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Hidan no Aria - Volume 17 - Chapter 2




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Volume 17: Hidan’s Recitative–Recitativo

Chapter 2: Butei Sqaudmate Association ―― Camerata

[START]

As part of their reparations, GRENEDA gave me my return flight ticket for free, but… rather than the 2 million Yen Super Executive Class Ticket Aria booked to go to London, it was for a narrow Economy Class seat.

Still experiencing the after effect of Hysteria Mode, I slept away the return flight solidly.

As I slept, Lisa sat in the seat beside me.

「…When the distant horizon vanishes as you rest your heart in the deep darkness of night… The air flows silently above and across the distant sea of clouds… Telling the endless story of the workings of the universe… 」

Feeling like she was reading from a children’s picture book, she recited a beautiful Japanese poem that she had memorised…1 Able to relax, she rubbed my chest in time with the beating of my heart. This is the first time since meeting Aria last April that I have felt so calm.

Thanks to the western winds, it took less time than the flight out–but it was still 11 hours.

Flying toward the Sun, KLM flight 861 crossed one time zone after another, leaving the Netherlands at 2 o’clock and arriving the next morning in Narita. How the time conversions work is something that my mediocre brain doesn’t comprehend very well. First things first, I have to adjust my watch to match JST.

Relieved to see Japan again after such a long time, we left Narita on the Keisei Skyliner and entered the urban centre of Tokyo…

Lisa’s eyes sparkled!

Gazing out through the train windows at the ramshackle city of Tokyo, her emerald colour eyes widened in awe. Looking over, I saw her clasp her hands emotionally in front of the large chest of her sailor maid uniform.

From birth, I lacked social skills and the ability to keep up conversation with girls, nevertheless, with the spare time afforded on the train ride…

「…Oh… Is this new to you? The Netherlands must have several skyscrapers」

I brought up this topic to which she replied

「But, Master, there are so many buildings…! What’s more, the city reaches out to the horizon. What a large town! Mooi! Mooi! Heel Mooi!2」

Lisa’s sparkling emerald eyes turned to me as she repeated the word『Mooi!』over and over. Then ended with the superlative version of the word.

「You never came here when you were in I.U.? To Tokyo?」

「We did come into the coastal waters, but I was in charge of the housekeeping duties. So I never came ashore.」

Huh?

Tokyo is one of the largest cities on the world. It is a major metropolitan era.

I never thought about it, but to foreigner, it must be surprising.

Then while rattling along with our suitcases to transfer to an electric train at Nippori…

「Ah, is it rush hour? I forgot because of the jetlag.」

Thanks to the peak commuting time, the JR Yamamote platform was crowded with commuters.

「…!….!?…!」

Lisa saw it, and all the colour drained from her eyes.

Her pale hand clutched my sleeve.

「Master, we must hurry! All these people are crowding into the train. If we don’t hurry, there might not be another one until tomorrow!」

「No, they follow each other 2 minutes.」

「…???」

Watching the jostling office workers Tetris-ing themselves into the train cars–Lisa was confused.

Deviating slightly from the posted timetable, the next train arrived 3 minutes later…

Because it was crowded and we were carrying suitcases, Lisa and I made our apologies as we boarded.

『–Due to inspection of rolling stock, trains will be delayed. We apologise for the inconvenience.』

Hearing the announcement from the internal PA, Lisa made a confused face…

「D-delay, they say? Didn’t the following train came quite quickly…?」

「No, didn’t you notice the delay? It was 1 minute late.」

「O-one minute…!?」

This conversation happened as we got off at Shimbashi station, and Lisa who comes from the Netherlands who runs an irresponsible national rail system and couldn’t hide her shock.

While making the transfer the Yurikamome Line, my throat became dry, so we stopped off at the Bellmart…

「Welcome!」

With a bob of her head, an older girl who was a part-time worker in the shop bowed to us.

「A pleasure to make your acquaintance. I am called Lisa Ave Du Ang.」

Pinching her long skirts to raise them and making a slight bow and curtsey, Lisa greeted the worker.

The worker gave a slight smile, and another worker and a grandmother smiled and giggled slightly.

「O-oi! It’s alright to not return the greeting of a convenience store worker, it’s normal.」

「No? But is it not only polite to incline your head…?」

At once understanding her strange behaviour was due to her being a foreigner

「It is fine, dear guest. In Japan they say,『The customer is God』.」

The grandmother explained while smiling.

Hearing that answer, Lisa pressed both hands together in front of her large chest…

「Mooi…! Such… such… a country with devotion to service! So punctual, mannered, and beautiful without any rubbish spread about…!」

Greatly moved, her eyes sparkled once more.

As a natural born European maid, the Japanese cultural values of things like hospitality, time management, propriety, and hygiene… these appear to have touched her on a fundamental level.

With tears standing out from her double-lidded eyes in pleasure, Lisa said:

「–Master. Lisa wishes to live and have her bones buried in this country. Right here. In my master’s homeland of Japan!」

S-she just announced that she wanted permanent residence in Japan… in a Bellmart!

For some reason, all the store employees began clapping, and with my face burning, I pushed Lisa ahead of me out of the store.

Because my maid had cause a bit of fuss, I made an apology– and quickly purchased a Suica card.

「M-master, I have to pay for the mineral water.」

Taking out a wallet with a golden wolf design on it.

「I-it’s alright. It’s an electronic payment method, understand?」

「…Mooi…! What an advanced country…!」

Lisa. the wallet… I didn’t notice in Amsterdam, but it was a hint at your true nature, wasn’t it? I’m so careless.

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Afterwards on the Yurikamome Line, Lisa asked:

「Master, where are the ninjas?」

Tellingly proving the extent of her knowledge about Japan, to which I replied.

「There are no such anachronous things. At least, that is what I want to say, but then there is my junior. You’ll meet her soon enough.」

I responded with a tired expression…

In Daiba, we took the Tokyo coastal monorail that was originally planned to run from Haneda Airport, to Ukishimacho Station… then walked from there. To Tokyo Butei High Boy’s Dormitory No. 3.

…It’s nice to have a place to come back to. I don’t know if I want to go on another trip…

I tried to escape reality in a hard-core manner, but still failed to do so!

And Lisa is standing next to me and smiling!

I didn’t want to think or ask about it, but Lisa gave the impression that:『Naturally, a maid will live with her master. It does not even bear mentioning』

And that is what happened.

In each of the rooms in my boy’s dormitory there were several kings of beasts–each a member of Baskerville.

Unfortunately, it will be like that time with Kaname, another Lumberjack.

Without anyone to consult about this predicament, I rode up in the lift with Lisa… so, out of necessity, I held a war council with Little Kinji (a fictional construct within my own mind).

The instant the door opens, the second that pink, black, yellow, or pale blue is seen, dive into the room. In order to avoid an unexpected hail of bullets, dash quickly into the washroom to wash my hands, then leap quickly into the bulletproof cabinet. In order to perfectly safeguard my life–I devised this strategy.

…With a cold sweat on my hand…

And opened it. I’m Kinji Tohyama, player on the National Bullet Football Team. It’s time for kick-off!

Despite the built-up momentum, I carefully opened the door with the key… and… with Lisa behind me, I entered the room… and…

「It’s a miracle…!」

I didn’t hear any voices.

Not a single one.

In fear, I quickly checked Shirayuki’s room… and in the small room that she had chosen for herself:

『Kin-chan-sama, thanks for all your hard work in the European Campaign. I received a message from the Hotogi and had to return home. I’ll be back as soon as I can.–Shirayuki.』

I found this handwritten note.

With an expression similar to Keisuke Honda​’s3, I looked back at Lisa and wished I had sunglasses to hide the tears of relief in my eyes.

But… this note was slightly unnerving.

As my childhood friend, I’ve gotten a bunch of notes from her, but– usually she tells me when she’ll be back, leaves a kuzumochi in the refrigerator, and a bit more detail.

I don’t want to speak ill of someone’s family home, but the keyword ‘Hotogi’ is a bit dangerous.

If Shirayuki is in some kind of trouble… she must want to take care of it herself…

But even so…

The fact is that the Third or Fourth Great Dormitory War will not break out.

We headed to the living room to enjoy the splendorous tranquillity.

