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Rokujouma no Shinryakusha!? (Light Novel) - Volume 12, Chapter 7: The Day of Beginnings
Volume 12, Chapter 7: The Day of Beginnings
This chapter is updated by NovelFree.ml
Part 1
Saturday, April 24
On that night, eleven people gathered in room 106. With that many people in the small room full of furniture, it was hard to even move.
Right next to Koutarou were Maki and Clan who seemed a little uncomfortable. Next to them were Harumi and Yurika. Facing those two were Theia, Ruth and Kiriha who were drinking tea, Shizuka, Sanae and Kanae.
“Koutarou, should I really be here?”
“Yeah, Satomi-kun. Just a while ago I was everyone's enemy...”
“Just shut up and sit down.”
Koutarou wanted to properly introduce Maki and Clan. The two now allied themselves with Koutarou, but because of their history with the girls of room 106, they tried to distance themselves. However, Koutarou didn't think very well of that and decided to use this chance to solve the problems regarding these two.
“So... I'll start by introducing them. This is Clan...”
As Koutarou said that, he tapped Clan on the head a few times with his right hand. Because of the uncomfortable situation she was in, Clan couldn't raise her head. She was pulling back because just a few months ago she had been after Theia's and Koutarou's lives. She simply looked at the tea table in front of her without moving a muscle.
“And this is Aika Maki-san.”
This time, Koutarou tapped Maki on the head with his left hand. Maki was practically in the same situation as Clan and had a stiff expression and was all tensed up. Because she knew that she was in front of Kanae and Sanae, she didn't dare look at them. Because of her uneasiness, she was tightly holding onto Koutarou's sleeve and wasn't letting go.
“Clan and I went missing during the play, if you all remember. Back then, we reluctantly had to work together and our feelings of hostility gradually waned. Ever since, she has secretly been helping me. Like the incident with Sanae for example... Hey, don't just be quiet, say something, Clan.”
“Say something? L-Like what?”
Clan couldn't come up with anything to say. She knew that she couldn't get friendly with everyone after what she had done.
“Like your name or something.”
“...I'm Clariossa Daora Forthorthe.”
“You really only said your name.”
“B-Because you told me to say it!”
Being so anxious, Clan only spoke her name, but her interaction with Koutarou showed everyone in the room what kind of relationship they had.
“Well, anyways... about Aika-san... As you all know, Aika-san is our classmate... but as it turns out, up until today she was actually an evil magical girl.”
“...”
When Koutarou revealed her identity, Maki held her breath and grabbed onto Koutarou's sleeve even harder. She was well aware of her poor position.
“Aika-san became an evil magical girl because her savior was one, but in the end, being evil didn't suit her. Aika-san saved me. And in her heart, she's an honest and good girl. She had no choice but to do evil because she had nowhere else to go, and in order to repay the kindness she had been shown.”
“...Satomi-kun, I'm going home. I don't belong here...”
Unable to endure the tension, Maki pulled on Koutarou's sleeve and wished to leave room 106. However, Koutarou grabbed a hold of Maki's arm and shook his head.
“Just sit down right there. If you run away now, where will you go?”
“T-That's...”
“You have to start your new life. You get that, right?”
“...Yes.”
Maki who had been starting to get up was persuaded by Koutarou and sat back down.
She had chosen the life of Aika Maki over the life of Dark Navy. That's why she no longer had a place in Darkness Rainbow. In order for her to live as herself, she had to face her past.
“We're pretending that Aika-san has been caught and is now our hostage until things calm down. If we don't, they'll come after her to finish off the traitor. But in reality, she is our classmate as always.”
After saying that, Koutarou looked at everyone in the room before continuing.
“And this is just my request, and... I know it might be emotionally difficult, but I want you to get along with these two. Please.”
Koutarou put his hands on the tea table and lowered his head. Maki and Clan to his sides followed his lead and lowered their heads as well. The two stiffened up as the time of reckoning had come.
“There's something I want to say.”
Theia raised her hand. Seeing that, Clan's face turned pale.
“I-I do too!”
“I have one thing to say too.”
Next, Sanae and Yurika raised their hands. This caused Maki's face to turn pale as well.
People that would ask them to pay for their crimes had appeared.
Though they feared the situation, they were ready to accept any criticism because they knew this was a passage they had to cross.
“Go ahead.”
Having raised his head, Koutarou urged the three who had raised their hands to speak. The girls put their hands down on the tea table and leaned forward as they spoke.
“Does that mean that Clan will be put into the rotation for cleaning duty of this room?!”
