Rokujouma no Shinryakusha!? - Volume 30 - Chapter 4

Mysterious Dealings

Thursday, April 14th

The Sun Rangers sent their suits to work after their meeting with Koutarou that morning. Collectively, they came up with a list of several potential suspects based on Kiriha’s criteria. As it turned out, there were quite a few people who had accessed the construction site after hours, and the suits contacted each of them about why. The majority were just workers putting in some overtime to try and make up for various delays in the construction schedule. Said delays and the workers’ timecards were all well documented, so everything seemed to check out there. But there were a handful of people who seemed to have less valid reasons for showing up to the construction site after hours—the interior decorating team.

“Yeah, that’s suspicious. By pretending to be interior decorators, they could have installed devices in any room they wanted,” remarked Koutarou upon hearing this.

“Moreover, it looks like the companies they work for are just dummy corporations,” added Kiriha.

The interior decorators in question came from four different subcontractors, which were all really just dummy corporations puppeted by three trading firms. The Sun Rangers couldn’t check out all three of them alone, so they’d called on Koutarou and the others for help in the investigation. The team consisted of the same group they’d met with that morning: Koutarou, Kiriha, Maki, Clan, and Ruth.

They’d gone to work straight away and had just arrived at the headquarters of the firm they’d been asked to look into.

“A trading firm?” asked Maki. “Even though they’re supposed to be hiring out interior decorators?”

Maki was currently peeking out from cover, surveying the trading firm in question. With the sun starting to set, the headquarters and the property it was sitting on were steeped in shadows. It only made the place look even more creepy.

“That’s not their only deception,” explained Kiriha. “It seems the entire operation is a front for a criminal organization. Their primary dealings are with firearms, drugs, and the like.”

“And now they want to add Forthorthian technology to that list?”

“In short, they’re really like an underworld trading firm.”

Maki peeked at the building again. A criminal organization would surely have access to listening devices and spy cameras. And by using their connections with the construction industry, they were trying to get their hands on Forthorthian technology through Nalfa. From there, they would sell it, making a tidy profit and spreading chaos throughout the world. Maki wasn’t just here because Koutarou wanted her to be. She personally wanted to put a stop to this.

“So should we assume that we’re going in to collect evidence of their misdeeds, Master?”

Laws had already been put into effect regarding Forthorthe’s proprietary technology, making it illegal for anyone to try and obtain it through anything but the proper channels. There was no way that the trading firm didn’t know what they were doing was illicit, so if Koutarou and the girls went through the front door and announced they were searching the place, there was a good risk of evidence being destroyed before they could get to it. It was a common trick for the president to have an emergency button in their office that would wipe all of the computers, for example. So in order to avoid anything like that, Koutarou and the girls would be taking a stealth approach.

“That’s right, Ruth-san. We’ll really be counting on you here.”

“Of course, Master. Please leave it to me.”

“Clan, I’m counting on you too.”

“You’re being awfully nice today.”

“I can tease you later if you do a bad job.”

“Ugh... You don’t have to worry about that.”

And so Koutarou and the girls continued to keep watch over the building and the surrounding area. It was still too early to sneak in. They’d be waiting until the sun fully set and most of the employees left before making their move.

At 8PM, there was some suspicious movement at the trading firm. Three cars pulled up to the office entrance, and three buff men got into each one. It looked like they were going somewhere.

“Clan.”

“I know.”

Clan was already on it by the time Koutarou nudged her. She called three small unmanned fighters from her ship, one to tail each of the cars. Figuring out where they were going was only tangential to what they’d come here for, but it was still a point of interest. Clan finished giving her drones instructions just as the three cars started to pull off...

“Look after the place while we’re gone, Yuria-chan.”

“Okay! Have a nice night!”

...leaving behind a lone girl energetically waving at them as they left. When Koutarou and the others saw her, they were stunned.

“That idiot! What is she thinking?!” exclaimed Koutarou.

“Y-Yurika?! Why is an archwizard of Rainbow Heart at a yakuza front?!” gasped Maki.

And indeed, the girl standing in front of the headquarters was Yurika. Moreover, she was wearing a black suit and shades like the buff men who’d just driven off. She looked just like a yakuza, albeit a somewhat comical one. Koutarou and Maki had been the ones to express their surprise with words, but Clan and Ruth looked equally shocked. The ever-composed Kiriha was comparatively calm, but even she was somewhat taken aback.

“...It would seem this is where she’s been working,” she commented.

“Hahh, I knew she was a bit of an odd one, but to think it was this bad...” sighed Clan.

“Could it be that Yurika-sama hasn’t realized she’s working for yakuza?” asked Ruth.

Encountering Yurika here was such an unexpected turn of events that everyone’s train of thought was well derailed for a good half a minute or so. But they all suddenly snapped backed to reality when it looked like Yurika was about to head back inside, and Koutarou quickly dialed her up.

