Editing Chronicle Legion:Volume 2 Chapter 2 (section)

===Part 5===

"...This is basically the etiquette for establishing a pact."

Akigase Rikka was in charge of instruction.

Tachibana Hatsune was the listener. Yesterday, she had inherited Kurou Yoshitsune's Appellation to become a new Chevalier.

"In the end, there is no method better than trying it out for real. Don't think too much, just feel with your body."

"Understood. By the way, Rikka-sama, has anyone ever called you a rough-and-ready person?"

"You're very perceptive. People who served as my adjutants or staff officers have complained about the same thing. So did my younger brothers at Nagoya."

"No wonder."

The two of them were conversing in the water shrine under the Suruga tutelary fort.

Hatsune had followed Rikka underground to learn from the senior Chevalier about matters such as the tutelary pact and how to carry out the essential task of resupplying ectoplasmic fluid.

Hatsune was surrounded by a reservoir of marine-blue artificial ectoplasmic fluid.

Several Greek columns stood towering from the water, contributing to a solemn atmosphere like a temple's. The water surface was criss-crossed by narrow paths.

Walking along the paths, the two of them reached the bath further inside the shrine.

Leading the way, Rikka shared her "Chevalier insights" with Hatsune. Her explanations were not detailed and always concluded with asking her to "feel with her body."

Inside the bath area was a round vat of ectoplasmic fluid similar to a swimming pool.

Rikka removed her military uniform on the side. Hatsune hastily unfastened her clothing and removed her pink kimono, hakama, and hair ribbon. At any rate, she already knew that Chevaliers had to soak themselves in ectoplasmic fluid to allow the source of mystic powers to seep into their body and soul."

"...Wow, that's pretty rough-and-ready indeed."

"Hmm? Did you just say something?"

"Nothing really, just talking to myself~"

Rikka tilted her head in puzzlement when Hatsune looked around and commented with a smile.

Hatsune had confirmed her earlier impressions again when she saw the lady Chevalier remove her military uniform and casually sent it to the floor with a swift toss. However, as one would expect of a dignified practitioner of the sword, Rikka carefully took down Onikiri Yasutsuna from her waist and lowered it to the floor.

Hatsune folded her own clothing properly and gathered in one spot.

Hatsune used to be just as rough-and-ready, but during her time in the imperial palace as a trainee, she had been forced to learn cooking, cleaning, laundry and other "necessary accomplishments." Folding clothing immediately after undressing was one of the precepts learned.

(...Incidentally, her sloppiness and unruly nature as a trainee lady-in-waiting had given the head lady-in-waiting quite a headache, almost forcing her to design a special curriculum to train Hatsune.)

In any case, the two of them stepped into the vat of ectoplasmic fluid together.

"It's so cold!"

Hatsune shrieked the moment she touched the ice-cold ectoplasmic fluid.

Fighting back tears while she endured the chill, she immersed herself in the mysterious spiritual water until shoulder-level.

...After enduring the cold in the ectoplasmic fluid for a couple minutes, Hatsune started feeling her entire body heat up. A few minutes later, her body temperature had rebounded completely.

The temperature was like dipping in hot water. Hatsune finally understood.

This heat in her body was precisely the source of miraculous powers of the mystical&mdash;

This was also the power granted to Imperial Japan by Lord Tenryuu, Princess Shiori's grandfather.

In addition to the rise in body temperature, there was also a feeling of excitement. Hatsune looked at her removed clothing. The blue scroll placed on top was the proof of the Feat of Arms she had acquired.

In that instant, she experienced auditory hallucination. It was young Kurou's arrogant voice.

The voice seemed to be howling, demanding Hatsune to give him more power and to hurry up and take him to the battlefield to slaughter enemies...

"It's about time," Rikka said slowly, also immersed in the ectoplasmic fluid. "Tachibana, form the tutelary pact like how I taught you."

"Okay... Uh, upon my Appellation of Kurou Hougan Yoshitsune, I pray to the local shrine of Suruga. Pray grant me the blessing of holy water and the authorizing seal of warfare to become a war god to defend Suruga!"

After Hatsune finished speaking in one breath, her body began to glow faintly.

Then Hatsune noticed a great amount of mystic power flow into her through her feet&mdash;through the soles linked to Suruga's land&mdash;stunning her for a moment.

Rikka nodded at the surprised Hatsune and said, "With that, you are now a Chevalier tasked with the defense of Suruga. I look forward to working with you."

"Yes, same here too!"

Hatsune replied cheerfully and relaxed her shoulders.

Earlier, she had been nervous to some extent, but now there was confidence in her heart. She absentmindedly looked at Rikka opposite her.

...Hatsune was quite intrigued. Rikka's figure was perfect. Beautiful.

