Chapter 64: Storm Clouds on the Horizon!
Having completely shifted into rest mode, Kazuma was lying on a tattered sofa in a house within the ruined area, his eyes closed. The camera that had been filming him switched its feed, deeming further footage pointless.
While Kazuma rested with his eyes closed, significant developments were occurring in the real world.
First, the Japanese government began scheming to recruit Kazuma into the National Defense Force by any means necessary. They had already obtained his records and were trying to find his weaknesses, but such actions would undoubtedly make Kazuma hostile.
The Japanese government, capable only of foolish choices, would eventually come to regret it, wishing they had negotiated differently back then.
However, it was too late for the Japanese government to try and get Kazuma under their control. Far too late.
Nations like China, America, Russia, Great Britain, Germany, and France were already making moves to secure Kazuma.
Japan would undoubtedly be pressured and end up achieving nothing.
However, there was still hope if Kazuma himself wished to join the National Defense Force. But it was uncertain if he would want to. Well, considering everything up to now, Kazuma would likely refuse adamantly. They had brought this upon themselves.
Nevertheless, some hope remained. If he joined a private company within the country, at least other nations wouldn’t complain. Besides, just having him stay in the country was a blessing, as they could request his help in a pinch.
The Japanese government didn’t know, but Kazuma would never go abroad. He wouldn’t leave his family. No matter how much money he was offered or how many beautiful women were presented to him, he wouldn’t go. Well, his resolve might waver, but he wouldn’t leave the land where his beloved family lived.
However, he might go abroad for travel. In such cases, he would provide a handmade magic circle, like this time. Thus, he could be away for a short while.
Though, it was questionable whether Kazuma would obediently follow the current Japanese government.
“Damn it! Those damn old geezers! Just because he’s a kid, they think they can mess with him!”
“Wh-what’s wrong!?”
“…They cut off the subsidies for the orphanage where Satsuki Kazuma grew up. That’s not all. They’re planning to pressure the company where his real mother, Kanou Kumiko’s, husband works. Apparently, they also plan to harass others connected to him.”
“Eh! If they do that, won’t he become hostile?”
“Of course. But those damn old geezers don’t get it. They think they can do anything with money and power! They’re scoffing, thinking they can manipulate a single child however they want!”
The government man, hearing information obtained through his own channels, clutched his head, but his frustration gradually turned to anger, and he gritted his teeth.
Then, he slammed his fist on the desk, his face contorted in fury.
“They can’t possibly not understand how unreasonable overwhelming violence is! They must know about the King and the Sun King!!!”
“U-um…”
“We need to contact Satsuki Kazuma urgently. Before those damn old geezers do! We have to do something before he completely loses faith in Japan!”
“Y-yes, sir! I’ll arrange a helicopter immediately!”
Biting his nails, the agitated man worried about the future of this country.
Unbeknownst to Kazuma, the government was starting to make its move, but right now, the Academy Battle Tournament was in full swing.
The venue, which had been engulfed in a whirlwind of excitement for the battle between the strongest student, Souji, and the pervert Kazuma, was beginning to cool down.
It couldn’t be helped. The battle between the strongest student, Souji, and the pervert Kazuma had been incredibly fierce. Compared to that, the fights between other students lacked excitement.
They were interesting. However, the previous spectacle kept flashing back in their minds, preventing them from getting truly thrilled.
Even when students from the Seventh Esper Academy showed incredible performances, it wasn’t enough for the spectators who had witnessed the earlier battle. They were filled with a desire to see something even more amazing.
“Well, some incredible things are happening this year, aren’t they?”
“Indeed. The Seventh Esper Academy is on a rampage. Could this mean a come-from-behind overall victory?”
“That’s right. Looking at the points earned, the Seventh Esper Academy has climbed to third place in the overall rankings.”
“A comeback victory is looking more and more likely, isn’t it~”
“Well, Player Satsuki Kazuma defeated First Esper Academy’s ace, Player Kenzaki Souji, and Second Esper Academy’s ace, Player Tennoji Yayoi. That’s a huge achievement. Plus, the Seventh Esper Academy has their ace, Player Kiryuuin Hayato, so victory is close at hand!”
