Chapter 52: Hourensou is Important, You Know! I’m Counting on You!?
The two who had been threatened also reflected that they had indeed gone too far in violating a maiden’s privacy, and they both bowed their heads to Momoko.
“No, we’re truly sorry. That was our fault. It was a vulgar suspicion.”
“No… I also talked too much, so I think we’re both to blame.”
“No, no, we were the ones who pried too much. You’re not at fault.”
Just as the three of them were apologizing to each other, each claiming it was their own fault, Kazuma suddenly returned.
“I’m home~!”
“…Please let us know before you come back. Returning so suddenly is bad for my heart.”
“S-Sowwy…”
Scolded by a somewhat displeased-looking Momoko, Kazuma shrank back.
“B-By the way, you didn’t hear anything, did you?”
“Eh? Were you saying something?”
“N-No, if you didn’t hear anything, then it’s fine.”
Confirming that Kazuma, who had suddenly appeared, hadn’t heard their earlier conversation, Momoko breathed a sigh of relief and exchanged a look with the President and Stephen, signaling them to keep quiet about the matter.
“Mr. Satsuki. You’re back early. Is the reconstruction of Hawaii proceeding smoothly?” Stephen, reading the room, changed the subject and asked Kazuma about the progress of Hawaii’s reconstruction.
“Ah! About Hawaii, the reconstruction is almost completely finished! I really want you to see it with your own eyes!”
“””Huh?”””
Towards Kazuma, who announced that Hawaii was reconstructed with a face like a young child wanting praise, Momoko, Stephen, and the President raised voices of doubt, their eyes wide like startled cats.
“Well, I can’t blame you for doubting! But it’s true, so let’s all go see!”
“””Eh?”””
Without getting their consent, Kazuma, at the peak of his excitement, teleported them to Hawaii.
The three who were teleported were so astonished their eyes nearly popped out as they saw rows of skyscrapers, security drones circling the sky, waterslide-like structures connecting everything, and floating vehicles.
“””WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT—!?!?”””
“Yeah~, I worked super hard! Amazing, right!”
Kazuma, who had created a futuristic city, looked at the three of them with a proud expression.
Seeing the three react just as he had expected, Kazuma laughed happily.
“Alright then, let’s look around and have some fun!”
Kazuma led the astonished trio with a cheerful and excited demeanor.
Behind Kazuma, who was walking at the front looking genuinely happy, the President spoke to Momoko with a sympathetic look.
“Ah… Should we perhaps put the Hawaii reconstruction matter back to square one for now?”
“………I think that would be best. Let’s look around first and then reconsider.”
Momoko had used her Mind Reading Gift to see through the President’s intentions and brilliantly secure many concessions that would benefit Japan, but all of that had come to naught due to Kazuma’s reckless actions.
She judged that it would be best to do as the President said: go back to the drawing board and reconsider after assessing the current state of Hawaii.
◇◇◇◇
“Regarding the matter of Hawaii’s reconstruction, I hereby report that thanks to the efforts of the Crimson Knight, the results have far exceeded our expectations.”
“………I don’t know whether I should praise him for a job well done, or get angry and ask what on earth he thinks he’s doing.”
“Looking only at the results, it brought many benefits to Japan, so perhaps you should praise him…”
“That may be so, but I wonder about generously revealing new technology to other countries.”
“It seems to be technology that cannot be replicated at present, so I don’t think there’s a particular problem.”
“Keep a stricter watch on the people from Kurashige Industries… If they get poached by other countries, it’ll be a disaster.”
“I don’t think there’s much to worry about on that point, but let’s raise the surveillance level.”
A few days after the Hawaii reconstruction, Ema was talking with Tsukimi, who had received a report from Momoko.
It was surprising enough that Hawaii’s reconstruction was accomplished in just a few hours, but even more so, he was holding his head in his hands over the fact that Kurashige Industries and Kazuma had unreservedly showcased new technology.
He was being bombarded with questions from America, pestered to disclose and provide the technology, and Ema was busy dealing with it all.
