Chapter 14: Let’s Have a Serious Talk
As Momoko slept with a beautiful expression, Kazuma attempted a prank.
“(Kissing a sleeping beauty to wake her up is a classic prince move, right? Smooch, smooch, smooooch!)”
“Gyaaaaaaaaaah!?”
Having a nightmare piled on top of another nightmare, Momoko woke up.
Momoko, who shot her head up, looked at Kazuma.
He was looking at her with a completely smug face, and Momoko understood that she had been played.
“G-guh, guh, guh, th-this guy~”
Kazuma grinned at Momoko, who was trembling with anger and clenching her fists tightly.
“Ah, is this okay~? Maybe I’ll just go to America~”
“Kuh…!”
Momoko frowned at Kazuma, who, though not highly intelligent, was unnecessarily cunning.
If she were to displease him here and he went off to America, Japan would be completely finished.
After all, he was the true hero who had single-handedly resolved the recent turmoil and saved many people.
“…What do you want from me?”
As if those were the words he wanted to hear, Kazuma gave an eerie smile, put up a Protective Barrier around them, and used Illusion Magic to make them invisible from the outside.
Kazuma, having prepared for their “talk,” enthusiastically used Illusion Magic to transform himself into the image of a Showa-era delinquent: a pompadour hairstyle, a scar on his cheek, a sarashi belly wrap, and a long school jacket with baggy pants.
Kazuma, who had even skillfully recreated sunglasses, lifted them with a flick and directed a sharp gaze at Momoko.
“Well then, shall we settle our accounts up to now?”
“…………Um, what’s with that outfit?”
“It’s for atmosphere! Got a problem with it, dumbass!?”
“…You’re even playing a role, aren’t you?”
“Oi, oi, don’t you understand your position? You’re not in a place to order me around, are ya? I know my entire privacy is being monitored, ya know? You even planted surveillance cameras and listening devices in my room.”
“Ngh…”
“Well, you’re just a low-level gofer, so someone else probably gave the order, but you were the one peeking, right?”
“…Y-yes.”
Kazuma was fooling around, but everything he said was true.
If Kazuma were to rebel against the state because of this, no one could complain.
Because Momoko also understood that their actions were wrong.
However, it was still the result of trying to eliminate elements of unease.
Even if she felt remorse, she had no regrets.
“How should I have you compensate me?”
“…If it’s something I can do, I’ll do anything.”
“Hoh? So, does that mean I can beat you to a pulp and rape you?”
“Kuh… Yes.”
“You seem quite resolved~”
At her core, Momoko was a soldier.
If it would lead to the country’s benefit, she had resolved herself to sell her body to Kazuma.
The Crimson Knight, the Silver Knight, and the knights who had appeared in various places, though there was no definite information on them yet.
If all of them were Kazuma, how much benefit would that bring?
Momoko wasn’t foolish enough not to understand that.
Momoko, looking down and trembling, held her elbows as if to stop the shaking.
Kazuma, who was watching her, dispelled the Illusion Magic and returned to his usual appearance.
“It seems you’ve made quite a resolve.”
“I am a soldier, after all…”
“I see. Honestly, I personally don’t like the National Defense Force, or rather, the Japanese government. But you were lucky. If they had messed with my family, I would have seriously parted ways with this country.”
Hearing those words, Momoko gasped.
It wasn’t known to anyone outside of those involved yet, but some influential people had been planning to use Kazuma’s family and acquaintances as blackmail material.
Fortunately, before it could be carried out, all the main culprits who had planned the crime died in the recent Ibinom attack, so they were saved by the skin of their teeth.
“Kuh… Is that so?”
“When I found out they planted a listening device on Ivy, I considered crushing them, but you should thank my mother.”
“I will…”
Kazuma had gone on with a long preamble, but his real purpose was something else.
Kazuma cleared his throat once and got to the main topic.
“Ahem! The conversation strayed a bit, but first, there’s something I want to ask.”
“If it’s something I can answer…”
“Then, your three sizes, from the top.”
Kazuma immediately joked, but Momoko, as she had declared, was about to say it if it was something she could answer.
However, she seemed to have considerable resistance, biting her lower lip.
“Guh… From the top, 7—”
“No, you really don’t have to answer.”
“Kuh~~~!”
Momoko, her face bright red with shame, glared at Kazuma with teary eyes.
“What I want to ask is why Momoko-chan is here. If I recall, everyone except the representative players watches from the academy, right?”
The Academy Battle Tournament, unlike Koshien, isn’t held during summer vacation but just before winter break.
Therefore, it’s customary for students other than the representatives to cheer while watching on the academy’s giant screen.
As if to regain her composure, Momoko placed a hand on her chest, took a deep breath, and then answered Kazuma’s question.