Vrrring! Vrrring!

“Hello?”

“Yurika!”

“Oh, Satomi-san? Is something wrong?”

Yurika stopped with her hand on the door, and her voice coming through the phone conveyed no sense of danger or urgency.

“I’m still at work, so please keep it short.”

It was a perfectly proper response considering she was still on the clock. Koutarou knew that, but somehow that only irritated him even more. And that was reflected in his tone.

“Yurika, turn around and walk straight forward right this instant.”

“Excuse me?”

“Just do what I say!”

“Okay...”

Yurika had no idea what Koutarou was really asking her to do, but she obediently followed his instructions. She immediately spun around in place and began walking like she was told.

“Yurika, over here!”

“Satomi-san! What are you doing here?”

Koutarou called out to her when she got closer, and Yurika responded by shouting back and waving. Of course, that was the opposite of what Koutarou wanted.

“Not so loud! Just get over here!”

“Okay...”

Yurika scratched her head repeatedly while making her way over to the group. She didn’t know why Koutarou and the others were at her place of work, or why he wanted her to be quiet.

“What do you think you’re doing?!”

“What? Well, I’m working.”

She also had no idea why she was suddenly getting scolded. She thought she was doing good for herself to get a part-time job and be making her own money, so she was lost as to how this was getting turned around on her.

“Listen to me carefully, Yurika. Bad men work here.”

“Nuh-uh! Everyone here is really nice to me. They pay me well too, and the work isn’t all that hard.”

“This is a yakuza front. They’re running a ‘business’ here to cover up their real business. And with what we know right now, that business at least includes wiretapping Nalfa’s dorm room. That’s why we came to investigate, so imagine our surprise to find you here.”

“Whaaaaat?!”

Even the simple Yurika could understand what was going on when Koutarou put it that plainly. She knew Koutarou wouldn’t lie to her about something serious like this. And putting two and two together, she realized what she’d done. Though inadvertently, Yurika had become an evil underling.

“R-Really? A-Are you already sure?”

“We’re here to confirm it.”

“There are three companies on our suspect list,” explained Theia. “Any one of them—possibly all three of them—are involved. Including the company you’re working for.”

“But that means you don’t know 100 percent sure that they’re involved yet, right?! The Fifth, the young master, the collector, the gambler, Shima-san... They’re all good people! They’ve all been so kind to me! It must be the other two companies that are the bad ones!”

“I hope so, Yurika. I sure hope so...”

The names that Yurika so casually rattled off only made Koutarou and the others doubt this place even more, but they chose not to argue with her. They simply kept quiet as they began their investigation with Yurika now in tow.

The first order of business was checking out the warehouse that Yurika was in charge of organizing. Now that it was after hours, it was highly unlikely that anybody else would walk in on them while they investigated. It seemed like a good place to start.

“What have you been doing here anyway?”

“I sort the goods that come in. The rattling boxes go in the very back, the swishing ones go in the middle, and the clattering ones in front of everything else.”

“What the heck is that all about?”

“I don’t know what’s inside, but you can tell the difference between them by the sounds they make.”

Yurika guided the group to the back of the warehouse, where, as she’d said, the boxes were all neatly sorted and stacked.

“Karama, Korama.”

“We’re on it, Ane-san! Ho!”

“Leave it to us, ho!”

“I’ll help too.”

The haniwas and Clan approached the boxes, their tools at the ready. The haniwas surveyed them with their sensors, while Clan had a drone scan them.

“How does it look?”

“The rattling boxes are full of guns, ho!”

“The swishing ones are filled with pre-processed illegal drugs, ho!”

“And the clattering ones are stuffed with electronics. Specifically with devices that the Japanese government restricts... Oh, and listening devices and spy cameras.”

“Nuuuuu!”

Upon learning the content of the packages she’d been handling, Yurika broke down in tears. The shock was just too much for her.

“Hnnngh, Satomi-san... I really was an evil underling all along...”

“Calm down, Yurika. You didn’t know. You just got dragged into all this.”

“But, but, but... I’m an archwizard of Rainbow Heart and I’ve been helping bad men smuggle guns and drugs, not to mention commit space crimes against the transfer student... Waaah!”

Being betrayed by people you trusted was never easy, but it was a sad fact of life. It happened all the time. What truly shook Yurika to the core was that she’d betrayed her title as a magical girl. It was unintentional, certainly, but she was quite sure that Nana never would have done something like this. Moreover, there was the fact that it had only taken 20,000 yen a day to blind her.

“Satomi-san, I’m—hic—a failure as a magical girl, aren’t I...?”

“If you keep crying like that, probably.”

“Are you—hic—angry, Satomi-san?”

“If you keep crying like that, I will be.”

