner while holding onto her plate.


Upon meeting with Kamito’s eyes, she quickly turned her face away.

“It looked like you offended Miss Fairy.”

“Why is Est offended?”

“Fufu, you’re not allowed to praise another girl in front of a girl.”

Fianna morosely poked Kamito’s chest with her finger.

“Ka-Kamito-san, so here you are.”

This time, it was Rinslet, who came in a dress.

It was a striking marine-blue dress. Her glittering, platinum-blonde hair was tied up, and that appearance of hers was akin to that of a snow queen reigning over a country of ice.

Her cheeks were faintly flushed and reddened, and her lips had a glamorous, rosy color.

Her usual uniform appearance was indeed lovely, but—

This dressed-up Rinslet was so beautiful that he almost let out a sigh.

“Rinslet, you’re pretty.”

“Eh?”

Rinslet widely opened her eyes.

Her face turned red in the blink of an eye.


“Fua, wh-what are you saying?!”

The Ice-Snow Queen’s face melted in an instant.

“Hmm, Kamito-kun, you say these things to anyone, do you? As expected of the demon king of the night.”

“I only did as you advised, Fianna!”

Kamito glared with reproachful eyes at Fianna, who pouted her lips unhappily.

“That reminds me, is Claire with the two of you?”

“She returned to the room just now. Kamito-san, you have not met up with her, have you?”

“…Yea.”

It seemed like when Kamito went to look for her, they passed each other.

“Geez, that girl, she was really troublesome since the past.”

Rinslet puffed out her cheeks.

''…This means she’s still angry.''

Kamito made a heavy sigh in his mind. If she came to the dance, he’ll even bear with her cooking later, or something— That was what he was thinking.

“…E-Erm, Kamito-san.”

“Uh?”

Rinslet bashfully called out to Kamito.


“Erm, since we’re here, err…”

<nowiki>*</nowiki>Cough* *cough* The Ojou-sama coughed several times.

Then, like she gained her determination—

“Would you like to dance with me?”

“…Me?”

Kamito was perplexed.

“…Is that not okay?”

“No, I’m happy that you invited me, but is it alright for it to be me?”

“Y-Yea, I’m a little afraid about dancing with the other men.”

“…I see. However, I only know the basic steps.”

Kamito was taught the dance steps by Greyworth 3 years ago.

Honestly, he couldn’t say he was confident, and they were certainly not in fashion now.

“I-In that case, I’ll teach you!”

However, Rinslet let out her voice happily.

“Hn, is that so? Rinslet, if you’re fine with it, then I’m counting on you.”

Kamito was also a boy of age.

To be able to dance with such a cute girl like Rinslet, his heart was honestly pounding.


He gently held Rinslet graceful hand covered by a white glove.

“…Th-This is Kamito-san’s hand….”

Rinslet blushed.

“…H-How sly, me too.”

Then, Fianna grasped his other hand.

“H-Hey, Fianna!? We can’t dance like this…”

“That’s right! Quickly release his hand!”

Fianna and Rinslet were pulling Kamito’s hands.

Both of their breasts touched his arms and he was flustered.

…Before they knew it, the three of them were basked in the attention from their surroundings.

“I wonder what they’re doing?” “A fighting scene?” “They look like the representatives of the Areshia Spirit Academy.” “Don’t they even know the manners at a ball dance?” “That’s that male elementalist.” “Ah, that—” “Forcing unwilling girls to…” “To collect the two as his targets.” “He’s surely collecting his night targets as well.” “What infamy!” “But he’s kind of cool…”

Numerous whispers were being exchanged.

''Eh, why is the reproach only concentrated on me….''

Then—


“Y-You three! Don’t disrupt the public morals in the presence of the Elemental Lords!”

A gallant and serious voice came flying over.

“E-Ellis!?”

The one running over was Ellis in a dress.

Ellis pulled Kamito’s arm, and skillfully pulled him off the two ojou-sama.

“Kyaa, what are you doing?”

“Captain, what are you doing?!”

“No, what are you two doing, good grief…”

Placing her hand at her waist, Ellis strictly scolded the two who complained.

“We came here to represent our academy. You should be more self-aware.”

Then, she glared at Kamito this time.

“Kamito, you too—”

She became stiff at that point.

“What's wrong, Ellis?”

Thinking that he was going to have a sermon, Kamito was let down.

Ellis slightly blushed, and entwined her fingers bashfully in front of her chest.

“E-Erm, even a suit fits you, surprisingly. I guess that's what they mean by "the clothes make the man".”

“Is that so? I’m not really comfortable with suits, but—”


While bashfully scratching his head, Kamito looked at Ellis’ appearance in a dress.

What she was wearing was a brilliant pure-white dress. In contrast to Ellis’ gallant image, this was a very girlish dress arranged with plenty of frills.

“Ellis, yours suits you well too. It’s like you’re a princess and you look cute.”

“Wh…”

Her ponytail hair sprung up.

“Ah, uh… N-No way, m-me being cute…!”

Ellis turned red and got into a panic.

“Um, Kamito-kun!”

“Kamito-san?’

Fianna and Rinslet were glaring at him.

“Wh-What is it…”

“—It looks like the rumors are true, Kazehaya Kamito.”

“…?”

When Kamito turned to the voice of those biting words, a familiar girl was sharply staring at him.

“Y-You’re!?”

She had an azure dress where a dragon insignia was at the chest area. She had put on a hat with a feather attached to it.

Leonora Lancaster.


As the captain of the Knights of the Dragon Emperor, she was the ace of Dracunia.

“As I thought, I should have cut it off at that time.”

While Leonora glared at Kamito, she regretfully bit her lips.

A chill ran in Kamito’s spine.

“Dragon Princess Leonora Lancaster, I’ve been hearing rumors about you lately.”

Suddenly, Ellis placed her hand at her chest, faced her, and paid her respect as a knight.

“And you are?”

“Areishia Spirit Academy representative, Ellis Fahrengart.”

“The Fahrengarts—The one that turned out that Velsaria Eva?”

Ellis lifted her head and nodded.

“This time, Aneue isn’t participating due to some circumstances, but I’ve heard that you’re a pure and selfless knight. I’m pleased to be able to cross swords with a knight like you.”

She faced Leonora and reached out her dominant hand.

“It seems like splendid knights exist even in the empire.”

Leonora smiled, and grasped her hand without hesitation.

With both being fellow knights, they may have some things over which they can empathize with each other.

''…Certainly, those two are like glue.''


Kamito made a wry smile in his heart.

“However, that’s just regrettable. A splendid knight like yourself is being kept as Kazehaya Kamito’s lover—”

“Hey, wait a moment.”

Kamito shouted in a fluster.

''S-She, what did she—''

“Ah, lover!?”

Ellis turned red all the way till her ears and shouted.

“H-How shameless… I-I’m his lover—”

“That’s right, Ellis. Deny it please!”

“I’m… not his lover… but if Kamito wished for it, I’ll even…”

…Eh? Why is she mumbling?

“…What a frightening boy. You even corrupted such a splendid knight.”

“I’m saying that’s not it! Ellis, please quickly clear up this misunderstanding!”

“…S-Shut up! A-Are you not satisfied with me being your lover?!”

“What are you saying!?”

Kamito retorted, and at that time.


A small commotion was occurring at the entrance of the hall.

“That girl finally came.”

Rinslet muttered.

Kamito quickly looked towards the entrance.

The one at the center of the commotion was—

“Claire!?”

Claire Rouge, who was dressed in a crimson dress.

Her red twin-tail hair was tied up with ribbons. She was wearing polished enamel red high heels.

Pinching the side of her skirt with laces attached, she entered the hall.

Her breasts were small but her balanced proportion was plenty charming.

She was a beautiful girl, pretty as a rose and noble as a wildcat.

Such a Claire’s appearance made Kamito fascinated to the point of taking his breath away.

She had such brilliantness that she overshadowed the surrounding girls that were dressed-up.

She didn’t just fascinate Kamito. Everyone in the hall leaked out a breath of admiration.

“As expected of Rubia-sama’s sister. She was born a beauty.”

It was vexing but she lost— Fianna shrugged her shoulders.

“It’s really been a while since I’ve seen Claire in a dress.”


Rinslet slightly opened her mouth.

The commotion at the hall increasingly became bigger.

“Hey, is that red haired girl also a representative of the Blade Dance.”

“Um, so this is what they mean by spirits liking pure and beautiful girls, indeed—”

“Hey, aren’t you going to invite someone to a dance?”

It seemed like a group of young nobles were setting their eyes on Claire.

All the whispers being exchanged made Kamito slightly irritated.

''…You guys aren’t fit to be that hellcat ojou-sama's partner.''

He cursed in his heart as if to spit out the irritation of unknown origin.

At that moment, Claire looked over, and their eyes met.

“Claire—”

As he was about to call out to her—

She instantly averted away, so he swallowed his words.

…It seemed like she was still angry.

Losing the timing to call out to her, Kamito stood still.

Claire ignored the nobles ogling her, and walked towards the center.

He began to hear such voices from within the commotion over there.


“That that conflagration-like red hair… Don’t tell me, she’s the daughter of that Duke Elstein family?”

“The sister of the Calamity Queen that brought about disaster to the Ordesia Empire?”

“…What an ill omen. She’s a devilish girl.”

It seemed like there were people who knew Claire’s lineage among the participants of the ball.

Whispers of unrest were spreading like wild fire—

It’s not that she couldn’t hear them, however, Claire stayed composed.

Then, a young noble stepped forward before her.

“Would you like to dance a tune with me, fire-haired ojou-san?”

His atmosphere seemed frivolous but he was quite a handsome man.

He seemed to be an especially high-ranking person even among the nobles, as he led a group of followers in his surroundings.

“Hey, hey, are you serious?”

“Young master, I’m also worried about you playing with fire.”

His companions made a bitter smile. The boy seemed to be a royalty of some country.

“Why he…”

Kamito groaned from within his throat.

He couldn’t see the sincerity of a person asking for a dance in the boy’s expression. It was just that he knew about Claire being that Calamity Queen’s sister, and called out to her out of interest.


Claire—

“I’m sorry, but I’ll have to decline.”

She coldly declined the boy’s invitation.

It was natural. That hellcat girl wouldn’t even be emotionally attached to anyone.

“What was that?”

One of the followers looked daunted.

“Well, well, it’s fine to have such strong-willed girls once in a while.”

The boy nodded, full of composure, and forcibly grabbed Claire’s arm.

And then—

“Now, beautiful girl, I’ll give your hand a kiss—”

“…Huh?”

Claire stiffened.

''What are you thinking, you stupid noble!?''

As an elementalist princess maiden, a kiss is the most sacred ceremony of a spirit contract.

Even if it’s on the hand, it was unforgivable to thoughtlessly request for that.

With such a rude action of his, the sound of commotion occurred even from the surrounding.

“…Don’t touch me!”


Claire sharply shouted.

Normally, she’d act tough, but the truth was that she was an ojou-sama who wasn’t used to men. Her voice slightly trembled.

Being unable to watch on, Kamito was about to leave, and at that moment—

“What do you think you’re doing putting on airs. I’m the crown prince of the Balsutan Kingdom.”

“No, let go! You—”

<nowiki>*</nowiki>Pan*— A high pitched sound resound in the hall.

Claire slapped the boy.

She then turned to and ran towards the entrance of the hall.

“Damn her, my face—”

“What uncivilized…”

“It’s because she’s the sister of that Calamity Queen.”

The crown prince of the Balsutan and his followers raised words of criticism.

''… You should be just grateful that you didn’t turn into cinders!''

Kamito cursed and then he ran after Claire—

“Wait, Claire!”

“Kamito-san!”

Then, Rinslet grabbed his arm.


“Rinslet, why did you stop me?!”

“I’ll go.”

“But—”

“Kamito-san, if you, who are in the middle of a quarrel, go, it’ll just make things complicated. After all, I’m her childhood friend, so I understand that girl.”

“…”

Kamito thought for a few seconds—

“…I understand. I’ll entrust Claire to you.”

He obediently nodded.

Rinslet went running after Claire.

“Kamito-kun”

At this moment, Fianna perceptively whispered into his ear.

“What?”

“She’s here—”

“She?”

Kamito was shocked.

A commotion, which was way greater than the one just now, was occurring near the entrance of the hall.


The person of the highest profile in this round’s Blade Dance had appeared.

Sounds of hard shoes sounded, and she entered.

She was in a jet-black dress like a queen controlling over the night.

She was a black haired girl with her face covered by a scarlet red mask.

She was the strongest blade dancer—Ren Ashbell.

<noinclude>{{SeireiDance Nav|prev=Seirei Tsukai no Blade Dance:Volume4 Chapter7|next=Seirei Tsukai no Blade Dance:Volume4 Chapter9}}</noinclude>

Seirei Tsukai no Blade Dance:Volume4 Chapter8

2013-05-11T17:06:43Z

Monsterbandage: /* Part 1 */

==Chapter 8: Ball Dance==
===Part 1===
It was evening. The Blade Dance ceremony began at the castle serving as lodging for the representatives.

There were already many guests of honor assembled that were having friendly conversations in the grand hall of the castle.

There was elegant music flowing about, and chandeliers that were arranged lavishly with spirit crystals as decoration.

Extravagant seafood, meat, and fruit were laid out on a table lined up in the center.

Those invited to the ceremony were elementalists representing various countries and high-ranking royalty and nobles.

“This time, my country’s representative will be getting the victory.”

“What? The most superb elementalist is in my White Knights, you know?”

Even though they behaved politely on the surface, they unfolded a fierce war of words. Dressed in a formal suit, Kamito glanced at those nobles with an expression of being completely fed up.

''…Geez, it’s not like you’re the ones doing the blade dance…''

On the other side, the girls participating in the Blade Dance had nervous expressions.

They were equally competent, top-notch elementalists selected by the major nations of the continent.

These girls were about the same age as Kamito, and that was because the condition to partake in the Blade Dance was set that princess maidens had to be 20 years old and younger, following the oracle by the Elemental Lords..


This wasn’t restricted to the Blade Dance. Most of the important ceremonies dedicated to the spirits had the same condition. Spirits liked young pure maidens as offerings the best.

“…Anyway, they are still not here, huh?”

Holding a plate of a sauté of duck meat, Kamito looked around his surroundings relentlessly.

He still couldn’t see his teammate Ojou-samas.

Perhaps, they might have come across difficulties in wearing their dresses—but what was in his mind was whether Claire, who he had quarreled with, was coming.

After all, he wouldn’t be able to meet up with her in the castle later.

Looking at the entrance of the hall, he caught sight of one princess maiden being caught in a spot.

“Please don’t bring your animal inside!”

“Um, it isn’t a beast! This wolf is a friend of the forest!”

“Even if it’s a friend, no means no!”

…It seemed like the Druid girl was leading a wolf into the hall.

Although she was from a different team, it was a little embarrassing as they were representing the same academy.

Sighing in resignation, Kamito cast his sight downwards.

“Est, do you want to get something?”

He asked the sword-spirit girl holding a plate.


“I’d like fish next, Kamito.”

“Hn, you’re a good girl for not being picky. All the Ojou-samas have unbalanced diets.”

<nowiki>*</nowiki>Suri-suri* *Nade-Nade*

While he praised her, he stroked her head, and Est squinted.

Wearing a pure-white dress, Est was lovely, almost like a snow-fairy.

“…Est is cute.”

Stroking her head, he subconsciously let out his voice.

Est’s small ears twitched.

“Kamito?”

“Ah, it’s nothing…”

Kamito scratched his head in an attempt to dodge her question.

…That was a little embarrassing.

“Kamito, please say it once more.”

“Uh?”

“Once more.”

Est was gazing intently at Kamito with her mysterious eyes.

“E-Est is cute.”


“Kamito, once more.”

“You’re cute, Est.”

“More…”

“You’re cute, Est.”

“Kamito-kun, what are you doing?”

“Owa!”

Turning around—Fianna, dressed in a white dress, was staring at Kamito with reproachful eyes.

“Erm, that was, err…”

Upon trying to explain in a fluster—

“Before that, don’t you have anything to say?”

“Eh? A-Ahh…”

Even Kamito wasn’t such a quiet unsociable person to not notice that. No, as he didn’t notice until it was pointed out, he might indeed be a quiet unsociable person.

Kamito gulped.

It was a white dress, with a big opening at her chest area. Despite the daring design showing off her skin, the reason he could feel a sense of graceful elegance was because she was a real princess.


“…W-White also suits you.”

“Is that all?”

Seeming peevish, the princess pouted her lips.

“…Erm, you’re using pads.”

“I’m going to get angry, you know?”

“Wa-Wait!”

Fianna puffed out her cheeks. Kamito shook his head in a fluster.

And then—

“…You’re really pretty.”

He finally put his honest thoughts into his mouth.

“Hn, you pass. Kamito, your suit also suits you well.”

“…Why you. You made me say embarrassing things in public.”

“Fufu, it’s a punishment for not praising me from the beginning.”

Kamito could only sigh at Fianna, who impishly smiled.

“Hn, that reminds me, where’s Est?”

Before he knew it, he noticed that Est had disappeared.

Looking around his surroundings, he saw Est moving towards the dessert corner while holding onto her plate.


Upon meeting with Kamito’s eyes, she quickly turned her face away.

“It looked like you offended Miss Fairy.”

“Why is Est offended?”

“Fufu, you’re not allowed to praise another girl in front of a girl.”

Fianna morosely poked Kamito’s chest with her finger.

“Ka-Kamito-san, so here you are.”

This time, it was Rinslet, who came in a dress.

It was a striking marine-blue dress. Her glittering, platinum-blonde hair was tied up, and that appearance of hers was akin to that of a snow queen reigning over a country of ice.

Her cheeks were faintly flushed and reddened, and her lips had a glamorous, rosy color.

Her usual uniform appearance was indeed lovely, but—

This dressed-up Rinslet was so beautiful that he almost let out a sigh.

“Rinslet, you’re pretty.”

“Eh?”

Rinslet widely opened her eyes.

Her face turned red in the blink of an eye.


“Fua, wh-what are you saying?!”

The Ice-Snow Queen’s face melted in an instant.

“Hmm, Kamito-kun, you say these things to anyone, do you? As expected of the demon king of the night.”

“I only did as you advised, Fianna!”

Kamito glared with reproachful eyes at Fianna, who pouted her lips unhappily.

“That reminds me, is Claire with the two of you?”

“She returned to the room just now. Kamito-san, you have not met up with her, have you?”

“…Yea.”

It seemed like when Kamito went to look for her, they passed each other.

“Geez, that girl, she was really troublesome since the past.”

Rinslet puffed out her cheeks.

''…This means she’s still angry.''

Kamito made a heavy sigh in his mind. If she came to the dance, he’ll even bear with her cooking later, or something— That was what he was thinking.

“…E-Erm, Kamito-san.”

“Uh?”

Rinslet bashfully called out to Kamito.


“Erm, since we’re here, err…”

<nowiki>*</nowiki>Cough* *cough* The Ojou-sama coughed several times.

Then, like she gained her determination—

“Would you like to dance with me?”

“…Me?”

Kamito was perplexed.

“…Is that not okay?”

“No, I’m happy that you invited me, but is it alright for it to be me?”

“Y-Yea, I’m a little afraid about dancing with the other men.”

“…I see. However, I only know the basic steps.”

Kamito was taught the dance steps by Greyworth 3 years ago.

Honestly, he couldn’t say he was confident, and they were certainly not in fashion now.

“I-In that case, I’ll teach you!”

However, Rinslet let out her voice happily.

“Hn, is that so? Rinslet, if you’re fine with it, then I’m counting on you.”

Kamito was also a boy of age.

To be able to dance with such a cute girl like Rinslet, his heart was honestly pounding.


He gently held Rinslet graceful hand covered by a white glove.

“…Th-This is Kamito-san’s hand….”

Rinslet blushed.

“…H-How sly, me too.”

Then, Fianna grasped his other hand.

“H-Hey, Fianna!? We can’t dance like this…”

“That’s right! Quickly release his hand!”

Fianna and Rinslet were pulling Kamito’s hands.

Both of their breasts touched his arms and he was flustered.

…Before they knew it, the three of them were basked in the attention from their surroundings.

“I wonder what they’re doing?” “A fighting scene?” “They look like the representatives of the Areshia Spirit Academy.” “Don’t they even know the manners at a ball dance?” “That’s that male elementalist.” “Ah, that—” “Forcing unwilling girls to…” “To collect the two as his targets.” “He’s surely collecting his night targets as well.” “What infamy!” “But he’s kind of cool…”

Numerous whispers were being exchanged.

''Eh, why is the reproach only concentrated on me….''

Then—


“Y-You three! Don’t disrupt the public morals in the presence of the Elemental Lords!”

A gallant and serious voice came flying over.

“E-Ellis!?”

The one running over was Ellis in a dress.

Ellis pulled Kamito’s arm, and skillfully pulled him off the two ojou-sama.

“Kyaa, what are you doing?”

“Captain, what are you doing?!”

“No, what are you two doing, good grief…”

Placing her hand at her waist, Ellis strictly scolded the two who complained.

“We came here to represent our academy. You should be more self-aware.”

Then, she glared at Kamito this time.

“Kamito, you too—”

She became stiff at that point.

“What's wrong, Ellis?”

Thinking that he was going to have a sermon, Kamito was let down.

Ellis slightly blushed, and entwined her fingers bashfully in front of her chest.

“E-Erm, even a suit fits you, surprisingly. I guess that's what they mean by "the clothes make the man".”

“Is that so? I’m not really comfortable with suits, but—”


While bashfully scratching his head, Kamito looked at Ellis’ appearance in a dress.

What she was wearing was a brilliant pure-white dress. In contrast to Ellis’ gallant image, this was a very girlish dress arranged with plenty of frills.

“Ellis, yours suits you well too. It’s like you’re a princess and you look cute.”

“Wh…”

Her ponytail hair sprung up.

“Ah, uh… N-No way, m-me being cute…!”

Ellis turned red and got into a panic.

“Um, Kamito-kun!”

“Kamito-san?’

Fianna and Rinslet were glaring at him.

“Wh-What is it…”

“—It looks like the rumors are true, Kazehaya Kamito.”

“…?”

When Kamito turned to the voice of those biting words, a familiar girl was sharply staring at him.

“Y-You’re!?”

She had an azure dress where a dragon insignia was at the chest area. She had put on a hat with a feather attached to it.

Leonora Lancaster.


As the captain of the Knights of the Dragon Emperor, she was the ace of Dracunia.

