.The festival opening was the grounds of j.a.pan’s Imperial Palace that was lent to them by the good will of the emperor, and the roads at its outer circ.u.mference.
There, countless people had already been gathering, colorful stands were built lining up.
The contents of the stands were yakitori, choco-banana, apple candy, stall-keeper――, a typical line-up of a j.a.panese festival, then there was also fish & chips, shish-kebabs, pickled herring, stalls that didn’t look j.a.panese yet still didn’t lose in its colorfulness, there were a great variety of stalls.
Of course there was not just food, there were also stands offering sake and juice, then shows like circus and manzai.
Even the people who usually were forced to a frugal living because of the infrastructure that hadn’t been completely recovered yet, just on this day they could cut loose, eat a lot, got drunk a lot, and enjoy the exchange of foreign cultures.
It was only natural even if it was bustling like this.
And then there was one more festival that was carried out at the same time with this festival.
That was the festival of the students――the culture festival.
Currently, the strength of the educational inst.i.tution hadn’t recovered to the point where every single school could hold their own particular culture festival.
That was why all the educational establishments inside the Tokyo life sphere received government’s support and held their culture festival by riding on this victory commemoration festival and the students built their stalls as they pleased.
The stalls and shops, and performances that the students built, were as expected quite crude compared to the adults. But there was no mistake that there were many unexpected things from the students and that their magnificent enthusiasm and merriness managed to serve to rouse this festival.
However… during such a fun festival, no matter where it was, there were always bunches of people that got carried away and overdid it, so――
“Hey, it’s okay right? Just accompany us for a little yeah-“
A little far from the throngs of people, under the shadow of the trees, something was going on.
Two men with large body builds were standing as if cornering a girl wearing a short-sleeved ap.r.o.n dress and hairband that was imitating cat ears to the thick tree trunk, they talked with a slimy tone.
“Big brother is going to treat you, you know? Okay?”
“Bu, but, that, I, I’m, in the middle of attracting customers, so……”
The girl who got involved in this was a student of New Tokyo Sorcery Academy. It was Koga Ayumi.
In the middle of distributing the flyers of their stand of cat-eared teahouse, she was caught by these men.
In order to run away from the approaching two men, Ayumi was backing off.
“That’s why, I’m troubled……”
Her eyes behind the gla.s.ses looked scared, rather she was really bothered from this.
Well, in actuality, although she was a young girl but Ayumi was a magician that was partic.i.p.ating in the battle with Jambure. Against two mere hoodlums, she could do anything if she felt like it.
But the girl had an obedient personality, so she didn’t want to use that kind of strong measure as much as possible.
That was why Ayumi attempted to persuade the men to back off by themselves.
However――
“’I’m troubled’, she said that you hear! Ho-w-cu-te-e!”
“You really like this kind of serious kid aren’tcha―”
“I-diot. Teaching this kind of girl who looks like she never play around, about the fun of adult game is a gentleman’s obligation y’know. That’s why, see, just leave alone things like culture festival and go play yeah. It’s the long awaited festival after all.”
Ayumi’s hesitant behavior only served to make the men get even more carried away.
Ayumi’s behavior made the two thugs mistaken their own superiority and now they approached even more oppressively.
And then――
“And so~, we are going to have fun now~”
Of all things, one of the two thugs.
He was a man with skinhead and excessive piercings, he grinned vulgarly while reaching out his hand at Ayumi’s chest.
Ayumi stiffened from that sudden vulgar action.
However, a moment before the man’s hand touched Ayumi’s chest,
“Okay, stop there―”
The hand of the man went away from Ayumi.
The body of the man was pulled back by someone.
“What the h.e.l.l are……!?”
Naturally the skinhead man turned back with an angry look towards that someone who was holding his shoulder and pulled his body.
And then, he lost his words altogether with his partner beside him.
The reason was because they knew just who was the black haired youth standing behind them while wearing a black cat ear hairband.
“Hii, yo, you are……! !?”Correct. There was no way they didn’t know him.
The one standing behind them was the most famous magician in the world. It was the Kamishiro Homura.With the unexpected entrance of this dangerous character, the two thugs were seized with fear and their expressions paled.
Against such two thugs, Homura was making a gentle smiling face that looked eerie and put his hands on the shoulder of the two as if he was their good friend, before whispering.
“Big brothers, do you like girl’s chest that much? Then I’ll introduce you to a good girl. It’s this girl called Ib-chan you see. I think you big bros who are in the breast faction will surely be pleased with her. After all, she got around twenty b.r.e.a.s.t.s on her y’know. You’re interested right?”
“Tha, that’s fine-su! We will refrain for now-su!” (TN: -su is a kind of peculiar way of talking. Usually mascot characters or lowly underlings use it.)
“That’s right-su! We don’t have any interest at all to breast or anything!”