“Do you think—hic—I can make up for my failure if I try...?”

“Who knows? But the important part is that you try. I think that’s what a real magical girl would do.”

“!”

Yurika had collapsed into a puddle of tears, but upon hearing Koutarou say that, she suddenly sprung up from the ground and wiped her eyes. She’d remembered that she had people she couldn’t betray. She couldn’t betray their faith in her.

“Then I’ll try my best!”

“That’s the spirit.”

“Okay then! This way please, everyone! I’ll guide you to the office!”

There, Yurika took charge and began leading the others. She was like a completely different Yurika than the one who’d been crying on the floor just moments ago.

“I see you’ve continued to mature, Satomi Koutarou.”

Kiriha moved over next to Koutarou, trailing a little bit behind the others. There was a remarkably gentle smile on her face.

“Hmm? What do you mean?”

“Lately... you’ve been trying to close the distance between us as best as you can without forcing yourself. That makes me really happy.”

“It’s not like that this time... I just didn’t want her crying.”

“‘This time,’ huh? Heehee...”

Keeping Yurika from crying took priority over everything else, but otherwise, Kiriha was right on the money. Hearing that made her smile even brighter.

“Would you mind not being so observant, Kiriha-san? You’re making me self-conscious.”

“Then let me ask you something different... Did you not want Yurika crying just because she’s Yurika?”

A glimmer of seriousness flashed in Kiriha’s eyes. This was an important question to her. Koutarou fell silent for a moment as he contemplated his answer.

“No. I think I would have done the same if it had been you, or anyone else for that matter.”

“I see.”

The glimmer in Kiriha’s eye faded into a gentle, soft light. It was subtle enough that Koutarou hadn’t even noticed, but Kiriha was okay with that.

“Then I need to find something to fail at so you’ll comfort me like that too.”

“Hey now...”

“Heeheehee...”

Kiriha grabbed hold of Koutarou’s arm and embraced it. It was almost the exact same gesture as when she was teasing him in front of Kenji, but it seemed completely different now. Koutarou couldn’t help but wonder why.

“Say, Kiriha-san...”

“Hmm?”

“...It’s nothing. Never mind.”

“If you say so. Let’s go after Yurika, then.”

“Yeah.”

Koutarou wanted to ask Kiriha what the difference really was, but felt like she would only sidestep the question. In the end, he knew it was something he had to figure out for himself. And best of all, if he kept his mouth shut, he’d be able to see that special beaming smile on Kiriha’s face for a little while longer.

Apart from Yurika, there were only two employees left at the office. Of course, calling them “employees” was somewhat misleading; they were really yakuza. They were currently sipping on beers and watching the ball game on TV, which made them easy targets for Maki.

“Deep Sleep. Modifier: Multiple Targets.”

She cast a powerful sleep spell that would keep them out cold for a couple of hours or until she undid the spell, whichever came first. And with them out of the way, Koutarou and the others could take their time investigating.

“Looks like we’re all set here...”

The two men slowly leaned back on the sofa and fell into a deep, deep sleep. The empty beer cans they were holding clinked against the floor when they dropped them, but not even that showed any sign of waking them. Maki’s spell was working flawlessly.

“Thanks, Aika-san.”

“Don’t mention it.”

“All right, everyone, time to put gloves on. We don’t want to leave behind any evidence that we were here,” instructed Koutarou.

“Yurika, those men who left earlier... Where were they going?” asked Maki.

“Um, I think the Fifth said that he had some important business to attend to tonight.”

“Important business, hmm?” Kiriha mused.

She then approached a large desk in the back of the room, conspicuously decorated with the yakuza gang’s crest on the wall behind it. It was clearly the boss’ desk—the man that Yurika had called the Fifth.

“Clan-dono, could you examine this computer?”

“Leave it to me.”

Kiriha left the technological side of things while she investigated a certain something sitting out on the desk. Since trying to get their hands on Forthorthian technology would be an extremely important and sensitive matter, Kiriha couldn’t imagine that the boss would have left it to his underlings. The risks and responsibilities were just too great. That’s why she was sure the boss would be handling it himself.

“As we suspected, it seems this firm really is involved with the wiretapping.”

What had gotten Kiriha’s attention was a rough sketch of Nalfa’s dorm room. It contained circles showing the effective range of the spy devices, and calculations on necessary relays.

“Kii, I found a suspicious email.”

It didn’t take long for Clan to hack into the computer. The poorly maintained security that a criminal organization relied on was nothing more than child’s play to her. She was already into the email client and going through the recent mail. It was there she’d found something suspicious—an odd exchange with an unknown party.

“It looks like there are two deals going down tonight. The first is a drugs, but the second one is the real problem. This pretty explicitly references the purchase of Forthorthian devices.”

“What?!”

