Rokujouma no Shinryakusha!? - Volume 30 - Chapter 2

A Brother’s Dignity at Risk?!

Wednesday, April 6th

Though the opening and entrance ceremonies had ultimately gone by without issue, Koutarou didn’t return home right away. He had a meeting with the Forthorthians and the Sun Rangers afterward, which didn’t wrap up until after 5PM.

“Uh, what is this?”

“Ooh, what is it?”

What greeted Koutarou and Sanae when they finally returned to room 106 was a transparent cylinder about fifty centimeters in diameter and several meters long. It stretched all the way from the inner room to the front door. Sanae quickly kicked off her shoes and followed it to the other end.

“It’s dangerous to stand there, Veltlion.”

“Of course this is your doing.”

Koutarou neatly put both his and Sanae’s shoes away before entering the inner room, where he found Clan standing next to a strange machine that the plastic tube was apparently attached to. Sanae was already looking at it curiously from one angle and then the next.

“Glasses, what are you making here?”

“I’m testing it rather than making it... but it’s a ping-pong cannon.”

“What the heck is a ping-pong cannon?”

“It’s just what it sounds like. It’s a cannon I’ve made using Earth technology that accelerates ping-pong balls to maximum velocity and fires them.”

Clan adjusted her glasses as she explained the contraption to Koutarou and Sanae. And as she said, it was quite true to name. The ping-pong cannon was a cannon meant to shoot ping-pong balls.

“When you say ‘maximum velocity,’ what are we talking about here?”

“Currently, it clocks at just over 1,000 kilometers per hour. Any higher than that and the sound barrier would get in the way... That’s what I’m trying to figure out how to deal with now.”

Clan’s purported results were only about 200 kilometers per hour shy of the speed of sound. Her cannon could already fire ping-pong balls at nearly inconceivable speeds, so figuring out how to shoot them any faster would be quite difficult. And that was the challenge Clan was currently trying to puzzle out.

“The sound barrier would get in the way? What?”

“Well... simply put, because the balls would be going too fast, the air in front of them would compress and create resistance, which would throw the ball off course. And it would take an extraordinary amount of energy to overcome that. That resistance is at its strongest around the speed of sound, which is why it’s conventionally known as the sound barrier.”

The sound barrier was typically only a problem for the fastest of aircrafts, yet Clan was challenging it with mere ping-pong balls. This was serious business. Even the science-illiterate Koutarou could tell that much.

“It sounds like you’d be crushing the ping-pong ball.”

“That’s precisely what happens. Take a look.”

“These balls are all in pieces...”

“This is what happens when I fire them at 1,100 kilometers an hour without any countermeasures.”

“So I guess they’re colliding directly with the sound barrier?”

“That’s why I need to think of a way to overcome it.”

“Ping-pong balls just don’t seem up to the task...”

In reality, firing ping-pong balls beyond the speed of sound would be a simple matter with Forthorthian technology. By protecting the ping-pong ball with a barrier and carefully controlling gravity and inertia, it could be launched at any conceivable speed. However, the challenge here was that Clan had chosen to work exclusively with Earth technology. It sounded like an impossible task at first, but that piqued Koutarou’s interest.

“That sounds like fun. Let me help too.”

“That’s awfully positive for you.”

His reaction surprised Clan. She was sure that he’d laugh at her for doing something so silly.

“I don’t hate stuff like this. It’s like a summer break research project or something.”

“Now that you mention it, you did enjoy keeping those beetles, didn’t you?”

Beetle-keeping would be an equally silly task in the eyes of most. But Koutarou had enjoyed it nevertheless, and he certainly didn’t see the harm in Clan goofing around with Earth technology. The same as someone else might build a plastic model for fun, Clan would build new inventions—it was really just a hobby.

“Let me join in too! I wanna see these super fast ping-pong balls!”

“You won’t be able to see them if they’re too fast, you know?”

“I bet I’ll be able to see the holes in the wall!”

Sanae was on board too. She loved this kind of silly project. And so the three of them began work on mastering the fastest ping-pong ball the world had ever seen.

After going over the ping-pong cannon together, Koutarou and the girls sat down at the tea table to discuss how to proceed.

“The cannons you see in anime are all twisty, right? Aren’t you going to make it like that?” asked Sanae.

