Rokujouma no Shinryakusha!? - Volume 28 - Chapter 4

Whirlpool of Chaos

Tuesday, March 29th

Clan was watching over the communications of the Melgaard Republic’s spies, but that alone wouldn’t accomplish their goals. They would also need to come up with a way to fool the spies. That job was assigned to Koutarou and Maki, particularly Maki thanks to her skills with illusions and mind manipulation.

“Aika-san, could you try and avoid manipulating their minds unless it’s absolutely necessary?” Koutarou asked.

“Yes, I’ll try and get by using illusions alone if possible. They’re not bad people, so I want to avoid having to manipulate their minds or memories, too.”

“Cool. I’m glad we’re on the same page. Clan will probably say we’re being naive, though...”

“I will not! How rude”

Koutarou and Maki were currently trailing one of the spies from the high-rise apartment building. There were three spies in total, but they’d split up their duties. Only one was in charge of the actual mission, and the other two supported from a distance: one from somewhere nearby in a car, and the other from all the way back at their hideout. So since they were really only dealing with one target, Koutarou and Maki figured they’d be able to pull the wool over their eyes if Clan manipulated the comms and kept the other two at bay.

“He’s entering the school. That’s pretty bold,” observed Koutarou.

“He’s made an appointment with the school claiming that his daughter is considering studying abroad next year. And it seems he’ll be visiting his real goal while on campus: the drama club.”

“That’ll give him free reign to walk around the school. It won’t be suspicious if he takes pictures, either. And he probably blends right in since there’s been an influx of prospective students like that... Dang, these guys are good.”

“Don’t forget we have an advantage too. We won’t stand out if we’re in our uniforms.”

“I guess a bunch of students’ll be staring at him since he’ll stand out on campus, so it won’t be weird if we do either.”

“That’s right.”

Koutarou and Maki followed the spy and entered Kisshouharukaze High School. The spy was specifically interested in gathering information on the drama club. And thanks to the plays Theia had written, it wouldn’t take a lot of digging before she was exposed. Then the spies would narrow their sights on her and her circle of friends. When that happened, Koutarou and Maki’s job was to make sure the spies thought that Yurika and Kiriha were normal high school girls.

After finishing the necessary paperwork in the school’s office and getting a visitor’s pass, the spy headed straight for the drama club. They were working on preparations for a new performance today. because they wanted to be able to show off to the new students when they arrived and try to recruit some new members. That’s why they were perfectly willing to entertain a visitor who had a daughter that might want to join next year too.

“Clan, how does it look inside?” Koutarou asked.

“They’ve finished greeting the spy and have moved on to their regular club activities. The club president is explaining what everyone’s doing.”

“So since the drama club doesn’t know that he’s a spy, they’ve just welcomed him as the father of a daughter that’ll be coming from overseas, huh?”

“Seems like it. I’ll let you know if the situation changes.”

“Please do.”

Koutarou and Maki were in the knitting society’s club room. Since it was in the same club building as the room the drama club used, it was the ideal place to stand by.

“Aika-san, we’ll wait here for a while.”

“Is there anyone in the drama club that knows about Theia-san’s or Yurika’s real identities?”

“There isn’t. They just think of Theia as a passionate playwright and Yurika as a goofy cosplayer. That’s probably all they’ll be able to tell him, so we’ll wait here until he moves on.”

“Okay.”

Even though the goal was to protect Theia’s and the others girls’ secret, they didn’t have much cause to worry about the spy interacting with people who didn’t know anything. So rather than doing something like jumping the gun too early and blowing their cover, Koutarou decided they should hang back and let Clan handle eavesdropping on the club and intercepting any communication. So figuring they might be there a while, Koutarou took a seat in his usual chair.

“...”

Looking at Koutarou like that, Maki was unable to move for a moment. She then looked back and forth between the chair by the window and the chair right next to Koutarou, which until very recently, only Harumi had ever sat in. After thinking it over long and hard, Maki sat down in the chair next to Koutarou with a flushed face.

“What is it?” he asked.

“Oh, n-nothing...”

Fortunately, Koutarou didn’t press too hard about what was on Maki’s mind. She was relieved. She was also thrilled she was getting to see a part of Koutarou she usually didn’t get to in more detail.

“Now that I think about it, something like this happened in Forthorthe too, Aika-san.”

Oblivious to what she was thinking and feeling, Koutarou simply smiled at her nostalgically.

“You mean... When we went to meet with Maya-sama and Elexis, right?”

Though it was a serious mission, Maki had gotten a little emotional while they were out together. At least for a little while, it had felt like a date.

This is no good... I have to keep it together. I can’t let... 

Maki’s serious inner-self scolded her. Their enemy this time around was no Maya or Elexis, but even then, these men were still putting their lives on the line for their mission. Letting her guard down around opponents like that would cost her. Maki was painfully aware of that after having fought against Yurika.

“I wondered what happened to them...”

Maki was being awfully cute, but Koutarou’s mind was somewhere else. He was sitting there staring out the window. It was only 4 in the afternoon, but since it was still March, the sun had already begun to set. Koutarou was staring past the glowing orange sky. Somewhere far beyond it was space, the vast sea of stars where Elexis and Maya had vanished.

“Are you worried?” Maki asked.

“I’m not worried as much as I am just hoping that they’re not dead. I can’t say that they were good guys, but they saved us in the end, you know?”

Elexis and Maya had both committed unforgivable crimes, the worst of which was perhaps manipulating Ceilēshu the way they had. But as bad as it all was, they’d always acted with purpose. They moved logically, and they even avoided using methods of attack that would cause unnecessary casualties. Even in Ceilēshu’s case, they’d offered to cure her sick father in exchange for her help. It was a villainous way to get her on their side, but it could have been worse. And when it came down to it in the end, they’d come to help Koutarou and the others. So while Koutarou was still wary of them on the whole, he hoped that they were all right.

“You probably hope Maya’s alive too, don’t you? She’s your master, after all.”

“It’s true. I can’t help it... It finally felt like I could talk to her and everything...”

