Zero no Tsukaima:Volume13 Chapter2

Chapter 2: Saito's Decision

The fifth month of the year, the month of Eir, is already half over as it was the day of Yul in the 3rd week, Aiello. The sun lit all of the Academy’s four central courtyards as the sky was clear.

After school, the students who had finished their classes would go to their favorite courtyard to discuss where to go during their vacation, about Tristania’s new ‘tavern’, about who was dating who, the delayed Frigg Ball which had been scheduled for the week of Tiwaz… hitting up cheerful topics to kill time.

However, the students’ cheerful atmosphere was suddenly broken by unexpected intruders.

“Aaaaaaaaaahhhh! The shameless chevaliers have arrived!”

“Everybody! This isn’t good! Run!”

The girls’ screams went thought the Austri Plaza as the boys raised their eyebrows. Against these guys who did whatever they felt like (in the end, they received treatment worse than bugs), they couldn’t be forgiven.

Walking proudly with a bunch of scornful gazes were the members of the Knight Corps of the Water Spirit. They had solemn expressions from the beginning to the end, separated in two columns as they walked forward.

Commander Guiche, who was leading them, raised his imitation rose wand. Malicorne, who was behind him shouted.

“Squadron! Stop!”

Their movements shifted to a halt simultaneously. This was the fruit of their training. To the Knight Corps, “moving forward” was an important job. It looks like the one hour training they had every day had effect.

Guiche lowered his raised wand. Then, Malicorne shouted loudly again.

“Squadron! Prepare yourselves!”

The students of the Knight Corps drew something from their backs. Instead of wands, there were brooms. They were using big brooms made of Berala fern leaves.

“Targets! All kinds of trash in Austri Plaza! Sweep! Sweep! Sweep!”

The squadron scattered while shouting “Waaaaaah!” as they started cleaning in a sweeping motion. Since all of the Academy of Magic’s nobles threw food scraps and empty bottles around as they please, it was normally the maids and servants who patiently cleaned after them.

As for why the Knight Corps of the Water Spirit had to clean the plaza after school in place of the servants, it was because of what happened three days ago. It was punishment the Academy gave them for peeping into the girls’ bath.

Malicorne withdrew and approached the area where the school girls were gathered.

“Yaaaaaaaaaaah! The shameless knight is coming!”

Malicorne, his face showing a smile mixed of perversion and joy, flew toward the middle of the schoolgirls.

“How can you, young ladies! Throwing trash on the ground as you wish…”

The girls, who saw Malicorne in this state, fled one after another.

“Don’t come here! Don’t come!”

“But, there is trash there too… on the ground…” Thus, Malicorne, with a mysteriously joyful expression, approached the girls.

“Ma, Malicorne-sama…”

In the middle of the fleeing girls, there was a reserved, black-haired maiden who had come to listen to Malicorne’s poems at some point.

“Hey, Brigitta. How’ve you been?”

Her forehead glimmering with sweat, Brigitta tearily shouted at Malicorne, who had a bright smile on his face.

“Malicorne-sama, you liar! I-I didn’t think that you would actually be the type of person to peep at people when they bathe!”

Malicorne, who was picking trash, said as if he was speaking to himself.

“I’m a man.”

“Malicorne-sama…”

“… sometimes when you know that you will lose, you still have to keep fighting!”

Huu…， Malicorne smiled absentmindedly.

“I don't understand what you mean! Ma, Malicorne-sama is trash among people!”

Ding! Malicorne’s back went stiff.

“Trash…, you said trash…, aaaah…”

“I take it back! You are below trash!”

The overly jolly Malicorne rolled on the ground and started trembling strangely. He really was a troubled fatty.

On the other side, Commander Guiche’s face had a nervous expression while he hurriedly cleaned the ground with his broom. Suddenly, the ground surface broke apart. Guiche’s mole familiar stuck its head out.

Guiche’s tears blurred his vision for a moment.

“Verdandi!”

Guiche quickly kneeled down and embraced his dear familiar’s head.

“… Forgive the shameful me. Forget the fault I’ve committed because of a thoughtless moment!”

The mole Verdandi used his gauntlet-like claws to pat Guiche’s head.

“One thoughtless moment you say? You dare say that when you have thoughtless moments all the time!”

A harsh voice came from behind the gentle Verdandi.

“Montmorency!”

