Rokujouma no Shinryakusha!? - Volume 16 - Chapter 6

Kiriha’s Invasion

Saturday, July 10th

With Tayuma’s disappearance, the radical faction’s armed uprising came to its inevitable end. Their leader, Maguz, was captured, and their ace in the hole, the Earth Dragon, was destroyed. Having lost two pillars of their cause at once, the radical faction’s morale rapidly deteriorated.

Moreover, the radical faction soldiers that had played a part in the decisive battle over the Earth Dragon had already surrendered, which had something of a domino effect. They seemed to have a change of heart and became strangely cooperative with the conservative faction. It also seemed like their hate for people on the surface had lessened in the process, as they were no longer calling for immediate war with the surface.

And that was just where it started. The pacifist sentiment spread to radical soldiers in other places as well. While the radical faction had started the armed uprising, they eventually realized that they were pointing guns at their own people. In other words, the People of the Earth finally understood what war really meant.

If Maguz and the Earth Dragon were still around, the radical faction’s morale might have been sustained with charisma and power. But both had fallen into the hands of the conservative faction. With things as they were, there were very few radicals who still thought fighting was the right thing to do, and support for a ceasefire quickly increased. As a result, about one week after the armed uprising began, the battle between two factions of the People of the Earth reached its conclusion.

Though the battle had ended, Maguz wasn’t willing to change his ways. He believed that a military invasion and rule by the superior were necessary, and losing to the conservative faction hadn’t changed that.

But upon learning of Tayuma’s fate, he toned it down a little. The fact that the radical faction soldiers had rejected such a superior power shocked him. Even if the reason for that was Tayuma’s fault, Maguz thought of Tayuma as part of his system of rule. For the people to shun him shook Maguz’s sense of legitimacy. As such, Maguz dialed back his aggression and indifferently waited for his punishment.

It wasn’t until then that Maguz, that Raiga, finally responded to his father’s request to meet. It spread whispered rumors that Raiga may yet have a human heart.

Kouma had been horribly depressed ever since learning that his son was Maguz. So much so that he’d even attempted suicide after Raiga was captured in an effort to repent for his sins. Fortunately, however, Karama and Korama had been able to stop him in time, and his attempt ended in failure. With suicide not an option, Kouma requested to retire. By leaving his position as Daiha’s attendant, he intended to take responsibility for his son’s actions. However, Daiha and Kiriha stopped him there. There was no one more qualified than him, and both Kiriha and Daiha wanted Kouma to continue working for the sake of the People of the Earth. Kouma accepted their will and continued his work as Daiha’s right hand, but forewent his salary. He felt that was the absolute least he could do as Raiga’s father.

The government on the surface honored their promise. That, in exchange for cooperation in stopping the radical faction, they would overlook the existence of the conservative faction.

When the Sun Rangers went to report on the conservative faction’s victory, they were told that their vacation was over and that they were to return to base immediately. As such, they departed just as the battle between the factions drew to a close. It was quite a heroic exit to disappear without taking any of the credit.

But with the Sun Rangers out of the picture and the surface government turning a blind eye to the underground dwellers, both sides above and below ground took care to distance themselves from one another and not cause any further disturbances. In other words, they were neighbors who didn’t speak. It perhaps wasn’t the ideal solution, but it would mean peace for the time being.

And so the “unofficial” relationship between the Japanese government and the People of the Earth had come to an end. But even so, the Sun Rangers would still go visit the underground from time to time. Not because they’d received a mission to do so, but rather because they had decided to cooperate with the People of the Earth on their own. They didn’t like the idea of abandoning a job partway through, so they wanted to help out. And with their battle against the People of the Earth over, they had plenty of free time on their hands again. Rather than twiddling their thumbs at their base, they decided they’d rather lend a hand to the underground dwellers. Even when duty wasn’t calling on them, they still thought and acted like heroes.

And perhaps that was why, whenever they would visit, many would welcome them—the children in particular. The children had heard of Sun Rangers’ heroism from the adults, and respected and admired the Sun Rangers like true heroes. It embarrassed the Sun Rangers a bit, but the children’s unceasing adoration only motivated them to be better heroes than ever.

