Episode 39: Can’t Be Helped, Huh~
Around that time, Kazuma, who had returned to his room, was pondering whether or not to attend the Christmas party.
To be honest, he wanted to participate, but the development of the Powered Suit was keeping him busy.
However, if he used his secret weapon, Space-Time Magic, he could significantly shorten the time needed.
In other words, he could afford to take a day off to have fun.
“(The email says we’ll be hanging out with everyone in the class for just one day on December 25th, so there shouldn’t be a problem… But then again, my class is the Support Course, isn’t it?)”
Shunsuke was in the Combat Course, not only in a different class from Kazuma but in a different department altogether.
However, Kazuma’s overwhelmingly high Combat Power had become public knowledge during the Academy Battle Tournament.
Thanks to that, Kazuma was now perceived as being in the Combat Course, not the Support Course.
It was a strange situation, but the strongest student not just in the Seventh Esper Academy, but in all the academies nationwide, was in the Support Course.
Therefore, it wasn’t surprising that he was actually perceived as being in the Combat Course.
“(For now, I’ll ask Kosuke and the others…)”
Kazuma was about to send an email to his classmate and friend Kosuke about the Christmas party, but then he remembered something.
“(Come to think of it, what happened to Akatsuki? Crap! I completely forgot about him until now!)”
Akatsuki, who had attacked the closing ceremony of the Academy Battle Tournament, been deceived by the Ivera Church, and turned into a Modified Fiend.
Kazuma had said a word to him when he neutralized him and handed him over to the National Defense Force, but he knew nothing about what happened afterward.
Kazuma hurriedly contacted Ema to find out what had become of Akatsuki.
“Hello, Saito-san!”
“What’s wrong? You sound so flustered.”
“Well, I just remembered, and I wanted to know what happened to my classmate, Akatsuki.”
“Ah. Him…”
“I-Is it possible… he was sentenced to death or something?”
“Hahahaha. Nothing like that. However, he did commit a crime. Even if it was an attempt, he tried to kill many people. Moreover, his Gift wrecked the lifelines in the dome used for the Academy Battle Tournament. He can’t exactly be let off scot-free.”
“S-So, does that mean he’s in prison or something?”
“Ordinarily, yes… However, given his circumstances, he’s doing community service under government supervision.”
“Community service? Is it like what I’m doing?”
“No, it’s different. His Gift is Levitation. He’ll be working on resource procurement and transportation. However, he can’t go to the academy anymore.”
“Eh…”
It was an inevitable outcome.
Although Akatsuki was deceived, the choice was ultimately his own.
As a result, he nearly killed a large number of people.
It was by no means forgivable.
Nevertheless, it was thanks to Kazuma that Akatsuki avoided the death penalty and a life sentence in prison.
Thanks to Kazuma neutralizing Akatsuki without a single casualty and handling the aftermath properly, Akatsuki hadn’t committed an irrevocable crime.
“This is the most we could concede…”
“…I see. How is Akatsuki doing now?”
“He’s undergoing daily experiments at a government research facility. In addition to his Levitation Gift, he’s also acquired Body Enhancement. They’re currently investigating his abnormally high level of Levitation.”
“…………I understand.”
“Aren’t you going to tell us to stop?”
“You say some rather cruel things…”
In the first place, Kazuma was partly responsible for Akatsuki’s rampage.
He had heard this from Akatsuki himself.
That being said, there was nothing he could do about it.
It was true that Kazuma was partly to blame, but Akatsuki was the one who ultimately made the choice.
Therefore, it was Akatsuki, not Kazuma, who had to atone for his sins.
“Well, I don’t know if this will be any consolation, but we won’t treat him badly. To put it bluntly, he’ll be working for the government, for the country, until the day he dies.”
“…………Is it possible to meet him?”
“Of course.”
They could meet face-to-face.
However, there was no guarantee of what would happen after that.
Neither of them would know what kind of expression to make.
Akatsuki had rampaged due to a misunderstanding, but in reality, it wasn’t a misunderstanding; he had been right.
And Kazuma had stopped hiding his true identity and was now working as part of the National Defense Force’s special operations unit.
It was obvious what would happen if Akatsuki found out.
“Will you meet him?”
“…When the time comes.”
“I see. Understood. Let me know when that happens. We’ll make preparations on our end.”
“Thank you.”
“So, is that all you wanted to ask?”
“Yes. Just about Akatsuki.”
“Then, I have something for you as well.”
“Is there something?”
“Today, we sent Ibinom materials and the necessary personnel for Powered Suit development to Kurashige Industries. If it’s convenient for you, you can start development to your heart’s content from today.”
“Oh, ooh! That’s great news! I’ll head over right away—”
Just as Kazuma was enthusiastically about to head to Kurashige Industries, he remembered the Christmas party.
However, Kazuma was troubled.
Akatsuki was currently in government custody, leaving only Kosuke and Taichi from their usual group.
Those two would surely have questions about Akatsuki’s absence.
If they asked about Akatsuki, Kazuma wouldn’t know how to answer.
He couldn’t just honestly say that Akatsuki was currently under government protection.
Because they would ask why that was the case.
And they would surely want to know how Kazuma knew about it.
“(Hmm… If they ask, I guess I’ll just have to insist I don’t know.)”
In the end, all Kazuma could do was be evasive.
