Volume 5 Chapter 1 - Strength, the Time It Should be Shown Part 1
Lemegeton had one fact that she didn’t tell to the contractorKazuki.
That was the story that she heard from Futsunushi no Kami in their private talk at Distorted WorldAstrum.
{I became unable to make contact with the other Divas of Japan's Mythology.} Futsunushi no Kami informed her.
All of the humans' minds were connected. The depth of that mental world―this Astrum that should even be called [fomenting empty space] was constantly twisting muddily from the waves of all of human races’ unconsciousness.
Inside that trembling darkness, Lemegeton and Futsunushi no Kami’s figures were floating.
{The <Territory> that should be connecting me with everyone is interrupted before I realized it and I have not heard from them since then.}
Astrum was divided into each of the Mythology’s Territory. Only mutual companions with strong connections could come and go freely through the boundary. Lemegeton tied a friendship with Futsunushi no Kami. From that, she became allowed to step foot into Futsunushi no Kami’s territory. Naturally outside of Lemegeton, Futsunushi no Kami was also connected with many of the Divas of Japanese Mythology. It was supposed to be so.
{You, are you perhaps being ostracized because everyone came to hate you while you didn’t know it?}
Just like in the world of humans where a bullied child was blocked from everyone’s cell phone contacts.
―When Lemegeton pointed it out with a mean tone, Futsunushi no Kami {GUWAHHAHHA!} heartily laughing out. {That’s impossible. No, for me to be hated is possible enough, but in Japan's Mythology there is also <Takemikadzuchi> that can be called my other half though. Mine and his Territory should be impossible to be severed from each other. …With only one exception.}
{Then, that impossible thing is happening right? What is that exception that you said?}
Futsunushi no Kami’s hearty laugh was blown out, he suddenly made a dispirited troubled face.
{He might be…going through the <Wild God's Transformation>.}
Lemegeton was lost whether she should give this information to Kazuki or not.
Her feelings that yearned for Kazuki were making a disturbance in her heart that she should immediately tell this matter to him as soon as possible.
However, on the other hand, the calm consideration as <the one that supervises Solomon's 72 Pillars> was telling her to shelve the telling of this matter. [Humans wouldn’t be told of any more information than what they needed] …Lemegeton had lost the majority of her memories, but that was the principle that she recalled at the foremost.
After all, Solomon's 72 Pillars were still merely in the stage of testing the people of Japan.
If they were on the verge of danger―if that was a situation that they invited themselves, then even more so―how would they surmount it was something that humans had to display.
In the first place, if she notified Kazuki about this matter, that Headmaster Amasaki would also be told, but they wouldn’t be able to do anything about this anyway. With just the information that communications with the Divas of Japanese Mythology had gone dark, it was impossible to predict what would happen next. Even Lemegeton didn’t understand what would happen.
Rather, if she caused an excessive uproar and the Battle Election became suspended, it would be a problem for this side. Because Kazuki had to use this chance to become the king of this academy and reign over it.
This situation was the trial that he had to overcome next. Probably.
First, he had to concentrate on the fight in front of his eyes. If it was Kazuki who had finished conquering the Witch’s Manor, surely he wouldn’t suffer defeat, but…well, let’s just see what he's got.
◇ ◇ ◇ ◇
When Kazuki was flirting with Hikaru-senpai and continued to raise her positivity level, that time when she got chased out of the room was when Lemegeton was thinking about such things.
And then finally, May 22nd―the appointed day of the final match came.
But there was a circumstance that delayed the final match from beginning immediately.
Even before that, first was the assembly for the opening performance matches.
“…This cheering, isn’t it the loudest among the matches until now? Even though it's an unrelated match for the overall victory.”
While being wrapped with the loud cheering in the front row of the stands, Mio was feeling overpowered.
However, it wasn't unreasonable. Kazuki, who sat beside her, thought so.
…Because when the holding of this tournament became known, the match that everyone pictured in their head. It was in a different form from the ideal, but it was realized right here.
Currently, on the grounds, Kaguya-senpai and Hikaru-senpai led their own respective teams and confronted each other.
[Team Otonashi Kaguya―Otonashi Kaguya, Hiakari Koyuki, Hayashizaki Kanae, Yamada Torazou.]
[Team Hoshikaze Hikaru―Hoshikaze Hikaru, Lotte, Kamiizumi Iori, Kimura Tomomi.]
The tournament’s big favorites and distinguished teams were these two, but Kaguya-senpai was eliminated by Kazuki and Hikaru-senpai by Mibu Akira. Their figures vanished too early in the second round from this championship tournament.
However, separately from the front tournament where the winners aimed for the championship…The [Third Place Deciding Tournament] was also performed by the eliminated teams at the same time.
Because the seat of the Chief Student Council President would be decided by the voting after the tournament, this tournament was nothing more than an appeal time. With a tournament where victory and defeat was decided by a single round, the candidates who were defeated became unable to make their appeal anymore from that point. It was slightly unfair.
For that reason, to grant all the candidates a place for their highlight, a back tournament for the sake of the defeated was also organized side by side with the final tournament. First the fellow losers of the first round fought each other, the winner fought the loser of the second round of the front tournament, the winner next fought the loser of the semifinals―this tournament was divided into two blocks, the two teams that managed to win through would perform the third place deciding battle.
These third place battles were performed throughout the morning, the final battle would begin after the afternoon recess.
“But as expected from them to win through until this place without fail. There was no powerful opponent in Hoshikaze-senpai’s block, but in Kaguya-senpai’s block there was also that clash with the Ryuutaki sisters, wasn’t there?”
At Kazuki’s right side, Mio was looking back at the battles until now while murmuring.