Akigase Rikka's complexion was pale with a slim overall build. However, her bust and hip areas were so voluptuous that you could almost add a "bam!" sound effect. Undoubtedly, she was very buxom.

Furthermore, her waist was very narrow and sexy.

Even Hatsune could not help but sigh in envy.

(...She's so attractive, just like her personality.)

Rikka was not excessively skinny like a model.

Her body was slender while blessed with voluptuousness capable of stealing men's hearts. This kind of figure was very attractive even from the perspective of the same sex.

Furthermore, despite her rough-and-ready habits, her personality did not come across as sloppy, amazingly enough.

The reason was her dignified comportment. Presumably, this was due to the discipline and etiquette cultivated through martial arts training, the beautiful way she moved her body, and her upright posture.

In addition, she was a beautiful maiden with waist-length black hair. Flawless in appearance.

"Tachibana, you and Masatsugu-dono are not real siblings, right?"

"We're not. I don't really know the details myself, but anyway, our formal relationship is 'relatives'♪"

This description was far too sloppy and not very formal, but Hatsune did not mind.

In any case, she optimistically believed that it was fine as long as she got her message across. However, Rikka looked inexplicably troubled with a frown on her face.

"...I see, so this is the method they used to conceal his true identity? Since Tachibana isn't his real sister, perhaps..."

Hatsune could not hear clearly what Rikka was murmuring.

Then Rikka stared intently at Hatsune's body and said, "By the way, your family must have raised you well."

"Fufu, I am a well-bred lady after all♪"

"No, that's not what I meant. I am saying that you are physically very mature."

Hatsune was secretly happy that her heritage as a descendant of ''jikisan hatamoto'' was visible despite the great number of uncouth characters in the Tachibana clan when Rikka rejected her interpretation and even examined her body closely.

Indeed, Tachibana Hatsune definitely had a mature body.

Rikka was voluptuous but Hatsune's level surpassed hers.

Before entering middle school, Hatsune was already showing signs of ample maturation. This continued along, resulting in her use of G-cups at the young age of sixteen.

Rikka was probably an E. An overwhelming victory for Hatsune.

Hatsune was aware of her own figure, but there were worrying elements.

"Oh, umm, I do train diligently, but because meals and midnight snacks are so tasty, I often eat too much unintentionally. P-Please don't look too closely..."

"No need to be shy, you don't look fat at all."

While praising Hatsune, Rikka's expression was very solemn.

"My brothers back home secretly keep photobooks. Many of the photos show slender yet voluptuous women in swimsuits... Tachibana, your figure doesn't lose to them at all. In fact, you might be superior."

"R-Really?"

"Assuredly so. I search my brothers' rooms occasionally and tell them that they should openly display those photos as manly men."

Hatsune could not help but smile, but then a thought occurred to her.

So the aristocracy in Tōkaidō's ruling house also looked at that kind of stuff. Perhaps back home, Rikka-sama was the kind of sister who terrorized her younger brothers like a demon or a tyrant?

However, a maidenly expression surfaced on the face of this possibly demon-like daughter of a noble house.

"As fellow Chevaliers, I would like to confirm something with you..."

Stammering, Rikka mustered her courage to ask, "Does Hiji&mdash;Masatsugu-dono have those kinds of photobooks? Basically, does he enjoy looking at women with well-developed figures... Like yours?"

Hatsune was taken by surprise. It sounded like Rikka had said something inaudible during her slight pause, possibly "well-developed figures ''surpassing mine''... Like yours?"

In any case, Hatsune answered with uncertainty.

"That's hard to say. I've never seen any in his room. Oh right, I don't think there was anything like that in his parents' house either."

"I-I see."

"But on further thought, Onii-sama is in charge of the beauty contest for the school festival committee."

"Beauty contest!? That is so scandalous..."

"A school festival is scheduled for December, but now it's unclear whether it'll go ahead. Onii-sama sometimes mentions that he'll try his best to organize a spectacular beauty contest."

"I see... May I ask another question?"

Rikka remained worried and she asked in an especially maidenly tone of voice, "This is purely something that I must confirm as a Chevalier. Masatsugu-dono is in the personal service of Her Highness&mdash;Princess Shiori, isn't he? Would it be possible that he might... feel attracted to the beautiful princess?"

"Uh, well, Onii-sama doesn't really talk that much..."

''Does Rikka-sama actually feel...?'' Wondering that, Hatsune said, "So I don't really know. Of course, since Onii-sama is such a weirdo, he probably doesn't have such tasteful motivations..."

Hatsune answered ambivalently. Rikka looked a bit disappointed.

Seeing her senior a little depressed, Hatsune's doubts grew stronger. ''Perhaps the way she feels about Onii-sama is''&mdash;


"Rikka-sama and Onii-sama... That's impossible, right?"

"Hatsune, what are you talking about?"