“As I thought, I should have cut it off at that time.”

While Leonora glared at Kamito, she regretfully bit her lips.

A chill ran in Kamito’s spine.

“Dragon Princess Leonora Lancaster, I’ve been hearing rumors about you lately.”

Suddenly, Ellis placed her hand at her chest, faced her, and paid her respect as a knight.

“And you are?”

“Areishia Spirit Academy representative, Ellis Fahrengart.”

“The Fahrengarts—The one that turned out that Velsaria Eva?”

Ellis lifted her head and nodded.

“This time, Aneue isn’t participating due to some circumstances, but I’ve heard that you’re a pure and selfless knight. I’m pleased to be able to cross swords with a knight like you.”

She faced Leonora and reached out her dominant hand.

“It seems like splendid knights exist even in the empire.”

Leonora smiled, and grasped her hand without hesitation.

With both being fellow knights, they may have some things over which they can empathize with each other.

''…Certainly, those two are like glue.''


Kamito made a wry smile in his heart.

“However, that’s just regrettable. A splendid knight like yourself is being kept as Kazehaya Kamito’s lover—”

“Hey, wait a moment.”

Kamito shouted in a fluster.

''S-She, what did she—''

“Ah, lover!?”

Ellis turned red all the way till her ears and shouted.

“H-How shameless… I-I’m his lover—”

“That’s right, Ellis. Deny it please!”

“I’m… not his lover… but if Kamito wished for it, I’ll even…”

…Eh? Why is she mumbling?

“…What a frightening boy. You even corrupted such a splendid knight.”

“I’m saying that’s not it! Ellis, please quickly clear up this misunderstanding!”

“…S-Shut up! A-Are you not satisfied with me being your lover?!”

“What are you saying!?”

Kamito retorted, and at that time.


A small commotion was occurring at the entrance of the hall.

“That girl finally came.”

Rinslet muttered.

Kamito quickly looked towards the entrance.

The one at the center of the commotion was—

“Claire!?”

Claire Rouge, who was dressed in a crimson dress.

Her red twin-tail hair was tied up with ribbons. She was wearing polished enamel red high heels.

Pinching the side of her skirt with laces attached, she entered the hall.

Her breasts were small but her balanced proportion was plenty charming.

She was a beautiful girl, pretty as a rose and noble as a wildcat.

Such a Claire’s appearance made Kamito fascinated to the point of taking his breath away.

She had such brilliantness that she overshadowed the surrounding girls that were dressed-up.

She didn’t just fascinate Kamito. Everyone in the hall leaked out a breath of admiration.

“As expected of Rubia-sama’s sister. She was born a beauty.”

It was vexing but she lost— Fianna shrugged her shoulders.

“It’s really been a while since I’ve seen Claire in a dress.”


Rinslet slightly opened her mouth.

The commotion at the hall increasingly became bigger.

“Hey, is that red haired girl also a representative of the Blade Dance.”

“Um, so this is what they mean by spirits liking pure and beautiful girls, indeed—”

“Hey, aren’t you going to invite someone to a dance?”

It seemed like a group of young nobles were setting their eyes on Claire.

All the whispers being exchanged made Kamito slightly irritated.

''…You guys aren’t fit to be that hellcat ojou-sama's partner.''

He cursed in his heart as if to spit out the irritation of unknown origin.

At that moment, Claire looked over, and their eyes met.

“Claire—”

As he was about to call out to her—

She instantly averted away, so he swallowed his words.

…It seemed like she was still angry.

Losing the timing to call out to her, Kamito stood still.

Claire ignored the nobles ogling her, and walked towards the center.

He began to hear such voices from within the commotion over there.


“That that conflagration-like red hair… Don’t tell me, she’s the daughter of that Duke Elstein family?”

“The sister of the Calamity Queen that brought about disaster to the Ordesia Empire?”

“…What an ill omen. She’s a devilish girl.”

It seemed like there were people who knew Claire’s lineage among the participants of the ball.

Whispers of unrest were spreading like wild fire—

It’s not that she couldn’t hear them, however, Claire stayed composed.

Then, a young noble stepped forward before her.

“Would you like to dance a tune with me, fire-haired ojou-san?”

His atmosphere seemed frivolous but he was quite a handsome man.

He seemed to be an especially high-ranking person even among the nobles, as he led a group of followers in his surroundings.

“Hey, hey, are you serious?”

“Young master, I’m also worried about you playing with fire.”

His companions made a bitter smile. The boy seemed to be a royalty of some country.

“Why he…”

Kamito groaned from within his throat.

He couldn’t see the sincerity of a person asking for a dance in the boy’s expression. It was just that he knew about Claire being that Calamity Queen’s sister, and called out to her out of interest.


Claire—

“I’m sorry, but I’ll have to decline.”

She coldly declined the boy’s invitation.

It was natural. That hellcat girl wouldn’t even be emotionally attached to anyone.

“What was that?”

One of the followers looked daunted.

“Well, well, it’s fine to have such strong-willed girls once in a while.”

The boy nodded, full of composure, and forcibly grabbed Claire’s arm.

And then—

“Now, beautiful girl, I’ll give your hand a kiss—”

“…Huh?”

Claire stiffened.

''What are you thinking, you stupid noble!?''

As an elementalist princess maiden, a kiss is the most sacred ceremony of a spirit contract.

Even if it’s on the hand, it was unforgivable to thoughtlessly request for that.

With such a rude action of his, the sound of commotion occurred even from the surrounding.

“…Don’t touch me!”


Claire sharply shouted.

Normally, she’d act tough, but the truth was that she was an ojou-sama who wasn’t used to men. Her voice slightly trembled.

Being unable to watch on, Kamito was about to leave, and at that moment—

“What do you think you’re doing putting on airs. I’m the crown prince of the Balsutan Kingdom.”

“No, let go! You—”

<nowiki>*</nowiki>Pan*— A high pitched sound resound in the hall.

Claire slapped the boy.

She then turned to and ran towards the entrance of the hall.

“Damn her, my face—”

“What uncivilized…”

“It’s because she’s the sister of that Calamity Queen.”

The crown prince of the Balsutan and his followers raised words of criticism.

''… You should be just grateful that you didn’t turn into cinders!''

Kamito cursed and then he ran after Claire—

“Wait, Claire!”

“Kamito-san!”

Then, Rinslet grabbed his arm.


“Rinslet, why did you stop me?!”

“I’ll go.”

“But—”

“Kamito-san, if you, who are in the middle of a quarrel, go, it’ll just make things complicated. After all, I’m her childhood friend, so I understand that girl.”

“…”

Kamito thought for a few seconds—

“…I understand. I’ll entrust Claire to you.”

He obediently nodded.

Rinslet went running after Claire.

“Kamito-kun”

At this moment, Fianna perceptively whispered into his ear.

“What?”

“She’s here—”

“She?”

Kamito was shocked.

A commotion, which was way greater than the one just now, was occurring near the entrance of the hall.


The person of the highest profile in this round’s Blade Dance had appeared.

Sounds of hard shoes sounded, and she entered.

She was in a jet-black dress like a queen controlling over the night.

She was a black haired girl with her face covered by a scarlet red mask.

She was the strongest blade dancer—Ren Ashbell.

<noinclude>{{SeireiDance Nav|prev=Seirei Tsukai no Blade Dance:Volume4 Chapter7|next=Seirei Tsukai no Blade Dance:Volume4 Chapter9}}</noinclude>

Seirei Tsukai no Blade Dance:Volume4 Chapter7

2013-05-11T15:35:17Z

Monsterbandage: /* Part 4 */

==Chapter 7: Darkness Spirit Girl==
===Part 1===

"---What was that, stupid, stupid, stupid Kamito!"

With her hair standing on end, Claire ran through the castle's hallway.

She wiped the large tears forming in her eyes with her sleeve.

---Has nothing to do with Claire.

Those words replayed in Kamito's cold tone over and over in her head.

''I'm not trusted by Kamito......''

She became very sad when she thought that.

---Onee-chan, what do you even know about nii-sama?

That assassin girl had said that to Claire.

''That's right, I don't know anything about Kamito......''

Her heart hurt. The inside of her throat was painful.

What is this feeling, she wondered.

''......Why won't you tell me anything?''

She stopped running, wiped her tears and then trudged along.


The girls in dresses turned to look at her with puzzled expressions.

''......That's right, the dance is tonight.''

The truth is that she had been anticipating it since yesterday.

Along with the new swimsuit, she had also prepared a new dress.

''It, it's not like I'm wearing it for him or anything......''

Claire quickly removed the image of Kamito's face from her mind.

''But I wonder what kind of face he'd make if he saw me in my dress......''

While zoning out and thinking about that kind of thing, her face grew red.

''Wh, what am I thinking. I already don't care about that Ka, Kamito!''

While she was biting her lip.

Suddenly a heat wave came from below her as a hellcat clad in flames appeared.

"......What's wrong, Scarlet?"

Claire asked while leaning over.

"Do you want a snack? I have canned tuna at the room."

Scarlet shook its head.

And then she noticed the silver chain shaking in Scarlet's mouth.

"That's......"


A silver cat pendant.

The present that Kamito had bought for her birthday two weeks ago.

It looked like it had been taken out of the jewelry box where she had placed it.

"Wh, what is it, jeez......"

Claire took the pendant into her hand.

The first birthday present she had ever received from a boy.

She had been truly happy at that time.

"......"

She held the pendant to her chest like a treasure.

"......That's right. That back there was also partially my fault."

She sighed as she patted Scarlet's head.

''......I can only become honest when I'm not in front of him.''

===Part 2===

"......Where did that Claire go?"

Kamito was traversing the maze-like castle in search of Claire.


......Rather, he was completely lost.

Whatever the case, the original structure was a completely strange design from the mythical age. With the repeated alterations over the course of several hundred years, the hallways stretched out in every other way to form a maze. All of the rooms looked the same, so it threw off one's sense of direction.

''......With this kind of thing, not getting lost would be strange.''

With the sun setting, the ceremony drew closer.

''I should return to my room. We might just miss each other, after all.''

And Kamito came to a halt.

In the middle of the hallway was a garden complete with a water fountain.

"Ohh, that's amazing......"

His gaze was drawn in by that beautiful sight.

Countless flowers were growing and small light spirits gathered there.

The water gushing from the fountain was filled with purity.

''This might be where princess maidens purify themselves.''

While thinking that, Kamito drew closer to the garden.

The light spirits floating in the air ran away like newborn spiders.


Near the water fountain were five stone sculptures.

The images of five Elemental Lords that controlled Astral Zero.

A warrior wielding a blazing sword --- Fire Elemental Lord «Volcanicus».

A boy with kind eyes --- Wind Elemental Lord «Belphal».

An iron mallet-wielding giant --- Earth Elemental Lord «Lode Gear».

A woman hugging a water jug to her chest --- Water Elemental Lord «Iseria Seaward».

An aged man with a scale and bishop's staff --- Holy Elemental Lord «Alexandros».

Those that bring prosperity or hardship to all of humanity, the kings of all spirits.

Of course, the spirits did not actually look like their sculptures.

The images here were simply representations of what people imagined their qualities to be when put in human form.

"These are also relics from the mythical age......"

They were magnificent sculptures. At the very least, they were not not products of the last several hundred years. Kamito didn't possess much knowledge about historic ruins but he knew that much.

The stones used were not just normal stones either. Valuable spirit crystals had been used.

Getting close and looking,

"Hm?"

Kamito saw something out of place.


The five sculptures which copied the likeness of the Elemental Lords. Beside them was---

With nothing remaining above the knees, another sculpture was there.

That was something that was completely foreign to the garden.

''......Why is this thing here?''

The tragic appearance of the sculpture with only what was below its knees remaining. It hadn't been removed afterward, so it was obviously an important ancient legacy.

"......!?"

Just then. Something floated into Kamito's mind.

''The true shrine from the ancient age's true shrine......''

Along with the five Elemental Lords, there was one spot that was unnaturally missing something.

''Est whispered something back then......''

They had been in a hurry so he had missed it but......

"If I remember......"

"---The one erased in the following age, Darkness Elemental Lord «Ren Ashdoll»."

Suddenly from behind came a voice---


Kamito immediately spun around.

A beautiful girl with black hair clad in a dress the color of darkness stood beside the water fountain.

She had a teasing smile. Gentle twilight pupils.

The one he'd been searching for --- the girl he always wanted to meet was right there.

"Restia......"

"For someone searching for a cat, you look like you've seen a ghost."

She smiled and walked towards him with light steps.

"......"

Kamito was frozen still. He simply stood with his eyes wide open.

The girl of darkness came before Kamito and stood on her tiptoes.

"You've really grown. Even though you were only about as tall as me back then."

"Restia, you......"

Kamito returned from the shock.

"Don't make such a scary face, Kamito."

"......!"

A gentle and sweet voice that lured one into sleep.

It hadn't changed. Not a single thing, not even that harshness from three years ago had changed.


The seal on his left hand heated up like it was burning.

''......Why are you making that kind of face!''

---Who are you?

---Why are you throwing my heart into chaos using Restia's form!

The truth is he really wanted to shout those things to the girl before him.

But---

Those accusations stuck in his throat.

......I know. She's the real Restia.

No matter what form she took, there was no way he could ever mistake her.

The girl who had been the first light for Kamito who had closed his heart.

She had stayed by his side and granted him warmth and peace.

But now---

"......"

Kamito strongly chewed his lip.

Three years ago, he thought that would never change.

He had no idea why she had changed like this.

Possibly, something had broken when she made her «wish».


''Three years ago, I---''

Just what was the wish requested of the Elemental Lord.

He had many things he wanted to ask.

And many things he needed to ask.

Kamito opened his mouth while still slightly lost.

"Restia......"

"Hm?"

The darkness spirit tilted her head in a lovely manner.

"That military spirit that attacked the flying ship, was it your doing?"

"Those were «her» orders. It wasn't me."

Restia replied with that and sat down on the broken sculpture.

With her feet together and resting her chin in her hands, she possessed the beauty of a fallen goddess.

"Is that referring to the fake Ren Ashbell?"

"She's not a replacement for you, Kamito."

Restia smiled gently.

Just like one would use when warning a young child.

"She is also a true Ren Ashbell."


"What do you mean?"

"I'm sorry, but I cannot reveal that to the current you."

Restia silently declined her head.

"......Why did you appear before me now?"

"To warn you."

"Warn me?"

"Your past is trying to destroy what you hold dear."

"My past......"

Kamito muttered---

"---The «Instructional School»'s orphans, huh."

"Yes. Muir Alenstarl is ignoring «her» orders and rampaging on her own. Well, it seems like «she» is closing her eyes on the matter though."

"Why is Muir targeting us?"

"Isn't that obvious. Because her beloved onii-chan was taken from her."

"......"


Yes, Muir Alenstarl had not shown any signs that Kamito was her target.

If he was, there would be no way she would have overlooked him when he couldn't use his Elemental Waffe.

Claire was a superior elementalist. Rinslet and Ellis as well, and Fianna was contracted to a powerful knight spirit.

But even though they were elementalists, they were still normal girls.

They were ojou-samas that were gentle, not honest, and liked black tea and sweet candies.

''But the orphans from the «Instructional School» are different---''

Like Kamito had been---

They were existences that had only been brought up with knowledge on how to wreak havoc and slaughter.

That was not blade dance for the sake of enjoyment --- it was only for war.

The world the noble ojou-samas from the academy lived in was completely different.

Even if they were Blade Dance representatives, there was not a chance they could win in a battle.

"---I won't allow that to happen."

Kamito gave a small groan.

Claire, Ellis, Fianna, Rinslet and Est---

"I will definitely protect my companions."

"I wonder if you can?"


Restia put her fingertip to her lips---

"The orphans from the «Instructional School» are like the past you. I don't think you can stop them when you had a hard battle against the likes of Jio Inzagi."

"It doesn't matter. I will protect them at the cost of my life."

"Hmm, I'm a little jealous."

"---That's why, I will protect you as well, Restia."

"......!?"

Restia's eyes widened.

Those twilight pupils finally showed unrest.

"---That part of you hasn't changed a bit."

She shrugged her shoulders and slowly stood.

She stepped in front of him and---

"I'm happy, Kamito."

Tiptoed and kissed Kamito.

"......!?"

Kamito froze for a few seconds.

The inside of his head had numbed and become pure white.


"......Mm."

Restia slowly parted lips with Kamito.

And she once again whispered into the ear of the dumbfounded Kamito.

"I'll be waiting, Kamito. For your awakening as the successor of the maou."

"Res......tia......?"

Kamito reached out but grabbed nothing but thin air.

The darkness spirit girl had turned into a black mist and disappeared from in front of Kamito.

===Part 3===

"......"

Claire stood in the shadow of the hall leading to the garden.

She had discovered Kamito talking with the darkness spirit girl while searching for Kamito.

That darkness spirit girl was dangerous --- she had immediately summoned Scarlet but desisted from attacking when she saw him talking with her.

They were like two lovers that had been parted for a long time.

Like that, Claire had missed the timing to come out.


She couldn't hear the contents of their conversation well from the hallway.

If she wanted to, she might have been able to hear it, but learning about the past Kamito didn't want to discuss in this way felt like she was doing something underhanded.

Thinking like that, she ended up just watching.

She saw the two kiss.

"Ah---"

Splash.

Tears fell to the ground.

''No way, why are tears......''

She wiped her eyes with the sleeve of her uniform.

''Why, why am I......''

Why was this --- her chest hurt.

''......Kamito didn't hate it. He didn't resist at all.''

The overflowing tears wouldn't stop.

Claire ran from that spot and dashed down the hallway.

===Part 4===


The floating island «Ragna Ys»' underground cave within the holy grounds.

A place that no one but the «Divine Ritual Institute»'s princess maidens was permitted to enter --- currently, there were two sets of footsteps resounding there.

One belonged to an orphan of the «Instructional School», Lily Flame.

She read the reports to her master in front of her.

"Muir Alenstarl lost Death Gaze in the battle. The country's military executives are going to be angry."

"Let them. They're just a bunch of geezers that only think about how to protect themselves."

The listening party said so with a merciless tone.

The girl with long black hair that fell to her waist.

Donning a black overcoat with a crimson mask that looked like a fierce god covering her face.

Lily was not surprised in the least by her master's response. Their supposed allies, the Alphas Theocracy, were only another tool for her to accomplish her goal.

"But Cardinal, the supply of military spirits from now on---"

"Lily, I've taught you not to use that name here, haven't I?"

"I apologize. ---Ren Ashbell."


Lily shivered at her master's cold voice.

Footsteps resounded throughout the silent underground cave. The radiance of the spirit stone they were carrying reflected off the strange carvings in the wall. It was a mystery why this passage in the underground cave that even the «Divine Ritual Institute»'s princess maidens were prohibited from was known to these two.

Possibly high-ranking princess maidens --- also those close to «spirit maidens» could enter without it being strange.

"It seems that Restia has contacted him."

The crimson mask-wearing girl --- Ren Ashbell said.

"Yes. She ignored your order and---"

"That darkness spirit is not a subordinate but an equal in the organization. She has no obligation to listen to me."

"......Yes."

Lily chewed her lip, unsatisfied. It frustrated her that the pieces gathered to help her master were moving on their own.

The ones who had sworn an oath to Cardinal --- to Ren Ashbell, consisted of Lily alone. Her fellow orphan from the «Instructional School» thought of nothing other than Kazehaya Kamito and she had no idea what that darkness spirit girl was thinking.

"I will be meeting with him as well this evening."


"Will you be attending the dance?"

Lily asked in a slightly incredulous voice.

"Ren Ashbell was the winner of the previous Blade Dance. There is no way she could not attend."

"But the preparations for what to wear---"

"I have at least one dress. Though I left the majority to my little sister."

"You have a little sister?"

"......"

There was no response to that question.

Thinking she had upset her master, Lily quickly changed topics.

"Muir reported that he doesn't appear to have awakened yet."

"We already have no time to wait for it. If he can't withstand it, then that was his worth as a successor to the maou --- we'd just have to alter the plan."

"---That won't do. It's Muir's duty to awaken nii-sama."

Said a voice from within the darkness behind them.

The one who appeared was the girl with ash grey hair --- Muir Alenstarl.

"Muir, what did you do!?"


Lily raised a sharp voice.

"I just played around a little. With those onee-chans that are corrupting nii-sama."

"......Acting on your own! You used another military spirit without permission."

"Not anything important. Just the special-use military spirit «Scylla». Though it was too weak and died. I wonder if I could use a better spirit next time."

"......!"

To the Muir who was puffing her cheeks, Lily responded by holding her head in her hands.

Even if it was «Scylla» which wasn't a pure war class spirit, it was still a part of the empire's military strength. Those military executives wouldn't be happy if they heard about this.

"Listen here. That group at the empire won't be supplying us with military spirits until the Blade Dance really begins."

"Hmph, we've been acting docile well enough."

"It's because you ignored orders and lost Death Gaze."

"I just wanted to play with nii-sama."

Muir pouted her lips.

"Anyway, behave yourself until the real Blade Dance begins. Don't lay a hand on him until you receive orders---"


"Orders?"

Muir tilted her head in wonder.

And the light in her eyes disappeared.

"Hey, Lily, just who will order Muir?"

"---!?"

Shivers ran down Lily's spine.

Her entire body ran cold with fear. It was like someone was holding her heart in their hands.

"Hey, tell me---"

The spirit seal on Muir's right hand let out an ominous light---

"Muir Alenstarl."

Ren Ashbell called out to her.

"Yes?"

"You are an equal to me in the organization. Nobody will order you."

Muir laughed with a smile.

"It's fine if you understand. The only one that can order Muir is nii-sama."

With Muir's mood restored, Lily breathed a sigh of relief.

"But this is troubling. I can't play with the onee-chans without a military spirit."


"Then why not try using this --- «Monster»."

Ren Ashbell removed her ring and tossed it to Muir.

"This is?"

Muir looked at the ring curiously.

It was a plain silver ring. Thin characters from the spirit language were engraved onto its outer edge.

"The annihilation spirit «Tiamat» --- a spirit weapon that was created to fight the army of the ex-shadow Elemental Lord. It was customized by those of the «Divine Ritual Institute». It can withstand your «Jester's Vise» well."

"......You're giving this to Muir?"

"Use it as you wish."

"I don't really understand why. Well, that's fine, I'll take it."

"Muir, military spirits aren't toys!"

"They are toys. At least to Muir."

She shrugged her shoulders at Lily---

And licked the ring that now adorned her middle finger.


"---Just a little longer, nii-sama. Muir will remove those meddlesome onee-chans."