“Twisty? You mean the spiral on the inside of the barrel?” asked Koutarou in turn.

“Yeah, that.”

“That’s not a bad idea,” remarked Clan. “Putting a spin on the balls will make sure that they fly smoothly, and it might reduce their drag.”

“But won’t that make the problem you mentioned where the air pushing the ball forward leaks out and ends up in front of it even worse?”

“I’ll try making several barrels with different specs. We can compare results and figure out which designs work best to create the optimal outcome.”

“Wow, that totally sounded like something a scientist would say.”

“I am a scientist!”

Koutarou continued chatting with Clan and Sanae like that for a while, but when he went to set his tea cup down, he realized that someone else was sitting at the table with them. She had an open magazine in her hands and an uncharacteristically tense look on her face.

“What are you doing, Yurika?”

“What did I mess up this time?!”

Since Yurika was scolded on a near daily basis, she’d misinterpreted Koutarou’s question as an accusation. She lowered her magazine and looked up at him with teary eyes.

“No, that’s not what I meant. I was just wondering what you were doing.”

“Oh... You scared me.”

Yurika let out a sigh of relief upon realizing she wasn’t in trouble. A smile returned to her face, and she proudly showed Koutarou the cover of what she was reading.

“Here.”

“Looking for a part-time job, huh?”

The magazine she had in her hands was really a catalogue of part-time job listings that the local chamber of commerce put together. Since it was all local, niche work, the pay for listed jobs wasn’t stellar, but it would all be nearby and none of it would be high competition. It was perfect way for Yurika to search for a part-time job.

“I ran out of money, so I was thinking of working.”

“Yeah, you did buy a ton of manga.”

After all the time they’d spent in Forthorthe, Yurika had a long list of new releases to catch up on when they returned. As a result, she’d ended up blowing all of her savings, and now had no more money to buy new manga with. In order to make up the difference, she was considering picking up a short-term part-time job.

“Or you could give me an allowance instead if you’d like, Satomi-san.”

“Earn your spending money yourself.”

Koutarou and Yurika had been through a lot together, including a trip to Forthorthe now. If it had been an essential or something she really needed, Koutarou would’ve been happy to support her. But he drew the line at manga. He knew that making her earn that for herself would be for her own good.

“I thought you’d say that, which is why I’m looking for a job.”

“That was the correct decision.”

“Hey, speaking of allowances, I want a bigger one, Koutarou!”

Sanae was still receiving an allowance from Koutarou. It was a carryover from the days when she was still a ghost, and it didn’t amount to much. She only got 300 yen a week, but the amount wasn’t what was important. Sanae just liked getting an allowance from Koutarou. And Koutarou didn’t hate giving her one, either. In that sense, it was no different than Theia giving him a salary.

“You’re getting one from your parents too, aren’t you? Isn’t that enough?”

“Yeah, it totally is. But I think negotiation and compromise is part of a healthy relationship!”

“So that’s what you’re really after.”

“Veltlion, if you’d like, you can contribute to my research costs too.”

“...I’m going to hit both of you...”

As the conversation shifted off of her, Yurika went back to reading through the job listings. To her, lack of manga funds was a serious problem and an immediate solution was necessary.

Let’s see... This one pays... 20,000 yen a day?! And it’s paid daily?!

On one particular page was a listing for a rather high-paying job, but when she tried looking up the company on her phone, she didn’t get any hits. Nothing came up when she tried looking up their number, either. The listing was under “odd jobs” and said it would be warehouse cleaning, but that didn’t explain the pay. The only clue was the word “confidential” written in big, bold letters at the end of the ad. It was sketchy enough that it gave even Yurika second thoughts.

I hope it’s not the kind of job I shouldn’t be doing. Satomi-san would be disappointed then, but... I could just get my 20,000 yen and go back to studying! Aaauuuuugh... What do I do?!

The high pay was just too enticing, but she was still scared of what the fine print might be. She had a lot on the line as a young girl in love, and there were certain lines she couldn’t cross. And so she hatched a plan.

That’s it! I only need to give them the safehouse’s address! I can even use a fake name!

In case it turned out to be something totally fishy, Yurika decided to apply for the job with fake information. She may not be able to use magic for personal gain, but there were still plenty of perks that came with being an archwizard of Rainbow Heart. She was freely allowed to use the safehouse, fake names, and other such safeguards. Even though it would be for personal use in this particular instance, hiding her identity would benefit Rainbow Heart too.

