Rokujouma no Shinryakusha!? - Volume 17 - Chapter 5

Welcome, Father!

Saturday, September 4th

It was the Saturday following the end of summer vacation, and Koutarou’s father, Satomi Yuichirou, was in town on business. Normally he would be in a hurry to finish up his work and get back, but circumstances had conspired, leaving him with a free evening in Kisshouharukaze City. So Yuichirou decided to pay his son a visit. Since it was unannounced and so sudden, he thought he might get to surprise Koutarou, and Yuichirou wanted to make full use of that.

“Let’s see, it should be just up ahead...”

Yuichirou made his way to Corona House following a map in his head. He’d only been there once last year, but fortunately his memory served him well and he made it there without getting lost.

“Here it is, Corona House. This is definitely the place.”

Corona House was supposedly built over twenty-five years ago, but it was impossible to tell from the outside. It looked a bit old fashioned, but the building itself was very well maintained. It was clear that the caretaker or landlord put a lot of love into the place.

“I hope Koutarou is doing all right...”

When he’d visited him last year, Koutarou’s room was clean and the contents of his fridge were neatly arranged. He distinctly remembered it as a surprise since he’d never been that neat while the two of them were living together.

But that was all over a year ago. It was possible he’d just taken extra good care of the place when he first moved in. And if that were the case, then he should be able to see how Koutarou was really living by getting a look at his apartment now. That’s why Yuichirou hadn’t let Koutarou know he was coming.

“Now, Koutarou’s apartment number was 106...”

Yuichirou entered the Corona House property and found his way to room 106. He was looking forward to seeing his son and how he was doing, but he still felt uneasy. Having raised Koutarou on his own, he felt like he’d put him through a lot as a child. He was concerned as a father, worried if, in his absence, Koutarou had returned to the rough way he lived when he was younger. That was what he wanted to find out, and namely why he was dropping by unannounced. He wanted an honest glimpse of Koutarou’s life.

“This is the one.”

Yuichirou now stood in front of the front door to room 106. Without any hesitation, he pressed the intercom button and a chime rang out.

“Yes?”

And that was when the unexpected happened. It was a woman’s voice that answered over the intercom, and a rather young one at that. Whoever it was, she sounded like she was in her teens or early twenties.

A woman? Did Koutarou get a girlfriend?

The first question that came to Yuichirou’s mind was what kind of relationship Koutarou had with this woman. He himself had had a girlfriend at that age, so he wouldn’t think it strange if Koutarou did too. If anything, since Koutarou had always been a bit of a loner, it would be a welcome development.

“Who is it?”

However, the moment Yuichirou saw the face of the girl who opened the door, he abandoned the girlfriend theory. She had long golden hair and beautiful blue eyes. She was obviously a foreigner, and she was rather short and youthful. She looked several years younger than Koutarou. Yuichirou couldn’t imagine Koutarou dating a younger girl, much less one from a foreign country.

“What is it?”

“It’s a guest. He’s wearing a suit in this hot weather, so he must be a door to door salesman or something.”

“Your Highness, that manner of speaking is rude to our guest.”

The next two girls that appeared in the doorway further confirmed Yuichirou’s suspicions. They were also foreigners, one wearing glasses and one with short hair and a very serious look about her. Seeing the three of them standing together, Yuichirou was quite sure he’d rung the wrong doorbell.

“I’m sorry, it seems I have the wrong apartment.”

“I see. Well, that kind of thing can happen when it’s so hot out.”

“Sorry for bothering you.”

“Don’t worry about it. Good day.”

The golden-haired girl bid him farewell with an elegant smile that had a strange charm to it. It left Yuichirou standing in place for a moment even after she shut the door.

“Oh right, Koutarou.”

Coming back to his senses, Yuichirou checked the address again. He’d already gotten the wrong apartment once, and he didn’t want to repeat the same mistake.

“Oh?”