For certain, the girl with dazzling, blond, curly hair standing there was Montmorency. She looked downwards at Guiche, who was kneeling on the ground, and said while looking at him with a cold glare.

“At least now I know～～～what kind of guy you are. Goodbye.”

Montmorency opened the wine bottle she was holding, and dumped it on Guiche’s head.

“You said goodbye! What does this mean? Montmorency!”

Guiche, his head soaked of wine, shouted.

“It means what it means literally. I say, you should have known when I rejected your invitation for the dance.”

“Aaaaaahhh…”

Guiche held his head on the ground. Legend says that couples at the Ball of Frigg will be together forever. Although there isn’t any proof, a charm is still a charm.

But, since the peeping affair, Guiche didn’t have the opportunity to have a conversation with Montmorency. He had planned to use the opportunity of next week’s ball to invite her as a dancing partner. To be on good terms with her, he would hold a giant bouquet of roses and say:

“This bouquet is not yet complete. The last flower… is you.” It was only Guiche who could use this comparison to invite her.

But Montmorency ignored Guiche’s hand, turned her head and left. Guiche, still holding the rose bouquet, stood expressionlessly and didn’t move…

“Then, is it a sign that we are breaking up?”

“Exactly. Don’t speak to me again. So goodbye.”

Guiche hung his head deeply, cursing his own foolishness.

Reynal, who assumed the Knight Corps of the Water Spirit clerical affairs, was working ascetically, picking trash far away.

“It looks like Reynal is really serious… you really can’t judge someone by his appearance!”

“Shh! That kind of guy is the scariest! There has to be unthinkable thoughts running through his mind!”

Reynal, unable to bear the whispers of the girls, looked up and said:

“No! I tried to stop them! I tried at the very beginning! But, But…”

Looking at Tiffania encircled by classmates from afar, Reynal dropped to the ground.

“Aaaaaaah! At that time I was just thinking whether they are real or not… Oh God, Founder Brimir, please accept from your sincere servant, my deep regrets! I shall whip myself to punish the shameless me!”

Reynal chanted an incantation and created an air whip. Slowly removing his shirt, he used the air whip to continuously hit his back.

The schoolgirls on the scene all ran away screaming.

The remaining guys’ situations were similar. Their bodies momentarily shivered. They clenched their teeth, cursing their own situation.

“Really…I don’t like people who know no shame. They are a disgrace to nobility. It’s a wonder why Her Majesty decided to make them part of her Imperial Guard.”

A shocked Louise exclaimed. From the window of her living quarters in the girls’ dormitory, the pitiful scene that stretched out at Austri plaza could be seen…

In front of the pinkish-blond haired girl sat another girl with black hair. In front of them rested a set of teacups. Siesta, dressed in plain clothing, took a sip of tea from her cup and murmured with an expression of slight disgust.

“Tr-truly.”

Siesta recalled the scene from her memory and blushed.

“…but, we were also considerably shameless ourselves. I mean…that time…with that thing from Jessica…and the…”

Louise’s face also flushed red as well.

Louise glared at her, implying that she ‘drop the topic’. Then, she lifted her chin up at the attending maid.

“Seconds.”

The maid’s headband on top of black hair trembled as a low, shaky voice uncharacteristic of the attire muttered.

“…Isn’t putting your familiar in such an appearance quite shameless on your part?”

Dressed in maid attire and serving the both of them was in fact one Hiraga Saito.

And lo and behold, his appearance was a miserable one indeed.

“It’s fine. You like maids after all.”

“That’s not the problem.”

“The problem is that someone caused an incident.”

Louise glared at Saito sharply.

“If you were truly the cause, you would have joined the sniveling, hated bunch out there sweeping the courtyard.”

“Hey, how many times have I said that I was dragged there in the first place without knowing anything about peeking already!”

Saito pinched his maid outfit and yelled.

“If I had known that you were going to make me wear this, I would have been better off sweeping with them!”

Louise slowly finished off her tea and then shot Saito a glare.

“It’s not just for the peeking.”

“Grr…”

“What the hell were you doing with that girl?”

“She was trying to help me! So you go out of your way to pull me out of the cleaning punishment and instead casually turn me into a maid. I am grateful. How’d you know that I always wanted to be a maid?”

Saito said unpleasantly, while wearing a borrowed outfit from the Academy’s largest maid. Somehow, he was the only one who didn’t receive the punishment the others got, but that didn’t mean that he was excused. While he did arrive at the scene without knowing anything…, the fact that he peeked didn’t change. He thought about whether any of the Knight Corps had ratted him out.

