Campione! - Volume 21 - Chapter SS

People of Kusanagi Family
–

Shopping street of the third block in Nedzu district, Tokyo.

The seventh Campione, Kusanagi Godou and his family were living there.

Erica Blandelli also moved here. Soon one year would pass since then.

For the girl who was born and raised in Milan, a metropolis of Italy, the traditional Japanese shopping street that was slightly unsuitable for her. However, well, this was what they called as ‘home is where you make it’. Currently, Erica was enjoying living here without any inconvenience.

And then, at evening in a certain holiday.

Erica was gallantly walking through the shopping street while gathering a lot of attention.

She was a beautiful girl with reddish blond hair and outstanding style, of top of that she was clad in charisma that she didn’t even try to hide.

Because of that, it was usual thing for her to gather the attention of the passer by.

There were many gazes of longing and good will and searching for chance. Erica let those gazes passed her by as though they were just specks of dust while enjoying her evening walk in her own pace.

「My?」

Erica opened her eyes wide. A café that seemed like it had been opened since Showa period (1926-1989 CE). She noticed an acquaintance sitting near the window in there.

Of course, she wouldn’t be Erica Blandelli if she only walked away here.

*Clang cla~ng*. When she opened the door, the bell sound to notify a customer entering was ringing. It drew a line between this shop and the shop nowadays that would have insipid buzzer sound in the bell’s place.

Erica headed toward the spot of her acquaintance along with that refined sound.

「How do you do, Shizuka-san. What a coincidence to meet you in this kind of place.」

「Erica-san!」

The one who was there was Kusanagi Shizuka.

The little sister of Erica’s partner, the seventh Campione, Kusanagi Godou.

『Relationship like sisters』 didn’t exist between her and Erica Blandelli at all. Rather little miss Shizuka was harboring slight enmity to “Godou’s partners” beginning with Erica. However, Erica couldn’t become a lover and right hand of the devil king Campione if she faltered against such thing.

Erica smiled to her future little sister with perfect grace.

「If you are waiting for someone here, then of course I won’t be a nuisance and withdraw. But, if that’s not the case──I think it will be an enjoyable time to have talk with Shizuka-san just the two of us occasionally. Will you mind if I sit with you here by making use of this incidental encounter?」

「Eerr」

Kusanagi Shizuka pondered slightly.

She wasn’t a timid girl by any means. It was the opposite. Even her big brother who were extremely unprecedented in his action despite behaving like a man with common sense was in admiration 「This girl will be terrifying in the future」 by the degree of hearty mind residing inside the small body of the girl of Kusanagi family.

As expected, Kusanagi Shizuka spoke without delay.

「I don’t mind. It looks like it will be a bit interesting.」

「Fufufufu, thank you. I believe you since it’s Shizuka-san.」

With a flowing motion, Erica sat down face to face with Shizuka.

Right after ordering coffee to the waiter who approached, Shizuka suddenly spoke.

「Actually, I have appointment to meet with someone.」

「And yet you accepted my suggestion. Shizuka-san, it looks like you are scheming something.」

「Rather than scheming, it’s more like I’m curious. If that person who is like that vagabond Tora-san met Erica-san, just what kind of face he will make.」

「Tora……if my memory doesn’t fail me, he is a main character in Japan’s traditional performance art, right?」

「Uuumm. 48 books of it even became film, so certainly it might be a traditional performance art.」

Shizuka fell into her thought after hearing Erica’s statement, it was at that timing.

「Shizuka. My beloved daughter.」

Suddenly a voice called out from the side.

「Who is the woman over here……?」

The voice’s owner was a male of unidentified age. He wasn’t young. However, he also didn’t look like that he was advanced in age. He was a fairly handsome man, the amount of hair on his head was also moderate. He was slender. His look was awfully aloof.

If his age was estimated, then perhaps it would be between the latter half of his thirties until the early half of his fifties──.

Erica had conversed many times with a lot of men and women of all ages for sixteen years old.

And such her was unable to predict this person’s actual age. However, it felt like this person had a vestige that resembled a certain character, or not…….

「Could it be, you are」

Erica asked smoothly.

「Shizuka-san and──Kusanagi Godou’s father?」

「It’s just as you say, but……you are──」

「Erica Blandelli. The person who will become your son’s wife in near future.」

Erica spoke frankly to the puzzled middle-aged man.

His attire was rough, and he didn’t seem like business suit would match him. And then his looks was common of someone with unknown occupation and didn’t belong to any proper organization which was scandalous for his age.

However despite so, his features was vaguely familiar with Kusanagi Godou──.

