Chapter 39: Because Girls Who Look Up at You Are Extra Charming
With Momoko joining them, the classroom descended into even greater chaos. The American Witch, Alicia Miller; the French Holy Maiden, Charlotte Soleil. And then, a discussion began, including Japan’s Satori, Shinonome Momoko, in her maid outfit.
Surrounding the table with these three were Kazuma and Kaede, the laid-back duo. The two of them were eating the food Kazuma had bought from a food stall, acting just as they usually did.
“Now then, what were we supposed to talk about again?”
His stomach full, Kazuma blurted out something ridiculous with a perfectly straight face.
“Whoaaaaaaah!!!”
Expectedly exasperated by that, Alicia grabbed Kazuma’s face with her Telekinesis and lifted him into the air.
“Ka~zu~ma~?”
“Sorry! It was a joke, so put me down! I’m gonna die!”
“Honestly…”
“Ahahaha…”
Momoko looked exasperated, while Charlotte gave a wry smile. Once freed by Alicia, Kazuma sat down, gave an exaggerated cough, and then got to the main topic.
“Ahem, well then, first, Shinonome-san.”
Had he already stopped calling her by her first name? Kazuma addressed her by her surname as usual and turned his gaze to Momoko.
“You want to know why these two are here, right?”
“Eh, yes. That’s correct.”
To tell the truth, she already knew. Alicia alone was unexpected, but she had received a report from her superiors that the Holy Maiden would be here. Incidentally, she had also heard that the Knights of the Round Table from England were coming.
If they were here as well, it would be far beyond what Momoko could handle; she wouldn’t even be able to get the situation under control. The absence of the Knights of the Round Table was a stroke of luck in a bad situation.
“For now, what I can explain is about Alicia. I’m the one who called her.”
“May I hit you?”
“If you do that, I’ll crush your head, you know?”
“Whoa, whoa, calm down, both of you.”
Kazuma pacified Alicia, who was threatening Momoko as she readied a paper fan.
Momoko, not wanting to be turned into mincemeat, understandably backed down quietly.
However, inwardly, she was furious.
“(How can I be calm in this situation! In the first place, what do you mean you ‘called’ her! Please exercise some self-restraint!)”
“(Sorry, Momoko. Don’t glare at me like that.)”
“(Th-this guy!!!)”
Momoko clenched her fists tightly, hating Kazuma for so casually conversing with her in her mind as if nothing were amiss.
“And, as for this degenerate Holy Maiden-sama here—”
“Ah, um, if possible, I’d be happy if you could just call me Holy Maiden or Charlotte…”
“This country bumpkin here—”
“Th-that way of calling me isn’t entirely wrong, but…”
“What’s with you! Complaining about everything! You’re the one who started all this, aren’t you! I could ask Alicia to send you guys back to your home country, you know!”
“Anytime’s fine by me, Kazuma! I’ll blast Char and the others all the way to France with my Telekinesis!”
“Hieeeeeeeh…!”
How pitiful. Charlotte had indeed come to recruit Kazuma, but it wasn’t of her own volition. It was the intention of the French government. The Holy Maiden is extremely famous, but France has no other influential Gifted.
That’s where the Crimson Knight, Kazuma, was chosen. A freelance Gifted not affiliated with the Japanese government—there was no way they’d overlook this.
That’s why the Holy Maiden was dispatched to Japan. She was close in age to Kazuma, and on top of that, the Holy Maiden was exceptionally beautiful, so it was also meant as a Honey Trap. If she could just ensnare the Crimson Knight like that, it would be a huge win for France.
“Hey, Kazuma.”
“Hm? What is it? What’s wrong, Makimura-san?”
“You shouldn’t bully girls too much, okay?”
“Sorry, Charlotte! I took the teasing a bit too far!”
“Fueeh…!”
Kazuma’s attitude changed so drastically, like a sudden plunge, that Charlotte had no idea what was going on.
“(W-what is with this person~? He’s completely unreasonable~)”
“(Mm-hmm. I understand how you feel.)”
“(Fufu, as expected of Kazuma. He’s taken the initiative!)”