Maki and Maya had been at odds for a long time. But even so, Maya had saved Maki and trained her. They had a long history of a relationship together, and there was no way Maki would celebrate her demise. Especially not now. Maya had acted to save Green, and Maki finally felt they had connected again.

“Then I’ll keep praying for their safety too.”

“Satomi-kun...”

“But if I ever see them again, I’m gonna lecture the heck out of them. With their talents, they should both be walking a better path in life.”

If Maki said she needed it, Koutarou needed it too. And if it would put Maki at peace, Koutarou would even wish for Maya and Elexis to come back alive.

“Um, but that’s troubling, Satomi-kun...”

What Koutarou said shook Maki. She looked up at him with imploring eyes, yet she almost looked a little angry. It was a rare expression for Maki.

“Hmm? Did I say something wrong?”

“If you say things like that, I’ll forget about the mission...”

“Then just forget about it for a while. I’ll keep watch.”

“I-I can’t do that!” Maki said, furiously shaking her head.

She was determined to be a worthy magical girl and warrior, yet Koutarou’s casual remark had easily destroyed her determination. And if Maki couldn’t do her job, that meant she’d lose her reason for being here. It would mean Koutarou would be in danger. So even though she wanted to dwell on his words and the thoughts of her lost master, she had to put them aside for now. Complex feelings swirled inside her.

“Sorry to interrupt you fun.”

All of a sudden, a hologram of Clan making a sour face appeared between Koutarou and Maki.

“Kyah!”

She’d stopped paying attention to her surroundings, so Maki jumped back in surprise at the intrusion.

“What is it?” Koutarou asked.

“That spy has begun asking about the manuscript, so the conversation’s starting to shift over to Theiamillis-san and the people around her.”

“Let us listen in too.”

“Oh? You know, I don’t mind if you continue your conversation instead.”

Clan gave both Koutarou and Maki a dirty look. She was angry that they were having fun together while she was busy working, which was perfectly understandable.

“Please, Clan-san!”

“Okay, okay. Fine. Jeez...”

But when Maki earnestly pleaded with her, Clan acquiesced and opened the communications channel so they could hear what was going on. She knew that it wasn’t Maki’s fault.

I’ve made up my mind. I’m going to ask for something that will knock your socks off, Veltlion!

That’s why she directed all of her irritation at Koutarou.

The drama club had earned a lot of praise for the original productions they’d put on the last two years called “The Silver Princess and the Blue Knight” plays. The spy explained to the club president that his daughter had taken an interest in Harukaze High after she heard about them. The club president, of course, was flattered. She gushed on and on about them, happily telling him about the scripts, the girl who’d written them, and who’d played what parts in the premieres.

“I imagine he’ll be going to visit Theiamillis-san and the others next,” commented Maki.

“Yes, he’s moving just as we anticipated. At this rate, he might fall right for our trap,” added Clan.

“All right, let’s follow him,” said Koutarou.

Once he got his hand on information about Theia and her friends, the spy immediately moved to confirm it. Koutarou and Maki followed after him. He seemed to be going straight for the girl who’d written the manuscript: Theia.

“It looks like he’s going for the cheerleading squad club room,” observed Maki.

“Well, she is part of it,” said Koutarou.

Theia was technically a member of the cheerleading squad. She had taken it over in order to win the obstacle marathon their first year at school. But she hadn’t had much reason to participate in activities since then, so her membership was only on paper now. Of course, the spy didn’t know that, so he headed for their club room assuming Theia might be there.

“He tried asking the squad members for information on Theiamillis-san, but he didn’t get any proper answers. It seems the golden-haired monster is something of a legend now.”

“She was kind of a monster back then...”

Theia was at the height of her maniacal rampaging after she first came to Earth when she took over the club. Because of that, she’d only really used them as tools. But that benefitted her now since they didn’t know much about her. Theia had actually talked about Forthorthe back then, but since almost two years had passed since then, no one really remembered the details anymore. The spy wasn’t able to get anything useful.

“Theiamillis-san has already gone home, hasn’t she?” asked Clan.

“Yeah, she went home after Kiriha-san’s instructions. Which means that the spy will want to check out Theia’s locker or desk... but since there are still plenty of students around, he can’t touch them. Instead, he’ll probably prioritize the people around Theia. He’ll try and find Kiriha-san, who’s helping out at the committee, or Yurika, who’s at the cosclub. Or at least that’s what Kiriha-san said.”

Kiriha had predicted the spy’s actions. Since he only had a limited amount of time at the school, he’d have to move as efficiently as possible. He’d try and take the swiftest, most logical course of action, which was fairly easy to predict.

“Seems he’s headed towards the cosclub, just like Kii said.”

“So he’s going for the cosclub since it’s in the same building, rather than the committee room that’s back in the main building... I’m glad that he’s so calculating. This is where the match will be settled.”

Koutarou and the others believed that everything hinged on whether or not Yurika could protect the secret. They weren’t worried at all about Kiriha. Even if she got herself into trouble, she could talk her way out of anything. Yurika, on the other hand, could be trouble. While she probably wouldn’t blurt out anything about Folsaria or the People of the Earth directly, if she had to think carefully about everything she said, the spy might suspect something. And if he got a clue and pressed her hard for details, things could get problematic. Yurika would have to be cool and natural enough that he would never suspect a thing in the first place.

“I’ll initiate the holographic projection.”

So Koutarou and the others had come up with the plan of creating a fake club room. Since the room next to the cosclub room was free, they would bring in some spare furniture and props, and then use Clan’s holograms to make it a perfect replica of the real thing. Then they’d just move the sign outside the door to lure the spy in.

“Aika-san, I’m counting on you.”

“Please leave it to me!”

Maki nodded, full of confidence... But it was nearly impossible to tell it was her. Right now, she looked exactly like Yurika. It was a key part of the plan, since she was going to act as her body double.

After entering the cosclub, the spy asked the holographic club president to call over Yurika. All of the cosclub had actually participated in the play. The spy knew that, but he was singling out Yurika since she was one of Theia’s friends.

“You are Nijino Yurika-san, yes?”

“Yes, that’s me. Who are you?”

