Published at 17th of August 2019 8:53 am

Volume 15, Chapter 3: The Underground and the Surface

This chapter is updated by NovelFree.ml

Part 1

Saturday, July 3

Once the Sun Rangers could no longer be seen, Koutarou and the others began climbing down the mountain again. While they were tired from the beetle hunting, the unexpected meeting left everyone in a bright mood.

“Sakuraba-senpai, how is your body holding up?”

“Thank you for worrying, Nijino-san. Thanks to Clan-san's invention, I can still go on. Thanks to you too, Clan-san.”

“W-We can't be too overconfident. It's still just at the prototype stage.”

“Don't get so embarrassed, glasses. It's at times like this that you boast!”

“By the way, Aika-san, did you leave the band of knight's uniform to Theia-chan and Ruth-san?”

“Yes, I don't know Forthorthe's style. In fact, I thought it would be best that way.”

“We're talking about Theia and Ruth-san, I can't tell what will come out, but it won't be anything useful.”

However, amongst them, only Kiriha's expression remained dark.

To her, the meeting with the Sun Rangers wasn't just a reunion. The fact that the Sun Rangers, the surface defense force, were moving was proof that the radical faction was making moves. She couldn't simply smile and enjoy the reunion. As a result, she now had the expression of a commander.

“Nee-san, I've gotten a message from Karama Ho. The Sun Rangers are moving past where we were hunting beetles and heading deeper into the forest Ho.”

“Have Karama continue following them.”

“Roger!”

Kiriha was using the haniwas to follow the Sun Rangers and planned for the future.

Since they were using a close range spiritual energy sensor, they should have an idea of where to look. They either pursued them after a battle, or they had a clue from the start...

Kiriha predicted that the Sun Rangers had information that her enemies, the radical faction, were hiding in this area. The basis for Kiriha's line of thinking was because of the accuracy of their sensor. The accuracy of their sensor was far lower than the sensor built into the haniwas; trying to find them without any leads with that sensor was like searching for a needle in a haystack. It was more likely that they had a clue that led them here rather than them just happening to search this area.

In that case, there was a point in following the Sun Rangers. Karama, who had a more accurate sensor, might be able to find the radical faction before the Sun Rangers did. With the radicals making moves underground as well, Kiriha couldn't pass up on this chance.

“I need to find something and make the first move...”

Kiriha normally didn't like fighting, yet she had to actively obstruct the radical faction. The situation was beginning to turn that bad that she had to accept that contradiction. If the radical faction had built a base on the surface, or if they were in the middle of a large-scale operation, the policy for dealing with them might need a major revision.

“Nee-san, this is bad Ho!”

“What is it?!”

And that danger turned even more real by the news from Korama.

“An emergency message from Chief Daiha Ho! Shijima Tayuma has escaped Ho!”

“What?!”

Shijima Tayuma, a young member of the radical faction. Among the People of the Earth, he was especially elitist and harbored a lot of hate towards the surface dwellers. Last year, Tayuma fought Kiriha and lost, and was sent to a prison underground. Yet now he had escaped. Kiriha knew just what that meant.

Kiriha's battle had right at this moment begun.

Part 2

The ones who had broken Tayuma out of prison were a man and woman rarely seen underground. The young man was tall and blond, wore a suit and had a foreign atmosphere to him. The woman had a sharp glance and wore an exposing dark indigo colored outfit. Since the underground people had a simplistic look, Tayuma looked very plain next to the two.

Having broken out of prison with the two’s help, Tayuma was currently on the run with them. Tayuma and the others were still underground, so the prison break wasn't a complete success yet. Currently they were hiding in the basement of a certain building. A vehicle to escape in was going to be meeting them in a few minutes, so they needed to standby there. Though the basement was dim and dirty, this was the first time since the breakout that they had been able to rest.

“... It's been awhile since we last met face to face, indigo soldier.”

“Well, getting into contact has been difficult lately.”

Tayuma began by talking to the woman. Her name was Maya, and the two had been cooperating for over ten years. Normally, Tayuma hated the surface dwellers, however Maya was an exception. She was from the seventh tribe of the People of the Earth, mentioned in the legends. In other words, she was technically from the People of the Earth. That's why they could cooperate without Tayuma's pride being hurt.

“So Maya, who is this man?”

However, that wasn't the case for the man with Maya. Since Tayuma believed that the People of the Earth were superior, being saved by a surface dweller harmed his pride.

“He is Elexis. We became partners a while back ago. I can't go into details, but I can guarantee that he is not Japanese.”

“My name is Elexis. It's a pleasure meeting you, your Excellency Shijima Tayuma.”

Elexis elegantly bowed. He was used to having people shower him with hostility, having lived in the business world. He wasn't shaken in the slightest.

“Muu...”

“I understand that it's hard to accept, but please look at the reality. It is because of him that we are able to mass produce weapons. Isn't it obvious that he is not a normal person?”

“That's true... but...”

Maya and Tayuma, with the radical faction backing them, were only able to enter the final stages of their plan because of Elexis's cooperation. The worker machines that Elexis had brought in were far superior to both that of the machines on the surface and of the People of the Earth.

Thanks to that, they were able to overcome the technological wall in their way and were able to considerably shorten the time their plan would take.

“And he is my partner. If you insult him, it is the same as insulting me.”

“... I understand. I am sorry, Elexis. I formally apologize. I am also grateful for your cooperation.”

“Your words are too good for me.”

In the end, Tayuma broke. To him, Maya was of the People of the Earth and held a strong power. Insulting his countryman was the same as insulting himself. Besides, Elexis was a foreigner, and the technology he had was far superior. He was clearly quite different from the Japanese that had chased the People of the Earth underground. Tayuma and the other’s goals were to fight the surface dwellers of Japan. That's why, with Maya's guarantee, there was no point in pursuing who Elexis was.

“By the way, how is the factory progressing?”

With the matter of Elexis settled, Tayuma got back on track. In the end, the war on the surface was more important to him.

“It is operating smoothly. 95% of the scheduled production has already been completed... Well, that's why we came to pick you up.”

“That is much faster than what we expected.”

“We'll go over the details when we arrive at our destination. It would be better if you see for yourself.”

“Which means that our destination is the factory on the surface.”

“That's correct. The invincible army awaits you, their commander, there.”

Listening to Maya's report, Tayuma showed a twisted smile. It was a cruel and ugly smile filled with grudge and envy.

Having escaped from the prison, the three headed towards mountains by the suburbs of Kitsushou Harukaze city. That was the base that Elexis had erected when he first came to Earth, and the simple production he had brought with him had been left there. And in order for the radical faction to make use of that facility, they created a large-scale factory. Tayuma's first impression of the factory was satisfaction.

“Seeing it in person, I must say, it's quite a masterpiece! So this is my army!”

In the warehouse of the factory were mechanical soldiers making use of the same technology used for Maya's body, though it was nowhere near as human-like. Since they were currently in the process of being moved to a different base, there was less than half of their original number, but there was still over 1000 soldiers.

“We have already moved our portion, so these are without a doubt your troops.”

“So these will be equipped with your clan's techniques, I think you called it magic. I can't keep myself from laughing just imagining the sight of them advancing. So this is the masterpiece of the People of the Earth! Fuahahaha!!”

