Published at 17th of August 2019 9:01 am

Volume 16, Chapter 6: Kiriha's Invasion

This chapter is updated by NovelFree.ml

Part 1

Saturday, July 10

As a result of Tayuma's disappearance, the radical faction's armed uprising began to reach its end.

The leader, Maguz, was captured and their ace in the hole, Earth Dragon, was lost. Having lost two pillars of faith, the radical faction rapidly lost their morale.

Moreover, the radical faction soldiers that had played a part in the decisive battle regarding Earth Dragon had agreed to disarm themselves, which also played a big part. They seemed to have realized something in that battle and became strangely cooperative with the conservative faction. It also seemed like their hate for people on the surface had lessened and they had stopped claiming that all surface dwellers should be killed.

While the soldiers that had taken part in the decisive battle were an exception, this spread to the soldiers in different places that disliked fighting. As the radical faction fought, they realized that they were pointing their guns at their own people. In other words, the People of the Earth finally understood what war was.

If Maguz and Earth Dragon had survived then the radical faction's morale might have been sustained through charisma and power, but sadly both had fallen into the hands of the conservative faction. In that situation there were few of the opinion that they should continue fighting and the desire to reach a ceasefire increased. As a result, about one week after the armed uprising, the battle between two factions of the People of the Earth reached its conclusion.

Though the battle had ended, Maguz hadn't bent his beliefs. His belief that a military invasion and a rule by those superior was necessary hadn't changed just from losing to the conservative faction.

However, upon learning of the fate that Tayuma had met, he toned down a little. The fact that the radical faction soldiers had rejected rule by one with superior strength shocked him. Even if the reason for that was in Tayuma himself, it was true that Maguz had worked Tayuma into his system of rule. Regardless, it was a serious problem that shook Maguz' legitimacy. Because of that, Maguz stopped the aggressive assertion of his theory and indifferently waited for his punishment.

It wasn't until then that Maguz, that Raiga, finally responded to his father's request to meet. Those who heard about that whispered that Raiga might still barely have the heart of a man.

Kouma had been horribly depressed since he learned that his son was Maguz, to the point where he had attempted suicide as an apology after learning that Raiga had been captured. Karama and Korama had been able to stop him just in time and his attempt ended in failure. Having failed in his suicide, Kouma requested to retire. He wanted to take responsibility for his son's actions by leaving his position as Daiha's attendant. However, Daiha and Kiriha stopped him. There was no one as excellent as him around, and both Kiriha and Daiha wanted Kouma to continue working for the sake of the People of the Earth. Kouma accepted that and continued his work as Daiha's right hand, yet he decided to return his salary. This was the least he could do to take responsibility as a father.

The government on the surface honored their promise that in exchange for their cooperation with the conservative faction being small scale and unofficial, the conservative faction's existence would be tolerated in the case that they won.

As the Sun Rangers reported on the conservative factions victory they were told that their vacation was over and to return immediately. As a result, the Sun Rangers left at the same time the battle ended. Their reason aside, the way they left was very hero-like.

As the Sun Rangers left, the surface government really left the People of the Earth alone. As a result, the People of the Earth and the government on the surface distanced themselves from each other and paid consideration to one another to not cause any disturbances; disturbances wouldn't benefit either party. In other words, they were neighbors who didn't associate with one another, but it was also the best means to allow both to prosper.

Like that, the relationship between the People of the Earth and the surface government reached a conclusion, but the Sun Rangers would come visit the underground from time to time. This wasn't something their superiors had ordered, but rather they had decided to cooperate with the People of the Earth on their own. They didn't want to abandon something part-ways through, so it was also for their own sake. With their battle with the People of the Earth ended, they had spare time on their hands again. Rather than twiddling their thumbs at their base, they wanted to help the People of the Earth. While they no longer had any enemies, they still remained hero-like.

And perhaps that was why whenever they would visit, many would welcome them, the children in particular. The children had been told of the Sun Rangers' heroism from the adults and had respected them like true heroes. While that embarrassed the Sun Rangers, since the children always smiled at them, they motivated themselves by saying that they would protect those smiles.

