Chapter 36: I Want a Dora〇mon! Lend Me a Time Machine!
Meanwhile, Kazuma, oblivious to everything, had arrived in front of the Clock Tower. Kazuma was waiting for Miyazono-san and the others from the Combat Course, with whom he had promised to go around the school festival.
As Kazuma stood there in front of the Clock Tower for a while, vaguely watching the people coming and going, yet another suspicious group appeared.
To Kazuma’s right, there was a person clad in white robes, surrounded by men in suits. They were dressed in a way that made them look anything but ordinary people and stood out, but since it was the school festival today, the people around them just thought it was cosplay.
Seeing the cosplay group, Kazuma nonchalantly thought, “It’s the same everywhere, weirdos show up at festivals.”
Kazuma averted his gaze from the cosplay group and started fiddling with his phone. He began to gather information about the Seventh Esper Academy on SNS. He searched for any information about that cosplay group, but nothing came up.
“(They stand out so much, yet no one is paying them any mind…?)”
Kazuma, beginning to think that perhaps photography was prohibited, put his phone away.
Then, after a short while, the left side became noisy. “Now, what could it be this time?” Kazuma wondered, turning his gaze in that direction, where he saw a pair of men who looked like models.
Although they were wearing sunglasses, Kazuma furrowed his brows suspiciously at the duo, whose facial features clearly indicated they were handsome.
“(What is it now? Some idols or something?)”
From the left, a duo that looked like idols; from the right, a mysterious cosplay group. Kazuma was fed up, thinking that some really eccentric people had shown up right from the first day of the school festival.
Thinking it might be better to change locations, Kazuma took out the phone he had put away and tried to contact Miyazono-san and the others. But, he couldn’t get through.
“Huh?” As Kazuma tilted his head in confusion, the people around him also seemed unable to use their phones and were raising voices of bewilderment. Kazuma became wary, wondering if perhaps something bad was happening.
And then, the idol-like duo and the mysterious cosplay group arrived in front of Kazuma. Just as Kazuma was about to try and get a closer look at their faces to figure out who these people were, for some reason, both groups started glaring at each other.
“My, my, I never expected the Holy Maiden-sama herself to grace us with her presence.”
“Watch your mouth, countryside knight.”
“Oh? Are you perhaps referring to me?”
“Who else could it be but you? Don’t you dare approach the Holy Maiden-sama so casually.”
“Hahaha. It seems I am quite disliked.”
“We have no business with you. Leave at once!”
“I’ll return those exact words to you.”
The atmosphere was one of touch-and-go. It looked like a fight could break out at any moment. Or rather, the argument had already begun. If this continued, violence, said to be the second language, would likely erupt.
Kazuma, caught in the middle of it, was on edge. He couldn’t understand why they were about to start a fight right in front of him.
From their words, it was clear they knew each other, but their relationship was not amicable. That being said, he wished they wouldn’t fight in such a public place.
“(This sucks~. Why are these people trying to start a fight?)”
Kazuma tried to sneak away, but both groups moved to block him. He couldn’t escape now. His escape route had been cut off.
“(Huh~~~?)”
Kazuma, not understanding why they were trying to corner him, tilted his head and thought, but he still couldn’t figure it out.
However, he did have an inkling. Kazuma remembered that the Chinese Federation and America had made moves during the previous sports festival, and then he finally understood.
These two groups were probably scouts from some country or another.
His guess was correct, but they weren’t just any scouts. One group was the Knights of the Round Table, said to be Britain’s strongest group of Gifted.
The other was the Holy Maiden of France. Charlotte Soleil, said to be the second coming of the legendary Holy Maiden, Jeanne d’Arc. She was a person who stood at the pinnacle of healing ability users.
“Everyone, please calm yourselves. He is confused.”
A clear, piercing voice resonated. Both groups, which had been on the verge of an explosion, fell silent upon hearing that voice.
“(Hyoee~. This isn’t a Gift, but what a charismatic voice~)”
There had always been those who, though not possessing a Gift, sometimes harbored a mystical quality. Her voice was probably one such kind. Everyone except Kazuma quieted down, obeying that voice.
“Satsuki Kazuma-sama.”
“Eh, ah, yes?”
Suddenly having his name called, Kazuma turned around. Standing where he turned was the Holy Maiden clad in white robes, Charlotte. She was looking straight at Kazuma. Kazuma didn’t quite meet her gaze, but he looked straight at her.
“I apologize for startling you with this sudden turn of events.”
“If you really feel bad, then go home~”
“You bastard!!!”
The man serving as the Holy Maiden’s guard yelled at Kazuma, who had made a bit of a joke. He unleashed a furious iron fist of punishment upon Kazuma for his disrespectful remark towards the Holy Maiden.
Smack! Before the man’s fist could reach Kazuma, it was stopped. By Bedivere of the Knights of the Round Table.
“We were the ones who were rude first. I can understand why you are angry, but what do you mean by laying a hand on an innocent person?”
“Guh! L-Let go!”
“First, an apology. Apologize to him.”
At this point, Kazuma had written off the mysterious cosplay group. He understood that the woman in white robes was important to the men in suits, but he decided to keep his distance, sensing they weren’t a decent group.
In contrast, he understood that the idol-like duo who had protected him were still decent people.
Also, Kazuma, having judged them to be allies, was a little irritated, so he had a word to say to the mysterious cosplay group.
“Hey, I don’t know if you’re a Holy Maiden-sama or whatever, but today is a once-a-year festival. You expect me to be polite to people who are trying to ruin it? You guys would get mad too if your once-a-year sacred festival was interrupted, right? That’s the situation right now, do you get that?”
“Don’t you dare speak of a mere school event in the same breath as our master’s sacred festival, brat!”
If this were the other world, Kazuma would undoubtedly have sent the man who spewed abusive words flying with a punch. Though, he’d probably be held back in a full nelson by his comrades telling him to calm down.
“Huh? For us, this is an event we can only experience for three short years, you know? You guys are interfering with this precious time, something we can never experience again no matter how much money we offer, all for your own convenience. If you can’t understand that—”
And, having said that much, Kazuma remembered where he was. In front of the Clock Tower, during the school festival. He realized he was saying something very bold in front of a large crowd of people, and the blood drained from his face.
“(Crap. I’ve gone too far this time!)”
It was understandable that Kazuma’s frustration had been building up due to the recent string of troublesome events, but he had really done it this time. He had overstepped the bounds of a mere student. This was like revealing his true identity himself.
Just as Kazuma was wondering what to do, his friends from the Combat Course, with whom he had the promise, pushed through the crowd, grabbed Kazuma’s hand, and made a swift escape from the scene.
“Idiot! What the hell do you think you’re doing! No matter how you look at it, that was completely tactless!”
“Well~, haha.”
“It’s not a laughing matter!”
The one pulling Kazuma’s hand and running was Shunsuke. He fled with Kazuma into the school building.
“Geez. What in the world were you doing?”
“That wasn’t on me. It’s their fault for trying to start a fight in front of me out of nowhere!”
“Haaah… Well, for now, we need to figure out what to do next~”
“Ah~, wait a sec.”
Kazuma took out his phone and called a certain person. Believing that he had no choice but to borrow her power to resolve this commotion, Kazuma called Alicia, the Witch from America.
“Hello, help me, Alicia!”
“OK!”
Without needing any explanation, Alicia heard Kazuma’s crisis (pinch) and rushed out.