Campione! - Volume 21 - Chapter 4.1

Chapter 4   A Reunion, O My Arch Enemy
–

Part 1
And then, the time was flowing.

The spring break was over and it became a new school term.

There was a row of cherry blossom trees on the school route from Kusanagi house heading to Jounan Academy.

From the time when cute flower buds were starting to grow, and then bloomed beautifully, and before long they reached full bloom, and in the end scattered into a cherry blossom storm, the whole sequence of events could be enjoyed to one’s heart content.

The season of cherry blossom had also completely ended.

「Hey Shizuka.」

This morning he was unusually going to school with his little sister.

Godou called out to Kusanagi Shizuka who was walking beside him.

「Recently, you made Hikari into your henchman I heard?」

「Don’t say it in a way that sound bad in other people’s ears, Onii-chan.」

Shizuka childishly puffed up her cheeks and objected.

「I am taking care of new club member of tea ceremony club who came from middle school. That’s all, that’s why don’t say it as if though it’s something strange.」

「I never thought that Hikari would enter your club.」

Godou talked seriously.

Mariya Hikari. The little sister of Mariya Yuri who was close with Godou. She had just entered into the middle school of Jounan Academy this spring.

And then, the little sister of Kusanagi family also publicly became first year in the same high school with him this year.

Of course Godou also managed to advance a grade. He somehow overcame the one year that was full of all kind of conflict without end and now he had started his second year in high school.

Really, it was a wonder that he didn’t die during this one year.

「It’s really, deeply moving.」

「Geez Onii-chan, why are you acting like that just from rising a grade?」

「Don’t say that. I have my own circumstances after all.」

「Well, I guess. Since Onii-chan enrolled into high school, your relationships with girls became especially absurd. There is no change even now right? Like the big sister of Hikari, or Erica-san, or Liliana-san, or the people other than them.」

「Hahahaha.」

At this time it was better not to talk too much.

Godou smoothly laughed it off, and then he used the technique that he learned recently. If an aggressive person was made to focus on defense, their threat level would decrease considerably…….

There was a topic that was just right.

「You say that but you are also calling Yinghua frequently right?」

「What are you saying? I didn’t do anything like that. Besides, Lu-kun hates girl a lot despite his good look doesn’t he?」

Well, she wasn’t wrong. Godou agreed inside his heart.

Lu Yinghua working hard in a love relationship with a girl would be as unexpected as the sun rising from the west, and not to mention this little sister──.

「If you don’t think of Li-kun as romantic interest, he is an interesting boy. He has a lot of strange connections or dodgy special techniques. But, the other day a girl who is a friend of me saw Li-kun by chance──it looks like she has an interest to Li-kun.」

「That Yinghua, his appearance is exceptional after all……」

「But, there is no way I can introduce her to him.」

「That’s the only thing you absolutely mustn’t do. It will be happiness for both sides to not meet each other for their whole life.」

「Agree. I also thought so.」

–

──『power』 was gathering in the depth of his body even while he was walking and talking with his little sister.

–

The class began.

He got in the same class with Mariya Yuri at this second year.

Their seats inside the class were also near with each other. In the middle of class their gaze often met each other by accident.

At that kind of time, Yuri would smile gracefully to him. Godou could taste happiness spreading inside him just from that. It was mysterious.

His heart was fulfilled just by sharing the same space and the same time.

There was a partner who he was building such relationship with near him. Surely that was the happiest thing.

「Godou-san.」

It wasn’t like she would come to Godou’s side every time it was break time.

However, Yuri coming until near him, talking to him a bit, and above all else when their eyes met and they shared something more than words could convey, such chances were happening quite frequently.

That feeling of satisfaction made Godou said this after school.

「Even though it will be great if this kind of carefree life can continue forever.」

「Fufufufufu. I wonder about that.」

It was when they arrived at the shoe rack from the corridor.

Yuri who was going home together with him heard his muttering just now and smiled.

「In Godou-san’s case, you will say such things while plunging into a storm by your own initiative after all……. Perhaps it’s that Godou-san cannot be satisfied just by living carefree.」

「I took the leap because it was necessary okay, Mariya.」

Godou seriously appealed with his all.

「It’s because there is trouble that cannot be solved unless I do that, so at that kind of time I generally…」

「Fufufufu」

Yuri didn’t say anything more and she only smiled.

Godou was feeling a bit dissatisfied somewhat while going outside the school. It was then the gentle hime-miko took out a letter from her school bag.

「That’s right. I was entrusted with this from Ena-san.」

「That girl, even though she isn’t replying my email at all.」

It was really like Seishuuin Ena to go against the current of time and used analog instead.

Godou accepted the sealed letter while smiling wryly. Godou was unconsciously feeling admiration at the address’s skillful writing of 『To Kusanagi Godou-sama』.

「Seishuuin’s writing is really good huh.」

「If you say that to Ena-san, it feels like she will say that pens and swords are similar.」

「That’s a cool statement like master swordsman in the past but, is that actually true?」

「I wonder? I too only dabble a bit in calligraphy, but I don’t understand that sense at all.」

「Isn’t that right」

–

──『power』 was thoroughly gathering even while he was conversing with the fair hime-miko.

–

Godou separated from Yuri who went to Nanao Shrine.

He hung around the school for a bit more.

After a while, there was a crowd formed around the martial art dojo. It seemed they were peeking inside from the window and entrance.

……At this kind of time, he was acquainted with the center of the commotion.

