Rokujouma no Shinryakusha!? - Volume 1 - Chapter 8

There’s a Spirit of Cooperation

Friday, April 10th

Harumi strained and peeked through the small window in the door to class 1-A.

“Satomi-kun is...”

The disorderly atmosphere before homeroom was the same in any classroom. There were those who were talking to friends, those doing homework, those reading... The students all spent their morning in various ways.

“...Ah, there he is!”

Harumi finally spotted the person she was looking for sitting in the back of the classroom.

“Good, Satomi-kun must be feeling better...”

Koutarou had taken the day off from school yesterday. Since they had club activities, he had called to let her know. But Harumi couldn’t help worrying about Koutarou. That’s why she’d come to check on him today.

“He’s laughing... It looks like he’ll be fine.”

Having confirmed that, Harumi stopped peeking into the classroom and turned around to walk to the second-year classrooms. Being as withdrawn as she was, she didn’t think to call out to Koutarou.

“All right... I’ll have to work hard today too.”

Seeing that Koutarou was back and healthy was enough for Harumi. And she would see him later for their club activities, so she had no reason to rush anything.

Koutarou on the other hand was just chatting away with Kenji like always, completely unaware that Harumi had come to see him.

“School sure is relaxing. Too much noise is no good.”

Koutarou looked around the classroom as he spoke, and Kenji flashed him a playful smile.

“Still, it’s rare for you to take a day off from school, Kou.”

“Don’t say that like I’m some kind of brainless jock.”

“...But you are.”

After all the commotion, Koutarou ended up resting for a whole day.

Sanae had appeared on Sunday. On Monday it was Yurika. On Tuesday it was Kiriha, and on Wednesday it was Theia. The nonstop fuss had left Koutarou so exhausted that just sleeping until morning hadn’t been enough to recover. Because of that, Koutarou was absent from school on Thursday, and it was now Friday.

“Well, moving in and starting school was too much for even the mighty Kou, I guess.”

“Yeah, something like that.”

Koutarou hadn’t told Kenji the truth. Kenji didn’t do well with anything involving the occult or strange occurrences.

“Ahahaha, but I’m glad you’re feeling better now, Satomi-kun! Ahahaha!”

Shizuka, who was with Koutarou and Kenji, laughed awkwardly. Being the only one who was aware of Koutarou’s situation, she understood his complex emotions. She smiled at him sympathetically, but...

“Hahaha... HA?!”

That smile suddenly froze.

“Okay, everyone, get back to your seats.”

The female homeroom teacher entered the classroom. Of course, that alone wasn’t enough to surprise Shizuka.

“Listen up, everyone! I’d like to introduce you to some new transfer students!”

Their homeroom teacher had brought four transfer students with her.

“Oooooooohhhh!”

The excitement in the classroom reached its peak instantly.

“S-Satomi-kun! Look over there!”

Having spotted the transfer students right away, Shizuka shook Koutarou’s shoulders in a fluster.

“Huh?”

Koutarou and Kenji were still chatting and hadn’t been paying attention.

“What now, all of a sudden, Landlord-san...?”

“Just look over there!”

Losing her patience with Koutarou, Shizuka forcibly pulled on Koutarou’s chin and turned his head towards the front of the classroom.

“Ack!”

Koutarou’s eyes immediately shot wide open and he blinked repeatedly. He doubted his own eyes. He couldn’t believe what he saw before him.

“I-It couldn’t be...”

If it meant not having to believe what he was seeing, Koutarou was willing to accept all the mysteries of the world right now. That was how badly shaken he was.

“Y-You guys, I-I regret ever thanking you...”

Koutarou’s voice sounded like someone who had gazed into the depths of hell. But the hell he was seeing came in the shape of people.

Nijino Yurika.

Kurano Kiriha.

Theiamillis Gre Forthorthe.

Ruthkania Nye Pardomshiha.

These four stood at the head of the class in Kisshouharukaze uniforms, all showing angelic smiles.

“Everyone, please be nice, okay?”

The four girls introduced by the teacher bowed their heads.

“Please take good care of us!”

The girls were wearing brand new uniforms, and all said their greeting in unison.

“...Satomi-kun...”

Shizuka put her hand on Koutarou’s shoulder as if to console him. Out of the whole wide world, Shizuka was the only person who understood the position Koutarou was in right now.

“I tried to stop them, you know.”

That was when Sanae appeared in front of Koutarou. Strangely enough, she was in a school uniform too. She floated around Koutarou like usual.

“What are those girls planning...?”

Shizuka should have been able to see Sanae too, but she showed no signs of noticing. Instead, she was focused on the four girls in front of the blackboard. But Shizuka wasn’t the only one that didn’t see Sanae. In fact, not a single person seemed to notice her. Only Koutarou and the four girls could see and hear Sanae right now.

“I told them that even if they’re trying to put pressure on you to chase you out of the room, this is too much.”

“F-For something like that... they’d go this far...”

Koutarou’s clenched fist began trembling.

“Oh, Koutarou is here!”

Theia called out to Koutarou in a very unnatural fashion, as if she had just noticed him.

“I’m glad we could meet again, Satomi Koutarou.”

“Satomi-saaan! I’m so happy we’re in the same class!”

Kiriha and Yurika followed after Theia. The only one who didn’t say anything was Ruth, who just smiled apologetically.

“Those idiots... How obvious can you be?”

The girls were of course aware which class Koutarou was in. That was why they “transferred” here to begin with. They also knew what would happen when they called out to him.

“‘Koutarou’?”

“‘Meet again’?”

“‘Satomi-san’?”

The class would turn to Koutarou with their curious and envious glances. Some even gave him dirty looks. It was only natural. Each of the four girls was beautiful. Being thrust into such a situation, Koutarou remembered something important.

“That’s right. I completely forgot... In the end, you’re invaders. All right, if that’s how you want to play, I accept your challenge...”

“Satomi-kun, stop! Calm down!”

Shizuka’s attempts to restrain Koutarou were ineffective.

Getting emotional, he shouted out in a loud voice, “Bring it on! I’ll take you all on!”

“What are you talking about, Koutarou?”

Theia tilted her head cutely and feigned ignorance. Yurika flinched at the threat. Kiriha calmly observed the developing situation, and Sanae just laughed at Koutarou.

“I’ll protect my lifestyle with my own hands! I won’t let you guys just do as you please!”

Two years and eleven months remained until Koutarou graduated high school. And now, the curtains for a three year long battle rose.