Chapter 2 - Seeking the Mysterious Devil King, theCampione- FINALEPart 1During the long weekend in early October, Kusanagi G.o.dou hadunexpectedly headed to Nikkou.A week had already pa.s.sed since surviving the life-and-death strugglethere and his subsequent return to Tokyo. Also, certain changes hadoccurred in the affairs of the young devil king.Getting out of bed early as usual, he made himself presentable.A cool, refreshing and sunny autumn sky could be seen outside thewindow.Today seemed like a good day. Feeling satisfied, G.o.dou went to theentryway and was putting on his shoes when-"Onii-chan is up so early today as usual... Are you meeting that personagain?"He heard a voice from behind."Persevering from day one, your astounding devotion truly overwhelms mewith admiration, Onii-chan. The seeds sown under grandpa"s edificationsure are flourishing, aren"t they?"Her voice was lovely but it carried a peculiar sting.G.o.dou turned around to find his little sister Shizuka standing there,sneering with clear derision."...How often do I need to tell you until you admit you"re wrong? Showsome faith in me already.""Then prove me wrong through your behavior. And anyway, it is strange foryou to go wake Erica-san up every morning just because she"d oversleepotherwise. Absolutely strange! And lately, you"ve started meeting loversopenly in front of the house -- or rather, having illicit trysts, even!"The accusations left G.o.dou silent.Then she began nagging along the lines of "Don"t you feel ashamed beforeour dead grandma" and so on.G.o.dou hastily left the house to escape Shizuka"s clamor. He felt like hehad had a similar conversation in May, but back then he had not met thisgirl yet."Good morning, Kusanagi G.o.dou."It was a dignified greeting, without even the slightest hint of sleepiness.She - Liliana Kranjcar was as lovely as a silver fairy and possesseddazzling n.o.ble spirit worthy of her t.i.tle as a knight.Liliana always got up earlier than G.o.dou and waited in front of his house."Morning. Early as always?""Naturally. As your premier retainer, getting up after my king isunforgivable. Please do not confuse me with Erica in any way."After exchanging greetings, they made their way side by side.Denouncing her self-indulgent old friend, Liliana"s expression was a bitrigid."In the first place, for you as her king to go wake her up every day is trulyputting the cart before the horse beyond acceptable limits. Seriously, Ericais always doing as she pleases...""Come on, don"t be like that. It"s not like it"s that inconvenient for me."This silver-haired knight had been manipulated by the [Diavolo Rosso] eversince their childhood days.A lot of resentment must have piled up. It was reasonable for her to getworked up into a vicious tone of voice."But she seems to stay up late so often. What is she busy doing anyway?""Erica is exceedingly diligent when it comes to matters she judgesessential."Liliana"s unexpected answer was accompanied by a sigh."Other than martial arts and the study of magic, she also devotes herselftowards cultivating public relations as well as the planning, design andexecution of various projects."G.o.dou nodded, understanding.While Liliana kept Erica at arm"s length, she clearly recognized her talents.Their a.s.sociation ran long and deep; it was impossible for strangers tofathom the intricacies binding the two of them. And somehow or other, thismight be why they made such good partners, too."Oh my, good morning. You"re early as always."Someone suddenly called out to them.The shopping street of Nezu"s Area 3 was virtually devoid of people duringearly mornings.The current rare exceptions were G.o.dou, Liliana, and the pa.s.sing old ladywho spoke to them. Dressed in a kimono, she seemed rather elegant anddignified.G.o.dou and Liliana properly greeted her "good morning" in return andbowed their heads.The old lady responded to their polite greeting with a gentle smile."Lately you"re always with girls, aren"t you? Slowly but surely, you"restarting to resemble your grandfather."...Was she smiling because of his female companion instead of thegreeting?This old lady was a teacher of flower arrangement who had moved herefour years ago. Apparently a lot had happened between her and G.o.dou"sgrandfather in the distant past. Soon after she moved here, G.o.dou hadwitnessed the two of them reuniting in a chance encounter at the shoppingdistrict. Letting out cries of "Oh" and "my" and smiling meaningfully at eachother, they seemed like long lost friends.After hearing Ichirou point out his grandson, she had smiled fondly atG.o.dou.Ever since, she would always call out gracefully to G.o.dou whenever theymet on the streets.As a side note, she still seemed to be a spinster even at this age."Uhm, she is my friend and recently started coming to pick me up.""Yes. You could say he and I have cordial relations or that we have swornourselves to partake in life and destiny as a single soul. At any rate, this isno ordinary amorous affair for our deep relationship is founded upon bondsof undying loyalty."Liliana supplemented G.o.dou"s introduction.Her choice of words was rather exaggerated, but that"s how she was, andfor some reason or another they had made a similar promise.And after the battle with the Great Sage Equaling Heaven, Liliana hadunilaterally declared victory and began to follow G.o.dou closely like ashadow.She had also announced to the other girls: She was Kusanagi G.o.dou"spremier knight and grand chamberlain. They should clearly understand thatit was her duty, Liliana Kranjcar"s, to manage their king"s private affairs andcontrol women"s access to him.In response to this declaration, Erica and Ena had objected harshly inunison while Yuri"s eyes became clouded with sadness.But as soon as they heard about G.o.dou and Liliana"s promise, all the girlsturned towards Hikari at once. The twelve-year-old hime-miko apprenticesmiled cheerfully and diplomatically declared her support for Liliana: "Ihave no objections. Please take care of me, Liliana-oneesama.".Her words astounded Erica, caused Ena to pout, and deepened the gloomin Yuri"s eyes.But in the end, everyone agreed to the silver knight"s proposal. As a sidenote, G.o.dou"s claim of "How did it become Liliana"s win? I don"t get it at all"was flatly rejected.And after some time...Although G.o.dou had winced at the sudden appearance of his grandchamberlain(!), he grew accustomed to it as days went by.Unlike the beginning of the second school term when Liliana"soverenthusiasm drove her to obsess over the tiniest of details, in recenttimes she was gaining Kusanagi G.o.dou"s gradual acceptance as anun.o.btrusive existence by his side.Such was the current state of affairs when he encountered the old lady inthe morning.G.o.dou had reached an understanding with Liliana"s declaration to "partakein destiny" at the same time as his own epiphany for the sake of the battleagainst the Great Sage Equaling Heaven.However, wouldn"t normal people misunderstand if they heard?Contrary to that sudden concern, the old lady smiled faintly at them."Well, hehehe, this sure takes me back. Long ago, I also made a similarpromise with Ichirou-san. I wonder how many years ago that was..."Did something like that really happen between this old lady and