Chapter 1 - Every Day is a Bothersome DayPart 1Recently, Kusanagi G.o.dou began setting off from home forty minutesearlier than usual.He originally had a habit of getting up early for a run, but this was not thereason he had to move his schedule earlier. In fact, he could have justchanged his morning run to the evenings.It was nearing the end of June, and plum rain had continued every day inthe monsoon season for at least half a month.But today was a much awaited sunny day. G.o.dou put on his light runningshoes at the entrance and prepared to set off.The last time he left home without needing an umbrella was many daysago. As his thoughts reached this point, a sudden greeting was heard frombehind."Good morning, Onii-chan. You"re quite early again today... Are you goingto that person on the way again?"A voice that should have been very cute to listen to, but currently had astrange threatening tone.Turning his head back, G.o.dou saw his younger sister Shizuka appearingat the doorway with a sneer."Every single morning, meeting the blonde lover at some place and thengoing to school together. I am surprised by your earnest diligence,Onii-chan.""Ah... please don"t misunderstand. Erica is not my lover or anything likethat."In response to her older brother"s denial, the sister snorted with a sneerand ignored it."Aya, really? Onii-chan is two-timing Mariya-senpai and Erica-san at thesame time. It really seems like... So who is the main wife and who is thebackup? Or do they play both roles!""Don"t blindly believe those strange rumors. You"re talking as if I was thekind of man who made women his playthings!""It"s like this, there"s no smoke without fire. The gist is the female friendsleeps in every day, so each morning you have to go to that female friend"shome to wake her up. Isn"t that strange? Couldn"t one just use an alarmclock to wake up?"It really was exactly as Shizuka described it.G.o.dou nodded deeply, and at the same time, felt troubled as to how hecould describe the peculiarities of the young lady Erica Blandelli.It had already been a month since he began sharing the same cla.s.sroomas Erica.The only day she arrived at the cla.s.sroom on time and before lessonsbegan was the first.Henceforth, she was late every single day. It was a good day if she arrivedbefore homeroom ended.In the most severe cases, she would casually stroll into the cla.s.sroom afterlessons had begun for an hour or two, and greet G.o.dou as if nothing hadhappened — right in front of all the cla.s.smates and teachers."Good morning everyone. You"re all early today as well... Aya, why isG.o.dou"s face so terrible, what happened? Aha, you must be unhappy thatyou weren"t able to see my face until now. I also wanted to see theadorable you earlier, which is why I rushed here. But then it ended upbeing this late, is it acceptable?"Completely shameless and speaking total rubbish, she approachedG.o.dou"s side.The stares from the rest of the cla.s.s were painfully stabbing away atG.o.dou.(Especially the boys. If those glares were knives, then G.o.dou would havebeen shredded into a thousand pieces by now.)G.o.dou made a decision as he tried to push away Erica who was leaningtightly against him. No sacrifice would be too great, if this woman wouldonly come to school on time properly.The result was, visiting Erica"s room and going to school together becamea daily routine....Perhaps, it is precisely because I am going to school together with thatfellow that I am being misunderstood? This question had entered G.o.dou"smind.Shrugging off the jeering gaze of the sister who saw him off, G.o.dou left thehouse.Erica"s new residence was a luxury apartment on Hongou Street, roughlyfive minutes of walkina distance away. They lived on the tenth floor of atwelve-story 2LDK.As usual, G.o.dou called using the intercom at the entrance."Yes, may I know who is it?""Good morning, Anna-san, it"s me, Kusanagi.""Ah, G.o.dou-sama, thanks for your efforts every day, please enter."The high pitched voice — bright, clear and outgoing — clearly conveyed thecheerfulness of the speaker through the intercom.Pa.s.sing through the door, G.o.dou took the elevator up to the destinationfloor. To G.o.dou, who had always lived in a simple detached house, it felt alittle uncomfortable each time he entered and exited the luxury apartmentthat was protected by a security system of automated locks.Pressing the bell at the door to Erica"s unit, the door immediately opened."Good morning, do please come in."The one who came to receive him was Arianna Hayama Arialdi.The apprentice mage at the "Copper Black Cross" magic a.s.sociation, aswell as the a.s.sistant and personal caregiver (basically the maid) of theTemplar Knight Erica Blandelli — the one who held the t.i.tle Great Knight.She was the servant in charge of all domestic ch.o.r.es in this apartment."Doesn"t today"s great weather make one so happy? Lately, due to thecloudy or rainy days, I have been feeling troubled by the laundry notdrying."Arianna gave a refreshing smile as she welcomed G.o.dou inside.A face that seemed younger than her nineteen years of age, and gave animpression of great cleverness and competence... However, the truth wasmuch more unfortunate, for she is a cla.s.sic case where "one cannot bejudged by appearances.""So Anna-san, has that fellow Erica woken up today?"G.o.dou hastily asked as he was brought to the living room.Though he already knew Erica had no ability to get up by herself, G.o.doustill tried to harbor some hope."Probably, I heard some noises just now from the direction of the bedroom.Ah, if you wish, would you like a Cappuccino while you are waiting? Ifyou"re hungry, perhaps you"d like a little soup from yesterday, if you don"tmind."Anna asked with a smile as cute as a lily.A pure smile that warmed you from the heart. A girl who can smile like thatsurely cannot fall into misfortune.As G.o.dou thought to himself, he glanced into the distance at the pressurecooker sitting on the electric stove in the kitchen.A bad feeling.Perhaps a bias created by first impressions. But maybe noticing danger isa warning imparted by the instincts of a Campione. One should avoiddanger as much as possible."I already had breakfast at home, so I"ll pa.s.s on the soup."A perfect answer.Of course, at an age of a healthy appet.i.te, G.o.dou"s stomach can surelyhandle a second breakfast without issue. However, the exception is aparticular product of Anna"s cooking....It was about a month ago, the first time visiting this room.To serve G.o.dou, the guest of her