Part 2

With the radical faction's armed uprising, the People of the Earth had reaffirmed that battle wouldn't give birth to anything. That's why they would continue peacefully invading the surface, but with even more eagerness than before. At the same time, the radical faction had surrendered and they could now explore a more realistic way to protect the pride of the People of the Earth. Apparently the radical faction would be putting effort into passing down the People of the Earth's unique culture.

Thus, after surviving many dangers, the People of the Earth returned to their peaceful everyday life. And thanks to that, Daiha and Kiriha could spend more time as father and daughter.

“Kiriha.”

“Yes.”

“Now that the battle has ended... what will you do now?”

With the radical faction's riot having died down, the current state of tension had vanished, and someone other than Kiriha could serve as the commander for the surface invasion. That's why Daiha wanted to return his beloved daughter to a life fit for someone her age.

“I will return to the surface. I have an important job, and important friends there.”

However, Kiriha was intending to continue her job as commander of the surface invasion. That was the most important thing to Kiriha right now. Having heard his daughter's answer, Daiha burst out laughing.

“Hahaha, be honest. You want to return to that Koutarou boy.”

“I'm going back to Koutarou. My place is by his side.”

Kiriha clearly asserted herself without hesitation. She had spent more than ten years for that cause. She would also sincerely work towards their peaceful invasion. It wasn't something that Kiriha needed to hide from her father and she smiled proudly.

“Then go. With that reason, she would surely be satisfied too.”

Daiha nodded and looked at the photo hanging off the wall. Pictured was a younger Daiha and Kiriha, together with the woman that was Daiha's wife, and Kiriha's mother.

He had complex feelings as a father, but if Kiriha was heading for the surface because of her first love, then it could be called a life fitting for a girl of her age. With that reason, even Kiriha's mother would have approved of Kiriha continuing her position as commander of the surface invasion.

“Yes, then I'll be going.”

Kiriha smiled and looked at the photo together with Daiha. Her mother was smiling in the photo, and Daiha and Kiriha smiled the way they had in that photo. That's why Kiriha believed that her mother was smiling at them from the heavens.

Ever since the battle with the radical faction had ended, Kiriha hadn't shown herself in room 106. It was clear that this was because there was cleanup to do. But after a week had passed, even Koutarou began feeling lonely.

When he woke up or got home from school, Kiriha wasn't there. When tea was poured up, a cup would be left over. The score calculation after dinner was also different from normal.

Everyday life wasn't as engaging as always. Koutarou felt that was lonely. That's why he found himself staring at the first tatami when entering the inner room. Couldn't Kiriha just flip that over and appear from below. That was what Koutarou hazily thought.

“Satomi-sa~n.”

That was when Yurika appeared in Koutarou's eyes. Having just gotten out of the bath and having changed into her pajamas, she held squatted down, holding her knees and looked into Koutarou's eyes.

“Are you thinking about Kiriha-san again?”

Yurika had a small smile and warmth and gentleness in her eyes, something she rarely showed. She was worried about Koutarou's low spirits.

“Something like that. I feel like seeing her face you know.”

Koutarou honestly admitted and smiled wryly. Koutarou's and Yurika's relationship had changed quite a bit, and when it was just the two of them it wasn't rare to hear them talking about serious topics like this.

“You don't have to worry, she'll come back soon. The problems were safely resolved after all.”

Yurika gently smiled and slightly tilted her head.

“I'm not worried about that. It's just that I want to see her face.”

“That will happen soon too. Kiriha-san must want to see Satomi-san and everyone as well.”

Koutarou and Yurika were currently alone. Yurika felt like it was her job to cheer Koutarou up as she showed a cheerful expression.

“Yurika...”

“She might already be on her way here. So―”

And just as Yurika mustered her courage and tried to approach Koutarou.

“Kyaaaaaaaaaa!?”

The tatami underneath her shot up and sent her flying.

“Gyafu!?”

Yurika continued rolling until she rolled into a corner of the room and stopped moving. Koutarou had been surprised by the suddenness of it all and all he could do was quietly watch the situation develop.

“...I did it again, huh...”