hisgrandfather long ago?G.o.dou was intrigued but refrained from asking. After a bit of gossip, heparted with the old lady and continued on his way, accompanied by Lilianawho tried her best not to step on his shadow^ 1 *This was when he got a message on his cellphone.He read it as he walked. It was from his childhood friend Tokunaga Asuka."Why are you involved with a girl in the morning? It"s too early to f.u.c.karound!"G.o.dou was being a.s.saulted by undeserved abuse, accompanied by anangry smiley.Asuka"s parents owned a certain sushi restaurant in the shopping street ofNezu"s Area 3. She must have been watching the shopping street from herhome and restaurant without G.o.dou and Liliana noticing her.Why was she so inexplicably easy to anger, just like Shizuka...Puzzling over this longtime problem, G.o.dou closed his cellphone. It mightbe a good idea to introduce her to Liliana and Erica sooner or later.Hopefully, the misunderstanding could be cleared up at that time."Is something the matter, Kusanagi G.o.dou?""Not really. There are just so many people around me who like to saywhatever they want. But as long as they eventually realize it"s all amisunderstanding, there"s no need for me to get worked up over all thenagging... That"s my take on it anyways."He was the one to decide his own path.Whether that path turned out to be a fate of fortune or suffering, it didn"tmatter what other people said as long as he and the comrades followinghim understood.When he articulated his unaltered thoughts, Liliana nodded vigorously."How fitting of a king"s resolution. You have truly become reliable,Kusanagi G.o.dou."Undoubtedly offering heartfelt approval rather than sycophantic flattery, theloyal knight accompanied her lord Kusanagi G.o.dou as he headed for EricaBlandelli"s apartment building.The two of them arrived at the entrance to Erica"s flat.The mistress and her personal maid lived on the tenth floor of this high-risemansion.But when G.o.dou and Liliana crossed the threshold as usual, they werewelcomed by a girl who should be completely unrelated to this flatwhatsoever."Good morning, Kusanagi-sama. It"s been a while, Liliana-sama. Wouldyou two like an espresso?"A beautiful girl sat at the living room table, bringing to her lips a cup thatoverflowed with the fragrance of coffee.That was none other than Karen Jankulovski.Liliana"s maid and apprentice witch for the [Bronze Black Cross] magica.s.sociation."What do you mean, "it"s been a while"... We were at home together until Ileft this morning. Karen, when did you come here to Erica"s place?""While you were meeting Kusanagi-sama of course, Liliana-sama."Questioned by her silver-haired mistress, the maid in her early teenssmiled nonchalantly.Dressed in casual clothing instead of her maid uniform, it meant she washere in private."Not too long ago, I advised Liliana-sama to investigate Kusanagi-sama"spast, but actually conducting it proved to be rather time consuming...However, thanks to Liliana-sama acting proactively with such vigor lately, Ifinally have some free time to myself."Karen smoothly made a momentous confession.Was that it? Those details that precipitated the wager the other day?G.o.dou remembered.G.o.dou glanced at Liliana to find her face twitching a little. So that"s thereason. Liliana directing her attentions to investigate such a weird subjectturned out to be Karen"s suggestion."Today being my day off, I thought it"d be nice to pay my friend Anna-sanan occasional visit. Ah, it never occurred to me that I could peep into howKusanagi-sama"s and Liliana-sama"s honeymoon play would go, not in theslightest. Don"t get me wrong."She sounded like she had confessed her ulterior motive, but G.o.doudecided to let it go.The other maid came out from deeper inside."I am terribly sorry. Since G.o.dou-san arrived, I went to check onErica-sama, but... Again, she is still in bed."Arianna Hayama Arialdi, nicknamed Anna, was very apologetic."Well, it"s just the usual. By the way, you and Karen are friends?""Yes. We became acquainted auspiciously by chance. Really, Karen-chanis so much younger than me and she"s already so reliable."Smiling cheerfully, she answered G.o.dou"s question.This typical cheerful and trusting naivety, was not only characteristic ofMiss Arianna but also her greatest distinguishing feature. Well, ignoring thefearsome existences of her pot-stewed cooking and dangerous drivingskills for now."Alright, I"ll go wake her. You don"t mind, do you?""Of course not. I"ll leave Erica-sama in your care, thank you."Even though this had become the daily routine, G.o.dou still felt it would beimproper to enter a girl"s room directly without consent from a member ofthe household.Immediately after G.o.dou had followed his good sense and received theOK from Anna:"No, Kusanagi G.o.dou. Leave this to me. She may be like a devil, but aman should not set foot in a woman"s bedroom so easily. Do not forget thatI serve by your side for occasions such as this."G.o.dou was taken aback when Liliana called him to a stop.Right. He had been swept up by the flow and gone to rouse Erica from bedevery morning, but that was really improper after all. Liliana"s objectionshad made him recognize that once more."I see...! Can I trouble you to go instead, Liliana?""Most certainly. Even at the cost of my life, I shall fulfill your imperialdecree without fail!"This conversation resembled a king ordering the extermination of the devilking and a hero responding in return for loose change.Anyway, on G.o.dou"s orders, Liliana set off on her expedition to Erica"sbedroom.Their sense of morality and justice was really similar. That made her easyto get along with.He had felt this ever since the fight with Perseus in Naples. As long as herthought processes did not derail, her affinity with him was outstanding.--They waited for a moment.Before long, they could hear voices from Erica"s bedroom."Lily!? How insolent of you, coming to wake me up instead of G.o.dou! Knowyour place! I won"t forgive you for interfering with my sweet morningmoment with G.o.dou!""No, you know your place! I have never heard of a knight who needs herlord to rouse her from bed every morning! And you still call yourself anhonorable great knight, a descendant of the Knights Templar?!""I am the special exception, for I"m G.o.dou"s lover! So you stop interfering!""Ha. I, Liliana Kranjcar, am Kusanagi G.o.dou"s premier knight and also hisgrand chamberlain. Even if you are his lover, I have the authority to put youin your place should you be impertinent. Therefore my interference here isexceedingly justified! Will you stop grumbling about these trivialities?""Oh really, premier knight and grand chamberlain? Why don"t you addanother t.i.tle, third mistress?""W-What!?""Understand, Lily? Since times immemorial in China, eunuchs havemanaged the emperor"s s.e.xual life. They were given this right andpermitted to frequent the premises of the harem because they were not"women." Yet you want to wield power over other girls while being one ofG.o.dou"s women yourself? My, what a great deal you have going there.""N-No, that is not what is going on here. Ultimately that is just a historicalsimilarity...""Yes, but history proves the rational justification of such an existence. I canaccept the outcome