I should also use magic to protect myself at the interview and when I go in for the job... Surely it’ll be allowed since it’s to protect myself!

It was one of Rainbow Heart’s cardinal rules that magic should not be used for personal gain, but it could freely be used to keep people safe.

“Now, let’s see... Towano Yuria... female... seventeen years old...”

Yurika penciled in the fake identity she used as a member of Rainbow Heart on the application. It was probably pushing the boundaries of acceptable behavior for an archwizard, but the offer of 20,000 yen for a single day’s work was just too attractive. It would also keep her from getting distracted from her studies for too long, so she convinced herself this was the right thing to do and turned in her application.

Kotori and Nalfa went out into the courtyard one day that week to have lunch. Nalfa would be swarmed by the other students if they stayed in the classroom, so they’d ventured outside to hide out in the courtyard for a little while.

“Nii-san and Kou-niisan were always running off somewhere like this, so my mom was always angry...”

“Kou-niisan?”

“Oh, I mean Satomi Koutarou-san. He’s a childhood friend of me and my brother.”

Kotori was a very shy girl, but she was already getting used to talking to Nalfa. The homeroom teacher pairing them off together had helped a great deal in that regard. Kotori was also diligent and responsible by nature, so she was determined to do her job well. Thanks to that, she and Nalfa were making fast friends. It was exactly what their homeroom teacher had been hoping for.

“You’re Koutarou-sama’s childhood friend?! Really?!”

“Um, y-yes. My brother met Kou-niisan in grade school, and I was kind of just always tagging along with them...”

Koutarou also played a large part in helping the two girls bond. To a Forthorthian like Nalfa, Koutarou was a modern hero and a living legend. Kotori being his childhood friend undoubtedly meant she knew all kinds of things about him, and Nalfa was dying to know every last secret. It was like she’d stumbled upon a treasure trove. And since Kotori loved talking about Koutarou, they had plenty to talk about right off the bat.

“But how do you know Kou-niisan, Nalfa-chan?”

“Ah, u-um... I can’t give you any details, but in short, Koutarou-sama saved Theiamillis-sama and her family, so he’s very well known in Forthorthe.”

Koutarou being the Blue Knight, savior of Forthorthe, was still being kept secret, so Nalfa kept her explanation as brief as possible. She knew that she and Kotori would be close, so she thought it would be better to tell her the truth—however much of it she could—instead of some half-baked lie that she’d have to correct later on.

“I see... That does sound like something Kou-niisan would do. He’s always been a real nice guy.”

“Ooh, tell me more!”

Fortunately, Kotori readily accepted Nalfa’s story. She knew that Koutarou got along well with Theia even before it was revealed that she was an alien, so it wasn’t hard to believe something so momentous had happened between them. Theia was also a member of the Forthorthian delegation, so she figured that it might be something political. Like her brother, Kotori was rather sharp, which ended up working out in Nalfa’s favor since she didn’t ask a lot of questions.

“Where should I start?”

“Tell me how you first met Koutarou-sama!”

“How I first met him? Gee, I wonder when that was...”

“Kotori, do you mind if I record your story?”

There, Nalfa pulled a camera out of her bag. She was forbidden from bringing in Forthorthian technology, so it was a Japanese-made camera she’d managed to get her hands on. It could take both still pictures and video, and was actually a rather expensive model.

“I don’t mind, but what are you going to use it for?”

“I’ll upload it so I can show my friends on Earth to everyone back home. Of course, I’ll include the stories about Koutarou, too.”

“So Forthorthe has something like the internet too, huh?”

“We call it the pan-galactic network.”

“So you’re like a vlogger, Nalfa-chan.”

“Heehee, I guess so.”

“Okay, then. Just give me a second.”

Kotori was a modern girl and had no opposition to being filmed, but she still wanted to make sure she looked cute on camera. She pulled out a small mirror to check her hair and uniform. It took a few minutes of minor adjustments before she was satisfied. After putting her mirror away, Kotori faced Nalfa again.

“Sorry about that.”

“No, I totally understand. I’m a girl too, you know?”

“Heehee. So, we were talking about when I first met Kou-niisan...”

“Yes, tell me more.”

“I think that was when I was still...”