mistress Erica, Arianna had offered herpersonal cooking.Handmade spaghetti with cream sauce, thinly sliced cheese and ham,bread with added sausage and vegetables, appetizers of fresh slices ofraw fish and cold cuts — all of them tasted excellent, and were mostsatisfying. However, the exception was the final soup presented on a dish."I"m dieting currently, so I"ll stop here."Erica, who had been eating heartily mouthful by mouthful, suddenly putdown her knife and fork.Despite her slim figure, her appet.i.te greatly exceeded a normal male.Although it felt really suspicious, G.o.dou could not find a reason to refusethis soup colored a strange shade of red, so he had taken a small sip.All the adjectives of the j.a.panese language could "hardly describe it," soG.o.dou gave up.That"s the kind of taste it was.An indescribable taste. Simple adjectives of sour, sweet, bitter or spicy,etc, did not suffice, and one simply couldn"t imagine what kind ofingredients went into making it.Inevitably, G.o.dou had shifted his gaze to Erica, who returned a malevolentsmile.(Didn"t I mention it before, that one needs to be careful with Arianna"scooking?)(If, if that"s the case, then, at least give a warning.)As she communicated with G.o.dou by exchanging glances, Erica drank herafter-meal Espresso with an air of nonchalance.Remembering the lesson he had learnt, G.o.dou accepted only theCappuccino this morning.Calming himself, G.o.dou waited for Arianna to return from the masterbedroom....But she came back immediately."Sorry, G.o.dou-sama. Erica-sama only woke for a moment to say she had"no mood to get up from bed without the kiss of the prince, and that G.o.doushould have been brought here earlier..." "Arianna seemed pitiful as she reported that Erica had gone back to sleep.G.o.dou furrowed his brow.Of course, he never expected that girl to get up so simply. Even if heoffered a morning call service from his home, that fellow would have simplyhung up the phone on him.Was there really no other way but to enter the room and wake her up?"That fellow always creates a ch.o.r.e for others in the morning — "G.o.dou complained as he left the living room and intruded into Erica"sbedroom.The mistress of this home was peacefully sleeping away with lightbreathing noises, wrapped in the blanket on the bed."You really went back to sleep, didn"t you..."The room"s interior condition gave G.o.dou a shock as he entered.Completely unlike the living s.p.a.ce of a girl living in the 201 0"s, it was aroom full of books and antiques.Amidst paperbacks were popular magazines, as well as ancient books inEnglish, Italian, Latin, Chinese and all sorts of different languages on thebook shelves above. Though neither CD nor MP3 players were found,there was an extremely old record player.They were arranged neatly, but surely it was not through the owner"sefforts.Most likely, it was Arianna who cleans up. As if to support this hypothesis,scattered all over the floor beneath the bed were the clothes probablytaken off last night.A t-shirt and shorts, as well as a few sc.r.a.ps of water-colored cloth — onepiece, two pieces.What is this combination of cloth?G.o.dou cannot imagine anything good out of it, and tells himself to stoppaying attention to it as he neared the bed."Hey, Erica, you"re going to be late if you don"t get up. This is no good."G.o.dou shook the girl"s body, trying to wake her.Martial artists in certain swordsmen novels often possess the ability towake up when approached in their sleep, but clearly this mage and geniusswordswoman is devoid of this skill. She probably would explain it as"presumably because there was no change in killing intent.""...Let me sleep a little longer. I was up till 4am last night watching BruceLee videos, and am still very sleepy. Please, I"ll kiss you later, ok? G.o.dou."Erica said this without even opening her eyes.This Italian girl surprisingly turned out to be a fan of the great kung fu star.To have studied these videos from that era to such a degree."No way. You shouldn"t be watching those things when you have school,get up quickly. How about I watch the Die Hard trilogy with you on theweekend?""Bruce is not enough, you need to add Jet Li as well."At least she was finally conscious, and greeted G.o.dou h.e.l.lo."Jackie Chan and Chow Yun Fat together as well, get up, time for school.""Yes, getting up right away, G.o.dou sure is bad. You"re probably the firstboy who ever got me out of bed by force... Hey, I"m getting up, come giveme a morning kiss..."Getting up from bed was the only time when Erica lost her usuallydominating and confident demeanor.Like a child, speaking as if she wanted to be spoilt.As G.o.dou answered her while he pulled away the blanket wrapped aroundher — he froze completely. The pale white neck and the naked back wereentirely revealed.Due to sleeping with her back turned, it was fortunate that the front couldnot be seen.However, because the curvaceous body part — whose lines from the waistto the b.u.t.tocks are like an artistic drawing — was going to be revealed,G.o.dou frantically covered her once again with the blanket."E-Erica... You, you"re not properly dressed?""I did wear clothes. I don"t sleep nude you know, it"s just that around thetime of dawn I couldn"t go back to sleep so I took them off... No problem, Idid put on perfume... Just like that actress from before — "Erica got up all of a sudden.At the same time, the blanket began to slide off the clearly unclothed uppertorso, and her bountiful cleavage was revealed from below.G.o.dou immediately caught the falling blanket."Erica, put on some clothes! Please! Please put on your clothes first!""Yes — then, first let"s wear... the underwear in the second drawer from thebottom, G.o.dou can pick whichever ones you prefer..."To G.o.dou who just heard a terrifying sentence, Erica smiled faintly.A different smile from the usual devil"s smile, it was a true and innocentsmile. Perhaps because she had just risen from bed, the crafty witch wasacting a little more honest.Frightened by this fresh feeling, G.o.dou continued to beg."Don"t joke around, choose it yourself!""Still lacking in ambition eh? Ah, help me take out the ones I was wearingyesterday, did they fall on the ground?""Those are underwear. Is it really ok to leave them somewhere that mencan see?""It"s fine if it"s G.o.dou, for you are special. Even seeing my naked body istotally fine for you.""No way, that is completely out of the question. An-anna-san, please couldyou bring something for Erica to wear? Please, quickly!"To