However, when he heard that voice he hurriedly looked back towards the tatami.

“Hey, Koutarou.”

There, he saw the face of the girl he wanted to see.

“...”

“What?”

Since Koutarou remained silent, Kiriha tilted her head in confusion. As she did, the accessories she was wearing lightly rubbed against each other and produced a sound similar to that of a bell.

“I was just thinking this is nostalgic. When you first came here it was like this too, remember?”

Koutarou had been quiet because he had been surprised that Kiriha had appeared when he was thinking about how he wanted to see her. However, being embarrassed he was unable to honestly say so and spoke what he felt second to that.

“You're right...”

“Yurika still has terrible luck too.”

Partly to hide his embarrassment, Koutarou walked over to the fainted Yurika and lifted her up. He then carried her to her bed in the wardrobe.

“Back then... I needed to be annoying so I didn't bother checking if there was someone above or not.”

“And this time?”

After pulling a blanket over Yurika, he closed the sliding door to the wardrobe. Since she didn't seem to be hurt, she would probably wake up like usual tomorrow.

“I seem to be feeling nervous, so I didn't think of checking.”

“Nervous...? Wait, why? You're not coming in?”

Koutarou turned back towards Kiriha and for some reason only her upper body was sticking out from the hole leading underground.

“You don't mind me intruding?”

“You ask that now?...What's the matter, really?”

“I told you, I'm feeling nervous.”

Koutarou had returned to normal after seeing Kiriha's face, but oppositely, Kiriha was getting even more nervous. Her stiff expression easily showed that.

“It's rare to see you be so nervous... anyways, come on in.”

“Thank you, Koutarou.”

Kiriha finally entered room 106 and she returned the tatami to its former place in an accustomed manner before turning back towards Koutarou.

“Huh?”

That was where Koutarou finally noticed that Kiriha's outfit was completely different from normal.

The overall atmosphere was similar to the shrine maiden outfit she normally wore. The outfit was mostly white, but had red and gold threads used in abundance, it seemed simple yet at the same time elegant and luxurious. These clothes were quite obviously not everyday wear.

Moreover, as Kiriha stepped into the light Koutarou could see that she was wearing make-up that matched her clothes. This too was simple but it brought out her beauty.

On top of that, Kiriha was wearing golden gleaming accessories over her body. Since she normally wore accessories she didn't give off the impression of wearing more of them, but they had clearly been exchanged for higher quality accessories.

No matter how you looked at it, her outfit and accessories were not cheap. Even Koutarou who had no real knowledge of this kind of thing could tell that each piece she was wearing had an extraordinary price. Yet at the same time, her overall appearance was simple and clean.

“That's an unusual outfit. Isn't that the first time you wear it?”

“Fufu, this is a keepsake from my mother.”

Kiriha put her hand on her chest and smiled proudly.

“Your mom's...”

Koutarou knew of Kiriha's family circumstances. Having lost his own mother, he understood the special feelings put into those clothes.

“Yes. This is the traditional outfit that we, the People of the Earth, wear when getting married.”

“So thats a wedding dress?”

Koutarou's eyes opened wide. He vaguely understood that it was a special outfit, but he hadn't expected it to be a wedding dress.

“Kiriha-san, are you going to get married?”

“No, I'm not.”

“Yeah, I haven't heard anything about that after all. Then why are you wearing that? It would be terrible if it got dirty, right?”

Kiriha had no reason for wearing a wedding dress. Then there had to be a special reason. Wearing her mother's keepsake for fun wasn't in Kiriha's character.

“I came here to invade.”

“Invade... this room?”

“No, I don't need this room anymore. The reason to invade this room has been lost.”

“Oh yeah, you're right.”

Kiriha invading room 106 had been a measure to keep the radical faction from rebelling. With the problems regarding the radical faction resolved, Kiriha no longer had any reason to invade room 106. Yet Kiriha said she was here to invade. Koutarou didn't understand what was going on.

“So what are you going to invade.”

“About that, there is something I need to talk to you about.”

Kiriha moved up to straight in front of Koutarou, sat down formally and straightened her back. Her expression was stiffer than ever before. Seeing that, Koutarou understood that Kiriha was serious.

