Chapter 28: Hana Ichi Monme! I Want That Child! I Don’t Know About That Child!
Kazuma was completely put off watching Momoko desperately praying with her hands clasped. He thought he was pretty out there himself, but she was on another level, and Kazuma’s face twitched as he looked at Momoko.
“Ah!”
“!”
The Witch, as if suddenly remembering Momoko, let out a surprised cry. Momoko felt a cold sweat run down her back, thinking the dreaded moment had finally arrived, and resigned herself to her fate, believing her life would end here.
“(Ah, it’s over…)”
“You, you smell a little, you know?”
It wasn’t that she stank. However, it was true that she was a bit sweaty from the sports festival. Moreover, she was now sweating for a different reason, which only made it worse.
The Witch’s innocent remark, with no ill intent, caused something inside Momoko to snap. Stressed out by Kazuma, and then the Witch’s casual comment as the final blow. It was no wonder that what she had been holding back finally overflowed.
“I do not stink!!! What is wrong with you people, both of you, calling someone smelly! That’s got to be in the top three things you should never say to a woman! Please, have some decency!!!”
“”Ah, yes.””
Momoko, her whole body trembling and her face flushed bright red, had tears welling up in the corners of her eyes. Faced with such an expression, the two of them could only fall silent.
They were being treated like complete villains. While it was debatable for the Witch, it was a given for Kazuma. After all, he had been harassing and toying with her.
“Hey, hey, why is that girl so angry?”
“Well, it’s ’cause you said she stinks.”
“But she was exercising, right? So, isn’t it natural for her to smell a bit?”
“That might be true, but isn’t it more adult to put it a bit more delicately?”
“So, should I have said, ‘Shall I lend you some deodorant spray?'”
“Probably not, I guess?”
“You two over there! What are you whispering about! Sit properly in seiza!”
“”Y-Yes!””
The two were overwhelmed by Momoko’s commanding aura, which brooked no argument. They were currently in the middle of a lecture from Momoko, who was raging like a beast unleashed from its cage, forced to sit in seiza.
The only saving grace was that they were on a blue tarp spread under the tent. If it had been directly on the ground, the two of them would not have escaped unscathed.
However, a single blue tarp wasn’t enough to prevent small stones and unevenness from poking through, so it was still quite painful.
“It kinda hurts, you okay?”
“Can’t take it. Honestly at my limit.”
“Can I poke your leg?”
“Absolutely not! If you do that, I’ll make your head explode like a tomato!”
“Hiee… Isn’t that a bit too insane?”
Kazuma, unable to comprehend why Telekinesis users always wanted to crush heads like tomatoes, turned pale. No one would understand such an overly gruesome method of killing.
Just as Momoko, fueled by anger, was about to say something to the two in front of her who were still fooling around despite being lectured, a hand grabbed her shoulder from behind. Wondering who dared to interrupt, Momoko spun around to see a man with blond hair and sunglasses, just like the Witch, standing there.
“Sorry, Japanese Agent Momoko. Or should I say, Satori?”
The man holding Momoko’s shoulder leaned in and whispered softly in her ear.
“…”
Momoko’s eyes widened, her face filled with astonishment. Though reluctant, she, who possessed the Gift of Mind Reading, had been given the alias “Satori,” a Japanese yokai.
She herself did not like that nickname. She still resented the higher-ups who had likely given her the nickname, wondering why it had to be the name of a yokai.
“Excuse me, but who are you?”
“I’m the attendant for that Hime-san over there. We were actually just supposed to have a little chat with that boy and then leave, but…”
Momoko used her Mind Reading to probe the man’s inner thoughts and understood that he was telling the truth. She also discerned that he was currently in a very difficult situation.
“I see. She acted on her own accord, then…”
“If those guys from the Chinese Federation had kept things quiet, Hime-san wouldn’t have made a move either~”
“My condolences. You will be coming to the base later, won’t you?”
“We were supposed to be incognito, but since we’ve stood out this much, we’re prepared for it.”
“Understood. In that case, I won’t pursue this any further.”
“Thanks. Still, I’m surprised. You’ve got some nerve, lecturing Hime-san like that.”
“W-Well, that was because I was flustered… or rather, I wasn’t really aware of my surroundings…”
“Hahahaha. Well, I got to see something interesting, so it’s all good. Later then, bye.”
The man, sensing Momoko’s troubles, smiled cheerfully, patted her shoulder, and then retrieved the Witch.
“Hey, what are you doing! We haven’t finished talking yet!”
“Idiot. Look around. Staying here any longer will only make things more complicated.”
“But I haven’t heard anything yet, and I haven’t said anything either!”
“No good. This is where we draw the line.”
“Then, just wait a little bit!”
“H-Hey! What are you planning to do?”