“(Is she blind? It’s less like he’s taken the initiative and more like he’s just messing around…)”
“(Do you really think so? What would you do if this was my strategy?)”
“(Wh-wha!?)”
Kazuma’s voice suddenly cut in. Moreover, unlike usual, it wasn’t a joking tone, but a serious-sounding one. Momoko, who was usually surprised by him, received an even greater shock than usual.
“Kazuma? What’s wrong?”
“It’s nothing, Alicia. Shall we continue our talk?”
“(Th-that just now, what on earth was…)”
Still shaken, Momoko felt a cold sweat run down her back. Similarly, Charlotte was relieved, feeling like she’d been saved. Charlotte decided to thank the girl called Makimura-san later.
“Well then, pulling ourselves together, Holy Maiden-san. Why did you come to Japan?”
“Ah, yes. Um, I believe I mentioned this earlier, but I came to Japan to recruit Satsuki Kazuma-sama. The French government’s intention is to have Satsuki Kazuma-sama, who is suspected of being the Crimson Knight, study abroad in France and then naturalize.”
“Ah, um, isn’t that a top-secret matter? Is it really alright to tell us, who are mere students?”
Wondering if it was really okay for her to chatter on about such an important matter, Momoko timidly raised her hand and pointed it out. Charlotte, flustered, clapped a hand over her mouth as if realizing her mistake.
“Ah!!!”
“Well, there’s no way Char could pull off something like negotiations, right? The French government probably underestimated things because of the Holy Maiden’s name value and because the target was a student, don’t you think?”
“Wh-what did you say! That’s extremely offensive! The Holy Maiden-san is a cute person, but there’s no way I’d be swayed that easily!”
“Really?”
“If she looks up at me with teary eyes, I might waver a little. Yes, indeed.”
“Honesty is a good thing, Kazuma~”
“Adadadadada!”
Having answered Alicia’s question with a serious face, Kazuma’s head was squeezed by Telekinesis. Beside the writhing Kazuma, Momoko was contemplating something, her hand on her chin.
“(So, the French government was also after the Crimson Knight, huh… Well, after witnessing that much power, it’s only natural, I suppose. And now, securing Satsuki Kazuma, who is currently the one most suspected of being the Crimson Knight. England is probably doing the same…)”
For now, their objective was clear. That said, it was something that had been anticipated from the beginning, so it wasn’t particularly surprising. She had known it would come to this sooner or later, ever since China and America showed up during the sports festival.
However, even knowing this, they hadn’t been able to come up with any countermeasures. The biggest reason for this was pressure from other countries. Because of that, Japan could neither approach Satsuki Kazuma nor protect him.
That said, Kazuma himself had no intention of leaving Japan. Though recently, his resolve had been wavering, thinking that maybe going to America wouldn’t be so bad.
“Kazuma! Sorry to keep you waiting!”
“Oh, Kosuke! You’re a bit late!”
“Nah, the crowd on the way here was insane! More importantly, I’ll make those pancakes right away!”
“Yeah, make enough for everyone, alright!”
“You got it! Uh, let’s see, for the Witch-sama, the Holy Maiden-sama, Shinonome-san, Makimura-san, and you, right?”
“Can you manage?”
“I’ll make them faster than ever.”
“Counting on you!”
“Do your best~!”
“Ah, um, please do your best.”
Kazuma, Alicia, and Charlotte called out to him. Momoko just gave a slight nod, and Kaede said nothing in particular, but since this was her usual self, Kosuke didn’t complain. On the contrary, he was ecstatic that the Witch and the Holy Maiden had spoken to him.
“Leave it to me!”
Kosuke rushed into the kitchen, shooed away some classmates who were hiding in the back, and started making pancakes. Meanwhile, Kazuma and the others continued their conversation.
“So, I get the French government’s intentions. With that, what are you going to do, Holy Maiden-san?”
“Um… As for me, I’d also like you to come~”
“If you’re prepared to make an enemy of me and the King, you can continue your recruitment.”
“Satsuki Kazuma-sama, I would be very grateful if you could forget about this matter.”
It was a beautiful bow. The French Holy Maiden, having succumbed to Alicia’s undeniable pressure, performed a truly, truly beautiful bow.
