Campione! - Volume 21 - Chapter 7.2

Part 2
Thus the next morning.

Kusanagi Shizuka dragged out about twenty percent more bad mood than usual from inside herself while going to school.

Private academy Jounan, the high school section.

That was the high school Shizuka was attending.

It was an academy with integrated middle and high school system. She had been commuting to this school by foot since her first year in middle school. The distance was around ten-odd minutes from the shopping street of Nedzu district’s third block.

By the way, her big brother enrolled here starting from the high school.

Regardless of that, he suddenly rushed out to foreign country after attending for only slightly more than a year, and got admitted into a high school in Milan. And then surprisingly, he skipped a grade after that and advanced into a university in the same city (the high school in Italia had five years system. Originally he would need to be high school student until 19 years old).

The school route from Kusanagi house until Jounan academy was a scenery that Shizuka was used to look at.

However, since her big brother became high school student, there were also mornings where they went to school together sometimes, it was also a fact that from that there would be strange stimulation while walking this route that she had gotten completely tired of but──.

「Hmph. I don’t know and don’t care of any big brother like that!」

Shizuka muttered in bad mood and she switched her feeling.

The Kusanagi clan that was a gathering of eccentrics. A lot of them had the tendency of 『Heat will be forgotten after passing through the throat』, they wouldn’t persist in feeling anger, negative emotion, irritation for a long period of time……well, to put it bluntly they were nothing but easy going people. Shizuka was also moderately inheriting that disposition.

She pulled herself together and continued going to school.

Naturally, around her there were only young boys and girls wearing the same uniform──.

「Good morning, senpai. Can I walk together with you?」

「It’s fine. Good morning, Hikari.」

Shizuka nodded when her junior in middle school department greeted her politely.

Mariya Hikari.

When they first met, she was in sixth grade of elementary school. But, now she was already in the third year of middle school. Her height and limbs also grew out, in this one year she had became considerably adult-like in appearance. That must be why.

It felt like she had become a bit similar like her big sister Yuri-senpai.

But, compared to the senior who was like a noble lady with her long hair and elegance, the little sister cut her hair until her shoulder, and her gentle atmosphere made it easy to talk to her.

「Come to think of it, Hikari. I heard you retired from the student council?」

「Yes. I’m finally liberated from the chores.」

Hikari smiled mischievously. This one year, she served as the vice president in the middle school’s student council, and a little bit of time ago she yielded her post to her successor.

Shizuka turned a broad grin toward such junior of hers.

「What do you mean by chores. I heard you know? At the middle school’s student council, it seemed that on the way Hikari became an 『empress』.」

「Wha, what’s with that nickname!?」

Shizuka spoke to her gentle junior who was panicked.

「Isn’t that referring to a person of authority? Well, certainly Hikari is skilled in managing and coordinating various things. Not just in student council, I also happened to hear that club members and the teachers would rather rely on the vice president Hikari rather than the president……」

「I, I won’t deny that such thing happen but-」

As expected, Mariya Hikari had a 『good personality』 that she wasn’t denying that.

She wasn’t simply a 『good kid』. And then, Shizuka was pleased with that side of hers. Hikari pleaded at the broadly smirking Shizuka.

「If that’s the case then at least, it will be better to call me an attentive person instead……」

「Ahahaha. There is also that way of calling it I guess.」

「Besides, if it’s speaking about empress or queen, then it’s Shizuka-senpai who is more “appropriate” for it.」

「……Why!?」

「Because, even now you are like this.」

The two girls were walking through the school route.

It also wasn’t rare for them to be overtaken from behind by boys walking with quick pace or riding bicycle.

And then the number of sports-minded boys who greeted or nodded at them casually like 「Senpai, mornin’」「Yoo」 and the like also wasn’t few. Those were directed toward Kusanagi Shizuka.

Hikari smiled pleasantly at the side.

「Shizuka-senpai, even though you only joined tea ceremony club, you are also widely known among the sports club members aren’t you?」

「Aa……that. Sometimes I was asked to help out in cheering party or cheerleader club, so somehow I was able to go along with them……」

「Even at that kind of time, before anyone know it senpai has become the leader.」

「Call it being a mediator. I was only collecting everyone’s opinion and making it so the group action moved smoothly.」

「Senpai, you never held any meeting or discussion at that kind of time right? You said that kind of thing is too sluggish.」

「…………」

Since the past Shizuka was a person who was good in managing groups.

She would give out appropriate instruction when it was necessary. She would lead the group with her vitality and dynamism. It could even be said as Kusanagi Shizuka’s secret special skill. But, because she would then getting told that she was similar with her mother who had 『Occupation – Queen』, it was an evaluation that was really hard for Shizuka to accept.

*Cough*

Shizuka cleared her throat to change the subject.

As expected, the “capable junior” Hikari immediately smiled.