「Uh, Master? May I ask an unrelated question… about your family…?」

Lisa asked using a set phrase.

「You might already know, but Kana– my older sister, is my older brother. Then there’s my idiot half-brother and younger sister who calls me Onii-chan. I don’t have any parents. But my grandparents are well.」

Giving her that explanation, Lisa shook her blonde hair and lowered her head.

「l-I’m sorry. It appears that I’ve asked about a difficult topic.」

「lt’s alright.」

Plopping myself down on the sofa, the fatigue of traveling overcame me–

「…?.」

Lisa began snuffling. *Sniff!* *Sniff!*

Lisa began making dog-like motions as she sniffed the air.

Then she looked up…

I looked up at the ceiling as well, then there was a *Creak!* and a *Crack!*

A small trapdoor in the ceiling opened, then there was a *Thump!* *Thump!* *Thump!* Something fell! Above me, first Aria then Riko tumbled, and looking up Reki was sitting there.

My opponents on the National Bullet Football Team appeared from such a strange place…

The peace of the nation of Kinji was short-lived…!

「No! We were planning to surprise Ki-kun! But on the contrary, we were the ones who were surprised! You got the super-low drop rate character Lisa to come back with you, you lecher!」

Riko said while jabbing me in the stomach with her elbow.

「Riko-sama, it is a pleasure to see you again.」

As schoolmates in I.U., they must have become close.

「Right, have you filled the role of a mistress yet? Riko is getting a little impatient.」

Saying something I didn’t understand, nevertheless it appears that Riko understands that Lisa possesses all kinds of useful skills and is welcoming her.

Sitting on the couch next to Aria and Reki, I said:

「H-hey I’m back…!」

I said with a smile on my face…

「Aria H. Kanzaki-sama. Reki-sama. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance. I am called Lisa Ave du Ang.」

Lisa said reservedly. Pinching her skirts, she made a small bow.

Seeing that courteous action one might expect in a temple or shrine–

「Hmph! Kinji, are you hiring a maid?」

Pointing a thumb at Lisa for emphasis, Aria narrowed her eyes to determine if she was a maid or not.

「…Something like that, I guess.」

I answered as I sat cross-legged on the floor.

「I asked Riko when we were above the ceiling, but she is a former member of I.U. and GRENEDA, isn’t she? Changing former enemies into allies seems to be your specialty. Is that it?」

Aria smoothed her long twin-tails with the back of her hands, rearranging them.

With both leg holsters exposed, she crossed her legs and looked up at Lisa.

Thank goodness. She appears to intuitively perceive Lisa’s usefulness and bear a favourable impression of her.

「The room is a bit messy because of Riko. Please take care of it.」

「Yes! Gladly!」

In response to Aria assigning her a task, Lisa pressed her hands together happily.

No, Aria is just used to directing people with flick of her chin, like always. She uses people as easily as she breathes.

Although I am hesitant to use people myself, I want to follow her example here.

Even Lisa detected the power dynamic between me and Aria and assumed a submissive attitude. Catering to Aria’s whims had a direct like to the guarantee of my personal security. This girl must have some supernatural level of skill to read the room.

Reki showed her usual lack of expression to both of us, but she seems to understand that Lisa isn’t a bad person.

「…Kinji-san, welcome home.」

Leaving me with those words, she trotted off.

She then disappeared into her own room that she had claimed on her own accord.


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The inscrutable girl gave me one last, brief glimpse as if to make sure that I was alright, and I followed her, somewhat uneasy…

Entering her room, there was an easel supporting a large canvas.

「…Is this a Fine Arts assignment?」

「Yes.」

Reki was wearing an apron to prevent her uniform from getting dirtied, and she was taking a Fine Arts class as an elective.

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Aria_17_036

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It was a hyper realistic portrait of a bird and plant in the style of the Swiss painter Giger, and it was a bit frightening, her painting…

「It’s… really good, your painting, that is.」

It wasn’t just good. It was incredible.

It was an acrylic done in a dull. green monotone with intricate subtleties of shading. The superior powers of concentration of an S-Rank sniper imparted a delicate touch and attention to detail that an average person like me couldn’t begin to understand.

「It’s beyond the class of a high school student. People will pay money for it, but this will fetch a high price. You have talent. If you want, I could be your dealer. You could sell it.」

Pretending to be an art dealer and intending to take a commission on the sale, I showered praise upon it…

Picking up a spray gun, Reki held it up in front of the canvas.

「… I’m still painting.」

She said in her usual uninflected voice–

But with the brief glimpse I caught as she looked my way, she turned slightly red.

Then, turning back to look at the canvas,

「Are you going to leave soon?」

The mood draining from the situation, as she kept her blank expression.

What’s this? Are you embarrassed? You, Reki?

Alright then. I’ll do the opposite, and watch you paint. *Stare!*

「…」

Hahaha! What are you going to do Reki-kun? I might be acting shamefully. But I’m also happy. I want to watch these human emotions develop in Reki.

Ever since the flight to Hong Kong I’ve kept my eyes on her.

「…」

…*Shrink!*

Her completely red face lowered, she painted, the brush swishing across the canvas.

As I watched this Mint-chan. thinking how cute she was,

「Mooi! Amazing! Reki-sama is a genius! The Heavens have blessed you twice!」

Entering Reki’s room, Lisa joined in and reinforced my bullying.

「It’s super-mooi! Oi, Lisa, how much do you think this would sell for?」

「I would only be speculating, and you would need a professional appraiser, but the current market value for a painting like this would be somewhere near €60,000– that’s about 8 million Yen.」

Using her business acumen, Lisa spoke.

「Well!」

Then she suddenly discovered the silver wolf Haimaki gnawing a bone in the corner of the room.

「What a cute wolf, you are! Does Reki-sama keep him as a pet?」

Then raising his head to an alert position to look at the smiling Lisa, Haimaki rolled over.

Laying down on the spot, he presented his belly in a gesture of total submission. It appears that he knows Lisa’s true identity as the King of Beasts–it must be animal instinct.

「That is correct. He is named Haimaki. Lisa-san, please take Haimaki for a walk.」

Still using her paintbrush, she named her beloved large grey wolf and made a request of Lisa. It appears that I won’t be able to use Lisa’s help anymore.

「Yes! Gladly! Haimaki-san, this way, please. Let’s walk around outside for a bit.」

His name called, Haimaki stood up. The he dashed over to Lisa. It was like a king summoning a soldier. I saw something like this before, but other than Vlad, no other human besides Reki has been able to tame him.

No way, Lisa…

You are the amazing one.

Along with the true savage beast and the savage beasts of Baskerville who have made their lair in my room… you’ve managed to fit right in. Without even having to fight a battle like Kaname.

As a pacifist nation, the nation of Kinji should seek formal alliance and a close working relationship with the country of Lisa.

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Having left walking Haimaki to Lisa, I took my suitcases back to my room…

Throwing myself down onto the bed to recover from my fatigue, I began reading manga. Riko keeps the back issues of the magazines under the bed, and because of the publication delay, I wasn’t able to read and catch up while abroad.

While reading something in Young Gangan…

「Who is that in the picture? She’s beautiful.」

「Wha! Who is that? An actress or something?」

「…She is beautiful.」

Lisa had just returned, and there was some commotion nearby in the corridor.

What? I got up to look into the living room from the hall…. Lisa had apparently hung some kind of framed picture in the hall.

「She gained a lot of popularity in the Netherlands. Lisa is her fan too!」

Smiling, she indicated the large photograph to Aria and the rest.

「….Oi! Don’t hang picture of things like beautiful women in my house!」

A picture of a beautiful woman is like a hellscape to me.

That being the case, I went to take it down… but as I got closer…

…!…

「Ho-,Y-…! Huh, th-…! Why, Lisa, where did that picture…!?」

Like a Showa era manga, my eyes bugged out in shocked surprise.

Th-this is Cromaetel-san’s picture, isn’t it!

「The men in Bourtange uploaded it to a Facebook group they created.」

The Cromaetel in the photo was me, sitting in a Bourtange cafe and was taken without my knowledge. This an infringement of my Rights of Publicity, you Dutchmen!

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Aria_17_039


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「Kinji, why are you so upset?」

Wah! She has good intuition. I’ve been picked up by Aria’s radar.