On top of that, the cleaning punishment was better than the maid outfit, even with all the belittling by others. Saito still had his pride.

“Anyways, I want another cup. Pour some for Siesta also.”

Saito snatched up the teapot and poured tea for both of them.

“…uh, I’m sorry Saito-san.”

Siesta bowed deeply to Saito.

“Hm? Why are you apologizing, Siesta?”

“…Well, at that time, didn’t I kick you out of my window? Even though it was because of the potion…”

“It’s ok. In the end, you didn’t use the potion.”

Siesta smiled widely.

Louise interrupted Saito with an irritated voice.

“Enough of this now. Anyways, I don’t ever want to the word ‘potion’ again. Look, you are a maid right now, so go get us some snacks.”

Siesta stared at Saito absentmindedly.

“…what’s wrong, Siesta?”

“You won’t get angry?”

“I won’t.”

“Uh…Saito-san, as I thought, you are really cute in that. It suits you.”

“This does?”

Saito grabbed the skirt and flapped it.

“Yes…, I think it was the right choice.”

“Right choice…, don’t tell me that you were the one that chose this outfit?”

“Yes, that’s right. Miss Vallière kept going on and on about a suitable punishment for you. Something that was a change from the usual, painful punishment that she inflicted on poor Saito-san. Then, I thought if not painful, what about something cute?”

“So, this?”

“Yes.”

Siesta smile was as wide as it could be.

Saito was disappointed with the people in this room.

In this room, he had no allies. Oh yeah, he had no one anyways.

With that, he really couldn’t help being devious. Although he shouldn’t be, that was part of his nature.

While humming a playful tune, Saito opened the cookie tin that was placed on top of the closet.

Next to it was a jar of cream spread for the cookies.

First, Saito took out the cookies and placed them on a plate in front of Louise and Siesta. Then, while spinning around like a ballerina, Saito brought out the jar of cream in front of them.

“Mademoiselle.”

“…what?”

“…This, is cream right? If you spread some on your cookies, it will be more delicious.”

Louise’s temple twitched.

“Oh, is that so?”

“The two of you seem to know this well…”

Saito gave a polite bow.

At that point, a small shudder passed through him.

However, Louise calmly took up the jar and uncapped the lid. Using a spoon, she spread the cream on a cookie. But then..., her stoic expression disappeared. Gripping the spoon with all her might, she smashed the cookie into pieces all over the table.

Siesta trembled in fear as she stood up.

“Uh, Saito-san!”

“Y-yes, Madam!”

“I’m sure I said this before, but nothing more than kissing happened! The reason we were covered in cream at the time was because of the potion! Somehow, because the effects transferred many times, they were not as strong!”

“Y-yes.”

“I-I did lick a little bit, but that was all! I’m still pure! Um, I’m saving that part for…, po-”

“Quiet!”

Louise stopped her before Siesta could get any further.

Then, she stood up and stretched. Calmly walking over to a hunched-over Saito, who had sweat and tears streaming down him, she smiled widely.

“Oh really. You are such a dutiful familiar.”

“How very kind of you.”

“…after all, whenever I am about to snap, you know it well. You know it too--- well. You always come up with a good reason for me to vent.”

“Then, I shall take my leave. Really, I knew the outcome, which wasn’t good. If you would please, I’ll be careful from now on.”

“Being careful is fine, but before that Saito, you have to receive a light punishment. After all, you were being devious.”

“I see. A light one. Ok.”

“However, I am really nice. Since it is a light punishment, it will not be the usual. I’m going to give you a choice. Well, you better think hard about your choice because it may be the most important decision in your life.”

“Ok.”

“One: You regret that you were ever born.”

“That’s no good.”

“Two: You think that you would be better off dead.”

“That’s also bad.”

With a deep breath, Louise nimbly leapt on top of a chair like a cat. Hooking Saito by the neck with her foot, she tossed him onto the bed.

“Make your choice. Here. Here! What about the cream! W-What did I say about the cream!"

Saito was in the middle of apologizing over and over again as Louise kicked him. But her attacks seemed to suddenly stop short.

Louise got off him and stood up.

“Hmmm? You love cream, right! Ok, nice cream! Nice cream! From today on, I’ll be ‘Nice Cream’.”

“What the hell is ‘Nice Cream’!”

The party had just begun.