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Rokujouma no Shinryakusha!? (Light Novel) - Volume 8, Chapter 5: Pursuit and Conditions for a Couple
Volume 8, Chapter 5: Pursuit and Conditions for a Couple
This chapter is updated by NovelFree.ml
Part 1
Wednesday, February 3
An arcade existed within the hotel at the ski resort, however, the game machines there were all antique machines over a decade old, so a lot of the guests just passed by without entering.
“Come on, power up, power up.”
“You're taking it now!?”
The only exceptions were enthusiasts like Koutarou and Theia who loved old games. Because of that, Koutarou, Theia and Ruth could be found in the arcade. The three of them had found this place after dinner and were now amusing themselves. The ones playing right now were Koutarou and Theia, with Ruth watching over them from behind.
“See what happened. It was a mistake getting the power up at that timing.”
“As if you could take it in the middle of that rain of bullets!”
“I won't listen to your excuses. More importantly, hurry up and continue. A knight shouldn’t be letting me fight on my own.”
Koutarou had gotten a game over, but Theia was still playing. She controlled a small fighter in the center of the screen and fought the invaders coming from space.
“...Well anyways, it's hard not to laugh, seeing you fight invaders.”
“I couldn't laugh even if I wanted to when I'm too busy fighting on my own. Hurry up and continue.”
“Wait a second, I need to get some more change.”
“Do not worry, I've already gotten you some.”
Ruth presented her hands in front of Koutarou who had just stood up. In her hands were a large amount of coins.
“Thank you. I'll pay you back later.”
“No, please use them freely.”
“I can't just―”
“Hurry, Koutarou! I'm about to lose!”
“Okay, okay.”
Koutarou put the coins he got from Ruth into the machine and continued playing the game next to Theia. As he did, Koutarou's blue fighter appeared next to Theia's pink fighter. The two of them worked together to defeat the invaders.
After a while, the two of them finally reached the last boss of the game.
“Koutarou, it's time for a union attack!”
“I got it, I'll do the rapid fire! You control the ship!”
“Leave it to me! Just believe in me and keep firing!”
“Understood!”
Through their skillful combination, they damaged the enemy's huge battleship, little by little. Koutarou focused on firing and endlessly pressed the button as fast as he could, while Theia dexterously evaded the enemy's attacks. It was a splendid fight that had made use of their respective good points.
Eventually, their teamwork paid off and the enemy's giant battleship exploded.
“Ooh!?”
“Did we do it!?”
The screen changed into a credit roll, displaying the names of everyone responsible for the game. And at the end was a thanks to the players who had reached the end.
“We did it Theia, we beat it!”
“Oooooooh, it's our victory!”
While glancing at the credits rolling by, Koutarou and Theia began cheering loudly. They would point at the screen and rejoice and then claim it was all thanks to them. Meanwhile, Ruth was watching over the two with a smile.
“Alright, I'll give you a reward for your contributions to the royal families.”
“A reward?”
“Yes. I'll buy you a soda. Is cola fine as always?”
“Yeah. Aren't you feeling generous today?”
“It's the duty of royalty to praise their vassals when they deserve it.”
“Who are you calling a vassal?”
“You of course. Even if you aren't right now, you will be eventually!”
Still excited, Theia stood up and began running towards the vending machine, not giving Koutarou any time to object.
“I will be eventually, huh...”
She hadn't changed a bit since they first met. Theia was coercive and spoke as if she was looking down on him. In the past, Koutarou wouldn’t even think of obeying her; however, it was different as of late. Since he knew the reason for why Theia wanted to make him her vassal, his will to resist was almost completely gone.
But still... what is this...
Today, Koutarou had been feeling that something was off ever since they got to the ski resort. Theia looked like she had been worrying about something these past few days. But when they reached the ski resort, she returned to her usual self.
It's the normal Theia but... it's, like...?
It seemed to be the usual Theia. Her words and actions were the same as always, but Koutarou felt like something was different somehow. He couldn’t quite put his finger on it, and it left him puzzled.
“Is something the matter, Satomi-sama?”