Kiriha was quite shocked and it was written all over her face. Surely that couldn’t be right. No, that shouldn’t even be possible. Right now, the Forthorthian fleet that Theia had come to Earth with was locked in orbit around the planet. No one should have been able to descend to Earth without them noticing. Kiriha couldn’t even imagine any other way Forthorthian weapons or tech had been brought to the surface, leaving her rightly staggered at this news.

“That must mean the drug deal beforehand is to secure funds...”

Even simple Forthorthian devices would fetch incredible sums. It was a seller’s market, and anyone who had them could set whatever price they wanted. Surely the boss had gone to pad his wallet before the exchange.

“But that strikes me as strange too, Kii. Why would someone from Forthorthe want Earth currency...?”

Clan had a good point. Exactly how this unknown party had gotten their hands on Forthorthian technology was a big enough question as it was, but they also wanted to be paid in Japanese yen? It was starting to sound more and more like the yakuza had fallen for a scam, but the mere possibility that this was all real was far too alarming to ignore.

“What should we do, Master?”

“Let’s leave investigating the rest of this place to the Sun Rangers while we go check out this deal.”

Koutarou decided their top priority should be stopping a potential arms deal. If it ended up being a scam, that would be fine. They’d all be able to breathe a sigh of relief if that were the case. But if Forthorthian technology was actually about to change hands, that needed to be stopped. And right now, Koutarou and the girls were the only ones who stood a chance of doing anything about it. If this unknown party really had access to Forthorthian technology, then they likely had that or better to protect themselves.

Since it had come to this, Koutarou gathered all the invaders in room 106. Considering the seriousness of the situation, he needed everyone on board. They were potentially going up against well-equipped Forthorthians, after all.

“Yurika, Yurika, I heard you became an evil underling. Isn’t that, like, super bad for a magical girl of love and justice?” asked Sanae.

“Aauuugh... S-Satomi-san, am I going to get arrested too?” Yurika asked Koutarou with teary eyes.

“Who knows? You were being tricked, so surely they’ll go easy on you,” he replied.

“Y-Yeah, that’s right!” she rallied.

“Collecting money from credit card scams like they had you doing at first might get you in trouble. I wonder if the police would actually buy that you’re completely innocent and were just being taken advantage of...?” mused Clan.

“I’d say you’re lucky that things turned out this way, Yurika. It looks like one of the conditions for the job was living on your own, so who knows what they might have done to silence you if it came to that...?” mused Maki in turn.

“Clan-san, Maki-chan, please stop saying scary things like that!” Yurika pleaded.

Now that everyone was back together, the tension in the room eased up a little. Koutarou was glad to see everyone so happy, so he decided to hold off on further instructions until they reached their destination.

As for that destination, Koutarou and company were now making their way to the exchange point where the deal would go down. They were being driven there in vans with the help of some suits sent by the Sun Rangers, primarily because they knew they would stand out a lot less in an Earth vehicle rather than a Forthorthian one.

At present, the group was split evenly between the two vans. The first contained Koutarou, Yurika, Sanae, Maki, and Clan; and Harumi, Shizuka, Ruth, Theia, and Kiriha were riding in the second. But even though they were in different vans, they were still connected via the comms system.

“Well, we know that Yurika isn’t a villain, but who knows what the police will think?” pondered Theia out loud.

“Yurika-chan, I think you should do your best to earn some brownie points in resolving this,” suggested Shizuka. “I’m sure that’ll help make the right impression.”

“You’re all so meeean! Why do you keep talking like I’m in trouble?!”

Morale was high. Except for when it came to poor Yurika, who still reckoning with her brief stint as an underling. She had no idea what was going to happen to her after this, and that was a great source of anxiety for her. Seeing this, Harumi called out to her.

“Heehee, you don’t have to worry, Yurika-san. Calm down and look around you. Satomi-kun is wearing the same expression as always, right?”

“Um, yes... I think so...”

“If you actually were in trouble, would Satomi-kun really be looking like that right now?”

“Ah...”

If Yurika were genuinely in serious trouble, there was no way the devoted Koutarou would be taking all of this so casually. In other words, he didn’t think for a second that Yurika was really going to be arrested. The same went for everyone else. They were just having a little fun teasing her, which was something they wouldn’t have been doing at all if she were in over her head. And it wasn’t until the kind Harumi said something about it that Yurika realized that.

“So, Kiriha-sama... If Yurika-sama really did get arrested, what do you think Master would do?”

“Knowing Koutarou, he would put the law and all logic aside. Undoubtedly, he would want to rescue her.”

“W-Would you really, Satomi-san...?”

Hearing what Kiriha said, Yurika turned to Koutarou. She was dying to know if that was the truth.

“No way. I’m not cleaning up after you. You’re on your own, because I’m not coming to save you.”

