Chapter 25: Leave the Producing to Me!
Having finished her pleasant chat with Honoka, Charlotte approached Kazuma.
“Kazuma-san. I’ll be in your care from now on!”
With a beaming smile, Charlotte gave Kazuma a cute, slight bow.
At first, she had imagined something rosy, but when reality set in, it was life at the children’s home where Kazuma grew up.
Although she was disappointed, Charlotte was inwardly overjoyed knowing she could live under the same roof as Kazuma.
However, sadly enough.
Her faint expectations would come to nothing.
“Shar.”
“Yes! What is it?”
“I’m thinking of training you.”
“Heh?”
“It’s okay. Don’t worry. I’ll teach you kindly, step by step, holding your hand through it all.”
To a listener, that statement might have had a suggestive ring to it, but Charlotte understood that Kazuma meant it in the literal sense.
“U-um, Kazuma-san?”
“I’ve received permission from the President of France, so while I might not make you the world’s strongest, I intend to give you at least enough power to overcome adversity on your own.”
“Hey, wait! Wait, Kazuma-san! Listen to what I have to say!”
“Trust me, Shar. I’ll definitely turn you into a Holy Maiden who will astound the world.”
“Um! I don’t particularly want something like that!”
“I know. As a Holy Maiden, you probably don’t need such power. But, as I think you’ve realized from this recent incident, in the end, the only one you can rely on is yourself.”
“Th-that is…”
In reality, if Kazuma hadn’t been there, Charlotte wouldn’t have been saved.
At that time, Charlotte had also thought that if only she had power, even if not to Kazuma’s extent.
Therefore, she couldn’t deny Kazuma’s words.
“So, with that said, I’ll forge you into a fine warrior.”
“Eh…”
Not allowed to resist or even make excuses, Charlotte was led by Kazuma’s hand to a place she had never seen before.
“U-um, where is this? We were at Ivy just a moment ago…”
“This is a subspace I created. The perceived time here is different from the outside, so training here is very efficient.”
“You’re saying that with a smile, but I’m troubled because I don’t understand it at all…”
“Don’t worry about the details. For now, let’s start with some light exercise.”
“Fueee~~~…”
First, to grasp how much Charlotte could move, Kazuma decided to make her run.
Charlotte began to run in the empty space.
Kazuma, witnessing this scene, thought of a good idea, left Charlotte for a moment, and moved using Teleportation Magic.
Then, he abducted Momoko, who was diligently working on government affairs.
He then brought her to the same space as Charlotte.
“What is this!? What in the world!? What happened!?”
“Momoko-cha~n. It’s pitiful for Shar to be alone, so let’s have you train too~”
“Heh, ha? I-I’m busy with my work as your secretary, so physical labor is—”
“It’s an order from your superior. Shut up and do as you’re told.”
“Don’t screw with me, you damn bastard!!”
As if in a last-ditch effort of resistance, Momoko leaped towards Kazuma.
She unleashed a flying knee kick, but he nimbly dodged it, and Momoko, grabbed by the scruff of her neck, dangled from Kazuma’s hand like a cat.
“Good to see you’re so energetic! Well then, just like Shar, run until you reach your limit~”
“Someday, I’ll kill you!!!”
Perhaps having gotten used to Kazuma’s treatment, Momoko didn’t try to put on an act.
She showed her true self, her hackles raised like a cat, furious.
“It’d be great if you could~. Man~, Momoko-chan really is cute.”
While being jerked around by her unreasonable superior’s orders, Momoko obeyed and started running, following after Charlotte.
With Momoko running alongside her, Charlotte was delighted to have made a companion.
Charlotte, lining up beside her, greeted her new companion.
“Ehehe, I look forward to working with you from now on.”
“Indeed. Let’s beat up that damn bastard together.”
“Eh, eh~! You dislike Kazuma-san?”
“Rather, what part of him could possibly make someone like him?”
“There are things I don’t quite understand about him, but he’s kind and reliable, you know.”
“On that point, you’re right… I’m sorry. The way you and I met him was different.”
“Oh, I see. May I ask about your impression when you first met Kazuma-san?”
“Yes, that’s fine. I met him when I infiltrated the academy for a surveillance mission. I have the Gift of Mind Reading, so I got close to him.”
“Were you a student?”
“…No, I infiltrated by falsifying my age.”
“How old are you?”
“…I’m twenty.”
“Wow~, so you’re older than me.”
Though she meant no harm, due to her natural airheadedness, Charlotte hit a sore spot, and Momoko grimaced as if she’d bitten into a bitter bug.
“Getting back to the story, I read his mind. The contents were the worst. It was a parade of dirty jokes. Well, it was only recently revealed that all of that was actually a lie, though…”
Still, the fact that she had been toyed with didn’t disappear.
On days like when the grand reveal happened, she had nightmares over and over.
It wasn’t something she could forgive so easily.
However, he was now her superior, and not just Japan’s strongest, but the world’s strongest man.
He was undoubtedly an incredibly prime catch whose future was guaranteed.
She didn’t want to admit it, but if she were to marry, there was no man better than Kazuma.
After all, she could read people’s minds.
She could see through any secrets.
There was no way she could get married.
Because of that, she couldn’t even make a single close friend, but Kazuma was different.
When she read his mind, he had laughed heartily, saying it didn’t bother him in the slightest.
It was infuriating, but he was the first member of the opposite sex she had ever placed her hopes in.