“Hey, Maki!! You're a magical girl too right?! Let's make a new outfit for you to match ours!!”
“Satomi-san, living in the wardrobe any more is impossible! Now that Maki-chan is joining, I want to leave the wardrobe and live here too!”
““...Eh?””
However, what the three girls had said caused Clan and Maki to let out an astonished voice at the same time. They hurriedly raised their heads and looked at the people that had spoken to them.
“Well, I guess it would.”
“Alright! Now I only have to clean once a week!”
“Isn't that great, your highness?”
“Satomi-san, now is the time to increase my residential area!”
“That's a no.”
“Why?!”
“I can't let Aika-san stay in the wardrobe.”
“Mama! I need drawing paper!”
“Yes, yes. Maki-chan, that's what's happening, so are you free next weekend?”
Nobody criticized Clan or Maki. Not Theia, Yurika, Sanae nor Kanae, nor did any of the other girls. In fact, they welcomed them.
“Aika-san, if you have nowhere to stay, why don't you live with me? It's just above this room.”
“Isn't that great, Clan-sama. Now I don't have to sneak around when meeting with you.”
“Wh...Why...?”
“Why isn't anyone saying anything...?”
This situation confused both Maki and Clan. Despite supposedly being enemies, the residents of this room had easily accepted them. Not understanding what was going on, the two simply sat there with a confused look.
“...That's because we were all enemies once too.”
Kiriha was the one to answer their question. She slightly narrowed her eyes and showed Clan and Maki a friendly smile. She especially trusted Clan, whom she had met eleven years ago.
“If we were to criticize you, we would be rejecting ourselves, and that is something we cannot do.”
At first, everyone was attacking each other. They had overcome that to get to where they were now. That's why no one in the room criticized Clan or Maki. Everything was fine as long as they had a change of heart. What was important was the now, not the past.
“But Kii, even then―”
“Of course, that's not the only reason.”
Being called Kii by Clan, Kiriha's expression changed into an even gentler one.
“Satomi Koutarou lowered his head for your sake. In that case, we just have to believe him. We will accept anything he has decided... Isn't that the same for you two?”
“That's...”
“Yes, it is.”
Maki was still half in doubt, but Clan's expression softened up a little. Having an old friend here helped a lot.
“Theiamillis-san, I formally apologize for my actions up until today.”
Clan bowed towards Theia, and in return, Theia nodded with a smile.
“I accept that apology. Don't worry about it anymore. We may be rivals, but we reach further heights by competing with respect for each other, rather than hate.”
“Theiamillis-san... You're right, I won't lose!”
“Fufufu... that's the spirit. I won't lose either!”
Clan and Theia laughed at one another. Seeing that, Maki looked at Yurika and the Higashihongan family pair.
“Satomi-kun.”
“Yes.”
Noticing that, Koutarou and Harumi had Yurika and Maki face each other. Yurika only seemed confused, but Maki suddenly tried to make a run for it. However, Koutarou grabbed onto her with both hands and stopped her. After that, Maki finally gave up and slowly started speaking.
“I'm sorry, Nijino Yurika. I've done a lot of terrible things to you.”
“It's fine, Maki-chan. If we had each other's saviors, I might have been the one apologizing...”
Yurika also accepted Maki's apology. Nana had been the one to save Yurika, but that was just by chance. Having seen Maki's change up close, Yurika felt almost no hostility towards her. The only thing still bothering her was that Maki was still an official member of Darkness Rainbow. But she also knew that Maki couldn't leave right away in these circumstances, so she decided not to think about it.
“And to Kanae-san and her daughter, it seems my master did some horrible things to you...”
“That is not your fault, Maki-chan.”
“Mama, did something happen in the past?”
“It did, but that has been resolved and has nothing to do with Maki-chan.”
“Hmm. Oh well.”
“...Thank you very much.”
Maki lowered her head one last time.
As such, Clan and Maki were accepted by the girls of room 106, and took the first step of their new lives.
Part 2
Though Clan and Maki's problems had been solved, Koutarou had one more problem remaining.
And that was the problem of what to do with Sakuraba Harumi who had been dragged into everyone else's problems.
Just a while ago, Harumi learned how to control magic and Signaltin's power. But not even she knew why. To her, it seemed like she was suddenly able to do it after merging with Yurika. And without any other possible reasons, Koutarou and the others figured that Harumi's change was a by-product of the merging. Yurika admitted that something strange had happened during the merge, and the space quake that had occurred from it was observed by the Blue Knight, lending credibility to the theory.