Noticing Koutarou's behavior, Ruth called out to him.
“It's not something with me... Did something happen to Theia?”
Koutarou honestly told Ruth about his doubts. He felt that Ruth would have noticed the change and she would know the reason why.
“...Why would you think that, Satomi-sama?"
However Ruth responded to Koutarou's question with another. And for some reason, she started smiling.
It seems like something definitely happened...
Seeing Ruth's smile, Koutarou quickly gathered his thoughts.
“How do I put this... she looks the same as always, but... her presence? I just felt like that is somewhat off from normal...”
Theia was currently putting coins into the vending machine. She looked the way she always did. However, something was different. Koutarou struggled to put that into words, but it was a very strong sense of something being out of place.
“Is it displeasing?”
“No. It's a mild feeling, but it's not displeasing.”
Ruth nodded with a satisfied expression on her face after hearing Koutarou's answer and her smile got slightly larger.
“I see... Satomi-sama, her highness had a personal worry for a while. After resolving that, it seems like her frame of mind has changed slightly as well.”
“Worry... then it's not like some major event happened?”
“Yes. Nothing has happened. Of course, it may have been a major event for her highness.”
“I see. So that's why...”
Koutarou looked at Theia. And as if sensing that he was looking at her, Theia turned towards him.
“Koutarou. There's a cola here with 0 calories, and one that looks kind of unhealthy. Which one do you want?”
“I'll leave it up to you.”
“Alright, then leave it to me.”
Leaving behind a smile, Theia turned back towards the vending machine and put coins in. She then returned holding three plastic bottles.
“Here, Ruth. They didn't have any tea that wasn't sweet, so I got you Japanese tea.”
“Thank you, your highness.”
Theia passed a bottle to Ruth. Although they hadn't exchanged any words, Theia hadn't forgotten about Ruth.
But if Theia is different, then Ruth-san is slightly different too...
It was rare to see Ruth let Theia go buy drinks. It was a small change, not just in Theia, but in Ruth as well. While Koutarou was thinking about that, a plastic bottle appeared in front of him.
“Koutarou, this is for you.”
“Ah, thanks.”
She gave him a cola with 0 calories and no sugar in it.
“Since it's a school trip and since it’s your reward, I was thinking of buying you the unhealthy version, but...”
Koutarou preferred the unhealthy cola with sugar. He felt that the aftertaste for the 0 calorie cola was different.
“You'll eventually become someone who stands above others. So I bought this one instead, since you should worry a little more about your health like me.”
Theia had gotten the same soda as Koutarou.
“Stand above others...”
Theia had gotten the 0 calorie cola as she worried for Koutarou, or her future vassal's body.
“Are you dissatisfied?”
Theia removed the cap from her bottle and smiled at Koutarou.
“Ah...”
Koutarou couldn't answer right away. He struggled with his feelings, he was both dissatisfied and not. But before he could answer, Ruth opened her mouth.
“I am dissatisfied. Your highness, why are you only leaving me out?”
“Ruth, you don't like cola, right?”
“If your highness bought it, I would have wanted the same thing.”
“Ah fine, just wait! I'll go buy one!”
Theia pushed her bottle to Ruth and returned to the vending machine. Koutarou had been staring at the two, but he eventually looked down on his own bottle and opened it.
I feel like it doesn't even matter anymore...
Regardless of what changes had happened to Theia or Ruth, there was no need to worry. Koutarou felt certain of that after seeing their carefree discussion.
“Here, this is yours.”
“Thank you, your highness. I'll do my best to drink it.”
“I feel like something's very wrong, but... oh well.”
While listening to their discussion, Koutarou put the bottle in his mouth. The chilled cola felt great as it passed through his parched throat.
“By the way, what are we going to do with this Japanese tea?”
“Since her highness bought it for me, I'll drink it later.”
After Koutarou had drunk most of his cola, he spotted Yurika passing by the entrance to the arcade as he casually looked around.
“...Where is she going at this hour?”
“What's wrong, Koutarou?”
“Well, it looks like Yurika is heading outside.”
