Episode 39 — Branch School Assault
～ Part 1 ～
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The land warship of 2nd year class 4 finally marched into the remains of the royal capital. Those guys didn’t know Suou, Kogane and the others were in this abandoned castle. If they mutually stayed silent, there would be no need to come into conflict. If that was at all possible, Suou would like to take that course.
According to the reports he got from the Pawns who went out for reconnaissance, those guys, even after the experience of having of their friends died, had no atmosphere saying that they would scatter any time soon. Perhaps there was a leader with high unifying power. Probably that dragonoid he heard from Kogane.
The order came down from the King was absolute. He had to continue exerting his best efforts in order to lure those guys over as friends.
Originally, he wanted to shake those guys up, make the cooperation foundation rattle, accumulate stress and drive them into a critical situation, but that situation didn’t come true.
Or better yet, should I apologize and show the sincerity of this side? Apologize for killing the gryphon, explain the situation and have them become friends? Well, it’s impossible. It’s a different matter if there is a proper just cause, but what we’re doing here is simply an invasion war on another world. There is no reason to obey.
How about dangling a bait of the mean to return to their world? This too isn’t something I can rely on. Starting with the Transference Denaturation Gate, all technologies were developed by Akeno, the one who directly sent the gryphon on his way. It is difficult to wipe out the distrust toward her.
Kogane came along to the reception hall.
“What’s wrong? Today we haven’t played Tekken together.”
“My bad, there’s a little errand.”
“Ah–, is it fighting again? It was also serious for Suou. Shall I also help?”
“No…”
Suou glanced outside the window a little.
After this royal capital was destroyed several hundreds years ago, it was left to ruin, trees were growing everywhere and it became like a forest. That land warship should be somewhere in the back of the trees and the group of buildings.
“I think this every-time, but this place seems like Angkor Wat, isn’t it?”
Kogane muttered. Was it a ? There was that kind of things too.
After all, Suou couldn’t tell Kogane about that matter. And the thing about the gryphon too. But even if he kept silent about it, it would eventually leak out someday.
In the end, Suou was not skillful enough to fulfill his mission as a blood kin while respecting Kogane’s feelings.
“Kogane, actually, those guys are coming.”
Hearing that, Kogane’s eyes turned round.
“Utsurogi and the others?”
“Just that, those guys now are on the Queen side and won’t listen to this side’s story.”
“Akai? Akai betrayed Suou’s side after all?”
“That’s right. Therefore, disperse the class, Kogane on one side, I on the other and persuade them. I will also use a somewhat rough method, please forgive that.”
To Suou’s words, Kogane pondered with a difficult face.
It wasn’t the case that he had taught Kogane all the truth. If anything, all he said was just a sentimental story of fellows people from the same world should join hands together.
So it’s not something to wonder about even if Kogane became able to judge the situation calmly and began to question Suou’s actions.
In that case, it was possible for Suou group to forcibly give him «blood» and make him listen to what they say.
Forced obedience method by mean of giving «blood» and turn him into his kin. Honestly speaking, he didn’t want to use that too much.
“All right. I’ll help.”
Finally, Kogane nodded without any doubt whatsoever.
“Akeno-san is?”
“That girl Akeno has a headache so she’s resting.”
This wasn’t a lie. She slept for several days after the readjustment finished. It was about time she got up though.
“For now, I’m going to take out the hydra and lure out the main force of those guys. Kogane is responsible for that side.”
“All right. If it’s the main force, Ryuzaki and Utsurogi is there so I think it will be easy to talk.”
“…And then, those guys too, may try to shake Kogane up in order to bring you back.”
There was something quite painful when he spoke of this random speech.
“Shake up?”
“As told by the Queen, they may tell you a lie in order to shake you up.”
“…Is there any value to go that far to bring back this me?”
Kogane smiled a self-torturing smile.
The war potential value of Kogane who wake up to Phase 2 was quite something. But what he wanted to say wasn’t about that. It would be because he couldn’t recall any reason to do such an elaborate trick just to bring back him who committed many violence and hated actions within the class.
