Published at 25th of March 2019 9:59 pm

Volume 5 Chapter 5 - Outbreak of War Part 3

When the Knight Order that was rushing here grasped the situation that befell Kazuki and the others, they immediately made contact with the garrison and called a new military bus here. Taking a ride in that bus, Kazuki and the others headed to the garrison once more.

They gathered and transported the students who fell into magic intoxication in the battle and also the enemy soldiers who also fell into magic intoxicated and arrested on the spot.

The temporary garrison that was built for the sake of security in the military boundary line was located a very short distance from where they were attacked. By the time all the students arrived, the sun had already sunk into the horizon.

The temporary garrison was originally the hotel and public facilities that were located in the prefectural border and were confiscated to be used only for the knights to reside there. There was no special facility or the like at all here.

Though having said that, it was not like there was any surplus in the number of rooms available, so the room allocation became arranged for two people per room.

However, without even confirming who the partner he would be rooming with was, Kazuki headed to Akane-senpai’s room.

“Hayashizaki Kazuki…I have something to talk with you about.”

The moment he came out to the hall, Eleonora and Damian were waiting for Kazuki.

“Beatrix is…?” Kazuki inquired hesitantly.

“Captain is still unconscious and hasn’t opened her eyes.” Eleonora answered back with a cold voice.

“In this incident, because we were made to follow the sloppy tactics of Japan's Knight Order, serious damage had been inflicted to the Einherjar. That’s what I’m thinking.”

“…What did you say?”

“Don’t you think that this incident is enough reason to discontinue the stance of cooperation between Japan's Knight Order and Einherjar for Loki’s subjugation? We are going to wash our hands from this incident.”

“Wa, just wait a second there!? I haven’ heard anythin’ about this at alll!?”

Damian cut in from the side.

“You said you have something you want to talk about with Hayashizaki Kazuki so I thought 'what the hell this is about'…this didna make sense at all doncha’ agree!? This incident happen ‘cause Capt’n Beatrix just stuck her nose where it didna belong on her own, we haven’ even defeated Loki yet! If it had become like this then we shoulda’ take revenge for cap’n with our own hand, that’s the spirit of an admirable Einherjar right!? I said taking revenge but cap’n still haven’ died yet though!”

“Damian…this war is a losing battle. Right now Japan's Knight Order is exactly a ship made of mud . [To allow that kind of surprise attack] to happen, they have no chance in this war. We should disembark from this sinking ship even a second faster.”

Allowing that kind of surprise attack to happen…, sinking ship…, Kazuki too had the exact same feeling to what Eleonora was saying. Unconsciously, bitterness colored Kazuki’s expression. Eleonora, looking at Kazuki's expression “…So you understand the situation” having said that her expression became a little sympathetic.

“Wait wait wait! Whether or not there is any chance to win, that shoulda be thought later on after we beat up the enemy right―!” Damian spoke out an outrageous sentence. “There are enemies we’ve reason to defeat right in front of us yet we just run away, for Einherjar that is something absolutely unforgivablee―, if it’s cap’n Beatrix that’s what she woulda say ze!!”

“…Do you think you can fight with that kind of muscle brain thinking…!”

“Are you and Ægir cowards!? You won’t get to aim for Valhalla like that!”

“…Understood. If you say that much, then you and Hodur just do as you like.”

Eleonora turned on her heel and went to leave from the other side of the corridor.

“…Our bad. Even though Erii is like that but that ‘cause she really like cap’n. …Next, when you are gonna sortie out just give the call only to me.”

Damian too left behind such words before she went to leave from the other side of the hall.

◇ ◇ ◇ ◇

“How unlucky for you huh! You might be planning to be alone with Akane just the two of you by going to Akane’s room, but I’m already awake✩”

When he entered Akane-senpai’s room, Kanon-senpai's bright voice greeted Kazuki.

This room was shared between Akane-senpai and Kanon-senpai. Kanon-senpai who had fell into magic intoxication had already woken up. She directed a smiling face to Kazuki while still laying on her bed.