While walking through the dark underground cave, Muir smiled to herself.

When she had been taken to the «Instructional School», she was only four years old.

Born in a cold village on the borderline of the Empire, she was not of noble blood and yet possessed the ability to contract spirits.

The villagers rejoiced at having borne an elementalist and raised her dearly.

And then they brought her before the village's guardian spirit on her fourth birthday.

They wanted Muir to contract with the guardian spirit so the village would prosper.

But when she made the contract, the guardian spirit ran wild.

The flames that had protected the village now burned it down and the spirit also destroyed itself.

Muir's power --- she had the uncanny ability to drive a spirit mad.

After being cast away by her village, she was picked up by the instructional school---

There, she became a «Monster».

Her heart was lost, a «Cursed Armament Seal» was engraved on her young body and she was taught nothing but slaughter techniques.

Because of her in-born ability, Muir could never connect with a contracted spirit.


Those days filled with only isolation and massacres slowly carved away her heart.

In the middle of those days --- she met with a boy that had been taken to the facility.

"You're always alone, huh."

"That's right. Muir is always alone. The only ones Muir talks with are those she kills."

"Then I'll become your friend."

"Hmph, how stupid. Talking about friends in this place."

"Then a brother. Muir is the younger sister."

"......What are you deciding on your own, idiot."

The first conversation she had with him. It was something he definitely didn't remember.

"---Nii-sama is Muir's only."

When she emerged from the underground cave, the sun had mostly set.

It was about the time the Blade Dance's ceremony to begin at the castle.

"That's why I won't forgive them. I will definitely get them, those attaching themselves to nii-sama."

<noinclude>{{SeireiDance Nav|prev=Seirei Tsukai no Blade Dance:Volume4 Chapter6|next=Seirei Tsukai no Blade Dance:Volume4 Chapter8}}</noinclude>

Seirei Tsukai no Blade Dance:Volume4 Chapter6

2013-05-11T15:14:45Z

Monsterbandage: /* Part 2 */

==Chapter 6: Cracks==
===Part 1===

"—Muir Alenstarl."

Kamito muttered that name as he lay on the bed in the dim room.

The number two of the «Instructional School» who had received the title «Monster».

''......Why is she here?''

He thought that they would never meet again after that day.

And yet they ended up meeting in such a terrible way.

Muir Alenstarl is an expert military elementalist.

What reason could that girl, an orphan from the «Instructional School», have for coming here—

It's not like he couldn't guess. Just a few weeks prior, Kamito had fought with another orphan of the «Instructional School», Jio Inzagi.

The one behind the incident that time—

''......Does she have a connection to Restia?''

His left hand under the leather glove ached.


At that time. A knock came from his room's door.

"......Yes?"

While pressing down on his hurting ribs, Kamito got off the bed.

"Who is it?"

He opened the door and—

"......Nyaa ♪"

A cute cat was there.

No, more accurately, it was somebody wearing cat ears on their head, the Empire's second princess.

"......"

"......"

"......Um. Fianna, what are you doing?"

Kamito asked, astonished.

"I-I have come to s-service my master-nyan ♪"

"......"

The air froze.

"Jeez, wh-what are you making me say......"


"No, I don't really understand......"

Fianna cleared her throat and said,

"It is a healing ritual."

"Healing ritual?"

Kamito repeated like a parrot.

"Kamito-kun, you were hurt, right?"

"Yes, well......it's not anything serious."

"That's a lie."

Fianna poked Kamito's ribcage.

"Owwwwww!"

"Look at that. You can't fool me."

It was the injury he received when he was hit by Muir's water spirit.

He had been hiding it, but it appeared that the holy spirit user had seen through him.

"Come on, lie down on the bed."

"Owaa."

Fianna pulled on Kamito's hand.

Kamito was pushed onto the bed in that manner.

[[Image:STnBD V04 149.jpg|200px|thumb]]


The feeling that had pushed on his chest made his heart throb unconsciously.

"I'm thankful for the healing but......why cat ears?"

"Fufu, this is a tool for the ritual......ah, a tool for the ritual-nyan ♪"

Fianna quickly amended the end of her sentence.

"Liar! I think something's a little strange with that!"

That morning when she had packed her luggage, he was sure those cat ears had been there.

The other things included rope, a candle and a whip......she had packed them under the pretense of them being ritual equipment, but there was a lot that was fishy about it.

"Um, Kamito, you don't like this kind of thing?"

Fianna asked with a nervous expression.

"No, I don't d-dislike it......"

Kamito quickly shook his head.

Fianna with cat ears was definitely cute. Seriously cute.

About enough to make him want to pet her.

"......I'm glad. It was pretty embarrassing."

Fianna made an expression of relief and relaxed.

The captivating sound of rustling clothes. The breath coming from near his ear.


"......Fianna!? Y-Your ch-chest is pressing against me."

"Don't move. We have to be touching or there won't be an effect."

"I understand the theory but......"

Kamito gulped.

"......Nn, chuu......ahn."

The cute princess's lips and her fingertips glided over his bruised ribs. The moist tongue running over his wound tickled.

"Fufu, Kamito-kun, does it feel good?"

"......!"

Even if asked in this kind of situation, there was no way he could honestly reply.

''......But it's definitely working. Fianna's ritual magic, that is.''

As expected of a former elite princess maiden of the «Divine Ritual Instititute».

Even though it wasn't her specialty, her ability in it was top-class.

Not just the wound but even his whole body's fatigue being removed could be felt.

Kamito stopped resisting and left his body in her care.

"......But I'm always surprised by it. Kamito-kun's regenerative ability, I mean."

"Yeah, it's a mystery to me, too."


He hadn't paid particular notice to it, but it appeared to be that way.

It seemed like it was thanks to the development of the divine power of an elementalist flowing within him.

But it was to an abnormal degree in Kamito's case.

"Isn't it because you've contracted with Est?"

"I also thought that at first......"

A contracted spirit's attributes affecting the contractor wasn't anything rare.

For example, Claire's ability to have her hair stand on end was because of this. Because of Est's attribute being metal as a sword spirit, his body may have become robust as a result.

"But it doesn't seem to be just that."

Fianna tilted her head.

The other possibility was a Cursed Armament Seal. Amongst the orphans at the «Instructional School» that received a Cursed Armament Seal, some possessed regenerative ability that far surpassed human limits.

However, of course, there was no Cursed Armament Seal on Kamito.

"Fianna's technique is good."

Kamito shrugged his shoulders while saying that and received a reply,

"It's the opposite."

"Opposite?"


"My holy attribute spirit magic is barely working on Kamito's body."

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know."

Fianna shook her head.

"Of course, it's not like it's totally ineffective — it's being repelled. That's why I have to be touching you like this."

Press.

"......Fianna!?"

"Look at that, your body is so stiff. Relax more."

Fianna smiled teasingly and gave his ear a playful bite.

"W-Wait, as expected this is......"

"Like I said, I wouldn't do this stuff with just anyone, you know?"

To Fianna who pressed her lips together while looking unsatisfied,

"Y-You should only do this kind of stuff to the person you l-like......"

She placed her hand on the shoulder strings of her dress-like uniform—

Dogooooon!

Suddenly the room's door exploded into smithereens.


"......!?"

Gogogogogogogogo......!

The one standing there---

It was Claire with a blazing Flame Tongue in hand.

"Hey, Kamito, wh-wh-wh-what are you doing?"

Kamito seriously prepared himself for death.

===Part 2===
"Now, choose! The way you'd like to be roasted!"

"That's why I'm saying, that was a healing ritual!"

Five minutes later. Kamito was made to do seiza upon the dusty floor.

In front of him was Claire who was sounding her whip.

Her red twintails were standing on end......it seemed she was quite angry.

Claire looked down at Kamito with a cold gaze—

"Hmph, with cat ears? And pressed against a large chest in that ma-manner?"

"Guu......"


Kamito internally groaned.

......It was no good. Regardless of what he said, those cat ears took away all credibility.

"......Well, that's fine."

Said Claire, who shrugged her shoulders and sighed deeply.

"S-Since whatever you do with that erotic queen doesn't concern me."

"Then why are you angry......"

"Sh-Shut up!"

Because of Claire's glare, Kamito shut up.

......In any case, he was relieved.

Her mood was still bad — but it seemed like she would overlook the situation this time.

But the conversation didn't end there.

"Kamito."

She suddenly became really serious—

"I have something to ask you."

"......"

''......Well, I guess it's expected.''

He had made his resolve for this.


Or rather, he'd been thinking about it since a while ago.

"The girl who attacked me — you knew her, right?"

"Yeah."

"What did she mean by nii-sama? Who is she?"

"......"

Claire's suspicion was well-founded.

The assassin that had been aiming for her life was his former teammate and friend.

Being interrogated was natural.

"What's wrong? Why aren't you saying anything?"

Claire's voice had a tinge of irritation mixed in.

But Kamito averted his eyes from her and kept quiet.

''I......''

He felt that he should reveal his relationship with Muir Alenstarl. He knew that in his head.

But if he did that, he would also have to reveal that he was an escapee of the «Instructional School».

His childhood when he had battle techniques necessary for an assassin hammered into him.

Something that he could never erase, that unpleasant past.

''If she knew the truth about me, Claire would—''


He might be scorned. Or possibly — he might be pitied.

At any rate, it would be different from now.

He was scared of that.

''My becoming weak might be because of this......''

He derided himself while avoiding Claire's gaze.

He wouldn't have even thought about this two months ago.

He didn't care how other people viewed him.

If he could get Restia back, then that was all he needed — that's what he thought.

"Claire, sorry......"

"......Why?"

Claire's voice was slightly wavering.

"Is it something you can't tell even to me?"

"......"

"Could it be a past lover—"

"Like that's it."

Kamito tsukkomi'd with half-closed eyes.

"Then why can't you say it?"


"—Can you not trust me if I don't tell you?"

A cold voice with slight irritation that even shocked himself.

He gasped and looked up at Claire who had her eyes wide open in shock.

"Th-That's not it. But—"

"But what?"

"......"

Claire's question was obvious.

He also understood that she was worried for his sake.

But — no, that was the reason, that's why he couldn't tell her.

"But......"

Claire chewed her lip.

"Because Kamito won't talk about himself at all.

"That's......"

"And it's not just this. Even about that darkness spirit girl—"

"The thing about Restia has nothing to do with Claire."

Kamito shook his head coldly. That showed his complete rejection of her question.

"......Is that so, I see."


Claire breathed out waveringly and—

Turning her back on Kamito, she left the room in silence.

===Part 3===
"I'm the worst......"

Sitting on the creaking bed, Kamito muttered that.

He was regretting getting angry with Claire for no real reason.

That said, there was no way he could discuss his past with her.

''If she knew my past, she would......''

At that moment, Ellis and the others entered his room.

"Kamito, did something happen with Claire?"

Ellis surveyed the room.

"Yeah, just a little something......"

Feeling uncomfortable, Kamito shifted his gaze.

"You fought again?"

Rinslet sighed. Kamito nodded ambiguously.


"She really can't be helped. Well, she'll be back before the dance."

"Dance?"

"The opening ceremony's dance. Of course, Kamito will also be attending, right?"

Fianna asked.

"No, I'm fine."

"What did you say!?" "What!?" "Kamito-kun!"

When Kamito shook his head, the three cried out at the same time.

"Wh-Why?"

"......I don't like the dance."

Kamito had a little trauma concerning the dance.

The Blade Dance he participated in three years ago as Ren Ashbell. Remembering all the dance invitations he received during that time gave him goosebumps even now.

Of course, he wasn't going to be dressed in girls' clothing this time around so there was no direct connection, but he still couldn't erase that feeling.

"That and I have no formal wear."

"They'll lend you formal wear if you ask."

"I said I wasn't going."


"Hmm, I wonder if that's a good idea?"

Fianna laughed lightly.

"......What do you mean?"

"The Blade Dance participants will be coming out at the dance, meaning that Ren Ashbell will also be attending."

"......!"

"Fufu, so what will you do?"

To the Fianna wearing a teasing smile, Kamito—

"......Okay then."

Grudgingly agreed to go.

''......The dance, huh.''

Claire would also wear a dress — that thought popped into his head.

"......I have to apologize."

Kamito got off the creaky bed.

"Kamito-san, where are you going?"

"To find a cat. It may have become lost."

<noinclude>{{SeireiDance Nav|prev=Seirei Tsukai no Blade Dance:Volume4 Chapter5|next=Seirei Tsukai no Blade Dance:Volume4 Chapter7}}</noinclude>

Seirei Tsukai no Blade Dance:Volume4 Chapter5

2013-05-11T15:14:00Z

Monsterbandage: /* Part 4 */

==Chapter 5: Water Play==
===Part 1===

The sun beamed down gently into the forest.

The rich colors flitting about in the air.

Colorful fruits adorned the branches of the densely growing trees.

It was the lake beside the castle.

Because of the spirits floating near the lake shore, this lake granted high purity. It was a place of the highest quality for a princess maiden's purification.

"Claire and the others aren't here yet......"

Kamito, who had just arrived, surveyed the area.

His top half was naked. On his bottom half, he wore trunks. Of course, he had removed the leather glove on his left hand, but he wrapped the seal underneath with a black cloth.

"Being the first one here makes it look like I'm really excited and that's embarrassing."

While scratching his head, he complained and–

"Kamito-kun, sorry to keep you waiting!"

"Owaa!?"

Squish.


Being suddenly hugged from behind, Kamito unconsciously yelped.

"Fianna!?"

Surprised, he turned around–

And there stood the cute princess wearing a bold black swimsuit.

"Does it suit me?"

"......!?"

Fianna's swimsuit was an adult-like bikini. Wrapped around her supple hips was a low-leg pantie. A black ribbon adorned her chest. The frills wrapped around her thighs coupled with the garter looked erotic. The triangular cloth covering her breasts was very suggestive and seemed about to spill over.

"A queen shouldn't be that immodest!"

"Fufu, Kamito-kun got angry ♪"

Fianna stuck out her tongue in a cute manner and released his arm.

"Y-You......"

Kamito's heart throbbed at those enchanting words.

"That's right. Kamito-kun, should I show you my «Spirit Seal»?"


"Wha–"

Fianna bent over and–

Allowed him to gaze at her breasts within the gap of her bold swimsuit.

Kamito swallowed hard.

"Look, it's right here. On the inside......"

While teasing him with her bold actions, her face was lightly tinted red.

Despite wearing a mature swimsuit, she was still a pure ojou-sama.

The soft cleavage that, even now, urged him to bury his face in it.

Just as he glanced the «Spirit Seal» carved within–

"Fianna-san, wh-what are you doing!"

From the small path within the forest ran the swimsuit-clad Rinslet.

It was a proper-looking swimsuit suited to an ojou-sama, but it emphasized her breasts' volume. The legs peeking out from under her pareo were so beautiful that Kamito froze in fascination.

"Ka-Kamito-san, how is my swimsuit?"


"......Y-Yeah, it really suits you."

Kamito spoke his true thoughts and Rinslet blushed.

"Y-You really......think so? I-I don't like being flattered."

"It's not flattery. You're really, um......beautiful."

"......Auu......"

Rinslet reddened right up to her ears.

And fell over just like that.

"S-Sorry for making you wait!"

And now came a rigid voice.

The one who emerged from the same path as Rinslet was the knight captain, Ellis.

She was wearing a sporty navy blue swimsuit with a stress on practicality. It was plain compared to Fianna and Rinslet's, but the gap between her armored state and the current one emphasizing her body line was dangerous.

He was rooted to the spot.

"Ka-Kamito, don't look here, look over there!"

"S-Sorry......!"


Kamito quickly averted his gaze and––

Ellis cleared her throat.

"......N-No, I mean it's fine to look?"

"Which one is it......"

"Sh-Shut up! Besides, you probably just thought it's a boring swimsuit!"

"Nobody said that."

Kamito tiredly sighed.

"......I should've worn a more erotic swimsuit."

"Hmm?"

It felt like the knight captain had just said something amazing but–

"Ellis looks very beautiful in her swimsuit."

"Eh?"

Exclaimed Ellis whose amber eyes widened.

"I thought it suited the serious Ellis."

"Kamito......"

Ellis tightened her arm to her chest and blushed.


"The only ones left are Claire and Est–"

Kamito muttered and,

"Ka-Kamito......"

"Claire?"

At the voice he'd grown accustomed to, he turned around – Claire stood there.

......No.

From behind a large tree, twintails were poking out.

"You, what are you doing?"

"......"

Claire stayed hidden behind the tree.

"Did your swimsuit's string get cut by any chance?"

"Th-That's wrong!"

The twintails stood on end.

"Then why aren't you coming out?"

"B-Because it's......embarrassing."

"Embarrassing, you say......everybody's also in a swimsuit."

"That's true but......o-okay."


Claire resigned herself and timidly came out.

At that moment–

Kamito's breath stopped.

Claire was wearing a pure red bikini. A plain and simple design – on the contrary, it actually accentuated her beauty. The panties held with string wrapped the smooth skin and her thighs had a thin line from her leather whip.

It was painful to admit, but she was insanely cute.

Honestly, he didn't understand why she was embarrassed.

"You......"

"D-Don't say anything, since I'm just......"

When he saw her timidly hiding her chest with both hands–

Kamito realized the reason.

Claire was concerned about her small breasts.

"......Jeez."

Kamito made a wry smile and placed his hand on the embarrassed Claire's head.

"Fuaa!"

"Listen, okay? These are my true thoughts. I won't say it again."


"Wh-What is it......!"

"You're cute, Claire."

"Fuaaa, i-idiot, what are you saying!"

Hit, hit, hit.

Claire hits his shoulder with a beet-red face.

===Part 2===

"This time the knight captain is the demon!"

"I won't lose in swimming."

"Ellis, you can't use your wind armor."

The lovely voices echoing within the forest. Glistening water droplets.

Breasts that shook in tango with the rest of the body met the eyes.

The swimsuit-clad bishoujos frolicked in the lake.

......No matter how you look at it, there's no feeling of this being a purification ceremony.

[[Image:STnBD V04 006-007.jpg|200px|thumb]]
''Well, it's important to relax as well......''

Kamito stretched out on the lake shore.


He couldn't play with the girls because he'd be constantly distracted, so he took to sunbathing. The girls seemed dissatisfied, but perhaps because they had heavy-handedly forced him to come, they let him go.

Beside him, Est was kneeling while licking a popsicle.

Her snow fairy-like body was covered by a navy blue academy-issued swimsuit.

Her smooth milky skin and smooth silvery white hair.

On both of her legs were knee-high socks.

Est had the sort of appearance that maniacs would like, wearing both a swimsuit and knee-high socks.

There wasn't much skin showing, but for some reason, it felt like it crossed even more lines than being fully nude.

"Est, you're not going to play with everyone?"

"It would be embarrassing to be barefooted."

Est replied expressionlessly.

"Besides, I can't swim."

"Ahh, I see......"

Est was a sword spirit so she couldn't float.

No matter how strong of a spirit she was, she couldn't cast off her basic metal attribute.

''......Come to think of it, it was also near a lake that I made the contract with Est.''


While gazing at Est's side profile, Kamito thought that.

Demon Slayer – Terminus Est.

A legendary sealed holy sword spirit. It was a mystery why a sword of her calibre had chosen Kamito.

–He still had no idea.

Besides, Est had many other secrets as well.

"Hey, Est–"

"?"

Est turned towards him while licking the popsicle.

"Are you really the holy sword that defeated the maou?"

The legend of the Demon Slayer remained everywhere on the continent.

Est was undoubtedly an unrivaled sword, but there was no way she was the real one – that's what he thought.

''But if she really is......''

The power that had destroyed the «Cursed Armament Seal» on Velsaria's heart two weeks ago.

That was not the ability of a regular sword spirit.

In the legend of the Demon Slayer, the holy sword was also said to have destroyed the spirit seals for all seventy-two of the maou's contracts.


"I'm sorry, Kamito."

But Est silently shook her head.

"My memories are incomplete right now. If I regained my true body, my memories should return with my full power."

"No, I should be the one to apologize. Sorry."

Because Kamito clung to his contract with Restia, the contract with Est remained incomplete. Est could not display her true power.

"No, Kamito."

[[Image:STnBD V04 121.jpg|200px|thumb]]
Est brought the popsicle away from her lips and gazed at Kamito with her mysterious eyes.

And then–

"I'm glad I contracted with you."

"......Est?"

For a moment, the fleeting expression on Est's face made his heart race.

"–Kamito-san."

"Owaa!"

Platinum blonde hair sparkled in the sunlight.

At some point in time, the swimsuit-clad Rinslet had stood beside him.


"Don't surprise me like that......"

"No, that is, sorry......"

Kamito apologized to the pouting Rinslet.

"What's wrong, Rinslet, you're not going to swim with everyone else?"

At his words, Rinslet squirmed a bit and her face reddened.

"I c-can't, that is......I can't swim very well."

"Is that so?"

That was unexpected. That the perfect Rinslet would have that kind of weakpoint.

"Hmm? Even though you were playing tag in the water normally just now?"

"Th-That was......umm, it was a little trick."

"Trick?"

Rinslet nodded timidly and stuck out her finger.

A freezing atmosphere gathered and from thin air appeared a white wolf.

The demonic ice spirit «Fenrir».

"I was riding on this child's back while in the water."

"......I see."

Upon imagining the white wolf elegantly running around under the water surface with all its might, Kamito wryly smiled.


"Y-You just laughed, didn't you! That's horrible!"

"S-Sorry......"

"And so, umm......"

And Rinslet's cheeks became even redder.

"I'd like to ask a favor of Kamito-san."

"A favor?"

"Umm, that is, my......"

And then Rinslet became inarticulate.

''......What?''

It was at times like these that her maid would translate for him–

Kamito looked around and found the hiding figure of Carol.

......He had thought from a while ago that he hadn't seen her, but she was hiding this entire time.

She was moving her lips and appeared to be saying something–

Kamito used the lip-reading ability he had been trained in at the institute.

''Ojou-sama, do your best – was it......what did that mean?''

Waiting for a little while like that–


"Ka-Kamito-san!"

Rinslet yelled out and seemed to have found her resolve.

Sweeping her platinum blonde hair up and pointing at Kamito–

"I-I shall allow you to teach me how to swim!"

......I see, thought Kamito with a wry smile.

''......As always, she's an ojou-sama that just can't be honest.''

But if you got used to it, those points about her also became cute.

"Est, I'm going to swim with Rinslet for a bit."

"Yes, Kamito......"

Est pouted a little sadly.