“Well, if you’re told a lie, you should think that you have that much value.”
Seeing that he couldn’t recognize the definite truth that «the gryphon was dead», it would be next to impossible for Kogane to persuade those guys. Suou didn’t have any expectation regarding that in the first place. Kogane’s role was to nailed down the main force and fixed them in place.
After luring out the main force’s battle units, Suou could come out with the 『rough method』. That was the destruction of the enemy’s mean of movement, the land warship. He would also bring the chimera developed by Akeno. And in the case he could take some of them back, then it would be even better.
Judging from the Queen’s personality, she would remain in the moving base. So the fight with Suou was unavoidable, but since she was afraid of being sensed by the King, she wouldn’t be able to fight with her full strength.
From the Kogane’s information, he knew that the Queen had close friends within the schoolgirls. He could not even imagine how that cool-headed Queen would let down her guard to anyone beside the King, but if it was true, could be used well enough. If he could use that student skillfully, he would be able to seal the Queen’s movement.
Once this battle was over, it would become difficult for Suou to keep the friendship with Kogane as before. Kogane would know about the gryphon’s death in the process of trying to persuade the main force, and he would try to question Suou about that.
If that happened, it would finally end there. He would have no choices but to discard any unnecessary sentiment and make Kogane into his kin.
“In the end, I too am just a brute that has no right to speak about people.”
“Did you say something? Suou.”
“It’s nothing. Let’s play Tekken once we’re done.”
“Yup. It would be nice if we can do it together with Utsurogi and everyone.”
Well, that future probably won’t come true.
He gave out instructions to the remaining Pawns to bring out the hydra and chimera. If possible, he wanted to finish things before Akeno woke up. It was because Suou himself didn’t know what kind of character she would become when she woke up after finishing her readjustment.
Suou and Kogane finished their preparation after a little more than 10 minutes and departed from the old castle.
The heavy cruiser branch school got out from the valley and went into a somewhat large forest. The surroundings were covered with castle walls-like something, and historic ruins that appeared to be man-made buildings could be seen here and there, but whether the human hands hadn’t touched this place for a long time, trees were growing up everywhere.
It was the ruins of a country that had once existed in this vicinity and were destroyed hundreds of years ago. Stop going south at this place, and turn the route toward the East. In doing so, they would come out to the sea before long.
But then, the hydra that attacked the branch school a few days ago appeared here, so a countermeasure party had been organized immediately.
It was an elite unit with excellent combat personnel generously incorporated, starting from Ryuzaki and Goubayashi. For recovery personnel, Nekomiya had been chosen, and even more surprising, Akai and Harao had also announced their candidacy. When these two people got on the deck, Ryuzaki was utterly confused, however,
『I cannot use my full power because of certain circumstances. But I will show my sincerity.』
『I has’t to grant the curse of Harao to the one who disturb mine friends’ slumber.』
So he was told.
It was already an hour ago that the elite unit left the heavy cruiser branch school. In the meantime, the protection of the heavy cruiser was left to Gofunkawahara leading the goblins and Sakuma. As contact personnel, the thunderbird Kaminari and the unicorn Hakuba was on standby.
Kyousuke too, remained on the branch school as a combat member, patrolling on the deck. Every-time he walked, Rin’s body that stuck to him dripped dropped on to the floor.
“Himemizu, isn’t it painful…?”
“Fu, Fuuuu…. Eh, eeeh? Whaatt?”
While Rin was holding out, he knew that she was desperately trying to maintain her shape.
Kyousuke’s Phase 2 ability, 《Characteristics Amplification》 wasn’t in invocation right then, and Rin couldn’t use Kyousuke’s body as support to maintain a human form. Rin’s current state, was similar to standing on tiptoe, or possibly seating on an air chair, it was something essentially unreasonable on anatomical basis.
Kyousuke and Rin had not combined. This form was merely a pretense of combining. Rin’s body drip-dropping from her whole body was the proof of that.