「Have you met her? She’s can’t be your girl, is she?」

「No, no, no! We’ve definitely, absolutely never met in person.」

I raised both my hands and shook them in denial.

「…Hmm?」

Aria crossed her arms and tilted her head. Incidentally, this interjection is one that Aria uses when she can’t answer a question.

As expected of Holmes the 4th, she cannot tell that Cromaetel = Kinji.

「T-take it away, Lisa! Don’t decorate the house with pictures of women.」

I scolded my maid, as she smiled all the while.

「Master, isn’t this a good representation?」

What she meant was ‘Isn’t this a picture of a woman?’, or something like that.

「It is said that the practice of decorating homes with pictures of beautiful people and landscapes is a good one that improves the happiness of homes in Europe. There is also data to suggest that the presence of beautiful pictures in the home reduces the number of quarrels between residents.」

What, this… are you getting angry?

Has being surrounded by Aria and the rest irritated you, or something? I get the impression that you’ve picked out their sore spots. Is this how a maid acts with her master?

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After getting rid of the Cromaetel photo somehow…

Lisa cleaned the apartment until it sparkled.

「Japanese cuisine is not my specialty.」

But she cooked a normal dinner using only the ingredients that were already in the refrigerator.

Yellowtail and daikon in soy sauce, cheese chikuwa, mushroom rice, tofu and snow pea tamago, and clam miso soup. Then in response:

「As expected of a maid. It’s delicious.」

「Lisa, another round, plea~se!」

「…」

She has been well received by Aria, Riko, and Reki.

Having just returned home, I am overjoyed to have a Japanese meal.

「You don’t have to cook Japanese food exclusively. Japanese people eat all kinds of food. Just so the seasonings are in the Japanese style… Oi, Riko, that’s my cheese chikuwa!」

Using both hands to pry open Riko’s mouth, I reclaimed my chukuwa that Riko had decided to take for herself–

「But Lisa, do you know where you are? Are you going to attend Butei High?」

Aria asked as she ate rice in a small bowl.

「Yes. As part of my reparations from my time in GRENEDA, from here on I will stand by my master’s side in Japan–in addition to my travel expenses, my tuition is also taken care of. I have already completed the entrance exams on the internets.」

Oi! This is the first time I’m hearing of it.

「Master, even in school, I am committed to supplying full service. Please rest assured, my work as a maid and my own studies are completely compatible.」

Some way or other…

It seems that『The Beast of Gévaudan』of GRENEDA that I saw, aimlessly wandering about post-conflict Europe was not something desirable.

Is that why she had been found a place in Japan and was foisted upon me?

The cease-fire negotiations between the residual forces in Europe are progressing… but they weren’t entrusted to me.

「Ki-kun, while you were away I saved the INQUESTA homework you missed! However, Riko’s notes are paid premium content, you’ll have to pay to see them~!」

That’s right… I need to catch back up on my classwork. Not just manga.

「I’ll pay, show them to me later. Talk to Lisa about the price.」

Aria gave a slight smile at my words.

「Kinji, you come back, and now you have such a love of learning, don’t you?」

「Don’t look so shocked. That’s rude. I’m going to put in the work to study to become a proper adult. Well, enough to become a normal, ordinary security guard or bouncer.」

「You’re saying that again, Ki-kun? What about what Coco said:『Kinchi cannot be an ordinary person.』You’re even ranked 71st in the Asian SDA rankings–」

「La~~~~La~~~~~!」

There was the troublesome American ratings association, Moody’s, and as soon as I heard it, I covered my ears in order to avoid that information. I didn’t ask to hear that I was ranked 89th last year. I also closed my eyes so that I didn’t read lips…a few seconds later…

「…」

I opened my eyes halfway to check if Riko had fallen silent or not… then I took my fingers out of my ears.

「That is to say that there are 70 more Butei in Asia less human than you are.」

Aria added the last bit of unnecessary information–71st! I didn’t ask! How did the number get lower? And because it’s based on informal data, I can’t put in a claim against it…!

「Ki-kun’s standard of ordinary is a statistical『deviance』, Fufufu!」

Riko laughed sadistically as she traced the Kanji in the air with her finger. Should I cry?

…then…

Aria and Reki took a post-meal coffee and left together.

It appears that there is some kind of VIP room in Aria’s room in the girl’s dormitory where they are participating as members of DEEN in the cease-fire negotiations via telephone.


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Those two are close. 2 terms before the Team was formed, they fought, but we were close friends before that.

I didn’t think that I would be the first one to be excluded from Team Baskerville…

With that thought in mind, I checked the files of INQUESTA homework that I had gotten from Riko on my PC…

Riko took a Nintendo DS in her hand, then flopped down on the sofa.

I setup my laptop on the table across from the sofa, and Riko’s frilly skirt was visible to me at a very dangerous angel.

「… By the way, Riko. What have you been doing lately?」

I asked, averting my gaze from the cute cherry decorated socks she wore.

After Riko defeated Hilda, she seemed uncertain as to her future.

In the aftermath of war and the cease-fire, I was worried that she would wander off into a life of crime in her free time. She was originally a criminal.

「Riko can’t do anything too flashy for a bit. Right now, because Ki-kun was cold to Rampan, they are targeting Riko and trying to recruit her aggressively. So whenever Riko tries to do something, they put pressure on my allies.」

As I thought…

She’s been already been in contact with Rampan and the Chinese Yakuza. This naughty girl put on a smile.

「Rampan… you were originally on good terms with them. Will you take subordinates from them?」

I probed–

「No way! They don’t have anyone suited to Riko. I don’t want to cheat on Ki-kun, Aria, or Rekyu, I wouldn’t be able to see you again. Besides, I have a backlog of critically acclaimed games and anime to catch up on!」

With that, Riko showed me her characteristic smile and flashed the Pokémon game on her screen at me.

…. I don’t have to worry about her. She is a raging otaku in her free time.

Looking closely at my laptop… is this Kabosu soft serve ice cream? I also saw purchase adverts saying things like『Pure Innocence』and『New Features』that appeared to part of a 15 and up game that was purchased and downloaded without my knowledge.

Miss Information Thief, do you treat knowing someone’s passwords so casually?

Then while changing my logon password from『kinjikinji』to『kinjikinjikinji』… Lisa appeared.

「Master, Riko-sama, I have another serving of coffee.」

I had a weak American, while Riko had a somewhat stronger cafe ristretto with cream, both prepared to our respective likings.

「Lisa, Lisa, say『Eh!』」

While receiving her coffee, Riko made some demand of Lisa, and as I looked back…

「Eh!」

Clenching her fist, Lisa gave a small shout.

Then all at once…

Behind the headdress that Lisa had chosen to wear inside, two dog ears appeared. Then looking down near her hips a tail appeared.

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What, you can make them appear with an『Eh!』?

That embroidered wallet of yours is too much of a hint at your true nature as the Beast of Gévaudan…!

With a backwards glance to where I had slumped in the chair Riko said:

「Waahh! So cute!」

And she embraced Lisa tightly. Then afterwards, she began indoctrinating her on all kinds of Japanese things…

Good grief, it’s no use. I’ve been overcome by a strange urge to study. Maybe I should try to put on headphones and listen to music while I do it?

By the time the noisy Riko had finished, I looked at the clock and it was 10 o’clock.


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In the end, I wasn’t able to concentrate to study at all…

Reluctantly I started to draw water for a bath.

After observing these strange developments, Lisa retracted her dog ears…

「Uh, Master? That is some awfully hot water you are drawing… Are you planning to boil some kind of large fish?」

「What are you saying? This is a bath. Japanese people use it. You only have to prepare it once. The temperature is just about right.」

I checked the temperature coming from the tap with my hand, then I took off my tie and walked into the bathroom, then Lisa followed and timidly tested the water for herself…

「D-do you really get into this? Japanese people must deal with heat very well.」

As she said that, she used her left hand to undo the buttons of her blouse.

「You get used to it, I guess. To tell you the truth, I’m frustrated by what you call a『bathtub』. The hot water spreads out and cools too quickly to be useful.」

「Usually tubs aren’t meant to keep water hot–they are meant to keep water from a shower from spreading to the floor. In the West, when one speaks of bathing, they mean a shower.」

Lisa said with a smile as she removed her headdress…

「That really is a cultural difference… Hey! Why are you taking your clothes off!?」

Then as if going along with a gag, I was snapped back to the reality of the larger situation.

