Episode 60 — Dyeing the Blue Sea Crimson (I)
～ Part 1 ～
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Presently, the majority of students were carrying luggage to the venue of the trade fair.
There were several reason why most students were assigned to this place. First of all, they needed proper camouflage in order to hide the trouble with the vampires that was happening on this Delf Island from the islanders. Secondly, it was simply because they who had low combat ability might die in vain when the heavy cruiser branch school was to be attacked.
The combat ability of the vampires was high. Even against a single Pawn, the students who could resist them were few. Only, concerning this decision, dissatisfaction welled up from some combat personnel, starting from Kensaki Megumi. In fact, this seemed like announcing that they were not counted as war potential. So speaking if it was natural, then it was natural.
“Kensaki-san, you haven’t cheered up yet?”
In the trade fair venue, the arms crossing, headless public morals committee member was fully pouting the lips of the head that was put on a wooden box.
“Of course. Even I also want to join the branch school’s defense. Why is that…”
“Because you’re weak, I think?”
“Guu….”
The one who made Kensaki speechless was who reincarnated as a nurikabe (wiki). She was a girl. Before reincarnation, within the class, her certain measurement was extremely ——— lower than that Himemizu Rin’s, the person herself also had a complex about that, but as if to represent her inferiority complex, she became a nurikabe. She had a body as robust as Ryuzaki and Kagoi, but she had a weak point: her limps were too short, she couldn’t get up when she fell.
There wasn’t much she could do in this venue preparation, but by making the best use of that large build of her, she could make a shade and became a rest area for the students and merchants.
“Like I thought, training…. It’s training. I have to get stronger….”
“You don’t need to forcibly get stronger like that, right?”
“My only worth is in battle. I still haven’t reach Phase 2 yet…”
Kensaki immediately resumed the job of carrying wooden boxes and unpacking them.
By the way, there were some students who remained at the branch school. However, they were arranged in order to earn time and contact instead of direct combat personnel. Actually, they wouldn’t be able to win even if they came attacking a Pawn all at once.
“Well, it’s about time that everyone started to feeling that soon.”
Pressing his glasses with his middle finger, the centaur came along. Since the human days, he was a studious man, but after coming here he had become quite burly. He indeed had an intellectual speech and conduct, but when he got excited he would give a flying kick with his hind-legs in a manner not unlike that of a horse, that ability of his was mostly appreciated as a combat staff member.
“Presently, the burden is too concentrated on part of the students. We are treated as the secondary army. it will be essential to build a win-win relationship with an overall spec-up, breakthrough, or perhaps something innovative. I’m not planning to do something like self-enlightenment, but here, some self-development like….”
While he was droning on, Hanma started making hand movements like shaping ceramics on a pottery wheel, so Kensaki and Kabeno decided to ignore him. Hanma wasn’t a bad guy, but he tended to use and started conversations without any substance, so for the not-so-well-learned Kensaki, he was the type she was little weak against.
But well, when looking once again, this many idiosyncratic students had gathered well. In a place slightly away, the classmates were lining up illustrations drawn by Kahara and carved works by Gofunkawahara. Things that were dirty or its damage standing out in the merchandise the merchants had brought, was washing them with rustle-rustle sound. Mitarai was a student who reincarnated as a Japanese youkai, Azukiarai (wiki). When she got careless, her presence got thinner and she started making only the sound of something being washed so it was a little scary.
Via this trade preparation, the merchants also seemed to be relaxing their vigilance against them somewhat. Having said that, they didn’t come to talk too much to the terrifying looking Kensaki too much. The one who came was only Remy at best.
“Ah, Kensaki-san, thank you for helping with the unpacking.”
“Mu, don’t worry about it.”
With a list in hand, Remy started checking the contents of the wooden boxes Kensaki had opened.
“Speaking of which, Kaoru-san, Utsurogi-san and the others are not here?”
“N, ah, right. Those guys have other business….”
Kensaki glossed it over with ambiguous words.
In the end, they didn’t tell the merchants that vampires were on this island. It didn’t seem too sincere, but well, the argument that they couldn’t badly cause a big uproar was understandable. It was vexing story though.
“Kuh, in the end, everything is due to my lack of ability, isn’t it!?”
