Shakiiiinnnnnn……
Kirihara sheathed his sword, which he nonchalantly drew.
[……”That should be obvious”, though I guess I can’t say that huh.]
What is the “obvious” in the thing he did?
I couldn’t understand it at all.
Kirihara lets out a sigh before indifferently continuing.
[We’ll have the decisive battle with the Great Demon Emperor before long. If you can’t even deal with that level of attack, it would be difficult to count on you as a war potential. Well, there’s no need to worry about it…… After all, that was just a test.]
Fuuuuu……
Hijiri, who also drew her sword, spoke.
[No matter how you look at it, Sogou-san is far from her normal condition. If you want to know what she’s capable of just now, it would make sense to at least wait until she’s recovered.]
[If Sogou couldn’t deal with that, Hijiri—– you could have seen through that and stopped it. And just as I thought, you blocked my sword.]
Tap, tap
Kirihara taps his own temple with his fingertip.
[All those thoughts that the situation could go worse, they were all just your assumptions.]
[——You were going to kill Sogou-san, weren’t you?]
Hijiri interrogatively asks.
As if to pass it off, Kirihara clicks his tongue.
[An attack that would obviously not kill you…… is there any real value in that? There’s that saying where “Do your best even if you die for it.”. If you were to do something, you’ve got to be willing to die for it……]
He’s not saying it as if he’s being sorry.
There isn’t an ounce of remorse.
He speaks as if everything is as it should be.
[If she can’t stop it and dies, then that’s the end of the world for Sogou…… and I have no choice but to give up. In any case, there’s no way that there would always be people following her in the next battles…… that goes for you too, Hijiri.]
[From what I see though, it looked like you acted because you felt something after hearing Sogou-san’s level.]
As if he’s exasperated, Kirihara combed back his hair with both of his hands.
[It’s only you who only “see” it like that. There’s nothing more unsightly than disparaging someone based on speculations, Hijiri……]
[Like she said, Kirihara, stop messing around Elder Sis——]
Just as Itsuki was about to angrily say something…
[Kirihara-sa!]
A loud voice butted in.
[What…… the f*ck was that just now!? I can’t believe you!]
Kirihara Group’s Murota Erii.
[What are you saying now, Murota……]
[What are you saying now, I ask them back to you! Kirihara, seriously, what the heck do you think you’re doing!? Don’t you know that President is the one who saved our lives!? Because after Kirihara was gone, the situation has turned seriously bad! Haven’t you heard anything at all!?]
A frown appearing on his face, Kirihara looks at Murota in silence.
[Listen here, Kirihara…… Don’t you have anything to say?]
[You’re lucky to have survived. However, it’s gonna get even more intense from now on……]
[Wrong answer!]
[………………]
[Can’t you see it!? Otherwise, are you doing it on purpose!?]
Fwoosh
Murota vigorously points towards the other members of Kirihara’s group.
[Can’t you see Ikumi isn’t here!?]
Kirihara tilted his head.
And after a few seconds…
[I see, so she dropped out huh.]
Crack
Murota’s face distorted.
[The f*ck—- is what that reaction…… Fuuu, guuhhhh…… As I thought, you’re strange! Since we came here, Kirihara, you’ve seriously become strange……!]
Tears began to trickle from Murota’s eyes.
It was as if something that has been dammed has broken down.
[Ikumi—- she died, you know!? I don’t know if there’s even anything left of her body…… I don’t even know which of those bodies were Ikumi’s…… She can’t even be healed just like Sakura did, you know!? Hey!? I’m talking about Ikumi, you know!? She’s gone!!!]
I remembered that time after “that battle”.
For a while, everyone was rejoicing over the Banewolf’s survival.
Eventually though—– those cheers after the battle died down.
What was left of me and the others at the Anti-Demon White Castle was just a sense of loss.
Hiroka Akiyoshi.
Sakuma Haruhiko.
It was the same as when those two died.
The death of our classmate.
While it was terribly unrealistic.
It left me with a feeling of a gaping hole in my chest.
That’s why…
After that, with some help from Princess Cattleya, we all had a mourning ceremony.
Everyone—- was crying.
In our former world, some students who weren’t so close to Kariya Ikumi.
But Kirihara—– with an admonishing look on his face, said.
[My parents know a young economist who has over 200,000 subscribers in his channel on a famous video site—– And from him, I heard this. The more prepared a country is to cut the disappearance of the failures who live in it, the more it will grow…… It seems that the more the country allocates its insignificant costs towards those failures, the more impoverished they become as a whole……]
[The f*ck’s that…… I can’t understand what you’re saying at all…… Or rather, that economist you’re talking about…… How the f*ck is that related to Ikumi’s death……!?]