Even when he was first year, this was a situation that he experienced often. Godou also became one of the onlookers and peeked inside the dojo.

An outrageous match was in progress inside.

*Hyun-. Hyun-. Hyun-.* Bamboo swords cut through air in succession.

‘Haa, haa, haa, haa’. The breathing of the kendo club members was wheezing behind the face mask. The member was wearing full equipment of bamboo sword and protector set.

The kendo club member was obviously a boy from his body build.

The one who was lightly toying with him was a fencer.

That white costume and mask. Thanks to the tight outfit, her excellent body style as girl could be clearly seen whether one wanted it or not.

The fencer’s right hand was holding a thin sword used for this match, a saber.

The male kendo club member fiercely rushed the fencer girl and swung around his bamboo sword hard. He was letting out a desperate fierce offense.

The fencer girl moved to left and right lightly and avoided the kendo club member.

It was a footwork that Godou recalled seeing before. Well, he already had the rough idea of the girls’ identity by the time he saw her body line though.

「That Erica, what is she doing?」

*Prick. Prick. Prick. Prick. Prick.*

Erica who was fencing wasn’t just “dodging” the boy. She swung her sword like whip while dodging at the same time, hitting the protector of Japanese kendo.

The spot she was hitting was the mask, glove, and torso. She was continuing to hit those three spots repeatedly.

Each time Erica’s strike hit, the audiences would cheer「OOOOOH!」 joyfully.

Mask, glove, torso. OOOOH! Mask, glove, torso. OOOOH!

When this loop was repeated for around the seventh time, the boy who was completely exhausted sat down hard on the floor.

When Godou thought that it was the end with that, there was a change of players.

「So it’s Liliana this time.」

The entrance of a new male kendo club member and a fencer girl caused Godou to feel exasperated.

He didn’t know who was the kendo club member, but the slender limbs that were snugly wrapped in fencing outfit undoubtedly belonged to Liliana Kranjcar.

She toyed with the kendo club members with light footwork. The same as Erica.

She beat up the opponent with repeated strike using brilliant slashes. She was doing the same thing as Erica.

What was different was how the kendo club member lost his patience and charged forward as though it was a tackle. Liliana lightly dodged with a composed sidestep ──

In a flash, her leg swept the opponent’s leg. It was close to a judo technique to make the opponent stumble outside the ring.

With that the judo club member splendidly flew in the air and rotated once midair. He got stuck acting a disgrace of falling back first on the floor of the dojo.

「OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH!」

The audiences raised the loudest cheer of this day.

In order to respond to that, Erica and Liliana finally took off their mask.

The Diavolo Rosso was of course spreading around her lovely smile. The serious blue knight too──she didn’t look that dissatisfied seeing the audience’s enthusiasm despite her calm expression.

……And then thirty minutes later.

The two knights who had finished their shower and changing clothes came to the schoolyard.

「We were asked to help with the launching of a fencing association. They asked if I and Lily will join even if only in name.」

Erica spoke right after they rendezvoused with Godou.

「But, it’s not really stylish to finish it with only lending our name.」

「And so it led to the match just now huh.」

「Yes. A demonstration.」

A sword match between two different sword art of kendo and fencing. Furthermore it was done with spectators present.

Godou grumbled. It was a really ludicrous event, but the students gathered to watch it and got heated up. He would say that it was as expected from Erica Blandelli.

「But, to think that even Liliana will go along with it.」

「How naïve Godou. Even Lily is somewhat of a show-off.」

「I, I was just, trying to answer the feeling of everyone who want to make an association! I have not the slightest impure motive in this-!」

「Fufufufu. But, you aimed for a winning style even more showy than me right?」

「No way. That was just my body moving by itself-」

The red and blue girls quarreled with each other livelily.

Different from his association with Mariya Yuri, when he got involved with these two, the school life that should be peaceful immediately turned loud.

Even the serious Liliana had appearance that was like a fairy, a silver haired beautiful girl.

Anyway she was standing out. And then when the blonde haired Italian girl was also added there, they stood out even more. Well, it couldn’t be helped.

Godou smiled and gazed at the exchange between the girls.

–

……Godou was gathering 『power』 even during that time.

Power. Of course it referred to magic power.

It was the source of strength when gods and Campiones wielded their authority. When they were attacked by hostile magic or authority, heightening magic power would become a countermeasure.

Because the more powerful magic power a person had, they would be able to display strong resistance against other people’s magic power.

–

In a corner at the schoolyard of Jounan academy.

Erica and Liliana were talking cheerfully while Godou also with them.

The schoolyard were crowded with students striving hard in their club activity and students going home. It was a really peaceful scene of school life.

However.

Enough magic power was finally gathered at the depth of Godou’s body.

He fired up his body and heart with that and thought strongly. ‘I’ll smash this strange “illusion” for sure’ like that. The students were vanishing one after another from the schoolyard.

One, then one more. At the end Liliana vanished from in front of him.

The remaining people were only Godou and Erica Blandelli.

But Erica wasn’t wearing school uniform anymore. Her rossonerired and black outfit was formed from the combination of bright crimson long T-shirt, a black leather jacket, and pants.

「……We received this kind of attack before right?」

「……It’s when Saturnus manifested. At that time even our memory got rewritten and it turned into something outrageous.」

「Well, setting that aside.」

Godou nodded at his beautiful partner.

「We have reached the territory of the god of fate.」

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