of G.o.dou"s foolish wager, and even approve yourmanagement of his private affairs, Lily. But you won"t interfere in his lovers"relationships! If that"s what you really want, you must first give up being hiswoman. How about it?""Uh, no, that is, uhm, what should I say, ehm..."Erica had partially acknowledged Liliana"s argument, but refused toconcede any further beyond that.It was one of the basics and the pinnacle in the art of negotiations.Although she was no morning person, she was still able to verbally subdueLiliana immediately after getting up. Erica"s wits were just that impressive.Nodding next to G.o.dou, Arianna was going "my, my" in amazement as shewitnessed the knights" battle of words.With an impish expression that seemed to be saying "just as expected,developments stemming from the Nikkou trip are truly worth lookingforward to," Karen secretly laughed to herself. G.o.dou deliberately ignoredher.Anyhow, it was a lively morning.Kusanagi G.o.dou"s days always started in such a turbulent manner.Part 2In the end, G.o.dou, Erica and Liliana headed to school together.The three walked together on the well-trodden way to school. Asevidenced by the many pa.s.sersby who kept staring at them, it wasapparently highly conspicuous for a highschool boy to be accompanied byblonde and silver-haired beauties. Nevertheless, he had already gottenused to this.Kusanagi G.o.dou was so adaptable it even surprised himself.After all, he had also grown accustomed to his more-than-unnaturalconst.i.tution as a Campione after around a week."Well, I actually had many objections to the details of how Lily becameyour grand chamberlain."Erica was muttering with a displeased expression."Gradually I"ve come to think it might not be too bad an idea. If I cling toyou all the time, it would be more difficult to expand the roster of KusanagiG.o.dou"s "Round Table."""...My Round Table?""Exactly! You know it, right, the legend of King Arthur"s Knights of theRound Table?"England"s legendary king. The daring knights who had gathered from allthe directions to join under his banner.The big, circular table where they sat around was the Round Table. The13th century king, Edward the First of England, was the one who"discovered" the original and had a replica made as decoration forWinchester Castle.. 7 2]"Over the past six months, the name of Kusanagi G.o.dou has spreadamong the magi and wizards throughout the world. It"s time for you to takethe next step."As G.o.dou recalled historical trivia in his mind, Erica explained further.Hearing that, Liliana interjected."In short, you are saying that Kusanagi G.o.dou should take you and me, aswell as Mariya Yuri, Seishuuin Ena and others to form his independentgroup or a.s.sociation?""Yes. The more G.o.dou"s power and influence rise, the more people tryingto gain favor will appear. Of course, there will also be those who show upout of paranoia or overreaction. Even amongst the upper echelons of my[Copper Black Cross] or Lily"s [Bronze Black Cross], there should be somewho are trying to make use of G.o.dou"s power somehow.""So to ward off that chaos in advance, you want to unite the followersbearing Kusanagi G.o.dou"s flag. From now on, we should also maintain acertain distance from the a.s.sociations we owe allegiance to."Liliana sided with Erica"s proposal with well-matched additions.At times like these, the red and blue knights made for a good combination."But you know, if I want to live peacefully all along, do we really need to goso far?""G.o.dou, even if you insincerely put on airs as a pacifist, it"s completelyunconvincing whatsoever.""Refusing to face your own disposition and true nature... I must point out toyour face that bad habit of yours, Kusanagi G.o.dou. Hypothetical situationswith no hope of coming true are meaningless."Even when trashing him they coordinated with perfect timing.d.a.m.n them, how could they describe him like a beast starved for blood!Erica ignored G.o.dou"s teeth gnashing and continued."Then here"s a question: From here onward, someone needs to lay downthe groundwork in various areas, to enter diplomatic negotiations with theformer organizations of girls who choose to follow G.o.dou, and to build anorganization characterized by discipline and ambition. I believe that asidefrom me, Erica Blandelli, there is no other suitable candidate, is thatcorrect?"The question held unshakable conceit.Of course, neither G.o.dou nor Liliana could find words to refute her."Now, in order to maximize my full potential I will need to travel all over theplace. In that case, leaving Lily who excels as both a bodyguard and ahousekeeper to support G.o.dou by his side is not a bad choice of personneldeployment."I see, so that"s the idea. G.o.dou nodded."So, G.o.dou, you don"t mind if we proceed in that direction, do you?""I think nothing bad will come off it if I leave matters in your hands, so no.But that Salvatore Doni doesn"t have a faction either, does he?"The Campione who was the "alliance leader" ruling over the magica.s.sociations of southern Europe.Using soccer as an example, that role would be something close to anational coach.Without a subordinate a.s.sociation, he was served by at most a handful ofprivate staff. However, he was able to summon important magi and knightsduring times of emergency. Regardless of affiliation, all were under hiscommand.Usually, he neither controlled nor commanded. He was the [King ofSwords] ruling southern Europe"s world of magic by laissez-faire.Couldn"t things work like that for G.o.dou too?Ruling over those who admired him in order to form a faction. Doing thingsin such an ostentatious manner felt repulsive to G.o.dou."Imitating that person should prove difficult. Sir Salvatore achieved hisposition by refusing to aid any individual person or faction. Nor does heform emotional ties with anybody. I don"t think you could do the same,could you, G.o.dou?"G.o.dou had to agree with Erica.Certainly. Given his personality, "not helping anyone" was impossible. Justlike the path he had taken so far, he would continue to meet variouspeople, get close to them, become comrades and they would help eachother out, no doubt about it!After attending a full day of cla.s.ses as usual, it was now after school. Ericawas apparently busy and hurried out of the cla.s.sroom first. G.o.dou, on theother hand, fell into deep thought as he looked at the message he hadreceived on his cellphone.The content of the message was as follows:From: Koudzuki Sakura t.i.tle: "G.o.doh-kun, help me!"Body: Please! There"s another thing I want you to help me with regardingthat great devil king from the other day. Could you a.s.sist me?"...What should I say, this stinks of trouble."G.o.dou guessed as much simply from experience rather than a Campione"sintuition.A month earlier, he had gone about with his second cousin, KoudzukiSakura, to search for the great devil king. Amakasu had pa.s.sed the batonto Liliana and, lost as for what to do about it, G.o.dou had suggested "Howabout we say... Liliana suddenly had to make an urgent return to Milan," toroughly bring matters to an end.When he pa.s.sed the word to his naive cousin, she believed him in blindfaith. Since then, Sakura never brought up the topic of Liliana again."What is the matter, Kusanagi G.o.dou?""Well, the truth is..."He briefly explained the situation when Liliana came to his desk.As one of the people involved and familiar with Sakura"s temperament, thesilver-haired grand chamberlain frowned lightly."