This would mean that Harumi was now the third magician after Yurika and Maki. And she was also capable of controlling Signaltin, though that fact was only known to those present at the time. That's why Harumi had now become a somewhat unique assistant to Koutarou and the others. Harumi herself wanted to use her powers to help them.
But there was someone against that idea.
And that was Koutarou himself.
“...I'm against this. Sakuraba-senpai has a poor constitution, and she's not very athletic. It's far too dangerous for her to always be with us.”
Koutarou worried for Harumi's safety. It was clear that magic put a strain on her body, and he was also against Harumi fighting.
“That's why I think it's best if we just let her help occasionally.”
To Koutarou the ideal solution would be to keep Harumi at the same distance she had always been so that she wouldn't get involved in any fights.
“But... Satomi-kun, I can't stay quiet after learning about this!”
Just like Koutarou was worrying about Harumi, Harumi worried for the safety of Koutarou, Yurika and all of the invader girls. To her, they were special people that had shown her the outside world through their two plays together. That's why she wanted to repay her debt and protect their everyday by doing whatever she could.
“Satomi-kun and everyone are my precious friends! Please don't leave me out! Please!”
And the main driving force for Harumi was her strong desire to walk together with Koutarou and the others. She wanted to help those she got along with. She wanted to be with the boy she loved. She knew better than anyone else just how lonely a life of simply staring at things from a distance was.
“Sakuraba-senpai...”
Koutarou started hesitating as Harumi eagerly appealed to him.
He wanted to keep her away out of worry for her safety, but at the same time, he felt like his flaw of keeping a distance to others was influencing his decision. Koutarou was unable to decide on what was the right thing to do.
“...Satomi-kun, can I say something?”
As Koutarou was deep in thought, Maki raised her hand and asked for permission to speak.
“What is it, Aika-san?”
“Based on what happened today, chances are that Sakuraba-san will become another target for Darkness Rainbow. In that case, keeping her close might be the safest thing to do.”
“That's...”
Maki's opinion was perfectly logical. Keeping Harumi away also meant it was harder to protect her. So with a clear threat like Darkness Rainbow now around, there was a need to always keep an eye on her.
“No, but...”
However, Koutarou still couldn't make a decision. Like with Yurika, fighting didn't suit Harumi. If possible, he wanted her to live peacefully.
“Koutarou, do you hate Harumi?”
Sanae questioned Koutarou, and he responded by shaking his head.
“Of course not, it's just that I want her to be as safe as possible.”
With a serious expression, Sanae pointed her right index finger towards Koutarou and spoke her mind.
“You know what Koutarou, the best way to do that is to personally protect what is precious to you. Keeping precious things at a distance is one of your bad habits.”
“She's right, Satomi-san! We just need to make Sakuraba-senpai promise not to strain herself, and then all of us can protect her together!”
Yurika agreed with Sanae. And it wasn't just her, everyone in the room agreed. They all shared the same feelings Harumi did. That's why they felt that she couldn't be kept at a distance because of her weak constitution.
“Satomi-kun, please!”
Harumi earnestly appealed to Koutarou and stared straight into his eyes.
“Haaa...”
And with that, Koutarou finally changed his mind.
“I understand. Sakuraba-senpai, please try to stay with one of us whenever possible.”
“Thank you, Satomi-kun!”
“However! You must promise not to force yourself if a fight erupts.”
“I understand! I promise!”
Tears of joy started forming around Harumi's eyes as she smiled brightly.
Part 3
Like that, another three invaders were welcomed into room 106, reaching a previously unprecedented population. And with Kanae here as well, everyone was grateful that it wasn't summer yet.
However, this population only lasted until after dinner. Once everyone had eaten, the invaders left room 106 one after another. They all had their own businesses to attend to. This included making preparations for their new lives or business regarding their position. Because of that, there was a need to leave room 106 for now. That's why only Koutarou and Yurika remained in the room.
“Now that everyone's left, this room feels so much bigger...”
Koutarou muttered as he sat down at the tea table and looked at the front door. Because it was just the two of them, that quiet muttering reached Yurika as well.
“Even though I don't think like that at all when everyone is here...”
“Satomi-san...”
Koutarou's back looked awfully lonely to Yurika, and she felt like she should do something to cheer him up. So she decided to slowly approach him from behind.
“Eii.”
After placing herself right behind Koutarou, Yurika stood on her knees and used her hands to block Koutarou's view. It looked just like she was hugging him.
“Yurika?”
“Fufu... Satomi-san...”
Yurika whispered to Koutarou. It was just the two of them, and they were now very close. It was a very gentle and very quiet voice.