Maki’s acting and disguise were both perfect. She was indistinguishable from the real Yurika. She had shown her transformation to Koutarou and the others, and from there polished the details in order to get everything just right. Though Yurika insisted that the real deal was cuter, everyone else had given her the highest praise. She was even able to replicate Yurika’s mannerisms and way of talking with ease since they spent so much time together. And just to be safe, she was using a spell that dulled people’s senses at close range, which would make it nigh impossible for the spy to see through Maki’s disguise.

“Pardon me. I am Alexei Belachev. The truth is that my daughter is interested in studying abroad at this school, so I’m visiting on tour while I’m in Japan for business.”

“Oh, I see. Can I help you with something then?”

“My daughter is into acting, and she took an interest in this school after hearing about the plays you were a part of.”

“Ah, I see.”

At this point in the conversation, Maki realized she’d screwed up a little. Yurika wasn’t that quick-witted. She would probably never be able to intuit what he wanted to talk about just from him mentioning his daughter was interested in acting. So from here on out, Maki made a conscious effort to stay more in character.

“So if you don’t mind me asking, what part did you play, Yurika-san?”

“Oh, all kinds of parts. I was a bandit, a horse, a dragon... I was always busy.”

Fortunately, it didn’t seem the spy had noticed anything. It was a good thing it was their first time meeting. That worked a great deal in Maki’s favor. She had nothing to worry about. Really, it was the spy who was on edge. It was too suspicious to jump right into asking about Theia, so he had to dance around the subject carefully. He tried asking “Yurika” a bit about herself.

“And they all laugh at me for being weird when I’m being serious! Don’t you think they’re terrible?!”

“But who could take such a cute girl playing a bandit seriously?”

“I’m cute?!”

“But of course. By the way... what kind of person is this Theiamillis-san who wrote the play?”

After talking to “Yurika” for a while, the spy finally moved in for the kill. Maki didn’t miss his face stiffening up a little when he did. She steeled herself to make sure that she wouldn’t make any mistakes from here on.

“Um, Theia-chan is an exchange student from overseas. Ah, that’s just like your daughter!”

“Did she ever talk about legends from her homeland while working on the play?”

“Homeland?”

Maki tilted head to the side and looked at the man with puzzled eyes. Koutarou and Clan, who were watching through a hidden camera, could hardly believe it was Maki. She was imitating Yurika perfectly.

“Oh, I mean the country she was born in.”

Completely taken in by Maki’s acting, the spy explained with a forced smile. Seeing that, Maki was a little relieved It was a good sign.

“Ah! I do think she said something like that. Like they were pretty famous historical characters or something. Apparently Theia-chan is a big fan of them.”

“So, from what country is Theiamillis-san from?”

“H-Huh? Oh, um... President-san, what country was Theia-chan from again?”

“How would I know when you’re her friend and don’t know?”

It was a hologram of the cosclub president that responded to Yurika. She and the other cosclub members had voices that were synthesized by the Cradle’s AI. Clan would step in on anything that was too difficult for the AI to handle and speak through a processed voice made to sound like the club members, but this was well within the range of what the AI could handle.

“Oh... I’m sorry, I don’t know. Should I call her and ask?”

“Oh no, that won’t be necessary.”

“It won’t take long.”

“Don’t trouble yourself. I plan on visiting her myself, so I can ask then.”

“I see. Then I guess it’s okay.”

“Yurika” smiled with a heartwarming expression. Based on her puzzled reaction when he asked about Theia’s homeland, he reached the conclusion that she didn’t know anything about the truth.

“Well, thank you for answering my questions. If you don’t mind, I’d like to ask one more before I go.”

“What’s that?”

“How did you and Theiamillis-san meet?”

That was something that Maki normally wouldn’t be able to answer, but she showed no sign of faltering and answered with the same confidence she had up until now.

“Theia-chan transferred in during my first year. We didn’t get along very well at first, but now she’s a precious friend, teehee!”

Kiriha had made a detailed list of questions she thought the spy might ask, and had come up with answers for all of them in advance. This was something that had been on the list, so Maki answered without batting an eye.

Oh no... Should I have thought about the answer before saying anything?

Maki ended up cold sweating again. She’d answered the question flawlessly, but she’d answered it so confidently that she’d broken character again. When undercover, it was mistakes like that that could be fatal. Especially so when the other party was a professional.

“Is that so? I hope my daughter can make friends like that too.”

“Hmm... I’m sure she will! Especially if she joins the drama club!”

“You’re probably right. I’ll let her know. Well, thank you again, Yurika-san. It’s probably about time I get going.”

“Already?”

“Yes, I’m still in the middle of my tour of the school, so there are places and people I need to visit before I go.”

Fortunately, it seemed that Maki’s worries had been for naught. To the spy, Yurika wasn’t of any particular note. She was just another potential lead in a case. He hadn’t detected anything suspicious about her, so he didn’t dwell on it or her. If he were to sweat minor details like that with everyone he talked to, he’d just be wasting precious time.

“Oh, I see. Well then, goodbye, Alexei-san.”

“Yes, farewell.”

Maki didn’t let any of the relief she felt show as she saw the spy left. He played the part of a loving father from start to finish, while Maki played the part of a carefree cosclub member. They were both great performances, which was a victory in Maki’s favor.

Even after the spy left, Maki’s work wasn’t done. Next, she had to visit the cosclub disguised as the spy. She’d also have to talk with Yurika like the spy just had with her so the actual cosclub would see it. There would be a few minutes’ gap in the timeline, but it was unlikely anyone would notice that. Everything else would match up as long as she moved quickly. And with that, she hurried to the real cosclub room next doors.

“I have to say... magical disguises sure are convenient. She transformed from Yurika-san into that man in a flash,” said Clan.

“You’d never be able to find Aika-san in hide and seek... Wait, more importantly, what’s going on with the spy?” Koutarou asked.

“He’s headed towards the room where Kii is.”

“Kiriha-san should be able to handle herself, but I’ll move closer just in case. Expect the unexpected and all that...”

“I’ll relocate the observation device then.”

“You do that.”