“What now, all of a sudden?”

In that situation Koutarou couldn't be standing up so he too sat down formally, facing Kiriha. After confirming that Koutarou had sat down she placed her hands slightly in front of her knees and deeply lowered her head.

“Satomi Koutarou-sama, I wish to request something of you.”

Her overly formal words and serious voice, her mother's keepsake and her lowered head. Seeing all that, Koutarou understood that Kiriha was about to ask something special.

“Kiriha-san?”

But just what could it be that required her to go so far. Slight unease swelled up in Koutarou's chest. He began worrying that she might say that she was going to return underground.

“Please allow me to invade your life.”

However, Kiriha said something that greatly deviated from Koutarou's imagination.

“W-What...?”

His unease and everything else just vanished from his mind. It was as if Koutarou had no understanding of what Kiriha was saying whatsoever.

“If you don't permit it, then I won't appear in your presence ever again. That is the resolution I made before coming before you.”

Having finished everything she had to say, Kiriha kept her hands on the tatami, raised her head and stared into Koutarou's eyes. Kiriha had come here looking for Koutarou's answer to these words. And since the answer might not be what she hoped, she had been feeling anxious from the very beginning. That's why Kiriha now paid attention to every word Koutarou spoke and every action he took. Her everything relied on this moment.

“T-That's...”

At first Koutarou had been nothing but confused, but as he peered into her eyes he gradually understood her intentions. What she meant by invasion, and why she had chosen to use that word. Having understood those circumstances, Koutarou couldn't help but find it funny.

“...Geez...”

Having reached his limit, Koutarou began smiling. While he was impressed by the strength and depth of the feelings she directed towards him, he was also amazed by her meticulousness. This wasn't a request, but a terribly clever and roundabout threat.

“Kiriha-san, you really understand me well.”

Koutarou smiled wryly as he dropped his shoulders.

What Kiriha wanted hadn't changed a bit since eleven years ago. It was to marry with Koutarou, forever supporting each other. That's why she had visited Koutarou wearing a wedding dress.

But if she had said those words directly, Koutarou could refuse. It was still too early for that, and the problems with Theia and Yurika hadn't been resolved yet. That's' why Koutarou would have refused in the present situation.

That's why Kiriha hadn't used the words 'Let me marry you', but 'Let me invade your life'. She was attempting to blur her intentions while trying to create a reason to forever remain by Koutarou's side. It was difficult for Koutarou to refuse this request because she was threatening to never see him again if he did. He would feel lonely if he couldn't meet her again. So would the other invading girls. In that situation, there was no way Koutarou could reply with 'No'.

“You've said many things to me up until now... but this is the cruelest.”

“The time I have waited over ten years for is right in front of me. I have no intentions of letting that chance slip by. Even if I have to use underhanded means...”

“And that's... why you'll invade.”

“Yes. I will invade your life. At any costs...”

If Koutarou accepted Kiriha's request, it would mean allowing her to always be near him no matter what life he chooses. That was practically the same as marrying Kiriha. Her request was either a clever threat made through the use of human relationships, or it was very transparent and pure means of invading created through bonds and love.

“...You've taken the political implications into consideration right?”

“Of course. I have no intentions of forcibly staying by your side to the point that it becomes a problem for you.”

“So everything is thoroughly thought out, geez...”

Kiriha had no intentions of forcing their relationship. To her it was important that Koutarou allowed for her to be by his side. You could say she was similar to Maki and the band of knights in that she wanted a place to call her own.

“...Okay, I get it. I lose. Invade to your hearts content...”

There, Koutarou gave up. He couldn't refuse, and truth be told, he didn't want to refuse either. Just not being able to see Kiriha for a week was lonely. But he was too mortified and embarrassed to admit it to her face. It couldn't be helped that his words became a bit more blunt.

“Thank you very much. I will invade with heartfelt sincerity.”

Kiriha smiled while large tears rolled down her cheeks. The eleven years she had spent since their first meeting had finally been rewarded. The person Kiriha loved needed her. To her, there was nothing more happy than this. And so her tears continued falling without end in sight. To the point where she could no longer even see Koutarou's face.