...This smells of trouble."She voiced the same impression. Well, it should be the right guess."That"s how it is, so I"ll go check up on her. Let"s split here for today. Sincewe said you aren"t in j.a.pan, it"d be troublesome if you came along."If it was going to be trouble anyway, he should just take it in stride.Liliana pondered G.o.dou"s decision for a bit, then said:"No. In that case, why don"t we do this..."G.o.dou nodded at the knight"s plan and they immediately went into action.About an hour later, G.o.dou arrived at Akinomizu Women"s college.It was a famous ladies school in the Bunkyou Ward. A place where a firstyear high school boy would be intimidated by the mere thought ofapproaching it.He entered a fast food restaurant near the school and instantly found theone who was waiting for him.G.o.dou quickly headed towards her table."Ah, G.o.doh-kun! Over here! Long time no see!"Sakura called out to him while waving energetically.Due to her lovely, childish face and diminutive stature, she was oftenmistaken for a middle schooler.However, the girl next to her was even shorter and had an even morechildish face....Was she in fifth or sixth year of elementary school? Her graceful featurescould probably pa.s.s for an artiste. Her long hair was apparently naturallycurled and she was wearing a fluttering one-piece dress. Lovely as a doll,the young girl stood out excessively."Ah, G.o.doh-kun, let me introduce. This is Renjou Fuyuhime-chan, the firstfriend I made in Tokyo."The introduced elementary school(?) girl snorted with derision.Then she closely scrutinized G.o.dou and said piercingly:"You meant this guy when you mentioned that relative"s child who could beof service? He seems conceited."Renjou Fuyuhime"s manner of speaking was unusually aggressive.For some reason, her sharp and severe gaze was focused somewhereabove G.o.dou"s head."Uhm... do I look that conceited?""Of course! Why do you tower so high even though you"re younger thanSakura and me! Are you trying to tire out my neck, forcing me to look up atyou, is that it!?!"Her complaints were like an outburst of anger delivered with all her might.The girl called Renjou Fuyuhime seemed to possess a complex over herlack of height. And while only sixteen years old, G.o.dou stood almost180cm tall. Was that the reason for the unreasonable remark just now?No, wait, there was one more important remark. "Younger than Sakura andme"?"Are you perhaps the friend in the same year that taught Sakura aboutmagic...?""Ah, you remembered? That"s right. Fuyuhime-chan is my magic teacher.She"s sooo knowledgeable and teaches me new things all the time!"G.o.dou looked at Fuyuhime in astonishment. He had never expected tomeet anyone more child-faced than Sakura. The wonders of nature neverceased to amaze.Come to think of it, Miyama-san in the cla.s.s next door also looked like alittle child. But rather than being of the same age, Fuyuhime was olderinstead... At this point G.o.dou suddenly noticed.Her family name was "Renjou." That meant she was—"Hey! What are you doing, staring at people!"Fuyuhime suddenly told him off.Without conscious intent, G.o.dou had been staring at her doll-like face."Ahhh, you weren"t thinking something impertinent, were you!? Like, you"reso short or midget or shorty or something!""Calm down, Fuyuhime-chan! G.o.doh-kun may be tall, but he would nevermake fun of you."G.o.dou ignored Sakura and the fuming Fuyuhime and went straight to thepoint."Leaving that aside, Sakura-san, what did you want my help for?""Ah, right. Uhm, actually Fuyuhime-chan finally decided to tell me thename of the fearsome great devil king. Previously, she had been agonizingin fear of getting me involved."G.o.dou"s wariness heightened. He hadn"t been found out, had he?Had the overly naive cousin found out Kusanagi G.o.dou"s secret?"Around a week ago, news was received that Toushouguu in Nikkou hadstarted repair work, right? Apparently the one who destroyed that placewas also the great devil king, so Fuyuhime-chan got really scared. Thatperson might also do something horrible to her.""But Sakura said she"d accompany me to visit that great devil king whocommits every evil imaginable."As Sakura nestled closer to her, Fuyuhime face"s brimmed with resolve.G.o.dou became even more nervous. If she belonged to the "Renjou family,"she would know his name for sure. She wouldn"t say it, would she!? Shewouldn"t say that name in front of the very campione in question, wouldshe!?"That"s why I have made my decision! I won"t run anymore and before I fallto his evil grasp, I"ll go to him first and give him a good piece of my mind! Iwill resist that hated enemy of womankind, "Kusasagi Goroh"!"Kusasagi Goroh...?G.o.dou felt like he was completely drained. Who the heck was that!?"So you see, G.o.doh-kun. Fuyuhime-chan has already investigated thepeople close to Kusasagi-san. We decided we will now go around anddemand his location from those people... Would you please come withus?"Sakura asked him with those subconsciously pleading eyes.As the saying goes, if eating poison don"t forget to lick the plate. But wasthis also part of it...?While exhausted, G.o.dou nodded and agreed to go along with Sakura andFuyuhime.They got rid of the trash as was customary in fast food restaurants.While the two college girls were gone with their trays, Liliana whisperedinto G.o.dou"s ear."I wonder what the deal is with that Renjou girl? I believe she belongs toone of the four families, Sayanomiya, Seishuuin, Kuhoudzuka, and Renjou,that have deep ties with the History Compilation Committee.""Yeah, I thought so," G.o.dou whispered back.Liliana was using [Concealment] magic.Last time, she had used the same spell to become invisible on the groundsof Nanao Shrine. That was how she had been following G.o.dou secretly."But it"s strange how she remembered my name like that... Come to thinkof it, Amakasu-san said something about using memory tampering magicto confuse her. Could that be the reason?"That night after G.o.dou had gone to Aoyama with Sakura, Amakasu Toumahad mentioned over the phone.At that time, he had said something about using hypnotism magic."Really? That would be worrisome. If you use that kind of spell on someonewho understands magic, their memories could come back at the slightestchance impetus.""Eh!?"If that was true, the deception wasn"t really reliable at all."It seems better if I confirm matters with Amakasu Touma first. If possible, Iwill also confirm with Sayanomiya Kaoru at the History CompilationCommittee. I will take my leave here and visit those people. Is that allright?""Yes, thanks. I"ll continue keeping an eye on the situation with these twofor now."G.o.dou felt Liliana"s presence fade away.Having gotten rid of their trays, Sakura and Fuyuhime returned shortly.Rather than full of motivation, it would probably be more accurate todescribe their faces as fulfilled looking.Part 3Under Fuyuhime"s leadership, G.o.dou and Sakura came to Akihabara.Rather than an electronics district, it had evolved in recent years into moreof a town for niche hobbyists. Fuyuhime