Koutarou answered her with a bitter remark, but looked away when he said it. He hadn’t been in a bad mood before this, however, which told Yurika what was really going through his head.

“You can’t do something so dangerous for my sake, Satomi-san...”

Tears welled up in her eyes. Yes, she knew what this really meant. Koutarou wouldn’t abandon her no matter what. Needless to say, they were tears of joy.

“I just said I wasn’t gonna save you.”

“Yeah, of course... Heehee...”

Joy, relief, trust, love... Her eyes radiated all kinds of emotion. Embarrassed by it all, Koutarou looked away again.

“A-All right, everyone! Time to get into gear! We’re almost there!”

“Okaaay!”

Of course, the girls all saw through him. As such, their smiles didn’t fade in the slightest, even when he was trying to get serious. A trusting, loving light was shining in their eyes too. Really, the odds were against Koutarou here. It would be a long ride.

Koutarou and the girls got out of the vans on the side of a road lined with tree cover. They were still some distance away from their destination, but they thought it better to go the rest of the way on foot. They didn’t want to attract any attention with the vans.

“Karama, Korama, how does it look over there?” Koutarou asked over the comms.

At first, Clan had her drones tracking the cars that had left the trading firm headquarters. But after the drug trade, they’d switched over to using the haniwas with a camouflage spell cast on them by Maki. They assumed that would lower their risk of being found out, since even if the enemy had access to Forthorthian technology, it wasn’t capable of detecting spiritual energy or mana. And since magic like that was an extension of her specialty—mind-manipulating indigo magic—Maki had a good many spells that were useful for stealth and undercover missions.

“Big Brother, continue south from where you are and approach from the west side of the building, ho. The entrance is on the south side, and that’s where the cars are, ho.”

“Their lookout is primarily focused on the south side where the road is, but he turns around to check the north side every ten minutes or so, ho. So be careful, ho!”

The haniwas were reporting intelligence on the abandoned building where the deal was taking place, including relaying live footage. Since they were using a special spiritual energy based communications line, the video feed was a little rough around the edges, but there was no risk of it being intercepted.

“Understood. Keep up the good work.”

“Roger, ho!”

“You can count on us, ho!”

“Kiriha-san, we should be focusing on figuring out who this unknown party is rather than breaking up the exchange, right?”

“Right. The Sun Rangers will detain the yakuza when they try to leave, so unless they get their hands on something extremely dangerous, we can just leave them be. Instead, we should be identifying the party that approaches them.”

That was ultimately their goal tonight—to unmask whoever had orchestrated this deal. Rather than simply putting a stop to the trade, they needed to prioritize figuring out who and where the leaked technology had come from. That would tell them the seriousness and the scope of the compromise. Of course, that wasn’t to say the deal with the yakuza didn’t matter. They would just be leaving it to the Sun Rangers to handle. The suits were already moving into position, and they’d already gone to pick up the two sleeping men at the office and a few other men who’d taken part in the drug deal.

“All right... so we’ll listen in on the deal from a distance and see if we can figure out who shows up,” said Koutarou.

“I believe that’s a sound plan,” confirmed Kiriha.

“More hide and seek, huh? I’m not really good at this stuff...” bemoaned Shizuka.

“Me neither. I’ve never been very good at running. Or hiding.”

Neither Shizuka nor Alunaya were a fan of the plan Koutarou and Kiriha had decided on. Shizuka’s blood had gotten pumping at the thought of being able to chase some bad guys around, but stealth wasn’t exactly her strong suit. And Alunaya felt largely the same way. Thanks to his massive size, hiding had never been his forte. So even though their reasons were somewhat different, neither one of them was too happy about this development in the operation.

“Then it’s your turn to shine now, isn’t it, Clan-san?”

“I swear... You’re the only one who actually expects anything of me, Maki.”

“I think Satomi-kun is expecting a lot of you right now too. Aren’t you, Satomi-kun?”

“No comment.”

“Jeez... I guess I’ll have to settle for that.”

Koutarou and the others took several measures to protect themselves before entering the woods. The deal would be going down at the abandoned building just on the other side of them. And the agreed hour was almost upon them.

After getting to within 200 meters of the building in question, the haniwas rendezvoused with the group. From here on, they’d be moving together just in case. Stealth was their highest priority right now, so breaking into groups only created more opportunities for them to be discovered.

“Has the other party arrived yet?” Koutarou asked when they returned.

“Not yet, ho. It’s just a bunch of scary old men, ho.”

“But if they don’t get here soon, they’ll be late, ho.”

“Maybe they found out we’re here and cancelled the deal?” wondered Clan aloud.

“In that case, the yakuza would be attacking,” replied Theia. “I doubt they’ll be arriving on foot, but perhaps there’s something else going on...”