[? What that means is that instead of wasting your time rattling your mouth every single time someone dies, why don’t you start talking about how you tried to start improving after that loss…… or were there even any improvement from you lot at all?]
[—————————-]
Murota closes the distance between her and Kirihara.
When she got in front of Kirihara, she greatly swung her hand.
And the next moment…
Slap!
[……………….]
Murota deeply frowned.
[This isn’t a joking matter, Murota……]
It seems that Murota tried to slap him.
But on the way, Kirihara grabbed her wrist.
[——Your mind must have been poisoned by Sogou huh.]
Kirihara tightened his grip on her wrist.
[It—– hurts——]
Murota’s face contorted in pain.
It was at that moment.
Itsuki put her hand on the hilt of the rapier at her waist—–
[Stop right there.]
The one who stopped them…
[I won’t allow you to go any further.]
Me.
[……Don’t you know of self-defense?]
[The one who raised her hand first may be Murota-san. However, even if for a moment…… Can’t you consider Murota-san’s feelings?]
[Looking out for every single person’s feelings won’t help me achieve victory.]
[It’s times like these that I think it’s important to have compassion for someone else.]
[……You’re no different than those fools who think that you can solve everything with just fighting spirit and willpower. Remember our previous world. The only people who were actually winning were the ones who didn’t seem to care about people’s feelings…… In other words, if you want victory, you have to show them your strength. Otherwise, you won’t achieve victory. You don’t need to care about those barking dogs who only talk about morals and ethics……]
[………………]
Personally, I don’t like it.
However, just with emotions…
Or just with words…
Not everything can be conveyed.
I’ve understood it myself—– since I’ve come into this world.
[————-]
I began to prepare to use my limits strings.
This is the only way I could properly move my body while I’m like this.
I know that this is a foolish move if I think about the future——
Even so.
Maybe it’s better to directly show him what “power” is at least once.
However, I will only make him powerless.
I won’t hurt him at all.
For example, yes.
If it’s that Kisou-ryu Technique that is used to apprehend enemy generals——
[……Hmph.]
Kirihara removed his hand from Murota’s wrist.
[You look eager to do it…… but it’s obvious that Hijiri would interfere. As for me, I have no choice but to declare that it would just be a waste of time.]
As Murota fell on her knees on the ground, Kirihara walked past her.
[And also, that time I slashed you with my sword—— but stop being an idiot that you didn’t even notice it.]
Kirihara thrusts his arm forward.
[If I seriously wanted to kill you, I would have used my ……]
Several small golden dragons appeared around Kirihara.
They seemed to have activated while we’re talking.
The golden wave-like dragons began to fly in circles around Kirihara, as if to protect him.
[Murota and the others now look like they’re being pampered by Sogou…… so why don’t you have Sogou take care of you for the time being?]
Murota, who still had tears in her eyes, looked back at Kirihara as he moved away.
[Kirihara……]
Kirihara, surrounded by golden wave-like dragons, stopped in his tracks.
[The great people who reformed the world aren’t understood in the beginning. Instead, they are more often shunned. Those who rise to the top are always met with misplaced criticism. That’s the loneliness of kings…… they can never escape from the stupidity of the common people who have stopped thinking. That’s why great people can’t help but ignore their barks until they show results. However, in the end, you lot will understand—— who the real “king” was. Go study your history. The true great men may not be well-liked at the time, but he will be appreciated by the future…… history will not let his name go……]
Kirihara flicks a glance towards me.
[At the end of the day—– “Perfection” can’t be reached by those who still won’t leave their naivety behind.]
Clack
Kirihara turns his head away.
[In the end, this me has to keep proving my strength’s righteousness by overcoming the outrageous and misfortunate circumstances. Just like how those people did in history.]
[You don’t have to say anything, Itsuki.]
Itsuki was about to say something.
However, she was stopped by Hijiri.
Kirihara just let out a sigh of dismay.
[You lot should do something about the lowness of your boiling points. Especially you, Itsuki……]
[Bleeaahhhh!!!]
Itsuki stuck out her tongue towards him.
It might seem like an act of mischievousness, but her eyes aren’t smiling at all.
She was told she didn’t have to say anything, so she probably stuck out her tongue as a counterattack.
[Come to think of it, Sogou, I heard people talking about it……. but I heard that person’s still alive.]
He’s finally talking about Oyamada Shogou huh.
[Seras Ashrain’s appearance—— does she look like what’s on her portrait?]
(Eh?)
[You met with that group who used to be in that group of sorcerers, they’re calling themselves Fly King Squadron, right? Tsk—– They’re completely in the wrong place where they should have appeared.]
What?
Who?