But when he looked again, the placard by the front door to the apartment he was standing in front of read, “Room 106: Satomi.” Just to be certain, Yuichirou pulled out his wallet and confirmed the address. And sure enough, the slip of paper he had read, “Corona House, room 106.” He was in the right place after all. This was indeed Koutarou’s apartment.

“So those girls must’ve been Koutarou’s friends or something...”

Perhaps Yuichirou had been too hasty in assuming Koutarou didn’t have any foreign friends. Maybe his school had an overseas exchange program or something.

“All right...”

Recollecting himself, Yuichirou reached out for the intercom again. He was a bit hesitant since this would be his second time ringing it, but the chime sounded just the same.

“Yes?”

A girl’s voice answered the same as it had before, and the knob turned as she opened the door. Yuichirou was sure it would be the same girl again.

“Who are you, mister?”

“Huh?”

However, Yuichirou was in for another surprise. The person who answered the door this time was a young Japanese girl with a rice cracker in her mouth. Her big eyes looked Yuichirou up and down in puzzlement.

“A guest again?”

“If he’s this persistent, he must be under a lot of pressure to sell.”

Past her were two more girls Yuichirou had never seen before. One was a bright, active looking girl sporting a ponytail and an apron, and the other girl in twintails and seemed to be lacking in confidence. It seemed these girls had replaced the group of three who’d answered the door the first time.

“So, why are you here, mister?”

The girl standing in front of him took the rice cracker out of her mouth as she spoke. Her question made him recall his real purpose here.

“Ah, um... Actually, I’m here to see the tenant of this apartment.”

“Oh, Koutarou?”

Upon hearing the girl say his son’s name, Yuichirou knew for certain he had to be in the right place. But nevertheless, he still had his doubts. Judging from the girls’ appearances, they were all Koutarou’s age. But what on earth was he doing with six girls in his apartment?

“Yes, actually―”

Just as Yuichirou was about to try and get to the bottom of things, the cellphone in his pocket started going off.

“Who is it calling now... Oh!”

Yuichirou interrupted his conversation with the girl to take a look at his phone. The name displayed on the screen was one of his business partners he’d be meeting with later.

“Miss, I’m very sorry. This is an important call, so I’ll have to take my leave for now. I’ll be back later.”

“Ah, yeah, okay.”

Yuichirou took the call as he walked away from the apartment. He’d come to Corona House to see his son, but it wasn’t like he was on vacation. He still had work to do.

The call was indeed an urgent one. His business partner wanted to delay the meeting from 7PM to 8PM and needed to confirm everyone’s schedules right away. Once that was taken care of, Yuichirou ended the call. Since that was the only reason his partner had contacted him, their conversation lasted not even five minutes.

“Ugh, those girls must think I’m just some strange old man...”

Yuichirou smiled wryly as he returned the cellphone to his pocket and pressed the intercom button for a third time.

“Yes?”

The voice this time was high-pitched and carried far. It wasn’t either of the two girls he’d talked with before. But knowing that there were four other girls in the room, Yuichirou just assumed it was one of them and didn’t think too much about it.

“Who might you be?”

However, once more, Yuichirou was in for another surprise. The girl who opened the door this time was yet another girl he’d never met. She had long, black hair and a thin figure. She was very demure and seemed to radiate gentleness and refinement. It seemed obvious she’d had a good upbringing.

What is going on here...? Koutarou, just what kind of life are you living?

As Yuichirou was stunned by the appearance of a seventh girl, yet another one appeared behind her.

“Harumi, what is it?”

The eighth girl to appear also had long, black hair and was wearing something akin to traditional Japanese clothing. She appeared calm and mature, and was holding a frying pan in one hand. It seemed she was in the middle of cooking. She too seemed to have had a good upbringing, though in a slightly different way.

“Kiriha-san... it seems the man from before is back again.”

“I see. Let me handle this.”

