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Rokujouma no Shinryakusha!? (Light Novel) - Volume 8, Chapter 4: Ski Resort and Signature Move
Volume 8, Chapter 4: Ski Resort and Signature Move
This chapter is updated by NovelFree.ml
Part 1
Wednesday, February 3
Passing through the dim tunnel, brightness permeated through the windows. Right outside the vehicle was a silvery landscape. Though the clouds were blocking the sun, everyone was dazzled by the sparkling snow.
“Alright! Oh yeah! The mountain is calling for me!”
Koutarou's eyes were sparkling as well, as if trying to beat the snow, he pushed his face against the window of the bus. As a sports lover, the moment Koutarou saw the snow, he could barely contain himself.
“Please calm down a little, Satomi-kun.”
Kiriha called out to Koutarou, who was acting like a child whilst sitting next to her. They were surrounded by their classmates, so Kiriha spoke with more caution. However, her feelings were the same as always, and she happily watched over the restless Koutarou.
“Kiriha-san, when do we get there!?”
“It's still a while ahead. The bus will be driving up the mountain now.”
As she said that, Kiriha looked up front. In front of the bus, a mountain covered in white snow was growing larger. Koutarou and the other first years of Kitsushouharukaze high school were riding on eight buses that were heading towards a ski resort. As part of their school trip, they would be spending the next two days there, enjoying winter sports.
“About 30 more minutes or so.”
“Damnit, it's still that far off?”
Koutarou was still pressing his face against the window as he was talking to Kiriha. He was looking up at the ski resort, getting closer and closer.
“It's no use, Kiriha-san. Once he's like that, it's impossible to peel Kou off the window.”
Kenji's face popped up from behind Koutarou's seat. He was seated right behind him.
“Shut it, Mackenzie. A weakling like you can't understand the mountain.”
“You're just being a child. Are you a kindergartner!?”
“I'd rather be a kindergartner than a weakling!”
Despite Kenji's cold glance, Koutarou didn't move away from the window.
“But it's dangerous like that, Satomi-kun.”
“Danger always accompanies the mountains.”
“That's not what I meant. Fufufu.”
Kiriha put her hand in front of her mouth and laughed. Her elegant smile had a calm beauty to it that was not found in any of their classmates. In fact, the boys who saw it were smitten, but Koutarou who had his face pushed up against the window showed no reaction.
“Satomi-kun, it's dangerous so please sit back down.”
“Like I said, it's impossible. I've tried for several years.”
“Is that so?”
Kenji dropped his shoulders in amazement, despite that, Kiriha smiled. She then brought her mouth closer to Koutarou's ear and whispered.
“...Sit down, Satomi Koutarou. Do you want me to use magic once more?”
In that short moment, Kiriha had a suspicious, provocative smile.
“Uh.”
Her words had a profound effect. Koutarou who had stubbornly refused to move away from the window awkwardly sat back down on his seat.
“Sorry for getting overly excited about skiing!”
“Very good.”
Kiriha smiled at Koutarou who had sat back down. She pulled out a meatbun from her luggage and gave it to Koutarou.
“Eat this and calm down a little.”
“Yes, it would be my honor!”
Koutarou opened his mouth anxiously while Kiriha pushed the meatbun in with her delicate fingers. The meatbun was supposed to be delicious, but Koutarou was too anxious to taste anything.
“Kou, what happened to you?”
Kenji was astonished to see Koutarou and Kiriha like that. According to his own experience, it was impossible to make Koutarou listen to anything in that state. However, Kiriha had easily done so, and Kenji couldn't believe it.
“Mackenzie, you don't know this woman's true nature. She's actually―”
“Would you like another?”
“―Mugh.”
Before Koutarou could say something unnecessary, Kiriha stuffed another meatbun into his mouth.
“Mghm, mmh.”
“Kiriha-san, what did Kou say?”
“Hgmm, mhhh.”
“What... w-well...”
Kiriha blushed and looked down.
“H-He was just remembering the intimate times we... spent together♡”
“Whaaaaaat!?”
The next moment, Koutarou, who was struggling to breath because of the meatbun, had plastic bottles, shoes, magazine and various other objects thrown at him.
Having a ton of things thrown at him as he struggled to breathe, Koutarou passed out for a moment. Once he woke up, the person who was supposed to have been sitting next to him had suddenly vanished.
“D-Dammit, that Kiriha-san...”
“Are you okay, Koutarou?”
“That was unfortunate, Satomi-san.”
Sanae and Yurika were helping Koutarou out by working together to remove the items thrown at him.
“...Thanks you two.”
“Koutarou, you definitely shouldn't go out with that woman.”
“That's right. Satomi-san only needs to go out with Sakuraba-senpai.”
“T-That aside, Yurika.”
Koutarou knocked away the dust on his clothes and got up.
“What?”
“Don't ever give Kiriha-san that magical cane. Who knows what she'd do for fun.”
In this case, Koutarou was the most likely victim. Of course, the damage would be far greater than having things thrown at him.
“Okay.”
Yurika responded with a powerful nod. She was not about to permit the misuse of magic either.
“Not even if she gives you something delicious.”
“O-Okay!”
Yurika nodded again. However, her determination had already started to waver.
“Not even if she tells you a scary story.”
“I-I-It's fine! Probably! Yurika fight! Yurika fight!”
Yurika nervously nodded and cheered for herself.
“...Are you sure?”
“I'm sorry, I'm not actually confident!”
It seemed like the security of the new magical cane was far weaker than Koutarou had hoped for.
Theia looked over at Koutarou and the others while standing up from her seat. After confirming that Koutarou was alright, she let out a sigh of relief and sat back down.
“Your highness, you could just go to Satomi-sama's side.”
“L-Like I could do something like that! Despite this, I'm―”
“A girl, right?”
“...”
Theia's face turned red and she stared down. She was about to say princess, but the word had been caught in her throat and wouldn’t come out.
“Your highness, if there's something you want, you can't just wait for it.”
“...”
Theia said nothing while still looking down. Her long golden hair hid her face, so Ruth couldn't tell what kind of expression Theia was making.
“You can't rely on the fact that Kiriha-sama will always be helping either.”
This might have been harder to understand than the magic trouble they had the other day night, but Ruth believed that Kiriha did it for Theia's sake. That by putting Koutarou in the center of trouble, Theia would come to help him.