Koutarou was only able to see Yurika for a few seconds from his position, but he saw her wearing thick outdoor clothes. Since the heating in the hotel was working, not even Yurika who hated the cold would wear that much clothing. So Yurika wearing that must have meant that she was planning on going outside.
“At this hour?”
Ruth looked up at the clock in the arcade. The time was now past 9:30, it was almost time for lights out.
“That's strange... I'll go check on her.”
Just the fact that Yurika who hated the cold was going outside was strange. Sensing that something was about to happen, Koutarou finished off his cola and headed towards the arcade's exit.
“Ruth, we're going too.”
“Yes, your highness.”
Theia and Ruth followed suit and the three of them chased after Yurika.
Part 2
Koutarou and the others caught up to Yurika as she got off the stairs leading from the second to the first floor.
“Wait up, Yurika, where are you headed this late?”
“Satomi-san!?”
Yurika eyes opened wide as she was suddenly stopped.
“W-Where, well I'm not going anywhere.”
“Don't lie. Wearing clothes like that is like broadcasting that you're planning on sneaking outside.”
“Auuu.”
Yurika wearing thick clothing, avoiding the elevators and opting to instead travel in the less trafficked areas of the hotel meant that she was planning on sneaking out of the hotel, and for a rather long period of time at that. If she was just heading out to pick up something she had dropped from a window, there would have been no need to sneak around.
“Yurika-sama, where are you heading?”
“Based on your answer we might even help you. Just tell us.”
“U-Uhm... that's...”
Questioned by Ruth and Theia, Yurika was at a loss for an answer. And after some heavy thinking she decided to tell them only what she could.
“A-Actually, Maki-chan is gone.”
“Aika-san is?”
“Yes. So I was going to quietly search for her...”
After healing the wounds she got from her battle, Yurika had begun searching for Maki's whereabouts. Since she knew that Maki was planning something, she couldn't just leave her be.
But she couldn't find Maki anywhere by the ski slopes. And even after the skiing hours were over, Maki hadn't returned to the hotel. So Yurika determined that Maki was outside of the hotel and had decided to go look for her.
“Just you alone?”
“Y-Yes. It would be problematic if it turned into a big deal, so going alone is...”
If their classmates or teachers found out about Maki's absence, there would be a great fuss. And if Yurika was alone, she’d be free to use magic to look for Maki. There was also the chance that the two would end up fighting again, so Yurika going out on her own was the correct decision for various reasons.
Aaauu. What should I do? Satomi-san will get angry again~.
However, Yurika couldn't say these things. Since this was Koutarou, he would definitely worry about her going out on her own. He wasn't the kind of guy who would overlook a girl walking around the mountain at night by herself. Fearing that Koutarou's fist and angry voice would send her flying away, Yurika closed her eyes tightly.
“I see, so that's how it is. Good idea, Yurika.”
“...E-Eh?”
However, no matter how long she waited, neither a fist nor angry voice came flying. She cautiously opened one of her eyes and found Koutarou nodding and smiling.
“In this situation, you're the perfect fit.”
“S-Satomi-san?”
Yurika was greatly surprised by Koutarou's unusual reaction.
Why!?
Her surprise at the time was far from normal and she began doubting her eyes and ears.
“What do you mean? There's no way that Yurika would find Maki if she entered the mountains on her own.”
Theia had the same doubts as Yurika, and asked in her place. Ruth who was behind her had a worried look on her face as she felt the same way.
“Did you forget? Right now, Yurika can use real magic. So she would definitely find Aika-san before the police or a search party.”
“You're right!!”
Theia's eyes lit up as she understood Koutarou's reasoning.
Yurika had the cane that Koutarou had brought home. If she used its power, she would be able to resolve the situation before it got serious. However, because of that, Yurika had to move on her own. If her classmates or teachers followed her, she wouldn't be able to use her magic.
“Yurika, I would like to apologize for my rude remark. Your judgment was correct.”
“I am very sorry, Yurika-sama.”
“N-No, you don't really have to apologize...”
Theia and Ruth apologized, making Yurika feel grateful instead.