The girl in Japanese clothing put down the frying pan and traded places with the first girl. She looked up at Yuichirou with calm and confident eyes. She looked about the same age as the other girls he’d seen, but she was unmistakably more mature.

“What business do you have with us, sir?”

The girl’s brisk words struck Yuichirou, but that helped bring him out of his state of awe.

“I believe Satomi Koutarou lives here and I would like to speak with him.”

“With Koutarou? I see... If I’m not mistaken, you must be Koutarou’s...”

The girl seemed to have realized something after speaking with Yuichirou and nodded. She turned her head back and called out toward the inner room of the apartment.

“Maki.”

“What is it?”

Yet another girl poked her head out from around the corner, making a total of nine. This new girl had soft-looking hair that reached her shoulders and eyes that spoke to an adamantine will. But there was also something delicate about her, giving her a very mysterious aura.

“Where is Koutarou right now?”

“Satomi-kun left for work this morning, so he should be coming home soon.”

“I see. Thank you, Maki.”

“You’re welcome.”

After answering the question, the ninth girl returned to the inner room. The girl at the door then turned back to Yuichirou and passed along the answer.

“Koutarou is currently at his part-time job. He works at the excavation site on the top of the hill by Kisshouharukaze High School.”

“Yes, I’ve heard about it from Koutarou.”

Koutarou had told his dad about his job before. Since he was still a student, he’d needed parental consent to take the job in the first place.

“And we are...”

Eventually, the girl began telling Yuichirou what he wanted to know most. Right now, he was more interested in what these girls were doing here than where Koutarou was.

“We’re all friends Koutarou has made over the last year. We’re all close enough that we frequently come and go between each other’s houses.”

After explaining who she was, the girl politely bowed. The other girl standing behind her—the one who’d opened the door this time—also bowed. They were both extremely well-mannered.

“How wonderful. I am Satomi Yuichirou, Koutarou’s father.”

Yuichirou responded by bowing as well. Politeness beget politeness. That earnest seriousness was something the girls had seen before in Koutarou, and it made them feel like they knew Yuichirou a little better already.

“I’ve heard about you, and it’s nice to meet you. I’m Kurano Kiriha.”

“And I’m Sakuraba Harumi, a friend of Satomi-kun’s from school.”

And so Yuichirou was introduced to all nine girls. It was a far more peaceful meeting than Koutarou had had with them, yet the girls were all more nervous than they’d ever been with Koutarou. If Yuichirou disliked them, it would certainly be a strike against them in the future.

Koutarou didn’t know that his father had come visit until after he returned home from work that day. Excavation work got him dirty and sweaty, so in order to keep it safe, he always left it in his locker when he went out into the field.

“Not good! If everyone runs into my old man...!”

After changing back into his normal clothes and getting his phone out of his locker, Koutarou sent a frantic group message to the girls telling them to steer clear of the apartment until later that night. He then hurried home. Even if the girls weren’t there, their stuff was all over the apartment. He’d have to clean up before his dad got there.

“Hey, Koutarou!”

“Old man?!”

Unfortunately, by the time Koutarou returned to Corona House, Yuichirou was already there. His only saving grace was that Yuichirou was sitting outside his apartment having a cigarette.

“You got back quicker than I thought.”

Yuichirou smiled when he saw he son’s face before stuffing his cigarette into a portable ashtray. He’d taken up smoking after losing his wife, but in order to set a good example, he never did it in front of his son.

“All right. Let’s go, Koutarou.”

“Go? Where?”

“Since it’s the first time we’ve been together in so long, I thought we should go visit your mother.”

Yuichirou picked up the bouquet sitting beside him. He’d brought it especially for the occasion.

“All right, let’s do it.”

Koutarou quickly agreed. Nothing bad could come from getting away from his room, and it had been some time since the two of them visited his mother’s grave together.

