Campione! Vol 12 Chapter 1

Chapter 1 - Kusanagi G.o.dou is a Campione...? Part 1 It feels like something was going to happen around Christmas. However, he couldn't clearly remember what it was. Whatever it was supposed to be was now lost from his memory. He couldn't help but get a bad feeling from all of this. "But, no matter how hard I try to remember I still can't recall it." It was currently morning. G.o.dou was muttering to himself as he sat in the cla.s.sroom before homeroom started. G.o.dou goes to Jounan Academy where he is currently in year one cla.s.s five. The seat that he was sitting in was the one that he routinely sits in every day. "Hey, Kusanagi, you're pretty early today." The one to greet G.o.dou was Nanami, a cla.s.smate of his. "I'm always here around this time, aren't I?" "Really? I always felt that you got here around five minutes before cla.s.s started... Anyhow, you should take a look outside." It was twenty minutes before homeroom would start in the room they were currently in. "Don't you think the sky is just beautiful today?" "I'm sure today's clear winter skies would make anyone feel comfortable, but, Nanami... do you have a fever or something??" "Hey hey, what are you saying all of a sudden?" "That's my line. You getting poetic about the sky? Come on. If you like I'll take you to the nurse's office." G.o.dou's tone was relatively serious. About 60% of it was meant to be a joke, but the remaining 40% was genuine worry. Nanami was the leader of the three idiots. But no matter how you looked at it, it was still strange. Just what the heck had happened to him? "Whew, you sure are stupid." Nanami put on a cartoon villain's sinister smile. "I don't know why I'm so calm lately. I feel like I can tolerate anything, no matter how unreasonable. It's as if my heart is at peace like the saying goes, calm as a lake." "You really are something else." As G.o.dou stared at him in wonder, two more boys were heading their way. "Yo. Doesn't the peace and quiet today just make you content? I wholeheartedly pray for all wars and conflicts to disappear from this world." "Ahh, look how beautiful the world is." Speaking of which, these two gently smiling boys that had just arrived were also G.o.dou's friends. These were the remaining two that made up the three idiots, Sorimachi and Takagi. Their lips displayed tender smiles and their gaze was incomparably gentle. "Even you guys are acting like this? You're so weird. Aren't all three of you too calm recently?" G.o.dou recalled a previous conversation with the three idiots. "Didn't you guys say that 'Christmas is an event for the ma.s.s media, subverted by the romance capitalism, to manipulate the ignorant ma.s.ses to become festive and merry. We ourselves are trying to counteract that tendency as good as we can'. Whatever happened to that?" "Well, yeah. But that's fine already." "Certainly, this partying and merrymaking is too much for the eyes." "But it feels like the storm that raged around us has calmed down lately. It's really strange, we can even pleasantly think of the people that are living their satisfied real lives." The three idiots reminded him of enlightened saints. "There was a storm around us?" "I can't remember what it exactly was now, but Kusanagi, I also think so." Takagi suddenly stretched out his arms and hugged G.o.dou. "Right now we can tell you, Kusanagi. Without a doubt you are our comrade, a partner walking down the same way." "What a coincidence. Actually, I feel the same." "Yeah, right now I can also accept Kusanagi as our comrade." Even Sorimachi and Nanami were saying it with enthusiasm. G.o.dou was bewildered. "What in the world are you guys saying? Haven't we always been friends?" "Comrade and friend are not the same. Even if we are of a different kind, we can still become friends. However, only those of the same kind who share blood and soul can become comrades, we need to be bonded in our hearts..." Nanami pretended like he knew what he was saying. Just then a silver haired girl entered the cla.s.sroom. She was not of j.a.panese descent. The slim student was wearing the uniform of Jounan Academy. Her slender, lovely, and fairy-like presence added up to a totally unique atmosphere. Her beautiful silver hair was tied into a pony tail. Her name was Liliana Kranjcar. She was an exchange student from Italy. "Liliana-san, good morning!" "Would you like to eat lunch with us today?" The girls within the cla.s.s immediately called out to her. She was indeed a very popular person. While giving them a calm smile, Liliana sat down at her seat. It was about four rows in front of G.o.dou's, so they were a bit apart. At that moment, G.o.dou's and Liliana's eyes met. The silver-haired, Eastern European beauty did a slight, j.a.panese bow towards G.o.dou. That was all. She did not come to greet him, nor did she come over and strike up a conversation. She seemed vigilant of him as always. It was fair to say that G.o.dou and the two most popular girls of the cla.s.s had a delicate relations.h.i.+p. They were not estranged by any means, but they couldn't quite get friendly either. By the time the other popular girl showed up, the second period was over. "Ah, Erica-san!" "Thank goodness, I thought you wouldn't come anymore." Between the second and third period there was a brief break. Erica Blandelli, who had just arrived, was a beauty. Her fluttering, reddish-blonde hair gave the exchange student from Milan an air of royalty as she walked into the cla.s.sroom. "Sorry about that, I was caught up in various problems." Erica's reply was accompanied by a refined smile. Even though all the girls were around the same age, Erica's grace and composure were on a different level. By the way, with the reasoning she 'had received education equal to a university degree back in Italy' she had been allowed to commute on flextime. Such an excuse was just too ridiculous. She had probably used a kind of hypnosis magic to push it through. G.o.dou's and Erica's eyes met. The blonde Italian beauty flashed a gorgeous smile, and made a graceful bow. Like a beautiful knight before a duel. That was all. She didn't call out to greet him, nor did she come over and strike up a conversation Erica's seat was the one in front of Liliana's. It was a bit apart from his. He didn't have any reason to talk to them either, so he shrugged again. He did feel that it wouldn't be bad to get closer to them. However, he had no idea how to accomplish that. Part 2 On this day, G.o.dou headed directly home after school. He had already made plans in advance. In fact, December 3 was his sister s.h.i.+zuka's birthday. Furthermore, he had agreed to prepare gifts together with his childhood friend and hang out with s.h.i.+zuka. However, when that very day arrived, the plans he had set beforehand had changed. This was because their father, who had left the house after the divorce, had contacted them saying that he didn't know if he would be able to come. G.o.dou and s.h.i.