Chapter 15: Momoko-chan, Make Sure to Report Me in a Cool Way!
The discussion ended, and Momoko, who had accepted Kazuma’s proposal, was about to guide him to her superior immediately, but she was stopped by his words.
“Ah, my bad. It’s not like it has to be right now. I’d like to ask you to arrange it for another day, at a later date. A lot happened today, right? I think the government is busy dealing with that, so whenever you have time is fine.”
“However, my superior is at the scene right now, so we can talk right away, you know?”
“I’d love to do that, but… unfortunately, I’m no good at political discussions.”
“I figured as much.”
“What do you mean, ‘I figured as much’?! Are you making fun of me?!”
“Isn’t it a plain fact?”
“That’s an irrefutable argument…”
While he might be somewhat cunning, Momoko knew that Kazuma wasn’t that intelligent.
Probably, when it came to people within the Japanese government who knew a lot about Kazuma, there was likely no one who surpassed her.
After all, she had been observing Kazuma’s school life and private life for half a year.
“Well, whatever. For now, we’d like to have someone else besides me at the negotiation table.”
“Understood. I’ll pass that on.”
“Huh? That was surprisingly easy.”
“To put it bluntly, you are an exceptional powerhouse on par with the King, the Overlord, and the Sun King. We don’t want to do anything to displease someone like that. Therefore, we intend to accommodate your requests as much as possible.”
“After all that surveillance and eavesdropping, that’s quite a thing to say now…”
“W-when you put it like that, I can only apologize. However, I hope you can understand our position…”
“…Ah, I get what you’re trying to say. You were scared, huh?”
“Yes…”
They were terrified of the unknown Gifted with overwhelming power known as the Crimson Knight.
Because of that, they were monitoring the suspect, but the person in question, while feigning ignorance, was moving around conspicuously.
It’s no wonder they were confused and wary.
“Well, since we’ve settled things, shall we part ways here?”
“Please wait. I was looking for you.”
“Come to think of it, there was that Crown Battle thing…”
In the first place, Momoko was here not because of the Crimson Knight case, but to make contact with Satsuki Kazuma, who had shown monstrous strength in the Crown Battle.
“What will you do?”
“Hmmm… I want to meet up with everyone once and discuss what to do next.”
“Then, shall we do that? I’ll head to the garrison. I’ll make my report about you there.”
“I’m counting on you. When you come over here, what will you do, Momoko-chan?”
“Well, I’m also undercover at the academy using a false identity, so I’ll be on standby at the garrison. I believe someone else will probably contact you.”
“Okay. Got it.”
“Um, I’m telling you this now, but please, please make sure not to be rude, okay?”
Momoko was afraid that Kazuma might act rudely towards the people who came to visit him.
That was her only worry, so she gave him a warning just in case.
“Only if they’re sincere!”
“………I’ll make sure to tell them properly.”
Momoko, feeling a dull pain in her lower abdomen, decided she would firmly instruct her colleagues, not Kazuma.
“(I have to make sure not to anger him…)”
“(That looks painful! I’ll heal it for you!)”
“Wh-what?!”
Momoko clearly felt the pain in her lower abdomen disappearing.
Of course, she understood that the reason for it was the unconventional being in front of her.
“Th-the pain is really gone…”
“I took care of your skin too while I was at it! Twenty-year-old Momoko-chan!”
“Th-that’s none of your business! But, thank you very much!”
“It’s alright! Let’s get along from now on!”
Kazuma, smiling brightly, extended his hand to Momoko.
As if to say it was a handshake of friendship, Kazuma was grinning.
Although it couldn’t help but look suspicious, Momoko took his hand, knowing she couldn’t refuse a handshake here.
“Likewise…”
“Where’s your smile, Momoko-cha~n?”
“Is this okay?”
Just as she was told, Momoko forced a cramped smile.
It was a smile far from a perfect score, but at least in the current situation, it would be a passing grade.
“Uh-huh, uh-huh! That’s good!”
“(Haa… Dealing with this man is exhausting.)”
“(You better not let your guard down until the very end.)”
“………I’ll try my best.”
“Do your best!”
Towards Kazuma, who read her mind so naturally, Momoko gave up, deciding not to think about anything anymore.
After finishing their handshake, the two of them returned to their respective places.
Momoko to the garrison, and Kazuma back to the representative players.
◇◇◇◇
Momoko, having returned to the garrison, hurried to her superior.
It was because there was an incredibly important matter she had to report.
A top-priority case concerning both Satsuki Kazuma and the Crimson Knight.
Deep inside a temporary tent, a man dressed in a high-quality suit was in the middle of talking with the garrison leader.
Momoko waited for their conversation to end, but when the man in the suit saw Momoko, he cut short his talk with the leader and approached her.
“You were quite late, but judging by your face, it seems something bad happened.”
“Yes…”
“Not here. Let’s move to another place.”
The two of them exited the tent.
At their destination, a wagon with tinted windows, making the inside invisible, was parked.
Nearby, a beautiful woman wearing glasses was standing, and when the man in the suit raised his hand, she opened the car door.
Momoko and the man in the suit entered, and then the beautiful woman with glasses from before also got into the car, closed the door, and locked it.
“This place is, for the record, bulletproof and soundproof. Let’s hear in detail what happened.”
“Please don’t be surprised when you hear this. The surveillance target, Satsuki Kazuma, was the Crimson Knight.”