“Regarding that, the trailers used for transporting the soldiers to our base will return with our weapons.”

Once the production of the weapons, including the mechanical soldiers, reached 95% completion, Darkness Rainbow's portion had been completed. After sending that portion to her own base, Maya headed out to rescue Tayuma. She was being cautious so that in the case of something unexpected happening, she wouldn't suffer any losses. The same could be said about the magical weapons that Darkness Rainbow would share with Tayuma and the radicals. Under the pretext that obtaining a mode of transport was difficult, the spiritual energy weapons were transported first. On the way back, the magical weapons would be transported. While Maya and Tayuma appeared to be cooperating on the surface, they were protecting their own profits first.

“Once the trailers returns, all preparations will be complete. Maguz-sama will be pleased.”

There, Tayuma mentioned the name Maguz. That Maguz was the leader of the radical faction, but rarely showed themselves in public, as they controlled everything from the shadows. As a result, even though the conservatives caught radicals, they didn't get any leads. All they knew of was the codename Maguz.

“By the way, Tayuma, it was that person who requested your rescue.”

“So it really was Maguz-sama. I better send my thanks later.”

“While you're at it, let them know that it was a good deal.”

“I understand... Then I will go report and send my thanks to Maguz-sama right away.”

He had safely arrived at his base and confirmed the condition of the factory. It was about time Tayuma returned to work. A large-scale attack on the surface would soon be carried out.

“Elexis and I will go perform the final adjustments on that.”

“It's already complete?!”

“That is also around 95% complete. That's why we're making the final adjustments.”

“I see, then I'll leave―”

That was when a jarring alarm rang out throughout the factory.

“Intruder alert! I repeat, intruder alert! It is believed that someone has broken past the eastern fence and entered the site! The defenses are to find and dispose of this intruder right away!”

“So they reached this place... The surface dwellers aren't just all idiots as well!”

Tayuma, Maya, and Elexis left their reports for later and headed towards the operation room.

There was no longer any time to casually chat away.

They needed to find the intruders as quickly as possible and prevent information from being leaked.

Part 3

The Sun Rangers had been able to find the factory largely by chance. But their efforts had allowed them to be at the right place at the right time. This was a fortune their efforts had delivered.

“We did it! There really was a base! It's just like you said, Kotarou!”

“I thought it was strange. They're underground people, yet recently they were flying in the sky.”

The Sun Rangers had fought against the underground people on several occasions. However, they weren't attacks made public as they were small-scale attacks like sabotage of communal facilities. And after a minor skirmish, the underground people would withdraw.

However, as of late a change had occurred when the underground people escaped. In the past they would escape towards the underground, but now there were times that they escaped into the sky. And the direction they would fly away in had a regularity to it. There, the Sun Rangers thoroughly searched that direction.

With their low accuracy sensor, they had not found anything after looking for several days, but today was different. As they persevered in their search, they discovered a dot on the screen of their sensor. Since that dot was moving swiftly, they hurriedly gave chase so they wouldn't lose it.

They had no way of knowing, but that reaction was the vehicle that Tayuma and the others had used to escape. Having focused on losing their underground pursuers, they sped up once they reached the surface. Since the engine used spiritual energy, by raising the speed, they increased the output, allowing the Sun Rangers sensor to detect them.

Tayuma and the others had made three mistakes. They underestimated the accuracy of the accuracy of the surface dwellers' sensors; they didn't consider the possibility that the surface dwellers might be investigating nearby and they had been in too much of a rush.

The sensor's quality didn't matter when they were that close. Increasing their speed caused them to use up a lot of spiritual energy, making them stand out. Effort, carelessness, coincidence, and haste. All of these elements intertwined, allowing the Sun Rangers to find Tayuma's factory, the enemy's base.

“But what do we do now, Kenichi? This is definitely not a normal base. They're making something on a large scale.”

Hayato was wearing a blue battle suit and looked through the scope of his rifle. On the other end of his scope was what was believed to be the enemy base. It definitely had the feel of a military base, but it also looked like a factory. It was taking in a lot of water from the river and several chimneys could be seen, with several power plants on the inside. It was clear that something was being made inside.

“That said, it's too big for just the five of us to attack.”

“I think so too. If we try to attack, we're only going to end up regretting it.”

Megumi, wearing a pink suit, and Daisaku, wearing a yellow suit, both wanted to play it safe. The base was too big, and an attack wouldn't work with just the five of them. They believed calling for reinforcements would be best.

“So we're just going to leave without doing anything? They are definitely up to no good.”

“I agree with Hayato. We can't return empty-handed. Remember what professor Roppongi said the other day? A large-scale battle might be close.”

The blue Hayato and red Kenichi had a more active opinion. Having found the enemy base, they wanted to at least cause some damage to it. With a large-scale battle possibly around the corner, they might end up at a disadvantage if they left without doing anything. It wasn't like they wanted to charge in without a plan.

“Then it's two against two.... Kotarou, what do you think?”

“Hmm...”

Kotarou wearing a green suit scratched his head as Kenichi asked him. After thinking for a while, he eventually slapped his hands together.

“That's right. Kenichi-niichan, what if we approach it using the middle ground of both opinions.”

“Middle ground? What do you mean?”

“We'll take a look inside the factory, we'll check what they're up to and then withdraw. With that, we won't have to force ourselves to attack, and we won't return without anything to show for it.”

“Kotarou, you've been on a roll lately.”

“Hehehehe.”

Kotarou proudly puffed up his chest having been praised by Kenichi. He was a small boy, but he looked a little larger now.

“Everyone, I'm thinking of going with Kotarou's idea. Do you mind?”

Kenichi looked at the group to confirm their intentions. There were no objections as everyone nodded their heads. Kotarou's opinion suited everyone.

“With that decided, let's go everyone!”

““Yeah!””

With Kenichi at the front, the Sun Rangers carefully approached the factory. Since they didn't want to be found before they could scout it out, they needed to make slow and deliberate moves.

“It's just that this isn't very hero-like. Baron-san might get angry if he saw us now.”

“Kotarou, Baron-san would understand. This is for the sake of the children.”

“Yeah, you're right.”

Like Kotarou said, sneaking wasn't very hero-like. If anything, it was more villainous. However, their spirits shone on heroically.

Part 4

Around the factory was an electrified fence. Carelessly touching it would shock you, yet if they cut it, they would be found by the enemy shortly thereafter.

“Alright. Everyone, you can cross over now.”

However, that was where the giant, Daisaku, showed off his talent. Using a cable to reroute the electricity, they could pass without cutting the fence. At first glance, he looked to be the clumsiest of the bunch, but in reality he was the most dexterous of them all.

“Thank you, Daisaku-kun. Thanks for all your work.”

Megumi smiled as she helped put away Daisaku's tools.

“It's not as difficult as it looks, Megu-chan.”

Unfamiliar with machinery, Megumi held quite a bit of respect for Daisaku. Partially thanks to that, Daisaku was the man she favored the most, not including her sickness. However, she herself was not aware of this, and it would probably take quite a while before love blooms.

“I'll go first. Give me some space before you follow.”