Koutarou’s mother, Takami, had left this world about eleven years ago. She was a fine woman, mother, and wife, and even Koutarou’s father’s side of the family had deeply mourned her loss. Her ashes were interred at the Satomi family grave. She’d only been married to Yuichirou for a handful of years, but no one in the Satomi family objected to her joining them.

“It’s been a while, darling... Both Koutarou and I are doing just fine.”

“I’m fine, but the old man is iffy. I’m still not sure he can do housework for himself.”

“Don’t treat me like an idiot. I can do it when I have to.”

“Well, I’m sure mom knows better than I do.”

Yuichirou set down the bouquet of flowers as he and his son talked in front of Takami’s grave. If Koutarou used the spiritual powers he’d gotten from Sanae, he could easily confirm whether or not his mother’s spirit was actually there. But he chose not to. To humans, the truth wasn’t always necessarily important. There was meaning in speaking to her grave like she was there, whether she really was or not. At least, that’s what Koutarou believed.

“Jeez, you take after your mother.”

“What parts?”

“The inflexible part.”

“And you couldn’t leave that alone.”

“Well, no, I couldn’t... Stop making me say embarrassing stuff.”

“Sorry, sorry. But there you have it, mom. You don’t have to worry about us.”

“We’re doing fine, Takami, so please keep watching over us from heaven.”

Koutarou and Yuichirou continued to talk to their departed mother and wife for some time. It was almost as if they were trying to recreate the casual family atmosphere they’d had between them eleven years ago. In the midst of this, Koutarou wore a lonely expression he very rarely showed anyone. Since his mother’s death had greatly influenced his personality, he just wasn’t his usual self here.

After visiting Takami’s grave, Koutarou and Yuichirou headed towards the station. Yuichirou had a business meeting he needed to get to, so he only had a little more time with his son. By the time the sun set, he’d transform from a loving husband and father back into a working businessman.

“I caused an awful lot of trouble for you after your mother died...”

“I’m old enough now to know that you were grieving in your own way, so I’m not mad anymore.”

“I see... I guess that’s not all that strange if you’re at the age you’ve started dating now.”

“I don’t have a whole lot to say for myself on that front.”

Koutarou and Yuichirou continued talking on their way to the station. The topic shifted from Koutarou’s mother to Koutarou himself. But it was only natural that a father living so far apart from his son would be interested in his life. The light of the fading sun washed over them as they walked down the street next to each other.

“But you still have some girls you get along with, right?”

“Well, a few.”

“Nine is plenty. Isn’t there someone among them you’re interested in?”

“Huh?!”

Koutarou was at a loss for words. What Yuichirou had just said so casually caught him off guard. If he knew there were nine girls in Koutarou’s life, that could only mean one thing.

“Did you meet them, old man?”

Koutarou chose his words carefully as he asked his father that. Each of the girls was strange in their own way, so he was immediately worried Yuichirou had gotten the wrong impression of them. There was also the question of what his father would have to say about finding nine girls in his apartment. It was an extremely tense situation for Koutarou.

“Hmm? Yes, I did. Not long before you got back home. They’re all nice girls.”

But Yuichirou’s smile alleviated all of Koutarou’s worries. It was clear he thought well of the girls and hadn’t gotten the wrong impression at all.

“There were so many of them that I didn’t get all the details, but... it seems like you helped them all out in their time of need.”

“Ah, yeah. Something like that.”

Koutarou now had a rough understanding of what had happened when Yuichirou met the girls. They had omitted any of the unbelievable or difficult details and had only told him the essentials. That would be the easiest way for Yuichirou—a normal man who lived a normal life—to understand what had happened between them.

“And we’ve gotten closer since then.”

“To be honest, Koutarou, apart from Kenji-kun, I didn’t expect you to find more friends like that. I was a bit surprised,” Yuichirou said with a wry smile.

“Old man...”

Despite the girls omitting certain details, Yuichirou had gotten the gist of their relationship with Koutarou.