entered a store located in theoutskirts away from the main street, Chuuoudoori.The building before their eyes was a hub of a mult.i.tude of businesses.The signboard was obvious to the eye."Maid Cafe - CurePure" "Innocent Maid Tea House - Disruption" "Maid YumCha Chamber - Peerless Statesman" "Maid Relaxation - Go To Heaven""Maid Dispatch Service - Plutonium Thermal" ...Apparently they were all shops and businesses with the concept of maids.G.o.dou then remembered his three cla.s.smates Nanami, Sorimachi andTakagi. Those guys had suggested for the cla.s.s to do a "school swimsuitmaid cafe" during the next school festival. Needless to say, the girlsrebuffed them."Could you tell me why we came to such a place?""Apparently the disciple of the great devil king, the campione, frequentsthis place."Fuyuhime replied to G.o.dou with great emphasis in tone.He didn"t remember having a disciple, so what was this about?"1-1 wonder, a disciple of the devil king would be a magic pract.i.tioner,wouldn"t he?""That"s not what I heard. At the mere age of three, he made a splendiddisplay of his unarmed skills in front of a kungfu-type Campione whoproceeded to remark "This child is truly a prodigy, most gifted and showinggreat promise!" and thus accepted him as a disciple."Hearing Fuyuhime and Sakura"s exchange, G.o.dou thought to himself.He had an idea of the woman who would attach undue importance to suchlines.Are they referring to that particular guy? Given that eccentric misogynist,how could he possibly be a regular customer at a maid cafe... but beforehis thoughts could finish.A boy pa.s.sed before his eyes and entered the multi-tenant building.Unmistakable. Staring at the profile of the boy"s face, G.o.dou really knewhim. However, the shadow of obstinacy and arrogance disappeared fromhis handsome features as soon as he spotted G.o.dou."If it isn"t my Honored Uncle! What brings you to this place?"The moment he noticed G.o.dou, the boy called out with a surprisedexpression.The only person in the world to call G.o.dou "Honored Uncle," his name wasLu Yinghua. He was the young master of Hong Kong"s Lu family and alsothe personal disciple of the Demonic Cult Leader Luo Cuilian."The reason I am in j.a.pan, and Akihabara at that, is for business andbusiness alone."Lu Yinghua told them as he brought a cold oolong tea to his lips.After their sudden reunion, he had led G.o.dou"s group to the Maid Yum ChaHouse "Peerless Statesman." With that, they occupied a table and beganthe conversation.Furthermore, once everyone had taken a seat, maids immediately serveddrinks to them."My Lu family has already established bases in j.a.pan at Shinjuku andIkebukuro, you know. In order to expand into the prosperous district ofAkihabara, we started running this building.""...Could your family be behind all the maid-whatevers here?""Yes. We entrusted things to my boys stationed here and it ended up likethis. At the time, I mentioned it might be better to sell cheap PC parts ordoujinshi^ to attract customers, but my boys got all excited about the maidtheme park, so, yeah, I thought it wouldn"t hurt to try and gave the okay."He sounded more like the boss of a new venture than the triads.So that was the kind of business his family dealt with in such a place. Andapparently, people like the Three Idiots existed everywhere...While G.o.dou was impressed by Lu Yinghua"s explanation, Sakurainterjected."Hey, hey, G.o.doh-kun. This boy calls you uncle. Is he maybe part of ourclan? Although I"ve never met him at New Year"s..."The Kusanagi family had a custom to get together every New Year"s tocatch up and renew old friendship.Not only the main family, but even the branch families gathered there fromall over the country. This enabled one to remember the names and facesof essentially all the relatives, whether by blood or marriage."There are all kinds of delicate circ.u.mstances. Please don"t probe anyfurther, Sakura-san.""...Ah. I see. It must be Grandpa or Aunt Mayo or Uncle Genzou... Yourside of the family is also quite complicated, isn"t it? Alright, I understand!"Sakura accepted G.o.dou"s half-baked excuse with a nod.At times like this, G.o.dou was amazed he could actually feel thankful for thenotorious reputations of his grandfather and both his parents. On the otherhand, on hearing this exchange, Lu Yinghua turned to Sakura for the firsttime."What, you"re one of my Honored Uncle"s relatives? Excuse my rudeness.Hey, somebody, get some food over here!"He had ignored the girls, Fuyuhime and Sakura, so far, but as soon as helearned of Sakura"s ident.i.ty, he immediately became extremely courteous.Very soon, a maid came over with a tray carrying some dim sum.Xiaolongbao^, shrimp dumplings^, pork dumplings^, mini-sizedsteamed buns with pork filling, steamed peach-shaped buns filled withcustard cream...These colorful and exquisitely shaped articles of food were laid out all overthe table. G.o.dou picked a shrimp dumpling as a test. Delicious. The freshand springy texture of the shrimp was out-of-this-world. In contrast to themaid uniforms, the taste was authentic Chinese."G.o.doh-kun, he is such a good boy, right!"Sakura was overcome with emotion from being treated to the superb dimsum.On the other hand, Fuyuhime was harshly glaring at Lu Yinghua all thewhile."Enough of this trivial stuff, tell us where Kusasagi Goroh is! I alreadyinvestigated beforehand, you are that Campione"s disciple, no doubt aboutit!""...What?"Lu Yinghua narrowed his eyes at Fuyuhime"s domineering att.i.tude.G.o.dou did not fail to catch the shadow of killing intent that flashed for aninstant."Miss, you said something strange right now. I am who"s what? And withthat conceited tone of yours? Since you"re in my Honored Uncle"scompany, I"ll let the first time slide. Should there be a second time, prepareyourself for the consequences.""...Hya!"The rather quiet warning sent Fuyuhime cowering back in fear.Lu Yinghua relaxed his dreadful glare after G.o.dou casually winked at him."...Well, let"s leave it at that. I have some mundane business to attend to,so please excuse me. Honored Uncle, I hope to speak to you alone on aseparate occasion. I would like to rely on your extraordinary insight for acertain matter. Now, take care."Lu Yinghua stood up from his seat and departed after performing a martialarts salute.After that, they waited for the shivering Fuyuhime to recover and left theshop together.Outside the building, the pet.i.te yet domineering girl finally opened hermouth."H-He was more difficult than expected. Let"s ignore this place andproceed to the next destination.""Fuyuhime-chan, are you alright? Stay strong!"Sakura directed words of encouragement at Fuyuhime who had set outtowards a new goal."O-Of course I"m alright! I am still the heiress to the Renjou family ofdistinguished pedigree. As if I"d lose to that gangster from Hong Kong!"Hong Kong"s Lu family was reputedly in the business of heroic outlaws(Chinese triads), and hence a clan who operated extrajudicially.Fuyuhime"s words revealed that she also knew his background. Right,wasn"t she also the one who had instructed Sakura in ancient German?Equipped with such knowledge, should she be treated as a member of thefour families after all?Blissfully unaware of G.o.dou"s evaluations, Fuyuhime