===Part 3===

"Ka-Kamito-san, please don't let go......"

"Yeah, it's fine. Spread out your body more."

Splash. The sound of water echoed near the shore.

A little bit away from where everyone was playing, in the shadow of a rock, Kamito was teaching Rinslet how to swim.


It seems she didn't want the others to know.

"F-for sure, okay......i-if you let go, I'll make you into an ice sculpture!"

With a nervous expression, Rinslet gripped onto Kamito's arms.

With the soft sensation upon his skin, his heart throbbed.

"I-I got it, so please don't force your nails into me."

"S-Sorry about that......"

Taking her hands off his arms, she instead grabbed his hands.

She held tightly with her slender and soft fingers.

"A gentleman's......hand."

With red cheeks, her upturned eyes were wavering.

"Well, I am always holding a sword......"

Kamito said while quickly averting his eyes.

''Th-This angle is bad......!''

From the white nape to the collarbone adorned with water droplets.

The breasts that could be seen under the water surface were much too distracting.

"Kamito-san, where are you looking?"


"Ah, no......come on, loosen up and stretch out."

Kamito immediately changed the topic.

"T-To have a boy give me an order......that's the first time."

Rinslet shut her mouth tightly.

But that expression looked somewhat happy.

"Sorry, ojou-sama. I'm just an impertinent fellow."

"No, i-it's fine if you give more orders. B-But perverted orders are a little......"

"Hmm?"

"N-Nothing!"

Rinslet spoke into the water and formed bubbles.

What a strange person – Kamito thought that and then.

"......?"

Kamito felt someone watching him.

He felt a blade-like pressure on the back of his neck.

Kamito quickly surveyed the area.

He only felt the presence for an instant and it had already disappeared.

''I don't think it was my imagination but......''


It might just have been the spirits around the lake.

Well, it had disappeared quickly so there was no point worrying about it.

"What's wrong?"

"No, it's nothing......come on, relax more."

"......L-Like this?"

Rinslet nodded honestly and stretched out her entire body.

Her cute butt wrapped in the white swimsuit rose out of the water.

"I-I floated!"

Her smile was like a blooming rose, very bewitching.

"Rinslet really becomes cute when she's honest."

With a wry smile, Kamito whispered that and Rinslet became red to her ears.

"......Kamito-san, you're teasing me, aren't you?"

Bite. Like she was scolding him, she bit onto both of his arms.

Bite. Bite.

"Rinslet, it hurts......"

"Fufu, it's punishment for teasing me."


Rinslet smiled elegantly and finally stopped biting him.

But as expected of a talented lady, her learning rate was really fast.

"Then, next, try moving your feet."

"Y-Yes......"

[[Image:STnBD V04 129.jpg|200px|thumb]]
Rinslet nodded and–

"Kyan!"

Suddenly gave out a cute yelp.

"W-What happened?"

"Fua, ya, ahn......w-where are you touching!"

Rinslet flopped around in the water.

"N-No, at this kind of place......Kamito-san......you're perverted."

"......Wa-Wait, I'm not doing anything!"

"Kamito denied with all his heart and–

Gogogogogogo......!

The water surface that had been calm until just now boiled.

"That seems like fun, Kamito."

"Claire!?"


What rose from the water was Claire who had her twintails standing on end.

Her tone was calm but......she was angry. No mistake.

"Y-Y-You, what are you doing alone with Rinslet?"

"No, this is just swimming training–"

At his answer – Kamito hurriedly shut himself up.

Rinslet had wanted him to not reveal that she couldn't swim.

He couldn't betray her trust.

Because Kamito had suddenly become quiet, it seemed that that incited Claire.

"Could it be that you were doing s-something that you can't tell me......"

Gogogogogogo......!

"Th-That's wrong, Claire, this is–"

What came to Kamito at that time was–

"That is......it was a secret lesson!"

Those words.

"......Secret lesson!?"

Claire's eyebrows shot up.

......Crap, it seemed that he had messed up his word selection.


"Th-That's right, it was a lesson about things that can't be said!"

While still holding onto Kamito's arm, Rinslet said that.

"A-A lesson about things that can't be said......"

"Wait, Rinslet, that wording will invite misunderstandings–"

But Claire had already turned red from whatever she had imagined.

"......Kamito, th-this pervert, how lewd!"

Hit, hit, hit.

"Calm down, you're wrong! It wasn't a lesson like you're imagining!"

"Claire, could you please not interrupt our secret lesson?"

Rinslet said with a composed smile.

"......Y-You, separate from Kamito!"

"Oh my, why should I?"

Sparks flew between the hellcat girl and the ice magic girl.

......The usual fight had begun.

"Ka-Kamito is my slave spirit and I won't give him to you!"

"No, Kamito-san is mine!"

Both of them each grabbed one of his cheeks.


......A fight between two top-class elementalists started.

While sending water droplets flying, both of them grappled with each other's swimsuits.

Rinslet was always standing normally. This was the sandbar, so there was a foothold.

The breasts and butt that could be seen from the offset swimsuit made Kamito turn red.

"G-Give up already!"

Rinslet placed a hand on Claire's breast and pulled at her swimsuit.

And then.

The string of the red bikini came undone–

"......!?"

Time stopped.

Claire quickly covered her breasts with her hands, but it was too late.

The figure of those small, cute hidden mounds was burned into Kamito's vision.

"......D-Did you see?"

Kamito nodded truthfully.

"A, uu......"

Claire flushed red up to her ears–


"......Fuaaaaan!?"

"Claire!"

And bolted into the forest.

"Jeez......"

"I-I wonder if I did something bad......"

Rinslet was reflecting.

The forest that spread around the lake.

Even if it was the spirit king's sacred land, there might be dangerous spirits in the forest.

He knew Claire was a top-class elementalist – but as expected, he was still worried.

Kamito sighed and chased after Claire who had disappeared into the forest.

===Part 4===

While running in the dark forest–

''Ka-Kamito saw my breasts......!''

Claire reddened.

It was embarrassing to the point that her face felt like it would burst into flames.


''Jeez, what is this, what is this, idiot!''

He had seen her naked in their first meeting.

But then and now were totally different.

She didn't know why though......

''Wh-Why is my heart......beating this fast, I wonder.''

Claire stopped running and suppressed her beating heart.

That's right, she didn't hate that he had seen her naked.

Having him see her underdeveloped breasts had been a shock.

''Th-This small of a chest is strange, isn't it......''

Rub. Rub.

While feeling her soft chest, she bit her lip.

Claire had read it in a book.

That boys liked girls with big breasts.

That definitely did not exclude Kamito–

After all, Kamito had been all happy around that big-breasted Rinslet.

''Wh-wh-wh-what's this secret lesson about things that can't be said, y-you idiot!''

Remembering it again, she felt her anger resurge.


Just what were those two doing in the shadow of that rock–

"I-I d-don't really care about who he gets along with......"

–Just as she said that with a pout.

She felt a cold sensation on the back of her neck.

"......Who is it!?"

Turning around, she inquired with a sharp voice.

And.

"Hmm, you're unexpectedly sharp, onee-chan. But separating from the group isn't good."

Appearing from the trees like a shadow–

A single hooded girl.

Slightly visible ash grey hair. Transparent blue pupils.

A young girl that was even smaller than the short Claire.

''–A child in this place?''

Claire was suspicious.

She didn't appear to be a princess maiden of the «Divine Ritual Instititute».

The only possibility was that she was a member of another team.

"Do you have some business with me?"


Claire asked while keeping her guard up.

What she had felt just before was close to killing intent.

Even if her opponent was a small girl, she couldn't be careless.

The girl laughed lightly.

"I'll have you disappear, onee-chan. For nii-sama's sake."

"......!?"

Instantly, Claire reacted.

Water came from the ground as many tentacles were formed and attacked her.

''......A water spirit user!?''

The writhing water tentacles splintered the surrounding trees' branches.

Claire landed on the ground and performed her summoning.

Guardian of the crimson blaze, keeper of undying hearth!

–Now's the time to abide by the blood contract, come forth and do my bidding!

"–Scarlet!"

A crimson flame-clad hellcat appeared from thin air.

The hellcat immediately transformed into a whip in her hand.

"You, do you understand who you're picking a fight with?"


"Of course, Claire Rouge. The Calamity Queen's younger sister."

"Looks like you really did your research!"

Claire swung down the flame whip.

Drawing a pure red line in the air, it easily mowed down the forests' trees

But the water tentacles coming from the ground easily stopped the flame whip.

"Wha–"

"There's no way onee-chan's flame spirit can defeat this «Scylla»."

"......Scylla?"

Claire had read that name at the academy.

It was the name of a special-use military spirit that could be used by anyone. That flexibility to switch contractors was deemed too dangerous and it was supposed to have been sealed after the Ranbal War–

And then Claire realized.

If she was an assassin that used sealed military spirits–

"Don't tell me, you're the one who attacked the flying ship......kyaa!"

In a moment, a tentacle that came from the ground grasped Claire's foot.

The tentacle wrapped itself all the way around and lifted her into the air.

"......This damn thing, let me go......!"


She swung her Flame Tongue with all her might but it did nothing inside the water spirit.

Her opponent's spirit was the worst match-up for her fire spirit.

On top of that, this area weakened flame spirits because of its proximity to water.

Even if it was a high-class spirit like Scarlet, overcoming that was hard.

The tentacles entered into the gaps of her swimsuit.

Wrapping around her thigh, it was a terrible feeling.

"......Ah, n, wh-what are you doing, noo......!"

"Fufu, what a disgraceful appearance, onee-chan. But I'll let you enjoy it soon."

The girl approached Claire who couldn't move.

"......Why are you targeting me?"

"Because onee-chan has corrupted nii-sama."

"......Nii-sama?"

Claire had a realization. The one that came to her mind was–

"Could this be about Kamito?"

"Don't say nii-sama's name so lightly."

The water tentacle slapped Claire's cheek.

"Ku......"


"If I kill onee-chan, nii-sama will definitely wake up."

"Wh-What do you mean wake up! Kamito is Kamito!"

"Don't speak like you know what you're talking about."

A bone-chilling tone. Shivers ran down Claire's spine.

"Onee-chan, what do you even know about nii-sama?"

"Eh?"

At her words–

Claire widened her eyes.

''......That's right. I don't know anything about Kamito.''

For example, this girl who called Kamito nii-sama.

This girl probably knew.

Kamito's past that Claire didn't know.

She felt a pain in her heart. She didn't know why.

"Good bye, onee-chan."

The girl gave the command to kill what it had caught–

"......!?"


Then a blade line flashed.

"–Claire!"

===Part 5===

The short sword pierced the ground.

The girl jumped and landed after turning in the air.

At the instant Scylla's power weakened, Scarlet returned to its hellcat form and destroyed the water tentacle. Kamito caught the released Claire with both arms.

"Ka-Kamito......"

"Claire, stand back."

Kamito placed Claire on the ground and turned to face the girl.

''I didn't think an elementalist would be here–''

He regretted not bringing Est along.

With the last exchange, he understood. His opponent was a skilled assassin.

The short sword disappeared. It was the product of the only spirit magic Kamito could use as the elementalist of a sword spirit – {{Furigana|Weapon Production|Weapon Works|margin=12}}.


''So that presence I felt at the lake was this person......''

Kamito looked at the girl. He couldn't see her face because of the hood.

The girl's lips lightly shook and opened.

"......Nii-sama."

At the same time, the water spirit reformed its tentacles and attacked again.

"Kahaa!"

He took a blow to the stomach.

Kamito flew and smacked into the muddy ground.

"Ouch......"

"Kamito!"

Claire ran up beside the collapsed Kamito.

"Why didn't you dodge it! You should've been able to."

Claire closed her mouth tightly......that's right, he couldn't dodge it.

"......You covered for me?"

"I can't allow a wound to touch an ojou-sama's face."

Kamito wiped the blood from his mouth and shakily stood up.


Once again, the tentacles swung down like whips.

Kamito raised both arms and blocked. But no matter how strong he was, a human couldn't match up to a spirit.

A blunt attack. The sound of bones being crushed rang out.

"......Aguu!"

"Nii-sama, why are you interrupting me?"

The girl muttered this to the fallen Kamito in a sad tone.

"......Nii-sama?"

He was sure she had called him that at the start as well.

The encroaching girl. From beneath the hood, he spied ash grey hair blowing.

"You, don't tell me you're–"

Kamito's eyes widened.

The girl waved her hand and gave the order to attack–

"Freezing fangs, pierce – «Freezing Arrow»!"

In an instant, many ice arrows impaled the water spirit.

The water spirit instantly froze. Then–

"Now!"


"–Take this, Blazing Fireball!"

Claire's fireball scored a direct hit.

A fierce blaze.

The frozen water spirit shattered.

"Hmph, that was easy."

Wielding a magic bow, Rinslet swept her hair aside.

Though she was doing such a carefree action, her breathing was ragged from chasing Kamito.

"Rinslet, you're a life saver......"

Kamito stood as he groaned in pain.

Rinslet and Claire equipped their respective Elemental Waffes and faced the assassin girl.

"Aww, he got killed. It turns out like this if I don't use «Jester's Vise»."

Sticking out her tongue in a childish manner, she flipped her hood off.

[[Image:STnBD V04 145.jpg|200px|thumb]]
"......!?"

Ash grey twintails. A lovely, youthful face.

Kamito stood shocked at the face that had hardly changed from four years ago.

"Muir......"


"Muir?"

Claire knit her brows.

"Muir, why......"

"Nii-sama, you've become very weak."

The girl sighed sadly and turned around.

"But don't worry, Muir will definitely wake you up."

Saying that, she disappeared into the forest–

"Stop–" "Right there!"

"Wait!"

Kamito stopped Rinslet and Claire who were about to pursue.

"Hey, why are you stopping us!"

"–You can't beat her."

The two gulped at Kamito's serious expression.

And so, the assassin girl completely disappeared.

<noinclude>{{SeireiDance Nav|prev=Seirei Tsukai no Blade Dance:Volume4 Chapter4|next=Seirei Tsukai no Blade Dance:Volume4 Chapter6}}</noinclude>

Seirei Tsukai no Blade Dance:Volume4 Chapter5

2013-05-10T04:56:33Z

Monsterbandage: /* Part 3 */

==Chapter 5: Water Play==
===Part 1===

The sun beamed down gently into the forest.

The rich colors flitting about in the air.

Colorful fruits adorned the branches of the densely growing trees.

It was the lake beside the castle.

Because of the spirits floating near the lake shore, this lake granted high purity. It was a place of the highest quality for a princess maiden's purification.

"Claire and the others aren't here yet......"

Kamito, who had just arrived, surveyed the area.

His top half was naked. On his bottom half, he wore trunks. Of course, he had removed the leather glove on his left hand, but he wrapped the seal underneath with a black cloth.

"Being the first one here makes it look like I'm really excited and that's embarrassing."

While scratching his head, he complained and–

"Kamito-kun, sorry to keep you waiting!"

"Owaa!?"

Squish.


Being suddenly hugged from behind, Kamito unconsciously yelped.

"Fianna!?"

Surprised, he turned around–

And there stood the cute princess wearing a bold black swimsuit.

"Does it suit me?"

"......!?"

Fianna's swimsuit was an adult-like bikini. Wrapped around her supple hips was a low-leg pantie. A black ribbon adorned her chest. The frills wrapped around her thighs coupled with the garter looked erotic. The triangular cloth covering her breasts was very suggestive and seemed about to spill over.

"A queen shouldn't be that immodest!"

"Fufu, Kamito-kun got angry ♪"

Fianna stuck out her tongue in a cute manner and released his arm.

"Y-You......"

Kamito's heart throbbed at those enchanting words.

"That's right. Kamito-kun, should I show you my «Spirit Seal»?"


"Wha–"

Fianna bent over and–

Allowed him to gaze at her breasts within the gap of her bold swimsuit.

Kamito swallowed hard.

"Look, it's right here. On the inside......"

While teasing him with her bold actions, her face was lightly tinted red.

Despite wearing a mature swimsuit, she was still a pure ojou-sama.

The soft cleavage that, even now, urged him to bury his face in it.

Just as he glanced the «Spirit Seal» carved within–

"Fianna-san, wh-what are you doing!"

From the small path within the forest ran the swimsuit-clad Rinslet.

It was a proper-looking swimsuit suited to an ojou-sama, but it emphasized her breasts' volume. The legs peeking out from under her pareo were so beautiful that Kamito froze in fascination.

"Ka-Kamito-san, how is my swimsuit?"


"......Y-Yeah, it really suits you."

Kamito spoke his true thoughts and Rinslet blushed.

"Y-You really......think so? I-I don't like being flattered."

"It's not flattery. You're really, um......beautiful."

"......Auu......"

Rinslet reddened right up to her ears.

And fell over just like that.

"S-Sorry for making you wait!"

And now came a rigid voice.

The one who emerged from the same path as Rinslet was the knight captain, Ellis.

She was wearing a sporty navy blue swimsuit with a stress on practicality. It was plain compared to Fianna and Rinslet's, but the gap between her armored state and the current one emphasizing her body line was dangerous.

He was rooted to the spot.

"Ka-Kamito, don't look here, look over there!"

"S-Sorry......!"


Kamito quickly averted his gaze and––

Ellis cleared her throat.

"......N-No, I mean it's fine to look?"

"Which one is it......"

"Sh-Shut up! Besides, you probably just thought it's a boring swimsuit!"

"Nobody said that."

Kamito tiredly sighed.

"......I should've worn a more erotic swimsuit."

"Hmm?"

It felt like the knight captain had just said something amazing but–

"Ellis looks very beautiful in her swimsuit."

"Eh?"

Exclaimed Ellis whose amber eyes widened.

"I thought it suited the serious Ellis."

"Kamito......"

Ellis tightened her arm to her chest and blushed.


"The only ones left are Claire and Est–"

Kamito muttered and,

"Ka-Kamito......"

"Claire?"

At the voice he'd grown accustomed to, he turned around – Claire stood there.

......No.

From behind a large tree, twintails were poking out.

"You, what are you doing?"

"......"

Claire stayed hidden behind the tree.

"Did your swimsuit's string get cut by any chance?"

"Th-That's wrong!"

The twintails stood on end.

"Then why aren't you coming out?"

"B-Because it's......embarrassing."

"Embarrassing, you say......everybody's also in a swimsuit."

"That's true but......o-okay."


Claire resigned herself and timidly came out.

At that moment–

Kamito's breath stopped.

Claire was wearing a pure red bikini. A plain and simple design – on the contrary, it actually accentuated her beauty. The panties held with string wrapped the smooth skin and her thighs had a thin line from her leather whip.

It was painful to admit, but she was insanely cute.

Honestly, he didn't understand why she was embarrassed.

"You......"

"D-Don't say anything, since I'm just......"

When he saw her timidly hiding her chest with both hands–

Kamito realized the reason.

Claire was concerned about her small breasts.

"......Jeez."

Kamito made a wry smile and placed his hand on the embarrassed Claire's head.

"Fuaa!"

"Listen, okay? These are my true thoughts. I won't say it again."


"Wh-What is it......!"

"You're cute, Claire."

"Fuaaa, i-idiot, what are you saying!"

Hit, hit, hit.

Claire hits his shoulder with a beet-red face.

===Part 2===

"This time the knight captain is the demon!"

"I won't lose in swimming."

"Ellis, you can't use your wind armor."

The lovely voices echoing within the forest. Glistening water droplets.

Breasts that shook in tango with the rest of the body met the eyes.

The swimsuit-clad bishoujos frolicked in the lake.

......No matter how you look at it, there's no feeling of this being a purification ceremony.

[[Image:STnBD V04 006-007.jpg|200px|thumb]]
''Well, it's important to relax as well......''

Kamito stretched out on the lake shore.


He couldn't play with the girls because he'd be constantly distracted, so he took to sunbathing. The girls seemed dissatisfied, but perhaps because they had heavy-handedly forced him to come, they let him go.

Beside him, Est was kneeling while licking a popsicle.

Her snow fairy-like body was covered by a navy blue academy-issued swimsuit.

Her smooth milky skin and smooth silvery white hair.

On both of her legs were knee-high socks.

Est had the sort of appearance that maniacs would like, wearing both a swimsuit and knee-high socks.

There wasn't much skin showing, but for some reason, it felt like it crossed even more lines than being fully nude.

"Est, you're not going to play with everyone?"

"It would be embarrassing to be barefooted."

Est replied expressionlessly.

"Besides, I can't swim."

"Ahh, I see......"

Est was a sword spirit so she couldn't float.

No matter how strong of a spirit she was, she couldn't cast off her basic metal attribute.

''......Come to think of it, it was also near a lake that I made the contract with Est.''


While gazing at Est's side profile, Kamito thought that.

Demon Slayer – Terminus Est.

A legendary sealed holy sword spirit. It was a mystery why a sword of her calibre had chosen Kamito.

–He still had no idea.

Besides, Est had many other secrets as well.

"Hey, Est–"

"?"

Est turned towards him while licking the popsicle.

"Are you really the holy sword that defeated the maou?"

The legend of the Demon Slayer remained everywhere on the continent.

Est was undoubtedly an unrivaled sword, but there was no way she was the real one – that's what he thought.

''But if she really is......''

The power that had destroyed the «Cursed Armament Seal» on Velsaria's heart two weeks ago.

That was not the ability of a regular sword spirit.

In the legend of the Demon Slayer, the holy sword was also said to have destroyed the spirit seals for all seventy-two of the maou's contracts.


"I'm sorry, Kamito."

But Est silently shook her head.

"My memories are incomplete right now. If I regained my true body, my memories should return with my full power."

"No, I should be the one to apologize. Sorry."

Because Kamito clung to his contract with Restia, the contract with Est remained incomplete. Est could not display her true power.

"No, Kamito."

[[Image:STnBD V04 121.jpg|200px|thumb]]
Est brought the popsicle away from her lips and gazed at Kamito with her mysterious eyes.

And then–

"I'm glad I contracted with you."

"......Est?"

For a moment, the fleeting expression on Est's face made his heart race.

"–Kamito-san."

"Owaa!"

Platinum blonde hair sparkled in the sunlight.

At some point in time, the swimsuit-clad Rinslet had stood beside him.


"Don't surprise me like that......"

"No, that is, sorry......"

Kamito apologized to the pouting Rinslet.

"What's wrong, Rinslet, you're not going to swim with everyone else?"

At his words, Rinslet squirmed a bit and her face reddened.

"I c-can't, that is......I can't swim very well."

"Is that so?"