“I’ve finally come to understand how you’re doing so well on your own, Koutarou. It’s thanks to those girls.”

Their existence was a very welcome thing to Yuichirou. He was always worried about how much love Koutarou was getting, so their presence in his life was a blessing. And it was an added blessing that they were all such wonderful people. It was a relief to him as a father since Koutarou had only ever had Kenji to depend on before this.

“I’ve only just realized that myself.”

“That’s good. Don’t forget to be thankful for those girls.”

“I am and I intend to be.”

“Then we’re good.”

Yuichirou smiled happily and nodded. Seeing that, Koutarou realized that the meeting between his dad and the girls went far better than he’d ever imagined. Of course, Koutarou intended to treasure the girls. He had no intention of betraying them or Yuichirou.

“By the way, Koutarou, who is it that you fancy?”

“Huh? What now, all of a sudden?”

Koutarou’s eyes shot wide open in surprise. Yuichirou had asked something completely unexpected.

“They’re an amazing group of ladies. I’m sure at least one of them has caught your eye.”

“Well, yeah, but... I’m still not sure.”

Koutarou didn’t have an answer. Right now, he wasn’t sure how to make that choice.

“Is that so?”

“Dad, what made you decide to marry mom?”

But if Koutarou could learn why Yuichirou had chosen Takami, he might find a way to choose for himself. He wanted his father’s advice.

“Why I chose her, huh...? We actually got along poorly at first.”

“It never seemed that way to me.”

Koutarou always remembered his parents being close. He found it very hard to believe that there was ever a time they hadn’t gotten along.

“Well, of course not. We only got married because we worked things out.”

“Yeah, okay... Then how did you work things out?”

“I’ll spare you the embarrassing details, but mainly... Mainly we gradually grew to understand each other as time passed.”

“I see...”

“The real catalyst was that we got involved with the same problem and it just sort of happened as we were working on resolving it. But that was just the opportunity and not the reason.”

“I think I can understand.”

Yuichirou’s story hit pretty close to home for Koutarou. His relationship with the girls had followed a similar path. They’d gotten to know each other through their troubles, and that ultimately brought them closer together.

“That’s why it felt right for me and Takami. Do you feel that way about someone, Koutarou?”

Yuichirou smiled when he asked Koutarou that. He was interested both as Koutarou’s father and as his friend. He was proud to see his son growing up, and the rare smile he was showing reflected that.

“It’s still hard. I don’t really get it. They’re all wonderful girls in their own ways.”

In Koutarou’s mind, there wasn’t a single girl that stood above the rest. But that wasn’t because none of them felt right to him. If anything, it was the opposite.

Just who do I love...? What should I do from now on...?

He felt like he understood all of the girls and they all understood him in return. He also knew their worries and weaknesses. He didn’t want to leave them be, and he didn’t want to be left alone either. As they overcame hardships together, the feeling that he’d met the right one blossomed in his heart. The problem was that he felt that way about more than one girl. And by the time he realized what was going on, he felt that way about all nine of them.

“Think it over carefully. Nothing good will come from rushing a decision like this. It’ll affect the rest of both of your lives, after all.”

“Old man...”

“And because they’re all nice girls, I’ll never let you live it down if you make a half-assed decision.”

“Haha, that sounds just like you, old man.”

Koutarou was smiling now too. He knew his dad was right. He couldn’t make this decision haphazardly. If everyone felt right to him, it meant that they were all precious. He couldn’t risk doing something half-assed that would hurt any one of them. And if he didn’t know what the right choice was now, it just meant he needed to spend more time with all of them to figure it out.

“By the way, how are things looking on your end?”

Having reached his conclusion on the matter, Koutarou shifted the topic back to Yuichirou. This seemed like an opportune time, and there was something in particular he wanted to know.

“You’ve found a nice person, right?”

“Koutarou...”

Based on the way his dad was talking and acting, Koutarou could sense there was a woman in his life. He hadn’t said anything about it, however, so he knew he’d have to ask to get it out of him.