“…At that moment, I still had my Rizomata Mastery barely activated, so I could redirect the energy of the offensive magic going toward Kanon slightly. However, Beatrix Baumgard had gotten completely hit…”

The expression of Akane-senpai who was standing beside the bed was dark as if she was ashamed of the damage that came out.

“Well, I exposed an unsightly figure there…this is by no means a lost battle okay✩ We got some damage on our side, but we had also managed to capture several of the enemies on the other side see✩…That’s why cheer up, Akane.”

Kanon-senpai who pretended bravado with cheerful act encouraged Akane-senpai.

“So then Hayashizaki Kazuki…what do you think about what had just happened?” With a serious face, Kanon-senpai looked back at Kazuki. “Because there is something you understand so you came here right?”

Kazuki conveyed the matter regarding Hayashi Shizuka and her ability as far as he knows to the two of them.

―Her contracted Diva was Joka.

The greatest trait of that Diva was to strengthen and resurrect allies, granting such powerful Divine Protection freely.

However Yamato’s forces were not resurrected at the battle this time. …Most likely because the number of people was too many, or possibly the effect couldn’t be demonstrated except for underlings and servants that directly obeyed Hayashi Shizuka herself. It means that Hayashi Shizuka was nothing more than a guest and her nature of relationship with Yamato’s soldiers was too thin.

And then one more trait of hers was brainwashing power. She could manipulate the hearts of humans that had fallen into magic intoxication.

Kanon-senpai and Akane-senpai made a face of understanding.

“…In other words, everyone aside from us…the other third years fell into magic intoxication in battle at that time when Nagoya surrendered and then they were brainwashed there. After that they linked up with us as the remnant of the defeated army…”

There was no doubt that the seed of calamity was planted in Kanon-senpai and the others at that time.

Post hypnotism―in order to make them change into a brainwashed state when they heard the voice of Hayashi Shizuka, a suggestion was implanted into the third years.

“How pathetic!” Akane-senpai raised a loud voice with her head still hanging low and she hit the wall with her fist. “Just because they are comrades we know by sight…we didn’t suspect at all those girls who were just escaping from the enemy’s occupied territory! Even though we might have noticed it if only we cautiously used Telepathy!!”

"Akane, don’t say something unreasonable. We didn’t know about this brainwashing beforehand, so suspecting them or anything is just absurd talk. We only thought of wanting to increase our battle strength even for just a little with everyone. Also, for the moment I am the leader that was decided by everyone. Don’t burden yourself with the responsibility alone.”

Even after listening to Kanon-senpai’s words, Akane-senpai was still “Kuu…!” let out a pained sound. Akane-senpai’s personality might be of those who tend to drive themselves into a corner.

However this was not a circumstance where he could give her some peace of mind.

“…What we should be anxious of is not only about the matter of the brainwashed third years.”

Kazuki said with a heavy feeling. Rather, the matter just now was already a solved problem. Thanks to Kazuha-senpai, all the third years had been released from the brainwashed state.

“An even graver problem is how the enemy sensed all of our actions and movements and then ambushed us in our own territory. Those guys passed through the military boundary line, inferred our location and then assaulted us. …They have been doing whatever they pleased far too much.”

If this kind of situation continues, saying it clearly, this war wouldn’t even be a fight for the enemy.

“…!” Akane-senpai’s face lost even more color when she raised her face. Looks like she fret over her failure in not doubting her comrades too much that she didn’t think of that at all.

“The knights in this garrison, they are doing security in order to not let the people of Yamato come and go as they pleases aren’t they?” Kazuki inquired for the moment. Kanon-senpai nodded with a bob. It was obvious.

“In other words there is a traitor here.”

“That, you mean someone was brainwashed by Joka to become a spy!?”

“No, the brainwashed state by Joka is not a perfect technique that can deceive the surrounding people that are close to you. The brainwashed human looked unnatural with how their emotions became diluted, so it’s definitely impossible to do a spy’s work or something like that over a long period of time.”

Joka’s brainwashing was not flawless. It was only manipulating a really small part of the heart in a really short period.