H-Huh!? S-Something's strange!! What happened to them!?
The situation developed in a way completely different from anything before. Just a few days ago, nobody respected Yurika's behavior, but now all three of them showed a completely opposite reaction. Because of that, Yurika just got more confused.
“But, Yurika.”
Koutarou's expression turned more serious.
Auu, he really is going to get angry.
Yurika instinctively shut her eyes. She would be put down after being praised. It was something that had happened several times in the past.
“I'll have to subtract points for not consulting with us first. Even if you can use magic, going into the mountain at night alone is dangerous. Besides, you can use your magic in front of us.”
Koutarou put his large hand on top of Yurika's head.
“...Eh?”
Yurika looked up and opened her eyes. What she saw was Koutarou still smiling at her.
H-He's really not, angry...?
If she had been shouted at or hit, her surprise would be lesser. But Yurika completely spaced out from the completely unexpected development.
“Alright, I understand the situation.”
“S-Satomi-san?”
In contrast to Koutarou, Yurika wasn't following the situation at all.
“Yurika, I'll come with you. Wait for me here while I just go get changed.”
“O-Okay...”
Because of that, Yurika ended up just going along with it.
“Koutarou, I'll come with you.”
“No, that would be bad.”
“Why?”
“With me, Yurika and Aika-san gone, that would mean three people from class 1A are missing. Any more than that and even the teachers would notice.”
“T-That's true...”
“Your highness, I believe it would be wise if we remain here and keep everyone's absence a secret.”
“I understand. But call me right away if things get dangerous.”
“Yeah! Anyways, I'll go change! Yurika, don't run off on your own!”
“O-Okay!”
Leaving Yurika and the others behind, Koutarou rushed up the stairs.
Satomi-san praised me... and now he's going to help me...
Looking at his back, Yurika still couldn't understand why this had happened. She couldn't understand, but she could feel that the atmosphere around her was starting to change.
What is, this, blissful feeling...
Koutarou still thought of Yurika as a normal girl, but despite that, he had become aware that she could now use magic.
And why is my heart throbbing so hard...?
Yurika was able to accomplish her duty as a magical girl while being treated as a normal girl. What's more, she was even getting help and being praised.
There was nothing more joyful than that for Yurika, and it seemed that her throbbing heart wasn't settling down anytime soon.
Not long after leaving the hotel, Yurika stripped off all of her thick clothing and was wearing her magical girl outfit. She would normally complain how cold it was in the middle of a mountain at night in light clothing, but this time, Yurika didn't feel the cold. Instead, one could observe that her eyes were sparkling.
“Satomi-san, Satomi-san, look, I'll cast the next spell!”
“I said that's enough.”
“You don't have to be so modest, this next one is amazing♪”
“You said the same thing about the last one.”
“Just look! Eee~~ii!”
Yurika held Encyclopedia above her head with both hands while smiling. When she did, red and yellow light shot out from the cane at the same time and enveloped Koutarou and Yurika.
“O-Oh? I'm floating!”
“It's amazing, right? It's supposedly called Limited Levitation♪”
The twos legs floated slightly above the ground. It was almost like there was an invisible board five centimeters from the ground and they were walking on top of it.
“It doesn't seem to have enough power to fly, but when used in places like this where the footing is so poor, it becomes easier to walk.”
“Oh, that's quite impressive...”
Thanks to the spell, Koutarou and Yurika's walking speed increased considerably. Their steps became lighter and their feet no longer sank into the snow.
“Alright, then I'll cast the next spell♪”
“Yurika, that's enough. It would be problematic if we run out of magic power when we need it, right?”
Koutarou stopped Yurika as she raised her cane overhead again.
Since the two had left the hotel, Yurika had cast about ten spells. Yurika had been using spells that she believed would be useful for travelling in the mountain at night such as levitation, light, protection against the cold, night vision and more.
Because of that, even though Koutarou knew that the cane had been created to use weak magic, he couldn't help but worry about the remaining magic power.
“It'll be fine. This cane hasn't lost a bit of its power even after using this many spells.”