The Witch, who had been caught, escaped from the man’s grasp and made a beeline for Kazuma. As Kazuma braced himself for the Witch rushing straight towards him, she dived.
Kazuma, who had reflexively caught her, stared wide-eyed, and the Witch, seizing the opportunity, planted a kiss on Kazuma’s cheek.
“Heh?”
“Ehehe. To tell you the truth, I was a little happy~. I’m pretty famous, so there aren’t many people who treat me like you do. See, a lot of people are scared of me just because I’m a Gifted. But you talked to me so normally, and that made me happy. So, this is my thanks.”
Saying that, the Witch kissed his other cheek as well. It wasn’t a Honey Trap, but a pure act, and Kazuma was flustered.
“(Woah woah woah woah!?)”
“Even if you’re not the Crimson Knight, let’s meet again someday, okay? Well then, bye-byeee!”
Leaving the frozen Kazuma behind, the Witch waved cheerfully and left the Second Ground with the man who had come with her.
“(She’s stolen something precious!!!)”
“(Yes, yes, you’re going to say it was your heart, right?)”
“(My pure heart!!!)”
“(I expected as much, but this is even more annoying than I anticipated.)”
Momoko, reading the mind of Kazuma who was blankly staring in the direction the Witch had left, let out an exasperated sigh.
◇◇◇◇
After passing through the gates of the Seventh Esper Academy, the Witch and the man were heading towards the National Defense Force base. Just then, an unexpected visitor arrived. The two of them stopped, removed their sunglasses, and glared at the visitor’s face with sharp eyes.
“What do you want, The Great Sage Equaling Heaven?”
“Don’t glare like that. It’s nothing important.”
“Then what is it? I’m telling you, if you meddle any further, I’ll crush you for real, you know?”
What she had shown at the Second Ground was not her full power. When the Witch put a little strength into it, the surrounding pebbles floated up, and an aura rose from her body.
“I told you, it’s nothing important. There’s only one thing I want to say. The Chinese Federation has determined Satsuki Kazuma to be the Crimson Knight.”
“So, it’s war, then?”
“You jump to conclusions too quickly. That’s not it.”
“Then what? Are you perhaps saying you’re backing off?”
“That’s right.”
“”Huhh!?””
At this, not only the Witch but also the man with her cried out in surprise. They wondered what had caused this sudden change of heart, especially since he had just attacked Kazuma to ascertain his identity.
“That being said, we don’t have conclusive proof, so I can’t say for sure. But we’ve decided to consider Satsuki Kazuma as the Crimson Knight and not interfere.”
“Why is that?”
“It’s his reaction from before. Normally, anyone attacked by me would have their legs give out or even faint, right? And yet, he remained perfectly calm and was even having a leisurely conversation with you. Looking at the situation alone, I thought it was fine to consider him the Crimson Knight.”
“W-Well, I certainly found that strange too, but…”
“Right? That was abnormal. He’s no ordinary academy student. And what’s more, he’s in the Support Course. I don’t think there’s any room for doubt anymore.”
“But if that’s the case, why aren’t you trying to recruit him for your country?”
“He’s too much of a bombshell, isn’t he? If we make a clumsy move and he becomes hostile, we’d be no match for him.”
“But you attacked him with full force just now, didn’t you?”
“Well, yeah, but… From the looks of it, as long as we don’t do anything more, it should be fine.”
What The Great Sage Equaling Heaven said was correct. As long as Kazuma’s peaceful life wasn’t threatened, he wouldn’t particularly care. However, if they schemed to recruit him into their country and tried any funny business, Kazuma would undoubtedly have eliminated them.
“You’re good at making such judgments, aren’t you?”
“That’s also the secret to becoming strong. Well then, we’ll be taking our leave. You guys do as you please.”
“Is the Chinese Federation really backing off?”
“Power beyond one’s measure invites disaster. That’s the answer from the higher-ups. Though, well, if a case comes up that even my Uncle (Ojiki) can’t handle, then it’d be a different story.”
“I see. So, for the time being, you don’t need the Crimson Knight.”
“Kaka! That’s right. We’ve got plenty of strong individuals, led by my Uncle. We’re different from some weak little nation.”
As if in triumph, The Great Sage Equaling Heaven raised a hand and departed. The Witch, who had been intently watching his retreating form, turned and walked in the direction opposite to The Great Sage Equaling Heaven.
“Regardless of whether he’s the Crimson Knight or not, it seems like various things are about to be set in motion,” she remarked.
“Today was just one surprise after another…”
“We might see even more surprising things in the future, you know.”
“I’d rather be spared from that.”
Thus, the uproar surrounding Kazuma reached a temporary lull. Although the various nations had failed to secure definitive proof, they concluded, based on circumstantial evidence, that Kazuma was the Crimson Knight, and for the time being, limited themselves to merely keeping him under investigation.