Instead, Sanae and Yurika had gone to Koutarou's side. While she was hesitating, they had made the first move. If Theia didn't take action herself, she wouldn't be able to see any results, no matter how many chances Kiriha made for her. On top of that, there was a limit to Kiriha's cooperation. Despite noticing her own wish, all would be for nothing if she didn't do anything.
“I know... Even I know that I can't go on like this...”
Theia finally opened her mouth. However, the words that left her lips were timid, and it was hard to believe they came from the bullish girl.
“But I don't understand... I've only interacted with other people by showing my power. And changing to a different method now is... impossible for me to imagine. Just what should I be doing...?”
Theia had been born a princess and lived bargaining with people she couldn't trust. And to survive that kind of life, she had made others follow her through force. She had only interacted with other people with that kind of method.
Theia's wish was not to make Koutarou follow her like that. However, that was the only way she knew how. That left Theia greatly confused. Because of that, she couldn't make a move, despite the opportunities.
“Then, just show him your power.”
“Eh...?”
Theia instinctively raised her head. She had not expected what Ruth said.
“It's meaningless to show my power. By doing that, my wish won't be fulfilled...”
“If you just show your normal power, that might be the case.”
Ruth put her hand on her chest and gently smiled at Theia.
“You have a different power you can show him, your highness.”
“A different... power...?”
“Yes. That is the power of thinking of others. If you make use of all that power without holding back, I'm sure he will understand, no matter what you do. Be it playing games, drinking tea or fighting.”
Ruth's words were powerful. A strong belief resided in her eyes.
How can you be so certain, why didn't you hesitate...?
Theia couldn't feel any hesitation coming from Ruth, so she wanted to know just what supported Ruth's belief.
“Our 'Theiamillis's Blue Knight' isn't the kind of thick-headed knight who wouldn't understand that.”
Ruth gently smiled as she said that. When Theia looked at her face, she understood what Ruth had been trying to say.
I see... so that's what you believe in...
Ruth believed that there was no way that the one Theia desired would ever actively ignore just her feelings. She had begun to desire it since that wasn't the case,
“...Ruth.”
Having understood what Ruth believed in, a small smile finally appeared on Theia's face.
“Yes, your highness?”
“You just said ‘our’, did you not?”
Theia questioned Ruth. However, her words were gentle. She was in no way criticizing Ruth.
“Yes. That is indeed what I said.”
Ruth responded with the same strong belief she had shown before.
“Then... are you fine like that?”
In fact, Theia was the one who had shown a slightly apologizing expression.
“Yes. My ideal man is someone who will support your highness.”
“You're not being very honest either...”
A bitter expression mixed with Theia's smile. However, Ruth shook her head.
“No, I simply believe. Very stubbornly, I might add.”
“Fufufu... then I should believe as well.”
“In what, if I may ask?”
Ruth already knew. Despite knowing, she asked because she wanted Theia to put it into words.
“In our 'Theiamillis's Blue Knight'.”
Theia had just said what Ruth had hoped for. She believed it was a wonderful thing that Theia had spoken those words.
“Yes... as you wish, my princess...”
Theia and Ruth smiled at each other.
Part 2
To the girl known as Nijino Yurika, a ski resort could be likened to hell. Not only did she dislike exercising, she also hated the cold. And since she lacked endurance and diligence, she wasn't good at skiing at all.
“Kyaaaaaaaaaa!!”
Because of that, shortly after she got off the lift, Yurika would lose her balance.
“Save meeeeee, Satomi-saaaaaaaan!!”
As her figure had gotten rounder because of her thick clothing, Yurika rolled down the ski slope like a barrel.
“Ah, Yurika!?”
Koutarou quickly gave chase. However, the speed she was rolling down was abnormal as she sped down the slope. Although he might love sports, as a skiing amateur, the gap between Koutarou and Yurika only grew.
“Save me, Satomi-saaaan!!”
Yurika looked like she would roll on forever, but...
“Uffh.”
She rolled into a pile of newly fallen snow and stopped. She punched a hole in the pile and her legs were all that were sticking out.
“Wah, that looks bad, Koutarou!”
“Sanae, go on ahead and see if she’s alright!”
“Okay!”
Sanae let go of Koutarou's back and flew towards Yurika. Since she could freely fly, it went faster than skiing. Thanks to that she was able to reach Yurika before anyone else.
“Are you okay, Yurika?”
“I-I'm nooot.”
Yurika was stuck in the snow and unable to move. She tried to move her arms, but there was no room in the snow. The only thing she could do was kick her legs, but that wouldn't help with her situation.
That was when Koutarou arrived, sliding down sideways and stopping right next to the pile.
“How does it look?”
“She doesn't seem to be hurt, but she can't get out.”
“Save me~~~, Satomi-saaaaaan.”
Yurika's voice was being slightly muffled by the snow. Based on her voice and how she was kicking her legs, Koutarou understood that she was fine.
“Geez...”
After taking a sigh of relief, Koutarou removed his skis and approached the area where Yurika was stuck.
“Hey, are you okay, Yurika?”
“Yees, I'm not hurt.”
Yurika's miserable voice responded to Koutarou's question.
“Are you stuck?”
“I can't move my arms, so I probably can't get out on my own.”
The hole was shaped after Yurika and she was unable to escape on her own. So, Koutarou reluctantly put his hands on Yurika's legs sticking out.
“Kyaa Kyaa!? W-What!?”
Yurika, unable to tell head from tails, panicked and began struggling.
“Pervert! Molester! Why are you taking advantage of me not being able to move to touch me!?”
“You're wrong!! Stay still, Yurika!! I'll pull you out from there!!”
“Your fingers are moving very suspiciously- oh, so that's what you were doing.”
However, when she realized that Koutarou was trying to pull her out, she stopped flailing.
“Okay, Satomi-san. Hurry up and save me.”
“...You bastard, maybe I should just bury you instead...”
Despite being irritated by Yurika's behavior, Koutarou grabbed a hold of her legs.
“Here I go, Yurika!”
“Okay.”
At the same time as she answered, Koutarou put all of his force behind his arms.
“Ouch, owowowow!!”
Yurika began screaming right away and began kicking her legs, struggling.