“I hope so...”
Since Yurika understood how the cane worked better than Koutarou, she knew his worries were unnecessary. And Yurika wasn't just using magic for no reason. She was using a lot of lesser spells to preserve their stamina and preparing for her confrontation with Maki. Also, by repeatedly casting spells, Koutarou would eventually lower his guard against her spells, making it easier to put him to sleep before they encountered Maki. This way, she could effectively keep him out of the fight.
That was half of the reason for why she was using so many spells. The other half was that she was unable to contain her joy.
“Satomi-san, Satomi-san, what kind of spell should I use next!?”
“Yurika, don't get too carried away. It's dangerous so look forward when you're walking.”
“It's fine♪ Even I will― Ouf.”
At that moment, Yurika crashed into a tree by the side of the snow-covered road.
When she did, the snow that had piled up on the branches poured down on Yurika.
“That’s just what I warned you about. Here, give me your hand.”
“S-Sorry.”
Koutarou reached out his hand to Yurika, who was sitting down covered in snow. She frowned, her face already starting to turn red from the crash with tree. She grabbed Koutarou's hand and stood up. She then began to embarrassingly wipe the snow off her body.
“Hey, Yurika.”
“...What?”
“About your next spell, make it one to fix your face or dry your clothes.”
“Okay, I will...”
Yurika had become able to freely use magic in front of Koutarou and the others, but it seemed like Yurika and Koutarou's relationship would still remain unchanged.
Part 3
Maki had begun tracking down the demon on the peak of the mountain as soon as she had healed the damage she had taken from her fight against Yurika.
However, since her detection magic wasn't as good as Dark Green who specialized in fortune telling, she had lost track of the demon. After that, she had been aimlessly walking around the peak. But just a moment ago, she had managed to pick up its track once more.
“There's no mistaking it... it's just past here...”
Maki was wearing her magical girl outfit. She was far too lightly dressed to be walking around a snowy mountain, but the cold wasn't affecting her at all. Like Yurika, she was using several spells to protect herself from the cold. Of course, her steps were also light.
“There... Is it in that cave...?”
There was a cave in the direction Maki was headed. The entrance of the cave was about three meters large. It was more than large enough for a person to pass through.
The detection spell that Maki was using was telling her that there was a large magic power deep inside the cave. Maki assumed that the demon she was after had made the cave its lair.
“...This certainly is an impressive amount of magic power.”
As Maki stood at the entrance of the cave, even without using her detection magic, she could sense a large amount of magic power, enough to give her goose bumps. Its magic power was massive, and if she was able to turn it over to her side, it should be a useful tool in a battle. However, she could feel something that bothered her.
“...I wonder what this feeling is...”
Maki excelled at magic that manipulated the mind, she was a magician that used indigo magic. Because of that, she was able to notice feelings that were mixed in with the powerful magic power.
“Is this... fear, perhaps...?”
Maki was able to detect a strong sense of fear from what she assumed was the master of this cave. That powerful feeling created a strong wave in the magic power leaking out.
“Sense Emotion, Mana Shield, Resist Magic...”
Maki sensed something ominous about the fear coming from deep inside the cave and activated several spells. The existence within the cave wasn't as powerful as Maki, but it was dangerous enough to persuade her from going in defenseless. A minimal amount of preparation was necessary.
“Now then, just what lies in wait inside?”
Relying on the light created from her cane, she carefully entered the cave. The cave continued straight forward in a slight curve. Because of that, there was no need to fear getting lost.
The heels of Maki's shoes clacked as they hit the cave floor and made loud noises. The walls and floor of the cave were covered in ice. Because of that, Maki's steps echoed into the very depths of the cave.
“It seems like the master of this cave can manipulate ice...”
Trace amounts of magical power was embedded into the ice. There seemed to be no mistake that the master of the cave had created it. As Maki continued deeper into the cave, she activated another spell to defend herself against the ice.
“Guh-Guuuuuuuu...”