Erica’s words came from the analogical reasoning through that. And then, the reaction of the person in question was something that was too unexpected.

「……Son of a bitch!」

He suddenly cursed in this café corner!

As expected, even Erica who was used to eccentric and oddball stared wide eyed. The customers and staffs inside the café were also staring. It was only Shizuka alone who was staring with a tired look while her hand was supporting her cheek.

But, the father of Kusanagi family spoke without even feeling bothered of the surrounding’s reactions.

「God damn it, son of a bitch! How many years has it been since I’ve felt this vexed!? Shit-, even though he is just my son, there is a limit even in being cheeky!」

「Otou-sama. If you don’t mind, can I ask you to please tell me the reason why you are saying such thing?」

「Uu-, Otou-sama! The words sound really good in my ear but, it’s really vexing that I cannot honestly feel happy about it!」

「Don’t mind him, Erica-san.」

Little miss Shizuka commented while staring at her biological father coldly.

「This person is only vexed that Onii-chan has a girlfriend this beautiful after all.」

「Vexed?」

「For some reason he is trying to compete with Onii-chan unbecomingly, even though he is his father.」

「Because Shizuka. When it come to that stupid son, he is always being a nuisance between the relation of me and Shizuka!」

「We are blood-related siblings brother and sister after all, so it’s not a nuisance or anything isn’t it? Ah, that’s right. About going to hot spring in Hokkaido somewhere after this that Otou-san mentioned? Bring Onii-chan together too okay?」

「Why!?」

The father of Kusanagi family yelled as though he was going to vomit blood.

「Even though Shizuka and I can finally have fun time together without any outsider present!」

「Even with Onii-chan coming, it doesn’t change that there won’t be any outsider there. When it come to Onii-chan recently, when I took my eyes off him juuuuust for a bit, he will ensnare a beauty like Erica-san using that opening, he will ensnare even more beauties, then he will ensnare even more other different type of beauty, he will be doing as he please without me there, so I’ve got to restrain him with an occasional family trip.」

「Shit-! That damn guy, why is he spending a happy springtime like that!」

Seeing the father of Kusanagi family getting indignation unbecomingly, Erica felt it.

She wondered why. This impression of “I’ll walk my own path” without paying the slightest mind at the surrounding’s gaze, it reminded him of a certain person. Come to think of it, that person’s appearance somehow seemed similar with this person too.

(Godou’s Otou-sama, he)

Erica thought.

(He is also like Godou and……Lord Salvatore added and subtracted to each other.)

Could it be, the reason why Kusanagi Godou felt depressed with the Italia’s king of sword was……

A familial hatred toward a person who vaguely resembled his father, such line of thought might be possible. Perhaps Kusanagi Godou didn’t notice it himself.

Erica was thinking of such thing aimlessly.

「Forgive my rudeness. I’m Nanzenji Ryuuzou.」(TN: I read somewhere before that his name is Genzou, but from his name’s kanji, I don’t know if it really can be read as Genzou)

The father of Kusanagi family taught Erica his overly unique name. (TN: The meaning of his name’s kanji is, south great monk dragon treasury.)

He also put a business card on the café’s table. Erica confirmed the hard to spell kanji characters of the name on the business card, then she recalled.

In Kusanagi family, it wasn’t just the son, the kanji characters of father’s name also consisted from a lot of stroke count──. (TN: Here is the kanji, of the father’s name, 南禅師龍蔵)

Previously, Godou’s childhood friend, Tokunaga Asuka spoke that information to her.

「Godou and Shizuka’s surname followed their mother, but I’m genuinely the father of that stupid son and this cute Shizuka. In other words, I’m undoubtedly the man who will become your father-in-law in the future.」

「Of course I understand, Otou-sama.」

「Uumm. How nice, it really nice.」

「Why are you getting that indecent look, Otou-san……」

「If I pretend not to know that uncute son might marry this kind of beauty, then I can also look forward to the future where this kind of girl will become my daughter.」

「By the way, Otou-sama.」

「What is it, Erica-san who might become my daughter?」

「These business cards, which is the one that I should receive?」

「Please take them all. I’m using all four in my work.」

「Otou-san, your new business cards are increasing again huh……」

「About that, it’s because I started a new trade. Next time come to my shop okay?」

Representative director. Food producer. Shop manager. Room designer.

There were four business cards with different title in each of them. Furthermore, the company name, design, and even the phone number were all different from each other. When all four were lined up together, it painted a suspicious picture.

Come to think of it──according to Kusanagi Godou.