“H-Hey Yurika, stop moving!”
“B-, ow, but it hurts!! Owowowow!!”
“In that case!!”
Yurika kept struggling, saying that it hurts, but at this rate they wouldn't get anywhere. Koutarou ignored her pleas to stop and pulled using all of his weight. Just like that, he pulled Yurika out, along with the snow around her from the pile.
“Owowow...”
“Are you okay, Yurika?”
Yurika rubbed her neck with tears in her eyes. That was the part that had been hurting the most when Koutarou was pulling her.
“I thought my head was gonna get torn off.”
“Don't be so dramatic. It's just snow.”
“Show some guts.”
“You're wrong~”
“Which one?”
“The deeper snow is denser and harder, and that's where my head was stuck~”
“But in the end it's just snow, right?”
“You're wrong! Satomi-san, I think you should be gentler with me!”
“I don't care.”
While Koutarou and the others were talking on top of the snow, their classmates came skiing down the slope. It was a pair on skis and snowboard respectively. They approached Koutarou and the others with great speed as they crossed each other’s trails.
They then hit the brakes and stared at Koutarou and the others after stopping.
“What are you doing, Kou?”
“What are you sitting in a place like this for?”
The ones who had come were Kenji and Shizuka. Kenji had a snowboard, and Shizuka had skis. The two of them were quite skilled.
“...Yurika crashed into that snow pile over there and got stuck. I just helped her get free.”
Koutarou responded in a bad mood as he wiped off the snow from his face that had been kicked up by Kenji's and Shizuka's flashy braking. Yurika, who didn't try to wipe the snow off then tried to appeal to them.
“Satomi-san is just terrible! Even though I said it hurt, he just forcibly pulled me out! I thought I was about to lose my head!!”
“Nijino-san, Kou's been reckless like that since he was a child.”
Kenji followed Yurika's lead. Trying to release his built up frustration, he complained to Yurika.
“Just the other day he woke me up using hot water, you know!? He definitely needs to be gentler with me!!”
“I know how you feel. He's normally that rough.”
“So you understand, Matsudaira-san!!”
“Yes!”
Yurika and Kenji shook at each other’s hands and rejoiced at having found someone who understood them.
“What are those two doing?”
Koutarou and Shizuka looked at those two with cold glances.
“They've already moved past the pain and are just complaining now... Oh, right, Satomi-kun.”
“Yes?”
“Regardless of what happened, the truth is that she fell, right? Her neck might really be hurting, so it might be better to take her to the hotel’s infirmary.”
“Infirmary!? I'll go! I'll go!”
The moment she heard the words infirmary, Yurika's eyes began sparkling.
“...You just don't want to ski anymore, don't you?”
“You're wrong! Ouch, ow, Satomi-san, my neck, my neck is hurting!”
Yurika brushed aside Koutarou's suspicious glance. She held her neck with both hands and appealed to Koutarou, saying it was hurting with a smile on her face.
This girl... she's planning on using her neck pain as an excuse to skip....
Not only did she dislike exercising, she also hated the cold. It was obvious that she wasn't planning on coming back.
“Fine, I got it. Let's go to the infirmary, Yurika.”
“Really!? Thank you!! I knew you were a gentle person when we first met!!”
Yurika grabbed a hold of Koutarou's hands and shook them up and down.
“That's right, you've been very gentle lately, Satomi-san must really love me~”
Yurika was ecstatic over not having to ski for a while.
“...Don't get so full of yourself...”
“Are you sure? She doesn't look hurt.”
“What can I do? There's also the chance that she actually is.”
Koutarou was well aware of Yurika's underlying motives, but he couldn't leave things like they were. He sighed and stood up, and then dragged Yurika up as well.
“Let's go, Yurika.”
“Oka~y.”
“Satomi-kun, Mackenzie-kun and I will take care of the skis.”
“Please do, thank you, landlord-san.”
“...What, no thanks to me, Kou?”
“Koutarou, I don't like infirmaries, so I'll go play with Theia and the others.”
“Yeah. You do that.”
Theia and Ruth were in the middle of being taught how to ski by Kiriha. Tagging along to the infirmary would just be boring, so Sanae would rather go join up with them.
“Well, I'll leave the rest to you, landlord-san, Mackenzie.”
“Satomi-san, Satomi-san, can you give me a piggyback ride?”
A thud rang out.
“Don't get too full of yourself.”
“...Oka~y...”
And so, Koutarou and Yurika walked down the slope. Sanae had already gone looking for Theia and the others, so the only ones remaining were Shizuka and Kenji. Kenji stared at Koutarou and Yurika's backs as they were talking and tilted his head.
“...Kasagi-san, are those two going out?”
Shizuka's eyes opened wide after hearing Kenji's words.
“Satomi-kun and Yurika-chan!? Why!?”
“Why, well... don't they seem too close for just classmates? It's like they give you no room to join in...”
“Ah, they certainly have that atmosphere to them...”
Shizuka stopped picking up the skis that had been left behind and also looked at Koutarou and Yurika's retreating backs.
Yurika was talking to Koutarou, making large gestures while he responded with his various expressions and sometimes hit Yurika on her head.
“But I don't think they're going out. They're both bad at hiding secrets, so I'm pretty sure.”
“That's true... but, hmm...”
Kenji wasn't satisfied, but he didn't think they were secretly going out. To him, the two had a very strange relationship.
It's only natural for it to be strange to you Mackenzie-kun. In reality, the two of them are living together...
While feeling a sense of admiration for Kenji's observation abilities, Shizuka smiled wryly. The reason Koutarou and Yurika were so close was because they lived together in room 106. As the time passed, they had gotten closer and closer.
Well, the same goes through for the other girls too...
Although the residents of room 106 had different interests, they had built up a mutual trust between one another. And Shizuka, who had lost her family, felt somewhat envious of that.
Part 3
Yurika's diagnosis was just what Koutarou had assumed: nothing out of order. However, the doctor in charge had decided to keep Yurika from exercising for a day, just to be on the safe side. That was just what Yurika had hoped for.
“Really, that Yurika... this is why she's so unreliable.”
Because of that, only Koutarou had come back from the infirmary. Yurika had gone to sleep instead. Returning to the slopes, Koutarou's head was full of thoughts of Yurika. Despite his attitude, he was always worried about Yurika.