"Nothing, nothing at all. Forget it♪"

This was a certain room on the top floor of a three-story building somewhere in the Suruga tutelary fort.

It was the office of the castellan, Akigase Rikka. Masatsugu was resting on the sofa for receiving guests while Hatsune, sitting next to him, was staring at his face, mumbling to herself.

Hatsune's tone sounded suspicious but what she said did not seem important.

Masatsugu decided to ignore it. The current task of the moment was to hand over congratulatory gifts to the new Chevalier who had just finished replenishing ectoplasmic fluid.

"This just arrived from the commissariat to congratulate your Chevalier Conferment."

"Eh, really!? I'm so happy. There's juice, cola, and so many snacks! Recently, it's been impossible to buy these things!"

Masatsugu pointed at the things on the reception table, causing Hatsune's eyes to glimmer.

There were cans of cold drinks and PET bottles, as well as snacks and tons of sweets such as chocolate. Maybe a child might, but one would not expect a sixteen-year-old girl to get excited over such gifts.

Sitting opposite to Masatsugu and Hatsune, Shiori smiled and said, "Food logistics in the outskirts of Suruga are now under the tutelary fort's management. This task was completed in the beginning of the week. How wonderfully efficient."

Shiori praised the castellan Rikka, who was sitting at the work desk in the back of the room.

The lady Chevalier smiled and shrugged.

"Please direct this praise to the ones in charge of the commissariat and the municipal government. I simply issued orders and left the details of execution to their discretion."

Suruga's surroundings were blockaded by the Restoration Alliance, preventing freedom of movement.

In other words, all logistics were interrupted. Lacking goods and support from outside, Suruga would run out of food eventually. Consequently, food had to be purchased from food companies, transportation businesses, and shops in advance then passed onto a government agency to manage.

These purchased goods, combined with army provisions in stock, became the "rations" provided to civilians.

Tutelary forts were not merely military bases&mdash;

They also stockpiled food in case of natural disasters or emergencies like now. Furthermore, the underground fluid power generation systems using artificial ectoplasmic fluid normally provided vast amounts of electricity for the surrounding area. When necessary, a certain level of regional life could be supported, centered around a tutelary fort.

"Rikka-sama, how long will supplies last under rationing?"

"Two months... according to the commissariat's estimates. But as we all know, predictions on the battlefield frequently land way off mark. Unexpected events frequently happen. Apart from that..."

Rikka answered Shiori's question with worry.

"The residents of the city are currently quite understanding... But the stress will build up and explode in some manner eventually. When that happens, voices inside Suruga will start advocating cooperation with the Restoration Alliance. How long we can maintain this 'cage'...  It is quite hard to say for certain."

The budget for purchasing food was jointly funded by the tutelary fort and the municipal government.

During times of war, large quantities of military scrip would be put into circulation. Military scrip referred to substitute currency used by militaries and could be redeemed for cash value from the government.

This also meant that Suruga had to resolve its crisis while the Japanese government was intact.

For civilians, the use of military scrip lacked assurance. As time dragged on, it would also become one of the factors contributing to civilian unrest.

"Umm..." Hatsune raised her hand to interrupt the conversation between the Governor General's daughter and the imperial princess.

"The Restoration Alliance hasn't attacked lately... Are they waiting for us to run out of supplies?"

"Probably. A castle whose defenses cannot be breached immediately can always be taken through strategy." Rikka clicked her tongue and said, "According to my father's messages, our negotiations with Tōsandō are not going smoothly. Besides, as things drag on, the Restoration Alliance will become more entrenched. As a result, my father has informed me that he intends to launch a counterattack from Yamanashi before the situation turns dire. We would like to coordinate with this operation from Suruga, but..."

Tōkaidō was a narrow region elongated east-west.

It was composed of the three prefectures of Aichi, Shizuoka, and Yamanashi. Of the entire Shizuoka region, Suruga was the only place yet to fall, while Yamanashi had not been touched by the Restoration Alliance yet.

However, Rikka said in frustration, "Morgan le Fay has deployed barriers around Hakone Checkpoint and the neighboring Fuji tutelary fort. It is difficult for small retainer beasts to approach for reconnaissance. The situation does not look good."

"What is Morgan le Fay?" asked Masatsugu, not recognizing the term.

Rikka smiled wryly and said, "An ifrit from Britain's Far East Fleet, and one of their finest specimens too. Neither the noetic officers currently at Suruga nor Sakuya are able to break a barrier deployed by a divinity of that class."

"Oh?"

The Suruga tutelary fort had the ifrit Seiryuu and its avatar, the spirit Sakuya.

However, the British apparently had a guardian deity surpassing them. Masatsugu was deeply impressed. 

Shiori, knowledgeable in noetic techniques, fell into deep thought.

"I have a suggestion."

Then the princess proceeded to explain patiently.

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