After finishing his call with Ema, Kazuma contacted Kosuke and Taichi via a chat app.
Both of them replied immediately.
“Let’s see, Kosuke can’t make it because he’s back at his parents’ house hanging out with his old middle school friends, and Taichi is going to his grandparents’ house from Christmas to New Year’s…”
Reading their replies, Kazuma’s shoulders slumped, wondering what all his earlier worrying had been for.
Nevertheless, with his worries gone, Kazuma told Shunsuke that he would attend the Christmas party.
Just as Kazuma had decided to attend Shunsuke’s Christmas party, Alicia and the others arrived.
“Kazuma~. Can we come in?”
Hearing Alicia’s voice from beyond the door, Kazuma replied.
“Sure~”
Having received permission, Alicia and the others opened the door and trooped into Kazuma’s room.
With Alicia, Charlotte, Momoko, Sakura Hakanai, and Kazuma, the room became quite cramped.
“Everyone came, huh…”
“We just finished the work from Mother (Okaasama).”
“Ah, I see. Good work. So, what brings you here? I’ve already set up the training space, so you should be able to come and go as you please.”
“It’s about that, Kazuma-san. Christmas is getting close, isn’t it?”
“Eh, ah, so that’s it.”
From Charlotte’s words, Kazuma guessed that the four of them wanted a vacation.
Of course, he wasn’t wrong, but he was forgetting that he wasn’t the one they wanted a break from.
“Alright. Well, Shar and Momoko-chan have grown enough, so there’s no problem, and Alicia has been strong enough from the start, so she’s fine. As for that one over there…”
Kazuma decided to stop calling Sakura Hakanai by derogatory names.
She was certainly a heinous criminal, but currently, she was close to being a harmless civilian.
Moreover, she was also the most delicate woman among the four.
In that case, while vigilance would still be necessary, disparaging her would only be unpleasant for himself and others.
“Sakura Hakanai, well, we’ll train her from now on, but that’s fine. However, if you go out anywhere, it must be under Momoko-chan’s supervision.”
“Why are you pushing her onto me…?”
“Because you’re suitable?”
“Don’t answer with a question…!”
Momoko, entrusted with someone as troublesome as, or even more so than, Kazuma, wished she could be spared.
As if being Kazuma’s subordinate wasn’t enough, with various tasks being pushed on her from all directions, she was now told to look after Sakura Hakanai as well.
It wouldn’t be long before Momoko developed a neurosis, but since her superior, Kazuma, constantly cast Recovery Magic on her, her physical health was in top condition.
However, her mental state was under tremendous strain, putting her on the verge of being a cheerful depressive.
“Well, it’s fine, isn’t it? Let’s get along,” Sakura Hakanai said.
“Kuh…! If only you were a slightly more decent person, I would feel more at ease,” Momoko retorted.
“You make it sound as if I’m the abnormal one~”
“No matter how you look at it, you are abnormal! Honestly…”
With both her superior and this new charge being self-paced, not listening to others, and not understanding, they were nothing but a source of headaches for Momoko.
Momoko clutched her head, but ultimately, as a corporate slave, she could only obey Kazuma’s orders.
Reluctantly, she decided to look after Sakura Hakanai.
“By the way, Kazuma, there’s something I want to ask you,” Alicia said.
“Hm? What is it, Alicia?”
“What are your plans for Christmas?”
“Ah. About that, I just decided. I’m going to have a Christmas party with my friends from the academy.”
“”Eh…”” Alicia and Charlotte uttered.
Unable to hide their disappointment at the fact that he had just decided, Alicia and Charlotte looked at each other.
Their plan to invite Kazuma on a date if he had no plans for Christmas and make a move on him was ruined.
Deciding there was no other choice, the two nodded to each other and formed an alliance to win Kazuma over.
“Hey, Kazuma. Can we join that Christmas party too?” Alicia asked.
“Eh? I think it’s probably fine, but I’ll check just in case.”
“Please do,” Charlotte urged.
Kazuma sent a message to Shunsuke via a chat app, asking if it would be a problem if four more women joined.
A reply came immediately. There was still plenty of room at the reserved venue, so Alicia and the others’ participation was approved.
“He said it’s fine.”
“Oh? So I can join too?” Alicia asked.
“Let me make this clear,” Kazuma said. “Don’t go trying to ‘sample’ the tender young boys.”
“They wouldn’t be interested in an old woman like me, surely?”
“…No, on the contrary, they’d probably love you. Your figure and beauty are both top-class, after all. Besides, that mature allure is dazzling to students.”
“Fufu, hearing you say that doesn’t feel bad at all,” Alicia chuckled.
“Um…” Momoko ventured. “By any chance, do I have to participate too?”
“Of course, Momoko-chan! You and I are bound by fate, two hearts beating as one, aren’t we!”
“Please give me a vacation…”
“Well then, there are still a few days until the Christmas party, so you can rest. For now, I’ll look after Sakura Hakanai.”
Although Kazuma had said it half-jokingly, Momoko, who hadn’t actually expected to receive any time off, was surprised yet shed tears of joy at the thought of finally being able to rest properly.
“Yes…! I can finally rest after so long.”
“But,” Kazuma added, “if the Powered Suit is completed during your vacation, I’ll contact you.”
“……”
Kazuma, raising her hopes only to dash them.
Momoko glared resentfully at Kazuma.