It was now only a few minutes out from the appointed meeting time. If the other party was coming by car, they should be able to see headlights down the road by now... But it was completely dark. Without any idea what was going on, Koutarou and the girls were stumped.

“Well, we can’t wait for them to make a move. Let’s get closer and secure a place to observe the deal like we planned,” suggested Kiriha.

“Ane-san, we’ve already found a great place for that, ho!”

“This way, ho! Everyone follow us, ho!”

Unsettling though the current circumstances may be, it wasn’t like the group had the option of just packing up and going home. Instead, they pressed forward, carefully following the haniwas as they kept a vigilant eye on their surroundings.

“Wait here a moment. The lookout is doing a patrol of the area...”

Once they got within fifty meters, Clan stopped the group. Everyone quickly dove for cover behind trees and in the underbrush. Everyone, except for...

“Wh-What?!”

“...Landlord-san, over here!”

Seeing Shizuka freeze up for a moment, Koutarou pulled her into the thicket he was hiding in. He took her in his arms and forced her to get down.

“Kyah!”

“Shh, Landlord-san... Stay still...”

“Er, ah, yeah... That would be smart...”

Just a few moments later, a large man wearing a suit and shades came around the corner of the building. Unlike Yurika, the outfit fit him incredibly well.

“Jeez, to think I’d live to see the day we do business with aliens...”

“Ah, that’s the debt collector,” whispered Yurika to the others. “He notices everything down to the smallest detail, so we should stay hidden awhile...”

“Huh? What was that? Hmm... Guess it was just my imagination. With all this trouble lately, I must be getting high strung...”

Listening to Yurika’s advice, Koutarou and the others decided to stay perfectly still under cover until the man was gone. But in the end, that wasn’t necessary. For just before he disappeared around the corner again, a quiet whooshing sound could be heard overhead.

“What the hell is that?!”

When the debt collector heard it and looked up, he went speechless and ran around to the front of the building a breakneck pace. Not a moment later, Clan’s bracelet began vibrating intensely. It was a warning about the origin of the whooshing sound, but since they were on a covert operation, Clan had the alarm silenced.

“A space distortion reaction?! This is an attack craft!” she yelped in surprise.

If the debt collector hadn’t already run off, he most certainly would’ve heard her. They were lucky he was in a hurry.

“An attack craft?! Are you sure?!”

“There’s no mistaking it, Veltlion! This reaction is unique to the generators installed on imperial army attack crafts!”

“Impossible! What’s an imperial army attack craft doing here?!”

Koutarou let go of Shizuka and hurried out from where he was hiding to look up into the sky. There, he saw the attack craft in question slowly descending. But even despite seeing it with his own eyes, Koutarou could hardly believe it. Theia’s fleet was in complete control over entry to Earth’s atmosphere. Moreover, they hadn’t brought over any military crafts. In other words, this vessel couldn’t have come from Theia’s fleet. But it shouldn’t have been possible for anyone to break through the surveillance net they had around Earth and descend without Theia knowing it... It was truly unbelievable.

“Master, I’ve solved the mystery! That attack craft is part of Vandarion’s fleet!”

“Vandarion’s fleet?!”

Based on the silhouette of the craft and its markings, Ruth was easily able to identify it. It wasn’t from Theia’s fleet at all, but one belonging to their former archenemy, Vandarion. With that critical piece of information, Kiriha put together what was going on.

“So that’s what it is! They once had a fleet come here to capture Theia-dono and Elfaria-dono, and they must have left some surveillance forces behind! In other words, they didn’t have to break through Theia’s fleet! They were already here!”

It didn’t matter how tight of a watch Theia’s fleet kept over Earth’s atmosphere if the threat had been right under their noses all along. They’d been moving around freely on the surface for months now, brewing some kind of plan. Their meeting with these yakuza was probably part of it. Which meant that this situation was far more dangerous than Koutarou and the others had imagined.

Having overcome the initial shock of this development, the group proceeded with observing the deal as planned. They were surprised to learn that there were still remnants of Vandarion’s fleet around, but they’d need to learn more before they could figure out what Vandarion’s men were really after.

“Master, I had a small scouting drone attach to the attack craft,” Ruth reported.

The drone in question was only about ten centimeters big. She’d had it attach to the craft, then put it in sleep mode so she could wake it later and retrieve the data it was collecting. That way, they’d be able to keep track of the craft even if they lost sight of it. If they were lucky, it might even lead them directly to the enemy’s headquarters.

“Thanks. The rest’ll be up to us. Clan, how’s it looking?”

“Just a little, longer... Sanae, how about this?”

“I can see them, Glasses!”

Koutarou and the others had infiltrated the abandoned building via a crumbled wall and snuck closer to the large room where the deal would be going down. In order to get an idea of what was actually happening inside, they’d pushed a cable with a miniature camera and microphone on the end through a crack in the wall. It gave them a good view of the room, so they then backed off to a safer distance to observe remotely.