“Without any influence of brainwashing, there were already traitors of Kensheetou inside the Knight Order and the government of this country right from the start. And then there is Chūkadou as Kensheetou’s backer.”

“Chūkadou, you said…?”

The trouble that happened in the Knight Academy’s battle election was not something known by Kanon-senpai and Akane-senpai who were nothing more than the lowest member of the Knight Order. Kazuki explained the circumstances of the incident where assassins from China came attacking Kazuki and how the former Board Chairman Takasugi tried to take over the academy to the two senpai.

“As for how we are gathering in Shizuoka…the enemy might be able to predict that even without any information just from the point of how we are going to try to recover Nagoya, which is an important transport position. But for the enemy to completely know about when we're going to finally arrive and what road we're taking…it’s just like what you said, there is a traitor that was inserted in a fairly high position in the top brass of the Knight Order isn’t there? If it had become like this then they will be perfectly waiting in ambush for this side’s offensive. From now on they will be preparing surprise attacks each time we are going out for any kind of action…like this we cannot move thoughtlessly.”

Akane-senpai hung her head down with a faint-hearted expression.

“The best aspect of superiority for the offensive side is how they could choose the location of fighting you know? Originally, the defensive side has to divide all their battle strength between the three points of Toyama・Gifu・Aichi because they don’t know where we are going to attack. However if they obtained the information of where we are going to attack ahead of time from the traitor, they can concentrate their battle strength in one place and wait for us in the targeted place. In other words it’s the same as if the number of enemies has tripled. For information to become leaked is something like that.”

It was something Kazuki hadn’t learned in class, but he nodded. It was something obvious if he thought of it carefully, but it was something that made him think ‘I see’ when it was said to him…the basis of <tactical theory>.

“With this our plan to counterattack when seeing a change is discontinued. We absolutely cannot move to counterattack. If we don’t wait patiently until we have collected the battle strength of eastern Japan as much as possible…I have to inform the regiment commander…”

Regimental commander―if this talk was forwarded to the commander of Shizuoka regiment, next it would go through to the division commander of Kanto Koushin’etsu division, and then from there it would reach the top brass of the Knight Order for sure.

…With that transmission mechanism, this information would surely also reach Yamato's spies.

In panic, Kazuki restrained Akane-senpai who was even now trying to make contact with her cell phone.

“Please wait, if senpai reported that then it will also inform the opponent of how [we had noticed the traitor], it would alert them.”

“That is true but, there is no reason we can just leave this alone right? If we don’t take defensive action…”

“No, I think it’s a mistake for us to even enter defensive action.”

Akane-senpai asked “Eh?” back to Kazuki who was talking stubbornly. Kanon-senpai too had her eyes opened wide and was staring at him. Surely that was because they never thought that a junior of theirs would be objecting this straight forwardly against them.

“We should sortie out to attack them immediately tonight. In order to not let the traitor leak out the information to the enemy, the surprise attack must be conducted with only the members of the Knight Academy.”

◇ ◇ ◇ ◇

A silence that was doubting Kazuki’s words flowed for a while.

“…And the basis for your idea to immediately sortie out in offense?” Akane-senpai inquired in a harsh tone of voice.

“Because if it keeps like this then it would become more disadvantageous the longer the battle goes on. This whole day, I kept thinking on my own about in what way we should fight in this battle called a [magic war] but…”

“How should we fight in a magic war, is it?”

This magic war that the human race hasn’t experienced personally still doesn’t have any tried and tested tactics.

That was why the people concerned must figure it out for themselves and started thinking from scratch.

“In this magic war, the power of humans is everything. Even if all the territory of the country is occupied from the battle’s damage, even if the economy shifted completely toward one side, it still doesn’t mean defeat. Shaving off the military force is everything.”

In the wars of the previous era, the power of a country had direct relationship with their military power. For the sake of advancing the battle in a more advantageous position they performed weapons research, mass production, managing maintenanc…they had to invest in all of that. An all out war where the battle was supported by the nation’s everything. If the national power tilted in one way then the victory was decided.