led the group toToranomon station.Their destination was a shrine not far from there.Entering the grounds of Nanao Shrine required a climb of 300 stone steps.It was the place where G.o.dou"s acquaintance worked as a miko -- Lookslike Fuyuhime really checked up on me beforehand.Next to the nodding G.o.dou, Fuyuhime explained to Sakura:"Located here are two miko that Kusasagi Goroh has made into hisplaythings. Furthermore, they are sisters and the younger one is still inelementary school! Can you believe that!?""Heh!? That"s so dirty, such a thing! As a person, that is no, no good!"Don"t comment. Don"t inject unnecessary emotions.G.o.dou desperately tried to keep his feelings in check.While complaining about the man-eating demon who wore the skin of aman, the two college girls entered the grounds. G.o.dou followed wordlessly.Along the way, Fuyuhime repeatedly tried to call out whenever they met aShinto priest.But the priests quickly left after greeting with a nod. Even when Fuyuhimecalled them to stop, they did not stay."Th-th-the-th-the daughter of the Renjou has arrived! How can thesepeople be so rude!?"Fuyuhime was angry, but her anger was ill-judged.The priests were actually running away because they saw G.o.dou... In fact,this was the usual reaction. Unless G.o.dou himself called to them, theywould never approach on their own initiative.In the meantime, the group arrived before the oratory hall.The precinct was entirely covered with gravel.Two girls in miko attire were standing around. Naturally, they were theMariya sisters."Ah, Onii-sama! Welcome! What brings you here today?""Well, if you were going to come, you should have said so... I will preparetea right away."Mariya Hikari waved to him with a cheerful, dazzling smile.Mariya Yuri welcomed him with a graceful, refined smile.The sisters showed their affection for G.o.dou each in her own way. It was athing to be treasured.Lately, the little sister Hikari often said "One day, I will also join Onii-samaby your side, so when the time comes, please love me like the otherswithout distinction."It sounded a bit strange, perhaps that was her own way of expressingattachment?When the older sister heard that, her face turned troubled, but remainedbeautiful and gentle as always. Ever since the conclusion of the battle withthe Great Sage Equaling Heaven, G.o.dou felt the bonds between him andYuri had mysteriously strengthened.The atmosphere was just right, or they had gotten used to each other...Even without saying much, just by being in the same room, they feltvaguely fulfilled. That was the feeling.But, that aside, there was the current problem of his two fellow travelers."Oh? They are also friends of G.o.doh-kun"s? Somehow the coincidenceskeep continuing—""Ah, yeah. There are days where you meet friends one after another likethis, aren"t there? I"m quite surprised too."When Sakura pointed it out, G.o.dou could only make a lame excuse.His naive cousin innocently laughed "Yepyep. Because you"re always doinggood deeds, the G.o.ds must have rewarded you." The beauty of her soulwas magnificent.Renjou Fuyuhime, on the other hand, kept quietly shooting doubtful staresat G.o.dou."Ahh... I"m not here today for anything in particular. These two said theyhad business here so I"m simply accompanying them. Apparently, they"relooking for someone."The Mariya sisters nodded "huh?" at G.o.dou"s explanation.With that, Fuyuhime recovered her original vigor and sharply declared:"You are the Mariya sisters, huh? I am Renjou Fuyuhime. You shouldknow of me, right, the daughter and heiress of the Renjou family, a positioneven higher than you hime-miko, right? Listen, I must meet that brutishdevil king, that campione, Kusasagi Goroh. Call him here at once!"As always, her manner of speaking was meaninglessly self-important.However, the Mariya sisters were not impressed. They simply inclined theirheads and looked at Fuyuhime in wonderment like some sort of rare beast,then proceeded to glance at G.o.dou.Indeed, the Campione in question was standing right beside them. Onewould not normally make such a demand.The sisters were probably perplexed as well. G.o.dou made a troubled faceand shook his head.Thereupon Hikari instantly replied."Ehm... I"m sorry, but that is forbidden."Although she was in the sixth year of elementary school, she wasadmirably smart. She had already grasped the situation.I"m saved... Just as G.o.dou thought so, Hikari pressed on."And I"m sorry again. I believe the Renjou family has not yet named theirsuccessor. Some time ago, Ena-oneesama from the Seishuuin said so."What? In that case, Fuyuhime was not a wizard related to the Renjoufamily...?G.o.dou was surprised. Fuyuhime on the other hand looked angry as herlips began to twitch."Th-that"s not true! I will become the next head of the Renjou family!What"s the deal with you anyway, just because that dirty campione hasbeen a tiny bit affectionate with you, you belittle others? Listen, the Renjouare one of the four families, we"re not someone you can make fun—"Although she spoke faster and faster with greater intensity, she had lost allmomentum by the end.With an awfully scared look on her face, she gulped down her jeers.She looked as miserable as a dog with its tail between its legs. But shewas not the only one scared. Mariya Hikari was also looking in terror at theelder sister next to her."The successor to the Renjou family - is that what you said you were?"Mariya Yuri was whispering calmly, with the beauty of sagacity itself."Then I shall converse with you as if you were an informed descendant ofthe four families. Your current behavior is an affront to the devil king whomour nation has addressed as the Rakshasa monarch since ancient times,as well as to those who serve him with reverence. Showing the appropriaterespect in regards to him is the foundation of manners, it is a custom. Onewho cannot comply to that is not qualified to be a member of the fourfamilies. Know some shame!"As Yuri reprimanded, her beautiful face displayed the imposing intensity ofa yakshini.^G.o.dou reflexively ducked. Only Sakura was tilting her head in puzzlement.Completely unfazed by Yuri"s pressure, Sakura"s inability to read the moodwas truly magnificent."Furthermore, your inability to show respect to us miko who have inheritedthe t.i.tle of Hime const.i.tutes impudence unbecoming of the four families.Leave. You are not qualified to stand on the holy grounds of NanaoShrine."She flatly deported Fuyuhime.As expected of a Hi me- Miko. She possessed solemnity and sublimitybeyond any normal young lady.At some point, Fuyuhime was on the verge of tears. Although she hadbeen so domineering in att.i.tude, she turned out to be not that courageousafter all. G.o.dou decided to step forward and offer her an escape route."I"m sorry for my companion"s weird demands. She"ll come apologizeanother time, so we"ll take our leave now. Come on, Sakura, let"s take yourfriend and go. See you later!"The forcible goodbye brought down the curtains.Patting his cousin on the shoulder, he prompted her to take Fuyuhimealong.Along with the two girls, G.o.dou left the Mariya sisters behind. He decidedto send them a text message later to apologize and explain the situation..."Fuyuhime-chan, if you ask the way you did earlier, anyone