“Be careful, Kenichi.”

“Yeah!”

Kenichi lightly waved at Hayato before passing through the hole opened up in the fence.

It was the job of the leader, Kenichi, to jump into danger first. The vice leader, Hayato brought up the rear. If the enemy appeared front or back, the leader or vice leader would be able to deal with it. It was a formation that had naturally formed over these past few months.

“... Everyone.”

Having passed through the fence, Kenichi hid in the shadow of a nearby container and waved his allies over. The Sun Rangers passed through the fence one at a time, and after three seconds they were all by Kenichi's side.

“This is where it gets difficult.”

After confirming that everyone was here, Kenichi poked his face out from the container to take a look. There were no places to hide further up ahead. They would need to rush all the way up to the building. Since he could see armed underground people patrolling, they needed to time it right.

However, they didn’t get a chance to time it, as all of a sudden a loud siren sounded throughout the entire factory, causing the soldiers’ movement to become hurried.

“Intruder alert! I repeat, intruder alert! It is believed that someone has broken past the eastern fence and entered the site! The defenses are to find and dispose of this intruder right away!”

“They found us?!”

“Calm down, Kenichi! Judging from the alert, they've only found out about the fence!”

Kenichi turned pale, but Hayato calmed him down. Neither the contents of the alert nor the underground people's movements indicated that the Sun Rangers had been found.

“Niichan, they might have cameras checking the fence regularly. It's much cheaper than randomly increasing the security devices.”

“What do we do, Kenichi-kun? It's going to be hard to scout out the factory now.”

“Daisaku-kun is right! We can't scout while dealing with that many people!”

The enemies were steadily increasing. The Sun Rangers had gotten far stronger compared to last year, but even then they couldn't deal with several dozen enemies. Doing what they had originally planned would be dangerous.

“Alright, here's what we do. Me, Hayato, and Kotarou will attract their attention. During that time, Megumi and Daisaku will take pictures of the inside of the factory. Once that's over, escape right away! We'll escape while attracting attention!”

Since the underground people didn't know how many the Sun Rangers were, they should be able to fool them with just the three of them. Besides, there was less risk with them escaping that way.

“Okay, be careful, Kenichi-kun!”

“You too! Let's go, Hayato, Kotarou!”

With their meeting done, Kenichi and the other two jumped out from the shadow of the container. Once there was some distance between them, Daisaku and Megumi headed in the opposite direction. On their way, they saw a lot of underground people heading towards Kenichi and the others.

“I hope they'll be okay...”

“Don't worry, Megu-chan. Let's just focus on our own job.”

Megumi was worried, but Daisaku made her switch gears.

“You're right, sorry, Daisaku-kun. Let's do our best, the two of us.”

“Yeah.”

They didn't have the time to worry about Kenichi and the others. They had their own dangers to overcome.

Part 5

While they had acted all cool, the moment Kenichi and the others left the container, they immediately got pushed back hard.

“They're shooting! They're not even asking questions!”

“Kenichi-niichan, there's more coming from the left too!”

“Kenichi, Kotarou! Don't go to the right, a different squad is flanking us!”

While there was still some distance between them, there were underground people everywhere. On top of that, the underground people were armed with rifles and were mercilessly firing at the three. Because of the endlessly appearing underground people and their repeated firing, the three were being cornered, little by little.

“Hayato, where do we run?!”

“Just focus on running forward!”

The three continued running forward while shots screeched past their ears. All they could do right now was run around. They had to buy time for Megumi and Daisaku to fulfill their mission.

“Niichan, something's strange!”

It was then that Kotarou noticed something odd about the situation.

“What's strange?!”

“It's their guns, they're―”

“Uwah?!”

“Are you okay, Kotarou?!”

“I-I'm fine! It only hit my helmet! But you understand now right?! The guns they're using aren't firing the usual mysterious beam!”

“You're right... I wonder why they're using normal guns today.”

The abnormality that Kotarou had noticed was the weapons the underground people were using.

There was no doubt that the enemies were underground people, one could tell from their shinto priest like clothes, which they wore body armor on top of. It was a style they had seen before.

Up until now, the weapon that the underground people used had been spiritual energy beam rifles. It was a powerful beam rifle that gathered and focused spiritual energy before releasing it. Normally, there might be a different weapon amongst the troops they fought, but the beam rifle was their primary weapon.

Yet today, the underground people were using rifles that fired bullets. While they had changed into a more commonly seen weapon, it was still suspicious.

“But those aren't normal guns!”

“What do you mean, Hayato?!”

“The fired bullets are curving to chase after us! They're like magic bullets!”

Hayato used a rifle to fight. That's why he was the first to notice the abnormality with the enemies' weapons. He first noticed that the direction the rifle was pointed at, and the bullets impact point were different. At first he assumed he had missed something, but when the same thing happened time after time again, he understood that wasn't the case.

It was bizarre, but the bullets fired would change their trajectory after being fired.

While the change wasn't large, accurate fire was possible even on the run. Hayato thought back to the trajectory of the bullet fired in the assassination of a certain president. While it was just slight, it was far from realistic that a bullet would change direction.

“It seems like it's their new weapon!”

“So their power has lowered, but it's gotten easier to hit, huh?”

“If they get any closer with those weapons, we'll get hit in no time! Hayato, Kotarou, don't stop running no matter what!”

Since the enemy had an overwhelming number, Kenichi and the others had no intention of fighting them up front, yet just running around the factory site was getting hard.

Who knows how long we'll last...

As a strong anxiety started taking root in Kenichi, Megumi's voice entered his helmet through the built-in communications device.

“Kenichi, we're done on our end! We're withdrawing!”

“Understood! We'll withdraw as well! I'll contact you about the meeting point later!”

“Be careful!”

After reporting only what needed to be reported right away, Megumi's communication ended. She didn't have the room to go into details either. But the good news raised the three’s morale.

“Niichan, let's hurry up and get out of here!”

“Hayato, use the grenade on your rifle to blow a hole in the fence up ahead!”

“Leave it to me!”

Hayato readied his rifle and fired at the fence.

Along with a light recoil and some spewed out fire, the underslung grenade launcher fired.

The grenade hit the fence where Hayato had aimed and blew open a large hole. The three sprinted straight towards the hole. It was their only escape path.

“Hayato, you go first! Kotarou, goes next!”

“Understood!”

“What about you, Niichan?!”

“I'll go last! Just in― hah?!”

Kenichi's precaution of going last while watching their backs paid off as he barely managed to prevent the surprise attack from an assailant not making any sound.

“I won't go down that easily!!”

Kenichi swung the single handed sword in his right hand and repeatedly fired the handgun in his left at the assailant. But the assailant elegantly jumped backwards and dodged the bullets.

“W-What's with this guy?!”

The assailant had a mechanical appearance, overall it had a humanoid shape. It was about as tall as an average grown man. However, looking at it closely, the limbs were too thin, as if they were just bones. On top of that, the hands and feet were equipped with large claws, making it look quite inhuman. Thanks to the metallic sheen one could tell it was a machine, but it was quite different from the humanoid robots that Japanese corporations made.

“The underground people's killer robot huh... damn it.”