The radical faction’s armed uprising only confirmed for the conservative faction that fighting wasn’t the answer to anything. As such, they would continue their peaceful surface invasion. If anything, with even more eagerness than before. Meanwhile, the radical faction had given up on war with the surface and had begun exploring more realistic ways to protect the pride of the People of the Earth and preserving their unique culture.

And so, finally, the People of the Earth returned to their peaceful everyday lives. Thanks to that, Daiha and Kiriha could spend more time as father and daughter.

“Say, Kiriha...”

“Yes.”

“What will you do now that the fighting is over?”

With the radical faction calmed down, the current state of affairs was no longer on the brink of emergency, and someone other than Kiriha could step in to serve as the commander of the surface invasion. Daiha would be happy for his daughter to live her life as a normal teenage girl should.

“I will return to the surface. I have an important job to do and important friends there.”

However, Kiriha fully intended to continue her work as commander of the surface invasion. That was the most important thing to her right now. Upon hearing his daughter’s answer, Daiha burst out laughing.

“Hahaha, be honest. You just want to return to that Koutarou boy.”

“I am going back to Koutarou. My place is by his side.”

Kiriha clearly asserted herself without hesitation. She had spent over ten years working for this, and she was more invested than ever in a peaceful surface invasion. She had no reason to hide her intentions from her father, and she smiled proudly.

“Then go. I’m sure she would be satisfied with that reason too.”

Daiha nodded and looked at a photo hanging on the wall. Pictured in it were a younger Daiha and Kiriha with a woman, Daiha’s late wife and Kiriha’s late mother.

Daiha had complex feelings as Kiriha’s father, but if she was heading to the surface because of her first love, then all in all, she was still living her life as a normal teenage girl in her own way. Knowing that, he was sure even his late wife would approve of Kiriha keeping her position as commander of the surface invasion.

“Then I’ll be going.”

Kiriha took a moment to look at the photo together with Daiha. She and her father were smiling right now just like they were in the picture, so Kiriha believed that her mother was smiling down on them from the heavens the same way.

Ever since the battle with the radical faction had ended, Kiriha had been absent from 106. Considering what had happened, of course she was busy with all sorts of things. But after a week had passed, even Koutarou began feeling lonely.

When he woke up or got home from school, Kiriha wasn’t there. Whenever Shizuka or Ruth made tea, there was a leftover cup. Even calculating the score for their typical after-dinner games was different.

Things just weren’t the same without Kiriha around, which left Koutarou feeling a little lost. He kept finding himself staring at the tatami mat closest to the entrance of the inner room. Couldn’t Kiriha just flip it up and appear already? He couldn’t help daydreaming.

“Satomi-saaan.”

That was when Yurika appeared in front of Koutarou. She’d just gotten out of the bath and changed into her pajamas. She squatted down on the floor, holding her knees and looking into Koutarou’s eyes.

“Are you thinking about Kiriha-san again?”

She wore a small smile and there was gentleness in her eyes—it was a rare expression for her. She was worried about Koutarou’s low spirits.

“Something like that. I just felt like seeing her face.”

Koutarou spoke his mind honestly with a wry smile. His relationship with Yurika had come a long way, and when it was just the two of them in the apartment, it wasn’t uncommon for them to end up talking about serious things like this.

“You don’t have to worry. She’ll come back soon. We got our happy ending, after all.”

Yurika gave Koutarou a sweet smile.

“I’m not worried about that part. I just want to see her face.”

“You will soon enough. I bet Kiriha-san wants to see you and everyone else, too.”

Koutarou and Yurika were currently alone. And since Koutarou was feeling down, she felt like it was her job to cheer him up. She tried setting a good example and smiled encouragingly.

“Yurika...”

“She might even be on her way here. So—”

Just as Yurika mustered her courage and tried to approach Koutarou...

“Kyaaaaaaaah!”

The tatami underneath her shot up and sent her flying.

“Bwuh!”

Yurika continued rolling until she slammed into the wall and stopped moving. Surprised by the suddenness of it all, Koutarou could only quietly watch the situation develop.

“I did it again, huh...?”

