Chapter 3 - A Set of Three...?It was almost noon on a Sat.u.r.day. Naturally, school was closed today.G.o.dou was visiting Nanao Shrine located in the city center."Athena and Kusanagi-san"s battle... A week has already pa.s.sed sincethen.."Yuri spoke softly as she swept the confines of the shrine.Wearing a miko"s outfit consisting of a white robe with a red hakama, shewas holding a bamboo broom in her hands. Mariya Yuri was theHime-Miko who served her duties at Nanao Shrine, a member of theHime-Miko organization which guarded j.a.pan"s sites of spiritual power."Ah yeah. Time really seems to fly."G.o.dou responded with deep feeling. He too, was sweeping the shrineterritory with a bamboo broom.Earlier, he had made an appointment with Yuri to meet here together witha third person. When he arrived at the shrine, he found the Hime-Miko inthe middle of sweeping.Because he felt it would be boring to hang around doing nothing whilewaiting for Yuri to finish her sweeping, G.o.dou suggested he pitch in tohelp.As a result, the two of them were doing the cleaning together.The current season was early summer. An excellent time of the year whenit was neither too hot nor too cold.Also, the confines of the shrine were surrounded by a protective forest,giving it a sense of peace and quiet one would not a.s.sociate with the citycenter. The air and breeze were also quite refreshing. A pleasantenvironment.Nevertheless, the topic of conversation was not particularly cheerfulbetween these two."The total damage from last time... Amakasu-san has made a roughestimate.""Eh!?"If possible, G.o.dou did not wish to know. However, this was news that hehad to hear no matter what.G.o.dou prepared himself. The whole reason why he arrived before theappointed time at Nanao Shrine was because he wanted to ask Yuri aboutthis matter.How far reaching were the effects of the battle?"So how much was it...?"Y-Yes. Amakasu-san said the following in his usual manner--"The words of the History Compilation Committee special agent.There is no way to calculate exactly, but a rough estimate would placeeconomic losses at several tens of billions of yen. This is only anapproximate figure for now, but in any case it should be in the ballpark."Going beyond frivolous, perhaps one could call his att.i.tude as taking thingsrather philosophically.Hearing Amakasu"s comments recounted, G.o.dou bowed his headdejectedly. Most likely, he was responsible for a fair percentage of thatfigure."I feel really sorry about this...""Kusanagi-san. Even if you apologize to me, it is completely meaningless.""You"re right... Sorry."Yuri"s troubled words sent G.o.dou"s mood further into depression.However, he immediately thought of something instead. The people whoare ent.i.tled to be depressed are the victims who suffered hardship as aresult of the commotion. As one of the main culprits, what he should bedoing is deep reflection and strict reminder to avoid doing somethingsimilar again.In his mind he vowed never to cause another incident like that again!G.o.dou suddenly looked up and spoke to Yuri with great conviction of spirit."Mariya, I have a request. Could you use your usual att.i.tude to scold me,and point out all the places I have done wrong!?""Eh?""Please. In order to prevent me from making the same mistakes. Let thisstand as the resolve in my heart!""H-How could I... Suddenly requested by you like this..."The prim and proper Yamato Nadeshiko said frantically, showing greatindecision."Everything I wanted to convey to Kusanagi-san has basically been said toyou last week already. By now, I do not believe there is any need to repeatthem again."Yuri expressed her opinion with a troubled expression. I see.She was not only a dignified and stately high-cla.s.s lady but also aHime-Miko -- in accordance to this t.i.tle of "Hime," she possessed a n.o.blesense of responsibility. She was a precious friend who could courageouslyoffer honest advice even in the face of the "Devil King" Kusanagi G.o.dou.She had already reprimanded him for several of his problematic behaviorsduring the battle against Athena.Instead of resent, G.o.dou felt thankful towards her instead.Having become "the man who had slain a G.o.d" due to various reasons,Kusanagi G.o.dou found himself being treated as king by many people eventhough he considered the status unsuited for him. In order to preventhimself from growing arrogant and straying into an improper path, hehoped that Yuri could advise and reprimand him whenever the opportunityarose.Hence, G.o.dou now stared straight into Yuri"s eyes and requested her onceagain."Isn"t there some kind of saying about healed scars and whatnot? I don"tthink that is something I"m capable of. No matter how many times yourepeat yourself, I will accept all reprimands!""B-But Kusanagi-san. Based on your behavior, very clearly you aredisposed towards "forgetting the pain as soon as the scar is healed." "As Yuri spoke with hesitation, G.o.dou groaned "Hmm.""Indeed, I believe Kusanagi-san