What the heck is he talking about now—–
[It seems that the Fly King became the topic after crushing the First Oath…… And they’re starting to become distinct…… Those Confidants were quite the disgraceful lot…….]
*Clench*
Kirihara tightly clenched his fists.
[T- That’s not the case at all. The Confidants were formidable foes.]
[That isn’t possible. When they lose to people who aren’t Heroes, it’s hard to see how I can come to a conclusion other than them being small fries. If they’re relying on abilities bound by the laws of this world, like sorcery, the highest point of their power could be easily seen…… Calling himself “King”, but he doesn’t have its vessel at all. That means, tsk…… I will show to this frog in the well and to Seras the unpleasant truth.]
Kirihara places the palm of his hand on the bottom of his sword’s hilt.
[The difference between the status between them and us heroes.]
▽
As me and the others waited in the plaza, a messenger from the Goddess came to give us instructions.
The Heroes are to go back to their quarter and temporarily wait, he said.
The messenger informed them of some rules and the things we should look out while we wait.
He also said that there will be a meeting later regarding the Fly King Squadron.
Incidentally, Kirihara wasn’t there when the messenger announced that.
He just walked away from the plaza like that.
As Kirihara was about to leave…
“Oi, the goddess told us to wait for instructions here.”
Itsuki tried calling out to him but…
“We used to have barbecue once a month with a bunch of people my parents knew…… One of those days, a guy with a very successful online salon business came. This is what he said. “There isn’t a single successful person in the business world who waits to be told what to do.”…… what he meant, that should be obvious, right?]
Saying those words, he left.
Now then.
It was currently night time.
I’m waiting in my room.
There was also a person who had come to visit me here.
Right now, the visitor is next to me—– sitting on a chair.
In front of us is a table.
The distance between our chairs is close to each other.
So close that our shoulders were almost touching each other.
The visitor was running her pen on a memo pad.
[It seems you had lots of troubles back where you’re stationed huh.]
The visitor was Takao Hijiri.
We were sharing our information with each other.
The memo pad and pen seemed to be things she brought from our world just like our uniforms.
We don’t have access to the internet from our smartphones.
We can’t even charge it.
However, analog items seem to function normally.
In the case of the pen, it’s until the ink runs out……
“But still”, I thought.
These memo pad and pen from our previous world.
But somehow, right now that we’re in this world, the usefulness of these things became higher instead.
[However, thanks to that Berzegia-san that I talked about earlier, I think we have avoided the worst possible outcome.]
The worst possible outcome—– the annihilation of the Southern Army that gathered at the Anti-Demon White Castle.
And also, the deaths of our classmates who were there.
[………………….]
[Hijiri-san?]
[This Berzegia person…… Where do you think he stands, Sogou-san? If he defeated that powerful Confidant, it doesn’t look like they’re on the side of the Great Demon Emperor.]
[I assumed that they were on Cattleya-san’s side because of Seras-san but……]
[They disappeared after that fight, right?]
[Yeah, that’s what I heard. From what I heard, they seem to be going north.]
“Fumu…”
Hijiri propped up the butt of her pen under her lips.
How should I say this…
It isn’t really a significant gesture, but she looks charming when she does that.
Her long eyelashes that are unassumingly laid down.
Her thin, but healthy lips looked lively.
[They didn’t just join up Neia’s princess’s army right there and then…… That could mean that Seras Ashrain can’t just go back to the Holy Kingdom of Neia…… Perhaps, there’s a reason why she can’t go back……]
Speaking until there, Hijiri stops.
[What was this Berzegia person like?]
I told her about the conversations I had with him and the impression I had as much as possible.
She began writing again.
It was just a quick scribble, but her handwriting looks clean.
[Whether they’re enemies or allies—– It’s difficult to tell if we can draw them to our side huh.]
[He seemed to be trustworthy though.]
[Most people would more easily trust others when they’re helped in a crisis. There’s even things like “Suspension Bridge Effect” and “Stockholm Syndrome”—– those feelings and impressions can easily be changed by a single dramatic event. For example…… Haven’t you ever seen a case where a person who was well-liked on TV or on the internet has had his or her image destroyed by just a single scandal?]
[……I think I heard that happen before.]
There was a TV personality who was extremely well-liked by the public.
And I’ve also seen him become a target of bashing overnight.
[When you can only see things in one way, you’re more likely to fall for a scam, so be careful.]
Hijiri lets out a sigh.
[……I’m sorry, we digressed. So, that Berzegia person, even if he’s on the side of Holy Kingdom of Neia, that doesn’t mean he’s on the side of the Holy Alliance.]
[Errr, does that mean—–]
[That it also doesn’t mean that he was on our side either.]
Laying my hands on my lap, I looked down.
[I don’t want to be hostile to that man if I can help it……]
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