『My father is a speculator, my mother is a queen』 He said. (TN: Speculator here could also be interpreted as adventurer, imposter, prospector)

The parents of the Kusanagi siblings were really interesting. It was Erica Blandelli’s style to prize conspicuous individuality rather than common sense or properness. Erica secretly nodded.

「By the way Shizuka……. It’s about that matter though.」

「Ah, the matter of Okaa-san?」

「!?」

As expected, even Erica was taken aback when the mother was mentioned.

It was already nearly one year since she lived near Kusanagi Godou. However, perhaps because of the guidance of many coincidences, until now Erica had never met the mother face to face even once.

Well, that was just how often the mother of Kusanagi family went out in succession and wasn’t at home.

「Is it really no good unless I meet Mayo-san? Honestly, I’m thinking that perhaps it will be fine even if I skip this appointment if it’s okay to not meet her.」

The father pleaded with a terribly serious face.

「These days we can also make contact with email or communication applications, you know.」

「That’s no good. Sometimes both my parents need to meet face to face, to at least talk about my future course.」

「Something like that, it’s obvious what both I and Mayo-san will say. 『Unless it’s being a murdered, you can do anything you like』 Like that.」

「There! It’s not just murder that is prohibited in this world, narrow down the range some more there!」

「Haha, being “someone” is something that you won’t even know what they will become five years later. It’s not something that us parents should meddle in. Ah, how about I talk again about the part-time work that I did while traveling in Asia while still being a student? Look, it’s a travel story that will make you cry when you hear it. I almost died several times at that time, but the time when I got a handgun pointed on my head, I almost peed myself then.」

「That talk is about getting involved with smuggling or something, that was mostly Otou-san getting what you deserve!」

「That’s not all. Various things happened and I even helped out in the farmwork of poppy fields for more than two months. I also searched for legendary phoenix until the source of Mekong river. Haha, it was a great adventure that did Te●uka-sensei’s 『Phoenix』 did in real life you know? At the end I got dragged into the civil war there where I was isolated smack dab in the middle of guerilla warfare……」

As expected from the father of Kusanagi Godou, it seemed that he had a lot of anecdote to share.

Furthermore, if murder was the only thing the parents prohibited, then Kusanagi Godou who was a 『godslayer』 was still safe, perhaps. Though if it was this father, it didn’t feel like he would really consider it as problem……. (TN: There is a play in words here. The kanji for murder used here has two kanji of human and killing, while the kanji for godslayer used the kanji of god and killing. So killing god literally cannot be considered murder due to the kanji choice here)

Erica was deeply impressed.

While he was an ordinary person, the father of the Kusanagi family didn’t give off the smell of ordinary household at all. The saying of 『The apple didn’t fall far from the tree』 really applied here.

And then, when Erica readied herself with the possibility that she might be able to finally meet the rumored mother of Kusanagi family.

*Clang cla-ng*.

The door of the café opened and someone entered inside.

The father of Kusanagi family was taken aback and his body stiffened, while Shizuka looked at the door’s direction with a face that said 『Finally came huh』. Right after that, Erica shrugged her shoulders.

She elegantly addressed the approaching person.

「It has been one day since we last met, Godou.」

「Yo Erica. It’s a really strange combination with you being here too.」

The son who was the person in the talk topic, Kusanagi Godou spoke casually.

「Let me guess Godou, are you acting as proxy for your mother who became unable to come here?」

「Right in one. Seeing you like that, it looks like it’s fine even if I don’t explain the circumstances of our family huh.」

「I won’t mind even if you do, you know?」

「No. Your sharpness in that kind of place is helpful instead, so let’s just continue the talk like this.」

Kusanagi Godou smiled wryly in front of Erica Blandelli’s wisdom.

「Just as you imagined, our mother felt it troublesome to meet the old man, so she went out to drink. She said that if you want to talk with her directly no matter what, then come to the Akabane’s shop.」

「What’s this Mayo-san. Did she go to my shop to drink?」

「It’s like that but, what are you going to do old man? It’s okay even if you invite me, Shizuka, and also Erica to have dinner somewhere though.」

「Hmmm. My stinky son who only have tallness going for him is a needless extra though.」

The father of Kusanagi family confronted his son really naturally while muttering.

「If Shizuka and my future daughter come along then, well, it’s fine I guess. There is a restaurant of halal cooking in Minamikasai that I wanted to try since some time ago. Let’s try going there with everyone.」

The father of Kusanagi Godou who was exuding the air of not ordinary person the more he talked.

Perhaps because he understood that the rumored 『mother』 wouldn’t come, he made suggestion with a composed stance.