“I’m fine now. I’m all grown up, and I have Mackenzie and everyone else. You can be free, old man.”

Koutarou knew why Yuichirou had stayed a widower all this time. He still loved his late wife, and he also held back out of consideration for Koutarou. But now he felt like Yuichirou was being held back by all that, which wasn’t good.

“I’ve decided to continue living as I am until you’ve become an independent adult. There’s nothing for you to worry about.”

“So there really is someone.”

“Yeah...”

“Man, I feel bad for her. You’re keeping her waiting, right?”

Koutarou’s first sign that there was a woman in Yuichirou’s life was the way he was dressed. Koutarou had always been in charge of housework while they were living together, but one day, Yuichirou had started washing his own clothes. That was back while Koutarou was in middle school, and it had already been several years since.

“She understands. I’ve told her everything,” Yuichirou explained as he glanced back over his shoulder.

“I see...”

Seeing that gesture, Koutarou understood that the real reason his relationship hadn’t developed with this woman was indeed because he still loved his late wife.

I guess it’s not really something that should be rushed...

Koutarou thought of the half-knit sweater hidden away in his wardrobe. His mother had been in the middle of working on it that fateful day. Completing it would be one step closer to closure for both Koutarou and Yuichirou. One step closer to moving on. It was the very reason Koutarou had joined the knitting society.

“In exchange...”

“Hmm?”

“You better make the wedding a big one. You’ve kept her waiting for years, right?”

“Koutarou... Yeah, by all means, let’s do that.”

Father and son continued walking towards the station, talking about this and that before parting ways. While their goodbyes were brief, there was no doubt that today had been very meaningful for both of them.

When Koutarou returned to the apartment, all of the girls were sitting bolt upright for some reason.

“I’m back... What are you guys doing?”

Koutarou had no idea what had gotten into them. But in response to his question, they all lowered their heads. It almost looked like they were going to grovel.

“H-Hey?”

“We’re sorry!” all nine girls declared.

“Like I said, what on earth are you guys doing?”

The girls were apologizing, but he had absolutely no clue as to why. The gesture only confused him even further.

“There is something that we need to apologize to you for.”

Seeing the confounded look on Koutarou’s face, Kiriha began explaining. Behind her, the other eight girls nodded their heads in unison. It seemed Kiriha was speaking on behalf of everyone.

“We all met your father. He actually arrived here before he contacted you. We know we may have caused trouble for you, which is why we’re apologizing to you like this.”

“We’re sorry!” they all proclaimed again, lowering their heads.

That was when things finally clicked for Koutarou. They were apologizing because they were worried about having met his dad.

“We’ll be careful not to be seen by others in the future.”

“What, is that all...? I thought something bad had happened...”

Koutarou let out a small sigh and sat down facing the girls. He’d been worried because they all seemed so serious.

“Satomi-kun, you’re not... mad?”

It was Maki, who was sitting closest to Koutarou, that spoke up. She was terrified of the idea of Koutarou being upset with her, so she was keenly interested in how he was feeling. And in response to her question, he casually shook his head.

“No, I’m not angry. I was the one who couldn’t get in touch with you guys. Besides, the old man was in a great mood. He kept talking about what nice girls you all were and everything. So there’s nothing for me to be mad about, really.”

Koutarou considered it his fault for not being in touch, but more importantly, everything had gone well. His father genuinely seemed to like the girls, and they’d done nothing wrong. As far as he was concerned, they had nothing to apologize for.

“I see... Thank god...”

Maki let out a sigh of relief. The other eight girls did the same in varying degrees, and it wasn’t until then that they were all able to relax some. However, the atmosphere was still somewhat strange. Koutarou continued the conversation to try and fix that.

“By the way, what did you all talk with my old man about?”

“Well, we started at the beginning and went from there. We just left out the parts we couldn’t share.”

