Rokujouma no Shinryakusha!? - Volume 5 - Chapter 7

Magical Girl Rainbow Yurika

Sunday, November 29th

Koutarou pulled a sea creature out of the tank and put it in Harumi’s hand as she held her eyes tightly closed.

“Kyaaah! S-Satomi-kun, what is that?!”

“It’s a sea urchin.”

Surprised by the prickly sensation, Harumi opened her eyes. There was indeed a sea urchin in her hands, but it was much smaller than what she had imagined.

“Wahaha, don’t look so surprised.”

“Satomi-kun, please don’t laugh that much.”

“Not a chance.”

“Satomi-kun!”

Koutarou continued to laugh at the flustered, pouting Harumi. They were both acting a little different from normal.

“Satomi-san really is a bully.”

“In Kou’s case, it’s more just that he’s childish.”

Koutarou and the others were at an aquarium in the section where they could touch some of the sea creatures. It was an exhibit where harmless creatures had been gathered in a small water tank for visitors to enjoy. Koutarou had discovered it and brought an unsuspecting Harumi with him to play a prank on her. Yurika and Kenji sighed as they watched it play out.

But everything seems to be working out well. Good thing you mustered up the courage to invite Satomi-san, Sakuraba-senpai.

Yurika was surprised, but she looked at Koutarou and Harumi with a smile. It was true that they were behaving a little differently than usual, but that was exactly the development Yurika had hoped for. Koutarou was less reserved around Harumi, and Harumi was more open with Koutarou. The refreshing environment was working wonders.

The four of them were here with tickets Harumi had been given to visit the aquarium. It was Koutarou and Harumi, and Yurika and Kenji, of course, in pairs Yurika had planned out beforehand.

“If you’re gonna be like that, I’ll unleash every kid’s nightmare on you.”

“Crabs?”

“Yes! Go, crab army! Defeat Mackenzie!”

Koutarou’s next target was Kenji. He handed off four crabs to Kenji and began poking their shells.

“Hey— Owowowow!”

Sensing danger, the crabs used their claws to counterattack. But Koutarou knew better and stepped back in time so that they latched on to Kenji instead. In a literal pinch, Kenji wanted nothing more than to quickly shake off the crabs, but he knew he couldn’t do that since they belonged to the aquarium. With multiple fingers in the vise grip of their small pincers, he ran back and forth in a panic by the water tank.

“Heh heh heh. Learn your lesson, Mackenzie?”

“Satomi-san, isn’t that too much?”

“Then I’ll give one to you too.”

“What?”

Koutarou put a crab in Yurika’s hand as well, and she immediately began running back and forth around the water tank like Kenji before she was even pinched.

“Kyaaah! Kyaaah! Kyaaaaah!”

The threat of its powerful pincers alone was enough for the cowardly Yurika to be frightened.

“There you go. Now run around together like good friends.”

With his hands on his hips, Koutarou watched Kenji and Yurika’s frantic scrambling with a satisfied expression. That was when Harumi tugged on his sleeve.

“Satomi-kun.”

“Hmm? What is it, Sakuraba-senpai?”

“This is for you.”

When Koutarou turned around, Harumi put a hermit crab in his hand.

“Whoa!”

And before he realized what was going on, Harumi poked the hermit crab with her slender finger. It then brandished its large claw in response.

“Yeowch, owowowow!”

The hermit crab had pinched Koutarou’s finger with all of its might. It wasn’t long before Koutarou was running around the water tank alongside Kenji and Yurika.

“Wh-What did you do, Sakuraba-senpai?!”

“Heeheehee...”

Harumi happily looked on as the three of them ran in circles.

Thank you, Nijino-san. You made all of this possible.

Harumi was extremely grateful. She’d become a bit bolder for coming out to play with Koutarou. The refreshing environment of the aquarium had given her a small push forward. In the end, she felt like she’d gotten a little closer with Koutarou.

But I wonder why Nijino-san seems somewhat unhappy.

Yurika was being her usual loud self, but Harumi could see the hints of sadness in her face.

I just hope nothing has happened...

Harumi looked at Yurika running around and began wondering how she might be able to help her.

“Yurika is depressed?”

“Yes. That’s what it looks like to me. Have you noticed anything, Satomi-kun?”

Harumi shared her worries with Koutarou and watched Yurika from a distance. She was walking with Kenji and talking to him as she looked around the aquarium with sparkling eyes.

“Hmm...”

Koutarou stared at Yurika and reflected on the past few days.

Now that I think about it, she has seemed a little down since that day she skipped school...

He hadn’t noticed anything specific, but he could tell that her overall cheerfulness had diminished.

“You might be on to something Sakuraba-senpai.”