However, when he heard that voice, he whipped back around towards the tatami mat.

“Hey, Koutarou.”

There, he spied the face of the girl he wanted to see.

“...”

“What’s the matter?”

With Koutarou remaining silent, Kiriha tilted her head in confusion. As she did, the accessories she was wearing lightly rubbed against each other and produced a sound similar to that of a tinkling bell.

“I was just thinking this is nostalgic. When you first came here, it was just like this. Remember?”

Koutarou had fallen quiet because he was surprised that Kiriha had appeared just when he was thinking about how much he wanted to see her. But because it was embarrassing to admit that, he told her the second thing on his mind instead.

“You’re right...”

“Yurika’s luck hasn’t changed, huh?”

Partly to hide his embarrassment, Koutarou walked over to the unconscious Yurika and picked her up. He then carried her to her bed in the wardrobe.

“Back then... I needed to be forceful, so I didn’t bother checking to see if there was someone above or not.”

“And this time?”

After pulling a blanket over Yurika, Koutarou closed the sliding door to the wardrobe. She seemed to be fine. Worst case scenario, she might wake up tomorrow with a headache.

“I’m a bit nervous, so I didn’t think of checking.”

“Nervous...? Wait, why? Are you not coming in?”

Koutarou turned back to Kiriha, who, for some reason, had only emerged from the hole leading underground from the waist up.

“You don’t mind me intruding?”

“You’d ask that now? Really, what’s the matter?”

“I told you, I’m feeling nervous.”

Koutarou felt normal again after seeing Kiriha, but in contrast, seeing him had made Kiriha nervous. Her stiff expression readily betrayed how she was feeling.

“It’s rare to see you like this... Anyways, come on in.”

“Thank you, Koutarou.”

Kiriha finally entered room 106 and returned the tatami mat to its proper place in an accustomed manner before turning back to Koutarou.

“Huh?”

That was when Koutarou finally noticed that Kiriha was dressed differently than usual. What she was wearing had a similar feel to the shrine maiden-like outfit she normally wore, but this version was mostly white with red and gold threads used decoratively in abundance. It was simple, but equally elegant and luxurious. It obviously wasn’t meant for everyday wear.

When Kiriha stepped into the light, Koutarou could see that she was wearing makeup that matched her outfit. It too was simple but highlighted her beauty. Moreover, she was wearing gleaming, golden accessories all over. It wasn’t any more than what she usually wore, but these were clearly fancier.

When he stopped to think about it, everything she was wearing looked expensive. Even Koutarou, who knew next to nothing about this kind of thing, could tell that every piece she was wearing was extraordinary. But nothing about it was gaudy. Her overall appearance was simple and clean.

“That’s an unusual outfit. What’s the occasion?”

“Heehee, this is a keepsake from my mother.”

Kiriha put her hand on her chest and smiled proudly.

“Your mother...”

Koutarou knew of Kiriha’s family circumstances. Having lost his own mother, he knew just how special this outfit must be to her.

“Yes. This is the traditional clothing that we, the People of the Earth, wear when getting married.”

“So that’s a wedding dress?”

Koutarou’s eyes opened wide. He’d understood it was special, but he hadn’t expected to hear it was a wedding dress.

“Kiriha-san, are you about to get married?”

“No, I’m not.”

“Well, that’s a relief. But... then why are you wearing that? It would be terrible if it got dirty, right?”

Kiriha had no particular reason for wearing a wedding dress, which meant there had to be a very special reason for it. It wasn’t like Kiriha to wear her mother’s keepsakes for the fun of it.

“I came here to invade.”

“Invade...? As in, this room?”

“No, I don’t need this room anymore. My reasons for doing that have been taken care of.”

“Huh, I guess you’re right.”

Kiriha had invaded room 106 as a safeguard to keep the radical faction in line. And now that the troubles with the radical faction were over, Kiriha no longer had any reason to invade. But here she was, saying she’d come to do exactly that. Koutarou didn’t understand what was going on.

“So what are you going to invade?”

“About that... There’s something I need to talk to you about.”

Kiriha moved over to Koutarou, sat down formally, and straightened her posture. Her expression was stiffer than ever before. Seeing that, he understood that whatever this was, it was serious.