Erica"s words which made G.o.dou panic, Arianna calmly smiled and ranover.G.o.dou"s recent mornings pretty much all felt like this.Part 2The high school division of Jounan Academy, Year 1, Cla.s.s 5.Here was the cla.s.sroom of Erica and G.o.dou, and by the way, the two wereneighbors.Actually Erica was originally seated much further away, but on the first dayshe transferred, she suddenly gave that speech.A month ago, during homeroom in the morning.The foreign student from Italy had introduced herself with perfectj.a.panese.Afterwards, Erica, who had been seated next to a window, began smilingas she hummed proudly to herself. Then she proceeded to casually walk toG.o.dou"s seat and suddenly announced."First of all I must make this clear, I, Erica Blandelli have already promisedmy future to someone, and that is this person, Kusanagi G.o.dou. — hoho,from today onwards we will always be together, G.o.dou."As she delivered those words, she deftly embraced G.o.dou whodesperately wanted to flee, and kissed him upon the cheek.Elegantly capturing G.o.dou who had been on alert — this must surely countas a miraculous skill — Erica then began to give a speech.Two people in love, who cannot be separated even for a moment.And so she hoped for cooperation to obtain her rightful seat belonging byhis side."There can be no place for me to sit except beside Kusanagi G.o.dou.Would you help us who are in love, and accept such willfulness?"G.o.dou was shocked that Erica made such a request.No, no matter how you look at it, that is totally unreasonable. One was trulyspeechless at this choice of action.The surrounding cla.s.smates all suddenly left their seats, and started toreorganize themselves to accommodate Erica"s seating request. Even theteacher had nothing to say.At that time, Erica must have been using magic similar to hypnosis.And so it came to be, the two of them were seated next to each other, andtheir relationship was officially recognized within the cla.s.s."Hey G.o.dou, let"s go for lunch, Arianna prepared sandwiches for metoday."Erica joyfully said as the bell rang for the lunch break. G.o.dou immediatelybegan to feel his body being pierced by vast amounts of murderous intent.— It"s that guy Kusanagi again, we see this every single day!— Ch! Our Erica, why would she go with that guy!— If this level of hate can become a murder weapon, I, I will be able to killthis guy!— You boy, even h.e.l.l is too mild for you!"Hey! Erica, why don"t you try having lunch with other girls for once? I willgo to the school cafeteria."Pressured by the indescribable stress, G.o.dou attempted to offer asuggestion.The dark aura exuded by the surrounding boys has been intensifyingthrough each pa.s.sing day.Jealousy, hate, revulsion, murderous intent, enmity. If a measuring deviceexisted to quantify these negative emotions, who knew what values wouldbe recorded in this cla.s.sroom?"What are you talking about? Even for the girls, everybody supports us.Don"t ruin the mood with such words."G.o.dou sighed at Erica"s simple response.Erica Blandelli"s political and negotiation skills can truly be horrifying.She was definitely not a person with a good att.i.tude at receiving others. Infact, the first time she met G.o.dou, she was mostly arrogant and cold.However, as long as she willed it, she can be a diplomatic expert who getsalong well with anyone.She possessed beauty and elegance beyond the daughters of high cla.s.sfamilies, extraordinary eloquence of speech, social strategy which neithercompromised nor created conflict, first impressions convincing others thatshe was a special existence, and exceptional charisma fitting for a leader.If a person of such a disposition were to get serious, no high schoolstudent in j.a.pan would be her match.Even when her character is so p.r.o.ne to doing as she pleased, Erica"sactions have not garnered any ill talk behind her back. G.o.dou trulyadmired this accomplishment.The trouble was this — Erica"s total disregard for hiding her affectionstowards a specific boy was greatly problematic.Due to the well wishes of the girls, as well as the anger of the boys, hateand admiration had combined to double the pressure on G.o.dou."But then, it would be nice to have lunch outside once in a while. Sincetoday"s weather is fine, how about the central courtyard? To go to thebenches there, wouldn"t that be great?""Sorry, only that choice is impossible, let"s eat in the cla.s.sroom."G.o.dou immediately answered to the smiling Erica.The central courtyard was where not only high school students but manymiddle schoolers pa.s.sed by, especially during the lunch break. One mustavoid such attention seeking actions at all costs in a place seen by somany people."Then how about as usual, I"ll go buy the drinks, what do you want?""Tea then, the non-sweet type."Alternating between buying drinks and bread was the agreement they haddecided beforehand.As Erica left to fulfill her turn to buy drinks, G.o.dou began to prepare thearea for lunch.Laying out the napkin and placing the lunchbox on it, there were Italiancold cuts, sandwiches containing ham and vegetables, as well as olives inplastic containers, apples, etc.A lunch prepared by Arianna, full of European style.Recalling the first time when Erica just moved here, the memory remainsfresh in G.o.dou"s mind when he lectured Erica for planning on bringing wineand champagne bought from the hotel as drinks for lunch."What"s the matter, Takagi?"Since the boy who sat behind him seemed to be saying something, G.o.douventured to ask.G.o.dou was already quite tall, but Takagi was taller still, reaching nearly185cm in height. He should be in the Kendo club."G.o.dou, let me share with you some good news. Right now, all the boys ofour Cla.s.s 5 are enduring the acc.u.mulation of rage and hate towards youratrocious acts, as if ignoring our existence...""I"m sorry, but the one ignoring others is Erica, not me.""Ch! Whenever you talk about yourself, you always think you are in theright! You think you"re so special — fine, if you"re going to be that way, wewill take emergency measures."Takagi spoke decisively.Why? He — no, including him, all the boys staring at G.o.dou had their eyesfull of strong determination, it"s almost like those of two boxers in anundecided match, dodging each other"s attacks and waiting for anopportunity to counterattack."Emergency... measures?""Yes. We will fight poison with poison. If you won"t heed the feelings of usmen, then we will retaliate with the appropriate measures! ...To be frank,we already sent