But this war between Japan and Yamato was different. The military power was decided only by the quality and quantity of the swordsmen and Magica Stigma. When it was like this the victory condition became [whether the opponent’s army was annihilated or not].

Even if there was only one person standing, even if the foundation called a country was lost, if only they still had the will to fight then they could still continue to fight. Though at that stage it would become closer to guerilla warfare or terrorism rather than a war.

“Certainly it’s just like what you said… This is not an all-out war, but an extermination war.” Akane-senpai nodded.

“However, why has that become the reason to hurry in attacking?”

“…There are Divas called Loki and Nyarlatoteph in Yamato’s camp. When the power of Joka is added there, I have this feeling that a frightening result will occur from that combination. Though it would be great if this is just a needless anxiety.”

Loki・Nyarlatoteph・Hayashi Shizuka…it was the worst trio that made him want to cover his eyes. Their extreme personalities scattered out a terrible atmosphere. He had already felt sick just from remembering each of their faces.

“Nyarlatoteph?” Kanon-senpai and Akane-senpai asked back.

Nyarlatoteph’s existence was also something that hadn’t become openly known by the society at large.

Kazuki who had arrived at a different thinking from the two senpai was because in the first place he had far more information than these two.

“For the sake of finding proof of my suspicion, there is something I want to confirm from the prisoners that were caught from the battle this time. I cannot meet with the prisoners just by myself so…can I ask for senpai’s mediation to arrange an interview with the prisoners?”

◇ ◇ ◇ ◇

There was a wine cellar built underground in this hotel that was confiscated to be the garrison. That place which had no entrance except for one spot was the most suitable to be turned into a dungeon as long as security was performed there. The prisoners were attached with Limiters for illegal magicians and thrown inside that place.

There was binding on them but many of them were still suffering from magic intoxication.

Akane-senpai left behind Kanon-senpai who was still in convalescence in their room and led Kazuki to the dungeon.

Kazuki stopped at Lotte’s room in the middle of the way and asked her to accompany him.

“Thanks for your hard work.” Akane-senpai greeted the young man who had the shift of guarding the dungeon.

That knight who was greeted had his expression colored in shock and happiness when he saw Kazuki.

“Hayashizaki Kazuki! Isn’t this Hayashizaki Kazuki! …Long time no see! I heard the story already from Amasaki-sensei. Right now hasn’t something great happened to you in the academy, huh Chief Student Council President!”

After Kazuki got taken aback for an instant, he finally remembered late of the other party’s name and face.

“…Kondou-san! Thank you very much for that time. If I didn’t have the Sacred Treasure that was entrusted from Kondou-san, it would really have become very dangerous there. Because of that I was found innocent in the end.”

“Aa, for you to be cleared from all misunderstanding was also thanks to the influence of Amasaki-sensei right?”

Kondou Hajime―he was the knight that got involved at that time when Kazuki was attacked by Beatrix in the Quest that he challenged together with Lotte. After that, for the sake of Kazuki who was challenging Beatrix, he lent [Raikiri] to Kazuki without concern for himself. However, why was he here…?

“Your face is wondering why I’m here. Even though you remember my name and face, it’s impossible to remember until my self-introduction too huh. Remember, my title is <Police Knight> attached to <Chubu Jurisdiction Division>, Kondou Hajime.”

“You said Chubu Jurisdiction…does that mean that Kondou-san was in the battle of that time!?”

“Aa, I fought at Nagoya, I escaped with Akane-chan there and Kanon-chan. …But for you to come here, how reassuring. I know very well how strong you are after all!”

“So Kondou-san and Kazuki are acquaintances?” Akane-senpai inquired with her eyes wide opened.

“That’s right, various things happened. Akane-chan, this guy is a really awesome junior you know. …Oops, you have some business with the prisoners right? If it’s Akane-chan and Kazuki then I don’t need to worry, just go through here.”

Kondou-san opened the dungeon for them, then Kazuki, together with Lotte, searched for the one person they came here for among the restrained prisoners―they approached [Earth Snake].