“...Did I leave too...?”
“Of course not. I just can't see you.”
Koutarou could hear Yurika's voice, her hands were pressed against his face, and her body against his back. Though he couldn't see her, it was clear she was there.
“Then, I think that's true for everyone else too. You just can't see them, but their feelings are still around.”
“...Yurika...”
Thanks to Yurika pointing that out, Koutarou started feeling the same way. Though he couldn't see them, he wasn't alone. That felt very good for him.
“Fufufu.”
Koutarou could only hear Yurika's laugh and feel her warmth. And because her voice was gentle and calm, he got the urge to look at her face. But at the same time, he felt like staying this way. It was a strange feeling he hadn't felt before.
I see... so this is the real Yurika...
This was Yurika's true nature, which was normally hidden by all kinds of things. It wasn't until the two were left alone that Koutarou could see it. That's why he started being able to accept things he couldn't before.
“Yurika.”
“Yes?”
“You... really are a magical girl, aren't you?”
The truth that Yurika was a magical girl was something he never wanted to admit, but at last, he was able to accept it.
“Yes... I'm sorry for never telling you...”
“Don't worry. I understand why.”
“Satomi-san...”
Koutarou wanted to protect his everyday life with Yurika, and she had gone along with that. That's why he had no intention of blaming her; in fact, he felt quite the opposite.
“Thank you, Yurika.”
“Yes...”
As Yurika responded to Koutarou, she pushed her hands onto his face a little stronger. Just doing that was enough to convey how she felt. Yurika then stopped covering Koutarou's eyes and wiped away her tears. She wanted to continue doing it, but that would be hard to do while crying. Having finished wiping away her tears, she put her hand on Koutarou's shoulder. And as if waiting for that, Koutarou started speaking.
“But... even if that's the truth, I don't want to admit it. To me, you're a classmate and a cosplay loving stupid freeloader.”
That was Koutarou's wish. He wanted her to be a classmate, not a magical girl. That was something he could only say in this atmosphere and when they weren't looking at each other.
“Satomi-san...”
With her hand still on Koutarou's shoulder, she started shedding tears again. But she no longer tried to wipe them away.
They were warm tears of joy, and she knew it would be a waste to wipe them away.
“...I... prefer it that way too...”
Yurika wanted to succeed Nana and become a splendid magical girl. But at the same time, she wanted to be a normal girl when she was with Koutarou. She wanted to spend plain and normal days together, and by doing that, she felt like she would have the courage to overcome anything.
And in that sense, Yurika's wish perfectly matched Koutarou's.
“That's why... I'll work my hardest to make sure you don't have to be a magical girl.”
If an enemy appeared, he would work together with her to drive them away.
If there was a mission that had to be accomplished, he would help and finish it as soon as possible.
He wanted to limit the amount of time that Yurika had to be a magical girl.
“Yes...”
Overwhelmed with emotion Yurika spun her arms around Koutarou and tightly embraced him.
Right now, she could understand how Sanae felt.
Even when they were this close, Yurika wanted to get even closer. To the point where if she could leave her body and enter his, she would do so. But because she couldn't, she simply tightened her embrace. She didn't know of any other way to convey her feelings.
“...So you just take it easy and cosplay to your heart’s content...”
“...I'll believe in you... Satomi-san...”
In the end, Yurika was a cosplayer. She left the reality where she was a magical girl behind to continue cosplaying, and being Koutarou's classmate. That's what both Koutarou and Yurika wanted. It was the future they both wished for.
The two simply let time pass like that. Having understood each other's feelings, they didn't need anything else.
Wait... at this rate, I might...
But after some time had passed, Yurika's heart started beating faster. And those beats told Yurika to advance their relationship past just gently supporting each other and to become lovers.
Be able to... kiss Satomi-kun... If I get a little closer...
It was clear that Yurika loved Koutarou. She was convinced that Koutarou treasured her as well. That's why she felt like if she took the step forward, they might be able to become lovers. And her heart was screaming at her to take action.
“Yurika, it's about time...”
“Y-Yesss...”
That's why Yurika felt like her heart stopped when Koutarou whispered to her. She thought Koutarou felt the same way, and she was about to lose her mind from all the joy she felt.
...Even if I die now, I'm sure I wouldn't regret it...
Koutarou removed Yurika's arms and forcibly pulled her closer. Yurika didn't resist, and simply entrusted her body to Koutarou. Her heart raced as she wondered what would happen. She was at the very peak of happiness now.
“Grab your pen. We're starting.”