“I’ve watched the Academy Battle Tournament for many years, but I’ve never been as surprised as I am today. I imagine not just Japan, but the whole world is astonished.”
That was exactly right.
In America, a greatly excited Alicia was on a long phone call with her manager, Stephen, despite it being the middle of the night.
“Stephen! Did you see it? You saw it, right!? If you say you didn’t, I’ll knock your lights out!”
“Okay, Alicia. First, calm down. What time do you think it is?”
“Who cares about that! Kazuma was amazing!!!”
“Okay, okay… I get that Mr. Satsuki was amazing. How about we talk about this tomorrow?”
“Now’s the only time to cool down this unstoppable excitement!”
Overwhelmed by her torrent of words, Stephen gave in and resigned himself to being a listener.
Similarly, in France, Charlotte was staring at Kazuma with sparkling eyes. She was the degenerate Holy Maiden who adored B-movies, a fact exposed by Alicia.
Having seen countless knock-off ninjas, she had thought she would never get to see the kind of ninjas that appear in manga and anime.
But, not in fiction, but in reality, he existed. A Japanese ninja.
“Wow! Kazuma-san was a ninja!!! I have to get his autograph next time I see him!”
Charlotte, her excitement over the real ninja unceasing, replayed Kazuma’s battle scenes over and over.
Of course, it wasn’t just Alicia and Charlotte. The powerful figures from various countries, such as King Arthur of Great Britain, the Sun King of Egypt, and the Overlord of China, were all equally astounded by Kazuma’s strength.
And at the same time, they all thought:
“I absolutely want to meet Satsuki Kazuma.”
Kazuma, completely unaware of these developments, remained lying on the sofa until the Crown Battle ended.
◇◇◇◇
“Match Over!!!”
The final battle of the Crown Battle ended, and upon hearing the announcement, the students of the Seventh Esper Academy collapsed to the ground.
While not an eternity, they had been fighting in the Virtual Space for about two days. The exhaustion must have been immense.
Nevertheless, for the students of the Seventh Esper Academy, the joy of victory was greater. Though they were slumped over from fatigue, their faces were filled with elation.
Shortly thereafter, the students of the Seventh Esper Academy were released from the Virtual Space.
As the returning students stepped out of the VR machines, they showed various reactions: hugging each other in the joy of victory, bursting into tears, and so on.
Among them, there was one man yawning, not looking pleased in the slightest. It was Kazuma. He, and only he, had never doubted their victory. Therefore, it was a natural outcome, and there was no need to rejoice.
“Kazuma-kun!!!”
“Whoa! What is it, President? I’m not into that sort of thing, you know.”
“I’m not either! More importantly, thank you! Thanks to you, I—no, we were able to win! Thank you so much!”
“No, no, there’s no need for thanks. It’s the result of you upperclassmen working hard. I merely helped out a tiny bit. So, please be proud.”
“If you say that, then I… I… Waaaaah!”
He was bawling, absolutely sobbing. Hayato, with tears and snot streaming down his face. He, known as the indomitable user of Threads and envied by many students, continued to cry without any shame or regard for his appearance.
“Hey, seriously, you’re kinda gross, so please get off me.”
“Sorry, Kazuma-kun. Winning the Academy Battle Tournament was one of Hayato’s goals. You know, our academy was always fighting for last place, right? So he was determined to lead us to victory himself. Well, in the end, it was thanks to you, Kazuma-kun, though.”
Shiori pulled Hayato, who was clinging to Kazuma and crying, away. She had watched Hayato more closely than anyone, so she knew everything. That’s why she, too, was teary-eyed.
“Well, I imagine there are things inherited from his predecessors, so I can sort of understand.”
He understood that feeling well. Because he, too, had once been like that, Kazuma narrowed his eyes.
Just then, an announcement rang out.
“We will now begin the awards ceremony and closing ceremony. All participating players, please proceed to the venue.”
Hearing that, Kazuma and the others’ joy was short-lived as they quickly got ready and began to move.