That was unexpected. That the perfect Rinslet would have that kind of weakpoint.

"Hmm? Even though you were playing tag in the water normally just now?"

"Th-That was......umm, it was a little trick."

"Trick?"

Rinslet nodded timidly and stuck out her finger.

A freezing atmosphere gathered and from thin air appeared a white wolf.

The demonic ice spirit «Fenrir».

"I was riding on this child's back while in the water."

"......I see."

Upon imagining the white wolf elegantly running around under the water surface with all its might, Kamito wryly smiled.


"Y-You just laughed, didn't you! That's horrible!"

"S-Sorry......"

"And so, umm......"

And Rinslet's cheeks became even redder.

"I'd like to ask a favor of Kamito-san."

"A favor?"

"Umm, that is, my......"

And then Rinslet became inarticulate.

''......What?''

It was at times like these that her maid would translate for him–

Kamito looked around and found the hiding figure of Carol.

......He had thought from a while ago that he hadn't seen her, but she was hiding this entire time.

She was moving her lips and appeared to be saying something–

Kamito used the lip-reading ability he had been trained in at the institute.

''Ojou-sama, do your best – was it......what did that mean?''

Waiting for a little while like that–


"Ka-Kamito-san!"

Rinslet yelled out and seemed to have found her resolve.

Sweeping her platinum blonde hair up and pointing at Kamito–

"I-I shall allow you to teach me how to swim!"

......I see, thought Kamito with a wry smile.

''......As always, she's an ojou-sama that just can't be honest.''

But if you got used to it, those points about her also became cute.

"Est, I'm going to swim with Rinslet for a bit."

"Yes, Kamito......"

Est pouted a little sadly.

===Part 3===

"Ka-Kamito-san, please don't let go......"

"Yeah, it's fine. Spread out your body more."

Splash. The sound of water echoed near the shore.

A little bit away from where everyone was playing, in the shadow of a rock, Kamito was teaching Rinslet how to swim.


It seems she didn't want the others to know.

"F-for sure, okay......i-if you let go, I'll make you into an ice sculpture!"

With a nervous expression, Rinslet gripped onto Kamito's arms.

With the soft sensation upon his skin, his heart throbbed.

"I-I got it, so please don't force your nails into me."

"S-Sorry about that......"

Taking her hands off his arms, she instead grabbed his hands.

She held tightly with her slender and soft fingers.

"A gentleman's......hand."

With red cheeks, her upturned eyes were wavering.

"Well, I am always holding a sword......"

Kamito said while quickly averting his eyes.

''Th-This angle is bad......!''

From the white nape to the collarbone adorned with water droplets.

The breasts that could be seen under the water surface were much too distracting.

"Kamito-san, where are you looking?"


"Ah, no......come on, loosen up and stretch out."

Kamito immediately changed the topic.

"T-To have a boy give me an order......that's the first time."

Rinslet shut her mouth tightly.

But that expression looked somewhat happy.

"Sorry, ojou-sama. I'm just an impertinent fellow."

"No, i-it's fine if you give more orders. B-But perverted orders are a little......"

"Hmm?"

"N-Nothing!"

Rinslet spoke into the water and formed bubbles.

What a strange person – Kamito thought that and then.

"......?"

Kamito felt someone watching him.

He felt a blade-like pressure on the back of his neck.

Kamito quickly surveyed the area.

He only felt the presence for an instant and it had already disappeared.

''I don't think it was my imagination but......''


It might just have been the spirits around the lake.

Well, it had disappeared quickly so there was no point worrying about it.

"What's wrong?"

"No, it's nothing......come on, relax more."

"......L-Like this?"

Rinslet nodded honestly and stretched out her entire body.

Her cute butt wrapped in the white swimsuit rose out of the water.

"I-I floated!"

Her smile was like a blooming rose, very bewitching.

"Rinslet really becomes cute when she's honest."

With a wry smile, Kamito whispered that and Rinslet became red to her ears.

"......Kamito-san, you're teasing me, aren't you?"

Bite. Like she was scolding him, she bit onto both of his arms.

Bite. Bite.

"Rinslet, it hurts......"

"Fufu, it's punishment for teasing me."


Rinslet smiled elegantly and finally stopped biting him.

But as expected of a talented lady, her learning rate was really fast.

"Then, next, try moving your feet."

"Y-Yes......"

[[Image:STnBD V04 129.jpg|200px|thumb]]
Rinslet nodded and–

"Kyan!"

Suddenly gave out a cute yelp.

"W-What happened?"

"Fua, ya, ahn......w-where are you touching!"

Rinslet flopped around in the water.

"N-No, at this kind of place......Kamito-san......you're perverted."

"......Wa-Wait, I'm not doing anything!"

"Kamito denied with all his heart and–

Gogogogogogo......!

The water surface that had been calm until just now boiled.

"That seems like fun, Kamito."

"Claire!?"


What rose from the water was Claire who had her twintails standing on end.

Her tone was calm but......she was angry. No mistake.

"Y-Y-You, what are you doing alone with Rinslet?"

"No, this is just swimming training–"

At his answer – Kamito hurriedly shut himself up.

Rinslet had wanted him to not reveal that she couldn't swim.

He couldn't betray her trust.

Because Kamito had suddenly become quiet, it seemed that that incited Claire.

"Could it be that you were doing s-something that you can't tell me......"

Gogogogogogo......!

"Th-That's wrong, Claire, this is–"

What came to Kamito at that time was–

"That is......it was a secret lesson!"

Those words.

"......Secret lesson!?"

Claire's eyebrows shot up.

......Crap, it seemed that he had messed up his word selection.


"Th-That's right, it was a lesson about things that can't be said!"

While still holding onto Kamito's arm, Rinslet said that.

"A-A lesson about things that can't be said......"

"Wait, Rinslet, that wording will invite misunderstandings–"

But Claire had already turned red from whatever she had imagined.

"......Kamito, th-this pervert, how lewd!"

Hit, hit, hit.

"Calm down, you're wrong! It wasn't a lesson like you're imagining!"

"Claire, could you please not interrupt our secret lesson?"

Rinslet said with a composed smile.

"......Y-You, separate from Kamito!"

"Oh my, why should I?"

Sparks flew between the hellcat girl and the ice magic girl.

......The usual fight had begun.

"Ka-Kamito is my slave spirit and I won't give him to you!"

"No, Kamito-san is mine!"

Both of them each grabbed one of his cheeks.


......A fight between two top-class elementalists started.

While sending water droplets flying, both of them grappled with each other's swimsuits.

Rinslet was always standing normally. This was the sandbar, so there was a foothold.

The breasts and butt that could be seen from the offset swimsuit made Kamito turn red.

"G-Give up already!"

Rinslet placed a hand on Claire's breast and pulled at her swimsuit.

And then.

The string of the red bikini came undone–

"......!?"

Time stopped.

Claire quickly covered her breasts with her hands, but it was too late.

The figure of those small, cute hidden mounds was burned into Kamito's vision.

"......D-Did you see?"

Kamito nodded truthfully.

"A, uu......"

Claire flushed red up to her ears–


"......Fuaaaaan!?"

"Claire!"

And bolted into the forest.

"Jeez......"

"I-I wonder if I did something bad......"

Rinslet was reflecting.

The forest that spread around the lake.

Even if it was the spirit king's sacred land, there might be dangerous spirits in the forest.

He knew Claire was a top-class elementalist – but as expected, he was still worried.

Kamito sighed and chased after Claire who had disappeared into the forest.

===Part 4===

While running in the dark forest–

''Ka-Kamito saw my breasts......!''

Claire reddened.

It was embarrassing to the point that her face felt like it would burst into flames.


''Jeez, what is this, what is this, idiot!''

He had seen her naked in their first meeting.

But then and now were totally different.

She didn't know why though......

''Wh-Why is my heart......beating this fast, I wonder.''

Claire stopped running and suppressed her beating heart.

That's right, she didn't hate that he had seen her naked.

Having him see her underdeveloped breasts had been a shock.

''Th-This small of a chest is strange, isn't it......''

Rub. Rub.

While feeling her soft chest, she bit her lip.

Claire had read it in a book.

That boys liked girls with big breasts.

That definitely did not exclude Kamito–

After all, Kamito had been all happy around that big-breasted Rinslet.

''Wh-wh-wh-what's this secret lesson about things that can't be said, y-you idiot!''

Remembering it again, she felt her anger resurge.


Just what were those two doing in the shadow of that rock–

"I-I d-don't really care about who he gets along with......"

–Just as she said that with a pout.

She felt a cold sensation on the back of her neck.

"......Who is it!?"

Turning around, she inquired with a sharp voice.

And.

"Hmm, you're unexpectedly sharp, onee-chan. But separating from the group isn't good."

Appearing from the trees like a shadow–

A single hooded girl.

Slightly visible ash grey hair. Transparent blue pupils.

A young girl that was even smaller than the short Claire.

''–A child in this place?''

Claire was suspicious.

She didn't appear to be a princess maiden of the «Divine Ritual Instititute».

The only possibility was that she was a member of another team.

"Do you have some business with me?"


Claire asked while keeping her guard up.

What she had felt just before was close to killing intent.

Even if her opponent was a small girl, she couldn't be careless.

The girl laughed lightly.

"I'll have you disappear, onee-chan. For nii-sama's sake."

"......!?"

Instantly, Claire reacted.

Water came from the ground as many tentacles were formed and attacked her.

''......A water spirit user!?''

The writhing water tentacles splintered the surrounding trees' branches.

Claire landed on the ground and performed her summoning.

Guardian of the crimson blaze, keeper of undying hearth!

–Now's the time to abide by the blood contract, come forth and do my bidding!

"–Scarlet!"

A crimson flame-clad hellcat appeared from thin air.

The hellcat immediately transformed into a whip in her hand.

"You, do you understand who you're picking a fight with?"


"Of course, Claire Rouge. The Calamity Queen's younger sister."

"Looks like you really did your research!"

Claire swung down the flame whip.

Drawing a pure red line in the air, it easily mowed down the forests' trees

But the water tentacles coming from the ground easily stopped the flame whip.

"Wha–"

"There's no way onee-chan's flame spirit can defeat this «Scylla»."

"......Scylla?"

Claire had read that name at the academy.

It was the name of a special-use military spirit that could be used by one person. That flexibility to switch contractors was deemed too dangerous and it was supposed to have been sealed after the Ranbal War–

And then Claire realized.

If she was an assassin that used sealed military spirits–

"Don't tell me, you're the one who attacked the flying ship......kyaa!"

In a moment, a tentacle that came from the ground grasped Claire's foot.

The tentacle wrapped itself all the way around and threw her into the air.

"......This damn thing, let me go......!"


She swung her Flame Tongue with all her might but it did nothing inside the water spirit.

Her opponent's spirit was the worst match-up for her fire spirit.

On top of that, this area weakened flame spirits because of its proximity to water.

Even if it was a high-class spirit like Scarlet, overcoming that was hard.

The tentacles entered into the gaps of her swimsuit.

Wrapping around her thigh, it was a terrible feeling.

"......Ah, n, wh-what are you doing, noo......!"

"Fufu, what a disgraceful appearance, onee-chan. But I'll let you enjoy it soon."

The girl approached Claire who couldn't move.

"......Why are you targeting me?"

"Because onee-chan has corrupted nii-sama."

"......Nii-sama?"

Claire had a realization. The one that came to her mind was–

"Could this be about Kamito?"

"Don't say nii-sama's name so lightly."

The water tentacle slapped Claire's cheek.

"Ku......"


"If I kill onee-chan, nii-sama will definitely wake up."

"Wh-What do you mean wake up! Kamito is Kamito!"

"Don't speak like you know what you're talking about."

A bone-chilling tone. Shivers ran down Claire's spine.

"Onee-chan, what do you even know about nii-sama?"

"Eh?"

At her words–

Claire widened her eyes.

''......That's right. I don't know anything about Kamito.''

For example, this girl who called Kamito nii-sama.

This girl probably knew.

Kamito's past that Claire didn't know.

She felt a pain in her heart. She didn't know why.

"Good bye, onee-chan."

The girl gave the command to kill what it had caught–

"......!?"


Then a blade line flashed.

"–Claire!"

===Part 5===

The short sword pierced the ground.

The girl jumped and landed after turning in the air.

At the instant Scylla's power weakened, Scarlet returned to its hellcat form and destroyed the water tentacle. Kamito caught the released Claire with both arms.

"Ka-Kamito......"

"Claire, stand back."

Kamito placed Claire on the ground and turned to face the girl.

''I didn't think an elementalist would be here–''

He regretted not bringing Est along.

With the last exchange, he understood. His opponent was a skilled assassin.

The short sword disappeared. It was the product of the only spirit magic Kamito could use as the elementalist of a sword spirit – {{Furigana|Weapon Production|Weapon Works|margin=12}}.


''So that presence I felt at the lake was this person......''

Kamito looked at the girl. He couldn't see her face because of the hood.

The girl's lips lightly shook and opened.

"......Nii-sama."

At the same time, the water spirit reformed its tentacles and attacked again.

"Kahaa!"

He took a blow to the stomach.

Kamito flew and smacked into the muddy ground.

"Ouch......"

"Kamito!"

Claire ran up beside the collapsed Kamito.

"Why didn't you dodge it! You should've been able to."

Claire closed her mouth tightly......that's right, he couldn't dodge it.

"......You covered for me?"

"I can't allow a wound to touch an ojou-sama's face."

Kamito wiped the blood from his mouth and shakily stood up.


Once again, the tentacles swung down like whips.

Kamito raised both arms and blocked. But no matter how strong he was, a human couldn't match up to a spirit.

A blunt attack. The sound of bones being crushed rang out.

"......Aguu!"

"Nii-sama, why are you interrupting me?"

The girl muttered this to the fallen Kamito in a sad tone.

"......Nii-sama?"

He was sure she had called him that at the start as well.

The encroaching girl. From beneath the hood, he spied ash grey hair blowing.

"You, don't tell me you're–"

Kamito's eyes widened.

The girl waved her hand and gave the order to attack–

"Freezing fangs, pierce – «Freezing Arrow»!"

In an instant, many ice arrows impaled the water spirit.

The water spirit instantly froze. Then–

"Now!"


"–Take this, Blazing Fireball!"

Claire's fireball scored a direct hit.

A fierce blaze.

The frozen water spirit shattered.

"Hmph, that was easy."

Wielding a magic bow, Rinslet swept her hair aside.

Though she was doing such a carefree action, her breathing was ragged from chasing Kamito.

"Rinslet, you're a life saver......"

Kamito stood as he groaned in pain.

Rinslet and Claire equipped their respective Elemental Waffes and faced the assassin girl.

"Aww, he got killed. It turns out like this if I don't use «Jester's Vise»."

Sticking out her tongue in a childish manner, she flipped her hood off.

[[Image:STnBD V04 145.jpg|200px|thumb]]
"......!?"

Ash grey twintails. A lovely, youthful face.

Kamito stood shocked at the face that had hardly changed from four years ago.

"Muir......"


"Muir?"

Claire knit her brows.

"Muir, why......"

"Nii-sama, you've become very weak."

The girl sighed sadly and turned around.

"But don't worry, Muir will definitely wake you up."

Saying that, she disappeared into the forest–

"Stop–" "Right there!"

"Wait!"

Kamito stopped Rinslet and Claire who were about to pursue.

"Hey, why are you stopping us!"

"–You can't beat her."

The two gulped at Kamito's serious expression.

And so, the assassin girl completely disappeared.

<noinclude>{{SeireiDance Nav|prev=Seirei Tsukai no Blade Dance:Volume4 Chapter4|next=Seirei Tsukai no Blade Dance:Volume4 Chapter6}}</noinclude>

Seirei Tsukai no Blade Dance:Volume4 Chapter5

2013-05-10T04:28:49Z

Monsterbandage: /* Part 2 */

==Chapter 5: Water Play==
===Part 1===

The sun beamed down gently into the forest.

The rich colors flitting about in the air.

Colorful fruits adorned the branches of the densely growing trees.

It was the lake beside the castle.

Because of the spirits floating near the lake shore, this lake granted high purity. It was a place of the highest quality for a princess maiden's purification.

"Claire and the others aren't here yet......"

Kamito, who had just arrived, surveyed the area.

His top half was naked. On his bottom half, he wore trunks. Of course, he had removed the leather glove on his left hand, but he wrapped the seal underneath with a black cloth.

"Being the first one here makes it look like I'm really excited and that's embarrassing."

While scratching his head, he complained and–

"Kamito-kun, sorry to keep you waiting!"

"Owaa!?"

Squish.


Being suddenly hugged from behind, Kamito unconsciously yelped.

"Fianna!?"

Surprised, he turned around–

And there stood the cute princess wearing a bold black swimsuit.

"Does it suit me?"

"......!?"

Fianna's swimsuit was an adult-like bikini. Wrapped around her supple hips was a low-leg pantie. A black ribbon adorned her chest. The frills wrapped around her thighs coupled with the garter looked erotic. The triangular cloth covering her breasts was very suggestive and seemed about to spill over.

"A queen shouldn't be that immodest!"

"Fufu, Kamito-kun got angry ♪"

Fianna stuck out her tongue in a cute manner and released his arm.

"Y-You......"

Kamito's heart throbbed at those enchanting words.

"That's right. Kamito-kun, should I show you my «Spirit Seal»?"


"Wha–"

Fianna bent over and–

Allowed him to gaze at her breasts within the gap of her bold swimsuit.

Kamito swallowed hard.

"Look, it's right here. On the inside......"

While teasing him with her bold actions, her face was lightly tinted red.

Despite wearing a mature swimsuit, she was still a pure ojou-sama.

The soft cleavage that, even now, urged him to bury his face in it.

Just as he glanced the «Spirit Seal» carved within–

"Fianna-san, wh-what are you doing!"

From the small path within the forest ran the swimsuit-clad Rinslet.

It was a proper-looking swimsuit suited to an ojou-sama, but it emphasized her breasts' volume. The legs peeking out from under her pareo were so beautiful that Kamito froze in fascination.

"Ka-Kamito-san, how is my swimsuit?"


"......Y-Yeah, it really suits you."

Kamito spoke his true thoughts and Rinslet blushed.

"Y-You really......think so? I-I don't like being flattered."

"It's not flattery. You're really, um......beautiful."

"......Auu......"

Rinslet reddened right up to her ears.

And fell over just like that.

"S-Sorry for making you wait!"

And now came a rigid voice.

The one who emerged from the same path as Rinslet was the knight captain, Ellis.

She was wearing a sporty navy blue swimsuit with a stress on practicality. It was plain compared to Fianna and Rinslet's, but the gap between her armored state and the current one emphasizing her body line was dangerous.

He was rooted to the spot.

"Ka-Kamito, don't look here, look over there!"

"S-Sorry......!"


Kamito quickly averted his gaze and––

Ellis cleared her throat.

"......N-No, I mean it's fine to look?"

"Which one is it......"

"Sh-Shut up! Besides, you probably just thought it's a boring swimsuit!"

"Nobody said that."

Kamito tiredly sighed.

"......I should've worn a more erotic swimsuit."

"Hmm?"

It felt like the knight captain had just said something amazing but–

"Ellis looks very beautiful in her swimsuit."

"Eh?"

Exclaimed Ellis whose amber eyes widened.

"I thought it suited the serious Ellis."

"Kamito......"

Ellis tightened her arm to her chest and blushed.


"The only ones left are Claire and Est–"

Kamito muttered and,

"Ka-Kamito......"

"Claire?"

At the voice he'd grown accustomed to, he turned around – Claire stood there.

......No.

From behind a large tree, twintails were poking out.

"You, what are you doing?"

"......"

Claire stayed hidden behind the tree.

"Did your swimsuit's string get cut by any chance?"

"Th-That's wrong!"

The twintails stood on end.

"Then why aren't you coming out?"

"B-Because it's......embarrassing."

"Embarrassing, you say......everybody's also in a swimsuit."

"That's true but......o-okay."


Claire resigned herself and timidly came out.

At that moment–

Kamito's breath stopped.

Claire was wearing a pure red bikini. A plain and simple design – on the contrary, it actually accentuated her beauty. The panties held with string wrapped the smooth skin and her thighs had a thin line from her leather whip.

It was painful to admit, but she was insanely cute.

Honestly, he didn't understand why she was embarrassed.

"You......"

"D-Don't say anything, since I'm just......"

When he saw her timidly hiding her chest with both hands–

Kamito realized the reason.

Claire was concerned about her small breasts.

"......Jeez."

Kamito made a wry smile and placed his hand on the embarrassed Claire's head.

"Fuaa!"

"Listen, okay? These are my true thoughts. I won't say it again."


"Wh-What is it......!"

"You're cute, Claire."

"Fuaaa, i-idiot, what are you saying!"

Hit, hit, hit.

Claire hits his shoulder with a beet-red face.

===Part 2===

"This time the knight captain is the demon!"

"I won't lose in swimming."

"Ellis, you can't use your wind armor."

The lovely voices echoing within the forest. Glistening water droplets.

Breasts that shook in tango with the rest of the body met the eyes.

The swimsuit-clad bishoujos frolicked in the lake.

......No matter how you look at it, there's no feeling of this being a purification ceremony.

[[Image:STnBD V04 006-007.jpg|200px|thumb]]
''Well, it's important to relax as well......''

Kamito stretched out on the lake shore.


He couldn't play with the girls because he'd be constantly distracted, so he took to sunbathing. The girls seemed dissatisfied, but perhaps because they had heavy-handedly forced him to come, they let him go.

Beside him, Est was kneeling while licking a popsicle.

Her snow fairy-like body was covered by a navy blue academy-issued swimsuit.

Her smooth milky skin and smooth silvery white hair.

On both of her legs were knee-high socks.

Est had the sort of appearance that maniacs would like, wearing both a swimsuit and knee-high socks.

There wasn't much skin showing, but for some reason, it felt like it crossed even more lines than being fully nude.

"Est, you're not going to play with everyone?"

"It would be embarrassing to be barefooted."

Est replied expressionlessly.

"Besides, I can't swim."

"Ahh, I see......"

Est was a sword spirit so she couldn't float.

No matter how strong of a spirit she was, she couldn't cast off her basic metal attribute.

''......Come to think of it, it was also near a lake that I made the contract with Est.''


While gazing at Est's side profile, Kamito thought that.

Demon Slayer – Terminus Est.

A legendary sealed holy sword spirit. It was a mystery why a sword of her calibre had chosen Kamito.

–He still had no idea.

Besides, Est had many other secrets as well.

"Hey, Est–"

"?"