After walking several dozen meters into the cave, a beast like groan could be heard. The voice echoed and sounded much louder than it actually was. The echoing powerful voice combined with the powerful magic power greatly shook Maki's delicate body.
“Looks like it's just up ahead.”
A normal animal or person probably would have run off after hearing that groan. However, Maki smiled instead, and picked up her pace. Intimidation of this level didn't work on Maki.
“Found it!”
Pressing on several dozen meters after hearing the groan, she reached a large open area that seemed to reach at least 20 meters in all directions. Maki found the demon in the deepest part of the open area.
Its body was about two meters in height and covered in white hair. It stood up on two legs like a human, but its silhouette was closer to a beast than man. It might have been similar to a lion being forced to stand upright. What stood out the most were the wings on its back and its head. They both had a shape that reminded Maki of a falcon or eagle.
It was a white behemoth standing on two legs, with the head and wings of a bird of prey. That was the master of this cave, a demon. It certainly reminded one of a devil or something from legends.
Based on its powerful looking body and the vast magic power it held, Maki believed it would be a quite powerful demon.
“Y-Yu, wy di yu com her!! Do yu com her to kil me!?”
But as the demon looked at Maki, it started to back away. It was rare for a powerful demon to back off even in the face of a strong enemy. Maki had encountered many powerful demons before, but this was the first time she had seen this kind of reaction.
It sounds like it's speaking ancient Folsarian...
Maki tilted her head in confusion from the demon's reaction and began speaking to it in the same language it had used. The language it was using was something that a high ranking magician like Maki learned and used daily.
“Calm down. I only came here to make a deal with you. If possible, I want to contract you as a familiar.”
Maki spoke the true reason for why she had come.
“Yur lyng!”
However, the demon rejected her immediately. And while glaring at Maki he began to intimidate her.
“Guuuuuooooooo!!”
“Wait! I really did come here to contract you as―”
“Silen! I kan tel tha yu ar lyng! Vadra ar komin her! Yu ar Vadras aly riht!?”
“Vadra...?”
The demon spoke a word that Maki didn't recognize. Based on the flow of speech, it seemed to be a proper noun, but since the demon's throat hadn't been made to speak human language, Maki couldn't understand what he meant.
“What is Vadra? What are you so scared of?”
The reason for the demon's fear seemed to be that word. As Maki approached the demon, she could see that it was horribly frightened. If she didn't do something about this fear, Maki wouldn't be able to make the demon her familiar, so she wanted to know what Vadra was.
“Yu kan no fol me! I kan smel Vadra on yu! Yur rol is to stal me is it no!?”
“Vadra's smell? Stall you?”
“Her! Vadra is her! He almos her! I wil be kiled! He wil kil me wit Signaltin!! I hav to kil tis oen an run!!”
However, Maki wasn't able to find out what the demon meant. Without answering her question, the demon, frightened and frenzied, attacked her.
Part 4
Koutarou and Yurika reached the cave in question several minutes after Maki had entered.
Yurika believed that Maki was doing something related to magic on the mountain, so instead of blindly searching, she started looking for magic power present on the mountain. As a result, she detected the same thing Maki was looking for and reached this cave.
“In here?”
“It looks like it. Maki-chan is probably in here.”
Koutarou stared into the cave with curiosity. While looking at Koutarou from behind, Yurika began thinking that it was about time to put him to sleep.
Maki might be inside the cave. Even if she wasn't, something related to magic definitely was. Since she wanted Koutarou to believe that they were looking for Maki who had gone missing, she felt it was best if she put him to sleep before he entered the cave, and then hide him somewhere safe.
Having decided that, Yurika pointed her cane at Koutarou.
“Satomi-san, since it's dark inside, I'll cast some more light magic.”
“Yeah, please do.”
Having had several spells cast on him until now, he didn't question Yurika approaching him from behind with her cane.
I feel kind of bad for tricking him, but... this is also for Satomi-san's sake...
She pointed the cane at Koutarou and instead of using the cane's magic, she began chanting a spell to use her own. Since it was a spell that affected the mind, she didn't readily trust the tool, and instead she used her own magic that she had proper control over.