The path to the venue was a single road, and along the way, they unexpectedly ran into the representative members of the First Esper Academy.
Naturally, it was Kazuma who got caught.
“Yo, Kazuma! You really went and did it, huh~”
“Heh heh heh~. The championship is mine.”
“Kuhhh~! This is frustrating! Missing out on a three-peat is one thing, but not being able to fight you anymore is another!”
“Speaking for myself, I’d rather not! I feel like I’d lose next time, you know.”
“What are you talking about! After there was such a huge skill gap between us.”
“No, no, if that Starry Sky Memory of yours develops and you summon an army or something, even I wouldn’t stand a chance.”
“Ah, well, yeah. That thing’s as much of a cheat as Copy, isn’t it?”
“Yes. That said, I get the feeling that if you just defeat the summoner, it’ll all work out. Am I right?”
Kazuma had predicted that while the heroes summoned by Starry Sky Memory were powerful, they might disappear if one simply defeated the person who summoned them.
He was asking Souji, who was using Copy—though not the original user—whether this prediction was correct.
“Correct. If you had defeated me first, Juzo would have disappeared.”
“Then, I’ll do that next time.”
“Hahahaha! It won’t be that easy. I just need to summon two, after all.”
“Ah, so you just need a defender and an attacker, huh? That certainly sounds troublesome.”
“Right? If Kisaragi Issei develops as we imagine, he’ll be the next student council president.”
“Yikes~. It’d be a problem if someone like that emerged in the same first year as me.”
“You, who defeated the hero Juzo Hakari practically barehanded, are one to talk!”
“Gahahahaha! I’m the strongest!”
“That’s right! Since you defeated me, from now on, you’re the strongest student!”
“Oh, I just said that on a whim, but are you serious?”
“Of course. You beat me while it was being broadcast nationwide and online. Is there anyone who wouldn’t acknowledge that?”
“O-ohh…! Will I be popular with the girls?!”
“Heh…?”
What came out was a shallow desire. But Souji laughed heartily, thinking that was rather like Kazuma.
“Wahahahahaha! That’s right! You’ll be super popular. So popular it’ll be crazy, you know?”
“Oooohhh~! I’m getting excited!”
Unfortunately, not with the opposite sex. It was in the so-called business sense—from companies, the National Defense Force, and overseas. Souji himself had received numerous scouting offers and, while he hadn’t given an answer yet, he planned to join somewhere since he was graduating this year.
Souji was laughing, imagining the scouting offers that would surely come. He wondered just where Kazuma would end up.
Of course, Kazuma didn’t think deeply about the meaning of Souji’s words and was greatly excited by the term “super popular.” He was in high spirits, thinking his real popular phase was finally arriving, but he would probably learn the reality in a few hours. I hope he stays strong.
◇◇◇◇
The venue had been modified to hold the closing and awards ceremonies, and the athletes were all assembled.
Many people were watching this from the spectator seats. Today was one of those historic moments. Until now, either the First or Second Academy had always won the championship.
However, the Seventh Esper Academy had finally broken that balance and achieved a magnificent come-from-behind victory. Among them, Kazuma’s performance was particularly astounding.
His achievement of defeating Kenzaki Souji, said to be the strongest student, and Tennoji Yayoi, the ace of the Second Esper Academy, all by himself would surely be passed down to posterity.
The awards ceremony began first, and the moment the athletes from the Seventh Esper Academy, who had achieved overall victory, stepped onto the stage, it happened.
The entire venue began to shake, and just as everyone present was wondering if an earthquake had occurred, the shaking stopped. Just when many sighed in relief, thinking it was merely an earthquake, they noticed an astonishing fact.
“It’s floating!?”
Yes, the entire venue—or more accurately, the venue along with the ground beneath it—had floated up. As everyone panicked, wondering what on earth was happening, two figures appeared in the sky above the center of the venue.
“Wh-Who are those people!?”
Someone pointed and exclaimed. Two suspicious figures stood in the sky above. Many turned their eyes towards them, wondering if those two had something to do with this abnormal situation.