would getangry-. You need to do it gently!""1-1 know! B-But those hime-miko earlier were just too rude!"The group of G.o.dou, Sakura and Fuyuhime was on the move.This time they were on the way to Aoyama."Could you tell me why we are going there?""Urgs. Since long ago there have been many magic pract.i.tioners nearAoyama Doori. I heard lately an evil witch, an a.s.sociate and mistress ofKusasagi Goroh, has been hanging around there lately. *Sniffle* I willcapture that woman and this time I will find that devil king for sure!"Fuyuhime answered G.o.dou"s question while sniffling.She looked like she would cry if she relaxed. Apparently she was ratherincompetent. Standing next to her, G.o.dou thought: She had managed ittwice, a third time would certainly follow...They entered a small side street a bit away from Aoyama Doori.Street stalls and little shops sat in rows. It was the area where G.o.dou hadcome with Sakura for her question one month before.Fuyuhime was heading for the focus store [Kogetsudou] in one corner ofthat area, explaining that the female shopkeeper there was like therepresentative of the Aoyama neighborhood.When they came to the shop, G.o.dou pressed his ear against the door.He tried to hear what was going on inside. Fuyuhime and Sakura seemedsurprised by his suspicious behavior, but they still copied him.They heard two women talking."In short, you are trying to get the latest scoop about the Committee fromme?""Could you phrase it more pleasantly please? What I want are details of apersonal nature rather than anything of crucial importance. Such as, whichgirlfriends Sayanomiya Kaoru went on dates with last week, or thatAmakasu-san actually has a wife and kids, that kind of stuff. Of course, ifyou come across any latest news, you can always tell me later.""You"ve already paid me for my services and you"re satisfied with this little?I love helping people, you know."Tm pleased by your offer, but your prowess is not sufficient to hide thingsfrom the Committee. Even someone better than you would find themdifficult to handle... And all I want to know are those people"s interests andpersonalities. Whether as enemies or friends, knowing more can only bebeneficial."They were smack-dab in the middle of a clandestine conversation.Earlier that morning, that particular girl had mentioned plans for a "RoundTable." Of course, the plan also included reconstructing their relationshipwith the History Compilation Committee.In accordance with that plan, she was gathering useful information in orderto conquer them?G.o.dou was greatly impressed. Like Liliana had said, Erica was reallydiligent when it came to matters she judged essential.Then Renjou Fuyuhime took a deep breath before the door.With a determined expression, she reached for the door k.n.o.b andvigorously threw it open."I"ve finally found you, Italian witch who serves the devil king KusasagiGoroh! You might feel like you are something big because they call you[Diavolo Rosso] or whatever, but to me you"re as good as dead! Obedientlytell me where the Campione lives!"Having finished this declaration in one breath, Fuyuhime was subjected tothe inquisitive stares of the people inside, the shopkeeper of [Kogetsudou]and Erica Blandelli.The Milan-born blonde beauty smiled with great amus.e.m.e.nt."...G.o.dou, I leave you alone for just a few hours and you already foundsomeone with such distinctive talents. What in the world is the idea here?She is together with the Campione, Kusanagi G.o.dou, and yet she asks meto tell her his address?"Of course, Fuyuhime and Sakura heard her response loud and clear.Part 4"Hm, what do you mean by that?"Sakura inclined her head, bewildered. G.o.dou"s head was spinning abouthow he should fix this, when...His cousin suddenly collapsed to her knees and fell forward like a puppetwith its strings cut.Hurrying before her, G.o.dou found her peacefully asleep, breathing calmly."Looks like I made it just in time."Someone spoke behind him. That husky and seductive voice belonged tosomeone he knew.He turned around to find Sayanomiya Kaoru standing there. Liliana, whomhe had parted with a few hours earlier, was also present."Letting the situation deteriorate any further would be troublesome, so Imagically put Koudzuki Sakura to sleep," reported Liliana as sheapproached."Fuyuhime, regarding your problematic behavior, you will be properlylectured and punished accordingly.""Wan... P-P-Please forgive me, Kaoru! I"ll definitely be a good girl from nowon!""No way. How many times have you tricked me with those words? Pleasecome this way, G.o.dou-san, and everyone else as well."Kaoru was speaking with a refreshing smile while Fuyuhime was coweringin panic.Fed up with the whole affair, Liliana sighed. G.o.dou and Erica blanklyexchanged glances.Leaving Sakura to continue sleeping in the care of the [Kogetsudou]shopkeeper, they went outside.Since there was little vehicular traffic in these parts, it was fine for thegroup to gather on the side of the road. G.o.dou, Erica, Liliana andFuyuhime stood around Kaoru as she started the conversation."I only became aware of the situation because Liliana paid me a homevisit. As you may have guessed, Fuyuhime here is indeed the Renjoufamily"s eldest daughter. Originally, she was meant to become the nextfamily head like Ena or me or Kuhodzuka"s Mikihiko-san and work for theHistory Compilation Committee."Kaoru brought up names of important people that G.o.dou and the othersknew.Come to think of it, due to being controlled like a puppet by the witchAsherah, Mr. Kuhoudzuka Mikihiko"s mind and body had been severelyweakened, and he was currently being treated at a Committee-affiliatedhospital."Unfortunately, Fuyuhime"s body has an exotic const.i.tution which cannotstore magical power. Unable to use spellcasting techniques , she was notchosen as a hime-miko, naturally."G.o.dou recalled Salvatore Doni"s past.That man apparently suffered from the same condition before he became aCampione."Well, it"s actually not a requirement for a head of the four families to be anexcellent spellcaster. As long as she made a clean break and focusedherself on the duties of an organization head, it would"ve been fine.However, Fuyuhime developed quite a complex over her dwarfishness andinability to cast spells... Consequently, she always had difficulty gettingalong with others and was thus unsuited for field work, resulting in thecurrent situation."The talentless Fuyuhime had put her all into studying and apparentlystockpiled a great amount of knowledge related to wizardry.But what she desired were "practical" techniques. It was such a sad storythat G.o.dou could not help but pity her."Well, she is a troublemaker who disclosed G.o.dou-san"s information to hisrelative sleeping inside there, so I"m not 100% sympathetic.""The one who made her mis-remember Kusanagi G.o.dou"s name, musthave been Amakasu Touma after all."Liliana added as Kaoru shrugged beside her."Were Renjou Fuyuhime a normal wizard, she would likely regain hermemories. However, for someone on a layman"s level, the probability isn"tthat high. His measures were appropriate."Hence, Liliana and Sayanomiya Kaoru had decided to subdue theout-of-control Fuyuhime directly.Brought up to date on the situation, Erica nodded."