“I thought so... I want to get Nijino-san back to her normal cheerful self.”

“Sakuraba-senpai...”

Koutarou understood what Harumi meant. Yurika should always be cheerful.

“I’ll try to cheer up Nijino-san, so I want you to be nice to her too, Satomi-kun.”

“I understand. I’ll talk to her when I get the chance.”

Koutarou had no objections.

“Thank you, Satomi-kun.”

A smile appeared on Harumi’s face. It was a beautiful smile filled with trust and gentleness.

She really is beautiful...

But it wasn’t about the way she looked. Koutarou was admiring her inner beauty.

“Are you seriously asking me to go buy juice with my hands like this, Kou?”

Kenji opened his hands and showed them to Koutarou, who flinched a little at the sight. His palms and fingers were covered in battle scars from his encounter with Koutarou’s crab army.

“Ugh, fine. I guess I’ll go instead.”

“You better.”

Since Koutarou was the one responsible for unleashing the crab attack, he reluctantly took on the job of going to get everyone something to drink.

“Satomi-kun, should I come too?” Harumi asked.

But Koutarou shook his head.

“Sakuraba-senpai, just rest here.”

After enjoying the aquarium, Koutarou and the others had decided on taking a short rest before going home. And the one who needed it the most was of course Harumi, who had a weak constitution. Koutarou wanted her to rest as long as possible.

“But...” Harumi persisted. She understood Koutarou’s intentions, but she was sorry for it.

“It’s okay, Sakuraba-senpai.”

However, when Koutarou shifted his gaze to Yurika for a second, Harumi’s expression changed to one of realization. On top of letting Harumi rest, he was planning on taking Yurika with him to talk to her.

“Okay,” Harumi relented. Now fully understanding his plan, Harumi nodded and smiled at Koutarou.

I’m counting on you, Satomi-kun. Heehee, you really are...

The big smile on her face showed her complete confidence in Koutarou.

“All right, Yuri—”

“I’m coming too, Satomi-san!”

Before Koutarou could ask her to come, Yurika volunteered to go with him.

“If I leave you to your own devices, you’ll definitely buy something strange for me, Satomi-san!”

“Nijino-san, make sure he doesn’t buy something weird for me either.”

“Leave it to me, Mackenzie-san!”

Both Yurika and Kenji were used to Koutarou’s pranks.

Leaving Harumi and Kenji behind at the sitting area by the entrance, Koutarou and Yurika headed towards the stand together. Although there was a vending machine in the sitting area, the stand carried a lot more options. The short walk there was also the ideal opportunity for a little talk.

She does seem kind of down...

Once Harumi and Kenji were out of sight, Yurika’s shoulders drooped and she looked at the ground. Yurika had been putting on a brave face in front of them, but once it was just her and Koutarou, she let her guard down a little.

“Yurika, has something happened recently? You seem a little blue.”

“Satomi-san...”

Yurika looked up in surprise, but once she caught a glimpse of Koutarou’s face, she looked down again.

“Sakuraba-senpai is worried too.”

“...I see...”

Still looking down, Yurika sighed.

“I’m just... having some relationship problems...”

Yurika was depressed because Koutarou and the others were treating her as a cosplayer again.

Maki’s last attack erased several hours’ worth of memory from Koutarou and the others, meaning they’d completely forgotten about their fight with Maki and the fact that Yurika was a magical girl. And without knowing the truth, everyone went back to treating Yurika like they had before—as a cosplayer. She’d been so happy that her friends finally believed her that this setback was particularly devastating.

If it was going to be like this, I wish my memories had been erased too...

Maki’s spell didn’t have any effect on Yurika thanks to the resistance her outfit and staff provided. But right now, Yurika wasn’t happy about it. Her short-lived joy was now overshadowed by bitter depression.

And knowing the effect her spell had on everyone, Maki was still going to Kisshouharukaze High School while feigning innocence. Normally Yurika would be focusing on that, but she didn’t have the energy for it now.

“Relationship issues?”

“Actually, some of my friends have the wrong idea about me. But just when the misunderstanding was finally about to be all cleared up, something happened and we’re right back where we started...”

“I see... I’m sorry to hear that.”

Yurika’s story was a little vague, but Koutarou understood that it was about magical girls and cosplaying.

Maybe she got the third degree from a teacher for playing hooky that day.

Thanks to their amnesia, Koutarou and the others just remembered it as the day Yurika forced Maki to skip school with her.

“It sucks...”

But Koutarou acting like he had no idea what she was talking about felt like rubbing salt in the wound, even though it wasn’t his fault.

“What should I do? For example—”

She suddenly looked straight at Koutarou with a serious expression.