What if I let him have a nice dream? Something like Satomi-san, me and Sakuraba-senpai going out to play somewhere...
With Yurika mixing in her own wishes and mischief, she began casting her spell.
“Deep Sleep – Combined – Control Dream – Modifier – Effective Time – Twice.”
The spell that put one to sleep and the spell that controlled dreams combined into one indigo light and surrounded Koutarou.
“Ooh?”
Koutarou had a mysterious look on his face as he looked at the indigo light surrounding him. However, that was for just a moment. The effects of the spell quickly took effect and he lost his consciousness. Since Koutarou didn’t resist her spell, the effect had been quick to manifest.
“Good night, Satomi-san.”
Yurika smiled at Koutarou and held his body so he wouldn't collapse.
“Wawa!?”
Koutarou's body was heavier than she had expected, but she was somehow able to support him.
“Phew... all that's left is to hide him somewhere, he should be fine if I put up a ward.”
Yurika looked around the area and spotted a large rock near the cave. She believed she could hide Koutarou's large body in the shadow of the rock.
However, something happened before she could carry his body there.
It was a sound that could be mistaken for a cannon. At the same time, a large amount of snow came blowing out from the entrance of the cave right in front of Yurika. She spotted Maki amongst the snow being blown out.
“Kyaaa!? Wait, M-Maki-chan!?”
“Nijino Yurika!?”
For the short instant they passed each other, Yurika and Maki's glances crossed. Maki then continued flying on and crashed into the snow. Still holding Koutarou, Yurika just blankly stared.
“Guuuuuuooooooo!!”
The next moment, the white demon came out of the cave, chasing after Maki. The demon looked like it was about to attack Maki, but the moment he noticed Yurika, he stopped moving while in the air.
“Gaaaaaaa, Vadra, Vadraaaaa!”
The demon then flapped its wings and came charging at Yurika.
“Kil! Kil! Vadra, Vadra!!”
Its hands shone red for an instant before both its arms were surrounded by a white snowstorm. That was the ice magic this demon used.
“Oh no!!”
Noticing that the demon was targeting her and Koutarou, she began chanting a spell.
“Quick Cast – Greater Protection!!”
That spell was the strongest defensive spell that she could use. The yellow light surrounded her and Koutarou.
“Dieeee!!”
The demon attacked with its magic. The white snowstorm left its arms and surrounded Yurika and Koutarou.
“Kyaaaa!!”
Surrounded by snow, Yurika let out a scream. As the snowstorm wrapped around Yurika, its density quickly changed and became a pillar of ice. Within a few seconds, Yurika had been frozen into a giant ice pillar.
Meanwhile, Koutarou who was asleep only got some ice on him. This was thanks to her defensive spell and the fact that she had pushed him away before the snowstorm hit. He was protected by a yellow light and had rolled several meters away from Yurika.
“Y-Yurika...”
Maki raised her body up and looked at the pillar of ice trapping Yurika. She had been completely frozen with her eyes wide open. Maki wasn't even sure if Yurika was alive or not. With the sudden arrival and crisis of her rival, Maki had forgotten about the existence of the white demon for an instant.
“Die, Dieeee! Vadra! Dieeeee!”
But even if she hadn't forgotten, she probably couldn't have avoided its next attack. The next attack the frenzied white demon conjured up was a huge avalanche.
Part 5
Koutarou and Yurika had left the hotel at around 9:30. An hour and a half had passed and it was almost time for the lights to go out in the hotel. Because of that, the number of people in the lobby had greatly decreased.
Theia entered the lobby as the noise there began to die down. She was getting worried for Koutarou and the others who hadn't come back yet, and she naturally found herself walking towards the lobby.
Where is Koutarou...?
Theia looked around for Koutarou. If he was coming back, he would contact them beforehand. So even if Theia was looking for Koutarou now, there was no way she would find him. She was well aware of that herself.
I'm such a fool... hm?
Instead of Koutarou, Theia found a familiar girl. She smiled slightly and approached the girl.
“Sanae.”
The girl in the lobby was Sanae. She was sitting on a sofa and staring at the automatic door at the entrance.