is an honest person. However, while yourepeatedly regret and reflect on your past behavior, you keep making thesame mistakes time and again. Ah, could it be true that-"Yuri suddenly showed an expression as if she realized something.G.o.dou began to get nervous. After all, Yuri seemed to be a mikopossessing spirit vision, which was something like clairvoyance.Reportedly, whenever she felt concerned, she often discerned the truthwhen all others were stumped.For a girl like that to be suddenly surprised, surely it must be because shesaw something."C-Could it be... You saw something?""I keep getting the feeling that Kusanagi-san does not reflect enough.""Why?""Because you are too driven by emotion in those kinds of situations.Probably, despite knowing rationally you are wrong, you discard thesenotions when the raging flames in your heart flare up, recklessly rampagingon instantaneous impulse without any regard for plans-"Looking back at his life up to this point, G.o.dou did indeed recall manymemories that fitted this description.G.o.dou became aware of the stiffening of his own expression. Seeing hisreaction, Yuri frantically said:"l-lt is only just a feeling. I have no idea if I am right or not.""N-No, your feelings are completely on target. Perhaps I really do have thatkind of side to me."G.o.dou muttered gloomily."My little sister at home often says that the men in my family always actedin this fashion.""Is that really so?"G.o.dou nodded as Yuri"s eyes widened in surprise."Uh yeah. Pretty much the type of "rascal" who cannot stop as soon as theyget worked up. Immigrating to Brazil on a whim, for example; going missingin the Amazon basin; striking it rich overnight in the black market after awar and then turn dirt poor entirely through his own fault; planning tobecome a monk at a monastery in the mountains but somehow end upwandering to Shanghai; as well as playboys who could sweet talk womenas naturally as breathing...""Well..."Yuri was greatly surprised to learn about such misconduct in the Kusanagifamily which were seldom mentioned due to their scandalous nature."Pretty much cases of that sort. Wasting their vitality unnecessarily,causing trouble to the people around them.""Now that you put it that way, I guess it really does describe you ratherwell, Kusanagi-san...""Ugh!"Having offered his honest opinion, and to have Yuri respond in such a way,G.o.dou felt like a chunk was being torn out of his heart.Had the previous statement been said by Erica, at least he could easilyretort back "Someone who causes even more trouble to others has no rightto say that!" But this time, the speaker was Yuri.The honest truth, as spoken by this high-cla.s.s young lady"s forthright lackof pretense, was like a stab in the heart.Seeing G.o.dou in low spirits, Yuri"s gaze showed sympathy."K-Kusanagi-san, since you realize you need to reflect carefully, then thisjust about concludes things? Let us end the conversation at this point...""No, that"s not enough. I have to free myself from this vicious cycle."G.o.dou gritted his teeth and resolutely raised his head."Mariya. You must speak more strictly. Using that horrifying pressure ofyours!""B-But even if you ask me to do that... Ah I got it."Seeing Yuri bow lier liead awkwardly then suddenly looked up again,G.o.dou"s hopes were raised."You got something!?""Yes. I forgot something important."Yuri"s tone became stern and serious. Apparently, she finally recoveredher past condition.G.o.dou stood straight as he waited for the Hime to reprimand him -- andeven urged her in encouragement."I understand. Please say anything you want without reservation. I willaccept them all completely!""Then I shall not hesitate. This is about Erica-san.""Eh, you"re going to talk about that!?"Being attacked in an unexpected direction, G.o.dou was greatly shocked."B-But isn"t now the time for reflecting about my battle with Athena? Thematter of Erica isn"t really the main point.""You did say you would accept anything I wanted to say, Kusanagi-san."Yuri"s sharp gaze focused on G.o.dou as she spoke.That expression, gaze and tone of voice of hers were filled with the statelysolemnity of a n.o.ble princess."Or perhaps you feel guilty about certain areas, and therefore could notbear to listen humbly to opinions regarding the issue of girls and lovers"relationships?""No, I don"t have issues with girls and lovers in the first place!""In that case, why do you feel you need to avoid the topic!?"Hence-During this sunny day on the weekend, before the plum rain season wasabout to begin, G.o.dou endured Yuri"s merciless tongue lashing regardingthe issue of "this past week, whether he had resolutely refused bodilycontact with the woman who claimed to be his lover." As if payingpenance, he was sweeping the confines of Nanao Shrine at the same time.Finally, the lecture and the sweeping ended after thirty minutes or so."T-Thank you, Mariya... Your various lessons have been firmly engraved inthe depths of my heart now...""N-No, I