Est turned towards him while licking the popsicle.

"Are you really the holy sword that defeated the maou?"

The legend of the Demon Slayer remained everywhere on the continent.

Est was undoubtedly an unrivaled sword, but there was no way she was the real one – that's what he thought.

''But if she really is......''

The power that had destroyed the «Cursed Armament Seal» on Velsaria's heart two weeks ago.

That was not the ability of a regular sword spirit.

In the legend of the Demon Slayer, the holy sword was also said to have destroyed the spirit seals for all seventy-two of the maou's contracts.


"I'm sorry, Kamito."

But Est silently shook her head.

"My memories are incomplete right now. If I regained my true body, my memories should return with my full power."

"No, I should be the one to apologize. Sorry."

Because Kamito clung to his contract with Restia, the contract with Est remained incomplete. Est could not display her true power.

"No, Kamito."

[[Image:STnBD V04 121.jpg|200px|thumb]]
Est brought the popsicle away from her lips and gazed at Kamito with her mysterious eyes.

And then–

"I'm glad I contracted with you."

"......Est?"

For a moment, the fleeting expression on Est's face made his heart race.

"–Kamito-san."

"Owaa!"

Platinum blonde hair sparkled in the sunlight.

At some point in time, the swimsuit-clad Rinslet had stood beside him.


"Don't surprise me like that......"

"No, that is, sorry......"

Kamito apologized to the pouting Rinslet.

"What's wrong, Rinslet, you're not going to swim with everyone else?"

At his words, Rinslet squirmed a bit and her face reddened.

"I c-can't, that is......I can't swim very well."

"Is that so?"

That was unexpected. That the perfect Rinslet would have that kind of weakpoint.

"Hmm? Even though you were playing tag in the water normally just now?"

"Th-That was......umm, it was a little trick."

"Trick?"

Rinslet nodded timidly and stuck out her finger.

A freezing atmosphere gathered and from thin air appeared a white wolf.

The demonic ice spirit «Fenrir».

"I was riding on this child's back while in the water."

"......I see."

Upon imagining the white wolf elegantly running around under the water surface with all its might, Kamito wryly smiled.


"Y-You just laughed, didn't you! That's horrible!"

"S-Sorry......"

"And so, umm......"

And Rinslet's cheeks became even redder.

"I'd like to ask a favor of Kamito-san."

"A favor?"

"Umm, that is, my......"

And then Rinslet became inarticulate.

''......What?''

It was at times like these that her maid would translate for him–

Kamito looked around and found the hiding figure of Carol.

......He had thought from a while ago that he hadn't seen her, but she was hiding this entire time.

She was moving her lips and appeared to be saying something–

Kamito used the lip-reading ability he had been trained in at the institute.

''Ojou-sama, do your best – was it......what did that mean?''

Waiting for a little while like that–


"Ka-Kamito-san!"

Rinslet yelled out and seemed to have found her resolve.

Sweeping her platinum blonde hair up and pointing at Kamito–

"I-I shall allow you to teach me how to swim!"

......I see, thought Kamito with a wry smile.

''......As always, she's an ojou-sama that just can't be honest.''

But if you got used to it, those points about her also became cute.

"Est, I'm going to swim with Rinslet for a bit."

"Yes, Kamito......"

Est pouted a little sadly.

===Part 3===

"Ka-Kamito-san, please don't let go......"

"Yeah, it's fine. Spread out your body more."

Splash. The sound of water echoed near the shore.

A little bit away from where everyone was playing, in the shadow of a rock, Kamito was teaching Rinslet how to swim.


It seems she didn't want the others to know.

"F-for sure, okay......i-if you let go, I'll make you into an ice sculpture!"

With a nervous expression, Rinslet gripped onto Kamito's arms.

With the soft sensation upon his skin, his heart throbbed.

"I-I got it, so please don't force your nails into me."

"S-Sorry about that......"

Taking her hands off his arms, she instead grabbed his hands.

She held tightly with her slender and soft fingers.

"A gentleman's......hand."

With red cheeks, her upturned eyes were wavering.

"Well, I am always holding a sword......"

Kamito said while quickly averting his eyes.

''Th-This angle is bad......!''

From the white nape to the collarbone adorned with water droplets.

The breasts that could be seen under the water surface were much too distracting.

"Kamito-san, where are you looking?"


"Ah, no......come on, loosen up and stretch out."

Kamito immediately changed the topic.

"T-To have a boy give me an order......that's the first time."

Rinslet shut her mouth tightly.

But that expression looked somewhat happy.

"Sorry, ojou-sama. I'm just an impertinent fellow."

"No, i-it's fine if you give more orders. B-But perverted orders are a little......"

"Hmm?"

"N-Nothing!"

Rinslet spoke into the water and formed bubbles.

What a strange person – Kamito thought that and then.

"......?"

Kamito felt someone watching him.

He felt a blade-like pressure on the back of his neck.

Kamito quickly surveyed the area.

He only felt the presence for an instant and it had already disappeared.

''I don't think it was my imagination but......''


It might just have been the spirits around the lake.

Well, it had disappeared quickly so there was no point worrying about it.

"What's wrong?"

"No, it's nothing......come on, relax more."

"......L-Like this?"

Rinslet nodded honestly and stretched out her entire body.

Her cute butt wrapped in the white swimsuit rose out of the water.

"I-I floated!"

Her smile was like a blooming rose, very bewitching.

"Rinslet really becomes cute when she's honest."

With a wry smile, Kamito whispered that and Rinslet became red to her ears.

"......Kamito-san, you're teasing me, aren't you?"

Bite. Like she was scolding him, she bit onto both of his arms.

Bite. Bite.

"Rinslet, it hurts......"

"Fufu, it's punishment for teasing me."


Rinslet smiled elegantly and finally stopped biting him.

But as expected of a talented lady, her learning rate was really fast.

"Then, next, try moving your feet."

"Y-Yes......"

[[Image:STnBD V04 129.jpg|200px|thumb]]
Rinslet nodded and–

"Kyan!"

Suddenly gave out a cute yelp.

"W-What happened?"

"Fua, ya, ahn......w-where are you touching!"

Rinslet flopped around in the water.

"N-No, at this kind of place......Kamito-san......you're perverted."

"......Wa-Wait, I'm not doing anything!"

"Kamito denied with all his heart and–

Gogogogogogo......!

The water surface that had been calm until just now boiled.

"That seems like fun, Kamito."

"Claire!?"


What rose from the water was Claire who had her twintails standing on end.

Her tone was calm but......she was angry. No mistake.

"Y-Y-You, what are you doing alone with Rinslet?"

"No, this is just swimming training–"

At his answer – Kamito hurriedly shut himself up.

Rinslet had wanted him to not reveal that she couldn't swim.

He couldn't betray her trust.

Because Kamito had suddenly become quiet, it seemed that that incited Claire.

"Could it be that you were doing s-something that you can't tell me......"

Gogogogogogo......!

"Th-That's wrong, Claire, this is–"

What came to Kamito at that time was–

"That is......it was a secret lesson!"

Those words.

"......Secret lesson!?"

Claire's eyebrows shot up.

......Crap, it seemed that he had messed up his word selection.


"Th-That's right, it was a lesson about things that can't be said!"

While still holding onto Kamito's arm, Rinslet said that.

"A-A lesson about things that can't be said......"

"Wait, Rinslet, that wording will invite misunderstandings–"

But Claire had already turned red from whatever she had imagined.

"......Kamito, th-this pervert, how lewd!"

Hit, hit, hit.

"Calm down, you're wrong! It wasn't a lesson like you're imagining!"

"Claire, could you please not interrupt our secret lesson?"

Rinslet said with a composed smile.

"......Y-You, separate from Kamito!"

"Oh my, why should I?"

Sparks flew between the hellcat girl and the ice magic girl.

......The usual fight had begun.

"Ka-Kamito is my slave spirit and I won't give him to you!"

"No, Kamito-san is mine!"

Both of them grabbed one of each of his cheeks.


......A fight between two top-class elementalists started.

While sending water droplets flying, both of them grappled with each other's swimsuits.

Rinslet was always standing normally. This was the sandbar, so there was a foothold.

The breasts and butt that could be seen from the offset swimsuit made Kamito turn red.

"G-Give up already!"

Rinslet placed a hand on Claire's breast and pulled at her swimsuit.

And then.

The string of the red bikini came undone–

"......!?"

Time stopped.

Claire quickly covered her breasts with her hands, but it was too late.

The figure of those small, cute hidden mounds was burned into Kamito's vision.

"......D-Did you see?"

Kamito nodded truthfully.

"A, uu......"

Claire flushed red up to her ears–


"......Fuaaaaan!?"

"Claire!"

And bolted into the forest.

"Jeez......"

"I-I wonder if I did something bad......"

Rinslet was reflecting.

The forest that spread around the lake.

Even if it was the spirit king's sacred land, there might be dangerous spirits in the forest.

He knew Claire was a top-class elementalist – but as expected, he was still worried.

Kamito sighed and chased after Claire who had disappeared into the forest.

===Part 4===

While running in the dark forest–

''Ka-Kamito saw my breasts......!''

Claire reddened.

It was embarrassing to the point that her face felt like it would burst into flames.


''Jeez, what is this, what is this, idiot!''

He had seen her naked in their first meeting.

But then and now were totally different.

She didn't know why though......

''Wh-Why is my heart......beating this fast, I wonder.''

Claire stopped running and suppressed her beating heart.

That's right, she didn't hate that he had seen her naked.

Having him see her underdeveloped breasts had been a shock.

''Th-This small of a chest is strange, isn't it......''

Rub. Rub.

While feeling her soft chest, she bit her lip.

Claire had read it in a book.

That boys liked girls with big breasts.

That definitely did not exclude Kamito–

After all, Kamito had been all happy around that big-breasted Rinslet.

''Wh-wh-wh-what's this secret lesson about things that can't be said, y-you idiot!''

Remembering it again, she felt her anger resurge.


Just what were those two doing in the shadow of that rock–

"I-I d-don't really care about who he gets along with......"

–Just as she said that with a pout.

She felt a cold sensation on the back of her neck.

"......Who is it!?"

Turning around, she inquired with a sharp voice.

And.

"Hmm, you're unexpectedly sharp, onee-chan. But separating from the group isn't good."

Appearing from the trees like a shadow–

A single hooded girl.

Slightly visible ash grey hair. Transparent blue pupils.

A young girl that was even smaller than the short Claire.

''–A child in this place?''

Claire was suspicious.

She didn't appear to be a princess maiden of the «Divine Ritual Instititute».

The only possibility was that she was a member of another team.

"Do you have some business with me?"


Claire asked while keeping her guard up.

What she had felt just before was close to killing intent.

Even if her opponent was a small girl, she couldn't be careless.

The girl laughed lightly.

"I'll have you disappear, onee-chan. For nii-sama's sake."

"......!?"

Instantly, Claire reacted.

Water came from the ground as many tentacles were formed and attacked her.

''......A water spirit user!?''

The writhing water tentacles splintered the surrounding trees' branches.

Claire landed on the ground and performed her summoning.

Guardian of the crimson blaze, keeper of undying hearth!

–Now's the time to abide by the blood contract, come forth and do my bidding!

"–Scarlet!"

A crimson flame-clad hellcat appeared from thin air.

The hellcat immediately transformed into a whip in her hand.

"You, do you understand who you're picking a fight with?"


"Of course, Claire Rouge. The Calamity Queen's younger sister."

"Looks like you really did your research!"

Claire swung down the flame whip.

Drawing a pure red line in the air, it easily mowed down the forests' trees

But the water tentacles coming from the ground easily stopped the flame whip.

"Wha–"

"There's no way onee-chan's flame spirit can defeat this «Scylla»."

"......Scylla?"

Claire had read that name at the academy.

It was the name of a special-use military spirit that could be used by one person. That flexibility to switch contractors was deemed too dangerous and it was supposed to have been sealed after the Ranbal War–

And then Claire realized.

If she was an assassin that used sealed military spirits–

"Don't tell me, you're the one who attacked the flying ship......kyaa!"

In a moment, a tentacle that came from the ground grasped Claire's foot.

The tentacle wrapped itself all the way around and threw her into the air.

"......This damn thing, let me go......!"


She swung her Flame Tongue with all her might but it did nothing inside the water spirit.

Her opponent's spirit was the worst match-up for her fire spirit.

On top of that, this area weakened flame spirits because of its proximity to water.

Even if it was a high-class spirit like Scarlet, overcoming that was hard.

The tentacles entered into the gaps of her swimsuit.

Wrapping around her thigh, it was a terrible feeling.

"......Ah, n, wh-what are you doing, noo......!"

"Fufu, what a disgraceful appearance, onee-chan. But I'll let you enjoy it soon."

The girl approached Claire who couldn't move.

"......Why are you targeting me?"

"Because onee-chan has corrupted nii-sama."

"......Nii-sama?"

Claire had a realization. The one that came to her mind was–

"Could this be about Kamito?"

"Don't say nii-sama's name so lightly."

The water tentacle slapped Claire's cheek.

"Ku......"


"If I kill onee-chan, nii-sama will definitely wake up."

"Wh-What do you mean wake up! Kamito is Kamito!"

"Don't speak like you know what you're talking about."

A bone-chilling tone. Shivers ran down Claire's spine.

"Onee-chan, what do you even know about nii-sama?"

"Eh?"

At her words–

Claire widened her eyes.

''......That's right. I don't know anything about Kamito.''

For example, this girl who called Kamito nii-sama.

This girl probably knew.

Kamito's past that Claire didn't know.

She felt a pain in her heart. She didn't know why.

"Good bye, onee-chan."

The girl gave the command to kill what it had caught–

"......!?"


Then a blade line flashed.

"–Claire!"

===Part 5===

The short sword pierced the ground.

The girl jumped and landed after turning in the air.

At the instant Scylla's power weakened, Scarlet returned to its hellcat form and destroyed the water tentacle. Kamito caught the released Claire with both arms.

"Ka-Kamito......"

"Claire, stand back."

Kamito placed Claire on the ground and turned to face the girl.

''I didn't think an elementalist would be here–''

He regretted not bringing Est along.

With the last exchange, he understood. His opponent was a skilled assassin.

The short sword disappeared. It was the product of the only spirit magic Kamito could use as the elementalist of a sword spirit – {{Furigana|Weapon Production|Weapon Works|margin=12}}.


''So that presence I felt at the lake was this person......''

Kamito looked at the girl. He couldn't see her face because of the hood.

The girl's lips lightly shook and opened.

"......Nii-sama."

At the same time, the water spirit reformed its tentacles and attacked again.

"Kahaa!"

He took a blow to the stomach.

Kamito flew and smacked into the muddy ground.

"Ouch......"

"Kamito!"

Claire ran up beside the collapsed Kamito.

"Why didn't you dodge it! You should've been able to."

Claire closed her mouth tightly......that's right, he couldn't dodge it.

"......You covered for me?"

"I can't allow a wound to touch an ojou-sama's face."

Kamito wiped the blood from his mouth and shakily stood up.


Once again, the tentacles swung down like whips.

Kamito raised both arms and blocked. But no matter how strong he was, a human couldn't match up to a spirit.

A blunt attack. The sound of bones being crushed rang out.

"......Aguu!"

"Nii-sama, why are you interrupting me?"

The girl muttered this to the fallen Kamito in a sad tone.

"......Nii-sama?"

He was sure she had called him that at the start as well.

The encroaching girl. From beneath the hood, he spied ash grey hair blowing.

"You, don't tell me you're–"

Kamito's eyes widened.

The girl waved her hand and gave the order to attack–

"Freezing fangs, pierce – «Freezing Arrow»!"

In an instant, many ice arrows impaled the water spirit.

The water spirit instantly froze. Then–

"Now!"


"–Take this, Blazing Fireball!"

Claire's fireball scored a direct hit.

A fierce blaze.

The frozen water spirit shattered.

"Hmph, that was easy."

Wielding a magic bow, Rinslet swept her hair aside.

Though she was doing such a carefree action, her breathing was ragged from chasing Kamito.

"Rinslet, you're a life saver......"

Kamito stood as he groaned in pain.

Rinslet and Claire equipped their respective Elemental Waffes and faced the assassin girl.

"Aww, he got killed. It turns out like this if I don't use «Jester's Vise»."

Sticking out her tongue in a childish manner, she flipped her hood off.

[[Image:STnBD V04 145.jpg|200px|thumb]]
"......!?"

Ash grey twintails. A lovely, youthful face.

Kamito stood shocked at the face that had hardly changed from four years ago.

"Muir......"


"Muir?"

Claire knit her brows.

"Muir, why......"

"Nii-sama, you've become very weak."

The girl sighed sadly and turned around.

"But don't worry, Muir will definitely wake you up."

Saying that, she disappeared into the forest–

"Stop–" "Right there!"

"Wait!"

Kamito stopped Rinslet and Claire who were about to pursue.

"Hey, why are you stopping us!"

"–You can't beat her."

The two gulped at Kamito's serious expression.

And so, the assassin girl completely disappeared.

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Seirei Tsukai no Blade Dance:Volume4 Chapter4

2013-05-09T04:22:32Z

Monsterbandage: /* Part 6 */

==Chapter 4: Floating Island==
===Part 1===

A few hours after the destruction spirit's attack.

The Bellfahle-class flying ship, repaired by the engineering team, landed in the sacred land of the Wind Elemental Lord.

"Ah, I can see the island!"

On the deck, Rinslet seemed to be in a good mood and pointed at the island.

The pure and high-spirited figure of this ojou-sama was cute.

"Do-Don't say it so loudly. It's embarrassing."

Claire whispered that in a small voice while poking Rinslet's elbow.

"Oh my, to want me to be quiet, are you jealous?"

"You give off a bad impression is what I'm saying."

Kamito watched over them with sidelong glances while he got to the side of the ship.

"So that's the sacred land......"

Between the thick clouds and surrounded by a steep mountain range was a floating island.

«Ragna Ys» – even within Astral Zero, it is one of the most important of the sacred lands.

"Restia is there......"


Kamito gripped his leather gloved left hand.

The flying ship quietly advanced towards the floating island's port.

===Part 2===
Past noon. A little after the appointed time, the flying ship docked at Grand Ys' harbor.

Upon seeing the battered condition of the flying ship, all the ship mechanics held their heads.

They transferred at the port into the «Divine Ritual Institute»'s prepared horse-driven carriages.

Because horse-driven carriages were meant for four people, it was a little tight with six. Est went as a sword but that only freed up one space.

During the horse-driven carriage's bumpy ride, he had felt Rinslet's breasts. Kamito quickly separated himself from her but it was really tight.

"Ka-Kamito-san......you're perverted."

"S-Sorry, it was unavoidable."

"Well, I understand that but......"

Rinslet sulked.

But there was no reproachful look in that face.


By the way, on the opposite side, Claire–

"......Whatever, anyway, my breasts won't shake......"

For some reason, she was muttering to herself with teary eyes.

The horse-driven carriage continued to the {{Furigana|opening ritual|ceremony|margin=12}}'s castle.

While pointing at various things outside the window, Claire acted as a guide.

"The floating island «Ragna Ys» is one of the five sacred lands, the sacred land of the Wind Elemental Lord. The Blade Dance was held here 74 years ago."

By the way, the Blade Dance three years ago had been held in the fire Elemental Lord's territory at Fire Mountain city. There was no rule as to where the Blade Dance would be held as it was decided by oracles received by the Queens.

"And the castle in the center is a historic ruin from a mystical age."

"So that's where we're lodging, huh?"

"Yes, it is an unequaled opportunity. Normally the «Divine Ritual Institute» would never allow anyone except princess maidens to enter. Which reminds me, have you been there before, Fianna?"

"Yes, but just once. I normally remained at the fire Elemental Lord's shrine."

"......The Elemental Lord's true shrine. I'm a little nervous."

Ellis whispered that with a nervous expression.


There were no signs of people on the paved road.

The ones invited to the opening ceremony were the Five Great Elemental Lords and the Queens that serve them, the elementalist representatives and the uppercrust nobility only. The entrance of others was not permitted and may have provoked the beginning of a real war.

"Are the king and queen of the Empire not coming?"

"......It seems. But that doesn't concern me."

Fianna shrugged and Kamito–

"......S-Sorry."

Fianna had been named the «Lost Queen» after she lost her spirit contracting powers despite being a Queen candidate and consequently was shunned by the king and queen.

Speaking about the king and queen to her may have been insensitive of him.

"I don't mind. To begin with, our relationship wasn't that good and not returning to the «Divine Ritual Institute» almost got me disowned. I have no intention of clinging to my title as the second princess and even if I'm removed from the monarchy line–"

And then Fianna stopped talking.

Claire's parents had been imprisoned and she was chasing her rebel sister who had disappeared.

"I don't mind."


Claire flicked her red twintails up and turned to Rinslet.

"Is anybody coming from Rinslet or Ellis' households to watch?"

"Yes. My father and younger sister will be coming."

"One of the Blade Dance's objective is to gather superior talent. The Fahrengart family traditionally adopts those excelling in martial ability."

Rinslet and Ellis nodded at the same time. Come to think of it, Ellis' step-sister, Velsaria Eva, was adopted, thought Kamito.

"Th-That's why, that is, if you display your true power before them, they might be wi-willing to accept you as an adopted child......"

"......?"

For some reason, Ellis was muttering unintelligibly with a red face.

"Will Kamito's family be coming?"

"Eh?"

At Claire's words–

Kamito asked without thinking.

"......My family?"

With the way the conversation was going, it was obvious that he would be asked that.


But Kamito suddenly couldn't manage to reply.

Family – the one word Kamito was most separate from.

"You, you really don't talk about your family. I think I heard your parents were from the empire?"

"Y-Yeah......"

He nodded with ambiguity. In the academy application that Greyworth had prepared, Kamito was the adopted son of a lower-class family of nobles. Claire had believed that.

Of course, that family of nobles didn't really exist. It was just a family created on paper.

Kamito had no known family name. Any vague memories he had of his parents when he was young had been overwritten with the experiences at the «Instructional School».

The one who had been by the young Kamito's side was the darkness spirit – only Restia.

Possibly–

''I wonder if I could call them family......''

Kamito recalled the other girls at the facility.

The other two girls in his tactical team at the «Instructional School».

They didn't know each others' real names and it wasn't a relationship between comrades.

The expert intelligence elementalist, Lily Flame.


And that girl that was attached to him and called him nii-sama.

''......The military-use elementalist, Muir Alenstarl.''