Kotori then told the story of how she’d met Koutarou from the very beginning. Nalfa recorded her, only stopping her every now and then when she used words or phrases she didn’t know. The soft spring light shone down on the girls, and a gentle breeze blew lightly through the courtyard. It was a lovely afternoon.

“And even on days when Nii-san and Kou-niisan’s team didn’t have baseball practice, they were always chasing after a ball. I remember my mom complaining about how dirty their uniforms would get.”

“I see... So what’s baseball?”

“Oh, it’s a group sport that’s really popular here. You have two teams that alternate pitching and hitting... Well, there are lots of rules, but in short, the team that hits the ball the best wins.”

“Wow, an Earth sport... Maybe I should make a video to introduce it to everyone?”

“Ahaha, that sounds fun!”

Both girls were enjoying their lovely afternoon lunch, and they would have continued to do so were it not for the conversation they were about to overhear.

“...Mackenzie-senpai...”

Kotori’s ears perked up upon hearing her brother’s name. There were two girls walking by, chatting as they went. There was nothing out of the ordinary about that, except for what they were talking about.

“I’m totally Mackenzie-senpai’s type, so maybe I should ask him out.”

“Give it up. At best, you’ll only end up becoming one of his mistresses.”

“What? Those rumors are true?”

“Are you kidding? He goes through girls like toilet paper. And if he doesn’t want you as his girlfriend, he’ll just mess around with you and then dump you.”

Hearing those words, Kotori froze and remained motionless for a while. It wasn’t until the girls had walked past the courtyard that she came back to life. Almost a full minute had passed, but that was simply how long it took for her to process what she’d just heard. It was truly that shocking.

“M-M-My brother?! My brother has a bunch of girlfriends?! H-How... How obscene!”

“Kotori, calm down!”

“Oh, I am calm! I couldn’t be any calmer than I am right now!”

“Where are you going?! Wait a moment!”

Everything Kotori had been doing completely left her mind, and she made a beeline for the classroom 3-A. She was naturally introverted, but she also had a tendency to idealize people. There was no way that she could accept that her older brother had multiple girlfriends. She needed to get to the bottom of this immediately.

Several days had passed since his little sister started life at Harukaze High, and Kenji was in high spirits. At first he’d been worried that she wouldn’t be able to fit in or make any friends, but one good thing had happened after another, and he’d ultimately come to realize that he had nothing to be concerned about.

“I gotta hand it to the transfer student, Kou,” Kenji said with a smile as he sipped his coffee-flavored milk.

He normally gave off a sharp and cool impression, but he turned warm and bright the moment his little sister was involved. Right now, he looked like nothing more than a doting parent. Thanks to that, Koutarou could tell he was talking about Kotori even though he’d never said her name.

“Did something happen between Kin-chan and the transfer student?”

Koutarou was actually receiving reports on how Nalfa was doing, but unless the circumstances warranted it, he tried to keep out of her personal life. Kiriha was the one who made that call, so if there were any problems, he would get the information from her. Since Nalfa was a girl, Koutarou was trying to be as considerate as possible.

“Well, it seems like Kotori was assigned the job of taking care of the transfer student, and they’re actually getting along great.”

“So she’s made a friend already? That’s great.”

Koutarou also worried for the timid Kotori, but this news made him feel better both about her and Nalfa.

“That’s right. She’s taken her first real step into high school life. All that’s left is whether or not she’ll be able to fit in with the rest of the class, but her relationship with the transfer student is helping her out there too, so it looks like everything’ll be okay.”

“That’s a relief. Things just work themselves out sometimes, huh?”

“Yes, but there’s one problem, Kou. Boys.”

“What, you’re worried that boys are trying to talk to her already? As her brother, you should have some faith in her.”

“I know, but still.”

Kenji was honestly thrilled that his little sister was adjusting well to high school. He’d been so worried about her lately that he was even spending less time on girls. Boys coming after his little sister was something he’d been dreading for ages, but he couldn’t deny that Koutarou was right. He needed to have faith in her. Resolving to do just that, he started to calm down some.

“See, if you’d go out with Kotori, I wouldn’t have to worry, Kou.”

“You make it sound so simple, but both Kin-chan and I have our own stuff going on.”

“So put it all behind you and move on.”

“Now you’re just being ridiculous for the sake of your own peace of mind.”