someone to report to the other cla.s.s next door.""Why the cla.s.s next door... Could it be!?""Ho, you realized it. But it"s too late. We tried to avoid this until nowbecause it hurts us too. But in order to torment you, we dare to walk thepath of pain."As Takagi gave a speech full of heroic sacrifice, she arrived.Mariya Yuri of the First Year, Sixth Cla.s.s.G.o.dou"s sister Shizuka"s uppercla.s.sman at the tea ceremony club shebelonged to, the one who represented the j.a.panese wizardry world, andthe Hime-Miko whose appearance never failed to catch G.o.dou"s attention.As she entered the door to Cla.s.s 5, G.o.dou found her walking over to him."Kusanagi-san, may I borrow a moment of your time?""Yes, yes, what is it?"The number one top beauty in the school alongside Erica, was asking witha sharp glare.Her beauty was like sakura flowers blossoming quietly on the mountainside, and felt neither arrogant nor ostentatious.One could easily fall into obsession just by watching her."I am reminding you precisely because this is inappropriate. I am in adifferent cla.s.s, and cannot report you to the discipline committee...However, the students in this cla.s.s only hope you will not ignore them.""Uh, umm..."In front of Yuri who spoke persuasively with reason, G.o.dou had a face fullof panic. This beautiful miko-sama was truly hard to handle. Once shestarted lecturing, one would inevitably start listening respectfully."I heard that every day during lunch, Kusanagi-san and Erica-san aredoing that... is... is it called flirting? Speaking intimate words lacking incaution. This is a school, don"t you think you should save those for a moreappropriate time and place?""We weren"t flirting! Only having lunch together!""Obviously lying. Due to this, Cla.s.s 5 is so troubled that they are almostcrying... The one with me just now mentioned it. Something like "Kusanagiis treating all the boys who don"t have girlfriends as fools by flirting withErica every day. We must all be concerned, and so forth." And spokentearfully too."Behind Yuri, who was lecturing with righteous anger, were...The boys in the cla.s.s, all of them watching the cornered G.o.dou withmalevolent smiles. Those evil expressions fully betrayed their feelings.— Hehehe, as expected, G.o.dou cannot defy Mariya.— But then, to be tricked by that awful acting, and to come to thiscla.s.sroom specifically, isn"t Mariya coming personally for G.o.dou after all?— d.a.m.n! Unacceptable! Why do such good things only happen to thatguy?— How enviable. I also want to get to know the Mariya-san "who has nointerest in boys" and be lectured by her.— Oh! Look, Erica is back, let the show really begin."Ah, it"s Yuri? It"s rare to see you here during lunch?"Holding drink cartons of oolong tea and orange juice, Erica had returned tothe cla.s.sroom."You want to join us for lunch? As long as you don"t disturb G.o.dou and myfun, you"re welcomed.""Unfortunately, the reason I am here is to obstruct you two."Erica and Yuri silently faced off with strong determination.These two are truly incompatible in personality. Whenever G.o.dou wasgetting teased by Erica, Yuri always expressed disapproval if shehappened to witness it.Ever since the first time they met, the same type of situation had unfoldedcountless times.The problem was that this mostly happened in school, in full view of asubstantial number of the high school and middle school students."Ohoh, it"s the battle between the mistress and the wife." "It must be timefor G.o.dou to confess his sins." "Kusanagi that fellow, when did he startgetting so close to Mariya?" "Idiot, the two of them must be childhoodfriends." "Is that so? So because Mariya failed to recognize her feelings forKusanagi, the result was the intrusion of Erica from Italy!?" "Choosingbetween the j.a.panese legal wife Mariya, and the Italian mistress Erica,what an ultimate dilemma!"Sigh, the cause of this misunderstanding has its reasons.Perhaps due to nationality, most people would think that Yuri and G.o.douknew each other first. However, the truth was the opposite, but jumping toconclusions could be a scary thing."...This feels a bit noisy.""You still don"t seem to understand what I am saying, why don"t we changelocations? To the roof then, a less conspicuous location."Noticing the people around Yuri discussing all sorts of theories excitedly,G.o.dou made a proposition.It was already impossible to converse in such an environment, and G.o.dougave Erica a look. Truly expected of a comrade, she immediatelyunderstood and neatly wrapped up the food on the table.G.o.dou took the hand of the miko-sama who seemed to be in a trance, andwalked towards the cla.s.sroom exit."Ah?" While Yuri realized with surprise she was being led walking by thehand, Erica had caught up.— Recently, trying to eat lunch casually has become impossible.G.o.dou complained in his mind as he bolted out of the cla.s.sroom like anadvanced attack party.Part 3It was quite chaotic on the roof during lunch.A few people were eating lunch in groups, while others were playing ball. Itwas rather lively.Unlike the cla.s.sroom, G.o.dou and his group would not attract attentionhere."Should have come here from the start, finally some peace and quiet.""If it"s just two people eating lunch normally, then it could be quietanywhere, do not blame the reason on others."Yuri continued to oppose vehemently to G.o.dou who had made the correctchoice in location.She had also picked up her own lunchbox along the way when theypa.s.sed by the 6th Cla.s.s."Today"s weather is great, and being outside makes one feel at ease. Isn"tthis nice?"Erica began to eat her sandwiches while speaking indifferently.By the way, Arianna had prepared equal portions for both Erica andG.o.dou. Incommensurate with her slim figure, Erica"s appet.i.te was extreme."...So, how do Kusanagi-san and Erica-san usually eat lunch?"Yuri"s lunchbox, on the other hand, was a normal girl"s portion.As to her holding of the chopsticks, they were used in a most elegantmanner. Perhaps she was well taught from a young age."Usually I am being ha.s.sled by Erica while being talked about by others.""What ha.s.sling... Really, there are mountains worth of boys who want toeat lunch with me."To Erica who sighed as she spoke, G.o.dou was staring at her with eyes ofresentment.In reality, to this date, there had been quite a few people who tried tointrude in between the two of them. However, every time they were drivenaway by Erica who always guessed their intentions.... Since she was a girl, they could not lose their temper and scold her.In these areas, Erica was completely flawless.Towards boys, she was entirely merciless. With an elegant smile shewould say "You"re in the way, could you please leave?""If you already know you"re popular, could you stop that Queen-likeatt.i.tude? If you continue to do as you please, I have to take the brunt of thebacklash."Even though G.o.dou was very displeased, Erica only smiled in a relaxedmanner."Isn"t that great? To be the exclusive recipient of my love. Aren"t theremany benefits?""