While Maki was at the cosclub, Koutarou and Clan headed over to Kiriha’s location as backup. Kiriha was always cool and confident, even in situations like this. Her acting would undoubtedly be flawless. But Koutarou wanted to go anyway just in case something went wrong. He also knew a little emotional support wouldn’t hurt. Kiriha was hiding her weak side, after all. And so he headed towards the committee room where Kiriha was working as part of the lifestyle committee. Today just so happened to be the day of their monthly meeting.

“Please be careful. He hasn’t entered the room yet.”

“I caught up thanks to that, but... why hasn’t he gone in?”

Hiding by the nearby staircase, Koutarou leaned out from behind it to peek into the hallway. He saw the spy leaning against the wall outside the committee room, looking at his wristwatch. He’d walked right into the cosclub room without any hesitation, so this seemed a bit odd.

“Perhaps because they’re in the middle of a meeting? The cosclub was just casually working on stuff, so this is a little different.”

“I see, so he’s waiting for it to end. That said, if he’s willing to wait around, it probably won’t go on for much longer.”

It if looked like he’d have to wait around for a while, the spy would have gone somewhere else first. He had a limited amount of time on the school grounds, after all. So if he was waiting for the meeting to adjourn, it would likely be soon.

“I think that’s what’s going on. The person who seems to be the chairman is making closing remarks now.”

“All right... It’s all up to you now, Kiriha-san.”

Just as those words left Koutarou’s mouth, the door to the committee room swung open. The students of the lifestyle committee then came filing out. They were late for their other club activities thanks to the meeting. After waiting for the crowd of people to pass, the spy entered the committee room. His goal was of course Kiriha, who was gathering papers from the table in the middle of the room.

“Excuse me, are you Kurano Kiriha-san?”

“Yes, and who are you?”

“Pardon me. I am Alexei Belachev. The truth is that my daughter is interested in studying abroad at this school, so I’m visiting on tour while I’m in Japan for business.”

The spy facing Kiriha introduced himself in fluent Japanese. Clan frowned as she eavesdropped on their conversation.

“He used the exact same introduction he did with Yurika.”

“That’s probably because he’s got this bit down pat.”

“Honestly, his Japanese is so good that he doesn’t sound like a foreigner at all. It sort of stands out more than him having an accent.”

“That’s just how serious these people were about coming here to get their hands on information or technology. And we have to do our best to stop them.”

“I know what you mean.”

Clan knew that the spies were after Forthorthe’s technology in order to help their country and protect their families and neighbors. She had been sympathetic with them at first, but now she realized how dangerous it would be to give them information.

“By the way... Kiriha-san, what kind of person is this Theiamillis-san who wrote the play?”

“Theia-san is...”

Kiriha and the spy continued talking as Clan was complaining. He ran through the same set of questions he had with Yurika, staring with asking her about herself first and then naturally steering the conversation towards Theia. He was so focused on making sure everything sounded natural that he even spoke some of the same lines verbatim. That in and of itself was a slip-up, as he never considered anyone was listening in on him.

As Koutarou and the others expected, Kiriha’s interview with the spy ended without any problems. Kiriha was known for her many talents, including her way with words, so she kept the conversation going at a good pace and in her favor. She certainly had a much easier time than Maki, who had to try to imitate the carefree Yurika.

“How did it go?” Maki asked.

After the spy left the committee room and headed elsewhere, Maki approached Koutarou, who was secretly tailing him. She’d just finished with her cover act over at the cosclub.

“Just as you’d expect for Kiriha, a perfect honor student from start to finish.”

“Thinking about it, it’s an act she’s been keeping up for two years now.”

“Veltlion, Maki, the spy is headed towards the gym.”

“So he’s back to gathering information... It looks like we succeeded.”

Their goal wasn’t to protect Theia’s identity as much as it was Yurika and Kiriha’s. Theia would be announcing that she was a Forthorthian soon enough with the arrival of the exchange students. Specifically, they wanted to keep the heat off of Yurika and Kiriha until that happened. And since the spy had apparently lost interest in them, it seemed safe to assume that they’d succeeded in convincing him that Yurika and Kiriha were just normal high school girls that happened to be friends with Theia.

“So it seems. It doesn’t look like he’s communicating with anyone either, so I believe he no longer considers them persons of interest. He’s likely just moving down his list now,” said Clan.

“Thank god... So mission completed?” asked Maki.

“Yeah. Good work, you two. But let’s continue tailing him until he goes home just to be sure.”

“Because you never know when the unexpected might happen?”

“That’s exactly right, Clan.”

While they had accomplished their immediate goal, Koutarou and the others didn’t let their guard down and continued tailing the spy. The spy moved on to the rest of Theia’s circle of friends, talking with Sanae, Shizuka, and their other classmates. But since none of them had particularly extraordinary origins, there was less of a concern over them making contact with the spy. Their biggest concern at this point would be the spy finding out about Sanae or Shizuka’s powers.

“It seems that his last objective is snooping around Theiamillis-san’s personal belongings. He’s headed towards your classroom now.”

Ding dong, ding dong...

The bell that sounded when it was five minutes before the school’s closing time for the day rang out across campus. Knowing this was his last chance, the spy made his way towards Koutarou and the girls’ classroom. At this hour, there shouldn’t be anyone left in the classroom. And since there would be at least ten minutes before any faculty came by to lock up, the spy would have plenty of time to check out Theia’s desk and locker.

“I just hope he falls for this trap...” said Koutarou.

“This all depends on luck, so let’s say a little pray that it’s on our side,” replied Maki.

“I’m not good with relying on prayers...” grumbled Clan.

Entering the empty class 2-A schoolroom, the spy headed straight for Theia’s desk without hesitation. He’d investigated the seating arrangement ahead of time, so he knew exactly where it was. The spy went through Theia’s desk with a steady, fearless hand. All he found, however, was average school supplies like a dictionary, a few pencils, and a ruler.

“Damn it...”

The spy cursed to himself and carefully returned the contents of the desk to their original positions. Since the classroom was otherwise empty and silent, even his small mutter was picked loud and clear up by Clan’s observation device positioned outside the window.