+zuka were facing each other. "Well, what do you think? By the way, my vote is that he won't end up coming." "I'll cast my vote for that too. But maybe he had some matters to take care of, want to wait a little more?" For now there was a change of plans. On the night of the 3rd, both siblings spent their time at home. Their father had just sent them an email at seven o'clock that night. It stated that he had some urgent business to take care of and left for Toronto, Canada. "Well, that is to be expected of dad." "This would only happen to father." Both of them had little to say for this predictable outcome, therefore they could only move it to another day. That "another day" was now today. Incidentally, the place they wanted to go was a very unique restaurant. They had delicious Spanish cuisine and wine. This was the result after their father, who never showed up at the arranged time, and their laissez-faire mother had negotiated on the amount of money they could spend. "This is our daughter's birthday. It would only be right to go out to eat some delicious food." The conversation had gone somewhat along those lines. Also, because they received permission to bring one more person, it was settled that Asuka could come with them. "But really, I haven't seen many families where the parents had to deal with every request through 'negotiating'." After hearing the situation from the two siblings, their childhood friend Tokunaga Asuka sighed in sorrow. The group was on the way to the restaurant. The place was within walking distance from the Kusanagi house in Nezu so the three of them decide to walk there. "Really? I feel like this happens rather often." "It just comes in a different form; no matter which household, they all have similar situations." This theory was G.o.dou's, who was in charge of negotiating with their parents. By his side, s.h.i.+zuka also nodded in a.s.sent. "Hey G.o.dou, you should look up the difference between similar and the same again. Because you're like that even s.h.i.+zuka is affected," their pig-tailed childhood friend advised them. She was unyielding and direct as always. "I keep telling you, don't act like I don't have any common sense." "That's right, Asuka-chan. Onii-chan is having no effect on me. I can confidently say I'm the only proper human being in our household." When G.o.dou refuted Asuka's accusation, s.h.i.+zuka also complained a little. No, for the sensible and humble older brother, the one more likely to transform into a monster was his sister; she just completely hid it. During all of that nonsense, the three of them had arrived at the restaurant. The two high school students and one middle school student stood in front of the entrance of a somewhat high cla.s.s restaurant. The restaurant's signs and decorations had style without being showy, and the lighting was dim as well. However, the restaurant's food and wine were top grade and as a result dining here was quite pricey. "Usually it's beyond our means, we came here to celebrate a birthday and we secured support for the funding. It's okay once in a while." G.o.dou was reasoning in front of the restaurant. Right beside him, Asuka frowned. "You're really going to say something like that? With all the money saved from New Year's gambling, you can even have a feast for a king." "Th-those savings didn't end up in my hands!" His childhood friend knew many secrets that could not be said out loud. G.o.dou knew full well how problematic that was. Recently, the number of situations where he had to spend his "hidden a.s.sets" had increased quite a bit. Situations like when there were no family members to accompany him during his trips out of the country. In the end, the three of them still entered the restaurant. Although it looked like a high cla.s.s restaurant, the Kusanagi siblings were actually very familiar with the place. Their grandfather or their mother would take them here from time to time. Plus the host, who is the shop owner and the chef, was not only a close neighbor they were well acquainted with but also their mother's drinking buddy. Occasionally, when the Kusanagi household held a drinking party, he was in the kitchen utilizing the skills of his specialty. This was why the three of them didn't show any nervousness and just sat down after being led to their seats. When calling this place for a reservation, they used a "do whatever you want" kind of att.i.tude when ordering. As a result, many dishes were coming without interruption. White asparagus salad, Spanish-style egg rolls with plenty of potatoes, oil-grilled shrimp, beef tenderloin cooked in red wine. Paella^ filled with lobster and other seafood. The three of them were handling these delicious dishes while chatting about something that wasn't of importance. At this moment, the store owner uncle came out of the kitchen and asked "Would you like to order some wine? We have some very interesting ones." It wasn't until "Today everyone here is a minor" was mentioned, "Ah I see I see" that he finally understood what they were trying to say. While reaffirming the absent-mindedness of their mother's acquaintance, the banquet continued smoothly. s.h.i.+zuka's and Asuka's face both had a look of satisfaction as the pudding served for dessert disappeared into their mouths. G.o.dou on the other hand preferred the bitterness of coffee over the sweetness. However, that was when he noticed. Rather nearby two people that he knew were sitting down. "So Erica, what is the reason for calling me out today?" "I just told you on the phone, didn't I? Lily, us two girls should occasionally get together to gossip, that's all. Recently I fell in love with that female novelist." "Uugh, in other words you just want to threaten me, right!?" "Don't talk nonsense. I just have a sudden urge to discuss literature Hey, for example I've had my thoughts about those short stories beginning with 'I'd like to convey these feelings to that person'." "S-s-s-stop looking down on people! Even if those kinds of storylines might be overused or not, my heart will not waver for one bit! Just, just no matter what you say I'm not going to listen!" "Hehe Lily, your voice is trembling." Like music, the elegant voice and the cold yet lovely voice continued their discussion. These were two people who never exposed this side of them at school. As a side note, their conversation was in Italian. It must be because they were old friends conversing in a relaxed manner. G.o.dou felt very apologetic, as if he was stepping into other people's personal matters. But leaving without even greeting or saying a thing didn't sit well with him either. What to do... just as he was thinking it over, the girls noticed G.o.dou. Erica Blandelli suddenly had a look of tension on her face, her smile disappeared. An anxious Liliana Kranjcar maintained the stern look of a knight. In order to "monitor" the G.o.d-slaying devil king, these girls had been dispatched from Milan. Due to this task's importance, the girls put forth their full attention towards monitoring him. "Wait a minute, Onii-chan, what's with that lecherous stare?" "I admit they really are very beautiful foreign young ladies, but your staring is rude." He was suddenly accused by his sister and childhood friend. "l-ldiots. They are just girls from my cla.s.s. I was only surprised running into them here." G.o.dou only told them part of the truth. s.h.i.