“………Ah, my apologies. It seems I’m a little hard of hearing. Could you repeat that, please?”
“Then, I’ll say it again. There is no mistake that Satsuki Kazuma was the Crimson Knight. Saito, the Administrative Vice-Minister. Please accept reality. I confirmed it clearly with my own eyes and my mind-reading Gift.”
“Should I rejoice? Or should I weep and wail…?”
At the unbelievable news, the man in the suit, Administrative Vice-Minister Saito Ema, was rubbing the bridge of his nose.
All the things the Japanese government had done to Satsuki Kazuma up until now were, by extension, done to the Crimson Knight.
Just imagining what he might be thinking about the government was enough to make his stomach ache.
“Phew… Shinonome-kun. You made contact with Satsuki Kazuma, also known as the Crimson Knight, correct?”
“Yes. He himself told me he was the Crimson Knight, and I was presented with proof.”
“…I see. I see~~~”
“I can’t take this anymore, I want to quit,” Ema hung his head.
His actions made it clear he absolutely understood their situation. That was proof he likely held no goodwill towards the government.
“How am I supposed to negotiate under these circumstances?” Ema lamented.
“There’s good news too.”
“Let’s hear it.”
“He said he wants to negotiate.”
“What did you say?! Negotiate? Not make demands?”
“Yes. Apparently, he has some idea in mind, and he proposed negotiations.”
“Could it be that you did something, Shinonome-kun?”
“No, I didn’t do anything. As I said earlier, it seems he has some sort of plan or motive.”
“I see! This is incredible luck! Normally, in this situation, it wouldn’t be strange for him to have given up on Japan and gone to another country!”
Ema was overjoyed, thinking that luck was finally on their side.
Considering their actions up to now, it was only natural.
The surveillance, secret filming, and interrogations they had subjected Kazuma to.
Unless he was an incredibly magnanimous person, it would be no surprise if he had grown disgusted with Japan.
“So, did he specify a date, time, or place for the negotiations?”
“No, he said that we must be busy with the recent Ibinom attack, so he’ll accommodate our schedule.”
“Is he some kind of saint or virtuous man? If I were the Crimson Knight, I’d be doing whatever I pleased…”
Most of the nation knew about the scene where he overwhelmed the Humanoid Ibinom.
If he possesses that much power, he should be able to have his own way.
However, the fact that he doesn’t do so means he is undoubtedly a man of character.
Ema predicted that if this was the case, there would be room for negotiation.
“Alright, let’s leave the situation at the site to someone else. Well, since the Crimson Knight pretty much annihilated the Ibinom, rescued the evacuees, and even healed the injured, it’s mostly just compiling a damage report…”
It was an incredible, multifaceted performance.
It was likely a feat that not even the King, the Overlord, or the Sun King could imitate.
He was truly an exceptional existence.
Such an existence was going out of his way to sit down at the negotiation table for them.
There was no way they could let this opportunity slip by.
“Shinonome-kun. Where is Satsuki Kazuma now?”
“I believe he’s near the representative players for the Academy Battle Tournament.”
“Then, let’s go meet him right away.”
“Ah, please wait. If that’s the case… um…”
“Is it something difficult to say?”
“Yes…”
“Hmm. There’s no one here but us. Feel free to speak your mind.”
“In that case, I’ll be frank. He has a weakness for beautiful women, so if you’re going to visit him, it might be better that way.”
“…Come to think of it, he reacted quite strongly to Yumemiya Sakura during the interrogation as well. Are you sure it wasn’t an act, but his genuine feelings?”
“I believe that’s most likely the case.”
“I see, understood. Tsukimi-kun, would you go?”
Ema turned to his secretary, Ayashiro Tsukimi, who was seated beside him.
She was a trustworthy individual, and while he wasn’t sure if she would be to Kazuma’s liking, there was no doubt she was what society generally considered a beautiful woman, so he decided to entrust the task to her.
“Understood. What are your instructions regarding the location and time?”
“For the location, let’s use the traditional Japanese restaurant I always frequent. As for the date and time, please ask the other party just to be sure. If they have no specific requests, I’d like you to coordinate it. This is the top priority in our upcoming schedule.”
“Certainly. Then, I shall depart at once.”
“I’m counting on you.”
True to her word, Tsukimi immediately took action.
Getting out of the car, she headed towards Kazuma.
Momoko and Ema were left to wait, but it didn’t take very long.
A little over ten minutes later, Tsukimi returned.
Ema was surprised because she returned sooner than expected.
“That was quite fast. Did you settle things?”
“Y-yes. It concluded smoothly, without any particular need for negotiation.”
“I-I see. So, did they specify a date and time?”
“Yes. He said he would return to the Seventh Area once to speak with his family and requested three days from now. He had no particular preference regarding the location, and as for the time, he said he would accommodate our schedule, so I took the liberty of setting it for noon.”
“Understood. Noon, three days from now! Shinonome-kun. I want to know more about Satsuki Kazuma by then. I need a detailed report compiled.”
“Understood.”
A report like the one she had submitted before would undoubtedly get her scolded.
Momoko would have to revise and compile the report again.
The Kazuma she had observed over the past six months was, fundamentally, a chimpanzee with a constant barrage of lewd jokes.
However, his true identity was the Crimson Knight.
Not knowing what on earth she should write, Momoko let out a melancholic sigh.