Next, he moved to the lockers in the back of the classroom.

Clunk.

The spy pulled on the door to Theia’s locker, but it didn’t open. It appeared to be locked. Unfazed, the spy pulled out two long, thin metal tools and slid them into the keyhole. Since the lockers in the class room were rather old, the locks on them were rather simplistic. Even an amateur lockpick would be able to handle them with ease.

Click!

It only took a few seconds for him to pop the lock open. He put away his tools and reached out for the door again.

Squeak...

This time, the door opened without any resistance. He stopped to listen and scan the classroom once more just to make sure there wasn’t anyone nearby before examining Theia’s locker.

“I just hope there’s something here...”

Inside the locker were ordinary things like a jacket, a folding umbrella, and gym clothes that Theia had forgotten to take home. Just as the spy was about to give up hope that his search would yield anything useful, his fingertips ran across something in the back of her locker.

“This is...!”

It was a plastic file. Suppressing his rash excitement, he quickly pulled it out.

“The first edition of the ‘Silver Princess and the Blue Knight’ manuscript! And here are notes on her ideas!”

Opening the file, the spy discovered the original manuscript for the play, complete with Theia’s memos and notes on writing it. Overcome with joy, he clenched his fist in the air.

“This is it, Johan! Sophia! With this, we might be able to save our country!”

While calling out the names of his son and wife, he hurriedly flipped through the pages of the notebook of ideas. If Theia was a Forthorthian as they suspected, then they might be able to get their hands on Forthorthe’s technology ahead of time by tracing her personal connections. It might just save their failing country. And if he could make good on this mission, he would undoubtedly be promoted, which would let his wife and son live a better life. Hope began taking root in his heart, however...

“Balsarg, Baltarin, Fortharg, Forthorthe, Balthorthe, Foltarin, Talinbal...?”

Towards the end of the notebook was a series of scribbles that extinguished that hope. It appeared Theia had had a great deal of difficulty coming up with a name for the country. She’d written down one name, crossed it out, written another, and crossed it out too. The process repeated over and over. She was moving the letters around, swapping syllables, and so on each time. From all this brainstorming, she’d generated a shortlist of five or six candidates before finally circling “Forthorthe.” If Theia really was from Forthorthe, she wouldn’t have to do that. There would have been no need for it. Which could only mean one thing.

“So this was all just a coincidence?! She just combined some random sounds and happened to end up with Forthorthe?!”

Little did he know this wasn’t just a coincidence. It was all part of Kiriha’s plan. Knowing the spy would be looking for proof of a connection between Theia and Forthorthe, she wanted to make him think the opposite—that there was none and never had been. So they’d written down a fake list of country names in Theia’s idea notebook and left it for the spy to find. With that, they’d be able to buy some time. It wouldn’t be much in the grand scheme of things, but all they needed was to make it to the new school year.

“No, this can’t be it! I won’t accept that we were just being jerked around by a coincidence! That we can’t save our country after all!”

The red herring notebook had exactly the result Kiriha had intended. The spy was now under the impression that his investigation had been sent back to square one. But it came at a cost. It broke him. He thought he’d finally found valuable information on the aliens that could save his homeland, the Melgaard Republic, and give him and his family a better life. And it was because his hopes were so high that having them dashed came as so great a shock. Unable to properly stand because of the despair and powerlessness that overcame him, he instinctively leaned on a nearby desk to support himself.

After seeing Theia’s notes, the spy was like a sleepwalker or a zombie straight out of the movies. He staggered about, visibly devastated and in the throes of despair. Though what they’d done was necessary, Koutarou and the others felt sorry for him as they watched on.

“This is probably because of the continued predicament his homeland is in. He finally found someone he thought was connected to Forthorthe, but it led him to a dead end. It was the same with Ceilēshu-san... Hope can sometimes be so cruel.”

Say there was a family suffering because of a drought. The father opens up a small hole in a dam to help them. However, opening even that small hole would lead to water bursting out and the ultimate collapse of the entire dam. He certainly wasn’t wrong to want to help his family. His desire was honorable and justifiable, but that didn’t mean his actions were. And there were too many people who wouldn’t hesitate to spring a leak in the dam for their own sake, whether not they knew the consequences. That was why Clan and the others had to safeguard it. And though Clan knew it was her duty to do exactly that, she still couldn’t help feeling sorry for the people it affected.

“Thinking you can help everyone is arrogant, Clan. We’re only human.”

“Those words carry a lot of weight coming from you...”

“Isn’t it the same for you?”

“Yes, I suppose you’re right...”

Clan’s expression eased up at Koutarou’s words. They’d travelled through time together. Being from the future, they knew how events would play out in the past, but there was a limit to the time they had. They had infinite choice, and finite time. That’s why, whether it was the coup d’etat in Forthorthe two thousand years ago or the more recent events concerning and Clan’s grandmother and Koutarou’s mother, there were a great many people they’d been unable to save... even knowing they were going to die. It was proof that Koutarou and Clan were only human.

“All we can do is wish to save everyone.”

“Veltlion...”

Wishing for it was fine. Surely that wish in and of itself would save someone. But Koutarou thought it was arrogant to think it was truly possible to help everyone, or to feel guilty about the limits of what they could do. And he wanted Clan to understand that. If possible, he wanted the spy who was suffering so much right to understand that too.

“...Veltlion, I love you.”

“What?”

Koutarou’s eyes shot wide open. Clan had come out and said something that had no bearing on their conversation. But her words were an expression of her honest and rarely ever heard true feelings. Clan had been so comforted by what Koutarou said that she wanted to tell him.

“...I know. I know that, so right now shut up and get to work.”

Koutarou didn’t tease Clan. Based on the look on her face, he that now wasn’t the time for that. Instead, he activated the power of Saguratin for a moment. Saguratin was currently being stored on the Cradle, but its powers continued to protect Koutarou even from a distance. And when he activated it, the forehead of Clan’s hologram glowed for an instant.

“...Yes. Leave it to me.”