“For example, how would I get you to understand that I’m a magical girl, Satomi-san?”

Harumi had told her that she had to keep going. And Yurika’s perseverance had finally paid off. Koutarou and the others finally believed that she was a magical girl. But it was short and sweet. Everything was back to normal now and it felt like all her efforts had been in vain. It was only natural for her to be depressed about that.

“I don’t know what’s really troubling you, but...”

The truth was that Koutarou did know what was bothering her. But since Yurika was talking about cosplay like that wasn’t the real problem, he played along.

“If, for example, you want me to believe that you’re a magical girl, then... Let’s see...”

“Well?!” Yurika asked in anticipation. She leaned in, eagerly awaiting Koutarou’s answer.

“Then I don’t think you need to do anything.”

“...Huh?”

But his answer was completely unexpected.

I don’t have to do anything?

At first she thought that she had misheard him. She stopped walking and raised her voice.

“H-Hang on, what are you saying? Do nothing? But you’ve never believed me even once!”

“That’s true, but...”

Koutarou stopped too, smiling wryly as he scratched his head.

“I’ve started to think that it doesn’t really matter if you’re a cosplayer or a magical girl.”

“It... doesn’t matter?”

This answer confused Yurika even more. This was of dire importance to her. How could it not matter?

“How could you say that?! It’s very important!”

Yurika pressed Koutarou in an agitated tone, but he looked back at her calmly.

“Is it really? I don’t think so.”

“What?! Are you saying you’ll never believe me?!”

“No, I believe you.”

“Then what do you mean?!”

“It’s because I believe you, Yurika,” Koutarou said in a gentle tone to the agitated Yurika. “I don’t know when... but I remember you protecting Sakuraba-senpai and ending up engulfed in flames.”

“Huh...?”

Koutarou shouldn’t remember any of that. Yurika was surprised to hear it, but it instantly calmed her down.

“When was it...? Hmm... It’s weird. I really can’t remember. Do you, Yurika?”

Koutarou looked puzzled. He distinctly remembered Yurika protecting Harumi, but he couldn’t remember when it had happened or why.

“Satomi-san... Could it be...?”

Satomi-san was under the effects of my defensive spell, so his memories weren’t completely erased! I’m sure that’s it!

Before Maki could cast her final spell, Yurika cast a spell on Koutarou to protect him. He’d lost most of his memory, but he hadn’t forgotten the things that left a deep impression on him. Granted, if Yurika tried to explain that, it would only confuse him. Instead, she shook her head and decided to deceive him.

“I’m sorry, I can’t remember either. So much happens every day, you know?”

“Really? Well, I guess doesn’t matter. Anyways, after I saw that, I felt like it didn’t matter if you could really use magic or not.”

“Why...?”

Yurika looked up at Koutarou with great expectation. It very well may have been a sign of how much she relied on him.

“No matter who you are, you’re a good person. There aren’t that many people who would put their life on the line to protect someone else. Magical girl, cosplayer, or otherwise.”

What was important to Koutarou wasn’t whether or not Yurika could use magic. It was her character.

“So even if you call yourself a magical girl when you don’t have any magic powers, I don’t really mind. You still do things worthy of a magical girl.”

“Satomi-san...”

Given someone who could use magic but used it selfishly and someone who didn’t have magic but did what they could to help people, Koutarou was far more inclined to think of the latter as a magical girl of love and courage. To him, the part about magic didn’t matter.

“Heeheehee...”

The antagonizing feelings inside Yurika melted away like snow bathed in the warmth of spring sunshine. The emotional meltwater poured out of her eyes as tears.

That’s right. That’s why I look up to Sakuraba-senpai so much...

Harumi couldn’t use magic, but ever since the day she’d met her, Yurika wanted to become a magical girl like Harumi. Even if she couldn’t become a magical genius like Nana, she could become a good person like Harumi. Yurika had her answer from the start.

“However, I’d still be worried about having a careless girl like you using magic, so I’m hoping you’ll stay a cosplayer,” Koutarou said with a shrug and a smirk.

Hearing his wry comment, Yurika recalled what Koutarou had told her before.

“Sunshine and rainbows suit you much better.”

Knowing what Koutarou had said in the past, Yurika understood the true meaning behind his words.

“With that in mind, I have something I’d like to ask you, Yurika.”

“...Yes?”

Without even wiping away her tears, Yurika looked straight at Koutarou. She already knew what he was about to say. And as she looked at him, her remaining tears streamed down her face and tumbled to the ground, sparkling in the air as they fell.

“How should I think of you?”

And just as she had suspected, Koutarou asked exactly what she was expecting him to.