“What's wrong, Satomi-kun?”
A classmate called out to Koutarou as he was wandering about.
“Oh, Aika-san.”
“That's a gloomy expression you have there. Is something wrong?”
The voice belonged to a girl named Aika Maki. She was a transfer student who had transferred to their school around the start of winter. Maki was supposedly one of Yurika's acquaintances, but she was a girl who left a weak impression, and Koutarou didn't have many memories of her.
“Yurika hurt her neck, so I took her to the infirmary, but...”
“My, Yurika-san did?”
Hearing that Yurika had been injured, Maki's eyes opened wide.
“The diagnosis said there was nothing wrong with her, but she refused to leave.”
Koutarou had a dissatisfied expression and looked at the door behind him. Past that door was Yurika sleeping in a warm bed.
“I see...”
Having had the situation explained to her, Maki's expression suddenly got sharper.
Regardless of circumstances, this is my chance to investigate...
Maki had been trying to make contact with Koutarou these last few days. Having decided that this was her chance, Maki approached him.
Maki left the information gathering regarding room 106 to an automated tool she had set up before they went on the school trip. All that was left was to question Koutarou, then the majority of her goals would be complete.
And this is also my chance to outsmart this man. Maki, don't be too rash, just thread carefully...
Maki called out to Koutarou with a smile after talking herself down from doing anything rash.
“Then could you speak with me for a moment, Satomi-kun? I'll buy you a drink.”
However, in contrast to her smile, Maki was getting more and more nervous.
While Maki had gone to buy juice at the vending machine, she activated two spells that had been dormant. One was the spell to allow the user to see through lies, and the other was a camouflage magic that concealed the magic power that was being emitted.
She didn't want to be fooled by Koutarou's slick tongue, so she decided to use a spell that let her see through lies. But she also didn't want him to realize she was using a spell, so she camouflaged her magic power.
Maki had prepared these spells before she made contact with Koutarou.
The rest is up to me...
Maki pulled herself together and approached Koutarou with two plastic bottles in her hands.
“Here, Satomi-kun.”
“Sorry for making you treat me.”
At that time, Maki could see a green light surrounding Koutarou's body. That light was from the magic spell that only Maki could see, and whenever Koutarou lied it would become unstable.
It doesn't look like he's lying so far...
The light surrounding Koutarou was a steady green, proof that he wasn't lying.
“Let's speak sitting down.”
“Yeah.”
Maki and Koutarou sat down at a bench in the corner of the hotel's lobby.
“So, what did you want to talk about?”
Koutarou asked, while he removed the cap from his bottle and put it by his lips. Koutarou hadn't told Maki what he wanted, but inside the bottle was Koutarou's favorite drink, cola.
“Well... it's about Yurika-san.”
“Yurika?”
Taking care not to look unnatural, Maki removed the cap from her bottle too and she began speaking after taking a sip.
“Yes, that's right. Things haven't been going well with Yurika-san lately...”
Since Maki hated lies, she wasn't outright lying herself. Since they were enemies, the truth was that things weren't going well.
“So please tell me, did something happen to Yurika-san lately?”
Maki said that very naturally. Because of that, to Koutarou, it looked like as if the transfer student was worried that her friend had changed.
“Do you mean since you transferred here?”
“Yes. I think it's something very recent.”
The magic power in room 106 had recently grown much larger. Something should have happened involving either Yurika or Koutarou. So Maki started out by confirming if something had happened to Yurika.
“Recently, huh...”
Koutarou began thinking.
Something major happened to me, but... Yurika's the same as always... the only thing that's happened with her is making children cry with her acting as Alunaya, isn't it? But that probably has nothing to do with why things won't go well with Maki-san...
“Sorry, I can't think of anything.”
In the end, Koutarou had concluded so. He had no memory of anything major happening to Yurika.
The light is stable... So does that mean Satomi Koutarou is the reason for the magic power’s growth? Or was it the enemy he fought during the play?
The light enveloping Koutarou was still a stable green. It proved that Koutarou was telling the truth, so she began thinking of all kinds of possibilities.
“...No, wait.”
Koutarou remembered something and his expression changed.
Could you call that a substantial change?
Koutarou had no recollection of any troubles regarding Yurika, but he did about the opposite.
“So did something happen?”
“Yeah. Actually, Yurika's dream was finally fulfilled.”
Koutarou had remembered that he had given her a magical cane as a present.
Thanks to that cane, she was able to use real magic, though it was weak. To Koutarou, it was like giving her a tool for self-defense, but to Yurika it might have been a big deal. In truth, Yurika was crying from joy at the time.
“Because of the complicated circumstances I can't go into details, but the dream she wished for with all of her heart finally came true. So she might have changed a little.”
“The dream she wished for with all her heart...?”
Maki knew what Yurika's dream was. That dream was that she wanted to become a splendid magician. A splendid magician that could fulfill the duties of her predecessor, Rainbow Nana.
If that dream has been fulfilled it means... she's drawn out the magic power and gotten a hold of great power? Or Yurika's magic power has increased somehow, which made it look like the magic power in room 106 had grown?
Either Yurika became a splendid magician using the magic power in room 106 or her magic power has grown because she became a splendid magician.
The light around Koutarou was still a stable green, meaning he wasn't lying. So Maki began thinking in that way.
“So, could you please wait a little until Yurika can settle in?”
“...I see, I understand.”
Koutarou and Maki's conversation weren't connecting at all; they were both talking about something completely different. Despite that, both of their conclusions were that Yurika had become a splendid magician. Since neither of them was lying, neither of them noticed the difference in their conversation.
Either way, the increase in magic power has been added into Yurika's magic power... Things have gotten problematic...
Maki took another sip of her cola. It was one of her few favorites.
Part 4
After separating with Koutarou, Maki hid in the woods around the ski resort and contacted her allies using a magic tool.
This magic tool had a similar shape and size to the charms sold in temples. Because of the tool’s portability, it was only possible to talk to one person at a time. The person that Maki had contacted was the girl in purple.
“Purple, it's me.”
“Navy... what is it?”
“There's something I wanted to report to you right away.”
Maki quickly reported on her affairs, trying not to waste any time.
“It seems like the increase in magic power we talked about has been added to Yurika's magic power.”