As if following the glow, Clan put her hand on her forehead and nodded. Koutarou’s words were snappish, but the crest glowing on her forehead signaled something else. The person Clan loved the most understood her. And not just the difficult problems she faced, but the conflict she felt because of them. But now that she knew that, Clan no longer had any hesitation. Flashing a trusting, loving smile, she got back to work as requested.

“Jeez... She’s so...”

Embarrassed, Koutarou looked up and scratched his head. Watching over all of this with a heartwarming smile, Maki used her bracelet to call Clan. She then happily whispered into the bracelet so Koutarou couldn’t hear.

“Clan-san, you really are getting special treatment from Satomi-kun, aren’t you?”

“M-Maki... um... that’s...”

“Heehee.”

With a red face, Clan fumbled for an answer. Maki laughed before chasing after Koutarou, who had gone on ahead. Like Koutarou said, they needed to get back to their mission.

“Aika-san, stop.”

“Satomi-kun?”

Koutarou held out an arm to stop Maki, who was walking next to him. He’d stopped walking too. Confused, Maki looked at Koutarou and saw a stern expression on his face that hadn’t been there previously. It was almost as if an enemy had appeared.

“I have a bad feeling. This is almost like...”

Koutarou and Maki were still following the spy, and Clan was offering support from a distance. The spy in question was on his way back to his hideout via an isolated road. When he reached the darkened promenade jutting out from the park forest, Koutarou felt a strange change in his aura. It was clearly something abnormal, extremely unpleasant and mixed with all kinds of malice. As it came over him, the spy’s will and presence as an individual started to become vague.

Chink!

“Satomi-kun, Saguratin and Signaltin!”

The next moment, two swords appeared as if to protect Koutarou and Maki.

“I didn’t call for them!”

“Me neither.”

The swords’ owner, Koutarou, and any of their contractors, including Maki, had the ability to summon them regardless of distance. But neither of them had. Clan had the ability to do so as well, but she likely hadn’t even grasped the situation yet through her observation device. In other words, the swords had come forth on their own to protect Koutarou.

“Which means... it really is that whirlpool?!”

Koutarou became convinced of it when his two swords appeared. The change that had come over the spy was similar to what had happened to Vandarion and Tayuma. That was a sign of, as Sanae would call it, the grey, disgusting spinning thing—the whirlpool of chaos. And as if to affirm Koutarou’s terrible suspicion, the swords merged on their own and became Nalfalaren. Unlike the seemingly colorless whirlpool, Nalfalaren glowed in nine distinct hues.

“Satomi-kun, please use the sword!”

“Wouldn’t it be better if you used it, Aika-san?”

In the past, Signaltin’s owner and its contractor being two different people had caused a lot of problems. But when Nalfalaren was born, the contract was rewritten to prevent all of that.

“No, Satomi-kun. That sword is a gift to you from all of us.”

Maki declared that Koutarou was the rightful wielder of the sword with a smile as she readied her staff. It was wrapped in the glow of red mana and transformed into a greatsword. She was planning on fighting with her own power.

“...You guys are idiots, aren’t you?”

“We all agreed that love is all.”

“I know! That’s why I’m saying you’re all idiots!”

When Koutarou took the sword beautifully decorated with silver and gold in his hands, the nine lights all started glowing brighter. It was a symbol of the girls’ decisive will to protect Koutarou no matter what, and to see him walk down the path he desired.

As if responding to the appearance of Nalfalaren, the spy turned around. He fixed his cloudy eyes on Koutarou.

“Guh, gah... you... you again...”

The sun was already in the midst of setting, and the surrounding area was cloaked in twilight. On the promenade by the forest, the lighting was especially poor at this time of day. The spy appeared to fade into the quickly darkening surroundings.

“Why... do you always get in my way... abominable... abominable...”

No, it wasn’t just that he appeared to fade. His very silhouette was growing indistinct. In growing dusk, he was gradually turning into something different. However, he himself was unaware of it. His consciousness was already under the influence of the whirlpool of chaos. As his self-awareness dimmed, the boundary between his consciousness and the others in the whirlpool blurred.

“I guess he was pulled in by his desire to do anything to save his country and family.”

“Or maybe his despair served as the trigger to summon the malice from all over his homeland.”

His own wish, and the expectations of those around him. Hope and despair. His wish that overleaped what he was capable of easily transformed into greed, even if it was born from love and a sense of responsibility. In the past, Koutarou and Clan had been able to stop, but the spy hadn’t been able to do the same. Seeing his own country fall to ruin and feeling the weight of the expectations of everyone around him to stop it, the spy couldn’t stop it. Somebody probably just needed to tell him that he didn’t need to carry all of that weight on his own. That it was okay that there were things he couldn’t do. Just like Koutarou and Clan had told each other. But because of his isolated life as a spy, his misfortune was such that there was no one at his side to tell him those things.

“But I can’t let you fulfill that wish!”

The man’s wish had come from a good place. It was pure, and it was strong. He would do anything for the sake of his country, his family, and his allies. But that was exactly what had attracted the whirlpool. His consciousness had been engulfed by his willingness to do anything, including trampling down others, to accomplish his goal. That’s why Koutarou pointed his sword at the spy. Even if his goals were understandable, there were still means that were unacceptable.

“Veltlion, you’re not wearing your armor, so be careful!”

Several unmanned crafts suddenly appeared around Koutarou and Maki. They had been sent by Clan from the Cradle. Since Koutarou wasn’t in his best fighting condition without his armor, she wanted to supplement his defense.

“I get it. Who knows what you guys would do if I get done in...”

“That’s right. So if you don’t want to become the universe’s strongest super knight, I suggest that you protect yourself.”

“That’s a frightening thought. I’ll be careful.”

The girls had already staked their lives to create Nalfalaren. Just what would they resort to if Koutarou were to die? And what would they sacrifice to do it? Koutarou didn’t even want to think about it. He knew that he needed to protect himself in order to keep that from happening.

I often tell people to take better care of themselves since it’s not just for their sake... This must be what that really means...

Koutarou had said something similar to others many times before. For example, when Maki had tried to sacrifice herself, he told her that it wasn’t just herself that she needed to live. But this was the first time Koutarou realized the same thing applied to him.