“Hee... Heehee... Heeheehee...”

A warm feeling bubbled up inside Yurika. This time, her tears were a sign of happier feelings. Yurika wiped them away and smiled brightly.

“I’m Nijino Yurika...”

Even if he didn’t remember it, when Yurika’s identity was revealed to Koutarou, he’d said that he wanted to graduate high school with Yurika.

“I’m your classmate and your freeloading roommate.”

Right now, Yurika didn’t think that would be a bad way to spend the next three years with Koutarou.

I wonder why... I always wanted him to believe I was a magical girl, but now...

As if seizing those warm feelings, Yurika firmly grabbed at her chest. Even now, Koutarou thought of her as a normal girl. But Yurika was okay with that. In fact, she started to hope this would last. Yurika contemplated that change, but she was also very happy.

“I see.”

“So... So let’s cosplay together next time, Satomi-san...”

That was most likely the only pitfall in the group date plan Yurika had come up with.

“I refuse.”

“Waaah haa haa! Jeez, you’re always so mean, Satomi-san. There’s no need to be embarrassed about it...”

In shoujo manga, the girl that planned the group date usually ended up falling in love with the boy she was trying to set her best friend up with.

A small office in a certain place.

The dull room was outfitted with five desks and other furnishings like lockers and a dirty old TV. It was about as equally dull as Maki’s room. However, the key difference was that this office had plenty of signs of someone living in it.

Leftover instant noodle cups, candy wrappers, and various other trash was scattered about. The residents used to make an effort to clean up, but they had lost the drive to do so. In that sense, the office also had a similar atmosphere to Yurika’s wardrobe.

In short, it was a room that combined the worst of both Yurika and Maki’s dwellings. But inside this office were five people. The room’s sorry state was their fault. The lazy residents spent their time lounging around and doing as they pleased. This afternoon was no different.

“...We really were demoted, weren’t we?” a short-haired young man muttered.

Since the only other noise in the room was the muffled electronic sounds of a mobile game, his voice seemed awfully loud.

“Don’t say that! We’re all trying not to think about it,” the only woman out of the five responded in a hysterical voice. Her eyes were burning with resoluteness, and her prominent eyebrows only served to strengthen that impression.

“S-Sorry,” the young man quickly apologized.

Seeing him like that, the boy playing games on his phone laughed.

“What does it matter, really? It’s the truth after all. I think it’s great that I get paid for playing around.”

The music from the boy’s game continued playing as he spoke. The melody was full of suspense and tension. It seemed absurd as the incidental background music to such a dull room.

“I thought this was a wonderful post when I was first assigned here too...”

“Are you stupid? You think invaders really exist? The government just sold us some story about taking preemptive measures and we fell for it.”

The last two people to speak up were a man eating curry rice and a man wearing shades. Like the others, they also appeared quite apathetic. All five of them were faced with the same reality. These troublemakers had been assigned here on a demotion.

“But life goes on. It’s just leaving the five of us out of it.”

As the man in shades slumped his shoulders, an alarm noisily rang out through the room.

“Uwah! Wh-What?!”

“Nii-chan, fire! It’s a fire!”

“You know, pizzerias in other countries use an alarm like that to let you when the pizza’s done.”

“You’re both way off! That’s the mobilization signal!”

“So this is it...”

Over a year had passed since the five of them had been assigned here. During that time, the alarm hadn’t gone off even once. Really, they’d forgotten all about it.

“Gentlemen, it’s the enemy!”

Suddenly the old TV turned on by itself and an elderly man with a white beard and lab coat appeared on the screen.

“The time has finally come to show off our powers!”

“Professor, what do you mean by ‘the enemy’?!”

“The underground dwellers! They’re invading the surface to steal the sun from us!”

Following the elderly man’s tense declaration, the screen on the TV changed. It now showed a man in strange clothes stepping into a kindergarten and a woman in Japanese-style clothing giving orders.

“We got a report from one of the children onsite! Hurry up! They’re targeting the kindergarten!”

“What?!”

Hearing the elderly man’s report, the five people in the dingy office hurriedly got to their feet. They were a secret organization ridiculed as being a waste of money, but now they finally had their chance to prove their worth.

“All riiiiight! It’s time to show off my karate!”

“Yes! Finally! Let the games begin!”

“At long last, my romance with a beautiful enemy commander begins! Thank god! I thought I’d be single forever!”

“Underground dwellers, huh? I hope they have delicious food.”

“Hmph. You’re too naive, kids. You might as well give up on those fantasies now. Hardboiled, rough days are ahead of us.”

These were the Sun Rangers of the Sun Squad. And their first enemy would be the evil underground dwellers that had crawled up from the depths of hell.