“Oh yeah, I forgot. Here.”

Koutarou pulled something out of his pocket and put it in Kiriha's hand.

“...This is...”

Though Kiriha couldn't see from her tears, she could tell what it was by touch alone. It was a rare Kabutonga card with her name written on it. The treasure she had gotten from Koutarou eleven years ago.

After Daiha had been taken hostage, Kiriha had returned the card to Koutarou, prepared for her own death. Koutarou safely cared for it and now returned it back to Kiriha.

“...Uhhh, this... this... I... uhhhh...”

Upon obtaining the card, Kiriha started crying even more than before, sobbing like a child.

“H-Hey, why are you crying so much?”

Koutarou had given Kiriha the card to stop her from crying. Yet the result was the opposite. Instead of stopping her, he fanned the flames.

“You don't get it... uhh... Onii-chan, y-you don't, get, anything.”

“Eh?”

“If you give me this... right, now... uhh, then I'll, then I'll definitely.... uuuuaaaaaa!!”

From that point on, Kiriha couldn't form any words. An intense, endless love overflowed from her heart. However, since those emotions turned into cries as they reached her throat she couldn't properly convey them to her beloved.

“Uaaaaa, aaaaa, uwaaaaa!!”

That's why Kiriha jumped at Koutarou and embraced him. That was the only way she could convey her feelings right now. A complex, delicate love whirled inside of Kiriha's chest. But Kiriha felt irritated that the only way she could convey it through the strength of her arms.

“...Even though you've gotten big, you're still like a spoiled girl.”

Koutarou firmly hugged Kiriha back. Up until now, Kiriha had always been in a position that required a lot of responsibility. That's why Koutarou wanted to let Kiriha do as she pleased until her desires turned into something definitive.

Now, that I think about it...

As Koutarou spoke, Kiriha's gaze was naturally drawn to his moving mouth. And as she stared at that she remembered a promise they had made before.

“Once this is all over, I'll be satisfied as long as you give me a kiss with a smile.”

“Fufu... now you've said it. Then let's hurry up and end this so I can rain kisses down upon you.”

Having remembered that promise, Kiriha finally realized.

That when tears prevented you from using words, embracing wasn't the only way to convey your feelings.

Part 3

As the season turned to summer the daytime temperature exceeded 30 degrees. That said, this was Kitsushouharukaze city. Once the sun set the temperature dropped and became a lot more manageable. But there is always an exception to things.

“...I-It's hot...”

As Koutarou muttered his face fell down onto the tea table. His forehead was covered in sweat. Even at night the temperature in room 106 didn't drop. The reason for that was the too high population density. In the small room there were ten people and the body heat they exuded added up. It is said that the body heat of one person was the equivalent of about 100 watts. So with ten people that was 1000 watts; power equivalent to a large-scale home appliance was heating up the room.

“Stop being so stubborn and have Maki cast a spell.”

“I'll make it cheap.”

“...When it comes to magic, there's nothing wrong with not using it.”

Many, apart from Koutarou, had means of managing the heat. The Forthorthe group used personal air conditioners that they could wear. Harumi's PAF also had this function. Shizuka could head out into space if she so pleased, so the summer heat was nothing. Maki used her own spells to cool her body, and Sanae had her use the same spell on her.

The only ones without means were Koutarou and Kiriha. Koutarou was just being stubborn, but Kiriha had been born quite resistant to heat. That's why Koutarou seemed to feel hot, while Kiriha was herself. Neither of them were cooling themselves, but their appearances contrasted.

“If you're too stubborn you'll end up like Yurika.”

Sanae pointed to a corner of the room as she spoke. Yurika had refrained from casting magic on herself as that would constitute a private use of magic. As a result, she lost to the heat inside the wardrobe and her eyes rolled back.

“It's fine. People shouldn't try to take the easy way out anyways.”

Koutarou was actually avoiding having magic cast on him because of Yurika. He didn't want her to be the only one enduring it, but since his pride was involved he didn't want to admit it. He would simply have to endure.