...Sometimes I really admire this self-confidence of yours.""If you could respond decisively, Kusanagi-san, I don"t believe it wouldhave progressed to this. First and foremost, one must always do thingswith determination."Yuri"s voice was filled with thorns of disapproval."Ah, yes." Without realizing it, G.o.dou began to retreat.Perhaps it was due to her pointing out the truth, G.o.dou felt like he cannotgive a reb.u.t.tal. It was completely unlike those times when he argued withErica."Ah, yes, G.o.dou. That matter, isn"t it time for it to be determined whether itis accepted or not? The exact time will be today after school.""That matter... is it something that can be brought home?"Erica suddenly brought up something that immediately caused G.o.douagitation.Not long after Erica had transferred, she immediately made the request ofmeeting and greeting G.o.dou"s family."In that case, didn"t we talk about it already, so you still haven"t given up?""Of course. In preparation for the future, winning over G.o.dou"s family is anecessary prerequisite."Looks like joyfully talking about her deep scheming was one of Erica"smost adept skills.To this exchange of words, Yuri frowned in a barely perceptible manner."Shizuka-san seems to have heard about Erica-san, and is most wary in aserious state of alert. When this kind of female approaches her brother, it isonly natural."The younger sister Shizuka was a 3rd year student in the middle schooldivision.Since the relationship with the blonde beauty had become the gossip ofthe school, their relationship was already known. For the sake of harmonywithin the family, G.o.dou had wanted to prevent this meeting."Come on, visiting my home isn"t that fun anyway?""Even if it"s not very fun, meeting the family of my lover, and having ourrelationship recognized officially is very important."To Erica"s suggestion, G.o.dou immediately rebuffed."We are not lovers, and there is no need for official recognition!""Then there"s no other way. Imouto-san is also in this school, right? 3rdYear 2nd Cla.s.s of the middle school, her register number is 9. Her seat isthe second one in the row closest to the corridor."Unlike the innocent child this morning, this was the true horrifying face ofthe witch.A smile appeared at the corner of Erica"s lip, completely expressing hermalevolent intentions. Dominating G.o.dou, causing him to admit defeatfrom the depths of his heart."The grandfather who retired 6 years ago from the university position ofprofessor of folklore studies. Living carefree nowadays and taking up allthe ch.o.r.es of the household. The mother works at Yushima.""Why do you know so much detail about my family?""Since G.o.dou did not introduce them to me, I decided to investigate a bit.To suddenly visit and meet them would be quite strange, so I have beenwaiting for you to invite me... However, there are times when one musttake action for oneself."Cornered by Erica, G.o.dou only had two choices.To let Erica introduce herself in a situation when G.o.dou himself wasabsent, or to bring Erica to the house, and face the family together. Whichwould it be? That was the question."Sigh, I still can"t think of a better solution..."G.o.dou was becoming further agitated. Was there a less risky option — ?Certain of her victory, Erica was chuckling proudly to herself. Was therereally no trump card to reverse defeat — yes, there was a way.Right here beside them, was another girl.G.o.dou looked at her frowning face full of propriety."Mariya, would you happen to be free today after school? If it"s convenient,could you come visit my home? Along with this girl — Erica."G.o.dou tried to ask with total sincerity.Yuri stared at G.o.dou with a lost expression."For m-me to visit your... home, Kusanagi-san?""Yes. If I bring Erica to my home, I cannot restrain her by myself. If it"spossible, could you help keep an eye over her — ""I see... In that case, I do not mind."Yuri nodded as she glanced at Erica."Indeed, Kusanagi-san, letting your family meet Erica-san would probablybe a dangerous matter. A sudden visit to a boy"s home is a little unusual.But given that is the situation, it cannot be helped. I have no choice but toaccept.""Thank you, Mariya... You won"t mind, right, Erica?"Counterattack success! G.o.dou returned a smile of victory.Erica seemed slightly impressed. She smiled and nodded."G.o.dou... Do you really think your little trick can stop me? Do notunderestimate this [Diavolo Rosso] so easily.""Hmph. I won"t do as you wish forever, be prepared for that."At that time, G.o.dou still had not realized he was digging his own grave.Part 4Uh, did he do something wrong?Watching the delicate expressions on Shizuka"s face, G.o.dou felt troubled.If it was just himself, he definitely would not be able to control Erica. WithYuri"s help however, there should be a way.— Then what was the matter with this bad feeling?After school, G.o.dou and Erica, as well as Yuri walked back to theKusanagi residence.Walking for roughly ten minutes from Jounan Academy, they reached theshopping street in Nezu of the Bunkyo ward.In that area was a closed down j.a.panese book store and the home of theKusanagi family. G.o.dou led the two girls into the living room."You"re home, Onii-chan. Yes, listen to me. Grandfather said that tonight"sdinner is hand-rolled sushi — Anyway... let"s go shopping together..."They were greeted by Grandfather Kusanagi Ichirou and Shizuka who hadalready returned from school.After half a day, her mood seemed to have improved, and the youngersister"s speech had become more relaxed — however, her state was rapidlydeteriorating mid-sentence.The grandfather calmly smiled at the two girls his grandson brought home."Ah... what should I say, you even brought some friends.""Yes, all sorts of friends..."As she finished speaking, Shizuka finally greeted Yuri as her senior in theclub activities."h.e.l.lo, Mariya-senpai. And that one over there must be Erica-san who hasa close relationship with Onii-chan? I already know... from rumors.""h.e.l.lo