Four years ago. Ever since the facility had been destroyed in the flame spirit's attack, Kamito had lost track of where she was. He had heard the greater half of the orphans there were taken in for protection by the Empire but there were sure to be others like Jio Inzagi who had used the chaos of the institution's destruction to escape.

He wondered if his remembering them was because of that dream he had–

"......? What's wrong, to make you have such a grim face?"

"Nothing, just thinking about the past."

Kamito averted his eyes from the inquiring Claire and looked out the window.

They were approaching the castle on the mountain.

===Part 3===
The horse-drawn carriage stopped before a large gate made of stone.

The castle at the top of the slightly inclined mountain was prepared with unparalleled beauty and grandeur.

It was surrounded by a forest and had a lake a short distance away.

Other teams also arrived and stopped their horse-drawn carriages before the gate.


''......It's a good thing we haven't run into that Dragon Princess.''

Relieved, he descended from the horse-drawn carriage and,

"We have been awaiting your arrival. Princess maidens who have come to entertain the Elemental Lords."

Inside the gate, a group of miko garment-wearing girls greeted them.

"They are the apprentices of the «Divine Ritual Institute». My kouhais."

Fianna whispered that into his ear.

"While you are staying here, we will be in your care for instruction in femininity."

When the princess maidens bowed, Kamito stole a glance of their bare breasts underneath the garment and his heart throbbed.

Looking closely, the ceremonial garments they were wearing were equivalent to being half-naked.

The opening above the breasts was large and at the hem of skirts, a slight amount of youthful skin was peeking out.

Even though the clothes were to inspire purity, they were strangely erotic.

Maybe if Claire and the others wore those clothes......he suddenly thought of that.

"Hm? Kamito, what are you looking at?"

He was asked that by Claire–

"Ahh, I was just thinking that if you guys wore those clothes, it'd really suit you–"

"Wha!?"


......Kamito said his thoughts out loud without thinking.

''......Uwa, I messed up!''

"Wh-wh-wh-what you sa-sa-sa-saying, you perverted slave spirit!"

Claire's face flared red and she beat her whip against the ground.

"Ka-Kamito-san likes those kinds of things, it seems......"

"Wh-What do you think the holy garments are!"

"I wonder if I still have my holy garments from when I was in the «Holy Ritual Institute»?"

The three ojou-samas whispered amongst themselves.

"So, Kamito-sama, whose figure did you imagine?"

"......!?"

The smiling Carol asked and Kamito averted his eyes.

===Part 4===
Entering the castle, they arrived at a large entry hall.

Beautiful arches with a high ceiling. A carpet was spread on the ground through a pillared corridor up to a door that led further in.

The lighting was provided not by lamps or spirit stones but by small floating light spirits.


Even if it was called a relic of the mythical age, several thousand years of repeated reconstruction and remodeling had left few traces of things from that time long ago. The sole remaining traces were sculptures hidden by stone pillars.

Along the pillared corridor's walls were colorful illustrations. These were at best the remnants of a few hundred years and the motifs were Queens that had left their name in history as well as «Blade Dance» winners.

"Hm?"

Kamito stopped before a large set of pictures.

Depicted there was the winner of the Blade Dance from three years ago.

The strongest blade dancer – Ren Ashbell.

Wrapped in the strange garments of foreign country, with an ominous demonic blade of darkness in her left hand.

That blade in her left hand was the darkness spirit, Restia's elemental waffe «{{Furigana|The Sword That Pierces Truth|Vorpal Sword|margin=12}}».

Bewitching black hair. Pearly white cheeks.

That girl's profile, drawn with a delicate touch, viewed as a goal, was very beautiful.

"......This is overdone. The work of a painter without a discerning eye."

Kamito muttered that and Ellis who had walked around turned towards him.

"It's you who lacks appreciation. Her beauty wasn't like that."

"That's right. Even though we're the same gender, she made my heart throb."


Claire also nodded in agreement.

"Ah–, I see......"

Kamito made a sour expression and groaned.

"Fufu, aren't you glad, Kamito-kun."

"You......"

Fianna teasingly laughed and looked at Kamito through half-opened eyes.

Following the princess maidens through the large castle, they finally arrived at their rooms.

"Empire representatives «Team Scarlet», your room is over here. If you would like to eat, use something or anything else, please do not hesitate to do so."

"Wait a second, am I in the same room?"

Kamito quickly asked the princess maiden and,

"Th-th-th-there's no way, what are you thinking!"

Claire refuted it with a panicked expression.

"Y-Yeah, as expected, staying in the same room as a gentleman is difficult."

Said Ellis as she cleared her throat.

"That's right, as expected......right."

"B-But, it can't be helped if there are no open rooms, right?"


Fianna and Rinslet also exchanged nervous glances.

"......? Of course, we have prepared a separate room for the gentleman."

To the guiding princess maiden's words,

"Th-That's right, of course!"

"Y-Yes, it is an obvious requirement!"

The ojou-samas said in high-pitched voices.

"Fufu, that's a pity."

"Like that would happen. Having just a lone male in a room of girls, what kind of torture is that?"

Kamito said that to the laughing and smiling Carol with half-opened eyes.

"Then, I'll be going straight to bed. See you later."

"Kamito, wait a moment."

His collar was grabbed as he turned to head for his room.

"What?"

"We are going to purify ourselves now."


"Purify?"

Purification meant the act of washing one's body with water in a purifying ceremony. Maidens that were not pure could not use spirits. For that reason, elementalists had to constantly maintain a pure mind and body.

"That's why, that is......y-you get changed and come to the lake as well!"

"Nah, I'm fine. I'll do it alone later."

Kamito shook his head in a troubled manner.

"Or rather, you don't want me to see you in swimsuits, right?"

"Th-That is......"

Claire's cheeks flushed and she averted her gaze,

"No, not really, i-it's not that I don't want it......it's fine if it's Kamito."

"......?"

"N-Nothing!"

Unfortunately, Claire's voice had been too quiet and he couldn't hear it well.

......He wondered what that was. Recently, Claire had become rather inarticulate.

"A-Anyway, we're a team so we'll be doing the purification together as well!"

This was a command to her slave spirit – Claire said this as her red twintails stood on end.

"Th-That's right, breaking the team's unity isn't good!"


"Kamito-san doesn't have enough self-recognition as part of a team!"

"Being able to do the purification ceremony together is a sign of trust!"

The three ojou-samas all agreed with each other.

"No, you guys are exaggerating......"

......He wondered why they were fussing over the purification so much.

The maid Carol cleared her throat with furrowed brows.

"To be clear, the ojou-samas simply want to show Kamito their new swimsuits–"

""""Carol!""""

The collective voice of the ojou-samas.

"What is it, exactly......"

Kamito felt troubled–

A tug.

His cuff was being pulled.

"......Est?"

Est, who had returned to human form at some point, looked up at Kamito.

"Kamito, I want to play with Kamito at the lake."

"......"


Being looked at by Est's mysterious pupils, Kamito gulped.

''I did something bad to Est this morning so......''

It seemed like Est wasn't mad anymore but–

He felt that he had to do something to compensate her.

Kamito placed his hand on Est's head and caressed it.

"Got it. Let's play at the lake together."

"Yes, Kamito. I'm happy."

Est nodded expressionlessly.

Kamito turned towards Est and the others.

"With that, I'll also be doing the purification – hey, Owaa!"

""""Why are you so soft on Est!""""

Four peoples' luggage flew to his face.

......It seems like we have no problems with teamwork.

===Part 5===
"–Here is Kamito-sama's room."


Kamito was led down the hallway to a gloomy room the furthest in.

The room was putrid and had a gloomy air to it. In the corner were paintings and sculptures as well as other junk covered in spiderwebs.

"......Is it just me or am I the only one being treated this badly?"

......In Claire and the others' room, there had even been a fireplace and chandelier.

Rather than a room, this was closer to a storage.

"The «Divine Ritual Institute» decided this."

The princess maiden cleared her throat.

......It seemed like she was being openly cold towards Kamito.

''......Well, it can't be helped, I guess.''

The «Divine Ritual Institute» was, like the academy, far removed from the presence of men.

"Does this room not have a light?"

"Yes. Light spirits wouldn't come near this kind of gloomy room."

"I'll open the window."

"As you wish. However, it may be rusted shut."

"......"


Kamito sighed deeply and entered the box-like room.

He had left Est at the girls' room so he had to clean the room by himself.

''......Now that I think about it, it's about time to eat.''

Other than the black tea he drank on the flying ship, he had not eaten anything since that morning.

"Sorry, could I request something light to eat?"

"Kamito-sama wishes for nyotaimori? <ref> nyotaimori = "body sushi", is the practice of serving sashimi or sushi from the body of a woman</ref> I apologize but that–"

"I didn't say that! Just something normal like a sandwich!"

"A nyotai-sandwich......wrapping yourself with breasts......?"

"......I'm begging you, please stop with the nyotai stuff."

Kamito sighed deeply at the scornful glare he received from the princess maiden.

===Part 6===
"This kind of bold swimsuit......is it okay?"

"The knight captain's breasts are unexpectedly quite large......"

"Ahn – what are you doing!"

Ellis gave a cute cry at Rinslet fondling her breasts.


In the girls' room, the ojou-samas were changing into swimsuits from their uniforms.

Smooth, young skin. Bewitching body lines.

They were bishoujos of equally outstanding proportions.

In the corner was Claire who felt that she had lost.

''......Wh-What, it's not just me!''

......The slightly present chest.

With a pink tip, it was like a budding flower.

''Even though everybody else is growing properly......''

She sighed as she watched the rest of the team getting changed.

The only one it felt like she could win against was Est, but she was a spirit.

''Even Kamito wouldn't like this kind of small chest......''

While lightly rubbing the slight bumps–

What appeared in Claire's mind was a scene from two months prior.

The time when she had first met Kamito at the lake in the «Spirit Forest».

The words he had said when he had seen her bathing naked.

–I have no interest toward's a kid's body, he had said.

"......!"


Remembering it, her cheeks flushed red.

Having a guy her age seeing her naked, that was of course her first time.

''......But thinking about it, it was only two months ago.''

Standing on one foot and slipping on her new swimsuit, Claire sighed.

Only two months.

But ever since she had met Kamito, many things have happened.

The showdown with Ellis at the academy. Fighting the rampant military spirit.

The cooking battle with the newly transferred Fianna. The mission at the mine.

Two weeks ago, they defeated the strongest elementalist and gathered five teammates to participate in the Blade Dance.

–Until she met Kamito, she was always alone.

''But I still don't really know anything about Kamito......''

Dropping her panties onto the floor, she sank deep into thought.

Even when she had asked about his family on the horse-driven carriage, he had avoided the question.

''It's not like I want to pry but–''

The thing she still didn't know about Kamito was his connection with that darkness spirit girl.

She had given Claire the frenzied spirit and had been at the mine with Jio Inzagi for the purpose of unsealing {{Furigana|the strategic-class military spirit|Jormungandr|margin=12}}.


She was Kamito's contracted spirit but nothing else was known.

Whenever a discussion about the past arose, Kamito would stay silent.

......She didn't like that.

''At least tell your master, idiot......''

While hiding her small chest with her hands, Claire pressed her lips together, displeased.

<noinclude>

==Translation Notes==
<references/>
</noinclude>

<noinclude>
{{SeireiDance Nav|prev=Seirei Tsukai no Blade Dance:Volume4 Chapter3|next=Seirei Tsukai no Blade Dance:Volume4 Chapter5}}
</noinclude>

Seirei Tsukai no Blade Dance:Volume4 Chapter4

2013-05-09T04:11:33Z

Monsterbandage: /* Part 4 */

==Chapter 4: Floating Island==
===Part 1===

A few hours after the destruction spirit's attack.

The Bellfahle-class flying ship, repaired by the engineering team, landed in the sacred land of the Wind Elemental Lord.

"Ah, I can see the island!"

On the deck, Rinslet seemed to be in a good mood and pointed at the island.

The pure and high-spirited figure of this ojou-sama was cute.

"Do-Don't say it so loudly. It's embarrassing."

Claire whispered that in a small voice while poking Rinslet's elbow.

"Oh my, to want me to be quiet, are you jealous?"

"You give off a bad impression is what I'm saying."

Kamito watched over them with sidelong glances while he got to the side of the ship.

"So that's the sacred land......"

Between the thick clouds and surrounded by a steep mountain range was a floating island.

«Ragna Ys» – even within Astral Zero, it is one of the most important of the sacred lands.

"Restia is there......"


Kamito gripped his leather gloved left hand.

The flying ship quietly advanced towards the floating island's port.

===Part 2===
Past noon. A little after the appointed time, the flying ship docked at Grand Ys' harbor.

Upon seeing the battered condition of the flying ship, all the ship mechanics held their heads.

They transferred at the port into the «Divine Ritual Institute»'s prepared horse-driven carriages.

Because horse-driven carriages were meant for four people, it was a little tight with six. Est went as a sword but that only freed up one space.

During the horse-driven carriage's bumpy ride, he had felt Rinslet's breasts. Kamito quickly separated himself from her but it was really tight.

"Ka-Kamito-san......you're perverted."

"S-Sorry, it was unavoidable."

"Well, I understand that but......"

Rinslet sulked.

But there was no reproachful look in that face.


By the way, on the opposite side, Claire–

"......Whatever, anyway, my breasts won't shake......"

For some reason, she was muttering to herself with teary eyes.

The horse-driven carriage continued to the {{Furigana|opening ritual|ceremony|margin=12}}'s castle.

While pointing at various things outside the window, Claire acted as a guide.

"The floating island «Ragna Ys» is one of the five sacred lands, the sacred land of the Wind Elemental Lord. The Blade Dance was held here 74 years ago."

By the way, the Blade Dance three years ago had been held in the fire Elemental Lord's territory at Fire Mountain city. There was no rule as to where the Blade Dance would be held as it was decided by oracles received by the Queens.

"And the castle in the center is a historic ruin from a mystical age."

"So that's where we're lodging, huh?"

"Yes, it is an unequaled opportunity. Normally the «Divine Ritual Institute» would never allow anyone except princess maidens to enter. Which reminds me, have you been there before, Fianna?"

"Yes, but just once. I normally remained at the fire Elemental Lord's shrine."

"......The Elemental Lord's true shrine. I'm a little nervous."

Ellis whispered that with a nervous expression.


There were no signs of people on the paved road.

The ones invited to the opening ceremony were the Five Great Elemental Lords and the Queens that serve them, the elementalist representatives and the uppercrust nobility only. The entrance of others was not permitted and may have provoked the beginning of a real war.

"Are the king and queen of the Empire not coming?"

"......It seems. But that doesn't concern me."

Fianna shrugged and Kamito–

"......S-Sorry."

Fianna had been named the «Lost Queen» after she lost her spirit contracting powers despite being a Queen candidate and consequently was shunned by the king and queen.

Speaking about the king and queen to her may have been insensitive of him.

"I don't mind. To begin with, our relationship wasn't that good and not returning to the «Divine Ritual Institute» almost got me disowned. I have no intention of clinging to my title as the second princess and even if I'm removed from the monarchy line–"

And then Fianna stopped talking.

Claire's parents had been imprisoned and she was chasing her rebel sister who had disappeared.

"I don't mind."


Claire flicked her red twintails up and turned to Rinslet.

"Is anybody coming from Rinslet or Ellis' households to watch?"

"Yes. My father and younger sister will be coming."

"One of the Blade Dance's objective is to gather superior talent. The Fahrengart family traditionally adopts those excelling in martial ability."

Rinslet and Ellis nodded at the same time. Come to think of it, Ellis' step-sister, Velsaria Eva, was adopted, thought Kamito.

"Th-That's why, that is, if you display your true power before them, they might be wi-willing to accept you as an adopted child......"

"......?"

For some reason, Ellis was muttering unintelligibly with a red face.

"Will Kamito's family be coming?"

"Eh?"

At Claire's words–

Kamito asked without thinking.

"......My family?"

With the way the conversation was going, it was obvious that he would be asked that.


But Kamito suddenly couldn't manage to reply.

Family – the one word Kamito was most separate from.

"You, you really don't talk about your family. I think I heard your parents were from the empire?"

"Y-Yeah......"

He nodded with ambiguity. In the academy application that Greyworth had prepared, Kamito was the adopted son of a lower-class family of nobles. Claire had believed that.

Of course, that family of nobles didn't really exist. It was just a family created on paper.

Kamito had no known family name. Any vague memories he had of his parents when he was young had been overwritten with the experiences at the «Instructional School».

The one who had been by the young Kamito's side was the darkness spirit – only Restia.

Possibly–

''I wonder if I could call them family......''

Kamito recalled the other girls at the facility.

The other two girls in his tactical team at the «Instructional School».

They didn't know each others' real names and it wasn't a relationship between comrades.

The expert intelligence elementalist, Lily Flame.


And that girl that was attached to him and called him nii-sama.

''......The military-use elementalist, Muir Alenstarl.''

Four years ago. Ever since the facility had been destroyed in the flame spirit's attack, Kamito had lost track of where she was. He had heard the greater half of the orphans there were taken in for protection by the Empire but there were sure to be others like Jio Inzagi who had used the chaos of the institution's destruction to escape.

He wondered if his remembering them was because of that dream he had–

"......? What's wrong, to make you have such a grim face?"

"Nothing, just thinking about the past."

Kamito averted his eyes from the inquiring Claire and looked out the window.

They were approaching the castle on the mountain.

===Part 3===
The horse-drawn carriage stopped before a large gate made of stone.

The castle at the top of the slightly inclined mountain was prepared with unparalleled beauty and grandeur.

It was surrounded by a forest and had a lake a short distance away.

Other teams also arrived and stopped their horse-drawn carriages before the gate.


''......It's a good thing we haven't run into that Dragon Princess.''

Relieved, he descended from the horse-drawn carriage and,

"We have been awaiting your arrival. Princess maidens who have come to entertain the Elemental Lords."

Inside the gate, a group of miko garment-wearing girls greeted them.

"They are the apprentices of the «Divine Ritual Institute». My kouhais."

Fianna whispered that into his ear.

"While you are staying here, we will be in your care for instruction in femininity."

When the princess maidens bowed, Kamito stole a glance of their bare breasts underneath the garment and his heart throbbed.

Looking closely, the ceremonial garments they were wearing were equivalent to being half-naked.

The opening above the breasts was large and at the hem of skirts, a slight amount of youthful skin was peeking out.

Even though the clothes were to inspire purity, they were strangely erotic.

Maybe if Claire and the others wore those clothes......he suddenly thought of that.

"Hm? Kamito, what are you looking at?"

He was asked that by Claire–

"Ahh, I was just thinking that if you guys wore those clothes, it'd really suit you–"

"Wha!?"


......Kamito said his thoughts out loud without thinking.

''......Uwa, I messed up!''

"Wh-wh-wh-what you sa-sa-sa-saying, you perverted slave spirit!"

Claire's face flared red and she beat her whip against the ground.

"Ka-Kamito-san likes those kinds of things, it seems......"

"Wh-What do you think the holy garments are!"

"I wonder if I still have my holy garments from when I was in the «Holy Ritual Institute»?"

The three ojou-samas whispered amongst themselves.

"So, Kamito-sama, whose figure did you imagine?"

"......!?"

The smiling Carol asked and Kamito averted his eyes.

===Part 4===
Entering the castle, they arrived at a large entry hall.

Beautiful arches with a high ceiling. A carpet was spread on the ground through a pillared corridor up to a door that led further in.

The lighting was provided not by lamps or spirit stones but by small floating light spirits.


Even if it was called a relic of the mythical age, several thousand years of repeated reconstruction and remodeling had left few traces of things from that time long ago. The sole remaining traces were sculptures hidden by stone pillars.

Along the pillared corridor's walls were colorful illustrations. These were at best the remnants of a few hundred years and the motifs were Queens that had left their name in history as well as «Blade Dance» winners.

"Hm?"

Kamito stopped before a large set of pictures.

Depicted there was the winner of the Blade Dance from three years ago.

The strongest blade dancer – Ren Ashbell.

Wrapped in the strange garments of foreign country, with an ominous demonic blade of darkness in her left hand.

That blade in her left hand was the darkness spirit, Restia's elemental waffe «{{Furigana|The Sword That Pierces Truth|Vorpal Sword|margin=12}}».

Bewitching black hair. Pearly white cheeks.

That girl's profile, drawn with a delicate touch, viewed as a goal, was very beautiful.

"......This is overdone. The work of a painter without a discerning eye."

Kamito muttered that and Ellis who had walked around turned towards him.

"It's you who lacks appreciation. Her beauty wasn't like that."

"That's right. Even though we're the same gender, she made my heart throb."


Claire also nodded in agreement.

"Ah–, I see......"

Kamito made a sour expression and groaned.

"Fufu, aren't you glad, Kamito-kun."

"You......"

Fianna teasingly laughed and looked at Kamito through half-opened eyes.

Following the princess maidens through the large castle, they finally arrived at their rooms.

"Empire representatives «Team Scarlet», your room is over here. If you would like to eat, use something or anything else, please do not hesitate to do so."

"Wait a second, am I in the same room?"

Kamito quickly asked the princess maiden and,

"Th-th-th-there's no way, what are you thinking!"

Claire refuted it with a panicked expression.

"Y-Yeah, as expected, staying in the same room as a gentleman is difficult."

Said Ellis as she cleared her throat.

"That's right, as expected......right."

"B-But, it can't be helped if there are no open rooms, right?"


Fianna and Rinslet also exchanged nervous glances.

"......? Of course, we have prepared a separate room for the gentleman."

To the guiding princess maiden's words,

"Th-That's right, of course!"

"Y-Yes, it is an obvious requirement!"

The ojou-samas said in high-pitched voices.

"Fufu, that's a pity."

"Like that would happen. Having just a lone male in a room of girls, what kind of torture is that?"

Kamito said that to the laughing and smiling Carol with half-opened eyes.

"Then, I'll be going straight to bed. See you later."

"Kamito, wait a moment."

His collar was grabbed as he turned to head for his room.

"What?"

"We are going to purify ourselves now."


"Purify?"

Purification meant the act of washing one's body with water in a purifying ceremony. Maidens that were not pure could not use spirits. For that reason, elementalists had to constantly maintain a pure mind and body.

"That's why, that is......y-you get changed and come to the lake as well!"

"Nah, I'm fine. I'll do it alone later."

Kamito shook his head in a troubled manner.

"Or rather, you don't want me to see you in swimsuits, right?"

"Th-That is......"

Claire's cheeks flushed and she averted her gaze,

"No, not really, i-it's not that I don't want it......it's fine if it's Kamito."