“Huh? What is it, Theia?”
Since Sanae was so focused on watching the door, she didn't notice Theia until she had called out her name. Because of that, she had been slightly surprised by the sudden voice.
“It's nothing. I just naturally found myself walking here.”
Theia sat down next to Sanae. She felt like being here and talking with Sanae for a while.
“Hmph. I'm waiting for Koutarou to come back.”
Sanae pouted and pointed at the automatic door. Despite waiting for Koutarou, Sanae seemed to be in a bad mood.
“Once he gets back I'll complain to him.”
“Why?”
“Because he didn't bring me with him for something so interesting.”
While expressing her dissatisfaction, Sanae pointed at the door in a rhythmical fashion. Koutarou and Yurika had left when Sanae was in the hot springs with Kiriha. Sanae didn't like that and was angry that Koutarou had left her behind.
“Theia, you should say something too.”
“Me?”
“Yeah. Aren't there some things you'd like to tell him too?”
“Well I do, but...”
Theia smiled wryly. There were indeed some things she wanted to tell Koutarou, but the contents of those were different from what Sanae had meant.
No, on the grand scale of things, they might be the same...
In the end, the reason for Theia and Sanae being in the lobby was the same.
“You take those repressed feelings and use your maiden spirit and guts to―”
The entrance door opened. Sanae and Theia both looked towards it at the same time and their conversation stopped.
“We finally got here, papa.”
“It's already late night... geez.”
“I'll check us in right away. Just wait a moment.”
A young couple with a child entered the hotel. They seemed to be guests and they approached the receptionist.
What... they're just guests...
Theia sadly dropped her shoulders. They weren't the people that Theia and Sanae had hoped to see.
“Sanae?”
“...”
Theia quickly looked back at Sanae, but Sanae didn't do the same. Instead, she followed the family of three with her eyes. The combination of a young couple and a small child, most likely theirs, was something that she was curious about.
“...”
“What is it, Sanae.”
“Theia... s-sorry, what were we talking about?”
In the end, Sanae was only able to focus on Theia after the family of three had entered the elevator and vanished.
“That doesn't matter. More importantly, what is it? Was there something wrong with that family?”
“No. They just reminded me a little of papa and mama.”
Strictly speaking, Sanae wasn't interested in the three people. Instead, she was remembering her own parents. Because of that, Sanae's normally cheerful smile had gotten fainter.
“Right. That's what happened to you... sorry for asking.”
“It's fine. Besides, that's not all.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Hm... when I saw those three I was thinking-”
Sanae looked away from Theia and onto the floor of the lobby. At the same time, her smile faded even further. She was still smiling, but it was a horribly sad smile.
“I can't get married nor have children... so I was envious of that mom...”
As a ghost, Sanae couldn't marry nor have children. She would never be able to start her own family.
“Chi...ldren...?”
That one word from Sanae pierced through Theia's heart.
That's right... I, I'm the same as Sanae...
She was greatly shocked; it was almost as if her whole world had broken apart.
“Theia? What's wrong? Your face is pale.”
Sanae's worried voice didn't reach Theia's ears. The sudden massive despair pulled Theia down into a dark place.
I'm an alien...!! No matter how much I love him and wish for it, I can't provide Koutarou with a new family...!!
Based on her efforts, Theia might be able to make Koutarou her vassal. It might even be possible for them to become lovers. If that happened, marriage wasn't out of the question.
But that was it. The path ended there for an alien like Theia.
Humans on Earth and Forthorthe looked very similar, but in reality they had developed in different ecosystems and they were completely different creatures. Even for closely related species, a single generation was roughly the limit. So when it came to two completely different species, the chances were close to none.
What... was I so elated for... as an alien, I am the same as a talking doll to Koutarou...
The major principle of life was tying things to a new generation. However, Theia couldn't do that. Theia and Koutarou couldn't even become a normal couple.
When she noticed that, Theia's heart began to freeze. It was as if her resolution to believe in Koutarou and the warm feelings that had come from that had all frozen.