Lisa had already taken off her blouse and now held it in front of her chest. The saving grace of the situation was that her chest area was still covered, but the cord of her underwear on her shoulders– the pure white straps were visible!

「Should I have kept my headdress on? M-my apologies.」

Lisa gave out an apology as she replaced her frilly maid’s headdress.

「N-O-! I get in first. You go after!」


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「???」

While in a befuddled state, I pushed her out of the bathroom.

Shutting the bathroom door with a *Click!*, I let out a sigh, undressed and left my clothes outside, then finally began to enjoy the Japanese bath I hadn’t had in a long time.

Even this unit bathtub brought me happiness. It was a normal bath. In Europe I wasn’t able to submerge myself in hot water, and now I understand what a blessing it truly is.

Taking a bath opens up blood vessels, releases stiffness throughout the whole body, and is recommended practice for Butei.

What’s more, when fully submerged in hot water, the body only feels about 10% of its natural weight due to buoyancy effects.

This allows the muscles and joints to rest and allows the brain, which it always managing them, time to relax. Bathing is the one ultimate restorative for both mind and body.

「…Master? Shall I wash your back for you?」

The culture boasted by Japan should be spread throughout the world.

… What now!?

Because I was relaxing, my response lagged for a moment. Lisa! She’s on the other side of the frosted glass…!

「I know that your orders were『after』, and I apologize for my lateness. I was preparing new soap and peach leaf lotion–」

Th-the bath door opened! And the hazily visible body was, except for the headdress she wore, was co-com-completely naked… It was in the bath, so that much was obvious.

Due to this bath, my blood vessels had already opened and blood flow had increased! The risk of hysterising is even greater in this state!

Although she was an individual with a very pure personality, the situation was very H as Lisa entered the bathroom, and I made an Ouka dash towards the door.

Then punching the door open from the inside–

「I said『after』, and that means after I leave! You can wash your own back!」

「B-but a short time ago, Riko-sama said that women in Japan do this… that they offer to wash their master’s body with their own body…!」

Lisa had come in so boldly, that’s why–

When I was wearing headphones, Riko took the chance to whisper her lies.

That idiot! I’ll get you for this! You just wait…! I’ll just wait until I get a copy of your notes!

********************************************

A good while after the bath…

I was no longer terrified of another invasion by Lisa after having shut her out.

She made up both beds in the set of bunks in the bedroom, and I changed into my pyjamas and crawled into the lower right to sleep. The others had been seized by the Baka-villes (The idiots of Baskerville), and from their feminine scent, I could tell that they hadn’t gone to bed yet.

「…」

However, in spite of the night wearing on… I couldn’t sleep. Due to jet lag.

Going from Europe to Japan, you can’t sleep at night.

Your body gets accustomed to Central European Time even if it’s dark outside.

The same thing happened in reverse where I was ridiculously tired at Jeanne’s apartment…

Even so, I have to go to school tomorrow.

If you have to wake up very early, it’s common sense that you should sleep.

Even if you don’t sleep, if a human lies on their side without doing anything else, they can rest their body about 70%. Not doing anything, just laying quiet.

…*Knock!* *Knock!* *Creak!*…

「Master. Please accept my affection.」

… quiet, that’s what I want to do… but what’s that…!

You said something like「affection」, and that is the strange word Shirayuki used in AMBULANCE.

Upon closer inspection, it is probably an NG word for me!

「…」

But Lisa is already putting it into practice. So I defaulted to my signature move of feigning sleep. If she thinks I’m asleep, I’m counting on her loyalty as a maid being high enough to not wake me.

Although these were the tactics I employed as Lisa entered the bedroom…

The blanket on top of me moved in a particularly dangerous manner. Good, she is just replacing it, thinking I rolled over in my sleep.

As I thought that *Bzz!* *Bzz!* *Bzz!* . My mobile began playing the melody of Ryoutarou Sugi’s『Cooling Feelings』.

「…!」

My plans to feign sleep interrupted–I couldn’t help but jump to my feet.

I have this song set to play as a warning whenever someone dangerous in my contacts calls. Looking to see who it was– it was Ranbyou!

If I ignore it, I don’t know if this violent teacher will kill me with that M500 elephant gun of hers and her zanbato or not!

「Y-yes! I have been expecting your call. This is Tohyama.」

Lisa was surprised and flustered when I took out my mobile…

『Ah? Oh, I thought that this was Tosaki, whoopsie.』

And with that, the call ended.

Ranbyou…! Your misdial couldn’t have come at a worse time…!

I don’t think that you’re even sorry, you gorilla girl!

I have never hated someone more in my entire life…!

As I crushed my mobile in my hand in anger for being exposed, Lisa said

「Master, as I expected, you were unable to sleep. It common to be unable to sleep the first day upon returning due to the difference in time. Lisa will offer to give you a full body massage so that you can relax and sleep deeply.」

The tension in the air increased in one whole bound as Lisa laid out her proposal.

With a *Squeak!*, she laid a hand on my bed…!

Looking at her, she has the same appearance as that in Bourtange–a light white negligee that was almost perfectly transparent. Then, while gracefully raising her thigh onto the bed, she exposed her final secret weapon, the cat garter–!

「M-massage, no way! 2, 3, 5, 7, 11…!」

「Master. Lisa… is so happy to have come to Master’s homeland. So terribly glad that my heart is beating faster.」

Quivering, my mobile slipped from my hand–

Lisa reached out her white fingers and squeezed.

Soft like marshmallows, with a scent of maple syrup, her b-b-breast made contact… the left tip.

With a face from one of Kazuo Umezu’s manga4, Lisa had me backed up against the wall–

I had allowed the space for a misunderstanding, so now with a *Creak!* she climbed onto the bed.

Stop it! This is just like the time Riko infiltrated! I was supposed to learn from that!

「After the massage, I will take my time to attend you throughout the night… That way you will sleep soundly, paying no mind to the time difference.」

「C-certainly I’ll be tired after Hysteria Mode– b-but that isn’t what I want! To be honest I don’t know what to do about it! That’s it! As a matter of fact, I haven’t read my health textbook in a long while…!」

「I may be somewhat presumptuous, but Lisa has studied. It was illustrated in books… and I saw it on the late-night Dutch television…」


Lisa’s upper half drooped over me as she sat on the bed–

Then as a clincher, a subtle but sweet Western confectionary scent wafted from her hair–

No good. I’ll just be pushed out of bounds as in a sumo match…!

Bearing that in mind, Jonidan5 Kinji said:

「B-but if I go into Hysteria Mode! Then I won’t be able to sleep at all!– A lack of sleep would cause me problems, so don’t put me in Hysteria Mode! A maid should listen to her master!」

Then demonstrating what her understanding of my『orders』were, Lisa:

「U-understood… Then in order to not cause you to enter HSS, I will change clothes in order to sleep alongside you. Please allow me a moment.」

Then exiting the room for a moment…

Upon returning she wore a long-sleeve, full length trouser pyjama set with a small golden wolf print.

「H-how are these pyjamas?」

In order to show that there wasn’t anything dubious about the pyjamas, she spun cutely around next to my bed while holding her own pillow.

「…Th-that, those are… much better than before…」

「I am relieved. Thank goodness.」

Then as if it were the most natural thing in the world, she climbed up onto my bed… this is our compromise.

If I run her off, then I run the risk of her coming back and sneaking back in later. That being the case, it is much better to have her wear normal pyjamas. Rather than letting her to her own devices, I’ll keep her where I can watch her. That is the base principle of dangerous goods management.

Even further, I ran a test to see how well this girl sitting cross-legged in front of me was listening to her master’s orders.

「Hand.」

「Yes.」

I extended my hand, palm up, and Lisa placed the first and second joints of her hands curling into mine.

「Lay down.」

「Woof!」

With a rustle of her spreading blonde hair, she took up a prone position.

…Good. This is alright.

Come to think of it, Shirayuki did something similar before. It was a harrowing experience where I was confined by her chain and sickle, but Lisa is a docile maid without any combat skills. She doesn’t even have the grappling or horse-riding skills of Jeanne.