“Pardomshiha, you process the sound. I’ll take care of the video.”

“Certainly. Leave it to me.”

The group had the option of using unmanned fighters and the haniwas to spy on the deal, but they were worried about any sounds or signals they gave off being detected. And in order to thwart that, they’d chosen a more classical approach to spy tactics. It was certifiably lower-tech than all of their other options, but as long as they got it set up safely, it would go unnoticed and provide them with the surveillance they needed.

“What a surprise. To think you’d come from the sky...”

“It was the easiest way to prove to you that we’re not some imposters. And as long as we keep a low altitude, it’s the safest method of travel at the moment.”

Clan was projecting a hologram of the video feed for Koutarou and the others at a safe distance. Ruth was playing the matching audio for them too. At first, the video had been skewed and distorted and the audio filled with static, but between Clan and Ruth’s technological wizardry, they were able to sharpen things up in no time. The rest of the group almost felt like they were watching a movie.

“I didn’t think about that. But speaking of safety, we should hurry things along here.”

“I do believe that would be best.”

There were two men talking in the room. One was the fifth and current head of the yakuza gang, and the other was who appeared to be the commander of the attack craft that had arrived. They spoke politely, but both had the aura of a restrained wild animal. These two were birds of a feather. Perhaps that was how they’d ended up coming to a deal in the first place.

“Facial recognition analysis complete. That’s Lord Ralgwin Vester Vandarion of the Vandarion knights. He’s the nephew of our nemesis, Marswell Daora Vandarion, and the number four of his band of knights. He’s one of the guys that’s been missing!”

Clan was able to identify the Forthorthian man via the hologram. And as it turned out, he was Vandarion’s nephew. As he was still in his thirties, he hadn’t been made a general yet, but with his position, he was undoubtedly a trusted subordinate of Vandarion’s. That was why he had been left to see to things on Earth.

“I see...” mused Theia. “Thinking about it, it makes sense. We made powerful allies and were able to stage a glorious comeback here, so perhaps Vandarion was planning on doing the same if things didn’t go well.”

“So Elle hurrying diplomacy along was the right thing to do in the end, huh... If you guys hadn’t come, these guys would be running amok right now.”

Koutarou felt a chill run down his spine. They’d only incidentally discovered these remnants of Vandarion’s forces on Earth because Elfaria had been so quick in establishing diplomatic relations with Japan. If she hadn’t done that, these men could have leisurely taken their time investigating Koutarou and the others. That would eventually lead to them discovering magic and spiritual energy, and Koutarou didn’t want to imagine what kind of terrible things Vandarion’s men would do with them.

“We have the gravitational wave comms technology with us. It’s commonly used where we’re from, and makes communication possible over long distances regardless of obstacles. We have three devices as promised, and we’re even throwing in a decryption machine as a bonus.”

Ralgwin was offering the yakuza communications tech. Three devices wasn’t necessarily a lot, but they could be broken down and studied. And as soon as the yakuza discovered the secrets of gravitational wave communications—something unheard of on Earth—it would be worth an inconceivable fortune. They could even use it to intercept Forthorthian communications if they wanted. It was the perfect primer to Forthorthian technology.

“And we have the promised payment. Half is in bills—exactly one billion yen—and the other half is in weapons.”

“Excellent!”

In return for the technology they were getting, the yakuza were handing over the cash funds they’d amassed and a stockpile of weapons, mostly guns tossed together in a careless pile sitting next to an entire mountain of ammunition. It looked like they were preparing for war.

“I guess you could say this is our bonus for you. We thought the number of weapons you requested was a little on the low side, so we doubled the ammunition and threw in a rocket launcher.”

“Thank you for your consideration, Fifth-dono.”

Ralgwin ordered his subordinates to load the cash and weaponry aboard the attack craft. Meanwhile, the yakuza loaded the comms devices into their cars. The exchange was quick, and went down without issue.

“Well then, we’ll be taking our leave, Fifth-dono.”

“Very well. I’m looking forward to doing business with you again. I certainly hope we can have a long, prosperous relationship.”

“I hope so too. Now, until next time...”

After the heads of the operation said their goodbyes, Vandarion’s men and the yakuza got into their respective vehicles. It was a clean, cut-and-dry business transaction. They then vacated the area, the attack craft taking off into the sky and the yakuza’s black cars heading off down the road. Fortunately, it all went down without Koutarou and the girls ever being discovered. The rest would be up to Ruth’s drone in finding out where the attack craft landed. But so far, everything had gone off without a hitch. It was a relief to Koutarou and everyone else, and it all showed on their faces... except for Harumi, who looked rather pensive.

“Hmm... Satomi-kun, do you have a moment?”