should apologize instead. I have said some rather impertinentthings."G.o.dou expressed grat.i.tude with an exhausted tone of voice, causing Yurito panic."Besides, the one who should express thanks should be me. Thank youvery much.""Eh? What did I do?""Did you not help me sweep?"Reminded by Yuri, G.o.dou was taken aback.He did not consider such a task worthy of being thanked.Seeing G.o.dou like this, Yuri smiled. This was a cute smile akin to ablooming cherry blossom, completely devoid of the stern oppressivepressure just now.Instead, she was showing a consoling smile towards G.o.dou"sabsentmindedness.G.o.dou felt embarra.s.sed by her gentle expression.She was truly a kindhearted girl with a heart of gold. True, she wasinexperienced in worldly matters and liked lecturing a bit too much.Furthermore, she was a high-cla.s.s young lady who was quite strict onG.o.dou"s misconduct. Nevertheless, her sense of responsibility brought outthat inborn aura of n.o.bility of hers.Even though G.o.dou only started dealing with her recently, his experiencesthroughout the battle against Athena fully convinced him of this fact aboutYuri.That"s the way she was. Whether strict or gentle, Yuri"s qualities wereunbelievably impressed upon his inner heart."By the way, there"s something slightly strange here."As G.o.dou and Yuri organized tlie cleaning equipment in tine slirine officebuilding, he brought this up."Normally, other than miko a shrine should have priests present, right? Butother than you, Mariya, I haven"t seen anyone else. Though I get theimpression that someone pa.s.sed by and gave me a quick glance."He had visited Nanao Shrine a few times already. G.o.dou suddenly broughtup this question that had bothered him.Presented with the question, Yuri displayed an expression as if she haddifficulty answering."Ah... That is because.""If it"s inconvenient for you to answer, then I won"t pursue it any further.""Ah, no. That is not it. It is simply difficult to say out... In actual fact, apartfrom me, all the other people are hiding to avoid Kusanagi-san.""Eh?""After all, it is the arrival of the Devil King and monarch who slew a G.o.d -the great Campione. Everyone is rather terrified of that.""I see..."G.o.dou"s spirits were further depressed. He had a feeling it was not simplyreverence but reasons like "terrifying" and "a taboo existence that oneshould not have contact with.""Ah! Of course, I would never do that."Yuri frantically added this last sentence."Although I imagined all sorts of things before I met you and wasconvinced you were a terrifying person, after encountering you for the firsttime, somehow I immediately knew that was not the case."G.o.dou recalled his first meeting with Yuri.In the beginning, she treated him with great respect and her att.i.tude wasquite cautious. However, starting from a certain moment, she suddenlyexpressed strict disapproval of his behavior. Perhaps it was Yuri"s power ofspirit vision that had seen through G.o.dou"s true nature during the brief timethey interacted together.After putting the cleaning equipment in order, G.o.dou glanced at the clockon his cellphone.It was not yet 1pm. G.o.dou had originally made an appointment to go outtogether with Yuri as well as a third person. Since the meeting time was2pm, there was still some free time left.G.o.dou suddenly felt uneasy."That Erica, who knows if she got out of bed properly?""It is already afternoon, normally I would expect things to be fine?"Yuri smiled wryly but G.o.dou shook his head."No, that girl is particularly weak in regards to rising out of bed. From whatI"ve heard, it is not surprising for her to sleep till noon on weekends."This was what he had learned from Erica"s a.s.sistant and personal maid, soit should be accurate. Because the person G.o.dou and Yuri were waitingfor was Erica Blandelli.The whole thing began from a request Erica made a few days ago."Hey G.o.dou, it is only appropriate that I expect you to accompany mearound j.a.pan seeing that it is my first time here, right?"Hearing that, G.o.dou was shocked."But clearly your j.a.panese is completely fluent?""That was simply learned through a mage"s basic education. Familiaritywith all the languages of the world is a requirement for all followers ofHermes. I have also been to the Chinese mainland many times and evenstayed in Hong Kong for a substantial period, but I"ve never been to j.a.panbefore."Naturally, G.o.dou"s second answer to her request was affirmative.But if he were to spend time with her alone, he would have to face heroverwhelming pa.s.sion.Hence, he hoped to bring along a third person if possible. Who knew ifErica would generously accept an additional person if it were Yuri? But nomatter what, Erica herself did mention to G.o.dou before, "Please developgood relations with Mariya Yuri."Hence, after making his suggestion to botli Erica and Yuri, it resulted intoday"s appointment."Well, fine. Rather than mock you for attempting to escape from a privatedate