“What!?”
Even the normally calm girl in purple instinctively held her breath.
“Are you sure!?”
“Yes, sadly it is the truth. That's the information I obtained after making contact with Satomi Koutarou. I've already confirmed that he was speaking the truth.”
If the increase in magic power in room 106 was all under Yurika's control, Maki and the others had no chance of winning. It was obvious that they'd be sent flying if they tried.
The truth of the matter, however, was that Yurika hadn't gone through a power up. The cane Koutarou had brought home allowed for the use of all kinds of spells, but the power itself was weak. So she hadn't gotten stronger at all, but since Maki held such hostility against Yurika and Koutarou, she had just misunderstood. Of course, Darkness Rainbow had no way of knowing that. And because of Maki's hostility, the girls were about to have yet another grand misunderstanding about Koutarou and Yurika.
“That's bad...”
“Yes, we should avoid a direct clash. We'll suffer an even more crushing defeat than we did against Rainbow Nana.”
“I understand. I'll think of what we will do next, you continue investigating― wait up Navy, Green is saying something.”
With those words as her last, the girl in purple stopped talking.
After several minutes, the Purple's voice came from the magic tool once more.
“...Navy, are you listening?”
“Yes, I've been bored to death with waiting.”
“According to Green, a powerful demon has appeared at the top of mountain near you. It arrived there at roughly the same time you did.”
“A powerful demon...?”
In Maki's and the others home country of Folsaria, apart from humans, there were also abnormal looking monsters known as demons. Some of them would sometime stray to Earth and create chaos. A lot of the monsters and devils in legends were actually demons from Folsaria.
“We want you to capture that and make it your familiar. Normally we'd send you some reinforcement, but I’m afraid we're not in a position where we can do that. That said, if we leave it alone, Rainbow Heart will exterminate it.”
One of the jobs of the army Yurika was a part of, Rainbow Heart, was to exterminate demons that had strayed to Earth. So sooner or later this demon would likely meet the same fate.
“...So in this situation where Yurika's magic power has increased, you want to increase our allies, even if it comes at a risk, huh?”
Maki realized what the girl in purple wanted to say, and said it out first.
“That's right. Will you give it a shot?”
“I'll do it. Fortunately, creating familiar is my specialty.”
A familiar was a demon that followed the orders of a magician.
In order to employ a familiar, one either needed to bind it using contracts and curses, or manipulate its mind with magic. Maki preferred the latter; she specialized in utilizing manipulation magic. So she was perfect for the job.
“Besides, I need to get some more power too or I can't win against Yurika or that man.”
“We're counting on you, Navy.”
“Yes... Hm?”
At that moment, Maki could sense that someone was approaching her.
“Purple, I'll contact you later. It looks like I'm getting a guest.”
“Take care, Navy.”
After finishing her communication, Maki put her magic tool into her bosom. When she turned around, she saw a lone girl approaching her.
“As expected of Yurika. To think you could sense magic as feeble as this.”
“Maki-chan, what are you doing using magic in a place like this?”
Yurika's expression was more serious than usual. The complete opposite of carefree expression she showed Koutarou and the others daily.
Yurika had sensed the magic Maki was using and came here. It had been communication magic, but Yurika was cautious of Maki using magic at this timing. For the past few months, Maki hadn't taken any aggressive actions and just acted like a classmate. She didn't use magic or give Yurika an opening to use. Despite that, Maki was using magic during this school trip. It was something that Yurika couldn't ignore.
“Do you think I have an obligation to answer you?”
A smile appeared on Maki's lips and she gave Yurika a thorough check.
From what I can tell, she's not powered up in her current state... Maybe her cane has something to do with it?
Yurika was currently wearing colorful ski wear just like Maki. Maki couldn't sense any difference in magic power in Yurika's current state. So she started thinking that Yurika's outfit or cane was covered in strong magic instead.
“...I don't know what you're doing, Maki-chan, but I'll be your opponent if I have to.”
The snow creaked under Yurika's feet. She mustered up her courage and took a step towards Maki. She was terribly scared of fighting, but as a magical girl, she couldn't just retreat.
“Those are some big words, Rainbow Yurika. Can you really beat me with your skills?”
“It's not a matter of winning. It's my duty.”
The Yurika in the past probably would have run away from this situation. But ever since she came to room 106, the courage she had slowly gathered was now supporting her.
Win?... I'll definitely win and protect everyone... so I can graduate together with Satomi-san and the others!
It wasn't courage as a magical girl. It was just a girl's, Nijino Yurika's, courage. In order to protect her life in room 106 and Kitsushouharukaze high school; the courage needed to do so burned inside Yurika. Even Koutarou hitting her across the head before was now adding to her courage.
“That's awfully confident of you... let's see how long you can keep that up.”
As she said that, Maki readied herself.
This courage coming from Yurika who would always run away... She must have gained considerable magic power...
Maki wasn't as optimistic about the situation as she sounded. She imagined that she didn't stand much of a chance winning, taking Yurika's supposedly drastic increase in magic power into account.
And this footing... this place is disadvantageous to me...
Maki was standing on new snow. She fought using a combination of mind manipulation magic and martial arts. In comparison, Yurika fought primarily relying on long range spells. Because of that, Maki had a disadvantage in the snow where she would have a hard time moving. With that in her mind, Maki decided that she should prioritize getting a familiar.
But just running away isn't my style!
But a fire started burning in Maki's eyes. No matter how strong Yurika had gotten, her pride wouldn't allow her to just run away without putting up a fight.
“Here I come, Nijino Yurika!!”
Maki thrust her right arm forwards.
“Maki-chan!?”
Yurika response was slightly delayed and she put both of her hands in front of her.
“Come, Nightwalker!”
“Come! Angel Halo! Encyclopedia!”
In response to their shouts, a cane appeared in front of Maki's right hand, and another cane appeared in front of each of Yurika's hands for a total of three canes.
Maki's cane was called Nightwalker. The cane in front of Yurika's right hand was Angel Halo, and the one in her left was Encyclopedia. The two of them grabbed their canes that appeared midair, raised the one in their right hands above their heads and began focusing.
She has two canes!?
Maki was surprised by Yurika having a cane in each hand. She had made the first move, but her incantation was slightly delayed because of her surprise, so they ended up incanting at the same time.