「Alright, now sleep!」

「Yes… Master. Let’s sleep well together…」

For some reason she said that in a distracted way.

Putting my back toward Lisa next to me, she first covered me with the blanket than crawled under herself.

「…」

「…」

We laid silently for dozens of seconds…

Then I came to realise that allowing Lisa into the bed in her pyjamas was a poor choice.

That is to say… it was too immediate an experience–too real.

Sharing a bed with a maid was an impossible abstract experience, but this was having a girl in pyjamas sleeping next to me.

Somehow this feels more like a real boy and girl together… to tell the truth… the heat coming off Lisa after her bath… well, that’s fine. It’s the increased blood flow of HSS that’s the problem.

–I knew I should have kicked her out!

Thinking that, I looked over at Lisa…*Zzz!* *Zzz!*…

She’s… sleeping.

Speaking of Lisa, she didn’t sleep on the airplane. That must have been like staying up all night, then all day after that. At least to Lisa’s internal clock.

Being next to me allows her to sleep with total peace of mind–

That relief makes me smile. That warm feeling siphoned off the troubling blood flow.

…Good night, Lisa. It would be rude to say this of this absurd school, but… welcome to Japan.

**********************************************

The dawn after the night of my narrow escape from death…

Sill incredibly tired, I got up at 7 and put on the shirt and blazer that Lisa had starched and ironed and put out.

Accompanying me with a happy face, I reluctantly allowed her to sit sideways behind me on my bicycle–taking care that her long skirts did not catch in the wheels.

Almost the entirety of the Artificial Island is private road owned by Butei High. So, with two people riding, it wasn’t necessary to detour.

That is to say… Lisa, do you intend to go to school in that sailor suit maid uniform? Headdress and all?

However, it is acceptable to wear a modified uniform. That is to say, the long skirt provides a high level of defence that the teachers might commend. The stupid, idiotic, and dumb girls at this school have taken the uniform mini skirt and transformed it into a mini-miniskirt. By doing so, they decreased the amount of bulletproof area in a sad custom that is a foolish boast of their fighting ability. It is my earnest wish that the entire evil fad dies out, starting with Lisa.

「Which specialty department are you going to join?」

「MASTERS made a recommendation, so I will join AMBULANCE.」

Thank goodness! It’s not INQUESTA!

MASTERS did their job for once. Lisa did have a background with training as a nurse.

That’s the same department as Moe Mochizuki, isn’t it…?

Remembering the fact that Moe had transferred in to Butei High caused a bit of a frown to cross my face, but I checked on the Butei High internet and both Moe and Kikuyo Kagataka were in a separate class, 2-B. But there was a spot of unhappiness in that good news.

The unhappiness was that she was placed in the same class as me, Aria, and Riko, class A. The whole class is excited for this transfer student that transferred in oddly with only 3 terms remaining–

「I am Lisa Ave du Ang. I am a second year in class A in AMBULANCE and hope to be of service. In addition, I have been appointed as a member of the Student Health Committee by Takamagahara-sensei. There are only 3 terms left, but I hope to work well with you all.」

Lisa introduced herself in fluent Japanese with a small bow of her head, and a slight pinching and lifting of her skirts.

After witnessing this gesture, the boys and girls in the class surged into a climax of shouts of:

「No waaaaaay! So cuuute!!」

「Here, over here! A question! Lisa-san, when is your birthday and what are your 3 sizes!?」

Yutori Takamagahara-sensei was supposed to be presiding over the meeting, but she was totally ignoring us, so the idiot Mana Takane from CONNECT raised his hand and asked that sexually harassing question. In response, overflowing with her spirit of service, the maid replied:

「August 2nd and 90, 58, 83.」

She answered with a smile…but why would you ask a girl about her 3 sizes?

But this was good. They all seem to have accepted her. Lisa isn’t like a certain person who would pull out her Governments as part of her self-introduction.

Now I just have to hope that the good girl Lisa isn’t corrupted by the bad influences of the stupid girls here. That is my job as her master.

************************************************

That weekend–Watson and Jeanne finalised the details of the cease-fire and returned.

Upon returning, Watson was excited and communicated that she was eager to resume her rehabilitation.

She sent me a bomb fork emoji (meaning that she’ll make me eat a bomb if I refuse) in a text message.

This『rehabilitation』is for Watson, a cross-dressed student who is unused to relating to boys as a girl… Due to my Hysteria Mode, I am typically brusque with girls, so it was intended as mutual roleplay to accustom us to interacting with ordinary boys and girls.

In short, it was an embarrassing way to play house… Watson derived some benefit from the exercise and when together, she acted more girlish. However, because of that, my own condition worsened. So much that I want to stop.

However, because it is not easy to eat a bomb, I met Watson at the northern monorail station on Saturday morning.

「Where do you want to do the rehabilitation today?」

I asked, to which she replied:

「An onsen.」

「You’re kidding! That’s a huge leap in content! An office worker and office lady don’t have any reason to do that! It’s immoral! Probably!」

I turned red as I voiced my objection.

「W-why are you so surprised Tooyama? We’re going to an osen theme park in Daiba. Y-you didn’t happen to think that we’d be bathing together, did you? You are so lewd!」

The short-tempered Watson gave me 10 short hook punches as thanks, and dragged me the Odaiba Odeo-Onse-Monogatari, a large public bathing facility.

Once there, the interior of the bath house was like something out of a period drama–

Actually, it was nice.

Firstly, it was large, and you can stretch put your limbs in the bath. Besides, the peril of a woman intruding into the men’s bath is nil.

Because of Lisa, I can’t get into the bath at home without worrying, but now I see that a public bath may be the way to deal with it. It’s close to Butei High, so I’ll make use of it from now on.

If careless, I might see a naked little girl that came with her father… but that’s alright. I won’t hysterise at that. I’m used to naked little girls because of Tamamo.

–After that we headed to a downtown food court decorated like Edo…

Watson was dressed as a town girl wearing a yukata with an ox cart wheel crest on it, and I was dressed as a lean ronin in a kimono as we had a light snack and talked.

Here it is required that guests rent traditional clothes, and it is also convenient for disguising your true identity.

But the British Watson-kun-chan sitting across from me…

Surprisingly the yukata suits her well. Watson’s brunette hair and yukata is fairly natural.

But the clothes also suit me as well. I’m confident that I could play an extra in a period drama. The role of an itinerant gambler, for example. I am Japanese, after all.

Speaking of myself, Tamamo said that I was a member of a long-lived line–she said they were『Tohyama warriors』

Thinking that, I pinched a vinagered rice tuna seaweed wrap in a pair of chopsticks.

「Things in Brussels became difficult because of you.」

Eating a pine sushi set,6 the affluent Watson opened the conversation with a complaint.

Ah, she must be talking about when I revealed the fact that『Watson is a girl』at the Liberty Mason lodge. I should apologise.

「Sorry.」

「Somehow I managed to convince him that it was something you had made up, but now Kaiser harbours some suspicions that I am a girl.」

It’s not just a feeling, it’s the truth.

「…Is he coming on to you?」

Yes! I might just be able to pawn off one of the girls causing me trouble on someone else…!

I asked with that feeble hope in mind.

「No, instead Kaiser is avoiding me a little.」

「…?」

From this strange account, it seems that when it comes to dealing with emotions, the suave assassin Kaiser– is not very good, and I folded my arms.

Kaiser was interested in Watson when he thought that she was a handsome boy.

But now that he has the impression that she might be a beautiful girl, he has become colder.

If you think about this calmly and logically…

…Well…

That’s just fine. They like each other.

「Now about the cease-fire in FEW.」

Shaking slightly, Watson cut to the main issue at hand.

「You coming to Europe had a great effect. GRENDA complained that『If you fight a guy that doesn’t die even when killed, you’ll definitely lose. That’s unfair.』」

「…」

「Formerly, DEEN and GRENEDA were united by the appearance of I.U, and while on your watch they won’t start fighting again. You are now classified as part of I.U. That being the case. both DEEN and GRENEDA want a rematch, so be careful of assassination attempts, alright?」

「…」

Be careful? What the heck! A miserable high school student has to be careful of assassination attempts! Reaping the seeds I had sown made my stomach hurt.