All present in the front row of the stands starting from the right were Mio, Kazuki, Kohaku, and Kazuha-senpai, they were all sitting in a row.
Takasugi Shūsui’s team where the Ryuutaki sisters were members were also the opponents who clashed with Kazuki’s team in the semifinals.
They were formidable enemies with the elder of the Ryuutaki sisters, Miyabi-senpai, stopping the movement of the enemy with <Gremory>’s mental attacks, then the younger sister, Shinobu-senpai, performed bombings with <Marchosias>’ [Burning Icicle] that were hard to defend against.
But their compatibility with Kaguya-senpai’s team was bad.
Kaguya-senpai was once exposed to <Nyarlatoteph>’s mental attacks for a long period of time and from that experience, she had the experience of overcoming it. A normal mental attack was not effective against Kaguya-senpai anymore.
The difference in strength between the swordsmen was also pretty big. The Takasugi brothers, who stood as the vanguard of the Ryuutaki sisters, were, as expected, unable to compete against the prominent duo of the Sword Division, Kanae and Torazou-san.
Even so, Shinobu-senpai harassed Koyuki with furiously vigorous efforts. Shinobu-senpai’s special contradicting characteristic where she could manipulate both heat and cold at the same time was a bad match-up for Koyuki who could only manipulate the ice element.
However, when the Takasugi brothers were forced to leave the stage and it became four versus two, Shinobu-senpai was exposed to fierce attacks and she fell into a state where she couldn’t chant her spell satisfactorily. The victory or defeat was slowly decided.
Be that as it may, [I heard the rumor, but those Ryuutaki Sisters were really strong to that extent huh?] ―they left a strong impression on many of the students. So this battle should be a good contest.
“Fufufu, during this strict schedule even Otonashi Kaguya won’t leave unscathed after fighting against us. Even for the eternally number 2 Hoshikaze Hikaru who reached this stage following her desires, this time will she have a chance, I wonder?”
Hearing that voice right from her side, Mio took a glancing look and glared.
“…Miyabi-senpai, why are you right next to us?”
Beside Kazuki’s team, who was watching the battle, right next to Mio, the Ryuutaki sisters in question were sitting.
“Isn’t it fine, let’s get along well. Fufufu.”
Her wavy hair with the silver color characteristic to an elf shook softly, Miyabi-senpai laughed in chuckles.
“…Onee-sama. I’m also unable to tolerate this. Why are we sitting beside this bunch?”
Shinobu-senpai wrinkled her eyebrows and murmured. She was the spitting image of Miyabi-senpai. But in contrast with Miyabi-senpai, who was always full of composure, her hair was black and she always made a scary expression.
“Isn’t it fine, let’s get along well. Fufufu.”
Even against the complaint of the little sister, Miyabi-senpai deflected it with a friendly grin on her smiling face. She has a lot of guts.
Mio too, she gave up on sending Miyabi-senpai away, who was too ‘my pace’, she faced Kazuki again.
“By the way, which one is Kazuki rooting for? Which one are you going to cheer for?”
“…Errr.” While Kazuki was troubled with how to reply, he sent his sights to the match.
On the ground, Kaguya-senpai and Hikaru-senpai were staring at here…no, at Kazuki they were staring ‘jii’ fixedly.
He was seen…both of them were “The cheering is still not here yet? Come on, cheer” looking at him with those kind of eyes…
Hikaru-senpai’s eyes shined and sparkled with expectation, Kaguya-senpai had a smile on her lips but her eyes were not smiling. Before long they became aware of each other and started to get competitive, the gazes they sent at Kazuki were gradually…
“Are you going to cheer for me (me ) or her?” Their atmosphere changed to such feelings.
Kazuki made a decision and inhaled a long breath.
“…Do your best Kanae! Prove the strength of the Hayashizaki-style!”
“You came to that conclusion!?” Mio, who was observing him while holding her breath, raised her voice from the side.
“Nii-sama!” Kanae who was on the ground turned to this side, she pranced up and down repeatedly *pyonpyon*.
“Nii-sama’s gaze is focused on me! It came…, it came…Nii-sama’s gaze energy is!! FUNUOOOOO! Full charge nyan!!”
Watching the happy Kanae going ‘nyaa nyaa’…Kaguya-senpai and Hikaru-senpai smiled wryly like it couldn’t be helped.
“Brother and sister love + sword school love…he attacked at the place where nobody could find any fault huh, as expected of Kazuki.”
Beside him, Kohaku was grinning broadly. Kohaku too had a deep love that didn’t lose or was inferior to Kazuki in regards to her sword school.
“Well, it’s in bad taste to fix an order of importance to companions that you get along well with, isn’t it fine this way?”
Unexpectedly Kazuha-senpai too gave a tolerant reaction. Even though if it was before, she would be the first to say things like “You indecisive harem guy!”…after giving her recognition to Kazuki inside the [world of mirrors], her attitude and expression had evidently changed.
Amasaki Mio―150 Lotte―122 Hiakari Koyuki―120 Otonashi Kaguya―103
Hoshikaze Hikaru―94 Tsukahara Kazuha―56 Ryuutaki Miyabi―41 Ryuutaki Shinobu―2
It was not like he wanted to rank them or anything but…Kazuki understood the positivity level from everyone.
“Well, the one who likes Kazuki the most in the world is me though. Ehehe.”
Mio was ‘goronyaaa’ and came hugging Kazuki’s arm.
“E, even this one is not losing in that!” Kohaku pinched Kazuki’s sleeve with a hurried expression.
“How stupid.” Kazuha-senpai crossed her arms while averting her face.
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