∗Dan∗, while striking the wooden box, Kensaki spontaneously shouted. However, the one who shouted was her head that was put in a place a bit away, so the merchants passing by the area was seriously scared.
Now, it was at that time.
The students sighted two objects came flying straight toward this sandy beach from the distance.
“Ne~ Kensaki-san, that?”
Being told so by Kabeno, Kensaki also raised her face. The face she tried to raised rolled down the wooden box and fell on the beach.
“.”
“Kensaki is troublesome…”
“Ahh, sorry Hakuba…. Ouch ouch ouch! Oi! Don’t bite my hair!”
“Hifu fuu fuu hiharo. (it can’t be help)”
Her ponytail was held in Hakuba’s mouth, Kensaki was able to turn her gaze toward the blue sky. By that time, the two approaching objects had already become quite big. One was a coffin, the other was a treasure box. That coffin dazzling with golden decoration was Harao’s, the treasure box one was….
“Hakoiri?”
“That’s right.”
“Wah pu.”
The instant Hakuba opened his mouth, Kensaki’s face was dropped on the sandy beach again.
From the sky, the coffin vigorously landed on the beach, while blowing up white sands, it stopped just exactly in front of Kensaki’s face. Following that, the treasure box came down in the same manner. First to open was the coffin, a familiar face flew out from inside.
“…! It’s hot and painful!”
“Kaoruko…!?”
“Ara Megumi, that’s no good, pasting sand on your face like that then your girl power will drop to the ground? Girls must always have the we-are-onstage mentality.”
Saying so, Kaoru, who had somehow entered Harao’s coffin and came flying, picked up Kensaki’s face, and politely wiped the sands.
The treasure box side as well, it blew up a cloud of sand and landed, stopping in front of the students and merchants. They knew this treasure box. Hakoiri Youko. The student who reincarnated as a mimic — a treasure box type monster. It wasn’t as much as Harao, but she was a young lady born to a little wealthy house, in the class, she was called «Hakoiri Ha–ko», in the different world transference, she herself had become a box.
“O, oi Hakoiri, what happened?”
When Harui Yuka the harpy timidly asked, Hakoiri’s lid popped open, from inside, a goblin — Gofunkawahara — came out while holding his head.
“Ahh, Gofunkawahara-kun! Sorry! That was rough! You’re not hurt!?”
“No, don’t worry about it…. Can you release the tongue for a bit?”
Inside the suddenly descended coffin was Okama Kaoru. And then Hakoiri and Gofunkawahara. Everyone presented inclined their head. The merchants stopped their work, and was quizzically gazing over here.
“Kaoruko, what kind of thing is this?”
“Aren’t you assigned to the branch school’s defense?”
When Kensaki and Hakuba unanimously asked, Kaoru suddenly raised her face.
“That, that’s right! Listen, it’s serious! 5 Pawns came to the branch school!”
“F, five!?”
Hearing that, even Kensaki was flustered at the reality.
Pawn was the lowest grade soldiers of the blood clan, but as mentioned before, they had combat ability that the majority of the students couldn’t reach them at all. The one who could oppose them were only part of the students such as Goubayashi, Harao, etc. But so far, the Pawns had never attacked the students of 2nd year class 4 in group.
Unrest spread among the students. And then, although the meaning of those words were unclear to them, the anxiety even started propagating to other merchants as well.
“I also thought about fighting, but Harao-kun stuffed me in the coffin…. Youko group is also the same?”
“Ahh, the same. We were standing by inboard, just when we thought about going to help, we were suddenly thrown outside with teleport….”
Instead of Hakoiri, Gofunkawahara answered while holding his head.
“Because we’re very likely to be killed without being able to do anything, I think it’s an appropriate judgement.”
“But then, the ones who remain at the branch school right now…!”
“Are only Harao-kun and .”
“Unless Ozashiki-kun willingly move, he won’t be found so Harao must have left him to confirm the situation.”
The classmates who heard the story made a commotion, and then the students who were a bit far away also guessed the situation and were gathering. The classmates in this place counted 21 in total, each of them floated their respective look. And the merchants who stared at that, had stopped their work as well.
They felt apologetic to the merchants, but now, they had no time to response to them. Now, just thinking about what they themselves should do was the best they could. Even if they headed there, it was apparent that they would only become hindrances.