Much like the ship I.U. itself, I am being vastly overestimated. I was even the one who broke up I.U. It’s like I’ve been dancing in Sherlock’s palm

I can’t help but think that has been the case, even though I don’t want to–

「–Bewitching Blade. And Demon Sword, what about them?」

Following the flow on conversation, I asked about Seiji, Bewitching Blade, who tried to assassinate me and his partner Alicebell.

I still owe those two a debt. I look forward to repaying that pair very soon. Butei possess a strong sense of duty.

「Their current whereabouts are unknown. Even to GRENEDA.」

「…Roger. If you receive any information on it, please pass it along to me. No matter how trivial.」

Afterwards…

The negotiations of a cease-fire between DEEN and GRENEDA wasn’t all that Watson had to share, but also the post-war hegemony of DEEN over Europe– GRENEDA is spread throughout all Europe, and for one thing, the Vatican’s position is weak. In other words, Liberty Mason is the only one over there on the winning side. That’s a bit worrying…

「…Well, at least the cease-fire is settled.」

I stated my primary schooler level opinion– but Watson shook her head slightly from side to side.

「No, that is just a part of a complicated situation.」

「…Complicated?」

「Habi and her followers failed to reach an agreement with the rest of GRENEDA. We have also been unable to contact Typhoon Sarah. Neither of them were involved in the cease-fire negotiations.」

「Have they run away?」

「I wish they ran away. This unfortunate photo was taken 3 days ago.」

Watson extracted her mobile from her sleeve to show me a picture on the screen.

The photo was taken in the immigration lobby of Narita airport…

「…!…」

Struck speechless, in the photo was Yen–carrying the demon girl Habi that I had seen on Empty Island last year. Around them were some people that appeared to be working with them.

They were all disguised in Western clothing and wearing hats, and I didn’t recognise anyone else…

「GRENEDA’s surrender was not unconditional, but rather the cease-fire came with several stipulations. DEEN held out in the negotiations, but in the end, we had to concede something. One of them was the removal of Tamamo’s『Purification Barrier』around Tokyo. Tamamo has already done this–that is it.」

With that, Watson shut her mobile.

「…It’s not over, is it? Well you got it–information on these demons from GRENEDA, right?」

「Yeah. But you have to understand the nature of this thing. This is a real conflict and unlike those in manga or games it doesn’t have a clean ending. Dangerous things can still happen afterwards.」

Urging caution, Watson started at me with wide eyes.

「Did you know that the Indonesian National Revolution occurred shortly following the Second World War? After Japan’s defeat, The Netherlands and Great Britain launched a military invasion of Indonesia in order to recolonise them– they sided with the Indonesian forces fighting for independence and they fought the former Imperial Japanese forces. They actually became independent. The remnant of Nazi forces became Palestinian guerrilla fighters and fought against Israel after the war. Both forces were not only terrorists and militia, but strong, well-trained military forces who fought to survive… Everyone who took them on had their hands burned.」

Watson recited a bit of the history of a Japanese forced retreat…

I understand what she meant to say.

The FEW cease-fire was negotiated. But enough of a conflict still simmered.

If we couldn’t extinguish the embers of conflict, then the fear of conflict reigniting existed. This is something we had already seen with a part of I.U.

These people… Clearly, it would have been better for us if we were operating under clear rules when opposing them. I don’t know when or what they are going to do. I don’t even know who they are.

That’s the risk you run when you go out into the big leagues.

After communicating that, Watson asked for my opinion–

「What do you think Habi and the rest will do?」

To which I replied:

「If a member of DEEN is attacked by a member of GRENEDA after the cease-fire, it will constitute a violation of the terms. Under the right circumstances–any hostile act would be illegal and require a fight.」

I returned an answer slightly antagonistic toward the demons.

Because…

Habi had stolen it.

The final piece of Aria’s karagane.

Aria will be fine once I recover the stolen one. Butei Charter: Article 8『A mission is not ‘accomplished’ until it is completely finished.』

If the person carrying it is coming to Japan, then they are like a summer insect flying to a fire.

However, my enemies are far too strong to be called insects…

As I ate the rest of the vinagared rice and tuna seaweed wrap, I voiced this complaint in my mind.

Even so I–

I would like to see if those demons will wager their lives to enter a forge glowing with red iron?

************************************************************

The next day, which was Sunday…

After such a long time, my schedule was safe.

–『Camerata』

It was something like a small alumni meeting for Butei that you had worked together with to close cases.

In my first year, I had worked together with Mutou, Shiranui, and Hiraga-san. We planned this a long time ago.

This habit of continuing and strengthening relationships with fellow Butei was encouraged by MASTERS, and you could submit an official budget for it. Hiraga-san had already done so and gotten funds for food and drink. She’s definitely skimming off the top.

I had worked with Riko back then to get intelligence from INQUESTA, so she had the right to attend, but Wonder Con was going on, so she couldn’t come.

The meeting was planned, and I headed toward Shiranui’s room, number 301 on the third floor of the boy’s dormitory… I heard Mutou’s boisterous laugh inside.

「Come on in, Tohyama-kun.」

Without mentioning my tardiness, Shiranui ushered me inside–

He was just as much a mild-mannered handsome guy as ever. A good guy.

The entryway was almost entirely taken up with a box the size of a vaulting horse… I’m guessing Hiraga-san brought it.

「Hey Kinji, you’re late!」

「Butei should be punctual!」

Seated at the clean living room table, the huge framed Mutou and the tiny Hiraga-san sitting on a chair cushion on the floor both interjected.

Everyone appeared to be present, and Shiranui passed out food prepared with a woman’s tender care.

Serving ladies first, Hiraga-san said:

「Shiranui-kun took Home Economics as a free elective. I peeked into the class the other day and all the girls were giggling!」

Holding a spoon in each hand and wearing a bib like a toddler, she teased Shiranui.

***********************************************

Aria_17_056

***********************************************

Shiranui returned a tight smile and shook his head before returning to the cooking… he had quite a lot of popular skills. He’s a mysterious guy without the faintest hint of gossip of any romantic adventures.

************************************************************

After eating, for the Camerata… we each took a piece of Shiranui’s homemade carrot cake. Mutou and Hiraga-san gabbed some coffee and sat on the sofa talking, while Shiranui and I broke off.

Friends with whom you can share your daily frustrations are really a blessing.

I have a lot of comrades, but I only have 3 friends.

Shiranui and Mutou especially, are valuable friends that I don’t have to worry about bringing up sexy actresses.

But,

「Shiranui, what are you doing for university? Are you going on to Butei University?」

「Who knows? It’s such a long time away that I don’t want to think about it.」

「…You went to a normal junior high school. What kind of student were you?」

「Who knows? It was such a long time ago that I forget.」

Yeah. Shiranui is just as strange and private individual.

Whenever I try to probe a little, he deflects the question with a smile.

Even so…

There’s one thing I know. Shiranui has 2 kinds of smiles.

The one he shows girls and that makes them giggle, and the one he’s showing now… the one he had when he shot an armed bank robber. That’s it.

It was the first case that we got involved in at the beginning of the first term of our first year. Under the supervision of a third-year, we formed a team to infiltrate the local bank branch where the perpetrators had barricaded themselves–Shiranui and I. I was not in Hysteria Mode, and we were conducting a real raid, but–

Shiranui entered the building just as calmly as if entering a friend’s hose–armed with his fully automatic USAS-12 shotgun, he located the leader and shot him in the left and right legs without saying a word. All while wearing a cool smile.

Even now, I still remember shuddering at what Shiranui might be thinking at that moment while I restrained the rest of the perpetrators at gunpoint.

Because of that Shiranui is known at Butei High as『Old Hand』7. Someone who shot a gun before entering school.

To Shiranui, shooting someone was no more difficult than tossing a piece of rubbish into a bin.

He didn’t come from an affiliate school and didn’t have internship experience or any yakuza connections like Kikuyo… this mystery wrapped up in an enigma.

But prying into the past is only to be expected. What I did now was fine but prying too far isn’t a good thing for a Butei. I regret doing so with Jeanne at the Palais Garnier.

Being able to smile without giving off bloodlust–

To me, that’s terrifying. I don’t want to know the depths of this man’s story.

「By the way, I’m sorry. The promise we made back in first year… I broke it.」

Changing the topic, I told Shiranui about what had been bothering me for a long time.