Kenichi frowned and held his side with his left hand. There was a large wound there; the assailant, the underground people's mechanical soldier, had cut him up as it jumped away. Despite its bony appearance, it was strong and quick. Kenichi believed he had prevented the attack, but the mechanical soldier was one step ahead. If it wasn't for his combat suit, the wound would have been fatal, though the wound was still deep and he spilled a lot of blood.

Not good... I can't escape like this... I'll have to–

Kenichi jumped back and stood with his back facing the hole in the fence,

“Kenichi, what are you doing?! Hurry up!”

“Hayato, Kotarou, you two go! I'll buy you time!”

Kenichi figured that at this rate they would be wiped out. Even if the three of them fought together, it would take time to defeat the mechanical soldier. During that time, the underground people would arrive. That said, he didn't want to endure attacks from the enemy giving chase and have them target the five as they grouped up. In order to prevent that, somebody needed to stay behind and slow down the mechanical soldier. Kenichi believed that since he had been injured, he was the most suitable for the job.

“You can't, Kenichi-niichan!”

“If I don't, nobody will return! Quit your yappering and go! Return to base with as much information as possible!”

As Kenichi said that, the mechanical soldier attacked. While Kenichi did his best with his sword and gun, he was clearly at a disadvantage. Kenichi's was repeatedly wounded from the mechanical soldier's claws.

“Kotarou!”

“Yeah!”

Hayato and Kotarou began running, however, it wasn't because they were obeying Kenichi's orders. Instead they were running towards Kenichi. They passed through the hole in the fence and entered the factory site once more.

“You idiots, what are you doing?!”

“I won't let you hog all the spotlight, Kenichi! Being cool is my job!”

“Daisaku-niichan and Megumi-neechan will bring the information back.”

“Do you understand what you're doing?!”

“We know. We just can't leave you behind!”

“Niichan, we all came this far together. Let's stay together until the end.”

“You guys...”

However, regardless of how much of an advantage they gained against the mechanical soldier, it was just a win on the surface. Before they could defeat it, they would be surrounded by the underground people.

“... Guess it can't be helped. In that case, let's give it our all. Depending on our efforts, the incoming fight will become easier.”

“That's good. That's more like Red Shine.”

“I wish Baron-san would have heard Niichan's lines. He definitely would have praised you.”

At this point, the three knew that there was no turning back. They desperately steeled themselves, ready to take as many enemies as possible with them. That was their duty. They were soldiers who protected the peace. They were completely different from what they had been in the past. They took pride in their job.

“You're absolutely right! Well said, Red Shine!”

That voice belonged to neither Kenichi, Hayato, nor Kotarou. It wasn't Daisaku's nor Megumi's neither. The moment they heard that voice, the mechanical soldier in front of Kenichi was cut in half.

“Eh?!”

As the mechanical soldier's two pieces fell, a boy wielding a large sword and wearing a beautiful blue armor appeared.

“It looks like you've become real heroes in just a few months.”

“Baron-san!”

The boy that cut the enemy in half was Koutarou. Surprised by his sudden appearance, Kenichi was at a loss for words and remained motionless. He was surprised both by Koutarou and the fact that he had easily cut the soldier in half. As Kenichi remained motionless, the underground people rained fire down upon him. That was where the black haired girl, Kiriha, who was standing next to Koutarou, quickly gave an order.

“Karama, Korama, Spiritual Energy Field to maximum output!!”

“Roger!”

“Leave it to us Ho-!”

In the next moment, two haniwas floated up in front of Kenichi. The haniwas created a shield made from yellow light and protected Kenichi.

“This is bad, Koutarou! These attacks aren't based on spiritual energy!”

However, that shield of light, that barrier, was already starting to collapse. That was partially because of the amount of bullets, but also because the haniwas' barrier was the most effective against spiritual energy-based attacks. Since the weapons used this time weren't based on spiritual energy, the barrier wouldn't last for long.

“It's okay, leave it to me!”

Next up was a girl with silver hair, Harumi. She closed her eyes, held her hands in front of her chest spoke mysterious words as if they were song. This was ancient Forthorthe, used in the activation of magic.

“Gather, spirits of water! Dance, spirits of wind! Combine these two powers and appear, spirits of lightning!”

As her incantation progressed, the white light enveloping Harumi grew stronger. As if resonating with that, Koutarou's sword began emitting the same colored light.

“Like a coiled snake, like a rising tornado, show yourself! Whirl! Thunder Spiral!”

Having finished her incantation, Harumi opened her eyes wide and thrust her hands forward. As she did, a giant coil several meters in diameter that was made from red light appeared from her stretched out hands. The red coil that had suddenly appeared had a powerful electromagnetic current, and it twisted the trajectory of the oncoming bullets through electromagnetic induction. As a result, the bullets didn't even reach the haniwas' barrier.

“What is this?!”

Kenichi was in a fluster as odd events happened one after another.

“Now's not the time to be surprised! Run away!”

“Y-Yes!”

However, Kenichi remembered the situation as Koutarou roared at him. The enemy was right in front of him. Figuring out just who Koutarou was could wait for later. There, Kenichi hurriedly gave his allies orders.

“Hayato, Kotarou, we're leaving!”

“G-Got it!”

“I don't really understand, but thank you, Baron-san!”

His allies seemed to be equally confused as he was, but they obediently followed Kenichi's orders. The two passed through the hole in the fence and left the factory site.

“Red Shine, I'll lend you a hand.”

“Thanks.”

The wounded Kenichi borrowed Shizuka's shoulder and chased after his allies.

“You've been beaten up quite a bit. Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I'm okay.”

Sanae joined the two and used her spiritual powers to perform some emergency treatment on Kenichi.

“Clan, give me a smoke screen!”

“Smoke grenade fired!”

“Yurika, stop the enemy from moving!”

“Okay! Ice Burn – Modifier – Effective Area Large!”

“Aika-san―”

“Orb of Fire!!”

Koutarou and the others then followed after the others after obstructing the enemy as much as they could.

It hadn't been a coincidence that Koutarou and the other appeared as Kenichi and the others were in danger. A while after Kiriha had received a report that Tayuma had escaped from his prison, Karama, who was following the Sun Rangers, caught something on his spiritual energy sensor. Kiriha believed that there was a high chance that the reaction was from Tayuma, considering the timing, and she began chasing after the Sun Rangers.

The Sun Rangers didn't know that there was a conservative faction of the underground people, nor did they know that the radical faction had a connection with magical power. Connection or not, they didn't even know of magical powers to begin with. Leaving the normal radicals aside, with a core member of the radical faction leading this group of radicals, there was a high chance that they were equipped with magical weapons. On top of that, the timing was bad as the radical faction had gotten more active lately. If left alone, the Sun Rangers would be wiped out by unknown weapons that went by the name of magic.

Seeing the Sun Rangers sacrifice themselves and that the enemy preventing them from escaping, this was quite clearly different from a small skirmish. There was a considerable chance that this might be the trigger to start the battle between the surface dwellers and the underground people. If that happened, it would be the worst case scenario that Kiriha feared. There, Kiriha decided to save the Sun Rangers, well aware that her identity might be exposed.