“Costume Change – Modifier Quick – End – Permanent!”
This spell was to change their outfits. The two of them were wrapped in blue light and their ski wear was replaced by a different outfit. After the blue light had faded, Yurika and Maki were wearing a pink and indigo colored magical outfit respectively and facing each other.
“And!”
“What!?”
Maki's incantation ended there, but Yurika's continued.
“Armed – Angel Halo!”
After finishing her incantation, the cane she was holding above her head, Angel Halo, began emitting an orange light which gradually grew large enough to envelop it, obscuring its silhouette. Once the light had reached its brightest and obscured the cane, the orange light suddenly divided into several different colored balls of light.
“She armed her cane!?”
While Maki was taken back in surprise, the balls of light flew into Yurika's body, one after another. Into her head, her back, her chest, her arms and legs. Every time a ball of light crashed into her body, the clothes in that area began changing shape.
The balls of light that crashed into her limbs and chest transformed and added glowing white decorations. The ball of light that crashed into her back transformed and added angelic looking wings. And the final ball of light that had crashed into her head transformed into what could only be described as an angel's halo.
Thanks to this transformation, divinity and amazement was added to Yurika's normally exposing outfit.
“The magical girl of love and courage ☆ Rainbow Yurika!”
And as her body glowed white, she swung her other cane, Encyclopedia around using both hands.
“I will protect the peace of this city!”
Yurika pointed her cane towards Maki. Her dignified stance made her look powerful.
“I see, so that's your new power...”
Seeing Yurika's new appearance, Maki held her breath.
She prepared two canes, binding powerful magic into one of them and arming the other. And while fighting normally, she would look for a chance to unleash the bound magic power.
I see you put some thought into this, Nijino Yurika!
Normally, a lone magician could only use a limited number of spells at the same time. However, by using powerful magic tools, it was possible to increase that number. Maki believed that Yurika would use room 106's magic power in such a fashion.
“That new cane doesn't hold a lot of power.”
“It may be insignificant power, but things won't go the same as before!”
“Insignificant... do you think I'll fall for that?”
Maki ground her teeth.
Highly dense magic power from artifact-rank magic tools, the highest level of magical tools whose means of creation has been lost, was flowing out from Encyclopedia. Having Yurika called that insignificant slightly irritated Maki.
Ah~, I hope my bluff won't be seen through!
However, Yurika was secretly anxious. It was true that the cane she had gotten from Koutarou held large amounts of magic power. However, like its name alludes to, it was sort of like an encyclopedia. Since it could use a vast amount of spells without relying on the user, the power of each spell was weak and below average. It was flexible but weak. So rather than relying on Encyclopedia's power, she was putting her hope in being able to use magic in front of Koutarou and the others. If she used magic in this appearance, Koutarou and the others wouldn't suspect her. And since it held a lot of magic power, it also worked as a bluff against Maki. That's all the meaning the cane held to Yurika, whose magic repertoire was wide enough as it was.
“I guess I'll give it a shot...”
Maki readied her own cane. Her goal also included confirming Yurika's abilities. Now that she's shown her new power, it was necessary to examine to what extent it had reached.
You can't show weakness now, Yurika! Even I have grown a little since then!
Yurika mustered up her own courage and pointed her cane towards Maki.
“Sanctuary – Modifier – Effective Area – Colossal!”
The two of them began their incantation at the same time. It was a spell to keep the people in the area away. It was an unwritten law that magicians use this when fighting against one another, and it also served as the gong to start the fight.
Part 5
“Quick Cast – Acceleration!!”
Maki was the first to move. After casting a spell that improved her reaction speed, she began closing the distance between her and Yurika.
As I thought, the footing is poor!
However, as expected, Maki was unable to move as quickly as she'd like to because of the snow. Despite that, she still moved faster than a normal person, but it still gave Yurika a chance to attack.
“Multiple Energy Bolt – Target Option – Spread!!”
The spell Yurika chose created multiple magic arrows to attack its target. Those magic arrows normally worked like a machine gun, but Yurika changed their effect to work more like a shotgun. It was a necessary trick to make in order to score a hit on the quick Maki.
“Tsk, Quick Cast – Anti-Magic Shield!!”
However, Maki wouldn't just take that lying down. Before Yurika could fire off her glowing red magic arrows, Maki created a translucent yellow shield.
Yurika's magic shots smashed into it like rain. Since Yurika mass produced the shots to keep them firing, their power was weaker, so the shield Maki had created easily blocked them.
“Tiny Memory Flash – Modifier – Touch Trigger!”
Protected by the magic shield, Maki charged forward. At the same time, her cane began glowing indigo. That light was from her specialty, mind manipulation magic that induces a short term memory lapse. She infused her own cane with the spell so that it would activate at the same time she struck her target.
“Take this, Yurikaaa!!”
As Maki wound up for her swing, the shield protecting her vanished. She couldn't attack while defending.
“Now!!”
“Kyaaaaaaaaaaa!!”
In that moment, the snow below Maki's feet suddenly went loose. It struck her feet and slightly lifted her up.
It was a spell that Yurika had used to control the snow and slow down the target. However, Yurika hadn't cast any incantation to activate that spell. What had cast that spell had been Yurika's new cane.
She can cast spells without any incantation whatsoever!?
Maki was left astonished. She had expected Yurika to use her own magic combined with the cane's, but she didn't think it would be instantaneous.
Unlike Koutarou and Kiriha, Yurika had a clear image of what magic was. Because of that, she didn't need to say anything to control the magic of the cane. That was the original trait of this cane.
“Flame Lance – Target Option – Auto Homing!”
While Maki's body was in midair, Yurika created a spear of fire. A second spell was cast immediately after the first, something that shouldn't be possible. It was a burning red spear that soared through the air towards Maki.
“I'll get hit!?”
Seeing the burning spear, Maki realized that she had no way of dodging it. She couldn't evade after being thrown in the air after all.
“Eei, in that case!!”
Maki pointed her cane upwards.
“Energy Release!!”
Maki released the magic infused in her cane and created a small explosion. Thanks to the shockwave of that explosion and gravity, Maki was able to slightly change the direction she was falling in.