Shizuka. Haven"t I introduced myself on the phone before? Apleasure to meet you, grandfather. I apologize for my sudden intrusiontoday. There are things I must talk to G.o.dou"s family about, if I may?"Erica greeted them with a most lady-like smile.When she acted like that, one cannot help but marvel at what a perfecthigh cla.s.s lady she was."Hoho... Let"s take your seats first, I will prepare the tea."And so, everyone came into the living room of the Kusanagi family.Around the large table sat G.o.dou with Erica on his right and Yuri on theleft. Opposite was Shizuka with an intense glare, while the cheerfulgrandfather sat on the side.Somehow it evolved into an awkward atmosphere along the likes of"hopeless, you rascal." Why was that?Grandfather suddenly addressed Yuri.Perhaps it was because Yuri spoke less than Erica, so he became a bitcurious."Yes, I am Mariya. My utmost apologies for today"s sudden intrusion.Shizuka-san and I both belong to the same tea ceremony club.""Then that means you"re Shizuka"s senior, right? Did you become friendswith G.o.dou due to Shizuka?"Grandfather nodded at Yuri"s earnest greeting and thoughtlessly asked.However, the one who answered this loaded question was Shizuka."That has no relation to me whatsoever. Onii-chan and Mariya-senpai"srelationship suddenly became close at some unknown point in time, andthey even met secretly behind my back during weekends."G.o.dou began to realize the mistake he had made.Although the overall strategy was correct in bringing Yuri as an ally, theunexpected result was greatly increasing the battle spirit of the adversary(the younger sister).However... it was still too early to write it off as a failure.With his will to fight rising, his targets have also increased to two. However,if the will to battle has increased, but the targets have doubled, then it willstill be tough to handle."When did Onii-chan and Erica-san meet is also a mystery as well. Whenwe talked on the phone last time, no one would have thought she wasforeign due to her excellent j.a.panese. Onii-chan and Erica-san"srelationship seems to be extremely close? It"s already the talk of theschool."Shizuka also began to direct her enmity towards Erica, and started a twop.r.o.nged attack.Now was the key moment, and G.o.dou immediately responded."In truth, Erica should be the one closer to me, but that"s it. Even forShizuka, you must have many close friends, right?""Yes, I have many friends. However, I have never had a friend who madean engagement-like declaration on the first day of transferring into theschool."Shizuka rebuked her brother"s question flawlessly with another referenceto Erica.It would be necessary for evidence to be provided by this blonde witch inorder to prove his innocence. G.o.dou made a decision as he waited for herto speak....Erica showed what seemed like a smile of pity.As if boasting she can win as a challenge, G.o.dou suddenly felt verydispleased."I am very sorry that the matter of G.o.dou and I has created such kind ofrumor.""There is no credibility coming from the person who created the rumor. Isn"tthe one who forced me into all this trouble you yourself, Erica?""Don"t, don"t say it like that... there was no forcing at all."Erica swiftly held out her hand.By the time he realized it was no good, it was already too late — G.o.dou"sright hand on the table had been clasped by Erica"s right hand.It wasn"t exactly fast.Rather, it was a slow, elegant motion. However, G.o.dou still wasn"t able toevade....When one skilled with swords chops down with a shinai (bamboo blade),even a fierce warrior will not be able to escape. This is truly one of Erica"samazing skills."Anyway, about that, why don"t you answer properly, G.o.dou. You"re justnot being forthcoming enough. But then again, this is one of your cutepoints."Shizuka"s gaze was beginning to look as if it was colder than freezingtemperature.The obvious reason was the pair of hands which appeared to beharmoniously holding each other."No, it"s not like that. Do not misunderstand. It is Erica"s brute force whichis holding my hand down.""Onii-chan is the worst! Your denials are futile."G.o.dou was trying with all his strength to extract his hand from Erica"s grip.However, this blonde devil easily suppressed it with a relaxed expressionupon her face. Not only that, she was acting as if lovingly caressingG.o.dou"s hand, trying to intertwine their fingers intimately together.G.o.dou truly hated the magic which granted this woman such demonicstrength.What if he tried to stand up with all his might, would he be able to escapefrom such a skill?No, he would not.There was one time when he had been in a similar situation. He ended uplosing balance, falling to the ground, only to be hypnotized and playedaround with. At times like these, this witch only knew how to press heradvantages to the limit and pose with perfect victory."Erica-san, please have some restraint with your pranks!"G.o.dou felt relieved from the loud cry which echoed. Truly, bringing herhere was the right decision."Shizuka-san and grandfather, please allow me to explain the situation.Perhaps you may find it completely unbelievable and a pack of lies tocover up the truth. However, Erica-san and Kusanagi-san are not in aboyfriend girlfriend relationship."Yuri"s voice was awe-inspiring, and truly reliable.Sounding like the clear pure tone of a bell, even Shizuka began to focusher attention on her senior"s face."Before, Kusanagi-san has sworn in front of me — that he definitely is notgoing out with Erica-san. Should this oath be false, he will gladly submit todeath without a word of objection. I, at that time did believe thatKusanagi-san was not lying. No, I wanted to believe."