Part 6

In the conference room of the Sun Rangers’ secret base were Koutarou and the others, the Sun Rangers, and the Sun Rangers' commander, professor Roppongi. In total there were 14 of them; that was quite a number, but unlike room 106 this room was quite large, so there was no cramped feeling.

“... I see, so the underground people are currently split up into the conservative faction and the radical faction. I never put much thought into that, but in the end you're human like us. Just like we aren't united, neither were the underground people.”

Despite Kiriha explaining the circumstances, professor Roppongi didn't seem very surprised. He stroked his beard while nodding contently.

Looking at the history of Earth, he found no reason to doubt Kiriha's words. While the question of whether Kiriha really belonged to the conservative faction or not remained. The fact that the conservative faction itself existed was a natural thing to Roppongi.

“There are two problems. The first is that the radical faction are not representing the intentions of the People of the Earth. The other is that the radical faction are rushing to get results.”

“So the minority that is the radical faction is trying to force a war with the surface that the majority does not desire is it.”

“So they'd die for their pride... as expected of radicals.”

The radical faction's ideas made them appear as a terrorist organization on the surface. In the end, humanity's enemy was itself. Whether they were from the surface or from underground, the situation never changed.

“Us conservatives have chosen to move to the surface without the surface dwellers finding out and eventually merging together with the local people and disappearing. The radical faction can't accept that.”

“So if they face ruin either way, they'd rather be ruined through battle, huh?”

The conservatives had decided to migrate to the surface. They hated conflicts between the surface and underground; as a result, once those that had migrated to the surface obtained a means to live on their own, the People of the Earth's government would be abandoned. While an organization for social aid might remain, there would no longer be any large-scale activities. In other words, while the People of the Earth's lineage would remain, the nation itself would be ruined. This was something the radicals wouldn’t forgive under any circumstances.

What the conservative faction was trying to protect was their lineage, or their people. But the radical faction wanted to protect their nation, their pride and traditions. Since what they valued the most was different, no amount of discussion could resolve their differences.

“I understand the circumstances. It seems like it would be for the best if you and we work together. Though sadly it would be unofficial...”

“I understand your circumstances as well. I appreciate your offer for cooperation.”

“I see. Then I will speak with the higher-ups.”

The Japanese government probably wouldn't accept the conservative faction’s methods. Systematic immigration from a nation they had no diplomatic relationship with was the same as illegal immigration. The government's standpoint on that was clear, and they wouldn't allow it.

But realistically speaking, they would want to cooperate with the conservative faction to combat the radicals. So their cooperation would become unofficial and on a small scale. In exchange, the People of the Earth would be 'forgotten' once the problems were resolved. If they carelessly aggravated the conservative faction, they might create another radical faction. Looking at it from another viewpoint, the People of the Earth were in Japan, so they could be considered inhabitants the government previously had no knowledge of. In that sense, there were less problems leaving the conservative faction alone than there were in aggravating them.

The People of the Earth's technology far surpassed Japan's, and their existence was sort of a grey zone. It would be more convenient for the Japanese government to leave the People of the Earth alone and let them vanish.

Like that, the future policy was that they would work together, but that shook some people. Mainly the five Sun Rangers.

“... Things have taken a strange turn.”

“Are you not satisfied, Hayato?”

“That's not it... but I'm confused.”

“I understand how you feel, Hayato-niichan. We considered all underground people to be evil just a while ago, and now that has suddenly changed. Of course that's strange.”

Hayato and Kotarou were confused. Just a while ago, they had fought against the underground people under the belief that they were all evil. Yet now that viewpoint had suddenly collapsed, bringing about a new sense of values. The underground people were split into two factions. They would work together with the conservative faction, while fighting against the radical faction. The two were still unable to adapt to that change in values.

“Kenichi, are you fine?”

“I'm... relieved actually.”

The Sun Rangers' leader, Kenichi, had a different viewpoint from the two. While he was a little confused, he was pleased by the current situation.

“Why?”

“Say we defeat the evil underground people and reach their empire... what then? Do we kill their children? Their women? Their elderly?”

“That's...”

“By working together with the underground people's conservative faction, I'm finally able to see our goal. We only have to fight against the invaders, we don't have to do anything else.”

Before, Kenichi had not seen an end to their battle.

Up until now, the Sun Rangers had only been dealing with the symptoms of the underground people's invasion rather than the actual cause. They had been unable to find the underground people's stronghold and had no choice but to obstruct their invasion. Kenichi couldn't see a bright future as he considered how things were going.

However, even if they had found the underground people's stronghold, what then? Would they kill everyone that lived there? There should be civilians and children amongst the underground people as well. Would they have to kill them all? Or would they capture everyone and keep them somewhere isolated, like at a concentration camp not unlike those from the war? As he imagined futures like that, Kenichi was reluctant to reach an end of their battle with the underground people.

If their battle continued the way it did now, a sad future was all that waited for them. However, if they worked together with the conservative faction and defeated the radical faction, the battle would end. They would be able to avoid the sad futures. That's why Kenichi welcomed the cooperation with the conservative faction. He wanted to believe in the future where as many people as possible survived.

“Kenichi-niichan, did you eat something strange?”

“You don't have to put it like that! I can be serious at times as well!!”

“That's not what I meant. It's just that what you're saying is correct, so we're just surprised. Right, Hayato-niichan?”

“... Yeah. Kenichi, you're correct. We never even thought about that.”

When they heard what Kenichi had to say, both Hayato's and Kotarou's confusion disappeared. They had never thought of things from Kenichi's perspective. And when they did, they found that he was right.

If the battle ended at an early stage, they wouldn't have to see their teammates hurt, and they wouldn't hold a grudge against the underground people. It was indeed the ideal conclusion.

“Kenichi, you really are the Sun Rangers' leader.”

“Oh, you finally admitted it, Hayato-niichan.”

“I just realized that a leader shouldn't be chosen purely based on ability.”

“You sore loser. But I think so too.”

“Hayato... Kotarou...”

Kenichi teared up a little. His teammates thought the same way he did. Kenichi renewed his determination to see this fight through to the end with his teammates.

“Silly Hayato and Kotarou♪. It was clear that we should be friendly with the underground people the moment my Baron-sama had an underground person as his ally♪. You're all overthinking it♪”

“I'm sure the underground people have delicious food too so I'm glad if we don't have to fight them.”

“You get it Daisaku-kun♪. Ufufufu, I wonder what kind of wonderful underground people there are, aaahhh~, I can't wait♪”

The remaining two, Daisaku and Megumi weren't shaken whatsoever. They believed in cooperation with the underground people before professor Roppongi even made his decision. Their attitude didn't change in the slightest after his decision.

“You're the same as always, Megumi, Daisaku...”

“... I'm envious of that simplicity.”

“Shhh, Neechan will hear you, Hayato-niichan.”

The Sun Rangers had been slightly shook up by the decision that they would cooperate with the underground people's conservative faction. However in the end, their resolve was strengthened.

Part 7

The Sun Rangers was a secret organization created by the government. Since they were made by the government, there had to be a reason for it.

The truth was that there was once another faction apart from the underground people's conservative and radical factions. It was a faction that strived after harmony with the surface even more than the conservative faction. They were people that were actively proclaiming that the People of the Earth should be dismantled.