“I know.”

Really, what would solve all of Kenji’s worries at once would be if Kotori and Koutarou started dating. If that happened, he wouldn’t have to worry about either of them anymore. He could simply dote on his little sister as he pleased, and leave protecting her to the trusty Koutarou. It would be the ideal development for Kenji, but alas, that ideal would never be realized.

“Nii-san! Matsudaira Kenji!”

“Wha?”

A familiar but unusual voice shouted Kenji’s name from the door of classroom 3-A. Kenji turned to look in that direction with a stunned look on his face.

“Nii-san!”

“Kotori?!”

It was Kotori, but no... It couldn’t be. This was nothing like her. In fact, the sight of her stomping across the classroom was almost too much for him to believe. Who was this girl and what had she done with his little sister?

“Nii-san, is it true that you have a bunch of mistresses?!”

The words that came out of her mouth were the most unbelievable thing yet. Not just Kenji, but the entire class was left dumbfounded with one exception.

“Hmm, this is getting interesting.”

That exception was Kurano Kiriha.

“Wh-Who told you that, Kotori?!”

“I’m hearing rumors all around school! I’m so embarrassed I could die!”

It was true. Kenji was a popular guy and almost all the girls liked to talk about him. That was ultimately how the rumor mill had started, but the kids of class 3-A knew better since they had a much better idea of what kind of person he was. So did the girls of room 106. They trusted Kenji implicitly as Koutarou’s friend, and didn’t give any credence to the rumors about him whatsoever. Nevertheless, this got most of his classmates whispering.

“Isn’t that his little sister?”

“Really...?”

“Wait, so the rumors are true?”

“What a shock!”

“Seriously? Just how many girls has he duped?”

Kotori’s little outburst had them doubting Kenji left and right. Surely if his little sister was yelling at him, there had to be something to it.

“W-Wait a minute, Kotori! This is a misunderstanding!”

“Of course you’d say that! There’s no way you’d admit it!”

“Calm down! Besides, calling them mistresses is a bit much! It’s not like I’m married!”

“So you don’t deny dating an unspecified amount of girls?!”

“No, that’s not what I mean! I do always have a girlfriend! A girlfriend! One!”

“Yeah, whichever girl is standing in front of you, right? How crass!”

The spat between Kotori, who had lost sight of herself in anger, and Kenji, who was desperately trying to resolve the misunderstanding, only got more intense. The entire class had their eyes on them, so nobody noticed the second girl who quietly entered the classroom.

“Ah, thank goodness... I finally found you, Kotori.”

It was Nalfa, who had come running after her friend. Right now she was one of the most famous people in Japan, but other than her hair, she was just an ordinary girl. She was no match for the titanic clash going on between siblings on the other side of the classroom. Things might have been different if she’d called out to Kotori, but something else caught her eye and distracted her. It was the couple that had a very special meaning to both her and all of Forthorthe...

“Rock, paper, scissors!”

“Rock, paper, scissors!”

Nalfa lifted her camera and watched Koutarou and Theia playing rock, paper, scissors through he viewfinder. After several days at school, she was already quite familiar with this game. It would still be alien to most Forthorthians, however, so she’d probably need to include some annotations if she uploaded this video.

“Look right!”

After winning the current round, Koutarou pointed right. In response, Theia swiftly turned her head left. Koutarou then frowned bitterly as Theia flashed a triumphant smile.

Is this... some other game that’s been combined with rock, paper, scissors, I wonder? Do you lose if you look in the wrong direction? Oh, I see, you’re not supposed to look in the direction the winner points.

Nalfa had her questions, but continued to record. She could work out the details later. Right now, the most important thing was catching this moment between Koutarou and Theia.

“Rock, paper, scissors!”

“Rock, paper, scissors!”

Theia won the second round and pointed her finger.

“Look down!”

“...Ugh!”

It seemed Koutarou had reflexive looked in the same direction. Seeing that, Theia pumped a celebratory fist into the air. Meanwhile, Koutarou’s shoulders drooped. Nalfa had quickly caught on to the gist of the game, and Theia was ultimately victorious. The most interesting part of their little game, however, had yet to come.

“Aah!”

“Ugh, fine...”

Theia leaned in closer to Koutarou, her small mouth open wide. Koutarou then reluctantly popped something into her mouth with his chopsticks. Nalfa then realized what the stakes of the game had been—the last piece of fried chicken.