“Fufu...”

Kiriha who wasn't using any cooling either smiled at Koutarou. That smile was incredibly gentle. Ever since the battle with the radical faction, Kiriha had been showing expressions fit for a girl of her age more often. While there was seemingly no difference on the surface, the expressions she showed those close to her had become more uninhibited. None of the girls of room 106 pointed that out, but they all welcomed it as a good thing.

“Then Koutarou, how about this?”

Kiriha pulled out a paper folded four times from her pocket and unfolded it in front of Koutarou. On it was a blue sky and sea coupled with white sand and a shining sun. It was a pamphlet from a travel agency in the mall.

“You wouldn't mind if we went out to play at the beach right?”

A three day, two nights travel plan was recorded on the pamphlet. Play at the beach during the day, have a luxurious dinner in the evening and finally enjoy the hot spring in the hotel at night. That was indeed an attractive proposition. However, Koutarou also had his worries.

“But, it's not like we won the lottery, so it'll cost money right?”

“Don't be so cheap. You still have all of the salary I've paid you.”

“But that's―”

“What are you saving it up for? Knowing you, you probably won't use it for anything.”

Koutarou still hadn't spent a single yen from the salary he had received from Theia. He held back from using it as it was money that had come from his relationship with her.

“Okay, I get it. It's definitely better to use it so that everyone can have fun than to save it up for no reason.”

Koutarou soon made up his mind. He believed Theia was absolutely right.

I only need to use it like this in the future too. I guess I was overthinking it...

Using his salary for Theia and the others close to him wasn't a bad way to use it. If anything it was an ideal usage.

“Alright! The beach!! Yurika, Yurika, we're going to the beach!!”

“Zzz... Zzz...”

“Yurika-chan is still sleeping Ho-”

“She's such a sleepyhead Ho-”

“Zzz... Zzz...”

“Geez, she's so carefree, even though we have to go buy new swimsuits!”

The first one to let out a cheer of joy was Sanae. Last year she had been a ghost and a sickly girl, so she had the strongest desire to swim of all.

“Harumi, the beach. Do you swim?”

“I swim, but... I don't know if my stamina will last.”

“Don't worry. You can use PAF in water too. That said, I haven't tried any experiments of it being used in water, so please let me take some data.”

“Yes, by all means!”

Clan and Harumi were going to run experiments on the beach. Their relationship so far had greatly improved on Clan's invention, and once they headed for the beach it would surely improve even more.

“The beach...”

Maki on the hand had a puzzled expression. Having caught onto that change in expression, Ruth and Theia called out to her.

“Maki-san, is this your first time going to the beach?”

“Yes... the idea has never occurred to me before this.”

“I see, you were born in a magical country weren't you.”

Maki was born in the slums of Folsaria, and having been battling for her entire time, the idea of going to the beach had never occurred to her.

“Then this is a good opportunity. Satomi-kun is the kind of person that often goes to the beach, so you can't be a great vassal if you don't go too, right?”

“You're right. I'll give it my best!”

“Good, that's the way. He's an idiot, so I can rest easy if I know you're with him.”

“Do your best to carry out your duty, Maki-san.”

Thanks to Shizuka's follow up, the atmosphere around Maki brightened up. Using the expression, 'Koutarou's vassal', Maki suddenly got a lot more cheerful. They were magical words that would help whenever she got depressed.

So this really was the right answer...

Koutarou satisfyingly looked on as the girls erupted into discussions about the beach. Then Kiriha, who was sitting next to him, pulled on the sleeve of his t-shirt.

“Koutarou, what kind of swimsuit do you think I should wear?”

“Why are you asking me?”

“There's no reason. I just want you to decide. Do you not want to?”

“T-That's not it, but...”

“You don't have to decide right away. Just tell me what kind of design you'd like.”

“Yeah...”

Thus it was decided that Koutarou and the others would go to the beach. They had gone the year before as well, but their numbers and their atmosphere was completely different this time around. They were noisy but seemingly endlessly cheerful. But there was no one that stopped to think about that change, because everyone knew that it was more fun causing an uproar with everyone than to think about that.

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