+zuka let out an "Aaah" as if she remembered while Asuka gasped "eh". "I've heard the rumors about those two so they were in Onii-chan's cla.s.s." "They are from high-level schools overseas and came to study here." On the other hand, pretending to not have heard G.o.dou's conversation, Erica, who was sitting at the other table raised her hand. She called an employee to come over to her table (That said, the restaurant was run by the owner along with his wife and his mother, just the three of them). The person who came to Erica's table was the owner's mother. She and the blonde haired beauty had a brief talk. After the owner's mother nodded her head she left the table. Though she might have gone back to the kitchen, who knew that she would instead come to G.o.dou. Furthermore, she also had a very profound smile on her face. "Those two ladies over there said they want to dine with G.o.dou-kun no matter what. Ha ha, you and your grandfather are indeed alike, these kinds of situations happen a lot, don't they!" Actually, this woman was a great fan of his grandfather. That's why I said, please do not refer to grandpa and grandson together like that. G.o.dou was muttering to himself while looking at the other table. Erica and Liliana were both giving him a dignified and sharp expression. No matter what, anything would be fine as long as it didn't develop the way the owner's mother envisioned. "Onii-chan, what is going on?" "G.o.dou, your bad manners offended someone!?" "What are you guys getting so worked up about!? They are just students from my cla.s.s sending an invitation. You two should go home first. I'll chat with them for a little bit." Therefore, he switched tables and dinner once again continued. After they were done enjoying the food, the two European girls silently drank some coffee. It was a stressful situation for G.o.dou, who wasn't used to girls. "I do feel that disturbing your family time was me being unaware of your general interests..." Erica was the first to speak. "But since we met up with someone that has the imperial t.i.tle of Campione, if we were unable to make a greeting then that would harm the reputation of the Copper Black Cross. Let me say once more that it is an honor to meet someone of your status." "No, let me say something." G.o.dou cut off Erica's endless display of etiquette. "I believe I've said this many times before. Because this kind of formality numbs my back, talking like ordinary people would be just fine. Behave like you would before I turned into this type of person." "Ok. I know clearly that if I do this again, it will become annoying." No longer needing to use honorifics, Erica let out a smile. The type of smile wasn't filled with affection, but rather like the smile of a lioness before going hunting. "I am truly grateful to have met you before you became a G.o.d killer. If I had to bestow respect to you every time then I'm afraid I might not be able to converse with you." His relation with Erica dated back to the spring of this year. All the way back to before Kusanagi G.o.dou slew the ancient Persian Warlord Verethragna. Nevertheless, their relations.h.i.+p could not be described as close. Erica had always fearlessly displayed abrasive behavior towards the Campione. "Erica... Hold on a sec. Even though he is young, Kusanagi G.o.dou is still a Campione. Also, he is Sir Salvatore's ally and a dangerous -- excuse me, a most influential person. Only through appropriate speech and manners will you display the way of the knight." Naturally, the one reprimanding her long-time friend was Liliana. Her att.i.tude was quite stiff and formal as well. Very likely, she too, had no intention of developing personal friends.h.i.+p with G.o.dou. "Please do not say that idiot Doni and I are good friends." G.o.dou tried to correct mistaken facts. "I would be greatly troubled if you girls keep grouping us together." "...Furthermore, the two of you destroyed Castello Sforzesco and caused a great commotion from your fight in Naples. Clearly there will be many opportunities for the two of you to fight as a united front." Liliana eloquently voiced her objections. "That kind of retort has many flaws in it so let's not talk about it. I have pretty much accepted the subtle and complicated relations.h.i.+p you two share." "Complicated and subtle, what do you mean?" "In short, it is like this. Your feelings for Sir Salvatore transcend the affections of friends.h.i.+p. Rather than a male friend, he is a person you love." "L-Love!?" G.o.dou was stunned by these deductions which sounded like some famous detective's pontification. "Of course, these kinds of immoral feelings cannot be discussed in front of other people. Furthermore, a young person like you could hardly admit to such an unusual s.e.xual disposition. As a result, you firmly insist you hate Sir Salvatore yet you are deeply troubled over your inability to cut off your feelings of longing for him." "It never occurred to me like that, but actually, it's quite reasonable and well thought out." "No way is that reasonable! Don't make up my feelings ok!?" Because Liliana's reasoning actually impressed Erica, G.o.dou immediately denied it. "All in all, it is a fact that no mere shallow relations.h.i.+p exists between you and Italy's powder keg and alliance leader in the world of magic." "What powder keg... Stop talking nonsense." Caught by Liliana's unexpectedly acute accusations, G.o.dou muttered in response. "But, me and that guy... or rather I should say, I am different from the other Campiones. If possible, I would like to continue living a peaceful life. Pa.s.sing away on a tatami mat would be good enough for my satisfaction. Actions like this monitoring must be stopped." Erica and Liliana were said to be renowned and promising talents. They were young knights from their respective magic a.s.sociations, the [Copper Black Cross] and the [Bronze Black Cross]. To think these kinds of talents were dispatched simply to monitor Kusanagi G.o.dou in Tokyo. This was done in order to inspect the movements of the Campione allied to Salvatore Doni. "What are you talking about, Kusanagi G.o.dou? 