“Hakuba, let’s go!”
“Uooo!?”
Kensaki snatched her own head from Kaoru’s hands, she then immediately straddled on Hakuba’s saddle.
“Go you say, oi Kensaki. You serious? It’s 5 Pawns, you know?”
“If there’s your recovery magic, we will be able to hold on!”
“My recovery magic has no effect on undead.”
“…… That’s right.”
Thereupon, Hanma Kentarou put Uozumi Masuyo the mermaid on his back and came out in front.
“Uozumi-san’s recovery magic is not as strong as Hakuba-kun, but it is effective to undead monsters. Let’s aim for a reliable result by trying several plans in parallel.”
Uozumi little sister nodded with a serious look. A mermaid riding a centaur. Quite picturesque.
“Oi oi.”
Gofunkawahara muttered with an amazed voice.
“You’re going to waste Harao’s consideration?”
“Even I’m not going to die in vain.”
Kensaki’s head holding under her armpit clearly claimed.
“But I don’t think silently turning a blind eye to it is the best at all.”
“I agree.”
Yukinoshita Suzuka the snow woman said even while half of her had melted.
“If it’s 5 Pawns, then even for Harao-kun, they’re not opponents he can win against. Either way, Akai-san will be kidnapped.”
“In that case, how about reporting to Ryuzaki and Goubayashi…”
“Ah, then, I will do that…”
∗Flap∗, spreading her wings, Kaminari Totoha the thunderbird volunteered. Even in the class, her flying speed was outstanding. She would be perfect for contact role. Gofunkawahara sighed and scratched his head.
“Okumura, what about you?”
“The answer is decided from the start debu.”
Okumura heavily came forward, Zeku also silently followed that.
“Anyway, if there are 5 Pawns, then even with Ryuzaki, Goubayashi and Harao all together, a hard fight is unavoidable debu. The insufficient part, we can only assist with the 20 of us debu.”
“So it’s like this in the end–.”
Kaoru who was sitting on the coffin, made a surprised face and said:
“Everyone has changed a lot since the time I left the base.”
“It’s growth … I guess.”
Raising his glasses, Hanma said.
“Fuu. According to the calculation my clear brain has derived…”
“That kind of thing is fine.”
Kensaki chided Hanma with one hand.
“In general, Kaminari will go call Ryuzaki and the others. What we should do is assisting Harao who stayed behind and earning time. Don’t push yourself.”
The students strongly nodded.
“Ah, say, Kensaki-san, and Kaoru-san…. You’re saying the branch school is being attacked…”
“Sorry, Remy. I can’t give you the full story, but our classmates are in danger.”
While gazing forward, Kensaki said.
“Perhaps, we didn’t go through as much bloodshed as you guys, but…. If possible, we don’t want to lose any classmate again.”
Was those words truly spoke for everyone in the class? Kensaki couldn’t clearly assert that.
However, for Kensaki Megumi herself, that was unmistakably her true feelings. Kogane wasn’t coming back. Washio would never return. Pain and sorrow, she had climbed over them, but the fact itself didn’t fade, she couldn’t let it repeat.
Therefore, she didn’t have the slightest intention to die in vain.
Remy heard Kensaki’s words and was staring blankly. Well, that happened. She had no idea what was happening after all.
“I’m sorry. Once we’ve finished our business, we will immediately return to help. We’re not playing hooky, okay?”
Kaoru said with a smile.
“All right, let’s go then!”
Kensaki grasped Hakuba’s reins in one hand and pulled it. In stead of neighing, Hakuba shouted «Gotcha-a!», and vigorously started running on the sandy beach. Hanma chased after that, other students also simultaneously started running. Their speed was diversified, but without much time passed, the students was gone from the venue.
∗Bachi∗, just when there was sound of air popping open, feathers cladding blue lightning fluttered down from the sky. When one looked up, there was the giant shadow of a thunderbird flying toward the village.
After they left like a storm, one of the merchants who had been staring in wonder asked Remy this:
“In the end, what was that? They?”
“I don’t know.”
Remy dumbfoundedly muttered.
“I don’t know, but. I think it’s probably something important.”
To be continued…
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