“However, well… I don’t dislike him.”
It wasn’t that she liked him, just that she didn’t dislike him.
Just, he wasn’t bad.
As Momoko thought this, her face was just a little flushed.
“Fufu, is that so?”
Charlotte couldn’t help but smile at the not-so-honest Momoko.
Though older, Momoko showed a cute reaction, and Charlotte found her likable.
“Q-Quit the idle chatter and let’s run for now.”
Feeling a strange itch on her back, Momoko couldn’t stand Charlotte’s lukewarm gaze and slightly increased her running pace.
Charlotte, not wanting to be left behind, hurriedly picked up her pace, but the gap between Momoko, who was somewhat trained as a soldier, and the self-indulgent Charlotte steadily widened.
First, Charlotte gave up and collapsed, and next, Momoko reached her limit and fell to the ground.
Both were out of breath, unable to even speak.
For now, they just wanted to do nothing, lying collapsed, their chests heaving up and down.
“Hmm. Well, this is about what I expected…”
Kazuma, having learned the extent of their stamina and willpower, considered how much he should train them.
He was clueless about politics and studies, but when it came to combat, he displayed his talent.
“For now, I’ll have Shar master Zombie Divine Fist using healing and regeneration, and Momoko-chan can read minds, so I’ll have her utilize that. The problem is their physical aspect, but let’s supplement that with the power of science.”
Their two Gifts were completely specialized for rear support.
Healing and regeneration, and Mind Reading.
And, they were both women, their bodies naturally no different from ordinary women.
No matter how much they trained, they probably wouldn’t reach the level of a thoroughly trained man like Kazuma.
In that case, their bodies should be enhanced.
However, they couldn’t use magic like Kazuma, so they should rely on the power of science.
Namely, Powered Suits.
Kazuma thought of contacting Yayoi, one of his acquaintances, but if he were to ask for her cooperation, he would have to reveal that he was the Crimson Knight.
Of course, it wasn’t absolutely necessary, but there was no way the Tennoji Zaibatsu, her family’s conglomerate, would cooperate with someone who was merely a friend.
The news that the Crimson Knight had joined the National Defense Force had already spread throughout the country.
However, his true identity was kept secret from all but a very select few.
This was a measure taken because Kazuma desired peace.
Despite that, it would be meaningless if he himself revealed his identity.
“Guess I’ll ask Saito-san~”
Friends are indeed what one should have.
While not exactly a friendship, it was no exaggeration to call Ema the highest authority in present-day Japan.
The former Prime Minister had died in the recent Ibinom attack incident, and all the ministers of the Cabinet Office had also perished.
Thanks to that, Ema had somewhat haphazardly assumed the position of Prime Minister, the top of Japan.
The opposing factions, weakened by the loss of their leaders, had allowed Ema to bring his own subordinates into the Cabinet Office, building an unshakable formation.
At least as long as he was alive, Kazuma’s wishes would likely be fulfilled.
“Hello, Saito-san. It’s me, me, me, it’s me.”
“I don’t think ‘It’s me’ scams are in vogue these days, but what’s up?”
“Well~, actually, I have a favor to ask~”
“It’s not an unreasonable request like the other day, is it?”
“That’s fine. This time, I have a request regarding Powered Suits.”
“Powered Suits? Aren’t those something you have no need for?”
“That’s not quite the case. I’m training Charlotte right now, but as expected, I can’t cover her physical aspects, so I’m thinking of supplementing that with Powered Suits.”
Pressing his temples, Ema wondered if “Charlotte” referred to the Holy Maiden. He considered questioning Kazuma-san, but reasoning that just as one cannot fathom the mind of a god, one cannot fathom the mind of an idiot, he feigned ignorance and resumed the conversation.
Rubbing the inner corners of his eyes, Ema asked about the Powered Suit Kazuma-san wanted.
“I understand the situation. So, I just need to prepare a Powered Suit?”
“Well, that’s about right, but what’s the enhancement value of the latest Powered Suits?”
“Japanese-made is seven times, Chinese-made is seven-point-two times, and American-made is seven-point-five times.”
“That’s not enough…”
“…”
Ema clutched his head at Kazuma-san’s remark.
Powered Suits were meant to boost the physical abilities of humans who didn’t possess Body Enhancement, but there were naturally dangers involved.
If one aimed for too much improvement in physical ability, the burden on the user would become too great, and there was a risk of self-destruction.
The values Ema had just mentioned were the current limits, the result of each country’s efforts.
They were designed to leave no after-effects and keep the burden on the user to a minimum.
“I want at least ten times.”
“Don’t say such unreasonable things… We’re already doing our best with this.”
“…If that’s the case, it can’t be helped. Introduce me to a company. I’ll help with the development too.”
“What?!”
Ema, who had been diligently working on government affairs, unintentionally stood up.
“What’s wrong? So, it’s no good after all?”
“No, that’s not it. Are you perhaps capable of weapons development too?”
“I’m not particularly skilled at it. But, well, I thought I might be able to provide materials or something.”
“Materials? Could it be, Ibinom?”
“That’s right. I can even capture them alive.”
“…Understood. I’ll pick out some trustworthy companies on our end.”
“As soon as possible, please.”
“I’ll make it top priority.”
“Thank you!”
And so, with a clear path to enhancing Charlotte and Momoko, Kazuma nodded in satisfaction and decided to begin training the two of them in earnest.