This third faction, the dismantlement faction, was simple. Once the twentieth century arrived, the surface dwellers’ development was clear. The dismantlement faction was very attracted by the surface's lifestyle and culture and began requesting that the People of the Earth be dismantled so they could live on the surface.

However, both the conservative and the radical faction objected. The radicals denounced them as dismantlement was the same as abandoning their pride. The conservative faction thought that dismantling was rushing ahead of it and distanced themselves from the dismantlement faction. As a result, the faction was isolated amongst the People of the Earth.

Isolated, the conservative faction decided that they should migrate to the surface alone. Just then, World War II broke out, and a small amount of the dismantlement faction took advantage of the confusion and migrated. As the migration took place, the dismantlement faction threw away their identity as People of the Earth and began living as surface dwellers.

This early migration from the dismantlement faction could be said to have changed the fate of the People of the Earth. Those living on the surface would sometimes bring culture from the surface down underground, and they would speak of their experience on the surface. As a result, the people who admired the surface grew, and the population gradually started to leave. As the outflow of people increased, the conservative faction accepted that the People of the Earth were in decline. The leader, Kurano Daiha took this opportunity to change their policy on migration.

However, this was far from welcome to the radical faction, and they began considering the dismantlement faction as enemies, as traitors. Of course, the dismantlement faction sensed that and realized that the radical faction might eventually attack the surface. If that happened, the dismantlement faction who loved the surface's culture and lifestyle would be troubled in two ways. They couldn't stand to see the surface destroyed, but they would also be caught between the surface and the underground in the conflict. There, they decided to make the first move and created an insurance of sorts.

Their insurance was secretly contacting the surface government and giving them technology that had been taken from underground. By doing that, they would let the government know that there were some with advanced technology in a roundabout way. In the case that the surface and underground came into conflict, it would also be convenient for them to have that technology.

As a result, the surface government began their research on underground technology. The Sun Rangers was formed based on their results. In other words, all of the equipment the Sun Rangers were using were products from their research on underground people's technology, their combat suits and sensors included. That's why their technology was so inferior to Kiriha's. The technology that the dismantlement faction had brought to the surface was technology used around the time of World War II.

From there, time passed and the radical faction began their invasion on the surface. The dormant Sun Rangers organization was brought online and faced the brunt of the invasion. Those were the circumstances around the Sun Rangers.

“These are roughly the reasons for why we're fighting.”

“So they're copies of old technology. No wonder we couldn't win...”

“We've been training so hard so we can win, Megu-chan.”

“... Professor, does that mean that we've been allies with the peaceful underground people from the very beginning?”

“If you call the enemy of your enemy your ally, then that would be the case, yes. There was no clear cooperation between us. It's more of a give-and-take kind of relationship.”

“You should have just said so from the start.”

“Hayato, would we have believed that a year ago?”

“That's...”

“It's just as Kenichi-kun says. The underground invaders’ existence only became apparent as of late. Who would believe it even if their technology was laid down in front of us?”

With Roppongi's words, Kenichi and the others thought back to themselves a year back. When they did, they found that Roppongi's words were quite correct.

“However, with this we can get a grasp of the overall flow. Kiriha-san and the others were more of a middle ground.”

As Kenichi and the others fell silent, Koutarou began talking. Having listened in on what was said, Koutarou had gotten grasp of the overall problems surrounding the underground world.

“Yes. Us conservatives are like our name suggests; gathered around the premise of peace. That said, we didn't first wish to go as far as dismantling the People of the Earth. The reason why we've chosen that now is because the situation has changed.”

Kiriha had a satisfied expression. She had been curious regarding the inferior spiritual energy technology that the Sun Rangers were using, but that problem had been solved by Roppongi's explanation.

“All that's left is how we suppress the radical faction.”

Harumi wrapped up the discussion so far. When considering the conveniences of the surface and underground, the radical faction becomes an obstacle.

The surface wanted to avoid a full-scale war with the advanced People of the Earth. Even if they won, there would be considerable losses. Again, the People of the Earth had fewer numbers, so they too wanted to avoid war with the surface. Short-term aside, looking at it long-term, victory was unimaginable.

Neither side desired war, but the radical faction was trying to start one. They had to be stopped no matter what.

“Uhm, Satomi-san, can I say something?”

That was when Yurika, who had stayed mostly quiet raised her hand and asked to be allowed to speak.

Yurika?

That was when Koutarou had a bad feeling. Yurika's expression was that of a magical girl that fought for justice, something Koutarou didn't want Yurika to show right now.

“... Say it.”

Koutarou held back his anxiety and urged her to continue.

“Yes. Uhm, uhm, about this gun...”

Upon receiving Koutarou's permission, Yurika put one of the rifles on the table.

The rifle weighed several kilos. The heavy sound as the rifle was placed on the table instilled anxiety in a lot of people.

“The truth is, there is a magical reaction coming from this gun.”

“What?!”

That was the reason for Yurika's expression.

Part 8

When Koutarou and the others were saving the Sun Rangers, Yurika felt the presence of magic scattered across the battlefield. The majority of it was from the weapons the underground people were using. There, Yurika picked up a weapon from those defeated and brought it back. That was the rifle she had put on the desk.

“This rifle itself doesn't have magic cast on it, instead it's the bullets that have a spell cast on them. It looks like the bullets adjust their trajectory based on what their user is targeting.”

Yurika had been examining the rifle up until now. As a result, she realized that the situation was worse than she thought and interrupted the discussion.

“I don't understand magic, but this lady is correct. The bullets fired from their guns change direction while flying.”

Hayato backed up Yurika's claims. Since Hayato preferred using guns, he had realized the abnormality of the guns the underground people were using at the factory.

“Just where is the radical faction getting enchanted bullets from?”

“They are probably gaining them through Maya-sama. Maya-sama's body was made from spiritual energy technology, so they are probably sharing technology.”

Maya, the previous Dark Navy and also Maki's master. In a previous battle, Maya had suffered serious injuries and lost her ability to fight. However, she had gained a mechanical body and returned to the battlefield. The new body was made using spiritual energy technology. And if she was using that, then it wasn't unlikely that the radical faction would have access to magic. This gun was proof to back up that suspicion.

“Magical weapons are being used to invade the surface. This is clearly a misuse of magic... this is my job.”

Even if it wasn't Darkness Rainbow, the misuse of magic had to be stopped. That was the duty of the magical girl, Rainbow Yurika. Her expression was more serious than ever because this wasn't just for the sake of a friend, but also because this was her original duty.

“... If we're making a move, we should do so soon. Looking at this gun, the radical faction has made careful preparations.”

Clan had a severe expression. Both Clan and Yurika had investigated the gun, but her scientific knowledge had made the radical faction's intentions clear.

“What do you mean?”

“This gun has a very high processing precision. I've only investigated it with the measuring instruments at hand, but it has been made using technology that far exceeds the technology of the surface.”

“Well of course, it's made by the underground people.”

The underground people had advanced technology. On top of that, the production machinery probably had spells cast on them to increase their precision. It wasn't strange for their precision to be so high.