between two people, I will respect your courage in taking on thechallenge of having a lady on each arm.""If you two were to go sightseeing alone, it really would be worrying.Perhaps Tokyo would be met with unforeseeable danger, and furthermore,I would feel uncomfortable if Kusanagi-san were to fall to Erica-san"sseductive charms..."While one of the girls displayed surprise as she teased, the otherexpressed her concern for local peace and offered commentary onKusanagi G.o.dou"s poor reputation...There was still time until 2pm.But feeling worried, G.o.dou took out his cellphone to make a call. Not Erica,but the girl who managed the Blandelli home."Ah, it"s G.o.dou-san?"Arianna-san"s voice responded. She was the girl who was employed asErica"s a.s.sistant and personal maid."Excuse me, just in case I had to confirm this, has that girl Erica gotten outof bed yet?""I"m sorry, she has not woken up yet. Last night, Erica-sama went out untilvery late and only went to bed at dawn.""...Seriously. What the heck was that girl doing the night before ourappointment?"His worst fear turning out to be true, G.o.dou sighed.Nevertheless, Arianna replied in a cheerful voice."Hoho, please rest a.s.sured. Today"s appointment is at 2pm, is that correct?No problem. Even if Erica-sama continues to sleep, I will carry her to thecar and deliver her over to G.o.dou-san. I will make sure she arrives beforethe appointed time, please wait."Getting Erica out of bed was quite a difficult task. Wlien getting up, lierusual talent and intellect was nowhere to be found. Instead, she wouldrefuse to get up, acting like a young child....As a side note, if one were to ask why G.o.dou knew this about her.That was because he went to pick her up every morning to go to school.Because Arianna was unable to wake up her willful mistress, G.o.douresorted to this in order to prevent Erica from being late for school.Hence, that was the reason why Arianna had presented the "deliver herover by car even if she continues to sleep" statement."You don"t have to do that. I"m coming over right now to get Erica to getup!"G.o.dou declared as if yelling.Although he was currently talking to a girl that was on his good books, atthe same time, she was also someone in possession of driving skills thathe would like to keep off the road as much as possible. This knowledgewas what compelled him to offer this alternative solution.G.o.dou ended the call and looked up, his gaze meeting with Yuri"s."As expected. Erica is dallying after all. I"m gonna pick her up.""In that case, let me come along.""Eh?""After all, we are going out together afterwards. This way we can avoidwasting extra time, right?"Yuri suggested with a smile. Hence, G.o.dou accepted graciously.In actual fact, their original plan was to depart from Nanao Shrine in ShibaPark and set off for the area of Tokyo Tower and the Meiji Shrine.In that case, switching locations would be a wiser choice. Erica"sapartment was situated in the Hongou district in the Bunkyou ward. Havingdecided to visit tourist attractions in that area, G.o.dou and Yuri headedtowards Erica"s residence together.Little did he know, this act was akin to digging his own grave..."I never knew that Kusanagi-san went as far as to rouse Erica-san fromher slumber every morning..."As he walked beside Yuri, G.o.dou listened in trepidation as she spoke witha sigh.Two hours had elapsed since they left Nanao Shrine together.Along with Erica, they were now located in the shopping street nearSensou-ji Temple in the Taitou ward.A row of ten stalls were selling local products, little trinkets and roadsidesnacks. This was a tourist destination in the Bunkyou ward whereforeigners new to j.a.pan would be taken to.G.o.dou and Yuri were walking side by side along the shopping street.Because today was an afternoon on a holiday, there were many peopleand it was quite crowded.Erica toured the shopping street with quick, light steps as if she enjoyedthis taste of traditional j.a.panese culture. She tried on a Shinsengumijacket that was being sold at a stall, pulled out a toy j.a.panese sword toplay around with, and even put on a geisha wig.Following behind her were the two j.a.panese, G.o.dou and Yuri.Yuri sighed slightly, making G.o.dou feel apologetic."That girl Erica, if we left her alone she would have slept all the way,completely unaware she was going to be late.""Concerning this point, Kusanagi-san, I am actually wondering if you arespoiling her too much with your intimate care. Although you informed thehousehold beforehand, you did enter a girl"s bedroom without anyhesitation, you know? And with Erica-san dressed in that particularmanner."When the two had visited Erica"s apartment, the mistress of the house waselegantly enjoying her afternoon nap.And just as Arianna was hastily trying to rouse her from bed, she went:"No. Without G.o.dou whispering words of love by my ear, I shall continuesleeping here."G.o.dou seemed to hear Erica murmur something like that.In response, G.o.dou