“Lotte…can you do something like confirming his mental state with Telepathy? There is no equipment for Telepathy scans here after all, so to make up for it, can you?”

“What is it that I need to confirm desu?”

“Confirm whether he is still Possessed by a Diva or not inside his mind.”

“!?” Akane-senpai’s expression froze in place.

“…Divas that are attempting to take over the flesh of humans won’t part with the host body that they occupied that easily you know? It should be like that. Because in order to erode the ego of their host up to this point should take a long time for the Diva.”

Akane-senpai said. Some Divas that held hostility towards humans whispered sweet words about how they would grant power and then possess the human. After that they would encroach into the host’s mind slowly in their attempt to take over the host .

To do that they needed a long time. Even when Loki stole Kaya’s body, also when Nyarlatoteph stole the body of former Headmaster Otonashi, both of them needed many long years to succeed.

Once those Divas parted with the host body, the eroded mind would go back to how it once was and their hard work until that point would come to completely nothing. That was why even in the case that their host got arrested, nevertheless they shouldn’t part with that body so easily―originally speaking.

Lotte went along with what Kazuki said and reached out a line of blue light to Earth Snake. Through this link of magic power Lotte was searching around in Earth Snake's mind. Only after a moment Lotte expressed her conclusion.

“It’s empty. There is no Diva inside him.”

Just as he expected it really was like that. That was surely why Earth Snake fought in a suicidal way like that.

“That’s absurd! Then there is no meaning at all in taking this guy prisoner!!”

“Midgardsormr, who possessed this guy, had already possessed a different human and he is going to return to the front line soon. When I said that it will be disadvantageous for us when this war becomes a protracted battle, this is the reason why.”

Magica Stigmas of the Knight Order and the Knight Academy summoned the power of Solomon's 72 Pillars by means of their Contract with the Pillars. But for the illegal Magicians of Yamato, every one of them used power by means of Possessed Summoning.

The knights and the students of the Knight Academy were defeated until they fell into magic intoxication, became the prisoners of Yamato, if in the worst case they were killed, this was an obvious fact but there was no replacement for them.

Then in regards to that, the illegal magicians of Yamato could keep coming back endlessly as long as they had a new host.

“For Divas to possess the human’s body should take a fairly long time. At the very least it would take one year. Then, it would be fine if we just make sure to end the fight before that process got finished.”

“Perhaps it won’t even take one year. There are Loki, Nyarlatoteph and Joka in the enemy camp.”

They couldn’t continue the story even more than this in this kind of place. Kazuki proposed to leave the wine cellar. [There may be someone listening in on their conversation, they needed to constantly pay attention.]

They said goodbye to Kondou-san and after accompanying Lotte back to her room, they returned to Akane-senpai and Kanon-senpai’s room. Kazuki explained the happenings in the wine cellar.

“Loki, Nyarlatoteph and Joka, [each of them has their own approach] in driving humans mad that they specialized in. The crazier the host’s mind becomes, the easier it would become for the Diva to encroach.”

Joka had the power of falsification. She overwrote a part of human’s mind, and with that she could stuff a small madness inside.

Nyarlatoteph entered through a weak spot and small madness of the heart. From there he could drive a person into insanity all at once. He made use of former Headmaster Otonashi’s guilt in repeating human experiments and destroyed the headmaster’s mind. There was also the time when he entered through Koyuki’s emotion of self-denial and took over her body right on the spot.

And then for Loki’s method of taking over a human’s heart, he could boast that he himself had a thorough knowledge of it.

If those threes' abilities were used in turn like a baton relay―Joka planting madness inside the mind, and then Nyarlatoteph using that madness as a foothold to corner the person into insanity in one go, finally Loki would make his Diva comrades to possess the person…they could manufacture illegal magicians in an efficient way like a factory producing canned food.

“If those guys combined their power, they could prepare human hosts in no time at all. This was why Midgardsormr could abandon the body of Earth Snake that easily.”

Lotte’s Telepathy had given credibility to Kazuki’s suspicion.