"......?"

"N-Nothing!"

Unfortunately, Claire's voice had been too quiet and he couldn't hear it well.

......He wondered what that was. Recently, Claire had become rather inarticulate.

"A-Anyway, we're a team so we'll be doing the purification together as well!"

This was a command to her slave spirit – Claire said this as her red twintails stood on end.

"Th-That's right, breaking the team's unity isn't good!"


"Kamito-san doesn't have enough self-recognition as part of a team!"

"Being able to do the purification ceremony together is a sign of trust!"

The three ojou-samas all agreed with each other.

"No, you guys are exaggerating......"

......He wondered why they were fussing over the purification so much.

The maid Carol cleared her throat with furrowed brows.

"To be clear, the ojou-samas simply want to show Kamito their new swimsuits–"

""""Carol!""""

The collective voice of the ojou-samas.

"What is it, exactly......"

Kamito felt troubled–

A tug.

His cuff was being pulled.

"......Est?"

Est, who had returned to human form at some point, looked up at Kamito.

"Kamito, I want to play with Kamito at the lake."

"......"


Being looked at by Est's mysterious pupils, Kamito gulped.

''I did something bad to Est this morning so......''

It seemed like Est wasn't mad anymore but–

He felt that he had to do something to compensate her.

Kamito placed his hand on Est's head and caressed it.

"Got it. Let's play at the lake together."

"Yes, Kamito. I'm happy."

Est nodded expressionlessly.

Kamito turned towards Est and the others.

"With that, I'll also be doing the purification – hey, Owaa!"

""""Why are you so soft on Est!""""

Four peoples' luggage flew to his face.

......It seems like we have no problems with teamwork.

===Part 5===
"–Here is Kamito-sama's room."


Kamito was led down the hallway to a gloomy room the furthest in.

The room was putrid and had a gloomy air to it. In the corner were paintings and sculptures as well as other junk covered in spiderwebs.

"......Is it just me or am I the only one being treated this badly?"

......In Claire and the others' room, there had even been a fireplace and chandelier.

Rather than a room, this was closer to a storage.

"The «Divine Ritual Institute» decided this."

The princess maiden cleared her throat.

......It seemed like she was being openly cold towards Kamito.

''......Well, it can't be helped, I guess.''

The «Divine Ritual Institute» was, like the academy, far removed from the presence of men.

"Does this room not have a light?"

"Yes. Light spirits wouldn't come near this kind of gloomy room."

"I'll open the window."

"As you wish. However, it may be rusted shut."

"......"


Kamito sighed deeply and entered the box-like room.

He had left Est at the girls' room so he had to clean the room by himself.

''......Now that I think about it, it's about time to eat.''

Other than the black tea he drank on the flying ship, he had not eaten anything since that morning.

"Sorry, could I request something light to eat?"

"Kamito-sama wishes for nyotaimori? <ref> nyotaimori = "body sushi", is the practice of serving sashimi or sushi from the body of a woman</ref> I apologize but that–"

"I didn't say that! Just something normal like a sandwich!"

"A nyotai-sandwich......wrapping yourself with breasts......?"

"......I'm begging you, please stop with the nyotai stuff."

Kamito sighed deeply at the scornful glare he received from the princess maiden.

===Part 6===
"This kind of bold swimsuit......is it okay?"

"The knight captain's breasts are unexpectedly quite large......"

"Ahn – what are you doing!"

Ellis gave a cute cry at Rinslet fondling her breasts.


In the girls' room, the ojou-samas were changing into swimsuits from their uniforms.

Smooth, young skin. Bewitching body lines.

They were bishoujos of equally outstanding proportions.

In the corner was Claire who felt that she had lost.

''......Wh-What, it's not just me!''

......The slightly present chest.

With a pink tip, it was like a budding flower.

''Even though everybody else is growing properly......''

She sighed as she watched the rest of the team getting changed.

The only one it felt like she could win against was Est, but she was a spirit.

''Even Kamito wouldn't like this kind of small chest......''

While lightly rubbing the slight bumps–

What appeared in Claire's mind was a scene from two months prior.

The time when she had first met Kamito at the lake in the «Spirit Forest».

The words he had said when he had seen her bathing naked.

–I have no interest toward's a kid's body, he had said.

"......!"


Remembering it, her cheeks flushed red.

Having a guy her age seeing her naked, that was of course her first time.

''......But thinking about it, it was only two months ago.''

Standing on one foot and slipping on her new swimsuit, Claire sighed.

Only two months.

But ever since she had met Kamito, many things have happened.

The showdown with Ellis at the academy. Fighting the rampant military spirit.

The cooking battle with the newly transferred Fianna. The mission at the mine.

Two weeks ago, they defeated the strongest elementalist and gathered five teammates to participate in the Blade Dance.

–Until she met Kamito, she was always alone.

''But I still don't really know anything about Kamito......''

Dropping her panties onto the floor, she sunk deep into thought.

Even when she had asked about his family on the horse-driven carriage, he had avoided the question.

''It's not like I want to pry but–''

The thing she still didn't know about Kamito was his connection with that darkness spirit girl.

She had given Claire the frenzied spirit and been at the mine with Jio Inzagi for the purpose of unsealing {{Furigana|the strategic-class military spirit|Jormungandr|margin=12}}.


She was Kamito's contracted spirit but nothing else was known.

Whenever a discussion about the past arose, Kamito would stay silent.

......She didn't like that.

''At least tell your master, idiot......''

While hiding her small chest with her hands, Claire pressed her lips together, displeased.

<noinclude>
==Translation Notes==
<references/>
</noinclude>

<noinclude>
{{SeireiDance Nav|prev=Seirei Tsukai no Blade Dance:Volume4 Chapter3|next=Seirei Tsukai no Blade Dance:Volume4 Chapter5}}
</noinclude>

Seirei Tsukai no Blade Dance:Volume4 Chapter4

2013-05-09T02:59:30Z

Monsterbandage: /* Part 2 */

==Chapter 4: Floating Island==
===Part 1===

A few hours after the destruction spirit's attack.

The Bellfahle-class flying ship, repaired by the engineering team, landed in the sacred land of the Wind Elemental Lord.

"Ah, I can see the island!"

On the deck, Rinslet seemed to be in a good mood and pointed at the island.

The pure and high-spirited figure of this ojou-sama was cute.

"Do-Don't say it so loudly. It's embarrassing."

Claire whispered that in a small voice while poking Rinslet's elbow.

"Oh my, to want me to be quiet, are you jealous?"

"You give off a bad impression is what I'm saying."

Kamito watched over them with sidelong glances while he got to the side of the ship.

"So that's the sacred land......"

Between the thick clouds and surrounded by a steep mountain range was a floating island.

«Ragna Ys» – even within Astral Zero, it is one of the most important of the sacred lands.

"Restia is there......"


Kamito gripped his leather gloved left hand.

The flying ship quietly advanced towards the floating island's port.

===Part 2===
Past noon. A little after the appointed time, the flying ship docked at Grand Ys' harbor.

Upon seeing the battered condition of the flying ship, all the ship mechanics held their heads.

They transferred at the port into the «Divine Ritual Institute»'s prepared horse-driven carriages.

Because horse-driven carriages were meant for four people, it was a little tight with six. Est went as a sword but that only freed up one space.

During the horse-driven carriage's bumpy ride, he had felt Rinslet's breasts. Kamito quickly separated himself from her but it was really tight.

"Ka-Kamito-san......you're perverted."

"S-Sorry, it was unavoidable."

"Well, I understand that but......"

Rinslet sulked.

But there was no reproachful look in that face.


By the way, on the opposite side, Claire–

"......Whatever, anyway, my breasts won't shake......"

For some reason, she was muttering to herself with teary eyes.

The horse-driven carriage continued to the {{Furigana|opening ritual|ceremony|margin=12}}'s castle.

While pointing at various things outside the window, Claire acted as a guide.

"The floating island «Ragna Ys» is one of the five sacred lands, the sacred land of the Wind Elemental Lord. The Blade Dance was held here 74 years ago."

By the way, the Blade Dance three years ago had been held in the fire Elemental Lord's territory at Fire Mountain city. There was no rule as to where the Blade Dance would be held as it was decided by oracles received by the Queens.

"And the castle in the center is a historic ruin from a mystical age."

"So that's where we're lodging, huh?"

"Yes, it is an unequaled opportunity. Normally the «Divine Ritual Institute» would never allow anyone except princess maidens to enter. Which reminds me, have you been there before, Fianna?"

"Yes, but just once. I normally remained at the fire Elemental Lord's shrine."

"......The Elemental Lord's true shrine. I'm a little nervous."

Ellis whispered that with a nervous expression.


There were no signs of people on the paved road.

The ones invited to the opening ceremony were the Five Great Elemental Lords and the Queens that serve them, the elementalist representatives and the uppercrust nobility only. The entrance of others was not permitted and may have provoked the beginning of a real war.

"Are the king and queen of the Empire not coming?"

"......It seems. But that doesn't concern me."

Fianna shrugged and Kamito–

"......S-Sorry."

Fianna had been named the «Lost Queen» after she lost her spirit contracting powers despite being a Queen candidate and consequently was shunned by the king and queen.

Speaking about the king and queen to her may have been insensitive of him.

"I don't mind. To begin with, our relationship wasn't that good and not returning to the «Divine Ritual Institute» almost got me disowned. I have no intention of clinging to my title as the second princess and even if I'm removed from the monarchy line–"

And then Fianna stopped talking.

Claire's parents had been imprisoned and she was chasing her rebel sister who had disappeared.

"I don't mind."


Claire flicked her red twintails up and turned to Rinslet.

"Is anybody coming from Rinslet or Ellis' households to watch?"

"Yes. My father and younger sister will be coming."

"One of the Blade Dance's objective is to gather superior talent. The Fahrengart family traditionally adopts those excelling in martial ability."

Rinslet and Ellis nodded at the same time. Come to think of it, Ellis' step-sister, Velsaria Eva, was adopted, thought Kamito.

"Th-That's why, that is, if you display your true power before them, they might be wi-willing to accept you as an adopted child......"

"......?"

For some reason, Ellis was muttering unintelligibly with a red face.

"Will Kamito's family be coming?"

"Eh?"

At Claire's words–

Kamito asked without thinking.

"......My family?"

With the way the conversation was going, it was obvious that he would be asked that.


But Kamito suddenly couldn't manage to reply.

Family – the one word Kamito was most separate from.

"You, you really don't talk about your family. I think I heard your parents were from the empire?"

"Y-Yeah......"

He nodded with ambiguity. In the academy application that Greyworth had prepared, Kamito was the adopted son of a lower-class family of nobles. Claire had believed that.

Of course, that family of nobles didn't really exist. It was just a family created on paper.

Kamito had no known family name. Any vague memories he had of his parents when he was young had been overwritten with the experiences at the «Instructional School».

The one who had been by the young Kamito's side was the darkness spirit – only Restia.

Possibly–

''I wonder if I could call them family......''

Kamito recalled the other girls at the facility.

The other two girls in his tactical team at the «Instructional School».

They didn't know each others' real names and it wasn't a relationship between comrades.

The expert intelligence elementalist, Lily Flame.


And that girl that was attached to him and called him nii-sama.

''......The military-use elementalist, Muir Alenstarl.''

Four years ago. Ever since the facility had been destroyed in the flame spirit's attack, Kamito had lost track of where she was. He had heard the greater half of the orphans there were taken in for protection by the Empire but there were sure to be others like Jio Inzagi who had used the chaos of the institution's destruction to escape.

He wondered if his remembering them was because of that dream he had–

"......? What's wrong, to make you have such a grim face?"

"Nothing, just thinking about the past."

Kamito averted his eyes from the inquiring Claire and looked out the window.

They were approaching the castle on the mountain.

===Part 3===
The horse-drawn carriage stopped before a large gate made of stone.

The castle at the top of the slightly inclined mountain was prepared with unparalleled beauty and grandeur.

It was surrounded by a forest and had a lake a short distance away.

Other teams also arrived and stopped their horse-drawn carriages before the gate.


''......It's a good thing we haven't run into that Dragon Princess.''

Relieved, he descended from the horse-drawn carriage and,

"We have been awaiting your arrival. Princess maidens who have come to entertain the Elemental Lords."

Inside the gate, a group of miko garment-wearing girls greeted them.

"They are the apprentices of the «Divine Ritual Institute». My kouhais."

Fianna whispered that into his ear.

"While you are staying here, we will be in your care for instruction in femininity."

When the princess maidens bowed, Kamito stole a glance of their bare breasts underneath the garment and his heart throbbed.

Looking closely, the ceremonial garments they were wearing were equivalent to being half-naked.

The opening above the breasts was large and at the hem of skirts, a slight amount of youthful skin was peeking out.

Even though the clothes were to inspire purity, they were strangely erotic.

Maybe if Claire and the others wore those clothes......he suddenly thought of that.

"Hm? Kamito, what are you looking at?"

He was asked that by Claire–

"Ahh, I was just thinking that if you guys wore those clothes, it'd really suit you–"

"Wha!?"


......Kamito said his thoughts out loud without thinking.

''......Uwa, I messed up!''

"Wh-wh-wh-what you sa-sa-sa-saying, you perverted slave spirit!"

Claire's face flared red and she beat her whip against the ground.

"Ka-Kamito-san likes those kinds of things, it seems......"

"Wh-What do you think the holy garments are!"

"I wonder if I still have my holy garments from when I was in the «Holy Ritual Institute»?"

The three ojou-samas whispered amongst themselves.

"So, Kamito-sama, whose figure did you imagine?"

"......!?"

The smiling Carol asked and Kamito averted his eyes.

===Part 4===
Entering the castle, they arrived at a large entry hall.

Beautiful arches with a high ceiling. A carpet was spread on the ground through a pillared corridor up to a door that led further in.

The lighting was provided not by lamps or spirit stones but by small floating light spirits.


Even if it was called a relic of the mythical age, several thousand years of repeated reconstruction and remodeling had left few traces of things from that time long ago. The sole remaining traces were sculptures hidden by stone pillars.

Along the pillared corridor's walls were colorful illustrations. These were at best the remnants of a few hundred years and the motifs were Queens that had left their name in history as well as «Blade Dance» winners.

"Hm?"

Kamito stopped before a large set of pictures.

Depicted there was the winner of the Blade Dance from three years ago.

The strongest blade dancer – Ren Ashbell.

Wrapped in the strange garments of foreign country, with an ominous demonic blade of darkness in her left hand.

That blade in her left hand was the darkness spirit, Restia's elemental waffe «{{Furigana|The Sword That Pierces Truth|Vorpal Sword|margin=12}}».

Bewitching black hair. Pearly white cheeks.

That girl's profile, drawn with a delicate touch, viewed as a goal, was very beautiful.

"......This is overdone. The work of a painter without a discerning eye."

Kamito muttered that and Ellis who had walked around turned around.

"It's you who lacks appreciation. Her beauty wasn't like that."

"That's right. Even though we're the same gender, she made my heart throb."


Claire also nodded in agreement.

"Ah–, I see......"

Kamito made a sour expression and groaned.

"Fufu, aren't you glad, Kamito-kun."

"You......"

Fianna teasingly laughed and looked at Kamito through half-opened eyes.

Following the princess maidens through the large castle, they finally arrived at their rooms.

"Empire representatives «Team Scarlet», your room is over here. If you would like to eat, use something or anything else, please do not hesitate to do so."

"Wait a second, am I in the same room?"

Kamito quickly asked the princess maiden and,

"Th-th-th-there's no way, what are you thinking!"

Claire refuted it with a panicked expression.

"Y-Yeah, as expected, staying in the same room as a gentleman is difficult."

Said Ellis as she cleared her throat.

"That's right, as expected......right."

"B-But, it can't be helped if there are no open rooms, right?"


Fianna and Rinslet also exchanged nervous glances.

"......? Of course, we have prepared a separate room for the gentleman."

To the guiding princess maiden's words,

"Th-That's right, of course!"

"Y-Yes, it is an obvious requirement!"

The ojou-samas said in high-pitched voices.

"Fufu, that's a pity."

"Like that would happen. Having just a lone male in a room of girls, what kind of torture is that?"

Kamito said that to the laughing and smiling Carol with half-opened eyes.

"Then, I'll be going straight to bed. See you later."

"Kamito, wait a moment."

His collar was grabbed as he turned to head for his room.

"What?"

"We are going to purify ourselves now."


"Purify?"

Purification meant the act of washing one's body with water in a purifying ceremony. Maidens that were not pure could not use spirits. For that reason, elementalists had to constantly maintain a pure mind and body.

"That's why, that is......y-you get changed and come to the lake as well!"

"Nah, I'm fine. I'll do it alone later."

Kamito shook his head in a troubled manner.

"Or rather, you don't want me to see you in swimsuits, right?"

"Th-That is......"

Claire's cheeks flushed and she averted her gaze,

"No, not really, i-it's not that I don't want it......it's fine if it's Kamito."

"......?"

"N-Nothing!"

Unfortunately, Claire's voice had been too quiet and he couldn't hear it well.

......He wondered what that was. Recently, Claire had become rather inarticulate.

"A-Anyway, we're a team so we'll be doing the purification together as well!"

This was a command to her slave spirit – Claire said this as her red twintails stood on end.

"Th-That's right, breaking the team's unity isn't good!"


"Kamito-san doesn't have enough self-recognition as part of a team!"

"Being able to do the purification ceremony together is a sign of trust!"

The three ojou-samas all agreed with each other.

"No, you guys are exaggerating......"

......He wondered why they were fussing over the purification so much.

The maid Carol cleared her throat with furrowed brows.

"To be clear, the ojou-samas simply want to show Kamito their new swimsuits–"

""""Carol!""""

The collective voice of the ojou-samas.

"What is it, exactly......"

Kamito felt troubled–

A tug.

His cuff was being pulled.

"......Est?"

Est, who had returned to human form at some point, looked up at Kamito.

"Kamito, I want to play with Kamito at the lake."

"......"


Being looked at by Est's mysterious pupils, Kamito gulped.

''I did something bad to Est this morning so......''

It seemed like Est wasn't mad anymore but–

He felt that he had to do something to compensate her.

Kamito placed his hand on Est's head and caressed it.

"Got it. Let's play at the lake together."

"Yes, Kamito. I'm happy."

Est nodded expressionlessly.

Kamito turned towards Est and the others.

"With that, I'll also be doing the purification – hey, owaa!"

""""Why are you so soft on Est!""""

Four peoples' luggage flew to his face.

......It seems like we have no problems with teamwork.

===Part 5===
"–Here is Kamito-sama's room."


Kamito was led down the hallway to a gloomy room the furthest in.

The room was putrid and had a gloomy air to it. In the corner were paintings and sculptures as well as other junk covered in spiderwebs.

"......Is it just me or am I the only one being treated this badly?"

......In Claire and the others' room, there had even been a fireplace and chandelier.

Rather than a room, this was closer to a storage.

"The «Divine Ritual Institute» decided this."

The princess maiden cleared her throat.

......It seemed like she was being openly cold towards Kamito.

''......Well, it can't be helped, I guess.''

The «Divine Ritual Institute» was, like the academy, far removed from the presence of men.

"Does this room not have a light?"

"Yes. Light spirits wouldn't come near this kind of gloomy room."

"I'll open the window."

"As you wish. However, it may be rusted shut."

"......"


Kamito sighed deeply and entered the box-like room.

He had left Est at the girls' room so he had to clean the room by himself.

''......Now that I think about it, it's about time to eat.''

Other than the black tea he drank on the flying ship, he had not eaten anything since that morning.

"Sorry, could I request something light to eat?"

"Kamito-sama wishes for nyotaimori? <ref> nyotaimori = "body sushi", is the practice of serving sashimi or sushi from the body of a woman</ref> I apologize but that–"

"I didn't say that! Just something normal like a sandwich!"

"A nyotai-sandwich......wrapping yourself with breasts......?"

"......I'm begging you, please stop with the nyotai stuff."

Kamito sighed deeply at the scornful glare he received from the princess maiden.

===Part 6===
"This kind of bold swimsuit......is it okay?"

"The knight captain's breasts are unexpectedly quite large......"

"Ahn – what are you doing!"

Ellis gave a cute cry at Rinslet fondling her breasts.


In the girls' room, the ojou-samas were changing into swimsuits from their uniforms.

Smooth, young skin. Bewitching body lines.

They were bishoujos of equally outstanding proportions.

In the corner was Claire who felt that she had lost.

''......Wh-What, it's not just me!''

......The slightly present chest.

With a pink tip, it was like a budding flower.

''Even though everybody else is growing properly......''

She sighed as she watched the rest of the team getting changed.

The only one it felt like she could win against was Est, but she was a spirit.

''Even Kamito wouldn't like this kind of small chest......''

While lightly rubbing the slight bumps–

What appeared in Claire's mind was a scene from two months prior.

The time when she had first met Kamito at the lake in the «Spirit Forest».

The words he had said when he had seen her bathing naked.

–I have no interest toward's a kid's body, he had said.

"......!"


Remembering it, her cheeks flushed red.

Having a guy her age seeing her naked, that was of course her first time.

''......But thinking about it, it was only two months ago.''

Standing on one foot and slipping on her new swimsuit, Claire sighed.

Only two months.

But ever since she had met Kamito, many things have happened.

The showdown with Ellis at the academy. Fighting the rampant military spirit.

The cooking battle with the newly transferred Fianna. The mission at the mine.

Two weeks ago, they defeated the strongest elementalist and gathered five teammates to participate in the Blade Dance.

–Until she met Kamito, she was always alone.

''But I still don't really know anything about Kamito......''

Dropping her panties onto the floor, she sunk deep into thought.

Even when she had asked about his family on the horse-driven carriage, he had avoided the question.

''It's not like I want to pry but–''

The thing she still didn't know about Kamito was his connection with that darkness spirit girl.

She had given Claire the frenzied spirit and been at the mine with Jio Inzagi for the purpose of unsealing {{Furigana|the strategic-class military spirit|Jormungandr|margin=12}}.


She was Kamito's contracted spirit but nothing else was known.

Whenever a discussion about the past arose, Kamito would stay silent.

......She didn't like that.

''At least tell your master, idiot......''

While hiding her small chest with her hands, Claire pressed her lips together, displeased.

<noinclude>
==Translation Notes==
<references/>
</noinclude>

<noinclude>
{{SeireiDance Nav|prev=Seirei Tsukai no Blade Dance:Volume4 Chapter3|next=Seirei Tsukai no Blade Dance:Volume4 Chapter5}}
</noinclude>