“What is this all of a sudden?”

With her sitting down, he felt weird about standing up, so he sat down formally in front of her. Waiting for him to do so, Kiriha placed her hands slightly in front of her knees on the floor and deeply lowered her head.

“Satomi Koutarou-sama, I wish to request something of you.”

Her overly formal words and serious voice, her mother’s keepsake and her bow... Seeing it all, Koutarou understood that this was more than just serious. It was special.

“Kiriha-san?”

But just what could she be doing all this for? Slight unease welled up in Koutarou’s chest. He began worrying that she might say that she was going to return underground for good.

“Please allow me to invade your life.”

But what she said defied all his expectations.

“Wh-What...?”

His unease and everything else vanished instantly from his mind. It was like he hadn’t heard a word she’d said.

“If you don’t permit it, then I won’t appear in your presence ever again. That is the resolution I made before coming here today.”

Even after saying what she needed to, Kiriha kept her hands on the tatami mat. She raised her head just enough to look Koutarou in the eye. She’s come to the apartment tonight to hear his answer, which was why she’d been so nervous. She knew all along that she might not get the answer she wanted. That’s why Kiriha was paying attention to every word he said and every move he made. Everything hinged on this moment for her.

“Th-That’s...”

At first Koutarou had been nothing but confused, but as he peered into her eyes, he gradually came to understand her intentions. What she meant by invasion, and why she had chosen to use that word. And once he understood all that, Koutarou couldn’t help but find it funny.

“Jeez...”

Koutarou cracked a smile. While he was impressed by the strength and depth of the feelings she was directing at him, he was also amazed by her meticulousness. This wasn’t a request, but a horribly clever and roundabout threat.

“Kiriha-san, you really understand me well.”

Koutarou smirked as he slumped his shoulders.

What Kiriha wanted hadn’t changed one bit since eleven years ago. It was to marry Koutarou and spend their lives together supporting each other. That’s why she’d come in the wedding dress tonight.

But if she’d been perfectly upfront about what she wanted, Koutarou would have refused. It was still too early for that, and the problems with Theia and Yurika hadn’t been resolved yet. He would’ve had to turn her down under the present circumstances.

That’s why Kiriha hadn’t said “marry me,” but “let me invade your life.” She was attempting to obfuscate her intentions and create a reason to always remain by Koutarou’s side. It put Koutarou in a difficult position. He couldn’t refuse her request because she was saying he would never see her again if he did. And he’d just learned how lonely it was not to have her around. There was no way Koutarou could deny her now.

“You’ve said all kinds of things to me before... but this is the cruelest.”

“I have waited over ten years for what is right in front of me. I have no intentions of letting it slip past me, even if I have to use underhanded means.”

“And that’s... why you’ll invade.”

“Yes. I will invade your life. At any cost.”

If Koutarou accepted Kiriha’s request, it would mean always allowing her to be with him no matter where his life led him. It was practically the same as marrying her. Indeed, her request was either a clever threat, or it was a very transparent ploy to invade his heart for real.

“You’ve taken the political implications into consideration, right?”

“Of course. I have no intentions of forcibly staying by your side to the point that it becomes a problem for you.”

“Good grief, you’ve really thought everything out, huh?”

Kiriha had no intention of forcing their relationship. To her, it was important that Koutarou agreed to her being by his side. In a sense, she felt much how Maki did about the Satomi knights. She wanted a place to belong, and she wanted to be told it was okay to be there.

“...Okay, okay, I get it. I lose. Invade to your heart’s content.”

That was where Koutarou gave up. He couldn’t refuse her, and truth be told, he didn’t want to. Not being able to see Kiriha for an entire week had been bad enough, but he was too embarrassed to admit that to her face. He had to take a slightly manlier, nonchalant approach.

“Thank you very much. I will invade with heartfelt sincerity.”

Kiriha smiled as large tears rolled down her cheeks. The eleven years she had spent waiting since their first meeting had finally been rewarded. The person Kiriha loved wanted her around. To her, there was no greater joy. And so her tears flowed freely without an end in sight, to the point she could no longer even see Koutarou’s face.

