Episode 43: Damn You, Vixen!!!
Left alone after Kaguya’s departure, Kazuma clutched his head.
Those who had been monitoring him leaned into their speakers, trying not to miss a single word of his sudden behavior.
“Aah, I messed up…”
Hearing his regretful voice, they all tilted their heads, and had a Gifted with Mind Reading read Kazuma’s thoughts.
“Um… ‘It’s not often I get a chance to talk to such a beautiful girl, so I should have talked more. Also, if I had casually exchanged contact info, something might have developed~,’ is what he’s thinking.”
“He’s just a normal high school boy…”
“Typical puberty stuff…”
There was nothing particularly suspicious, yet they remained concerned. While talking with Kaguya, Kazuma had shown normal reactions, like being flustered.
Of course, they had read his mind then too, but the contents were utterly ordinary. To put it bluntly, he was a typical adolescent boy. He had been thinking things like, “She’s hot, her boobs are huge, is she an exhibitionist?!”
“However, what should we do? We investigated thoroughly and found a few suspicious points, but no definitive evidence or testimony linking him to the Crimson Knight has emerged.”
“Hmm… Let’s hear her report first, then we’ll think about it.”
“I just hope she doesn’t give a false report…”
“She’s quite adept at deceiving people, after all…”
“That woman, I never know what she’s thinking. It’s scary.”
And so, the questioning of Kazuma concluded, and he was released.
Another man appeared before Kazuma, who had remained in the room, and informed him that the interrogation was over. Hearing this, Kazuma sighed in relief, feeling like he had somehow managed.
Returning to the academy from the base, Kazuma was about to head to the dorms, thinking he could finally go home, when his homeroom teacher, Tanaka-sensei, called out to him. Kazuma turned around, wondering what his teacher wanted.
“Satsuki. What did they ask you at the base?”
“I have a duty of confidentiality, so I’ll remain silent.”
“Wha-! Were you discussing something that important?!”
“No, that was a lie.”
“H-Hey! Stop with the jokes that are bad for my heart!”
“Haha, sorry. Today, it was mostly harmless questions. Though, most of it was about the Crimson Knight.”
“Is that so? Come to think of it, the academy was your shelter too, right? What were you doing that day?”
“Nothing much. I was scared stiff and hiding in the bathroom.”
“Hahaha, I see. Yeah, that makes sense. I was there too, and I desperately wanted to run away.”
“It’s impressive you didn’t run.”
“Well, I’m an adult, and more importantly, my students were fighting desperately. I couldn’t just run away, could I?”
“…Sensei, you’re an admirable person. Well then, I’m heading back.”
“Ah. Understood. Take care.”
Waving his hand, Kazuma parted ways with Tanaka-sensei and started for home. Watching him go, Tanaka-sensei reflected on the day’s events and recalled things about Kazuma.
“Come to think of it, the security cameras caught the Crimson Knight coming out of the academy’s bathroom, didn’t they? Could it be that the National Defense Force called Kazuma because… No way! If he were the Crimson Knight, there’s no way he’d almost die from being hit by a truck! Hahahaha!”
Dismissing his own idea as some kind of mistake, Tanaka-sensei headed back to the Faculty Office.
◇◇◇◇
Meanwhile, the National Defense Force was questioning Kaguya, who possessed the Brainwashing Gift, about her impressions of Kazuma and any suspicious points. Kaguya was blindfolded, and they spoke through smoked glass.
“Regarding the boy, Satsuki Kazuma, whom you used your brainwashing on today, what was your assessment?”
“Nothing particularly unusual, just a perfectly ordinary high school boy.”
Beside the man asking the questions, a Gifted with Mind Reading stood by, whispering into his ear.
“She’s not lying. However…”
“However?”
“In her mind, she’s saying he’s an interesting boy who’s fun to tease.”
“Hmm… Well, she’s been imprisoned for a long time, so it’s not surprising she’d think that way, is it?”
“However, isn’t it rare for her to feel that way?”
“Indeed. Would that Vixen really take an interest in a mere high school boy?”
“Mmm, now that you mention it…”
Kaguya laughed as she watched the National Defense Force members grumble. It was truly amusing. It didn’t matter if they read her mind. After all, that was genuinely all she was thinking. She had found an interesting toy; there was no other way to describe it.
“Prisoner Number 0044, Yumemiya Sakura. I’ll ask again, were there truly no suspicious points?”
“Yes, that’s what I’ve been saying. You all know very well how potent my brainwashing is, don’t you?”
“…That’s true. More than we’d like to admit.”
A certain incident crossed the mind of the man, his face contorting as if he had bitten into a bitter bug.
There are numerous heinous crimes in the world. However, among them, some incidents are not made public and are quietly buried in darkness. One such case is the brainwashing incident caused by Hatsune Kaguya, also known as Yumemiya Sakura.
For the National Defense Force, and indeed the entire country, it’s an abominable incident they can’t forget even if they want to. After all, it escalated to the point of shaking the nation. Moreover, the fact that it was orchestrated by a single woman made it all the more so.
She’s even said to be the second coming of the legendary great yokai, the White-Faced Golden-Haired Nine-Tailed Fox, who once threw three countries into turmoil.
Her profession at the time was that of a hostess.
The name she used while working at the hostess club was Hatsune Kaguya. A so-called professional name.
When Sakura worked as Kaguya, she was a Non-Gifted who hadn’t awakened to any Gift.
However, with her beauty and cunning, she captivated countless men, quickly rising to become the number one hostess.
If it had ended there, it would have been fine, but her desires were insatiable. In a way, looking at the men she could manipulate at will, she thought: I want to do something interesting.
Unfortunately, she was a Non-Gifted, possessing no Gift. Even if she could manipulate the men who fell for her to some extent, she couldn’t achieve anything significant.
Among the men who fell for her were yakuza, members of the National Defense Force, and politicians, a diverse range, but ultimately, their last vestiges of reason got in the way. Not a single one was foolish enough to commit a crime.
Just when she was about to give up, thinking this was her limit, a miracle occurred. She finally awakened. Sakura’s Gift. And it was the very ability she had craved so desperately: Brainwashing.
From there, Sakura’s desires exploded. Merely wanting to “do something interesting,” she brainwashed yakuza, started wars, and embroiled the National Defense Force. Furthermore, she manipulated politicians, throwing the nation into chaos in a grand spectacle.
It was utter chaos. And at its center was Sakura.
The National Defense Force mobilized to quell the series of disturbances. They never suspected it was the work of a single woman and were forced into a difficult struggle. Moreover, those who caused the disturbances were brainwashed, but there were no outward signs, which further complicated the investigation.
However, it didn’t last long. Sakura was arrested based on a single commonality that emerged during the investigation. That commonality was that those who caused the incidents all frequented a certain hostess club. That became the key to solving the case.
Afterward, the nation couldn’t possibly announce to the public that they had been toyed with by a single woman, so they concealed the incident she had caused.
“Ufufufu. Well, do try your best.”
“…We appreciate your cooperation.”
With that, she was once again imprisoned. In the country’s most secure prison.
Returned to her cell, she recalled the mysterious boy she had met at the National Defense Force’s request.
“Fufufu, I sincerely hope we can meet again someday, Satsuki Kazuma-kun. No, I should say, Crimson Knight-sama.”
Sakura was convinced that Kazuma was the Crimson Knight. She didn’t know why he was hiding his identity, but Sakura smiled, thinking things were about to get interesting.