However, as Tsukimi had just said, it was new technology jointly developed by Kurashige Industries and Kazuma, interwoven with magic, so there was no way to provide it.
Ema lamented, wondering how on earth he should explain it.
“Should I just blame everything on the Crimson Knight…?”
“I think they’ll accept that, but they’ll definitely ask you to lend them the Crimson Knight later, you know?”
“Kazuma-kun would brush off any demand they make.”
“Knowing his personality, if it seems interesting, he’d likely jump right on board, though.”
“It’s no use. I’m so anxious, I can’t stand it…”
“He’s like a double-edged sword, isn’t he?”
In the sense that Kazuma brings great benefits but also great losses, it was a perfect description.
That said, Japan had suffered almost no losses at present.
They were being pressured to disclose the new technology, but there were no actual damages.
Currently, it was technology that couldn’t be established without the Crimson Knight, so Japan had a monopoly.
However, if America lost patience and requested the dispatch of the Crimson Knight, it was uncertain what would happen.
There was a risk that Kazuma, thinking he was doing a good thing, might provide America with new magic-based technology as well.
If possible, they wanted to keep it exclusive to Japan, but given Kazuma’s personality, that would likely be difficult.
“…I wonder if he’ll come to dislike foreign countries~”
“He might dislike individuals, but I doubt he’d dislike entire countries, don’t you think? Unless a whole country has the same kind of atmosphere as an individual he dislikes, I don’t think Kazuma-kun would give up on them.”
“How about we try sending Kazuma-kun to study abroad in a country that’s mean to Asians?”
“If our intentions were discovered, Japan would be finished, wouldn’t it?”
“There’s nothing we can do anymore…”
“Besides, given Kazuma-kun’s personality, don’t you think he’d understand if you just told him honestly?”
“If I were to say, ‘If possible, please contribute more to Japan and try not to go overseas so much,’ would he agree?”
“He might surprisingly agree quite readily, so why not try it?”
“…If an old guy like me says it, he’ll probably show open reluctance, so could I leave it to you?”
“If you don’t hold me responsible, I’ll convey it.”
“You don’t have to bear any responsibility for this matter. I just want you to try and persuade Kazuma-kun a little.”
“I’ll do my best.”
And so, Tsukimi waited until school was over, then contacted Kazuma after classes.
Perhaps because it was a personal summons from Tsukimi, Kazuma didn’t feel any wariness and agreed to meet.
“It’s rare for Ayashiro-san to ask for a personal talk. Did something happen?”
“Kazuma-kun. I’ll be direct. I’m not saying you have to contribute more to Japan, but I don’t want you to cooperate with foreign countries so easily.”
“Is this one of those ‘adult circumstances’ things?”
“That’s right. To be honest, I’d like you to prioritize Japan, but Kazuma-kun also has the right to do as he pleases, so I can’t really complain.”
“Was this recent incident really that bad?”
The technology brought about by Kurashige Industries, led by Kazuma, was revolutionary and something the whole world coveted.
Thanks to that, America was, unbeknownst to Kazuma, causing trouble for Japan.
“That’s right. Humans are often greedy, so things have gotten a bit troublesome.”
“Should I step in for a bit?”
“No. If you do that, Kazuma-kun, you’ll end up incurring a lot of resentment.”
“I’m used to it, though~”
“That said, there might be times when it’s beyond our ability to handle, so could I ask for your help then?”
“No problem. I’m allowed to do as I please, so I’ll definitely pull my weight for that.”
“Thank you. For now, the government will somehow manage this current issue. But from next time, please make sure to do your Hourensou properly. Not everyone is a good person like you, Kazuma-kun.”
“Yessir! I’ll be careful!”
Saluting, Kazuma used Teleportation Magic to return home from in front of Tsukimi.
Recalling their earlier conversation, Tsukimi appraised Kazuma as, indeed, an honest and good kid.
“Now then, I need to report to the Prime Minister.”
After taking a breath, Tsukimi reported to Ema that she might have been able to persuade Kazuma.
It was strictly a “might,” so Tsukimi made sure to warn him not to have excessive expectations.