'Monitoring' a G.o.dslaying devil king would be disrespectful and forbidden conduct." Erica distorted her lips and self-deprecatingly said. "Indeed, were you to start some kind of incident, there exists the likelihood of unexpected effects propagating to Europe. If that were to happen, we may have to contact our a.s.sociations' headquarters. However, our purpose in Tokyo is simply studying abroad, in order to experience Eastern Asian culture." "To experience Marco Polo's^ orient travelogues^ is a hard earned experience." Even Liliana spoke knowingly. "Exactly as she says, my king. Please do not mind us and just continue to live your life normally." Hmm. G.o.dou frowned. If this type of situation persists, then there would be no way to improve their relations.h.i.+p. Regardless whom the other party was, if they were going to hang around by his side for long durations, he would prefer to establish friendly relations. Part 3 Kusanagi G.o.dou is a G.o.dslayer, also known as a devil king Campione. Due to this t.i.tle, he always encountered things that an ordinary high school student would be unable to. The most extreme example would be two people from Italy sent to monitor him. Although, even in his home country of j.a.pan there is an organization keeping an eye on him. This group supervises j.a.pan's internal incantation, magic, and other supernatural stuff. That would be the j.a.panese official History Compilation Committee. Even this secret organization that employed ninjas from the olden days, seemed to have members concealed at G.o.dou's side. However, it is not certain to what extent their operation has reached. But, there was only one person in contact with him that has her ident.i.ty completely revealed. It was on the way to cla.s.s where he saw her figure from behind. While taking the usual path heading to school, he saw her walking in front at a distance of seven meters. Thanks to her tea colored and beautifully long hair that had slightly dense odor, she was immediately recognized. Her name was Mariya Yuri. She was addressed as a Hime-Miko, an ability user. This was how the Official History Compilation Committee treated people that had n.o.bility status. These n.o.ble people cooperated and accepted many kinds of requests. The nickname "Hime" was actually just a facade. At this moment she was wearing a deep blue duffle coat over her uniform, giving the appearance of a female student with a serious disposition. But her posture was very upright, her footsteps were orderly, and she gave off a temperament that was hard to offend. G.o.dou remembered his conversation with Erica and Liliana last night. Even though their position is just to monitor him, G.o.dou wanted to improve their relations.h.i.+p. He wanted to give it a try by being slightly more energetic. Once he made up his mind, G.o.dou went up to greet her. "Good morning, Mariya." " !? Good morning, Kusanagi-san." Yuri stopped in her tracks and looked back. However, at that moment for a split second she let out an "uh" sound while her shoulders shuddered a bit. It was probably because she suddenly heard Kusanagi G.o.dou — the Campione's voice which startled her. Can't say for sure if she was scared. But, the expression on her face was calm when she turned her head. The Yamato Nades.h.i.+ko's beautiful dignified face gazed at G.o.dou continuously. That stern look had the potential to melt ice and snow into pure water. Plus, it was also very rigid. At that time, the G.o.dslayer raised in j.a.pan regarded her as an exceedingly dangerous person. This caused him to be on alert and stiff. "1-1 say. Being a little more relaxed is absolutely no problem." "You are one of the world's seven G.o.dslaying lords. Our mission is to show proper respect when dealing with someone of your rank. Please do not mind it." Like that, Yuri replied to G.o.dou while deeply bowing her head. Her use of words and sentences were good, her manner was good, this kind of etiquette was totally devoid of any rudeness. However, G.o.dou and Yuri are actually going to the same school and are in the same grade. It would be correct to say that their type of etiquette should be different. In short, the concept of sensible etiquette is much different from the current one. But G.o.dou pretended not to care and attempted to casually talk to her. "Well, let's just maintain this and converse a little. After all our destination is the same." "Staying together with Kusanagi-san!?" "Uh huh. Until we arrive at school, let's converse while we walk for the time being." There were still about five minutes left until they reached the school gates. Even though the amount of time was short, it was always better than not saying anything at all. G.o.dou contemplated over this, but Yuri for some reason felt unexpectedly fl.u.s.tered. "Y-Yes. Since this is the command of a king there is no way I can refuse. Although conversing with my humble self might not be able to satisfy you, I will at least accompany you." Feeling like her time was being wasted on something insignificant, she solemnly accepted to seriously converse. — Can talking with me really cause others to be afraid? G.o.dou had a guilty state of mind. A couple years ago Yuri was captured by Marquis Voban who had a reputation for being vile. As a result she was left with terrible memories. Perhaps she was influenced by that experience. In any case, the two of them started walking on the path towards school. So, what would be some good things to say? G.o.dou tentatively proposed the first topic. "By the way, the end of term exam results already came out. How did you do on the tests?" "Y-Yes. Still about the same as my previous grades." That's it. Yuri replied with little to say, leaving G.o.dou with no way to smoothly expand on the topic. The two of them continued to walk in silence. This was simply just walking side by side. This will not do! "M-Mariya, although you are a Miko, can you still normally celebrate Christmas and other holidays of that sort?" "Y-yes. There are no particular bans." The talking once again ended. Further conversing has stopped and the two of them continued to walk on silently. G.o.dou understood his own defeat. It goes without saying that G.o.dou, who wasn't used to dealing with girls, should have difficulty making a conversational breakthrough in this kind of situation. Before he knew it the school gates were already in sight. It looks like that is it for today. G.o.dou cursed at himself for his incompetence, in addition he felt very sorry towards Yuri. To have scared her unnecessarily and such. "I'm sorry. You actually don't want to accompany me right?" He unconsciously apologized. Even he understood clearly to refrain from saying things not worth mentioning. It can be said that the technique he used to deal with girls was clumsy. Forget that right now, after G.o.dou apologized, Yuri's facial expression changed to that of embarra.s.sment. "Ah, no, it's not like that. Of course because I'm together with a Campione, I feel very nervous." After her wall of formality slightly crumbled, her expression of bewilderment could be seen. Seeing Yuri shyly mutter those words, G.o.dou's heart skipped a beat. This really was the temperament of the Yamato Nades.h.i.