“That's not the problem. While the precision of the parts that affects the shooting of the rifle are very high, the precision of the parts consumed during use isn't that high.”

“What do you mean?”

Koutarou tilted his head in confusion. There, Hayato who was knowledgeable in guns explained.

“In other words, the rifle is designed so that the consumable parts can be reproduced on the surface. That's bad, this is indeed troublesome. They're making weapons taking into consideration what happens after they've attacked the surface.”

“I believe it's the same reason for why the guns themselves don't use magic. They're working under the assumption that the supply of magic won't make it in time as the battlefield expands.”

When making weapons used during short term and long term, the design needed was almost completely different.

For weapons used in short term, they could simply be made using high quality parts.

The weapons used during raids by a small number of elite forces were most likely these kind of weapons.

However, in a long war, that would lead to problems. If the soldiers used high quality weapons that they themselves couldn't maintain, the weapons would be unusable after a few days. The same goes for specific parts imbued with magic. If the supply of parts couldn't keep up as the battlefield expanded, the weapons would once again become unusable.

That's why for long wars, weapons needed to be designed for easy maintenance. They also wouldn't need special parts, but could be reproduced in the occupied territories. The guns were then made to fire standard bullets, while keeping the enchanted bullets in reserve for when they were needed.

Weapons couldn't just be made using high quality parts. They needed to be designed with their purpose in mind. And these guns were made with the invasion of the surface in mind. That was the reason as to why Clan had said that the radical faction had made careful preparations.

“Looking at this gun from an industrial and strategic point of view, it has a correct design. It's hard to believe that this was made by only thinking of the first attack on the surface. The radical faction is without a doubt taking a long war into consideration.”

“Which means that once they begin moving, it'll be hard to stop them. Kiriha-san!”

“I know. Let's take action as soon as we can.”

The radical faction couldn't be underestimated. It was clear that they were more dangerous than imagined. Knowing that, they couldn't be left to their own devices. Koutarou and the others no longer had time to spare.

As a result of examining possible measures, it was decided that the factory should be infiltrated and investigated. The primary reason for that was to investigate what was being produced at the factory and get a grasp of the radical faction’s plans. They knew that weapons were being produced thanks to Daisaku and Megumi's photos, but they wanted more details. And, if possible, they wanted to sabotage the manufacturing.

Once the measure had been decided on, Theia and Ruth who had been at the station joined the group. The situation was currently being explained to them.

“I see, those Sun Rangers did... What a strange turn of events.”

“So what will you do, Master?”

“I will guard Kiriha-san and infiltrate the factory.”

There would be two groups infiltrating the factory. The majority would serve as a diversion while a select few enter. The members of the small group were Koutarou, Kiriha, Clan and Harumi. Kiriha was knowledgeable about the People of the Earth, Clan was knowledgeable in science, and Harumi was careful and could use magic. Koutarou would guard the three.

“What should we do?”

“Please join Yurika and the others and divert the enemy’s attention to the main entrance. The ones in charge of the diversion will have a fierce fight on their hands. We need people that can push them back.”

“Leave it to me. That is my specialty. I will splendidly perform my duties.”

“Master...”

Theia agreed to the plan right away, but Ruth clasped her hands in front of her chest and looked up at Koutarou. The moment he looked into her eyes, he understood what she wanted.

“... Lord Ruthkania Nye Pardomshiha, vice captain of the Satomi band of knights, accompany princess Theiamillis and divert the enemy's attention.”

“I will do so with my life!”

Receiving orders from Koutarou, Ruth's eyes shone and she replied with a Forthorthe-style salute.

Part 9

Theia and Ruth had left for the station both to go shopping and to pick a certain something up. The something was the band of knights uniform that Theia and Ruth had designed.

“Maki-sama, how does it fit?”

“It's perfect.”

“It doesn't get in the way of your movements does it?”

“Don't worry, it's easy to move in. But Ruth-san... could you stop it with that Maki-sama?”

“Why?”

“You are the vice captain, and I'm your subordinate, so...”

“Then... Maki-san.”

“That's better.”

“Ufufufu, you're surprisingly nitpicky.”

“What are you saying when you're the one who prepared these uniforms.”

“Aha, that's true.”

Ruth and Maki were wearing matching uniforms. These uniforms were somewhat resembling of Koutarou's armor, but the design in its entirety was closer to a school uniform. It was a girlish and cute design. The colors were blue and white, based on the Blue Knight and Alaia, and then each person's personal color was added in. Ruth's color was yellow, and Maki's was indigo. It was a wonderful design filled with Theia's and Ruth's maiden dreams.

“...Why is it just Ruth and Maki?”

Sanae who was watching was dissatisfied. Since she hadn't officially joined the band of knights, she couldn't wear this cute uniform. This displeased her and she had a frown on her face. Then, Harumi called out to Sanae.

“Higashihongan-san, you can wear one once this fight is over.”

“Really?!”

“Yes. Once the problem with the underground people is resolved, there won't be any reason to maintain the standstill.”

At the moment, Sanae had to maintain her position as an invader to keep the People of the Earth from exploding. However, since the People of the Earth had made their move, once this was resolved, there was no worry about the People of the Earth running amok any more. Once that happened, Sanae could freely join the band of knights and wear the uniform.

“Koutarou, Koutarou! Once this is over will you let me join the band of knights?! I'll be in charge of the chores!!”

“I get it, I get it, so calm down a little.”

“Alright! Then I'll do my best!”

“Keep it in moderation.”

“Yeah!”

Sanae's mood had completely recovered and she hung onto Koutarou's back like always. She looked like a child, but the spiritual energy in her body was stronger than ever, and the overflowing spiritual energy formed a faint halo. Sanae had plenty of motivation.

“...”

In contrast to Sanae, Yurika was low-spirited. She was holding her cane, Angel Halo, while quietly thinking about something.

“Hey.”

A dull thud rang out.

“Ow?!”

Having noticed Yurika's appearance, Koutarou casually bonked her on her forehead.

“W-What are you doing, Satomi-san?!”

Yurika held her forehead and complained to Koutarou. Her serious expression had vanished in an instant.

“I just accidently hit you because you were showing a face so unlike you.”

“Why can't you be more gentle? Geez!”

“If I'm gentle now, you'd cry, right.”

However, Yurika didn't complain for long. Koutarou's words had drained the strength from her and she looked away, embarrassed.

“Tha.... That... might be true, but...”

“Don't get so eager just because this is related to magic. You're not fighting on your own anymore. we're all with you.”

“Satomi-san...”

Yurika took a deep breath and loosened up her expression.

“I feel a little better. Thank you, Satomi-san.”

“I only hit you.”

“... I'll leave it at that.”

With some tension leaving her body, Yurika flashed a smile. But at the same time, she wiped away some tears that were forming in her eyes. In the end, she cried a little.

“Satomi-kun really gets Yurika-chan.”

Shizuka laughed as she looked at Koutarou and Yurika. Koutarou responded by smiling wryly.

“For better or for worse, she is a handful. If you spend more than a year together, you'll understand, like it or not.”

Koutarou dropped his shoulders as he said that. Both Koutarou himself and the girls around knew that he was just hiding his embarrassment.