“We have to destroy this [illegal magicians reproduction cycle] without any delay. If we don’t then there is no chance of victory for us in this annihilation battle. And then I also think that tonight is the best chance to bring down Hayashi Shizuka. For the sake of manipulating the third years she brainwashed, Hayashi Shizuka participated in the battle this time. But I don’t think that she will participate anymore in the battles that come attacking us from now on.”

If it was Kazuki in Kaya’s place, then he would order such a thing for sure. He wouldn’t want to expose the important key of his tactics like Hayashi Shizuka to brave danger as much as possible, that was how it should be. Then Hayashi Shizuka would seclude herself in Yamato’s base.

When this side persisted in non-aggressive defense, they would eternally lose the chance to defeat Hayashi Shizuka.

Akane-senpai looked at Kazuki with eyes that seemed to say [I can’t believe it].

“…How are you able to predict anything and everything like that?”

“Whether it’s Loki, Nyarlatoteph or Joka too, I have fought them before. That’s all.”

“…That kind of experience is really abnormal. [You stand in the center of these incidents too much.] Despite how you are supposed to be just a student of the Knight Academy…”

That was… Most likely that was because he is a <BasilleusKing>.

When Beatrix collapsed, for some reason Kazuki thought like that once more. I must be able to take action that is more befitting for a King.

“If right now we don’t let out our courage and move out for an offensive, if we enter defensive action, then that’s just what the enemy wants. I am an amateur in regards to war tactics but…as a swordsman facing the opponent, on top of constantly observing the opponent, [I must not do as the enemy expected] is something that I think is really important.”

Whether in a match or a game, pushing factors of uncertainty to your opponent was what is called tactics.

“If we sortie out in offense using the Knight Order, it will be reported to the top brass of the Knight Order and we have to get their approval, isn’t that right? For the lowest level of an organization to take action arbitrarily like attacking the enemy is absolutely unpermitted.”

“…Of course. Moving the soldiers as one pleases and conducting sorties can't be done. …The cause of concern is that if somewhere in the chain of command, the attack plan will be leaked through the traitor.”

“Yes. If we are attacking, we have to attack without allowing the plan to get leaked at all costs. That’s why tonight, we have to make a surprise attack using the students of the Knight Academy. If we move using only the students of the Knight Academy, we don’t need to follow the intentions of the Knight Order’s top brass. The highest authority in the Knight Academy is Headmaster Amasaki after all.”

There was no room for the traitor to come inside the simple chain of command of Kazuki and Headmaster Amasaki.

Tonight, if it had been decided that the Knight Order would not take any action until they had finished gathering the battle strength of eastern Japan, that condition would be conveyed to Yamato through the traitor. That negligence would enable the independent corps of the Knight Academy to make a surprise attack.

If this tactic succeeded, then pressure that [the traitor’s information was not omnipotent] could be conveyed to Yamato. Like that, the information from the traitor wouldn’t be able to be used effectively by Yamato.

It was vital to make the enemy feel confused.

He was an amateur in regards to war tactics, but if he perceived this battle as [a duel between him and Hayashi Shizuka], he naturally understood the moves that he should take. Kazuki had confidence in his own thought and stared at Akane-senpai directly. Akane-senpai looked down weakly from the pressure of that gaze.

“Even so, I cannot approve of a surprise attack by the students alone. It’s too dangerous to march into enemy territory from under their very nose. The rule of three times offensive power…it’s said that three times the battle strength of the enemy’s defense is needed to attack their encampment. According to Sun Tzu, we need ten times the battle strength of the defending side when making a siege against a castle don’t you know?”

Certainly there might be a theory like that.

However―a war where magic was used was something the human race hadn’t experienced personally yet. There was no tactic or the like that had been established and proven already, they had to puzzle it out by themselves from the ground up.

Kazuki thought back of that instant where the bus was destroyed in his first real battle.

“I don’t think it’s necessarily the case that the offensive side is in disadvantage compared to the defensive side.”

When Kazuki talked with that confident tone, Akane-senpai was “Eh?” and opened her eyes wide.