+kos, full of charm. "Add to the fact that this is my first time walking with a boy to the same school I must admit this makes me feel a little embarra.s.sed. Even though this was once part of a.s.sociating with the History Compilation Committee, it is still just the job of a Miko and nothing else. I'm still really not used to this type of work." While the conversation was taking place between the two of them, they had already arrived at the front entrance of the high school. "I sincerely apologize for not being able to converse very well. Excuse me, I must be leaving now." Yuri intoned a quick apology while deeply lowering her head as her feet were already leaving G.o.dou's side. She walked in the direction of her cla.s.s's shoe cabinet. Apparently Kusanagi G.o.dou's and Mariya Yuri's interaction skills with the opposite gender were both very clumsy. Looks like he can only wait for another opportunity and contemplate other ways to close the distance between them. G.o.dou was reflecting upon himself while changing his shoes, then headed off to cla.s.s 1-5. Once he sat down, Takagi headed over. His hand was holding milk coffee cartons. "Kusanagi! You b.a.s.t.a.r.d, you intend to betray us!?" G.o.dou was startled as a voice of sorrow reached him. "What are you saying all of a sudden?" "I just saw it! You and cla.s.s six's Mariya-san were walking side by side!" "It was only walking for a little while, nothing much. Why is that betrayal?" "It can be said that Mariya-san can even be considered my school's fairest lady. She is commonly known as one of the endangered Yamato Nades.h.i.+kos. No matter how the guys approach her, even just walking side by side will be sweetly rejected by the highly ranked girl. To actually be able to walk together with that kind of girl, a guy like you cannot be underestimated!" "Sure enough you were pointing to that. I did a not so favorable thing." Because G.o.dou was a Campione, that reason was probably why Yuri would walk together with him. "I will pay close attention the next time I see you. You can say thank you to me, Takagi." "Ugh. In the future you still intend to continue getting close to her? To go as far as thinking of every possible method to advance this impure a.s.sociation with the opposite s.e.x, you traitor!" "Stop talking nonsense. I only sought to converse with her a bit to take care of some matters. Basically, it was only just walking together." G.o.dou appears to want to reconcile by calmly talking to the enraged Takagi. "In the end I only said one or two lines at most." "Really?" "Mhmm. Oh yeah, didn't I borrow a game from Nanami before?" G.o.dou recalled the time during the school festival when Nanami shoved a hand-held console and a game cartridge called "English Proper Maid Story: Maid Amy" at him. "Although yesterday I tried it out for a bit when I was bored it turned out to be somewhat hard to play. That eviscerator killed me about three times." Just by looking at the t.i.tle you would think you would play as a female maid protagonist. The main protagonist is in fact her master, a college student who studies at the University of Oxford. As a side note, the stage was set in 19th century England during the Victorian era. G.o.dou started playing with a relaxed mood, but because together with Amy they were in pursuit of the mysterious Jack the Ripper in foggy London like in the novel's storyline, he became fascinated with the detective-like development. However, in spite of this — G.o.dou had a sudden doubt. In the past, he thinks there never would have been the opportunity to play something like this. It feels like there was once a person around him who always played this type of thing. "But, I think it would be best to switch t.i.tles." "Hohoho... You've only experienced the prologue of the story. From there you will start to be moved by the story of love and violent waves, your palms will be full of sweat, and tears will be streaming all over your face." "Eh? Then yesterday I basically only read through something equivalent to half a bunkobon [4] !?" "The game definitely has an overwhelming amount of content, but the plot development will never make someone feel bored. Instead, as the game's storyline continues to progress and the maid's affection level increases, the story will arrive at the content of the official version. Forget about the people with a desire for maids, even someone who does not share that fetish will be brainwashed into monsters who love maids entirely. You've barely broken the surface here. " "R-really? These recent games have been really profound." G.o.dou, who wasn't very clear on this aspect, deeply admired Takagi's explanation. "How about we go to Akihabara later this month? It just so happens that "Amy" will take part in an exhibition sponsoring the setup of a maid coffee shop. In order to recreate the setting, they prepared specialized maid attire and they will be in business after the renovations of the front of the store are complete. It is very interesting." "Akihabara's maid coffee shop? This doesn't seem like the type of thing that would interest me " After speaking, G.o.dou let out a "hmm?" and began to ponder. This was caused by the words he just uttered. Akihabara? Maid? Maid coffee shop? He also felt that somewhere there was a missing piece of the puzzle. This was a riddle full of gaps. Where could the puzzle pieces to fill in the gaps be --. Part 4 Kusanagi G.o.dou isn't one of those kinds of people who only talk but will not act. Instead of being like the type of detective who just sits in his arm chair solving mysteries, he is someone who will quickly be on the move whenever he wants something done. So on that day after school was over, he tried to go to Akihabara to leisurely walk around for a bit. Precisely due to it being that time of the year, the streets were completely filled with Christmas spirit. G.o.dou spent about an hour wandering aimlessly on these streets colorfully decorated by glamorous reds and greens. "There was no use in coming here after all." In the end he could only let out a sigh. There were (perhaps) some festive activities scheduled to be held late in the month of December. He believed that by coming here he might recall some of his past memories. The little bits of expectation he had easily crumbled. Of course, if there was something to be gained then it's still possible to have some feeling of benefit. "That is the end for today, it's time to quickly head back." G.o.dou found himself on Central Avenue. This was the center of Akihabara's Electronics Street. If he were to return to Nezu from here, there would be no other alternative besides going to the JR^ Akihabara's station. For instance, if he wanted to go in the direction of Ueno from Central Avenue, then he could choose to utilize Tokyo's subway station. That kind of distance could even be considered as walkable. G.o.dou decided that for the time being he would walk towards Ueno. Engulfing this street was the momentum of continuous re-development. It felt like every time you came here there would be change occurring somewhere. Nowadays the appearance of the original Electronic Street is completely unrecognizable. The old fas.h.i.