The value for her to push herself this far, I have not.
Why is she doing this much, I don’t understand.
Utsurogi Kyousuke was completely empty. That had always been the case since that day. At least he thought that he had to become a splendid person who would be appreciated by people, hence he had repeated great effort for that sake. The hypocrisy accumulated on the surface only and had never accompanied by contents. In retrospect, what he was, was just a good-for-nothing made of filth.
No matter what he tried, something would still be missing, a shallow man. That was Utsurogi Kyousuke. Even though he should have noticed it a long time ago, he kept averting his eyes away so that he wouldn’t even look at it. At least, he felt that he wouldn’t be able to maintain himself unless he kept on living while pretending to be human.
“You’re overthinkinggg…”
Kyousuke trembled a bit at Rin’s words.
“Hi–Himemizu…. Just now, my heart was…”
“Nhaha. Since you fell into silent and was in a daze somehow, I just thought that you was thinking about something difficult again.”
Rin said in an awfully bright tone.
“I’m not as good as Hino-kun, but it’s true that I came to understand various things. Various things about Utsurogi-kun.”
Why would you worry about me even though you understand that much?
“I hate myself…”
Kyousuke muttered a bit. Putting his hands on the handrail of the deck, he gazed at the former townscape of the royal capital that was currently covered in a forest.
He wasn’t aware of it so far, but he finally understood. Kyousuke hated his inner self. He hated himself who was an ugly half-baked existence, his empty, shallow self that had failed to become a splendid person in the end.
“Reaally.”
Rin said.
“I like you though.”
“……”
“Not just me. I think that Hino-kun, Saa-chan, and everyone quite like Utsurogi-kun though.”
He knew. There were good guys who liked this kind of him.
Nevertheless, Kyousuke couldn’t come to like himself.
Every-time he was told gentle words, Kyousuke felt depressed.
“You two, what are you doing there?”
“Gya–! It’s the public moral committteeee!!”
Rin shouted with all her heart because of the sudden voice.
“?”
And turning his line of sight, as she said, the headless public morals committee member Kensaki Megumi stood there while holding her own head and inclining it in an exquisite angle. Rin almost fell from Kyousuke body because of the too strong impact but she desperately clung to him and endured somehow.
“We, we’re not doing anything! We don’t have any guilt that the public morals committee should get angry at for!”
“Really? It’s fine in that case then. Rather than that, is Utsurogi already okay?”
Asked by Kensaki, Utsurogi was lost about how to answer. He was by no means okay. But was it really good to give that kind of answer?
“There’s no problem if it seems to still take a little while. Well, you didn’t show up at Washio’s funeral so Sakuma and Hino are also worried.”
“……”
Kyousuke was silent. Kyousuke didn’t appear at Washio’s funeral, and he had yet to offer any prayers or incense sticks to his altar.
When Washio died, when Kogane was kidnapped, Kyousuke couldn’t do a single thing in the end. The tormenting feelings inside became even stronger.
“…Sorry if I said too much.”
“…No.”
Did it show in his attitude? Looking at Kensaki carefully apologized to him, he started to feel like running away even more.
When Kyousuke tried to move his eyes toward the townscape of the ruins of the former royal capital, a siren suddenly reverberated in the heavy cruiser branch school. Kensaki quickly looked back. As she turned around and directed her head, it was completely a familiar action as a dullahan.
The words of Gofunkawahara echoed as far as the deck through the ship broadcasting.
『Confirmed enemy getting closer from starboard! Those who can fight get on the deck! Kaminari and Hakuba go call Ryuzaki and the others!』
Kensaki’s face stiffen and she started running toward the right side of the ship. Other students too, seemed to be coming out one after another.
Kyousuke tried to move but stopped still. What can I do? Won’t he just hinder everyone again?
“Let’s go, Utsurogi-kun.”
Rin said clearly.
“…All right.”
Kyousuke also nodded. As they were trying to start moving, an impact hit the right side of the branch school and the hull greatly shook.
To be continued…
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