“Oh yeah, I forgot. Here.”

Koutarou pulled something out of his pocket and put it in Kiriha’s hand.

“This is...”

Though she couldn’t see it through her tears, she could tell exactly what it was by touch alone. It was a rare Kabutonga card with her name written on it. It was the memento Koutarou had given her all those years ago. After Daiha was taken hostage, Kiriha had steeled herself for death and returned the card to Koutarou. He’d cared for it in the meantime, and was now giving it back to her.

“Hngh, this... this... I... hnnngh...”

Upon receiving the card, Kiriha began crying even harder than before. She was now like a child.

“H-Hey, why are you crying so much?”

Koutarou had given Kiriha the card to stop her from crying, but it’d had the opposite effect. He’d only added fuel to the fire.

“You don’t get it... hic... Onii-chan, y-you don’t... get anything...”

“Huh?”

“If you give me this... right now... hic... then I’ll... then I’ll definitely... Uwaaah!”

At that point, words failed Kiriha. An intense, endless love overflowed from her heart. However, since those emotions turned into cries as they reached her throat she couldn’t properly convey them to her beloved.

“Uwaaah, uwaaaaah!”

Instead, she jumped at Koutarou and embraced him. It was the only way she could convey her feelings right now. A complex, delicate love whirled inside her chest, but she was agitated that the only way she could express it was through the strength of her arms.

“...Even though you’ve gotten bigger, you’re still a spoiled little girl.”

Koutarou firmly hugged Kiriha back. Up until now, she had always been in a position that required a lot of responsibility from her. That’s why he wanted to let her do as she pleased now until her desires turned into something definitive.

Now that I think about it...

As Koutarou spoke, Kiriha’s gaze was naturally drawn to his moving lips. As she stared at them, she remembered the promise he’d made her at the start of all this.

“Once this is all over, I’ll be satisfied as long as you give me a kiss with a smile.”

“Heehee, now you’ve said it. Let’s hurry up and end this so I can shower you with kisses.”

Recalling those words, Kiriha finally realized that when her tears prevented her from using words, embracing Koutarou wasn’t the only way to convey her feelings to him.

As summer kicked into high gear, the daytime temperature would soar over 30 degrees. But in the mountainous city of Kisshouharukaze, once the sun set, the temperature usually dropped to something far more manageable. Usually.

“I-It’s so hot...”

Koutarou planted his face on the tea table as he mumbled to himself. His forehead was covered in sweat. The temperature in room 106 didn’t drop much even after the sun set, and the reason for that was its unusually high population density. The body heat of ten people in such a small room really added up. It was said a single person’s body heat was equivalent to a 100-watt bulb, so ten people would be like a giant 1,000-watt bulb. There was basically a heater in the room.

“Stop being so stubborn and have Maki cast a spell.”

“I’ll make it cheap.”

“When it comes to magic, there’s nothing wrong with not using it.”

But most everyone other than Koutarou had a way of beating the heat. The Forthorthians had personal air conditioners that they could wear. Harumi’s PAF also had a cooling function. Shizuka could head out into space if she so pleased, so the summer heat was nothing to her. Maki used magic to cool off, and Sanae had her share the spell with her.

The only ones without anything to do for themselves were Koutarou and Kiriha. Koutarou was just being stubborn, but Kiriha had been born with a high tolerance for heat. So while he looked like he was dying, Kiriha was the same as always. Neither of them were cooling themselves, but their appearances couldn’t contrast more.

“If you’re too stubborn, you’ll end up like Yurika.”

Sanae pointed to a corner of the room as she spoke. Yurika had refrained from casting magic on herself, as that would constitute a personal use of magic. As a result, she’d succumbed to the heat inside the wardrobe was currently lying on the floor with her eyes rolled back into her head.

“It’s fine. Taking the harder path in life builds character.”

Koutarou had actually refused having magic cast on him because of Yurika. He didn’t want her to be the only one suffering through the heat. But since his pride was on the line, he didn’t want to admit that. He would simply have to endure.

“Heh...”