Something struck her as odd about the deal they’d just witnessed.

“What’s up, Senpai?”

“Why would the remnants of Vandarion’s faction need Earth weapons? I can understand needing local currency while they’re here, but don’t they have far more advanced weapons than we do?”

That part didn’t add up to her. The Forthorthian military, even a remnant detachment, should have no need or even want for inferior Earth weapons. Moreover, they’d bought relatively commonplace ones. Nothing especially impressive or with that much firepower. Since Koutarou and most of the girls were Earthlings, the very idea of a weapons deal was frightening to them. But Harumi was right... There was something about this that was decidedly odd.

“You have a point... Why would they need Earth weapons?”

Theia was particularly perplexed. There was no conceivable point in reducing their firepower. Perhaps they’d been through so much combat already that they were having trouble maintaining their Forthorthian weapons and needed backup? Theia tried to parse the situation, and several possibilities ran through her mind, but nothing quite felt right.

“The reason is simple,” declared Clan.

It seemed she’d figured it out already, and she expectantly looked over at Koutarou.

“What are you staring at me for?”

“N-Nothing...”

All kinds of emotions flickered on her face for a moment before she sighed in apparent defeat and halfheartedly explained what she meant.

“I said it’s simple because there’s only one reason they would want Earth weapons: they’re planning an assassination, and they want to make it looks like it was Earthlings that did it.”

Clan had once tried to kill Theia in much the same way. She limited herself to using resources found on Earth in an attempt to vindicate herself and make it appear as though Earthlings had been the guilty party. That was how she was so easily able to see though what the remnants of Vandarion’s faction was trying to pull.

“Why are you patting my head?” she asked, looking up at Koutarou.

“No reason. It just happened to be nearby and look like it needed to be pat.”

“...You’re as rude as ever.”

“If I was polite, wouldn’t that be a problem in and of itself?”

There was a lot more to be said on the subject, but Koutarou chose not to touch on it for now. It wasn’t exactly appropriate for the time and place, considering the situation had just escalated into an emergency.

Kiriha picked up with the details, “There’s no real doubt that the remnants of Vandarion’s faction want to overthrow the Forthorthian royal families. Before that, they’ll want to uncover the secrets of our powers here on Earth. And once they’re fully prepared, they’ll attempt to stage a grand comeback like Theia-dono did. It would be easier for them if there’s tension between Earth and Forthorthe when that happens, which means they can only have one target: Nalfa.”

In order to stage the same kind of sweeping comeback Theia had, they would need spiritual energy technology or magic—even though they didn’t yet know about the existence of either one. But doing anything at all would be difficult with the planet under Forthorthe’s constant surveillance and supervision. So in order to encourage Forthorthe to pull back, they were planning on killing a Forthorthian citizen and framing Earthlings for the crime.

“Wait, how do you know it’s Nalfa-san?” asked Koutarou.

“If they’re killing to breed friction, a politician would be better than a guard or soldier, and an innocent civilian would be better than a politician. And if the victim’s a young girl, all the better. A transfer student who’s ventured across the galaxy to promote peace and friendship is the ideal target, as a matter of fact. And doing it here in Kisshouharukaze City, basically right under Theia-dono’s nose, would have the maximum possible shock value,” Kiriha explained with a bitter expression.

If they’d caught on to this sooner, they could have stopped the deal from ever happening in the first place. It was a failure resulting from focusing too much on the deal itself and not on the consequences of it. That said, thinking about the bigger picture was a particularly difficult thing to do in a high-stress situation like a stealth operation that required all of your attention on the immediacy of the here and now. If anything, this was a stroke of intuitive genius on Harumi’s part rather than any kind of oversight on Kiriha’s.

“I get it! In that case, Nalfa-san is the perfect target!”

When Kiriha spelled it out for him, Koutarou saw exactly what Kiriha meant. Nalfa was the youngest of the Forthorthians on Earth, and she was a civilian transfer student. She was like the walking embodiment of Forthorthe’s goodwill. If Vandarion’s faction was able to take her out and make it look like xenophobic Earthlings had done it, it would certainly cast a dark shadow over the blossoming relationship between Forthorthe and Earth. It would give Vandarion’s faction the wiggle room they needed to go about plotting their overthrow of the royal families. Which meant that, now that they had the weapons, killing Nalfa would be the next step.

“Damn, we need to get back! Nalfa-san will be in danger if we don’t hurry! They could be on their way right now!”

In the worst case scenario, the remnants of Vandarion’s faction would go to work right away. Since they’d come and picked up the weapons in their attack craft, it would be a quick trip over to the school to finish the job. They probably even knew Nalfa’s schedule thanks to the yakuza’s wiretap. And if that was what was going on, Koutarou and the others would have to hurry; Nalfa’s life depended on it. The attack craft had already departed.