...It was a month ago, the night Athena was defeated and repelled.In order to convince Yuri who insisted that G.o.dou and Erica terminate theirunhealthy — no, lover"s relationship. G.o.dou had come up with this solution,and even swore an oath with his life as forfeit.The result was, at the very least Yuri acknowledged G.o.dou"s opinion."Admittedly, these two people have a very unhealthy relationship, and it iscompletely unacceptable. However, it is due to Erica-san"s despicableattempts at seduction, that Kusanagi-san has been ha.s.sled to within aninch of his life."Yuri"s defense continued. Eh? Does this still count as defending?"To be honest, this person really tries hard, but always seems to be doinginexplicable things, and never considers the trouble he brings to othersaround him. He is hopeless, and a person who doesn"t know how to lie.One would hope that he would strive to keep his promises, but the endresult is he fails the majority of the time."Erica on the other side, was silently laughing away.Since her grip had relaxed, G.o.dou hurriedly withdrew his right hand. Butwhy? There was no feeling that crisis had been averted at all."If he cannot prudently reject Erica-san"s advances, then Kusanagi-sanshould show more determination in his contact with Erica-san. Waking herup every morning is spoiling her, and leaning your bodies close to eachother, to be honest it is totally an eyesore. Though you have completelyfailed on all accounts, I believe you are innocent, even if it is not myintention."At that moment, G.o.dou finally realized the error he had committed.Asking for reinforcements was correct. But this was Yuri, who alwaysspoke truthfully without any knowledge of tact. Was she an appropriate allyin such a situation? The answer laid there."How is it? Kusanagi-san and Erica-san are not going out, can everyoneunderstand?"To Yuri"s sincere gaze of questioning, Shizuka nodded her head.And turned her gaze, full of despise and mockery, at her brother."Yes, hearing this explanation clears up the gist of these two"s relationship.But I still don"t understand the situation deep enough."G.o.dou and Erica, as well as Yuri, gazed at Shizuka as she spoke."But, let"s get to the bottom of this, why would my idiot Onii-chan need toswear such an oath to Mariya-senpai? What kind of relationship doesMariya-senpai have with Onii-chan?""Eh? Just ordinary friends. This and that — "How could it be explained that one was the G.o.d-slaying Devil King and theother was the Hime-Miko representing the j.a.panese magic world?To the honest Yuri, letting her improvise a cover up was very difficult."From the words just now, it"s almost like the wife is a childhood friend.Legal wife and lover, it looks like the rumors are true. Onii-chan, well done,doesn"t this feel just like Grandfather and deceased Grandmother backthen, what a great atmosphere?""Eh!? What are you talking about, Shizuka-san?"Don"t treat me as the same type as Grandfather, I"m begging you...Shizuka"s words, full of subtle meanings, caused Yuri to lose hercomposure. G.o.dou frowned.No matter what, he didn"t want to be compared with Grandfather."Grandfather and Grandmother? What was that like?"Piqued with interest, Erica"s inquiry caused Shizuka to sigh deeply."In all generations of the Kusanagi family, all the men have idle hands.Examples include playboy heirs who wrecked their inheritances amusingthemselves with geisha, and had illegitimate children popping up out of thewoodwork after their deaths. It"s been over 200 years, but there really havebeen all sorts."Shizuka glanced at her Grandfather who was sipping tea in smallmouthfuls.Without saying a single word for the past while, and sitting as still as air,the grandfather Kusanagi Ichirou, returned his granddaughter"s gaze with agentle smile."Hahaha, Shizuka. I don"t quite agree with what you say about all theancestors, but then again, not all of it is completely wrong.""From the same bloodline, the only recent one with rare capability wasGrandfather. But Grandfather was not only a playboy but there were manywomen who approached uninvited. Grandma sure had a tough timesweeping those pests away."To his granddaughter"s accusations, the Grandfather smiled and shook hishead."Though I socialized with all sorts of women in my youth, but my heart wastrue to my wife after we married.""I"m innocent! In general, I am totally unlike Grandfather. Personality is alsocompletely different!"Shizuka shrugged and ignored G.o.dou"s protest.Furthermore, Yuri seemed to agree with this grandfather-grandsoncomparison and said something like "now that you say it, it does...", evenErica seemed to be nodding her head impressed.Sigh, such situations made one feel that the face is truly more importantthan the personality sometimes."True, the personalities are different, but the end result of their actions areboth "extremely alike." I heard that others regarded Grandfather as a veryserious person in his youth, but isn"t it the same for Onii-chan?"Reflecting on himself, G.o.dou could not argue any more.During the past spring of this year, defeating the G.o.d of war Verethragnaon the southern Italian island of Sardinia.This ancient Persian deity had ten characteristic forms — Wind, Bull, WhiteStallion, Camel, Boar, Youth, Raptor, Ram, Goat, as well as the Warrior.G.o.dou, who defeated Verethragna, had no intention of obtaining thosepowers. From then onwards, in the battles with G.o.ds and devil kings,G.o.dou had damaged many world heritage sites.This body was definitely unreasonable."Then, may I interrupt here? It"s about time for dinner to be prepared. I"vealready readied the vinegar for tonight"s hand rolled sushi."Grandfather suddenly stood up.Probably in order to break up the current silence."Just a while ago I called Sakuraba-san at the fish shop and asked him tochoose some good ingredients. Why don"t G.o.dou and Shizuka go pickthem up. Aya, don"t forget to increase the portions for two additionalpeople."Grandfather spoke as he turned to smile most affectionately at Erica andYuri."I hope you both don"t mind staying for dinner? After all it is a rareoccasion. Of course, if you have curfews or other engagements, I won"tforce you.""No, Grandfather. Please let me stay no matter what."Erica elegantly gave a bow from the side.Seeing the two of them interact and turning out to be surprisinglycompatible, G.o.dou felt impressed. Erica and Grandfather are both peoplewith perfect social skills.However, Yuri on the left side —"I, I intruded so suddenly. If I stayed for dinner, it would be troublesomeright...""Not at all, Grandfather loves these kinds of situations. Gathering lots ofpeople to savor his cooking, and have a good drink."To dispel Yuri"s hesitation, G.o.dou explained to her.However, she felt there was a problem with this invitation. Yuri wasextremely surprised by the last sentence."Ah, ah, drink!?""Ah... You planned to drink today all along, right, Grandfather?""Is there a problem? G.o.dou and I are definitely fine. I"m sure Erica-sanwon"t have a problem either — "This is the old man whose poor role model included graduallyindoctrinating his middle school grandchildren with the taste of alcohol,then pretended to explain it as an early lesson "to prevent binge drinkingand alcohol poisoning."Seeing Erica"s eyes flash, G.o.dou immediately yelled out."Please, let"s not drink