The fire spear scratched her body and left a small scorch mark on her outfit. The fire spear continued flying and crashed into a pile of snow, blowing most of it away and melting the rest. The intense flame continued and after melting away all of the snow, it scorched the ground.
That was close! If I had been just a moment slower, I would have been defeated!
Secretly startled, Maki rolled across the snow before quickly standing up. She quickly readied her cane again, but she was still surprised on the inside.
To think she'd use magic like that...
Artifacts: the powerful magical tools said to be created by God, whose manufacturing method have been lost. Because of the enormous amounts magic power they contained, they were intended to be used for large-scale magic. However, no matter how powerful the artifact was, to cast such a spell an incantation was necessary. That was true for the majority of the artifacts that Maki knew off. However, the basis for Yurika's Encyclopedia was completely different. The spell’s effect was small, but there was no need to chant or focus. Therefore, magic could be cast at any time. On top of that, it could be used completely separate from the magic Yurika used.
Maki wasn't sure which was more dangerous: Yurika's larger magic which required incantations, or the weaker magic that could strike at any moment. However, she was well aware that both of them were highly dangerous.
The cane Satomi-san gave me isn't useless at all! This was made to fight against magicians!
Even Yurika herself was surprised about the same thing Maki was. She had first only thought of Encyclopedia as a tool she could use to camouflage herself. However, she had now finally realized the true worth of the cane. This cane was an artifact that operated outside of common sense for magicians. It was a cane that allowed her to attack at timings when her opponent had no chance to evade or block.
But I can't let my guard down! Maki is still better than me!
Yurika grabbed the cane with both hands and stared at Maki.
Yurika had more magic power than Maki thanks to her cane. However, when it came to using each spell, Maki had more experience. If she relied too much on the cane, she would suffer from a counter attack.
“Impressive, Nijino Yurika. That cane surprised me.”
“But you're still standing, Maki-chan. There's no point in just surprising you.”
Yurika wasn't showing any openings anymore.
Theia is always telling me that I'm too weak on the finish!
Thanks to the games that Yurika had played against Koutarou, Theia and the others for over ten months, Yurika had gradually gotten better at using tactics and acting when push comes to shove. Sensing that, Maki clicked with her tongue on the inside.
You've gotten much better at acting when required, Nijino Yurika... It seems your wish has truly been fulfilled...
Yurika had always exuded the atmosphere of a mere apprentice, but now, Yurika showed none of that. Maki could feel that what Koutarou had said about Yurika becoming a splendid magician was true.
“Play time ends here, Nijino Yurika.”
Maki decided to switch gears. If Yurika was now strong enough to be properly called a member of Rainbow Heart, she had to be met with a reasonable method. That meant that Maki would use all of her power to defeat Yurika. In other words, Maki admitted that Yurika was a worthy opponent.
“Maki-chan!”
Yurika could also sense that the atmosphere around Maki had changed. Her seemingly overconfident expression had vanished and was replaced with a more serious one. Her look turned into a more desolate one, just like her indigo outfit.
“Nightwalker! Recall – Precast – Category Alpha!”
With her cane pointing towards Yurika, she loudly declared an incantation. In response to her voice, Maki's body was wrapped in a colorful light.
Maki's new cane, Nightwalker, came equipped with a special ability. A magician could prepare a number spells beforehand and store them. Nightwalker had the ability to increase that number. The two spells that Maki had used when talking with Koutarou had been the same.
And Maki now released more than ten spells all at once. All of them were spells that increased Maki's combat abilities, her physical strength, her toughness, her vision and thought speed; all kinds of spells activated and surrounded her. They greatly amplified her original power.
“The cane is!?”
But what attracted Yurika's attention the most wasn't Maki, but the change to her cane. The cane was enveloped in red and indigo light, and its silhouette had greatly changed. Its new shape was that of a large sword. The red magic that manipulated physical energy changed its shape into a sword, and indigo magic that controlled mental energy was surrounding it. It was a powerful magic sword that Maki had created.
“Here I come, Yurika!”
Maki made a quick dash forward. Having her entire body covered in spells, Maki was far faster than before, and the distance between her and Yurika shrunk quickly.
“She's fast!?”
Despite Yurika aiming in on Maki with her cane, thanks to her speed, Maki could quickly shake off that aim. Despite Maki being slowed down by the snow, Yurika wasn't able to chase Maki with her eyes.
“I can do this!”
As Maki shortened the distance between her and Yurika, she felt she had a chance of winning. Even though Yurika could combine instant, weak magic with her own powerful, normal magic, she couldn't cast any spells on an opponent she couldn't target.
But to think I'd have to use this against someone like Yurika...
If Yurika could use spells at any timing, Maki would have to attack her using overwhelming speed and power. This was only made possible thanks to the many spells prepared beforehand, but she hadn't normally planned on using this against Yurika.
Instead of Yurika, it was for against Koutarou that she had prepared these spells. The white light that had formed into a sword had served as a hint, and this was her way of beating that. Koutarou's sword had the power to decompose magic, so using overwhelming speed to avoid that sword was the major premise. And since she lost in terms of magic power, a drawn out fight would result in her loss, so she wanted to finish it in a single hit. That had been Maki's plan to defeat Koutarou, but it seemed it was also effective against Yurika. She could defeat Yurika without giving her time to cast any spells.
“Maki-chan!?”
Yurika spotted Maki in her peripheral vision.
“Too slow!”
However, by that time, Maki was already swinging her sword. Yurika used her cane to cast the same spell as before and manipulated the snow below Maki's feet. However, Maki was far faster than before, and she instead kicked the snow and jumped without losing her balance.
“Haaaaaaaaaaaaah!!”
“Kyaaaa!!”
With no time to cast her own spell, Yurika was only able to use the cane in her hand to protect herself.
Maki's sword and Yurika's cane collided. Yurika was barely able to block Maki's swing. At the same time, she used the cane to cast another spell.
“You're too naive!”
However, despite the situation, Maki didn't separate from Yurika, and instead prepared for another attack.
“Oh no!?”
The reason for that was the magic infused in Maki's sword. It erases several seconds of memory from the person it hits. The spell infused in that sword passed through the cane and into Yurika.
“Huh...?”
The next moment, Yurika lost sight of Maki.
Amnesia!?