But... can I really win against that thing unharmed...?

Beyond the tip of the sword was the spy who was losing his shape.

“Why... why do only you get to have everything... how hateful... I want everything... with that I can save... save the country... save everything...”

According to the spiritual energy that Koutarou sensed, the spy didn’t have as much power as Vandarion. But Koutarou had almost no support apart from Nalfalaren. He didn’t have Blue Knight or his armor. Moreover, the last him he’d used this sword, it only had such overwhelming power because the will of the people of Forthorthe had been focused on him. In other words, Koutarou, like the whirlpool of chaos, was significantly weaker now than the last time they faced off. His intuition told him that this had the potential to get ugly.

“It’s okay, Satomi-kun. You’ll win! I’ll make sure you do!”

“Aika-san... You’re right, we’ll win this!”

“Yes, let’s go!”

To Maki, Koutarou’s victory was everything. She would do anything she could to make it happen. In that sense, her wish appeared to be the same as the spy’s. But there was an important difference. Maki knew what conditions were required for Koutarou to be truly victorious. To her, Koutarou’s victory would be the three of them returning to room 106 with smiles on their faces. That was what set Maki apart from the spy. Pouring her wish—which Sanae would surely call love—into her weapon, she attacked the spy.

“Keep it together!” Maki shouted.

“Out of my waaay!” the spy shouted back.

He easily caught Maki’s deadly blow. And emptyhanded, at that. Having grown abnormally large because of the whirlpool of chaos, the spy’s physical and magical capabilities towered over Maki’s. It looked like he would send her flying, but her attack hadn’t ended yet.

“Don’t fight with a power like this! Use your own! For your country and your family’s sake!”

Swish!

Maki fought using a combination of sword and sorcery. Not only had she changed her staff into a blade, but she had charged it with magic. Her chosen spell was a specialty of hers: mind manipulation magic. This one in particular blocked signals from the brain to the body and restrained movement.

“As if something like this could stop meee!”

Maki could only use intermediate spells in combination with her sword, and it seemed that wouldn’t be strong enough to completely stop the spy. The vast power from the whirlpool of chaos overcame her magic in short order. She’d only been able to keep him at bay for a few moments.

“Then how about this?!”

But that was good enough. Maki wasn’t alone. Using the few seconds’ opening Maki had created, Koutarou swung down Nalfalaren. And unable to move, the spy took the hit directly.

Fwooosh!

The power of chaos around the spy came into contact with the power of harmony emitted by Nalfalaren. The two powers negated one another and released a wave of energy that swept out into their surroundings, threatening to blow everything away.

“Get back, Veltlion!”

The wave of energy assaulted Koutarou as well. But before it could break his body to pieces, Clan’s unmanned crafts gathered in front of him and deployed a barrier. Since the annihilation of the two powers had only released a shockwave and heat, the barrier was enough to block it.

“Y-You saved me! Thanks, Clan!”

“Can you please be more careful?!”

“Satomi-kun! It’s dangerous to use your power all at once!”

In his armor, Koutarou could normally deflect a wave of energy like that without a problem. Between the armor’s defenses and its barrier, he’d be fine. At least he had been in the fight against Vandarion. But he wasn’t that lucky now. Without the armor, using all of his power and creating a blast like that was dangerous for him.

“I’m not good at holding back though.”

Nalfalaren’s power itself couldn’t harm Koutarou. It was created to protect him, after all. But the shockwave and the heat from the annihilation of positive and negative energy was different. So in order to stay safe, he’d need to tone down Nalfalaren’s power. But if he toned it down too much, he wouldn’t be able to get through the spy’s defenses. He’d have to figure out where that line was.

“You don’t have a choice, Veltlion!”

“I know! Let’s try it one more time, you two!”

“Ready over here!”

“You can count on me!”

Koutarou decided to stop emitting the blade’s power at full force and focus on the blade itself instead. Making use of the annihilation, he was planning on trying to cut through the whirlpool this time. With that, his attack power wouldn’t drop too much and he wouldn’t get hit by the wave of energy.

“I’ll go first!”

Bang, bang, bang!

Clan started off by having all of her unmanned crafts open fire. As the whirlpool of chaos was protecting the spy, long range attacks wouldn’t deal any real damage. However, it was enough to pin down the spy and keep him from moving too much.

“How about this?!”

When Clan began her assault, Maki let go of her sword with her right hand and focused orange mana into it. It was a sign of her using alteration magic. She cast a spell that changed the element of the air.

“Well done, Maki!”

Bang, bang, bang!

Clan realized what Maki was thinking, and strengthened her attack even more. The unmanned crafts rained down bullets on the spy, but they did no damage. They simply ricocheted off the surface of his enhanced, enlarged body and vanished into the distance.

Fwoosh!

But that was when something surprising happened. All of a sudden, the spy’s body was wrapped in roaring flames. That was thanks to the spell that Maki had just cast. She had changed the air around the spy into pure oxygen and combustible gas, which was then ignited by Clan’s bullets. The end result was the spy being swallowed by a giant ball of fire.

“Guaaaaah!”

“Good work, you two!”

The fireball blocked the spy from seeing anything for a couple of seconds. In contrast, Koutarou could still see just fine thanks to his spirit sight. He could clearly make out the spy’s twisting body as he was burned by the flames, and took the opportunity to take a swing with Nalfalaren.

Shing!

“Gyaaaaah!”

“All right, I can do this!”

The attack brought about the results Koutarou had hoped for. Having grown enormous, the spy’s body was mostly made up of the power of the whirlpool of chaos. So when Nalfalaren came into contact with him, the power around the blade caused the annihilation to take place within the spy’s body, and Koutarou was able to cut off his right arm that way. The severed arm wriggled around like a living creature before splitting apart and disappearing.

“C-Curse you, B-Blue Knight... once again, you...”

But just like with Vandarion, the missing limb was quickly regenerated. Flesh swelled up around the wound and sculpted itself into the shape of an arm as if it were clay. The spy’s negative emotions tried to call forth even more power from the whirlpool of chaos.

“Did you say Blue Knight?! Is Vandarion mixed in with you?!”