+oned electronics stores as well as spare parts stores were already considerably rare. Game stores, large retail stores, plus the newly added game stores along with the restaurants that were lined up in succession and western style clothing stores already became this street's main focus. On the way, G.o.dou took a map of the Electronic Street from a maid at a maid coffee shop. After walking casually for some time, he arrived at Okachimachi. G.o.dou incidentally sensed the "monitoring" aura behind his back. By chance he looked behind him and noticed someone he knew. He decided to stop and wait for the other person to catch up. Thus, the silver-haired beauty following him shrugged her shoulders and quickened her pace. "Although it is not a big deal, could it be that you were closely following behind me this entire time?" Approaching next to him was Liliana who appeared to be still dressed in a uniform. Her expression completely lacked any fear. Her face, which was like that of a rational female knight, stared straight at G.o.dou. "Yes. Today you seemed to be constantly thinking about something during cla.s.s. Because of that, I was worried whether or not you were scheming to go somewhere to initiate a plan for a surprise attack." "So that was why you were following me?!" Liliana simply said 'yes' while nodding her head. "Who would do that kind of thing? Hey Liliana, have some faith in me, ok?" "Although I regret saying this, but that is very hard to accomplish. I understand very clearly that at critical moments you will engage in activities without any regard of the consequences." "Uhh." G.o.dou was speechless after being coldly rejected. Because those kind of situations had occurred so many times, he was completely unable to deny this. "T-Then at least greet me. If there is nothing to be ashamed about in what I'm doing, then it's safe to say that it would've been fine even if you didn't tail me. Watching what I do from my side should be fine right?" "Eh? You want me to accompany you?" "Uh huh. Compared to being followed by someone from behind this should be much more relaxing." "Now that you mention it, this would be somewhat more convenient for doing my "job" but I don't deserve that kind of praise to walk together by the King's side." The silver-haired female knight wants to refuse politely. However, G.o.dou was a step ahead and said- "It's fine. Because I am a king, I give you the right to do that. Furthermore, a knight being at the king's side is not such an unusual thing, right?" At that moment even he himself knew that he was just quibbling. But there was no other way. Actually, while G.o.dou appeared to have replied smoothly to the girl saying "walk together", he was really in a state of confusion. He is thinking along the lines of how to deal with the statement he made just a moment ago. However, even though this was considered to be barely enough of a justification, Liliana still thought about it. "Well, it is a prestigious a.s.sociation's great knight who is closely accompanying a Campione, but it's not enough to consider this appropriate conduct eh? " The air of sternness from Liliana's face suddenly declined exposing a flaw in her expression. Looking at it this way, rather than a reliable knight, it would be more appropriate to say that she was an ordinary girl. G.o.dou was quite surprised at that inconceivable expression of hers and thought she was very cute. Once his heart started to beat in an indescribable manner, G.o.dou quickly inquired- "What's the matter?" "Ah, yes. Now that I think about it, if I really wanted to "monitor" — I mean, conduct an observation on you, then continuously following alongside you would be reasonable. How come I haven't been doing that until now?" Even the way she spoke crumbled. However, this kind of Liliana was very refres.h.i.+ngly cute. Sensing that the distance between them was reduced, G.o.dou casually said: "Then, want to start walking together?" "Ah, yes. If you are fine with this then " The curtain of night was gradually descending as the time of day approached evening. G.o.dou was currently walking together with the silver-haired maiden during this sort of time in Ueno. "Today you are just wandering the streets without a destination we are just taking a walk, even now it's like that?" "Mhmm. Nothing to be concerned about. We are just taking a walk. In any case, it won't cause anyone trouble." He couldn't say that the purpose for wandering around was to recall something forgotten in which the original details were unclear. When G.o.dou was talking he averted touching this topic. In addition, he said that up until now other than "taking a walk" he hadn't done anything else. However, it was for that reason Liliana was concerned and mumbled. "If only that was true " "Hold on. Today I only walked in the streets, nothing more, right? What is the problem with that!?" G.o.dou proposed a refutation. However the female knight countered while still showing a bit of anxiety. "Normally speaking, of course there would be no problem. But, if it was something you did I think there is a possibility it would develop like this for example." Liliana started to slowly explain. "During your walk you by chance encounter a heretic G.o.d. Afterwards, just like that the battle will immediately unfold, Tokyo will become a battle arena and as a result more than half the city will collapse changing it into vast ruins Furthermore, regarding this juncture after half a year, it will make the place uninhabitable. Tokyo will ultimately change in order to control the violence and brutality of the devil within the scope of the city—" "Isn't that just your speculation?! It is merely a delusion!" G.o.dou disagreed to this kind of overly exaggerated future development. "Yesterday it was the weird relations.h.i.+p between Doni and I, and now it is the things you recently said. Liliana's thoughts on these matters are always so serious. It's safe to say your ability to think wishfully is broken. Are you really someone who writes novels and such?" "Ku-Kusanagi G.o.dou, what did you just say?" "Your ability to think wishfully is broken?" "N-No, it was the sentence after that. How do you know about my hobby!?" "Eh. ..huh?" G.o.dou, who was investigated in detail by Liliana, felt puzzled. "Now that you mention it, how do I know?" "There is only one person in the entire world who knows about this secret and that person is Erica. Could it be that you are pretending to have a bad relations.h.i.