Back in my first year in ASSAULT…

I defeated an instructor during the entrance examination, I was occasionally seen in Hysteria Mode and while everyone praised me, they were a bit afraid.

Working well with Shiranui softened his impression of me.

Then, looking toward the future we promised『In 2 years, we’ll form a Team together』–

「In the end, I didn’t communicate well enough at the end of last year to form a Team with you. I didn’t apologise properly to you… and I’ve been worrying about it since. I’m sorry.」

「It can’t be helped. Back then, you were sinking into despair over your older brother.」

「Oh, you might have heard from Riko… But my Nii-san is alive.」

「I know. I’m glad. But it’s a bit late now. Kanzaki-san had already claimed you as her partner.」

「Before I met Aria, I thought that I would form a Team with you. But right now, MASTERS has order me to be the auditor for Jeanne’s Team. I was indecisive, and I’m embarrassed.」

I told him that.

「That’s alright, you can pay me back for it. If I let your great talent get away, I don’t know why I’m at Butei High.」

「?」

「In the breach of the terms of a loan… I want to ask you to postpone one of your loans. Last year you paid me back for one in that summer vacation soccer game–I want to postpone the other repayment. Is an indefinite deferment alright?」

Shiranui said in a light tone…

That’s a bit vague. Shiranui might even forget.

「Fine. Indefinite deferment 」

「Thanks. 」

Shiranui smiled then… gave a strange laugh.

…I wonder if I just stepped on a landmine?

Tilting my head *Whoomf!* with breakneck speed–

Muto got up from the sofa and grabbed me. Heavy! Big! Hot!

「Nrg! Mutou…!」

「Oi, Kinji! Where’d Shirayuki-san go? Haven’t seen her lately.」

「Why are you asking me?」

「Such a typical Kinji answer. You grew up together. right? You should know. I’ll run you over.」

「…She went back to her family shrine. Probably for some kind of festival.」

「So that’s it. I was worried that she was sick or something.」

Mutou said that, picked up his left-over cake, then made a face as if he remembered something–

「Now that you mention it, there’s Shirayuki-san’s Amica. She reminds me of her as a first-year.」

「I’ve seen her. Her name’s Sasaki. She gets along well with Aria’s Amica」

「I found something else out. Her parents are armed prosecutors.」

「Oh… you still have the detailed information on girls. I didn’t know that.」

「It would be awkward if they worked against you.」

「Work against me? Do you mean they might try to『persuade』me or something–?」

「I don’t mean it in the general sense, rather in the sense understood in ASSAULT. Ever since you became Aria’s partner, Mamiya has been envious of you, so if she forms some kind of alliance with Sasaki, they might come after you.」

…Is that so…huh?

Akari Mamiya and Kaname have already entered into some strange alliance, and over the past year her abilities have steadily grown to a respectable level. Being under the teaching of the daughter of an armed prosecutor explains the improvement in such a short period of time. That must be it.

…What a headache. When I’m away from school, even more enemies pop up.

「Tohyama-kun’s father was an armed prosecutor too!」

Hiraga-san said as she dove in to snatch the leftovers of Mutou’s carrot cake.

「I think Tohyama-kun would be good at that! Armed prosecutors are so cool!」

Are you planning on forcing me into buying your weapon service?

「…There’s no way. Being a regular Butei is dangerous enough.」

I grumbled to Hiraga-san who stuffed her mouth with cake and whose cheeks puffed out like a chipmunk.

In order to become an Armed Prosecutor–

In general, it requires a record of high academic achievement. In Japan, they must have graduated from the law school of Tokyo University or Kyoto University at least; or Waseda or Keio Universities. Abroad, they must have graduated from a highly prestigious American Bar Association accredited law school or equivalent institution with high marks.

After passing the bar exam, they must take the National Civil Servant Examination to become a prosecutor–and then only the top candidates from the elite are invited to interview.

What follows is a practical examination commonly known as『The Armed Investigator Exam』, a famously difficult obstacle.

1,2, 3 rounds of nightmarish testing are conducted to test not only stamina and intelligence, of course, but also willpower, insightfulness, leadership– but most of all fighting ability– in a comprehensive manner.

It isn’t uncommon for a large number of applicants to be eliminated in the first round of testing (The failure rate in the first round being 96%), and in a single year for no one to successfully pass each examination. It’s a banner year when just a few pass the test.
But that isn’t the end of it.

Afterwards, the Public Prosecutor’s office conducts a crushing final examination.

Although not disclosed, ideology, faith, parentage, and even physical appearance is considered.

Personal history, even clear back to primary school, is heavily scrutinised, and if even a single cavity discovered in the physical examination it’s over.

If you can pass that– then the Prime Minister publicly appoints them to office, and they receive a certification from the Emperor.

Then you’re an Armed Prosecutor.

As you can see, the state will not license an extra-judicial official who wouldn’t kill someone… In reality, it’s said that Armed Prosecutors are only slightly less skilled than ESPers. There’s no way I could do that.

But my father–despite it not appearing to be as severe at the time, managed to pass it.

That’s impressive, and I respect the accomplishment.

However, 27% of Armed Prosecutors fail to reach retirement age.

That’s not simple turnover, but rather a mortality rate. My father was one of those killed in the line of duty.

This a because the Armed Prosecutor holds a position that stands up to national crises that the ordinary police officer and private sector Butei would find difficult, and even the JSDF can’t solve.

Despite that fact, being an Armed Prosecutor isn’t lucrative. They’re still a civil servant, after all. If they swapped their profession to an Armed Attorney, they’d be able to make a lot more.

「No way, Kinji. Your reflexive ability varies, your grades are bad, your face is depressed, and you have a bad reputation among your juniors. But then again, with that luck of yours, you never really know!」

I didn’t know if Mutou was trying to run me down or encourage me…but there was no malice there.

Everything Mutou had said was accurate. Being an Armed Prosecutor was an outrageous goal, so I should focus all the more on becoming a『regular Butei』. That effort should show in my studies.

Making that determination, I raised my head–

Because we had gotten warm chasing each other around, Mutou undid the last button on his shirt, and the words『I LIKE Enka』written on the red T-shirt underneath stood out.

「What the heck is that, Mutou?」

「It’s cool. It’s part of my new fashion. I got it for Valenti–」

–With a *Click!*, Mutou shut his mouth–

Hiraga-san and I both froze.

Still smiling, a cold sweat broke out on Shiranui’s forehead.

「…Sorry, it slipped out…!」

A cold sweat dripping from his brow, he looked around up at the ceiling and out the window to make sure Chan Wu-sensei wasn’t there…

I-It…looks like no one heard.

「–Be careful Mutou! Saying something like『that』is dangerous!」

I cautioned him in a low voice.

We could be pulled into MASTERS office for a terrifying experience just for uttering its name…

Valentine’s Day, that is.

It all started in the past when the Gorilla Woman (Gori-wo for short) Ranbyou gifted a box of chocolates to a bookshop employee she liked– Completely terrified, he quit the shop and vanished without a trace.

The venting of her rage was not merely confined to the students in ASSAULT, but also to Valentine’s Day itself, and afterward she instituted a school-wide total ban.

She used the forced logic that consuming high calorie chocolate was bad for physical conditioning. She also applied the same restriction to White Day–if word of this violation leaked out, we would be in for corporal punishment.

Occasionally exchange and transfer students unaware of this rule inadvertently let it slip in February and suffer the consequences of a beating from Ranbyou.

For a brief moment silence fell upon our Camerata…

「B-by the way, Hiraga-san, you’ve finally settled on studying abroad? Haven’t you?」

Reaping the seeds that he had sown himself, Mutou returned the topic back to the future.

「Y-yeah! Next term Ayaya’s going to the Washington D.C Butei High’s AMDO!」

Hiraga-san fixed the mood with her cheerful news.

「We already had a send-off party at the factory. From Washington, I’ll be headed to Los Alamos to serve as an R&D technician.」

Hiraga-san showed us a picture on her mobile of a banner that read:『Good Luck Aya-chan!』with her older brothers cheering in front of a small country factory whilst hoisting her on their shoulders…

Los Alamos… that NG word just came out.

Kaname told me earlier, but they gather geniuses from around the world in a crowded room to develop all kinds of weapons. I can see why Hiraga-san would be involved with them. That’s how it is.