“Um… From what I’ve heard, what does America intend to do with Satsuki-san?”
“Nothing in particular. Well, I guess you could say we’re sort of protecting him?”
America has decided to secure Satsuki Kazuma, but not immediately. In the first place, if Kazuma is indeed the Crimson Knight, any means they use would likely be meaningless. All of humanity understands just how unreasonable overwhelming violence can be.
“Is… that so…”
She could understand it. But she couldn’t accept it.
Satsuki Kazuma is Japanese. Therefore, his protection should be Japan’s responsibility.
However, present-day Japan lacks the power to protect Satsuki Kazuma. Having yielded to pressure from other countries, and with key government figures being bribed, they are unable to bring the Crimson Knight into their own fold.
However, there are some loopholes. Private corporations unaffected by other countries. It would be permissible for Samurai to recruit the Crimson Knight. That said, interference would undoubtedly occur, but that would likely be unavoidable.
Another thing is that the Crimson Knight herself would volunteer for the National Defense Force. Naturally, other countries wouldn’t remain silent, but since everyone understands just how overwhelmingly powerful high-ranking Gifted are, they would undoubtedly be showered with sarcasm and unpleasant remarks.
“Sorry to keep you waiting!”
“Ah! You’re finally here!”
Just then, Kosuke appeared, holding freshly made pancakes.
As if to say she’d been waiting, Alicia took the pancakes from Kosuke. The pancakes were perfectly made, and the presentation was also more extravagant than usual.
Alicia, who received the pancakes that looked good enough to become a hot topic on SNS, stuck her fork into them, her eyes sparkling.
A pleasant springiness met the fork, whetting her appetite. Though she was reluctant to spoil its appearance, she pressed the fork down, cut off a bite-sized piece, and Alicia brought the pancake to her mouth.
“Mmmm~! It’s delicious! Nice one, Chef!”
“Ah, thank you very much! Uh, um, by the way, may I ask something?”
“What is it?”
“May I join you…?”
“Ah, sorry about that. Outsiders are no thank you.”
“I-Is that so… Then, could I perhaps get an autograph?”
“If it’s just that, it’s an easy task. Where should I write it?”
“P-Please wait a moment!”
In a great hurry, Kosuke took out a notebook from his bag stored in his locker and handed it to Alicia.
“P-Please sign this!”
“OK!”
Alicia smoothly wrote her autograph. Alicia, having finished signing, was about to return the notebook to Kosuke, but then she had a brilliant idea and urged Charlotte to sign the notebook as well.
“Char. Since we’re at it, why don’t you sign it for him too?”
“Eh, well, I don’t mind, but…”
“Whoooooa!? S-Seriously?! Th-Thank you very much!”
He was overcome with emotion. Kosuke had never dreamed he would receive an autograph from the Holy Maiden as well. She is usually protected by guards and, on top of that, stays within heavily guarded buildings, so she is someone one rarely gets to meet.
At being able to receive the Holy Maiden’s autograph, Kosuke was so overcome with emotion that he shed tears.
“Eh? Why is this person crying?”
“Holy Maiden-san. He’s crying because he’s happy. He’s not sick or anything, so you don’t need to worry.”
“I-Is that so… Ah, I’m done writing.”
Charlotte, who had finished signing, returned the notebook to Kosuke. Kosuke, upon receiving the notebook from Charlotte, clutched it preciously to his chest.
Onlookers who had been watching from a distance, realizing that autographs were being given out, started to flood into the classroom. Thinking, ‘If Kosuke can get one, I want one too,’ people surged into the classroom like an avalanche, but they were stopped by Alicia’s barrier.
“Sorry, but he’s Kazuma’s friend, so I only gave him an autograph as a special exception. So, all of you, please leave.”
Saying that, Alicia proceeded to drive out the onlookers who had entered the classroom with her Telekinesis.
“This is the first time I’m truly glad to be your friend,” Kosuke said to Kazuma.
“I fail to comprehend,” Kazuma replied.
The sound of a crack forming in Kazuma and Kosuke’s friendship was heard.