+p with that demonic woman while secretly exchanging information during appointments with her, do you intend to frame me or something!?" "1-1 don't know. There is no way I could know right?" G.o.dou was fl.u.s.tered while making his a.s.sertions. "Maybe, there is a possibility that Liliana told me before? If it is not like that, then I shouldn't know this kind of thing." "Not possible! I would never confess this type of thing!" "Why not? It isn't a crime; generally speaking, one would usually talk about their own interests to other people right?" "This kind of interest is pretty much for my own personal pleasure — no, to say it is pursuing the joys of this activity would be right. The people who unfold the wings of their imagination don't need to be afraid of the consequences, those kinds of wicked thoughts that shouldn't ever be seen by mankind should never be chosen In short I do this just to satisfy myself as well as to record the various sorts of things that float in my mind!" "Ms that so?" G.o.dou was overwhelmed by the violent surge of momentum from Liliana and had nothing better to say. "That's right. Kusanagi G.o.dou, this is why pertaining to this private matter, please keep this as a secret just between the two of us. Is that OK!?" Ever since a moment ago, Liliana had already thoroughly forgotten about the matter of treating Campiones with respect. The reason for that is probably because she was losing her mind due to fear. G.o.dou felt that the request the silver-haired knight brought up, equal to that of an order from a G.o.dslayer devil king, was very interesting and made him felt comfortable. "Having said that whether it's you or Erica, how could my secret Could it be that my security installations at home have deadly flaws ?" "S-Should we go over there and take a look!?" In order to conceal this awkward atmosphere, G.o.dou pointed toward the gaming center that was in front of them. This was a commonly seen branch of large gaming centers. Inside the large arcade that utilized all of the area within the four stories of the building, were entertainment facilities that had distinctive gorgeous decorations which were very eye-catching. It appears the place had been thoroughly cleaned as it was quite tidy inside. Liliana showed a deep interest as she inspected the inside of the arcade. "As a place where people can come and have fun late at midnight, it gives an impression of liveliness. It's different from what I imagined." Liliana saw a little boy around the age of five with his dad who were both smiling. The little boy was next to the Bunch of Heroe video game stations with an expression that was full of concentration as he pressed the b.u.t.tons. Since they hardly come here, they should probably find something to play. G.o.dou spoke and inquired: "Liliana, do you want to play something?" Because it was his counterpart's first time at a video game center she roughly circled around the arcade first. There were crane games, many older and newer games, online games and card games that utilized a pretty large gaming platform, as well as a s.p.a.ce for cosplay, etc. It was an awkward situation where she didn't know what to play first. "You are right Honestly speaking, I don't have much interest in playing these things." "Ah, as expected." G.o.dou nodded his head at Liliana's open-heartedness. Her line of sight swept past all things game related, instead putting the emphasis on checking the arcade's facilities and customers. Sure enough, this fict.i.tious contrasting so-called lifestyle could only be found in the witches of a fantasy world. "Then, it's about time that we go back. I apologize for forcing you to come here." "Ah, no need to apologize. To be able to see a place a person like me wouldn't normally visit alone gives me great satisfaction. Also, to say that I have no interest towards anything would be a lie." Liliana cleared her throat with a cough. All of a sudden she moved her face close to G.o.dou. "Please let me first confirm something." "W-What is it?" The female knight's serious face pressed closer towards his own. As a result, G.o.dou became fl.u.s.tered. "Kusanagi G.o.dou, can you keep a secret from other people? Especially from the one who claims to be my friend. If you can defend my secret even from that demon-like woman then please come with me to that place." Three minutes later, G.o.dou proceeded to the second floor along with the gracefully walking Liliana. This floor contained crane games naturally arranged in at least ten different of categories. Liliana advanced towards the gaming station containing unusual fantasy animal dolls. "Buying a pair of dolls would of course be the fastest method right?" Liliana happily said this after just exchanging a one-hundred yen coin for the dolls in her hand. "However, I also feel that hunting them with my own hands is a good experience for me to have. After all, hunting is one of the many things that knights take pleasure in, isn't it?" "Don't you think it's a little far-fetched to regard the doll grabbing games as a form of hunting?" "That's nonsense. One has to personally follow their prey, using their own skill to execute the kill in order for the object to become theirs. You see, isn't it essentially the same thing?" The stern female knight let out a rare smile. G.o.dou controlled himself to not argue out his disagreement and spoke about another skepticism he had. "But, what is there to hide from Erica? Well it's just a doll, isn't it fine?" "No way! If she knows then that knight will keep saying over and over that Liliana Kranjcar has an arrangement of adorable dolls in her bedroom. I'm certain that woman will make a fool out of me. Could you allow this to happen?!" G.o.dou let out an "oh" as he thought deeply about Liliana's response. If even the extremely secretive novel writing was figured out by the other person, then this level of secrecy should have already been leaked from the very beginning — Well, it probably won't make a difference even if this matter isn't discussed. Even so, Liliana appeared to be indeed very joyful. She was facing video games that were unfamiliar to her and was struggling to obtain her target. Try and think about it. Arranging herbs, healthy foods, making desserts, knitting, etc., these are hobbies that girls usually liked and were completely proficient in. Even those that like velvet dolls and delicate things really don't feel out of character. (If I were to bring her to play at a large-scale amus.e.m.e.nt park, it seems she would be even happier ) Her stern appearance and atmosphere unwittingly faded away. At G.o.dou's side was the most "maiden-like" female, in reality isn't it just Liliana? The novels were fine, the impression just then was fine, but it really felt like something was strange—-. In the end, under G.o.dou's a.s.sistance she obtained five dolls. The two of them left the gaming center. The surrounding area was already dark, having completely entered nighttime. "Well, it should be time to go back right?" "Yeah, the timing was perfect." G.o.dou and Liliana both nodded their heads and started to walk on the path leading towards the bus station. Honestly speaking, there was also the thought of continuing together with her to go someplace to eat dinner. Furthermore, he thought about gradually increasing his relations.h.i.