“Hmm, mmm... That was good.”

“You’re stupid strong when it comes to this kind of thing.”

“You should hold your lord in higher esteem. I’m good at all manner of games.”

“Yes, yes, you’re wonderful, Your Highness.”

“That’s much better.”

It was an unimaginable sight. The act itself was common enough in Forthorthe. Nalfa and her brother would fight over snacks almost daily. But a princess and her knight doing it was something else entirely.

I’ve never seen Princess Theia act so cutely... And Layous-sama has such a soft expression... This is definitely not what you’d expect to see between a princess and knight!

Koutarou was currently sitting with an open manga magazine on his desk, and Theia was standing behind him with her arms draped around his neck and her head on his shoulder. It looked like they were reading together. Moreover, like this was perfectly casual for them. Like it was something they did every day. They looked like best friends.

From this... it looks like Princess Theia is definitely going to bring Layous-sama back home to Forthorthe... It doesn’t look like the two of them should ever be apart...

Nalfa watched them with an entranced gaze. The two of them were discussing the manga as Koutarou turned the pages. It was quite obvious it would take far longer to read this way, but neither of them seemed to care. The gentle spring sunlight filtering down on them through the windows, this charming scene simply seemed to be how the golden princess and the Blue Knight spent their lunches together.

There, Shizuka noticed Nalfa standing at the door, camera in hand.

“Theia-chan, it looks like you have a guest.”

“Hmm?”

When Theia heard that, she left Koutarou’s side and walked over to Nalfa. Nalfa was a little sorry to see the two of them part.

“I’m sorry for filming you without even saying hello... I’m Nalfa Laren, one of the Forthorthians chosen to become a transfer student.”

“I’m Theiamillis. Do you want to become a reporter like your brother?”

Theia looked at Nalfa’s hands. She was holding a Japanese camera, and a rather expensive one at that. That was what made Theia think she wanted to become a journalist.

“It’s just my hobby to record all kinds of things... If anything, I’d like to become a photographer or filmmaker.”

“Hmm, it sounds like you and I will get along just fine then. It’s nice to meet you.”

Unlike reporters who asked all sorts of nosey questions, photographers simply eternalized things as they were. Really, Theia was still just sour over Danesford. But after Nalfa’s earnest answer, she thought the two of them would could be friends without issue.

“Thank you very much, Your Highness!”

“Shh!”

“Oh, er... I’m sorry, Theia-sama.”

“Fortunately, thanks to the uproar over there, it seems that nobody heard you,” Theia said, indicating the ongoing fight between the Matsudaira siblings.

“Like I said, it’s all a misunderstanding!”

“I can’t believe you when you’re constantly switching girlfriends, Nii-san!”

“Th-That’s...”

“Luckily for you, I’m a little more forgiving than she is,” said Theia as she turned back to Nalfa. “Don’t let it bother you.”

“I’ll be more careful in the future.”

Nalfa had reflexively addressed Theia as the princess she was. No one had noticed thanks to all the background noise, but Nalfa knew she wouldn’t always be that lucky. She’d have to make sure it didn’t happen again.

“By the way, what did you come here for?”

“I came here chasing after Kotori, but when I saw you and Layous-sama, I just started recording...”

“Well, you should avoid recording those two.”

“It’s okay. I left them out of the shot.”

“Then that’s fine. Well, since you’re here, why not record Koutarou? You want footage of him too, right?”

“Huh, me? I think I need to go lend Mackenzie a helping hand. He’s been looking at me pretty desperately for a while now.”

“I don’t care.”

“If possible, I would like to record not just you and Layous-sama, but the two of you, Clan-sama, and Ruth-sama all together. Everyone would love to see all of you.”

“That’s true. Maybe a group photo would be okay?”

“Yes!”

“Welp, sorry, Mackenzie. You’re going to have to hang in there a little while longer.”

“That’s just heartless!”

“Look at me when I’m talking to you, Nii-san!”

In the end, Nalfa showing up at classroom 3-A would only prolong Kenji’s suffering. Koutarou was distracted long enough that the bell rang before he ever got a chance to help him, and so Kotori and Nalfa both had to go back to their class. At the very least, that thankfully put an end to the ordeal before it got any more out of hand.