Now that he was pulling more power from the whirlpool, the emotions of people that had been connected to the whirlpool previously flowed into the spy along with its negative energy. And with his own sense of self diluted in the chaos, he felt those emotions like they were his own. In fact, the hostility he felt towards Koutarou and the others might have been from the whirlpool to begin with.

“Keep it together! You have to bring yourself back! Who are you?! What are you fighting for?!”

“I-I’m... Alex... No, Vand... It doesn’t matter! I will kill you and obtain everything! The world will fall into my hands! Power! Give me more power!”

As Koutarou and the others distanced themselves and watched the transformation take place, the spy’s whole body began changing as if it were forcibly being molded into something else. He turned from a three meter giant to a two-legged dragon. It wasn’t dissimilar from the robot dragon Vandarion had controlled.

“No, you’re Alexei Belachev! You were supposed to be fighting for your family waiting for you at home, and for your country that has fallen on hard times! You aren’t after the world! Try and remember! Remember what you were here for!”

“Gaaaaah! Shut up, shuuut uuuuup!”

Snap.

Even after his death, fragments of Vandarion’s conscience continued to self-assert itself within the whirlpool. Because of his overly strong ambitions, he could retrain his desire and hatred even within the whirlpool. And as Vandarion sought to rule all, he exerted an extraordinary amount of control over anyone who came into contact with the remnants of his being. But because of Koutarou’s words, the spy began to suffer as he recalled his wife and son, and the starving people of their country. And trying to escape from that suffering, he began rampaging, throwing his limbs and tail about. But rather than trying to defeat Koutarou, it was an expression of the frustration he felt at being unable to escape the pain. His flailing rampage wasn’t directed at anyone.

“We might still be able to do something! Aika-san!”

However, that gave Koutarou hope. Seeing the spy venting his frustration made Koutarou realize that he still hadn’t been fully absorbed into the whirlpool. Just like Yurika had done with Purple, it might still be possible to save him. Koutarou was staking his bet on that.

“Greater Force Field!”

Seeing Koutarou’s sword starting to glow, Maki realized that he was planning on doing something. While it might have been extremely dangerous, Maki would do whatever she could for the man she loved. And supporting him as best she could right now would be how she protected him. Maki cast a defensive spell on Koutarou and glared at the spy as she firmly held her staff in both hands. If Koutarou’s idea was what Maki thought it was, she was holding the key to this battle.

“This will be settled in an instant! Don’t miss your chance, you two!”

“Right!”

“Leave it to us!”

With the sword glowing intensely in his hand, Koutarou charged at the spy. Attacking with this much power, the energy released from the annihilation would be significant. And Koutarou had gone on the offensive well aware of that. While his methods might have been wrong, the spy had committed no crime that should cost him his life. Koutarou didn’t want to kill him.

“Haaaaaaaaaaah!”

“Haste!”

After readying Nalfalaren, Koutarou’s movement began increasing rapidly. That was thanks to Maki’s spell. Koutarou hadn’t told her to cast it, but she thought it would be necessary. And Koutarou wasn’t surprised or confused by the sudden increase in his speed. He’d been counting on Maki to help him out.

“I’ll make sure I kill you this time! Now dieeeeeeee!”

Sensing danger from the approaching sword, the man-turned-dragon spewed flames at Koutarou. It was a literal pillar of fire, and it swept from left to right to mow Koutarou down.

“Aika-san―”

“Quick Cast Force Field!”

“―Footing!”

Wham.

By the time Koutarou finished making his request, it was already done. Using the magical shield that appeared before him, Koutarou kicked off it and jumped as high as he could. With his movements accelerated, he escaped the flaming pillar with just a few singed hairs.

“Satomi-kun―”

“Sword, please!”

“―Blind him!”

A bright flash was released from Koutarou’s sword. The spy who stared right at the blade was stopped in his tracks.

“Gah! D-Damn it, my eyes! My eyes!”

“Hahh...”

Exhaling sharply, Maki stepped forward as the spy flailed in confusion. Unlike before, the spy could attack from range, so Maki needed an opening like this to be able to advance. As she approached, Koutarou took his place next to her, and they stood shoulder to shoulder in front of the spy.

“Curse youuu!”

Swoosh!

The spy swept his long tail across the ground, trying to knock back both of them. However, it passed through right where they were standing with no resistance. The two people he’d seen were mere holograms.

“Wha?!”

The tail swipe had missed, and its violent momentum threw the spy off balance as his body twisted in a half circle. Clan had been waiting for just that moment.

“What did you think the flash was for?!”

Crash!

“Guah!”

Clan rammed one of the unmanned crafts into the spy. Normally it would have been sent flying, but with the spy off balance, that didn’t happen. With his equilibrium already compromised, the blow sent him to his knees.

“You really are a genius, Clan!”

That was when Koutarou—the real one—appeared with his sword at the ready. He swung down the glowing Nalfalaren at the fallen spy.

“Praise me for something else for once, would you, stupid boy?!”

The power of the whirlpool of chaos around the man and the power of Nalfalaren reacted violently to one another and unleashed an intense blast of heat and accompanying shockwave. At such close range, Koutarou was sure to take a lot of damage. However, Maki’s defensive spell and the barrier from the unmanned craft that had rammed the spy protected him. Thanks to that, the spy was the only one who suffered any harm from it.

“Greater Dispelling!”

Maki made the final move. The fastest way of saving the spy was to cut the magical cord between him and whirlpool of chaos. However, in its usual state, the whirlpool’s defenses were very high, making it exceedingly difficult to sever any ties. And since Maki wasn’t as much of a prodigy when it came to magic as Yurika was, the task was even harder for her. That was why Koutarou had weakened the whirlpool with his sword first.

“Return to your family, Alexei Belachev. Use your own powers to protect them, your friends, and you country... I’m sure you’ll be able to do it...”

Covered in the power to dispel magic, Maki’s sword didn’t hurt the spy. It only slashed the magical bond between him and the whirlpool. Having lost its foothold to exist, the whirlpool rapidly began weakening and vanished, presumably returning to the mysterious nothingness from whence it came.