“...Huh?”
However, things didn't play out the way Yurika had hope.
Yurika was forced to sit next to Koutarou as he put a pen in her hand. Surprised, Yurika hurriedly looked towards Koutarou. As she did, she saw him holding a large amount of books.
“W-Wait, Satomi-san, isn't it a little early for that?!”
Yurika started panicking.
The gap between reality and dream made her desperate to try and stop Koutarou.
“If anything it's too late! We're going to go through how to calculate the volume tonight! You don't have any time to spare!”
However, Koutarou was ruthless. He had already discarded the atmosphere from just a moment ago. The scary Koutarou from this morning had returned.
“That's not what I meant!! Why can't we just take a little more time to confirm our bond and love?! Skinship is important too you know?!”
Yurika was convinced that she was in the right this time. That things should proceed in a certain order.
“We can do that all we want later! However, you can only study now! We're already behind schedule, Yurika! Do you understand?!”
Koutarou easily rejected her proposal.
“You're the one that doesn't understand!!”
Like that, the night grew late. But Yurika was unable to accept this truth and cried as she slammed her fists into the table.
“Normally this is where things get more romantic! Where we gaze into each other’s eyes, hug and kiss! This is wrong, this is completely wrong!!”
“Shut it and get to work! You don't have any rights until your grades go up!”
“Noooooooo, I don't want thiiiiiss!!”
However, when Yurika turns into an adult, she would probably fondly think back of this day as the day when their wonderful everyday life began.
Part 4
While Yurika was spending a painful and sad night, Kiriha and Theia were staring at each other inside the maintenance division of the Blue Knight's hangar. They were in the middle of some kind of work as they operated machine tools.
“There's no mistaking it. This is without a doubt spiritual energy technology...”
“You're sure?”
“Yes. What's more, this is even more advanced than the currently produced model. It's not something that was imitated somewhere else.”
The two of them were analyzing the arm that Maya had lost, and the results had just now appeared.
“Which means it’s a prototype developed by the People of the Earth?”
“It must be. All of the parts are of high quality, even where it's not needed. This is the hallmark of a test model.”
Maya's artificial arm had been made using the People of the Earth's technology. What's more is that it had been made using the highest quality parts, far surpassing that of Karama and Korama. The fact that Maya had this could only mean one thing.
“So the magicians and People of the Earth get along so well that they were given such a high cost prototype... This sure is a problem...”
“Since Maya was behind the incident eleven years ago, it seems quite clear that they were cooperating since back then.”
Kiriha had never seen spiritual energy technology in the shape of a human. This meant that it had been made in secret by the faction opposing her. In other words, the radical faction and Darkness Rainbow were working together.
And when Kiriha had been kidnapped as a child by Maya, she had supposedly used spiritual energy technology as well. Kiriha had heard of this from Kanae just a while ago. In other words, they had been working together for at least eleven years now.
“...Kiriha, how does this situation look to you?”
“Considering the fact that they've given the prototype to the magicians, they're past the data collection needed for mass production. It wouldn't be strange for them to already have mass produced models ready. And if they hand those over to the magicians, they will probably get something extremely valuable in return.”
“If that's the case, you will have to redo your strategy.”
“Yes. I must report this to the chief right away...”
Kiriha mortifyingly ground her teeth.
I just hope I'll make it in time.
If the radical faction was supplying Darkness Rainbow with their technology, it is only obvious that Darkness Rainbow would be doing the same for the radicals. The radical faction had obtained the power of magic without Kiriha and the others finding out about it. What's more is that it should be rather powerful magic. If that newfound power was used against the conservatists who had no knowledge of magic, they wouldn't stand a chance. Kiriha and the others in the conservative faction had to come up with a plan before the radical faction took action.
That was when Theia's bracelet started vibrating. Theia raised her arm slightly and opened a holographic window. She was getting a report that she had received word from Forthorthe.
“What is it?”
“I've received a message from my home world.”
Theia controlled a nearby terminal and called up the long-distance communications system.
A concealed line using gravitational waves? It has encryption strength A... what is going on?
Feeling uneasy by the strong security of the inbound communication, Theia opened the message. In that moment, her eyes shot wide open.
“W-What?!”
“What's wrong?!”
Worried after seeing Theia's reaction, Kiriha ran up to her. Theia started to explain the contents of the message in a fluster.
“My mother, it seems my mother has fallen ill!”
“How could this be!”
It was only obvious for the security to be this severe as it reported that the current emperor of the Holy Forthorthe Galactic Empire, Elfaria, had fallen ill.