However, since she had been hit by the same spell before, Yurika wasn't too shaken up and instead began looking for Maki to counter attack.
“Haaayaaaaah!!”
However, Maki was quicker on the draw. She kicked her leg into Yurika's side. Having stopped thinking for a moment because of the memory manipulation, Yurika took the kick without being able to activate any spell.
Her kick had been strengthened by the increased speed and muscle power, and it was also covered with a spell that exploded on contact. Having been hit by that powerful kick, Yurika was sent flying and crashed down into the snow.
“Kahah.”
A painful voice escaped Yurika's lips. However, Yurika was somehow able to get back up. The snow had acted as a cushion and reduced the fall damage. If she hadn't landed on the snow, she probably would have been knocked out by that kick.
“Good job standing up, Nijino Yurika!! As expected of Rainbow Nana's successor!!”
Maki didn't ease up on her attacks. She readied her sword with both hands and charged towards Yurika.
I have to hurry, the limit is near!
Maki wasn't slowing down her attacks not only because she didn't want to let her guard down, but also for her own sake. The several spells she had prepared beforehand and activated all at once required a massive amount of magic power to keep active. In return for being able to overwhelm her opponent, she could only use the power for a short amount of time.
“H-How can I capture Maki-chan!?”
With Maki approaching her at high speed while changing position and her still recovering from her Maki’s kick, she had no way to aim at Maki.
“It's impossible for you! And now that I've reinforced myself, it's already too late!”
Maki could sense her victory. Yurika was being confused by Maki's movements and couldn't cast any spell. The next strike would take her down. Certain of that, she kept herself from getting too rash and started aiming for Yurika's openings.
What can I do!?
While Yurika was thinking, Maki decided to close the remaining distance in an instant. Sensing that, Yurika hurriedly shouted.
“Quick Cast – Anti-Magic Shield!!”
Maki's sword clashed with the shield that Yurika had created.
“Well done blocking it!”
Without trying to attack any more, Maki quickly distanced herself. That moment, the snow covering Maki's body was scattered across the air.
Huh...?
Seeing that, Yurika looked down at her own body. And she saw that snow was covering her own body as well. However, the amount was insignificant compared to Maki's.
“I see! I could do that!!”
Having found her chance to win, Yurika's eyes started sparkling. While chanting her spell, she ordered Encyclopedia to cast a spell as well.
“I've got you!!”
To Maki, this was a golden opportunity. Since she was confident that Yurika would be unable to target her, she didn't care what spell Yurika was chanting. If anything, she was giving up on her defense.
However, Maki hadn't expected the two spells that Yurika had cast.
“Quick Cast – Acid Cloud – Modifier – Effective Area – Large!!”
Yurika had cast a spell that created a powerful acidic cloud. And the spell she had cast with her other cane also created clouds. The cloud was poisonous, and if inhaled, the lungs would absorb dangerous substances.
“What!?”
Maki was shocked. Yurika had cast the cloud with herself as the point of origin. So Maki who was in the middle of her attack jumped right into them.
“Th-This is!?”
The two clouds blocked her view, and Maki lost sight of Yurika. They began eroding her body.
“Guh, Kah, t-to think she would take use such a reckless tactic!! But with this, we'll both― no, wait!! So that's what she's planning!!”
Maki caught the drift of what Yurika's goal was.
As Maki moved a lot more, she would come into more contact with the acid. And since she was so active, her body consumed more oxygen, so she would need to breathe in more of the poisoned air, which meant that Maki would suffer more damage from this than Yurika. Also, Maki had lost sight of Yurika and could no longer attack.
This was the method of attack that Yurika had discovered from the snow covering Maki. If a lot of snow got stuck to her, it only made sense for her to come into more contact with the acid and poison. It was a simple but effective means of attack.
“Multiple Energy Bolt – Target Option – Spread!”
However, Yurika didn't stop her attacks there. Yurika fired magic arrows at the area she assumed Maki would be in.
“C-Curse you, Yurika!”
Maki hurriedly dodged. Although her speed had marginally dropped because of the acid and poison, she wasn't slow enough to take Yurika's attacks directly.
“Kuh, to think you'd get this strong!”
However, that was Yurika's goal. Since Maki needed to make large movements to dodge, she would suffer even more from the clouds. Her entire body was being covered in the acid and she was taking massive damage. And the slight amount of poison she had breathed in was beginning to spread throughout her body. There was no need for Yurika's attacks to hit; they only needed to make Maki move.
“Ugh!”
Maki ground her teeth from the pain and jumped with all of her strength, trying to escape from the clouds effective area. Staying in the clouds any longer would lead to her defeat.
I've been had! To think I can't defeat Yurika after all this!
Maki twisted her body after she jumped out from the clouds.
It would be hard to continue the fight when suffering damage from the acid and poison, not to mention that she had too little remaining magic power to switch things up to a long distance fight. Either way, she wasn't in a situation where she could hope for victory anymore.
However, it won't go like this next time, Nijino Yurika!
Maki retreated with a strong sense of humiliation. If she took her time to prepare her fight against Yurika, she was sure she could win.
“...She ran off?”
Yurika undid her spells after the attacks stopped coming and she could sense that Maki was moving away. The clouds dispersed and Yurika appeared from their center.
“No, she probably didn't.... Maki-chan probably let me go because she wanted to avoid mutual destruction...”
Yurika leaned against her cane and let out a sigh of relief. She didn't think that she had won against Maki. In fact, Yurika herself had also taken a beating from the acid and poison. If the fighting had continued on like that, it wasn't hard to imagine both of them collapsing from serious damage, regardless of who won.
“Maki-chan is really strong...”
After letting out another sigh of relief, Yurika began using healing magic to treat her body.
If she hadn't noticed that Maki had been covered in more snow than her, she definitely would have lost. Since she barely managed to avoid her loss, she was deeply relieved.
But, but...
But at this time, Yurika had a doubt. It was a major doubt that could shake Yurika's very reason for existing.
“But, but, should a magical girl of love and courage really use acid and poison...?”
The magical girl of love and courage ☆ Rainbow Yurika, her special abilities are clouds of acid and poison.
“If anything, isn't Maki-chan who uses a sword more magical girl-like...?
Having gotten a second transformation stage and a power up, Yurika still felt like she had lost something important as a magical girl.