Kiriha, who wasn’t using any cooling either, smiled at Koutarou. It was an incredibly gentle smile. Ever since the battle with the radical faction, she’d gotten a bit more expressive like a girl her age should be. While there was seemingly no difference on the surface, she was much less reserved when in the company of her closest friends. None of the girls of room 106 pointed that out, but they all welcomed it as a good thing.

“Then, Koutarou, how about this?”

Kiriha pulled out from her pocket a piece of paper folded over four times and opened it in front of Koutarou. There was a picture of a blue sky, clear water, a white sand beach, and a shining sun. It was a pamphlet from the travel agency at the shopping street.

“You wouldn’t mind if we went out to go play at the beach, right?”

The pamphlet contained information on a three day, two night travel package. Spending the day at the beach, having a luxurious dinner in the evening, and finally enjoying the hot spring in the hotel at night. That was indeed an attractive proposal. However, Koutarou also had his worries.

“It’s not like we won the lottery this time. This’ll cost money, won’t it?”

“Don’t be so cheap. You still have all of the salary I’ve paid you.”

“But that’s—”

“What are you saving it up for? Knowing you, you probably won’t ever use it for anything.”

Koutarou hadn’t spent a single yen from the salary he’d received from Theia. He held back from spending it since it was essentially money he’d gotten from a friend.

“Okay, I get it. It’s definitely better to use it so that everyone can have fun than to save it up for no reason.”

Koutarou quickly made up his mind. He felt like Theia was absolutely right.

I only need to use it like this in the future too. I guess I was overthinking it...

Spending his salary on Theia and the others wasn’t a bad way of using it. If anything that was an ideal use for it.

“All right! The beach! Yurika, Yurika, we’re going to the beach!”

“Zzz... Zzz...”

“Yurika-chan is still sleeping, ho!”

“She’s such a sleepyhead, ho!”

“Zzz... Zzz...”

“Jeez, she’s so carefree! We’ll have to go buy new swimsuits and everything!”

The first one to let out a cheer of joy was Sanae. She’d been a ghost on their last beach trip, so she was looking forward to swimming more than anyone.

“Harumi, we’re going to the beach. Can you swim?”

“I can, but... I don’t know if my stamina will last.”

“Don’t worry. You can use PAF in the water too. That said, I haven’t performed any aquatic experiments, so I hope you’ll let me collect some data.”

“Yes, by all means!”

Clan and Harumi were going to run experiments while they were there. Their relationship so far had brought about great improvements for Clan’s invention, and it would likely only improve further after their beach trip.

“The beach...”

Meanwhile, Maki sat there looking rather puzzled. Noticing her expression, Ruth and Theia called out to her.

“Maki-san, is this your first time going to the beach?”

“Yes... The idea has never occurred to me before this.”

“I see, you were born in a different country, weren’t you?”

Maki was born in the slums of Folsaria. She’d led a grim life on the battlefield, so something like going to the beach for fun had never dawned on her.

“Then this is a great opportunity. Satomi-kun likes going to the beach, so how can you be a great vassal if you don’t go with him, Aika-san?” asked Shizuka.

“You’re right. I’ll give it my best!”

“Very good. That’s the spirit. He’s an idiot, so I can rest easy if I know you’re with him.”

“Do your best to carry out your duty, Maki-san.”

With that last little push from Shizuka, Maki’s expression brightened up. She was eager to perform any duty she might have as Koutarou’s vassal, and being reminded of her duties was always a quick pick-me-up for Maki.

So this really was the right answer...

Koutarou satisfyingly looked on as the girls erupted into all kinds of discussions about the beach. Kiriha, who was sitting next to him, tugged on the sleeve of his t-shirt.

“Say, Koutarou, what kind of swimsuit do you think I should wear?”

“Why are you asking me?”

“No reason. I just want you to decide. Do you not want to?”

“Th-That’s not it, but...”

“You don’t have to decide right away. Just tell me what kind of design you’d like when you make up your mind.”

“Okay...”

And so it was decided that Koutarou and the girls would be going to the beach. They’d gone last summer as well, but their numbers and group dynamic were totally different now. It could be seen in the noisy, endlessly cheerful apartment, but no one stopped to think about it too much. It was much more fun just to live in the moment and enjoy it.