「I’ve ordered quite a few products from America, so I’m not worried!! I’ve got this!」

With a *Clap!* Hiraga-san struck her own Aria-class flat chest… displaying her commercial spirit.

「Speaking about going abroad. Toh~yama got an Italian scholarship, right?」

Why does Hiraga-san know that…

Pre-empting my question, the arms dealer’s eyes turned to € signs as she took out a sheaf of papers from within her skirt. Ugh! You Butei High girls have got to stop doing things like this.

「Before Ayaya goes abroad, she’s having an equipment clearing out sale! You should use your scholarship to buy a set! What do you wa~nt? Hu~h?」

Maintaining an innocent smile, she held out the sheets of paper that had her signature triple columnar format with a picture of the item next to its name, then a descriptive note.

There was an angled slash through the regular prices, and a sale price with a 20-30% discount listed instead.

She gave me my own sheet, and this is definitely a bargain.

Alright, I should definitely take the chance to replenish my supplies. FEW has decreased my stock.

「…What is this『Orochi-Kai』? I thought Orochi was glove armour…?」

「It’s hand armour that extends up over the back of the hand, covering the forearm. The cobalt-titanium ratio in the alloy has also been improved, increasing its durability. In order to maintain discretion, the forearm armour can be folded down inside.」

Oh, if that is how it is… then maybe the Oukas that I reduced to subsonic speed could be increased to supersonic.

If I had armour for my forearms, I could use them as a shield. I should buy it.

「What is this『Airbag Bullet』…?」

「It’s literally what it sounds like: a bullet that deploys an airbag upon impact. It’s a flattened globe shaped like a manjuu bun with a major axis diameter of 1 metre and 0.8 metres on the short side. It’s made of ultra-strong silicone resin only 7 micrometres thick but is able to withstand an instantaneous shock load of 38.5 tonnes. 」

That’s impressive. If you fire one into another automobile before a collision, no one will get hurt. I’ll buy it.

「Might I also recommend the『Cam Button』– it is good for candid photography. It is indistinguishable from the second button on a boy’s uniform, but it is able to store internal video! It is an incredible product with a hole-less magic mirror system, an internal power supply, and it is able to back up its files via radio connection to a satellite via the internet to the cloud. It would certainly be convenient for Tohyama-kun and Mutou-kun’s hobby of peeping on girls.」

Apparently, I haven’t lived down my prior mistakes, and I said:

「That was a misunderstanding.」

I’ll buy this too. It might be useful at some point.

「But Hiraga-san is a girl too. How can you sell such a gadget??」

Mutou might buy it for a nefarious purpose…

「Ayaya doesn’t have much to peep on, so I’m not really a target for peeping.」

She flashed me a V sign, but Hiraga-san, you really don’t understand boys. There are boys in the world who like figures like yours.

But it would be an issue if she stops selling to me. So I kept quiet.

In addition, there were many other conceptual products as well like『Spike』with claws in the soles,『Anchor』that stretch a chemical wire from the muzzle to the point of impact– Thinking ‘I might be able to use this’ I decided to buy them all. I also decided on the『Multi-bar』, a swiss army type bar, then I turned back suddenly–

「Oh, I have a trustee now. They will submit the order later.」

And then I folded up the order form.

I am naturally bad at purchasing things. I’ll tell Lisa and leave the negotiations for a lower price to her.

「…What about the container in the entryway? What’s that? Are you going to show that?」

Since the Camerata was going so well, I asked Hiraga-san.

「That’s–『YHS/02』, the new and improved Hover Skirt that Aria-san ordered. Its ascent power has been increased, but the flight time is still an issue.」

Hiraga-san skipped over to the entryway and opened the Sci-Fi style container that housed Aria’s personal flight unit.

Oh! The curved fins on the new Hov-Skirt are pretty cool. I could tell that the design had matured. The colour was pink gold–the same as the previous one that broke.

「Aria-san promised to come here and pick it up.」

As soon as Hiraga-san said that, there was a *Knock!* *Knock!* That must be Aria.

I took Shiranui’s place and opened the door.

「Ah, Kinji, you’re here. Hey, Hiraga-san. But… if you’re caught staying too late hanging out in the boy’s dormitory, won’t you get a beating from the dormitory supervisor?」

I put my things on the highest shelf as she said that.

Then squatting in the entryway like a child with Camellia eyes wide, she inspected the YHS.

「You unpacked it. Hmm…hmm… yes, this is good.」

Aria gave the impression of someone checking over a newly delivered luxury automobile–

「Yeah. I like it. Kinji, put it back in the case.」

Smiling sweetly, Aria order me like a slave.

Narrowing my eyes and clenching my jaw and feeling awfully weak, my heart thumped, and I turned a bit red. Ah, crap! Why am I getting worked up? I haven’t seen Aria since Europe, and was I missing her? What the heck, me!?

「N-no. I’m taking an officially sanctioned break, and as you might say: it’s a party. I’m not taking orders.」

I didn’t want to look submissive to Aria in front of my friends…

「Don’t dawdle, hop to it!」

An aristocrat to the end, she lifted her chin, so I move to search for the ignition button on the Hover Skirt to eject Aria from the room…

「Kinji, fighting with your girlfriend again?」

Shiranui gave a broad grin.

「Y-yo…. girlfriend…!?」

Aria continued to say cute thing like that– trailing off without finishing her sentence.

For some reason, hearing Shiranui’s words, I glanced briefly over at Aria.

After that, Aria unfortunately glanced over at me, and as our eyes met, we both ended up blushing red. What is this mood?

「K-Kinji, hurry up, alright…?」

Upset at being so brazenly called the girlfriend of her slave, Aria began miming the motions of Otedama8. Panicking and losing her temper, I saw her start pretending to play Otedama. S-so quickly. Nowadays people juggle 3 or 4 at a time.

「O–…?」

Then with a strange anime like noise… she raised a hand.

Then she clenched it. In front of the meagre swelling of her chest that enabled the front of her sailor suit to be distinguished from the back.

「Wh-Wha-…?」

Teetering, Aria moved toward me… a strange sweat broke out on her forehead.

「–What’s this?」

As soon as I noticed something strange, I looked into Aria’s face.

「I… I’m alright. It’s happened before. It’s one of my attacks… Huh…?」

Aria’s gaze was unsteady.

This is not good.

Aria herself seems surprised how quickly the attack came on–but is this some kind of arrythmia?

「–Aria?」

I shouted as I caught and held her up–but there was no response. She’s fainted. But her eyes are still open.

「…Kanzaki-san!? What do we do? Her pulse–」

「It’s alright. I haven’t observed any bradycardia or rising pulse. But she is still conscious…. Aria! Can you hear me!?」

「Kanzaki-san!?」

Shiranui and I called her name, but Aria seemed to not comprehend.

I twisted her finger to cause pain, but I didn’t see any response to push me away.

It looks just like her attack at Rampan Castle, but that time she didn’t lose consciousness.

With the pain she experienced in her chest that time, I wasn’t very certain if it was a haemorrhagic stroke, or a brain haemorrhage.

What the hell am I supposed to do, Aria–?

「Mutou-kun, Kanzaki needs first aid! Hiraga-san, call AMBULANCE–!」

Shiranui gave instruction, and I kept calling Aria’s name.

–Aria! Aria! Aria!–

*********
*********

Losing consciousness for unknown reasons, she was transferred from AMBULANCE to Butei Hospital for subsequent recovery… but she needed more complete testing and examination, so she was transferred late that night to a Tokyo Institute of Medical Science affiliated hospital.

*******
*******

–Then she was admitted and hospitalised.

[END]

*********************************

1. The first few lines of the famous radio program ‘Jet Stream’ sponsored by Tokyo Air and hosted by Tatsuyo Shiro.

2. From previous volumes: ‘mooi’ is the Dutch equivalent to the Japanese ‘sugoi’.

3. Japanese footballer. Popular, I guess…

4. Japanese Manga-ka known in the horror genre

5. Ranking within sumo wrestling. Kind of like sporting leagues or weight classes in boxing: LINK

6. Apparently some expensive food…

7. Actual name means ‘From before’, but that didn’t quite fit in English

8. A traditional children’s game similar to juggling.





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