...Looks like all sorts of amusing things happened. So Kaoru-san, how areyou going to punish this troublesome girl? You"re not going to acquit her ofall charges, are you?"Let"s see... maybe we should call in a hime-miko specializing in the spiritpower of mental manipulation to give her amnesia..."Kaoru"s dangerous suggestion made Fuyuhime cower and tremble again."Oh poor thing, maybe I"ll simply throw her into a nunnery to train for adecade so she can spend all her time to reflect and improve hercharacter... How about that?""Ka-Ka-Ka-Ka-Kaoru! W-W-We are childhood friends, right? Are you goingto throw me to the wolves?""As one of the organization leaders, I have to prioritize discipline overpersonal ties. Showing you leniency would set a bad example."Kaoru shot a glance at G.o.dou at this point. It was a meaningful look."Actually, she didn"t cause me any real trouble, so can"t she be forgiventhis once? About me being a Campione... The only one she told wasSakura-san anyway."The whole commotion was like a farce. However, if they let Fuyuhime offtoo easily, it might happen again.Feeling he had more or less grasped Kaoru"s intentions, G.o.dou had cut in."It"s not quite fair for me to speak, considering I"m her relative and all... Buteven if Sakura knew about devil kings or something, I don"t think she"d beable to do anything major.""The king hath spoken! In that case, she shall be granted a specialpardon."Kaoru bowed her head in reverence then turned around to Fuyuhime."That"s how it is, so let us express our utmost grat.i.tude to the king. Therewill not be a second time! You"ve also heard lots about how fierceG.o.dou-san can be, right?""W-What"s going on? Why are you bowing down to a commoner, Kaoru!?""That"s because G.o.dou-san here is Mr. Kusanagi G.o.dou, the very one wecall the Campione. Hasn"t Amakasu-san"s [Derangement] spell worn offyet?""HIHHH! l-l-l-ls that how it was?"About to faint from shock, Fuyuhime fell on her backside. Her legs hadgiven out.Nevertheless, she continued to look up at G.o.dou and stuttered as she triedto say something."Uhhh-uhm, I didn"t mean it, but c-c-c-corporal punishment or chastis.e.m.e.ntis still in order, right? It must be something terrible, right!? Of course, as adaughter of the Renjou, I will resolutely accept punishment, but p-p-painfulor scary things are a bi— ""It"s fine already. Nothing is going to happen."She had become inarticulate and her choice of words was baffling. Still,something resembling Fuyuhime"s grat.i.tude made it across.When G.o.dou nodded generously, Kaoru also made a wry smile."Well, this concludes the incident. G.o.dou-san, Liliana-san, Erica-san, sorryfor the trouble and thank you for your cooperation.""You"re very welcome. I think it was a worthwhile opportunity for me to findout what an open-minded person you are, Kaoru-san."The one who replied like the mistress of the house was Erica, naturally.Despite having done virtually nothing, her att.i.tude was grandiose. Shefreely showed off her subconscious talent for taking the spotlight, no matterthe time and place."No matter the kind of relationship, dealing with disingenuous people issimply unpleasant. But with Kaoru-san and Amakasu-san, I should not bebored, at least.""You"re welcome. ...Ah, right, G.o.dou-san."At the end, Kaoru asked him with a sly smile."Why not simply add Fuyuhime to the ranks of your army of paramours oneday? It seems like the next step.""What next step!? Please stop joking around before this turns into anotherweird rumor!"A few days later in the Kusanagi residence.Together with Sakura whom they had invited for dinner, G.o.dou andShizuka were sitting around the dining table.As a side note, their grandfather was away on some business. In themaster of the kitchen"s absence, the siblings and the cousin had made drycurry^ and salad, together with all kinds of oven-roasted vegetables forjust the three of them."After that-, Fuyuhime-chan has completely calmed down-."With a smile all over her face, Sakura reported her friend"s recent state.Because she didn"t like spicy things, that night"s curry was made especiallysweet for her."She says that thanks to talking things over and receiving care from herdistinguished childhood friend, she doesn"t need to seek G.o.doh-kun"s helpanymore.""I see. That"s good to hear," G.o.dou perfunctorily answered and put somecurry in his mouth.After the events, G.o.dou had returned to [Kogetsudou] alone to wake up hiscousin.He explained that Fuyuhime had been called by her family and had leftalready. When Sakura wondered why she had fallen asleep, he simplytricked her by saying it was probably anemia.Now, as for Erica"s statement she had heard just before falling asleep..."Did that girl say something about G.o.doh-kun?""Nope, I think you misheard."Sakura firmly believed his arbitrary explanation.Next to him, the shopkeeper of [Kogetsudou] was listening with a ghastlypale face, but of course, she did not interrupt Kusanagi G.o.dou."Hmm. Looks like Onii-chan was a little useful to Sakura-chan."Shizuka"s self-important comment caused Sakura to nod with a big smileon her face."Yep. G.o.dou is really reliable... Ah, right. Lately, Fuyuhime-chan frequentlyfurrows her brow in deep thought..."G.o.dou had a bad premonition as he tasted the dry curry.Too sweet! Just as he thought, he really should have spiced up his ownportion."Fuyuhime-chan said, you know, "As I thought, maybe I should maximizemy charms as a woman to aim for the top. I need to use everything at mydisposal..." And she asked me to give this to you, G.o.doh-kun."With that, Sakura held out a letter."Somehow, Fuyuhime-chan wants to become penpals with G.o.doh-kun todevelop a closer relationship. And some day she must obtain a highenough position surpa.s.sing that distinguished childhood friend, she said. Idon"t really get what she means though."Sakura probably did not understand the true meaning of her friend"s wordsfor real.Smiling without a care in the world, she handed the letter over. G.o.doufound her smile too dazzling, while Shizuka"s severe gaze looked liketrouble."What"s this about, Onii-chan? I thought you were discussing things withSakura-chan, so how did it come to this? Explain the situation properly!"Of course, G.o.dou had no intention of answering his little sister"s request.Carelessly muttering "now what might that be about", he single-mindedlymunched his curry.And then it struck him. His grandfather was strangely competent at playingthe fool when things got inconvenient. Surely, it had to be a skill honedthrough one too many similar experiences.References1 . t trying not to step on someone"s shadow: In (j.a.panese?) magic,shadows have several meanings. One is the element opposing light,but it is also viewed as part of the soul. As such, it is sometimes seenas rude to step on the shadow of others, especially superiors.Alternatively, it"s a reference to a j.a.panese children"s game where achild, the it, needs to step on one of the other children"s shadows tomake that child it, rinse and repeat.2. t Replica Round Table at Winchester Castle: AskWiki wikipedia.org/wiki/Winchester_Castle3. t t Xiaolongbao: t Shrimp dumplings: t Pork dumplings: t Yakshini: a broad cla.s.s of female nature spirits from Hindumythology, known to be beautiful butvengeful. t Dry Curry: