Chapter 2 - News from ItalyPart 1Kusanagi G.o.dou had spent the year end and New Year"s in the SouthSeas, practically on the equator.When it finally came time to return to his home and country, he really feltquite removed from the New Year"s spirit.Furthermore, his grandfather was traveling in Bhutan and his little sisterShizuka was vacationing in the Caribbean. Although his mother was inj.a.pan, this was the time of the year when she occupied her days with NewYear parties, so G.o.dou hardly ever saw her.Anyway, G.o.dou finally returned home to j.a.pan."Since it happens to be January, I believe we should pay a New Year"shomage before the winter vacation ends. As a New Year"s event, let"s allgo to Mariya"s place."At the Kusanagi residence, Erica and Liliana gazed subtly at G.o.dou whenhe invited them.As a side note, Ena had already returned to her ancestral home atChichibu a while ago."A New Year"s homage? I recall it being a j.a.panese custom. To make awish at a shrine at the beginning of each year.""A G.o.dslayer making wishes to G.o.ds? What would that be like, I reallywonder...""l-lt doesn"t matter, okay? I can do New Year things just like ordinarypeople. Besides, I"m not even sure what G.o.ds exactly are worshiped inj.a.panese shrines!"Liliana murmured with heartfelt emotion while Erica expressed her doubtssardonically.In response to the two knights" reactions, G.o.dou blurted out sacrilegiouswords.In spite of it all, the trio departed for Shiba Park anyway, to pay a visit toNanao Shrine whose origins and deity worshiped were unknown to themdespite their frequent visits."Welcome back, Onii-sama. You"ve been working hard this January!""Thank you, everyone, for visiting despite the cold weather. Please stepthis way."Entering the confines of Nanao Shrine, they were greeted and received bythe Mariya sisters.Hikari and Yuri. Shinto shrines always had their "busy period" before andafter the year end. As Hime-Miko, the two girls had been working for thepast few days consecutively. G.o.dou greeted the sisters who were dressedas miko."Have you been coming here every day since the year end, Hikari?""Yes. Despite how I may look, I was actually acting as Onee-chan"ssubst.i.tute!""From what I have heard, Hikari has been very diligent. She workedincessantly over New Year"s Eve and the first three days of January."The older sister"s gentle gaze rested on the younger sister who hadanswered in a joking tone of voice.As one of Musashino"s important sanctuaries, Nanao Shrine was whereYuri was stationed as the proper miko responsible for the "Hime" role. Forthe time being, Hikari was still an apprentice.But because her older sister had followed G.o.dou on his trip to Malaysia,Hikari became her subst.i.tute."By the way, this shrine really does not have many visitors.""This place was never popular in the first place."Liliana and Erica looked around inside the shrine inquisitively.Information about Nanao Shrine was restricted by the History CompilationCommittee. Consequently, very few knew its location here, apart fromnearby residents.Hence, visitors were usually quite rare. But today was different.There were roughly ten people enjoying the New Year spirit as theycasually strolled about. This number of ordinary people was usually notseen in this shrine. They were all members of the elderly. Apart fromG.o.dou"s group, there were no other young people."Sure enough, because of the time of the year, pious individuals from along time ago and nearby people would make a special New Year"s visit topay homage here."After explaining the situation, Yuri took everyone to a corner inside theshrine.Displayed on what resembled a folding table for sale were strips of fortunetelling paper and decorative arrows for warding off evil. For Nanao Shrine,this was a rare sight similar to an ordinary shrine for once.Young miko were selling these things, working part-time for the short term.There was even sweet mild sake offered to visitors. G.o.dou, Erica andLiliana all drank the warm, sweet, alcoholic drink, warming up their bodieswhich were cold from the chilly air.Then the group entered the worship hall to insert coins into the offeringbox, ring the bell and clap twice.Although it was just a casual shrine visit, it did count as finishing the NewYear"s homage. G.o.dou felt rather satisfied with having completed part ofthe New Year"s festivities.Then on the next day after the shrine visit, his little sister Shizuka returnedto the Kusanagi residence. Coincidentally, grandfather Kusanagi Ichiroualso came home on the same day."This is a souvenir... But just to let you know, I bought it in Hawaii.""Uh, are Macadamia nuts really in season?"The grandfather mischievously took out a gift-box of snacks, causingG.o.dou to smile wryly.In a situation like this, it was probably something of a Kusanagi familytradition to refrain from snide comments like "Weren"t you traveling inBhutan?" On the other hand, Shizuka inclined her head in puzzlement."Grandpa aside, who had been overseas during this entire time..."Staring repeatedly at the face of the brother she had not seen for sometime, she questioned:"Why are you tanned, Onii-chan? It also feels like you"ve gone swimming."The speaker, Shizuka, had also picked up quite a tan herself.She probably sunbathed quite a bit in the summer-like Caribbean. G.o.doureally could not bring himself to say "I actually went to Southeast Asia."G.o.dou tried to skirt the issue while under his sister"s subtle gaze."Oh... It"s New Year, you see. A friend who lives in the south invited meover.""What is this!? So, Onii-chan, this trip wouldn"t happen to include one ofthe girls from Erica-san"s group, would it!?""Of course I"m right. Who was it!? Erica-san, Mariya-senpai, or Liliana-san?Or heaven forbid — All of them together!?"In the end, Shizuka discerned the truth through her mysteriously observantpowers.Meanwhile, the grandfather had no intention of probing the issue. Winkingto G.o.dou, he entered the kitchen to prepare dinner. This was also part ofthe Kusanagi family tradition, indeed.After surviving various incidents, the third term of school began.Compared to the hustle and bustle in January, G.o.dou"s days weretemporarily peaceful for now.Oh well, there were a few troubles too. Such as working as part-timers withShizuka and going to Okutama to slay a divine beast. Although the latterturned into a predicament involving a duel with a giant centipede-likecreature, at least the incident was resolved before it could turn into aserious affair.Just like that, the first month of the new year pa.s.sed peacefully for themost part.G.o.dou was also studying diligently for exams. During the third term,Jounan Academy eschewed midterms and held final examinations directlyin early February.Thus, the first February school day came to an end.G.o.dou and three cla.s.smates were putting in serious effort, sweeping thearea around the school gates.This was because they were on duty. During this time of the year, fallenleaves were even more abundant than rubbish. The others on duty wereNanami, Sorimachi and Takagi — commonly known as the Three Idiots.Recalling a certain incident, G.o.dou struck up conversation with his friends."So, do you guys have any plans for Valentine"s Day this year?"He merely posed a casual question. However, G.o.dou suddenly jumped.Two seconds later, the former location of G.o.dou"s head was sliced throughby a sweeping broom handle. This would be a full-powered sword strikeunleashed against the upper region. An all-out attack from Takagi whobelonged to the kendo club."What the heck are you doing, idiot!?""Sorry, Kusanagi, my body could not help but move on its own."Takagi declared boldly with an expression like a wandering swordsmanfrom historical novels.The slicing attack was performed quite proficiently. Were G.o.dou notaccustomed to battle already, he could not have dodged it."But forgive me, it definitely was your fault just now...""Yeah, Takagi is right...""You just committed taboo, so don"t complain if you get killed...""What"s the matter, guys?"Not only Takagi but also Sorimachi and Nanami were all bearing grimexpressions.G.o.dou was troubled by the trio"s eyes that glimmered with subtle,murderous intent. Why would they be this angry? Incomprehensible."You just committed what a socially fulfilled person should never do.February 14 — Together with December 24, these two dates should belisted as taboo judgment days in modern j.a.pan which has been corruptedby love-capitalism. Even if the G.o.ds are willing to forgive such atrocities,we shall not.""Yeah, absolutely unforgivable."Sorimachi"s gaze expressed agreement with Nanami"s performance whileTakagi questioned G.o.dou as if performing a forceful counterattack."By the way, how many guaranteed offers of chocolate do you have!?""I get one from my sister every year at least. There are no otherguaranteed offers."Troubled by the Three Idiots" reactions, G.o.dou replied."Shizuka — my sister — would suddenly make a very displeased face aftercounting the courtesy chocolate I receive. So there"s nothing to be jealousabout.""Gah, not only do you receive ma.s.sive amounts of chocolate, you evenhave a tsundere little sister!""Furthermore, you deliberately omitted Erica-sama and the others!""No, it"s true that I"m good friends with them, but that doesn"t mean they"llgive me chocolate for sure. That girl Erica doesn"t care for these things inparticular, so she"ll simply overlook them inattentively."Although G.o.dou did not hate sweet things, he did not especially like themeither.Not really caring much about chocolate, G.o.dou continued to the maintopic."So, for this year"s Valentine"s Day, I know someone who is holding achocolate-eating gathering for those who are ditching girls. You guyswanna go?""WHAT!?"For some unknown reason, Nanami reacted to the invitation with shock. Sodid the other two.Puzzled by the trio"s responses, G.o.dou continued to sell the idea."My acquaintance is quite the popular person and wishes to hold an eventfor all the guys to take care of the mountain of courtesy chocolate."This was the plan concocted by Sayanomiya Kaoru, the young member ofthe History Compilation Committee"s core leadership. Kaoru had alreadyextended her invitation to ten-odd acquaintances, "eligible bachelors" fromamong subordinates who were single, Amakasu, and others.The venue was going to be Lu Yinghua"s shop, a place which the ThreeIdiots already knew about. The "Peerless Statesman" maid cafe inAkihabara.Compared to the expected amount of chocolate, the numbers set to attendwere currently not quite enough."A-Are you going too, Kusanagi, no way...?""I don"t have anything scheduled that day, so that"s the plan for now. Youguys can come too, how about it? It"ll be like Christmas, wouldn"t that benice?""Oh yeah, however, the event organizer did mention that it"d be better if Idon"t attend. That said, I have no idea why I"m being excluded."While G.o.dou muttered to himself, the Three Idiots suddenly becamedespondent, having suffered a serious blow."b.a.s.t.a.r.d, to think you"d join this kind of planned event on February 14...""Th-This must be the difference between the desperate and thecomplacent...""Anyway! How popular is the guy who planned this ridiculous event in thefirst place!?""Eh? Well, that person"s popularity level is a little exaggerated, but youguys probably won"t believe it..."G.o.dou faltered as he found himself confronted with a fundamentalproblem.Briefly considering the person named Sayanomiya Kaoru, she was stillquite a presence even if one were to ignore her membership in the HistoryCompilation Committee. After all, she was as handsome as a charactertaken out from shoujo manga.How should he explain to the Three Idiots? G.o.dou began to agitate overthe issue.Part 2"Something relatively easy to make... You could do a chocolate andespresso style tiramisu."After thinking briefly, that was Liliana Kranjcar"s suggestions.The location was after school in a cla.s.sroom. But rather than the Year 1Cla.s.s 5 cla.s.sroom where Liliana belonged, this was Cla.s.s 6 next door.This was the cla.s.s of Mariya Yuri and the two others who had called themhere.Currently, Liliana was teaching how to make western confectionery."In addition to whipping egg yolk and mascarpone cheese to produce thecheese cream, you need chocolate that is not excessively sweet andespresso with the addition of white wine.""Hmm, it does seem quite tasty. However.""Instead of chocolate, doesn"t this feel more like a cake?"The ones commenting were Cla.s.s 6"s Miyama-san and Sawa-san."I have no choice but to close my eyes and think carefully at this time...Despite their pleasant appearances, chocolates sold commercially havelost much of the cocoa"s flavor. I think handmade truffles and rawchocolate will taste much better than store-bought ones.""The way shop-bought chocolate is tempered would be no good..."^Liliana murmured as if coming to a conclusion. From the side, Yuri alsoremarked with a troubled expression.This lesson was the result of Miyama-san"s search for advice."Valentine"s Day is drawing near, so I"d like to make some chocolate... Butwhat"s the best way to do it?"Known for her cooking skills and being in the same cla.s.s, Yuri was the firstperson they consulted.However, Yuri was not as familiar with the preparation of westernconfectionary as she was with general cooking. Hence, she brought herfriend — Liliana Kranjcar — who made cakes during holidays from time totime."Because it"s a rare chance to present something handmade, I canunderstand your feelings in taking a serious approach."Liliana nodded at Miyama-san."In order to support your love, we also should craft a well thought-out planwhile we are here discussing.""E-Ehhhhh!? N-No, that"s not right. This isn"t for confessing!""Miyama only wants to make cakes because of club activities. She"sactually part of the cooking research club. Then because Valentine"s Dayis approaching, their next club activity is apparently chocolate making.""What? Oh I see now."Pet.i.te Miyama-san was so fl.u.s.tered her face had become bright red. Thegla.s.ses-wearing Sawa-san explained cheerfully.Liliana was quite disappointed. In order to prepare for the approaching"real battle" on February 14, she had been dedicating her efforts towardspreparing her recipes. To think she had mistaken Miyama-san for a fellowcomrade."Liliana-san and Mariya-san... Neither of you asked in the first place. In anycase, you"re both going to give chocolate to Kusanagi, right?""I-I am going to give G.o.dou-san chocolate!?"Sawa-san shrugged as she remarked, prompting Yuri"s sudden panic."Umm, although I have never given anything like that to a male apart frommy father and grandfather... I must try my best at this, I suppose!?""What you do in this regard depends on how you feel, Mariya-san. We"renot going to judge you.""l-lndeed you are right. Then I really must hurry with preparations..."Yuri whispered softly. Meanwhile, Sawa-san and Miyama-san"s gazes met."Kusanagi-san huh. Although he"s a "good fellow," at the same time, he"salso quite a "good-for-nothing"...""Strangely enough, there"s something pimp or gangster-like about him.Maybe I really should try stabbing Kusanagi once or twice with a knife forreal...?"This time, it was Liliana and Yuri"s turn to exchange glances. Moreover, theone making the radical proposal was Sawa-san who belonged to thedrama club. Despite being just a first year student, she was a talented girlwho personally took care of starring and production roles.Sawa-san apologized frantically."Sorry, did I say anything to displease you two?""No, no. We have prepared ourselves long ago, in the event thatsomething like that might eventually happen to G.o.dou-san... He really isincorrigible.""But it is quite surprising to find fellow students who are aware of thataspect of his."Yuri sighed as Liliana nodded in agreement."I believe his problematic aspects as a person are difficult to understand inthe eyes of others.""G.o.dou-san has always been a strong and nice person.""Kind and responsible without prejudice. A person with a stabletemperament.""Although he does not like meddling in other people"s business, he is verygood at taking care of others.""Also, he has the kind of personality that makes it impossible for others tostop him once he gets worked up...""But without all these qualities, he would not be G.o.dou-san..."Liliana and Yuri spoke alternately, nodding to each other.Whenever the contradictory qualities of Kusanagi G.o.dou were brought up,this was the inevitable outcome. Clearly a benevolent person who isconscientious about the greater good, but why did situations always turnout like that?But upon hearing Liliana and Yuri"s worries, Miyama-san remarked softly."Are you actually praising or complaining about Kusanagi-kun, I really don"tget it...""By the way, I"ve wanted to ask this for some time. During the winter break,did you all visit the beach together, somewhere south?""Sawa-san, why would you ask that!?""Very simple. It"s clearly midwinter, but you all came back tanned."II II II IIWith the critical fact pointed out to them, Liliana and Yuri were speechless.They had not expected to be found out in this manner."Kusanagi-san"s family went along as well, right? I"ve heard that his littlesister, who studies in the middle school division, also came back with quitea tan.""Taking family and an army of girlfriends to the beach, that"s really actinglike a king."Although it was not entirely true, false achievements were being publicizedand spreading around.In any case, that was how the gathering finally concluded. Exiting thecla.s.sroom together, Sawa, Miyama and Mariya Yuri parted ways to headoff to the activity rooms of their respective clubs. On the other hand, Lilianamade her way to the school gates.It was currently dusk and both the school yard and the building itself wereilluminated orange by the setting sun."What a coincidence..."Seeing the boys at the front gates, Liliana murmured to herself.It was her lord, Kusanagi G.o.dou. However, she also witnessed a strangescene. The trio of Nanami, Sorimachi and Takagi in his company suddenlyraced towards the setting sun.With tears streaming down their faces, the trio resembled abandoneddogs.Meanwhile, G.o.dou was left behind, scratching his head and going "What apain."Not long after the Three Idiots had sprinted off into the sunset...The silver-haired student came over to the side of G.o.dou who had beenleft behind alone, dumbfounded."Did anything happen, Kusanagi G.o.dou?""No, I"m not even sure myself."Naturally, the one asking incredulously was Liliana. She looked like shewas just about to leave school to go home.The school gates was not a great place for talking, so G.o.dou and Lilianawalked over to the street and began to converse behind the gingko trees."We were talking about plans for February 14. Right after I mentioned I hada very popular acquaintance, these guys looked like they had suffered ama.s.sive blow for some reason...""Very popular — surely Sayanomiya Kaoru, right?""Yeah. I think what I said about Kaoru-san was the decisive factor in theirchange."G.o.dou had omitted her gender for now and tried to tone down hisdescription of her as much as possible.Quite handsome in appearance, well-versed in both martial and culturalarts, popular with the ladies, etc. This resulted in the Three Idiots crying outsimultaneously and cursing the world as they made a mad dash towardsthe setting sun.After listening from start to finish, Liliana murmured slowly."Indeed it is quite a mystery. Why did they have to run?""I didn"t say anything bad, right? Anyway, I"ll try talking to them againtomorrow.""I think that is appropriate. Indeed, confirming the way one another thinksis fundamental to interpersonal relationships."Liliana answered G.o.dou"s question with a serious, knightly expression.This was the kind of statement the Diavolo Rosso would never make. Asexpected of Liliana. G.o.dou was impressed.However, the ponytailed female knight suddenly changed the subject."By the way, there was something in that conversation that I cannotignore.""Eh, which part?""Naturally, the fact that your baffling plans are infringing on the sanct.i.ty ofValentine"s Day."Liliana was scolding angrily."This day is a venerable celebration of lovers. To be honest, I was quitesurprised that it has even permeated j.a.pan deeply...""Is deeply permeated really a good thing? I think it"s just troublesome."Reportedly, the custom of only girls giving away chocolate was entirely aj.a.panese creation.For example, in places like Italy, the men would send cards to expressmessages of love. While G.o.dou was recalling this fact, Liliana was talkingwith a know-it-all expression:"The difference in details is just a trivial problem. What is important is theatt.i.tude of expressing your love to those who are important to you.""But putting love aside, the custom of courtesy chocolate is really a pain inthe a.s.s...""Having fun like this would be nice once in a while, would it not?"G.o.dou was reminded of White Day^ every year when Shizuka wouldalways start a noisy argument by going "Take me out somewhere."Recalling this annual affair, G.o.dou had expressed his opinion but Liliana"satt.i.tude was not swayed at all."Sorry, let me make a correction. Confirming one another"s thoughts is notonly fundamental to interpersonal relationships, it is of ultimate importance.Trampling this principle will lead to people getting hurt — "Liliana glared at G.o.dou with reprimanding eyes."In order to prevent a problematic Valentine"s Day, I will make properpreparations as your knight.""A-As a knight?""Yes, confectionery recipes for making chocolate are fully prepared. I havealready cleared my schedule for that day and made myself completelyavailable."□liana"s slender face, reminiscent of a fairy"s, swiftly drew close.G.o.dou could feel his heart racing in response to the girl whose face wasnot limited to stern beauty."I believe you are obliged as a king to respond appropriately. For example,take me to a place where we can admire a beautiful night view together.You can also prepare a card filled with pa.s.sionate feelings as a gift.""T-Together with you, Liliana?"G.o.dou felt intimidated by this proposal which seemed more suited to closecouples rather than between a king and his knight.Liliana was leaning so close that they seemed like they were about toembrace. However, G.o.dou was reminded of all the behavior they hadengaged repeatedly at this kind of distance.Perhaps because of that, G.o.dou could not help himself from noddinginvoluntarily."l-lndeed you have a point, I guess I have no choice but to consider thesetypes of activities... Right?""Y-Yes, we are king and knight. I believe that these events are veryimportant for affirming each other"s contract of lord and subordinate."Liliana spoke with a shyness that had replaced her serious expression.Her stern gaze, which had been focused on G.o.dou, weakened slightly andfelt more womanly. To go even further, there was also a sense ofconnection between accomplices privy to each other"s lies.Perhaps due to embarra.s.sment, Liliana shifted her gaze away slightly."Besides, apart from me, there should be others whom you need to showyour care towards, right?""Uh...""Before indulging Sayanomiya Kaoru in her games, please handle thingsproperly on this side.""G-Got it."It really seemed like the advice a capable adjutant and grand chamberlainwould provide. However, G.o.dou could feel subtle sarcasm in her words.Feeling stung, G.o.dou nodded."I think it"d be quite fun to do silly things with guys only on occasion,okay...""Although I can understand the importance of spending time in thecompany of male friends, your timing is wrong. Consider doing things withthem next time, please."G.o.dou and Liliana"s conversation deliberately ignored the gender of theperson who had planned the gathering. But suddenly, Liliana displayed apondering expression on her face. She was muttering to herself, somethinglike "Wait a minute, if that is the case...""What"s up, Liliana?""Oh, nothing, I was just contemplating something for a bit. Alternatively,Kusanagi G.o.dou, you could come to my home late at night after attendingthe gathering — ""Late at night!?""Y-Yes. If my home is no good then how about somewhere else outside..."The muttering female knight, whose personality was p.r.o.ne to delusions,suddenly became startled.She probably realized her ideas were going too far. As the notion ofspending late night on February 14 with Liliana alone flashed across hismind, G.o.dou yelled loudly:"There are so many things wrong with that, in all sorts of ways, look at it,come on!""l-lndeed you are right. Please pretend you did not hear what was said justnow."Because both of them were serious people, it was very easy to reach anagreement during times like these.Discarding the memory of the proposal from just now, the pair began the"aftermath."Since G.o.dou was the only one remaining to sweep, there were still a fewplaces to clean up. Then he had to return various things such as thebrooms to the equipment room. Filled with fallen leaves, the garbage bagsneeded to be thrown in the dumpster of course.Once everything was handled, the sun had already set completely."By the way, Mariya Yuri said she would visit the tea ceremony club beforegoing home.""Is that so? Then let"s wait for her and leave together."G.o.dou took out his cellphone in response to Liliana"s information.He tried calling Yuri and found out she was just about to leave school andhead home. Hence, G.o.dou and Liliana stood at the front gates to wait forher — Roughly fifteen minutes later, the Yamato Nadeshiko came out with adeeply troubled expression. Clutched tensely in her hand was hercellphone, the tool she ought to be using only when communicating withG.o.dou."G.o.dou-san, Liliana-san! I have a special matter I wish to discuss with youtwo."As soon as she saw them, Yuri made an unexpected request.Part 3As a result, G.o.dou, Yuri and Liliana arrived in Akihabara shortly after.The school they attended, Jounan Academy, was located in the Nezuneighborhood of the Bunkyou ward. Taking the train to Akihabara took halfan hour and was a simple detour on the way home from school.The trio were now at the first floor of a large scale consumer electronicsstore."So, what are you looking for, Mariya?""Y-Yes, I believe it is called... a laptop computer."Yuri responded to G.o.dou"s query as if she were rather unsettled. Evenunspoken, it was obvious that technologically incompetent as she was,Yuri had trouble understanding the concept of laptop computers."There are so many types here...""Apparently so..."After looking at the products displayed at the counter, Yuri sighed.The first floor — the level attracting the most customers — carried manydifferent models of cellphones, laptops and desktops, the main products ofthis type of store."But Mariya Yuri, why are you suddenly interested in computers?"Feeling intrigued, Liliana asked. Just earlier at the school gates, Yuri hadmade a request, saying "T-This time l-l need to buy a computer, could youaccompany me to have a look!?"Wanting to ask the same question, G.o.dou immediately nodded."It really doesn"t add up. Mariya, you"re not good at using these things,right?""Y-Yes. Actually, my father promised to buy a gift for Hikari to celebrate herelementary school graduation. She said a computer would be nice.""Speaking of which, she will become a middle schooler starting in April."Liliana mentioned softly. The Mariya family"s second daughter wascurrently in sixth grade.As a side note, G.o.dou"s younger sister was also set to graduate to JounanAcademy"s high school division in April."Then just now I was talking to my father on the phone... He said hewanted to buy me the same gift. Although I said it was not necessary, hereplied that it will eventually come in handy."This conversation happened after she had received G.o.dou"s phone call.Which explained the gloomy expression Yuri displayed when she wasclutching her cellphone earlier. Yuri sighed."Your father is so generous, Mariya.""Actually, back in middle school, I sometimes had to leave home toundergo Hime-Miko training and missed out on graduation blessings as aresult. That said, I never intended to have it made up for."The Mariya sisters" father seemed to be the type to indulge his daughters.As a fellow man, G.o.dou could understand the feeling. He nodded."Although I can understand his kindness, it feels quite troubling because Iam absolutely certain I will not be able to use this thing."Gazing at the counter with troubled eyes, Yuri suddenly a.s.sertedresolutely.As someone technologically incompetent to the point that even writing textmessages on the cellphone proved to be tough battles for her, thedeclaration sounded very convincing coming from her. Thinking that tohimself. G.o.dou laughed."P-Please do not make fun of me, okay!?""Sorry my bad. But it"s true, it sounds quite convincing when you"re the onesaying it, Mariya.""Seriously... You are the most annoying whenever you make commentslike that, G.o.dou-san."While speaking, Yuri deliberately turned her face away as if sulking.G.o.dou felt happy to see Yuri"s recent displays of this kind of att.i.tude andbehavior in spite of her upbringing as a sheltered Yamato Nadeshiko. Heconsidered it a sign of intimacy between them.Despite being teased, Yuri also smiled in secret.Finding their dispute a little strange, the pair gazed into each other"s eyesand smiled. Meanwhile, Liliana suddenly walked away with an awkwardsmile.The silver-haired girl was approaching the tablet computer corner.Apprehensively, she pressed a tablet"s LCD touchscreen with her indexfinger.Then her finger slid across the LCD with a "whoosh," tapped and began totry out various things.Finding it interesting, Liliana moved her finger nonstop as though playingwith a toy.Yuri and G.o.dou walked over and spoke up."Speaking of which, you don"t use computers very much, Liliana.""Because Karen is responsible for using this type of tool at home."Karen Jankulovski was the Kranjcar maid as well as an apprentice witch.Mentioning the name of the girl whom G.o.dou recognized, Liliana continuedto manipulate the tablet.When Liliana discovered how she could use two fingers to zoom in and outinside a map application, she went "Ooh!" with her eyes glimmeringbrightly. Completely unlike her usual sternness, Liliana"s child-like behaviorwas very much her style too."Wouldn"t it be easier to write using computers?""Karen has also tried to persuade me before, but that is not true at all. Onlyby writing with one"s own hand can words carry power and soul."Writing novels was Liliana"s secret hobby.Her multiple works apparently contained her various feelings.After that, because Yuri was taken aback by the excessive variety of laptopcomputers, G.o.dou and the girls went over to the household appliance areafor a walk.He could tell that the two girls were very interested in electric stoves, ricecookers and other products."Steam heating mode!" "Uniform heating on the stone kiln"s dome!" "Vacuumpressure cooking!" "Genuine earthenware pot!" With great pa.s.sion, the girlsread out the various advertising slogans.Not exactly mad about home appliances, G.o.dou was bored out of hismind. But upon further thought, deciding it was fine as long as the two girlswere enjoying themselves, he proceeded to follow them. Just at thismoment, Yuri almost collapsed."Mariya!?""Are you okay, Mariya Yuri!?"Yuri suddenly tripped herself and almost fell down.Entering a panic, G.o.dou and Liliana immediately rushed over to supporther. Yuri went "N-Nothing serious..." softly and mustered her vigor withresilience. Without allowing G.o.dou and Liliana to support her by the arm,she stood up by herself."I am just a little unsteady on my feet... Perhaps it is because of thecrowd."Although it was a week night, this was a large scale consumer electronicsstore quite close to a terminal train station after all.There was indeed quite a crowd in the store, noisy and bustling."Although I do not feel tired at all, this happens occasionally.""Speaking of which, you have been absent from school due to illness a fewdays in the past month...""Can it be because you forced yourself too much that time on the island?"Liliana frowned with worry while G.o.dou recalled the past incident.On Circe"s island in South Seas, Yuri had used spells and magical powerbeyond her limits."No. That was already a month ago.""But didn"t Lucretia-san have to sleep and rest last time because sheoverused her energy?"In response to Yuri"s denial, G.o.dou asked again. There was one timewhen Lucretia Zola had exhausted her magical power because she wascaught up in the fight between the war G.o.d Verethragna and the divineking Melqart.Perhaps because G.o.dou and Liliana kept staring at her intently, Yuri gaveup and sighed lightly."It really is fine normally, but only when I go to crowded places do I feelexhausted and dizzy...""Perhaps it is the downside to awakening the power of psychic sensing."Liliana looked with concern at the Hime-Miko whose psychic sensing abilityhad grown in strides recently.Psychic sensing was a rare spirit power allowing hearts and minds to belinked together.Princess Alice was the one who had instructed Yuri in this power.However, the White Miko-Hime had also overstrained her body due toexcessively potent spirit powers and had to spend the majority of her timeresting in bed.Recalling Alice"s condition, G.o.dou and Liliana exchanged glances."Although I do not think the symptoms are serious, let us switch to adifferent location for now...""Yeah, since it"s close by, let"s head over to Yinghua"s place."Inside a certain multi-tenant building situated in Akihabara, there was amaid cafe named the "Peerless Statesman."G.o.dou, Yuri and Liliana paid a visit there together. The entire groupentered the VIP room located in the depths of the shop. Immediately, theywere met with frivolous greetings."Ah, it"s been a while, everyone."On closer examination, they found Amakasu Touma sitting on the couch,clearly in the middle of slacking off again."Oh, you often come here too, Amakasu-san?""Occasionally. Sometimes I grab a quick cup of tea here in between jobs."In contrast to Yuri"s surprised reaction, Amakasu was smiling nonchalantly.Openly admitting he sneaked out to slack off, this agent seemed asuseless as a lantern in broad daylight. On the other hand, the Hime-Miko"scondition did not seem to have any further problems. G.o.dou immediatelymotioned with his eyes to his silver-haired grand chamberlain.Liliana was able to stop worrying as a result. She nodded lightly inresponse.Deciding to have Yuri take a break here, G.o.dou seated himself on anearby stool. Yuri and Liliana also sat down on a couch opposite toAmakasu. Then the staff, dressed as maids, served coffee.This VIP room was also outfitted with game equipment such as a billiardstable or darts. Visiting for the first time, the two girls looked aroundinquisitively, touching this and that."Your special visit fills me with honor and trepidation, Honored Uncle. I amtruly overjoyed to be able to meet you here."Soon after, the owner of the business, Lu Yinghua, arrived.He was the young member in the core leadership of Hong Kong"s Lufamily. At the same time, this youth was also the direct disciple of thedemonic cult leader. A person of his stature could not possibly be stationedat this sort of cafe franchise all the time. Since G.o.dou did not expect to seeLu Yinghua here, the pleasant surprise brought glimmers of joy to his eyes."That"s so true, it"s been a while.""Maybe half a month ago since the last time?"Despite being a slender and handsome youth, Lu Yinghua happened to bean arrogant misogynist.He greeted Yuri and Liliana indifferently as if deliberately avoiding eyecontact with them. G.o.dou could only smile wryly in response to hisunchanging arrogance and obstinacy."By the way, Liliana-san, sources from Italy report that a certain Devil Kingis undertaking some kind of suspicious project.""How informed of you, Amakasu Touma."Answering Amakasu, Liliana sighed. Yuri widened her eyes."Devil King... In other words, Sir Salvatore?""Yes, a few days ago, Sir Salvatore sent out summons to the prestigiousa.s.sociations in northern Italy. This time it is for partic.i.p.ation in a "divinebeast hunt" in Tuscany."The sixth Campione, Salvatore Doni, belonged to Italy."By hunt, he means hunting down a prey similar to my boar?"Hearing something unexpected from Liliana, G.o.dou blinked."It apparently lurks in the mountainous area in the region of Tuscany. Afterreceiving pleas to help slay the beast, Sir Salvatore seemed uninterestedin an opponent on the likes of a divine beast — ""So he thought up this stupid plan instead?"Liliana explained with a gloomy expression. G.o.dou was astounded. Asexpected of an idiot who could not be handled by conventional means.On the other hand, Lu Yinghua, who had been listening with a boredexpression, slowly spoke up:"Speaking of Sir Salvatore... He is apparently searching for a certain youngwoman in Italy.""You"re saying Doni is looking for someone?"Hearing this unexpected news from Italy, G.o.dou was surprised again.On the other hand, Liliana, who belonged to a Milanese magic a.s.sociation,was inclining her head in doubt."I did not hear anything about this from the [Bronze Black Cross].""Oh my, well, the Italian king actually has an acquaintance in Rome"sChinatown. His Majesty sometimes relies on him for intelligence gatheringand underground jobs that must be performed covertly."Lu Yinghua answered readily with a shrug."The Lu family has relatives over in Rome. Thanks to this connection, wesometimes receive information from that person.""Sir Salvatore and the Chinese syndicates!?"Syndicates were a term used for Chinese secret a.s.sociations. Liliana wasdumbfounded to hear this unexpected news.Come to think of it — G.o.dou remembered. Despite giving off the impressionof someone clearly not diligent in gathering intelligence, Salvatore Doniwas surprisingly informed.Probably because she recalled related information, Liliana nodded."Sir Salvatore became a G.o.dslayer four years ago. Roughly at that time, hewas hired as a bodyguard by antique dealers of Chinese ethnicity, whichled to the incident of his visit to Turkey. Could it be a relationship forgedfrom that time?""Looks like it. Since those guys engage in the dangerous field of graverobbery, they would want to have bodyguards."Yinghua shrugged with a cursory answer."Thanks to that incident, that kind of person was born... Seriously, give mea friggin" break.""Could it be, Yinghua, that you"ve actually met that guy Doni?"Lu Yinghua had been speaking in a tone of voice as if he knew the idiot.G.o.dou"s question brought forth an immediate nod from the demonic cultleader"s direct disciple."Just once, a couple years ago. That was back when I was serving asMaster"s attendant.""Come to think of it, Nee-san also knows Doni.""Well, it was a most unfortunate encounter..."Deliberately emphasizing unfortunate, this seemed to be a messagestraight from Yinghua"s heart."Although it"s really nothing to be proud of, I"ve personally met and evenconversed with all seven Devil Kings of the present generation.""That truly is... impossible to envy."Amakasu commented with a profound sense of reality.Very regrettably, G.o.dou was also one of the seven. He had already metfive of the other six. Speaking of which, what was the name of the finalCampione he had yet to meet?Liliana also seemed to be thinking of the same person. She turned to LuYinghua and asked:"If you say seven, then that means you have met her as well? MadameAisha who has lived in seclusion for a long time now, the most mysteriousof the Campiones?""Ah... Yeah, how should I put this? She is a good person."Recalling the past, Yinghua"s gaze began to display exhaustion."We only spent half a day together. If I had to attend to her for three days,I"d rather serve Master for ten days instead.""Someone even more troublesome than Nee-san, it"s a bit hard toimagine...""Even someone like Marquis Voban seems to be quite versed in worldlymatters and would visit hotels across Europe all year round..."G.o.dou was at a loss for words while Liliana was quite surprised.The Campione with the worst personality flaws was probably HerEminence Luo Hao.Her eternal rival, the old Marquis of Eastern Europe, would still travel bytrain and plane like a normal person.But that would be impossible for Luo Cuilian. G.o.dou was convinced shemight kill all the "lower beings" on the same flight and destroy the planewith a strike of her palm."Excuse me... I felt something when I heard about Sir Salvatore"s affairs.""What did you see, Mariya Yuri?""It was not to the level of seeing but just a feeling. This "hunt" mightperhaps be the starting point of something — "That was Yuri"s response to Liliana"s query.The Yamato Nadeshiko had remained in polite silence all this time,possibly because conversations about the rumors of Campiones inevitablyled to badmouthing them. Hence, she probably kept silent to avoid makinginappropriate statements.However, Yuri, who possessed the clairvoyant ability of spirit vision, hadjust delivered an oracle.Part 4"I, Sir Salvatore"s butler Andrea Rivera, hereby issue a gathering invitationto you sirs in the exalted name of my lord. A hunt shall be undertakenagainst the divine beast confirmed several days earlier, I look forward toyour valor and gallantry, sirs — "Reportedly, this "letter of summoning" was delivered to all of the GreatKnights selected by Doni"s butler.Without exception, every single one of them belonged to a prestigiousa.s.sociation in northern Italy."The gathering venue is Casentino Forest National Park in the Tuscanyregion."Holding a copy of the letter of summoning in her hand, Erica spoke.Not only G.o.dou but also Yuri and Liliana had gathered at the JounanAcademy courtyard after school."Sir Salvatore apparently wanted to flee the country instead of fulfilling therequest to fight the divine beast, even though that level of an opponentshould be a piece of cake for him as a Campione."Yuri"s spirit vision had occurred the previous night.After that, G.o.dou had contacted Erica, who then obtained information fromthe Italian side."But strangely enough, as soon as he heard that the place was Casentino,Sir Salvatore"s att.i.tude changed completely, saying he will "standby in caseof an emergency."Liliana commented quizzically, for she had contacted Milan"s [Bronze BlackCross] as well and obtained detailed information.After listening to the knight"s reports, G.o.dou began to ponder."In other words, there"s some kind of secret hidden in that place...""Hey G.o.dou, do you still remember? You"ve been there before.""Eh, I have?"As G.o.dou reacted in surprise, Erica continued."Yeah, after your first duel with Sir Salvatore, didn"t you visit Tuscany toslay a divine beast? That"s the place, you know.""...Oh! Come to think of it, that did actually happen."Finally recalling, G.o.dou nodded.In his recollections, the incident was extremely troublesome, so hismemories ended up quite vague."Based on the recent eyewitness accounts, it is speculated that this divinebeast is the same as the last time"s.""That dinosaur thing reappeared!?""Coincidence, or not? For a divine beast to manifest twice in the sameplace, I find it extremely unnatural..."Yuri"s doubts were not unreasonable. Also, G.o.dou recalled somethingelse. In order to win Doni"s wager to decide who was going to slay thedivine beast, the scene that had occurred in the town of Siena —"Speaking of which, that guy Doni really wanted to go there last time.""Yes, regarding this incident, Sir Salvatore has acted incomprehensibly inmany ways."Erica concluded.G.o.dou fell into deep thought. Salvatore Doni was undoubtedly a fool. Buthe was a surprisingly powerful eccentric and possessed unprecedentedinitiative.Even if insulting him as an idiot was acceptable, one could notunderestimate him as a threat."Then let"s investigate a little..."G.o.dou proposed softly and took out his cellphone.The number he looked up was one he had entered a while ago, becauseErica said it might come in handy some time. However, when it really cametime for it to be useful —Making an overseas call required performing a particular sequence ofsteps before dialing.It was currently 3pm in j.a.pan. Given the eight-hour time difference, itshould be morning over on the other side."Ah, my friend and eternal rival, to think the day has finally arrived whenyou would contact me from your end. I am so happy, it"s been a while."Salvatore Doni picked up after five rings, with a useless-sounding voice asalways."It happens that my birthday is coming up and I was just thinking of invitingyou to my party. Are you free next month?""Even if I were free, who would go all the way to Italy to attend a birthdayparty!?"G.o.dou responded gruffly to the other side"s jest. How long ago was the lasttime he spoke to this guy?Nevertheless, the conversation flowed naturally. Without any hindrance atall.In actual fact, the two had only met a limited number of times. That said,G.o.dou and Salvatore Doni"s closeness did not change. Neither becomingmore intimate nor more distant. To each other, they were the most familiarof kin —Realizing this annoying truth, G.o.dou frowned and changed the subject."Putting that aside, I have something to ask you, Salvatore Doni.""What do you want to ask?""For the "hunt" that is going to be held in Italy, the location is the one I oncefought a monster, right? You initially wanted to go there yourselfespecially.""Eh, that"s pretty informed of you."Doni laughed wryly in response to G.o.dou cutting to the chase directly."However, well... Speaking of coincidence, this is perfect timing. Why don"tyou join in? I welcome you very much."Doni seemed to have started smiling with joy during the first half of hisresponse.G.o.dou was certain. It was that foolish but definitely not frivolous smile, theone displayed only when the dark warrior was delighted, an acute andfearless smile.For Doni, whose face was actually decent, only during these times did heactually give off a handsome impression."So you really do have some sort of motive behind this hunt.""Nothing at all, it"s just a game. Game, I repeat. But now that the game hasstarted, look forward to it. It would serve as excellent insurance if you cametoo.""Insurance?""In case something happens, G.o.dou, a duel against you would be quitedelightful, wouldn"t you agree?""Stop s.c.r.e.w.i.n.g around. As if anyone would play like that.""As expected of you, G.o.dou, quite the tsundere, aren"t you?""Shut up and stop misunderstanding j.a.panese culture. Other than that,Salvatore Doni, you"re searching for a certain woman?"G.o.dou dropped another bomb to end the fruitless exchanges.Then Doni sighed."If even that is known, it must be a leak from the Chinese side. Thenspeaking of which, you"re on pretty good terms with Her Eminence overthere.""You also seem to be on pretty good terms with China town over there.""Good enough, I suppose. Before I became a Campione, I was earning aliving by doing bodyguard jobs there."That was when Salvatore Doni was still a Templar Knight fallen on hardtimes.If it were Erica or Liliana, that was undoubted a "job" they would never do."I still keep in touch with them and receive news leaked from the industry.Sometimes they lend money. Sometimes they help do almost criminalthings like kidnapping.""It"s not "almost," okay? Kidnapping is completely criminal. Anyway, cut thisout, back to the main topic."After retorting against his ridiculous words, G.o.dou went straight to themain topic.Although Doni was a veritable fool, G.o.dou did not expect him to answerhonestly. However, G.o.dou still hoped he might leak hints through slips ofthe tongue."You said it"s a game, what is it exactly?""Isn"t it no fun if I tell you now? Oh well, but since you took the effort to callme, I guess it"s okay to talk a bit about it? Recently in fact, I started playinga game, one of those online games.""You"re competent enough to use the internet? My view of you iscompletely revised.""No no, you don"t have to praise me. I left all the setting up to Andrea.""I take back what I said.""Even in a virtual world where monsters are fought, I still play the gamewith a swordsman character. But it"s so weak. I lose whenever I encounterslightly stronger monsters or other players.""I"m not really sure, but there aren"t very many PvP games out there,right?""Apparently, the guy I played against was already the strongest dating backlong ago. I completely couldn"t defeat a guy who had devoted his life to agame. It really p.i.s.sed me off.""Time spent on a game is different. It can"t be helped."This type of maniac would be called a waste of a human being. Doniapparently lost to him.Completely unsympathetic, G.o.dou remarked coldly:"Stop making a fuss and go back to the real world. You won"t lose on thisside, right?"That won"t satisfy me. As a result, I want to play a more exciting game,one that I can win."Was this why he wanted a "divine beast hunt"?Also, who was the woman Doni wanted to find? Putting all sorts ofmysteries aside, it was unknown which of the two Campiones hung up first.No more words needed to be said by this point. Both sides naturallyreached consensus.Indeed. This was the type of person Salvatore Doni was. Despite his jovialappearance, he was a man who never cooperated with anyone. That wasa line he absolutely would not cross. Particularly when he recognized theother person as a "formidable foe."Then again, the Campione residing in England was the same. Capable ofprovoking an inexplicable sense of hostility in Kusanagi G.o.dou, he was amaddening man that could not be ignored —After the conversation ended, G.o.dou already made his decision.He would head to the scene next. It was most important to prepare forwhat was surely going to happen. Believing that there was no better planthan this, G.o.dou motioned with his eyes to his companions.Having been listening to the conversation just now, Erica, Yuri and Liliananodded immediately.The final examinations began the next day after the phone conversationwith Doni.Thanks to sufficient studying, G.o.dou and his companions pa.s.sed withoutany serious mistakes. Then the three-day long weekend in early Februaryapproached as the break after exams.Calling out Seishuuin Ena who had entered the deep mountains forpurification, preparations were complete.Very soon, the exam break during the Valentine"s period would arrive.Kusanagi G.o.dou and friends departed on a journey.References1 . t Tempering: Refers to the final process in making chocolate whencocoa b.u.t.ter crystallizes. Uncontrolled crystallization results inundesirable texture andappearance. #Tempering2. t White Day: March 14, the day one month after Valentine"s Day. Inj.a.pan, it is customary for girls to give boys chocolate on Valentine"sDay. On White Day, boys are expected to return the favor with a gift,generally double or triple the value of the Valentine"sgift.