“Yes. Normally, that’s the case, but as you know, I’m a member of the National Defense Force, so I was urgently sent here on orders from above.”
“May I ask the reason for that?”
“I imagine you’ve probably guessed, but it’s because of you…”
“Ah~, as I thought? Is it because of the Crown Battle~?”
“Yes. The government, having learned of your abilities, made swift moves, wanting to secure you for the National Defense Force and domestic companies at all costs.”
“I see. So that’s why Momoko-chan, who can read minds, was chosen.”
“That’s right.”
“By the way, Momoko-chan, you seem to be a soldier, but what’s your real age?”
“Ugh…”
Momoko, who was twenty, didn’t want to talk about how she had faked her age as sixteen to infiltrate the academy.
“Oh my, oh my~~~? Could it be you’re fudging your age quite a bit? Maybe you’re even in your thirties!”
“I’m not that old!”
“Hohou. Then I’d say early twenties! To be precise, twenty-two!”
“I-I’ll exercise my right to remain silent.”
“Which means you’re twenty-four!”
“…”
“Hmm. Judging from your expression and heart rate, you’re not twenty-four.”
“Huh? Heart rate? How can you tell something like that?”
“If I concentrate a bit, I can tell things like pulse. Though I can’t go as far as brainwaves.”
“W-well, I’m not one to talk, but you’re a monster.”
“You, before even getting to the mind-reading bit, you’re the type who has no friends because of that mouth of yours, aren’t you?”
“Th-that’s not true!”
Momoko, twenty years old, not only had no boyfriend but also no one she could truly call a friend.
The people around her were only colleagues or work associates.
Momoko, who could read minds, couldn’t make friends.
“Well, whatever. If twenty-four is wrong, then you’re around twenty.”
It was a spot-on guess, and Momoko tried to act as if it wasn’t, but Kazuma didn’t miss the momentary skip in her heartbeat.
“Twenty-year-old JK Momoko-chan. Pffft~~~”
“(I-I’ll kill him! Someday, I’ll definitely kill him!)”
“(Now, now, don’t be so angry. I think you’re cute, Momoko-chan. Your uniform suits you well too!)”
“That’s why I said, please don’t naturally hold conversations in my mind!”
“Eh? This wasn’t okay? I was just guessing what you were thinking to some extent and giving a plausible reply~”
“What is that useless advanced skill!”
“It’s not useless! We’ve had fun up until now, haven’t we!”
“I got a hole in my stomach from stress over here!”
“Momoko, I thought you were usually lonely by yourself, so I was making conversation with you, and it was stressful!?”
“How on earth did you think that was smooth communication! It was a constant parade of dirty jokes!”
“That’s just how high school boys are.”
“Apologize to all the high school boys in the country!”
“You’re the one idealizing high school boys nationwide! They’re all perverts, every last one of ’em! Creatures who can only think with their lower halves!”
“That’s just you!”
“What did you say! I’m a gentleman, aren’t I!”
“Someone like you—”
Here, Momoko remembered.
Now that she thought about it, Kazuma’s thought process might have been that of an utterly vile pervert, but he had never once acted on it.
Rather, he usually even showed signs of being considerate towards women.
In reality, Kazuma’s reputation was high.
He was what society generally called an ikemen, had a good sense of humor, and though he joked around, he was popular with women.
“Fuhahahaha! What’s wrong? Suddenly going quiet! Could it be you remembered something pertinent~?”
“Gugigigi…!”
Yes, as if to mock Momoko who was reading his mind, Kazuma had only been fooling around in his thoughts.
He was by no means a pervert.
“Haa~~~. Laughed, I laughed.”
“Kuh…”
“The conversation has strayed quite a bit, but let’s get back on track.”
Kazuma, who had been laughing to the point of tears, wiped the corners of his eyes and showed a serious expression.
Completely different from the atmosphere until just now, Momoko flinched.
“Momoko-chan. I want you to let me negotiate with your superiors.”
“Eh…”
“I was wondering how to make contact, but then I thought, isn’t Momoko-chan, a government person, right here? It was also good that you showed up at just the right time.”
“Eh, um… Are you serious?”
“I’m serious. I’ve been hiding my true identity until now, but I’ve decided there’s no need to hide it anymore. At first, it’s true, I fretted over all sorts of things and was scared, but… well, I almost lost something precious over such a stupid reason. That’s why I’ve decided to stop hiding.”
“I-Is that so…”
For Momoko, this was a development she couldn’t have wished for more, yet Kazuma was being strangely sharp. She had no idea what sort of demands he might make. Be that as it may, she wasn’t the one who would be doing the negotiating. In that case, she would contact her superiors and await their instructions. And so, with that in mind, Momoko decided to accept Kazuma’s proposal.