“Geez~ Satomi-san, if you love me then you should just say so. You're so shy.”

Another dull thud rang out.

“... S-Sorry. I got too full of myself...”

“By the way, Satomi-kun, don't you have any of that consideration for me?”

“You mean you want me to hit you?”

Koutarou waved his fist around and turned to Shizuka.

“No. Don't you have any words of encouragement or good luck charms for this unfortunate landlord dragged into this fight? There're so many things you could do, like taking me to a movie.”

“Then... how about this?”

Koutarou placed the hand he had been waving around on top of Shizuka's head and gently patted her. Shizuka smiled and showed a satisfied expression.

“Hmm... well, it works.”

“I am glad I could be of help.”

Normally Shizuka would never complain, but Koutarou paid no heed to that and smiled.

Well, anyone would get anxious...

While all of the girls here held strong powers, they were still girls in their teens. When faced with a battle that would decide the future of the underground people, there was no way they could stay calm. The results of this battle would affect room 106's future. Koutarou had gotten enough of a grasp of the female heart to understand that.

“Then could you do it for one more?”

“One more?”

“Koutarou, this way.”

“Owow.”

As Koutarou was confused by Shizuka's words, Sanae forcibly turned his head towards Kiriha who was studying a map with a serious expression.

That's...

Koutarou could see the card in Kiriha's hand, and he knew what that meant. Like Shizuka said, there was one more he had to do something about.

“She's been emitting a strange aura for a while now, I've tried doing some stuff... but nothing really works. So Koutarou, please.”

“Sanae... Okay, I'll give it a shot.”

“Yeah, please do.”

After hugging Koutarou once, Sanae climbed off his back.

“That said, what should I tell her?”

Koutarou thought for a while. Kiriha was a leader of the People of the Earth, she was in the center of this problem. Some thoughtless attempts at comforting her might have the opposite effect. There, Harumi gave Koutarou some counseling.

“Satomi-kun, you only have to act like you do normally. What you convey to her isn't just some decorated words, right?”

Harumi's words were filled with conviction and her eyes were as gentle as possible.

Your majesty Alaia...

Her appearance reminded him of a girl he had met in the past. He knew they were different people, but as of late, they would seemingly overlap from time to time. Harumi had begun emanating a dignified aura like that girl’s.

“Right now, Kurano-san is your princess. So please go to her side at once, sir knight.”

“... Yes.”

Harumi called Kiriha a princess, but to Koutarou, the calmly smiling Harumi looked like a real princess.

Part 10

As Koutarou headed towards Kiriha, the remaining girls naturally followed him with their eyes. They watched over, full of curiosity, wondering how Koutarou would deal with her.

“He's talking to her.”

“Well. That's the appropriate way to start.”

Having approached Kiriha, Koutarou started by chatting with her. Since Kiriha would glance down at her hand from time to time, they were probably talking about her card.

“I wonder what the card is.”

“R-Ruth-san, it seems to be a character card from an old anime. But it seems to mean a lot to her, so you normally wouldn't ask too much, right? That's why we don't know much either.”

“I see. So Shizuka-sama, what charac―”

“Pardomshiha, have a look at Bertorion!”

“Eh?”

As the girls discussion was about to enter a dangerous topic, Koutarou took his next step. They were still talking, but Koutarou had placed his hand on Kiriha's head and he gently began patting her.

“I love that.”

Looking at Koutarou patting Kiriha's head, Maki blushed a little and her eyes moistened. When she thought back to when Koutarou had done the same to her, she understood how Kiriha felt.

“Kiriha-san is crying.”

“Kiriha can't rely on a person whenever she likes to like you.”

“I see, in Kiriha's case it's just Koutarou.”

“She'd be fine if she could take a defiant attitude like her highness.”

“Ruth, are you picking a fight with me?”

“Of course not.”

As Kiriha was having her head patted, tears streamed down from Kiriha's eyes. They were proof that she was a normal girl. It was her true appearance that she only showed Koutarou. Koutarou reached out towards Kiriha's cheek and wiped her tears away.

“Koutarou's hands are really warm, you know. That's why I'm always rubbing my face against them.”

“I've experienced it too... It was the first time since my dad did it, so I cried.”

“Satomi-kun has a part of him that craves the warmth of others... so when he's doing that, he might feel the same way we do.”

“Sakuraba-senpai, you make it sound like you're Satomi-san's girlfriend.”

“That wasn't my intention... I-I just meant it as a general rule!”

All of the girls watching over Koutarou and Kiriha had some form of remembrance of the scene playing out in front of them. That's why they could understand Kiriha's feelings, and were able to objectively see their own. And all of them reaffirmed that they need Koutarou, and the ones around them as well. That's why they felt it was only natural for the deeply moved Kiriha to be hugging Koutarou.

“Of course she'd hug him... I think about it every day.”

“I think about it from time to time. That maybe Koutarou was sent by the Goddess of Dawn to save us.”

“Your highness, if you're going to say that, it's not just Master.”

“You're right. We are all saving another in one way or another.”

Eventually Koutarou hugged Kiriha back. As he did, Kiriha clung on to him and began crying even harder.

“It was because he hugged me like that, that I was able to leave Darkness Rainbow. If it's him, we could support each other...”

“In my case, I annulled an engagement, but... I don't regret it.”

“Your fiance was an enemy, wasn't he?”

“When Satomi-kun protects you, you get this feeling of wanting to protect him too. But I think that's what happiness is. A one-sided relationship is lonely, isn't it?”

Many had experienced the embrace of Koutarou's powerful arms. Many had felt the sensation that Kiriha was feeling now. That's why the other girls teared up as well. This wasn't someone else's business to them.

“... I can't accept it.”

Amongst them was one girl who was unhappy. It was Clan, who had a frown and a look of dissatisfaction in her eyes behind her glasses.

“I've never had him to do that to me, not even once.”

“Ah, me too. I've only done it during the play...”

“In Harumi's case, it was practically real, right? It doesn't count as not having experienced it!”

Clan was the only one who hadn't been hugged by Koutarou. Strictly speaking, Harumi hadn't experienced it either; the only thing she had was being able to be close to Koutarou during their club activities. However, since Harumi had Alaia's memories intertwining with her memories of the play, it was practically inseparable from reality.

“But, but, Clan-san, Satomi-san is always saying how much he loves you.”

“He only says that when he's working me hard!”

“He's never said that to me when he works me hard...”

However, Clan's anger didn't last for long. It was as Yurika said. While she had never been hugged, Clan had memories on she shared with Koutarou. It was too rash to judge their relation based on whether she had been hugged or not.

“Ah, Kiriha is smiling.”

“How good. She looks like she'll be fine.”

Having been hugged by Koutarou for a while, Kiriha eventually separated herself from him and smiled. She had probably been able to get her feelings in order through her talk with Koutarou, the girls watching were rejoiced as if it was they themselves.

That was when Harumi sighed and mumbled under her breath.

“What can we do... to keep Satomi-kun the same always...”

Koutarou needed Harumi and the others. That's why he had returned from the past. And if possible, Harumi wanted that to continue forever. She didn't want him going somewhere far out of her reach ever again. That wasn't something only Harumi wanted, but all of the girls did too.

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