◇ ◇ ◇ ◇

…When Kazuki explained his idea, Akane-senpai wordlessly looked down.

“Let’s believe this guy, Akane. This is the junior that Kaguya is cherishing so much. Surely this guy is not just an ordinary person.”

Kanon-senpai interjected from the side.

“…That might be so.” Akane-senpai made an ambiguous reply.

“Akane. Usually I’m just constantly relying on you but, it’s fine for you too to learn to rely more on others. And then Hayashizaki Kazuki-! I recognized you but…don’t misunderstand! Until the very end you are…only getting recognized as nothing more than the right hand of this retired number Legendary Student Council President, Koudzuki・Fantastic・Kanon, okayy✩”

And then with a ‘kirarin ✩’, she winked at Kazuki.

[It’s no good if you don’t get the recognition from these two too you know, My King.]

Leme made her speech inside his mind.

Akane-senpai was “Fuu” and released a breath as if deciding in her heart. And then she talked promptly.

“Oh well. I’ll go along with your thinking. …Let’s put the arrangements in order. We won’t sortie together with you in this surprise attack, but we will give you our utmost cooperation with regards to the preparations. What we first need is, to inform the students about the situation…and then the method to break out from this hotel and also maybe wireless communication.”

####################

“…What’s with you, calling out someone like me.”

Before moving out to implement the plan for real, Kazuki wanted to talk with Kazuha-senpai and called her out to the hall.

“There's a little something I want to give to senpai…though it’s not really that significant.”

“Give me something?”

Kazuki suddenly presented a handmade bouquet created from the small flowers piling up in the hills and fields.

Suddenly presented with that gift, Kazuha-senpai was “Hahee!?” and let out a strange voice.

“This is because when we moved by bus and I looked outside the window, I saw beautiful flowers blooming on the hills.”

“Yo, you especially picked them up for me…?”

“Yes. The atmosphere had become bloodthirsty from the battle and the attack. I was wondering whether I could soften the atmosphere a little and when I realized it, I had dashed to gather this.”

Kazuki was out of breath and talked while sweat was showing on his forehead. Although there was Enchant Aura, making a round trip to the mountain that he noticed from inside the bus and back at this busy time was not easy.

“Are you an idiot doing something like that in this kind of situation!? Something like flowers…for someone like me…”

Kazuha-senpai’s face reddened and looked the other way with a huff.

“I’m sorry, is this a bother for senpai?”

“It’s a bother-! Even if I receive flowers in this kind of place, I don’t have anything like a flower vase, it’s just too pitiful for the flowers if it was plucked and then withered away!!”

“Is, is that so…” So the flowers are a failure, thinking that, Kazuki became despondent.

“…But to think of me when you looked at flowers and wanting to give them to me, even though you're tired after the fighting you went out of your way to collect them as a present for me…”

Kazuha-senpai hugged the flower bouquet tightly on her chest and then a large heart mark come flying.

“Kazuha-senpai, actually after this…”

Kazuki spoke frankly about his plan for launching a surprise attack on the enemy by the students of the Knight Academy after this.

Kazuha-senpai gulped after hearing the importance of the fact that was just disclosed for her. Kazuki said to the bewildered girl.

“That’s why if the plan goes well, please go on a date with me for the reward.”

Kazuha-senpai became taken aback with all strength leaving her body.

“What’s with that, when I thought that you were going to talk about a serious matter you suddenly asked for a reward!?”

“Because, if there is a reward waiting then I’ll be able to work even harder.”

“So you said that if you can go on a date with me then…you will be able to work harder?”

Kazuha-senpai asked Kazuki with an exhausted red face, as if she was utterly amazed by Kazuki’s approach. Her defense had been pushed back to the limit already. Kazuki nodded repeatedly with great enthusiasm.

“Correct. I want to go on a date with senpai and do romantic things.”

Kazuha-senpai kept averting her face without facing Kazuki.

However a heart mark came flying once more, then she talked with a reluctant appearance.

“…Okay. But, only if you make a great achievement and this plan is a success, only after that.”

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