went "How could she say something so outrageouswhen everyone else is waiting for her?" and rushed into the bedroom.Then Yuri said "K-Kusanagi-san, need I remind you this is Erica-san"s -- agirl"s room!" and frantically followed along.Wrapped in a light down blanket, Erica was sleeping blissfully.Only after G.o.dou angrily pulled away her blanket did he realize a certainfact. That Erica, who liked to wear little when she slept, had taken off thet-shirt she wore to bed last night in place of pajamas, leaving only a pair ofpanties on her person-"Seriously... Kusanagi-san really is "absentminded" to an excessivedegree!" {{#ifeq: {{PAGENAME}} | Campione!:BR SS 3 | |}}"T-This is the first time she is dressed like this!""In other words, you are very clear on the fact that Erica-san always wearslittle when she goes to bed every night? In that case, Kusanagi-san"sbehavior really is too rash.""R-Right, I cannot refute this point."Scolded, G.o.dou began to feel disheartened. How many times has he beenreprimanded today now?Yuri seemed to have thought the same thing, and she relaxed herexpression after a brief sigh."Let us leave it at that. After all, we came to go out and have fun.""l-ls that so? I"m really sorry.""Hoho. Today"s lecture has finished?"Erica returned with perfect timing. Apparently, she had been silentlyobserving the two of them just now."So, it"s about time to go enjoy ourselves. To commemorate EricaBlandelli"s long term relocation to j.a.pan, as well as wonderful fate whichhas brought the three of us together.""Fate?""Yes, that"s correct, Yuri. If we did not encounter one another in the firstplace, then today"s group would not exist. Shouldn"t we do something tocommemorate our mutual encounters?"Erica explained cheerfully in response to Yuri"s surprise.Her tone of voice was glamorous and clear as always. Erica"s childishbehavior when getting up was completely gone. Smiling with a chuckle,she took Yuri"s hand as a knight would take a lady"s."That store over there looks interesting, let"s choose some suitable clothingfor you, Yuri."Erica cast her glance towards a store that rented outfits out to foreigntourists as she spoke."Eh!? I have to wear it too!?""I was thinking if we took a photo, that would be perfect. Recording ourmemories in this manner is not a bad idea."Slightly aggressive but not very forceful in actual fact, Erica led theconservative Yamato Nadeshiko towards the crowd.With some hesitation, Yuri followed as she held Erica"s hand.As a side note, they were both currently wearing Jounan Academy"sfemale school uniform. G.o.dou had heard earlier that Yuri had gone toschool during the morning for a gathering of the Tea Ceremony Club.Seeing her dressed like that. Erica went "Well, then I"ll wear that too" andwore her uniform as well.Watching them from behind, G.o.dou suddenly had a notion. In appearance,the two girls seemed to be partners on a school trip, a pair who were veryclose friends.Erica with her extroverted personality and Yuri with her serious character.G.o.dou believed the two were rather incompatible in this regard.Nevertheless, Erica was very open-minded and tolerant despite hertendency to do things as she pleased. On the other hand, Yuri appearedpa.s.sive but was unexpectedly resilient. In this regard, perhaps the two ofthem might be quite compatible after all.-Erica and Yuri, what sort of relationship would they develop in the end?The two girls" conversation drifted into G.o.dou"s ears as he fell into deepthought."So, to think you would attempt to teach G.o.dou what was truly the rightpath... Yuri, you have an unexpectedly persevering spirit. I offer you myheartfelt praise and admiration.""I-I only wish that Kusanagi-san could act with a little more caution...""That said, this is G.o.dou we"re talking about, you know? Through the battlewith Athena, you should probably have understood, he is a person whocannot be stopped once he explodes out of control, right? Furthermore, hecompletely ignores minor details.""That truly is... Indeed it is as you say.""Putting it positively, he is very adaptable to situations. More tactlessly put,let me see--""Goes with the flow, is that it...""Yes. That"s true indeed.""B-But even though he really is rather troubling to others, I still believe inKusanagi-san.""Yuri, you must be a believer in the fundamentally benevolent nature ofmankind. I like that sort of innocence about you. However, what about theperson in question, how about G.o.dou?"At some point in time, the two girls had started commenting on KusanagiG.o.dou"s character flaws.From an outsider"s perspective, the two girls appeared to be getting alongamiably as they conversed. However, all G.o.dou could feel wasapprehension.If the two of them became close friends, would they unite in a single frontto start criticizing and making trouble for me in unison?...Never in G.o.dou"s wildest dreams would he expect his prediction to cometrue in the near future, with even two more members joining in.