「That’s right senpai. Next time Onii-sama came back, how about we all have an outing together? I have been pestering Onii-sama since some time ago about it.」

For some reason Hikari would call Kusanagi Godou who was a total stranger for her as 『Onii-sama』.

However, well, because of her character that was 『the younger good girl who is able to act considerately but she is just a bit impudent』, certainly that way of calling suited her. There was also no out of place feeling hearing her saying that.

Perhaps this was what they called as little sister attribute.

Shizuka remembered the description from the reading material that was oriented towards maniac that she once looked over from the possession of her friend Lu Yinghua who told her that 『this too is learning』. She recalled it while saying.

「I don’t really mind. But, Hikari?」

「What is it?」

「It’s fine even if you don’t flatter that kind of big brother by calling him with 『-sama』. After all, he is also not really staying in contact with Hikari right?」

「I……guess. Yes.」

「I’m not planning to tell him to diligently call or send letter. But these days, as long as one can access internet you can even send email easily, you should even be able to phone through it without paying telephone bill, and yet…… Really, my stupid big brother is just lazy.」

「It can’t be helped senpai.」

Hikari spoke with wry smile.

「Onii-sama started helping out with ruin excavation in Romania or Macedonia──the places in eastern Europe or something, it seems he is unable to even really go back to the lodging so……. I was told that many of his expedition’s destination has no phone or internet.」

Hikari tried to defend the big brother lovably.

While thinking that she also wanted this kind of little sister, Shizuka rephrased her saying.

「You must not believe his vague excuse. Right now is the 21st century. Even people in region that is described like 『The deepest area of savage land, the last unexplored region!』 is using smartphone with apple stamp on them you know? Though it will be a different story if he is in a real conflict area or something.」

「Pe, perhaps that’s true buuut」

「Good grief. It’s because he is like that, a strange package came from Italy.」

Shizuka recalled the matter yesterday.

「In addition there was that local wife or whatever.」

「? Did something happen?」

「Nnn. It’s nothing big though. Actually……」

This too was a conversation material. Shizuka told Hikari about the summary of the situation.

Shizuka taught the immoral and suspicious misconduct of the big brother. She thought that as expected even Hikari too would surely declare how regrettable such conduct was, but contrary to her expectations.

Her junior from third year middle school pondered seriously for some reason.

「Senpai, are you bringing the charm that was sent to your home?」

「Yes……more or less.」

Surely it was someone’s stupid prank.

Even while thinking that, Shizuka put the aforementioned charm inside her pocket.

A black cross made from iron. Its size was snug to be placed above the palm. When she fiddled with it, for some reason her hand felt spreading──warmth.

It wasn’t at the level of the warmth from hand got transmitted to the metal, the warmth was like a portable pocket heater.

It was to the degree that she felt like she would get low temperature scald from continuing to carry it in its exposed state.

She was surprised by the wonder of the item and brought it with her unintentionally. Also, the warmth emitted from the so called charm felt strangely pleasant, it gave her a sense of secutiy.

Actually──before going to school, she also tossed one of the charms into her mother’s favorite bag.

It wasn’t that she believed the letter. She wasn’t, but she thought that perhaps it had some kind of real beneficial effect, and so she concealed it inside the hand bag.

Shizuka took out the charm in question and said.

「Here. Want to try holding it?」

「Please.」

Hikari answered immediately. She pinched the charm and stared at it fixedly.

「It was sent from Italy wasn’t it? Does senpai know the sender’s name?」

「It’s Zora-san something. Lucretia, I think.」

「Is that so……. Senpai, come over here a bit.」

They would reach the school gate soon.

They were walking right beside the wall that separated them from the school ground. Hikari guided Shizuka to beside that wall and stopped in a spot where they wouldn’t obstruct any passerby──

Hikari strongly grasped the iron cross, then she murmured something.

「Cleanse bad luck, repel calamity, drive away evil. This is namely, the miraculous virtue of a blessed person……」

Shizuka couldn’t really hear Hikari’s murmur. She tilted her head in puzzlement.

「Hikari? Just what are you speaking there?」

「Senpai is especially carrying this charm, so I too tried to pray into it, I wish that divine protection of good fortune will be with Shizuka-senpai, like that.」

「Pray!?」

「Yes. It should be really effective.」

Hikari spoke with a cheerful smile.

「Even like this, I’m a shrine maiden after all!」

「Aa. At that place where you were doing part time work together with your Onee-san, Mariya-senpai……」

Mariya sisters who were daughters from high class family with ancient and honorable origin.

Shizuka recalled their unexpected part time work history and she nodded.

「Also senpai, I have a suggestion.」

She wasn’t merely a junior who was like a cute little sister──.

As though to prove that, Mariya Hikari said this.

「Today……let’s skip school. There is a place I want to show to senpai♪」

「Eeh!?」

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