Sanae responded in kind to Koutarou. She didn’t like the stiff air in the room either.

“We told him how we first met and that we didn’t get along back then.”

“And about the sports festival and our beach trip. We also talked about the cultural festival.”

“I was the one to tell him about the play.”

“Yuichirou-sama wanted to see pictures of you in costume, so I presented him with some from the play.”

The girls joined in one after another, reporting what they had shared with Yuichirou. Listening to them all now, Koutarou began thinking.

Yeah, a lot has happened between us...

Even discounting all the bad parts and all the fighting, Koutarou and the girls had still been through a lot together. They’d had plenty of stories to tell Yuichirou—more than enough for just one sitting. It was probably all a surprise to hear. And as Koutarou listened to the girls recount it all now, he smiled inside.

“I told him about the time I was stranded on the snowy mountainside and how you saved me.”

“My jaw nearly hit the floor when you started telling him about that, Aika-san. That story was just barely safe to tell. Ah, I told him that I was your landlord.”

“I told him about how you like to go insect hunting from time to time, Veltlion. It sounds like that’s always been a hobby of yours.”

“I told him about how we rode the rollercoaster together and such.”

“And I told him about our activities in the knitting society.”

As he continued to listen to the girls, another thought crossed Koutarou’s mind.

Someone who feels right, huh...?

It was that all of these girls, each and every one, was special to him. To borrow his father’s turn of phrase, they felt right.

“What’s the matter, Koutarou?”

“It’s nothing. I was just thinking that a lot sure has happened over the last year and a half.”

“Yeah... but there’ll be even more from here on out.”

“Yeah, you’re right, Sanae.”

“Eeheehee!”

Koutarou and the girls had indeed made a lot of memories together, but this was just the beginning. They’d continue making more together in the days to come. That was as certain as the stars twinkling in the night sky. Koutarou believed it from the bottom of his heart.

To Dark Crimson, her previous loss was extremely humiliating. Despite her combo attacks with Dark Green and her future forecast, they’d been overcome by the wits of just one person who couldn’t use magic. As a result, Dark Navy had been captured and was still in enemy hands even now. Darkness Rainbow had no sense of camaraderie. Even as allies, they were only tools for one another to use. But Dark Crimson personally liked Dark Navy—Maki. She could empathize with her natural-born seriousness. So in addition to redeeming her humiliation, she wanted to reclaim Maki. But even if she challenged her captors again, the outcome would just be the same. Some adjustments were necessary.

The reason she and Dark Green had lost was obvious. Despite being magicians that identified as evangelists of knowledge, they hadn’t lost to magic—they’d lost to knowledge. That was why Dark Crimson now sought scientific knowledge for her own gain. And normal science wasn’t enough. At best, she would just become equal to her foes. So in order to get what she needed, she’d made a deal with Maya to obtained alien science.

“Ray of Sunshine. Modifier: Single Wavelength.”

Crimson’s incantation echoed throughout the training area. When it was complete, a red light extended from her staff. When that light reached the concrete wall in front of her, it cut through it like a warm knife through butter. The red light she’d generated with her mana was a laser beam made up of a single wavelength.

“Ha, hahaha! I see... so that’s it! Hahaha! That Kiriha woman was right! We were just sheltered girls unaware of the world around us!”

With the new knowledge she’d acquired, she’d gained new magic power. She now had spells that were founded in the physical rather than the mystical—in science itself. It was the next generation of magic, perhaps most aptly called scientific magic.

“But with this, I can win! As long as I have this power, I can win! Kurano Kiriha, Satomi Koutarou, and Rainbow Yurika, brace yourselves!”

Scientific magic wasn’t just limited to lasers, either. Theoretically it had all kinds of applications. Explosions, barriers, information collection... There were countless spells that could be improved with science. It had been several months since her defeat, but Dark Crimson couldn’t suppress her elation knowing the day for her revenge was drawing near.