tonight. Letting Erica imbibe alcohol would becatastrophic.""Aya, G.o.dou, the right amount of alcohol has benefits to both health andfriendship.""Wait a minute, Onii-chan, what exactly do you mean from what you justsaid? You"re implying that you two drank alcohol together before! Pleaseexplain with details!""That, that"s right. Kusanagi-san, please explain what transpired."The foolish comment was equivalent to adding new fuel to the fire.As for the grandfather, he turned to his grandson in crisis and forced a faintsmile. G.o.dou felt that expression seemed to be saying "you still have muchto learn."Part 5"Thanks for having me today. Please relay my regards to everyone.""I"m sorry, Mariya, for forcing you to come along and making you stay thislate."It was already past eight o"clock at night by the time Yuri was setting offfrom the Kusanagi home.Apologizing as he greeted her farewell at the entrance, G.o.dou was seeingher off with a face full of shame and regret."No, I was happy. Please don"t say that.""Really, then that"s good. See you tomorrow.""Yes, see you tomorrow. I take my leave."Nodding towards each other with the smiling G.o.dou, Yuri bowed her headseriously and walked out of the entrance way.In the end, they had dinner after talking with Shizuka. With his eyes,G.o.dou ordered Erica not to drink, and they chatted as they ate.To Yuri who had few friends, pa.s.sing time like this was extremely rare.Her overly serious way of speaking and elegant mannerisms were alreadyuncommon, and basically she was never invited to go out and have fun byher peers.She wasn"t being shunned, but people just didn"t want to be tooconspicuous. A little unfamiliar.Since she herself was aware of it, she never tried to involve herself inthose circles either.Just now during dinner, the one who spoke the least was Yuri.But still, it felt pretty good.Erica had the most to say, not only to G.o.dou, but also with his grandfatherand sister. Sometimes she even spoke a few sentences to Yuri.Those sentences did not carry any domineering att.i.tude, and wasconsiderate of the other"s rhythm of speech, allowing her to enjoyconversation in a relaxed manner.As for G.o.dou who wasn"t talkative to begin with, he concentrated on eatinginstead of listening to them chat.The only young man there, G.o.dou"s appet.i.te was ravenous. However, hestill entered the conversation during opportune moments between movinghis chopsticks and wolfing down his food.As a member of the same club, Shizuka also understood Yuri"s personalityto a certain extent.The main host, Grandfather Kusanagi was a very observant person, whichwas consistent with his popularity with girls in his youth."Ah, Yuri-san. Seeing you is great, I"ve been trying to find you for quite awhile. I beg you, please carry your cellphone with you, there are timesthere are emergencies when contact is needed."As Yuri made her way through the street of shops toward the closest Nezustation, she was suddenly greeted by a voice.This voice belonged to the young man dressed in a suit — AmakasuTouma.The representative of the History Compilation Committee, an organizationresponsible for regulating the j.a.panese wizards and controlling informationabout G.o.ds and supernatural oddities."Cellphone? I am sorry but I do not think I need such a thing. However,how did you know I was here?"To Yuri"s question. Amakasu replied with an awkward smile."I came here by chance. As I was wondering if I would be able to findYuri-san before you took the train, I waited here for a bit. When I calledyour home, they told me you had visited a fellow student"s home near theschool.""Is that so... Anyway, what business do you have with me today?"So that meant, it was because she borrowed the phone at the Kusanagiresidence to call home and tell them she would be late.Yuri asked once she understood."Actually there"s a request for you. However, today is a bit late, so we"llmake the request tomorrow.""Not a problem. If it is all right with you, let us finish it now?""No. It is something that needs to be discussed at a better location. Let"smake it tomorrow. To Yuri-san this should be a relaxing task. A grimoirehas been rumored to have appeared in Romania near the outskirts ofCroatia, so we wish for Yuri-san to help certify its authenticity."To Amakasu who spoke rather frivolously, Yuri sighed."Amakasu-san, my spirit vision is not some convenient power that can "see"everything. There are many occasions when nothing is revealed."This mouth must be one of the reasons he has so few friends.Yuri thought to herself as she chastised how lightly this History CompilationCommittee member was taking things.The so-called spirit vision was definitely not an all-seeing power ofa.n.a.lysis. It was just a kind of ability bestowed by the G.o.ds on a whim likean oracle."Then you are too humble. Even in Milan, the origin of magic in EasternEurope, there are no spirit vision users whose capability exceeds Yuri-san.If you can"t do it, then no one else can. Hope we can cooperate, if youdon"t mind too much."Amakasu began to laugh.At that point it was useless to say any more. Yuri decided to acceptAmakasu"s request, especially since there were few reasons to refuse arequest made in such a manner."Fine, I understand. I will a.s.sist you tomorrow after school.""Your help is appreciated. By the way, when you said you were visiting afriend near school, could it be the home of Kusanagi G.o.dou?"Abruptly, Amakasu changed the subject.Do people deeply involved with magic and the G.o.ds have to be wary ofcontact with the Campione?"Yes... Umm, is there any problem with that? I do not believe there is anyneed to deliberately distance myself from Kusanagi-san."To this answer, Amakasu shook his head."Oh, no problem at all. Actually, it"s the opposite. Yuri is one of KusanagiG.o.dou"s most important friends, right? Take more initiative, go to hishouse, or even invite him over to yours, it"s all good, keep it up.""Is that so? ...Amakasu-san, things seem to have become a little unusual?"Yuri became a little angry as she stared at the suspicious person in front ofher.A strange premonition flowed into her heart. Unease, as well as a suddensense of accomplishment. Could this be some kind of prediction broughtabout by the power of spirit vision?"Anyway, let"s talk about this in detail tomorrow. Take care... during thiswonderful evening."Waving his hand, Amakasu departed.References1 . t 2LDK: 2LDK is a j.a.panese shorthand for an apartment with 2bedrooms and a combined living room, dining room, and kitchen area.