+p with Liliana. However.... Inviting a girl to eat alone together would be an excessively difficult crisis for Kusanagi G.o.dou. As a result, during the time they were silently walking- "After receiving the prizes ? Did some sort of divine presence pa.s.s us?" Liliana's footsteps suddenly stopped. Due to the hunting results, the feelings of the girl who was both a knight and a witch changed to that of extreme delight. Her face was getting clearer and clearer while her eyes were staring at the vastness of the sky. Could it be that she had a vision of the apocalypse? After G.o.dou marveled over this, the sensible gaze of Liliana was restored. "Did you see anything?" "Yes. Please let me verify a point. Right now do you feel the presence of a G.o.d?" "No, none at all." Campiones and G.o.ds are old enemies who are mutually aware of each other's existences. Although it isn't as if it wouldn't work if they weren't close to each other, if they were near a heretic G.o.d then a G.o.dslayers body and mind would be br.i.m.m.i.n.g with the power to fight. "Does this mean a G.o.d has come here?" "I don't think so. However, it appears that we aroused the existence of a strange presence nearby." An ominous matter was heard. Where can a suspicious monster exist within this vicinity? G.o.dou looked all around. It was Christmas Eve, the streets were starting to become active but it also felt like something was unstable at the same time. This area near Ueno's bus stop had a lot of people coming through here so it was pretty noisy- »what? A portion of the people who were walking along the sidewalk looked like they were astonished at something. They were gesturing, talking, and whispering to one another while squeezed together around the display case of a small department store. G.o.dou used an eye signal and Liliana responded by nodding her head. The two of them closed in towards that direction. They quickly understood the reason for the disturbance. This was because there were two young girls that were loudly talking. "It really happened in a split second! Just a moment ago, the figure of an ordinary Santa Claus changed to 'that' thing in a flas.h.!.+" "Eh, you are kidding right? Wasn't it like 'that' from the start?!" "Of course not! You better look closely!" They were standing in front of a large toy store. After cramming himself up towards the display window, G.o.dou was totally in shock. What was there really was a subst.i.tute devoid of any beauty. Presently, Santa Claus could be considered a scene from Christmas. He was a jolly old man with white hair and a white beard who wore a distinctive red outfit. Because this was a toy shop, the display window had a variety of Santa Claus figures placed behind it in order to raise the Christmas atmosphere in the streets. For the figure of Santa Claus that G.o.dou was looking at, the entire body was gray. The red clothing was gray. The skin, white hair and beard were all gray. The bag over his shoulders was also gray. It made people feel that they were watching a black and white T.V., it was all in one color of gray. "A gray Santa Claus ? No taste at all." No matter how much you decorated it, there was no way to recover the essence of Christmas right? However, she just said "it changed like this in a flash"? " Kusanagi G.o.dou. It appears that something strange has happened." Said Liliana as she opened her eyes which had been closed. She seemed to have used clairvoyance with the 'Witch's Eye'. "At this plaza in front of the station, all the Santa Claus figurines, pictures, and even the people in Santa Clause outfits all turned gray." "Are you saying that regardless of what color it is, they will all turn into the same color as this object?" "Precisely. This change carries some significance- — however it is difficult to believe. But no matter what it is, every Santa Claus really did turn gray." Liliana had a perplexed tone while giving her report. G.o.dou tried to circle around the nearby area looking for any red Santa Clauses. But not even one was found. The drawing of Santa Claus on the poster was also gray. The Santa Clause doll decoration within the store turned gray as well. Furthermore, this kind of color change even affects the cosplay of Santa Clause for the young customers. In this situation, only the clothing changed colors though. Around twenty percent of the magnificence was lost in the composition- ~it just gave people this kind of feeling. Furthermore, in the streets that were already overflowing with the 'grayified' old philanthropists, the people who pa.s.sed by were bewildered and dumbfounded. After returning to Liliana, G.o.dou quickly said: "Was this strange phenomenon caused by the guy Liliana mentioned just a moment ago?" "It seems that thinking of it like that shouldn't be wrong this sort of thing is simply a prank. It's hard to understand why someone would do such a thing." In front of the knight who seemed to be puzzling over this, G.o.dou held his arm. He could not remember what he scheduled before Christmas and now a small scale strange event has occurred. In comparison to a Campione who has been always battling G.o.ds, no matter how you look at it, this was entirely a small scale event. Although generally speaking, all of this was incomprehensible. However, looking at this situation, one point that was certain was this will be a troublesome matter. References 1 . t Paella: Spanish dish; the main ingredient is rice, often colored with saffron (or similar), and accompanied by a.s.sorted vegetables and either meat or seafood. 2. t Marco Polo(September 15,1 254 - January 8, 1 324) was an Italian merchant of Venice, a traveler, as well as an explorer. It was during China's Yuan dynasty where he arrived in China via the Silk Road accompanied by his father and uncle. Once Marco Polo returned to Italy, he was captured for the first time during a naval battle between Venice and Genoa. In the prison, he orally recounted his traveling experience allowing Rustich.e.l.lo da Pisa to write {The Travels of Marco Polo) . However, whether or not he actually did go to China led to controversy. September 7, 1298, Marco Polo was sent to prison and cooperated with Rustich.e.l.lo da Pisa to create {The Travels of Marco Polo) . 3. t The {Orient Travelogue) , namely the {The Travels of Marco Polo) , was a literary work composed in 1298 detailing what the well-known Venetian merchant and adventurer Marco Polo saw and heard along his orient travels. {The Travels of Marco Polo) was the world's first literary work of abundant information about China reported by the Europeans. It detailed the situation of many countries in the areas of Central Asia, South Asia, Southeast Asia, and so on as well as had an important section pertaining to information about China. 4. t Bunkobon: In j.a.pan, these are small portable paperback books 5. t j.a.panese Railway