“I told you no need to get so reserved. Well, come here with me. I’m gonna show you my treasured photo of Ib-chan first.” (TN: Don’t know which evil G.o.d this Ib-chan is. Anyone know it please tell me.)
“ “Hi, hiii!” ”
Homura grasped the neck scruff of the two and dragged them to a bush.
Both of them desperately tried to resist, but the physical strength holding them was like a bulldozer.
Their resistance was useless and they got dragged into the bush. Then
“ “GYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!” ”
A scream like a death throe exploded.
Ayumi’s shoulders trembled twitchingly from that extremely painful voice and stood stock still.
Then only Homura came back in front of the girl.
“-geez. They are at the age to know better to not make a ruckus. You ok? Koga.”
“Ah, yes……-. I’m okay. I’m fine.”
Ayumi replied while thinking that probably those two were not okay at all.
Homura smiled in relief hearing that reply.
“That so? That’s fine then.”
“Bu, but Homura-san, why are you here……? Homura-san is the floor manager right?”
“Aah. The customers are better than expected. The ingredients for the menu in the store ran out so I got out to restock see. Then when I did that there was this mind transmission from those guys telling me that Koga got entangled with these men with perverted looks, so they asked me to help.”
Pointing behind him, at the direction where Homura’s thumb was pointing, there were the friends of Ayumi who were her teammates in the same platoon, Anna Dronin and Rozalind Wagner.
“Man― just now was a close call! But it’s great, it’s really great that nothing big happened―”
“…It’s a little dissatisfying for me. I want to make those kind of idiots that made Ayumi scared meet an even more painful experience, not just surprising them with a photo.”
Rozalind frankly said that Homura’s way was too lenient.
Homura also replied back to Rozalind who was like that.
“Then y’all take care of this yourself. Even if Koga is too meek that it can’t be helped, you two are not the type that gonna hesitate to use sorcery on civilians right? Why did you expressly call for me huh?”
“Haha. Rather than getting helped by us, Koga will be happier to be helped by you right!?”
“A, Anna-chan!? Ge, geez―!”
Ayumi’s face turned bright red from Anna’s unneeded words and she protested.
While thinking that her face looked completely like an apple combined with her round face, Homura clapped his hands.
“Now, the two idiots that were a hindrance to the business are taken care of already, so you all stop messing around and quickly get back to your jobs. Right now is the lunch time, time to make it big. Don’t waste even a second. Hurry, hurry!”
“Yeah, yea―hh. Even so Homura-kun, for some reason you are really spirited. It’s not like you isn’t it?”
“Right. You actively proposed at the planning session time, you even looked unusually full with motivation now.”
“Yep yep. This cat ear teahouse is also Homura-kun’s proposal. Even today, you work hard as the floor manager. Just why on earth? Is Homura-kun the type of man that gets fired up in this kind of festival?”
Rozalind and Ayumi also shared the same doubt with Anna.
Homura who had completely decoded the world’s strongest grimorie, , had learned all the sorcery that existed in this world. Therefore, there was not a single thing that he should learn in schoolwork.That was why usually he slept in cla.s.s, or he didn’t even come to the cla.s.s from the start.
The point was, his att.i.tude in cla.s.s was really not proper. He had that kind of delinquent image.
But in regards to this culture festival, with a motivation that was completely unthinkable compared to his usual att.i.tude in cla.s.s, he partic.i.p.ated actively since the planning stage.
Just what in the world was the reason for this difference in att.i.tude.
Of course Homura had his own reason for that.
“I like the bustling atmosphere but the reason for my high spirit is not that. You gals also heard right? About how the sales of the store in the culture festival is split equally to the students.”
Correct. The truth was that the culture festival of New Tokyo Sorcery Academy was adopting the system of returning the whole earnings to the students in order to encourage the students’ motivation.
In other words, the students could make their business with zero risk using only their physical strength as the capital.
“You gonna get high spirited from that?”
“You really want money that much?”
“After all I’m always running out of money see.”
Anna seemed to guess something from these words and nodded.
“Aah, I see. It’s really hard for -san who attracted the eyes of the government―”“If you really think so then attract customers, even if its just one more. I’m begging here.”
Saying that Homura turned on his heels and left the three.
“Homura-san, thank you very much for helping me! That was really cool!”
“Ou-“
After receiving the word of thanks by his back and returning the reply by lifting his arm, Homura dashed with all his strength towards the backyard of their cat ear teahouse which was located in a corner of the opened grounds of the imperial palace.
It was a full power dash under the burning ray of the sun that rained down from directly overhead.
For Homura who was always receiving a heavy burden on his mind and body as if he was inside the deep ocean from the effects of
That was how serious Homura was in this event.
However that was only natural.
Just like Anna guessed before, having the eyes of the zeroing in on him, Homura whose nationality was robbed couldn’t find a proper job. It meant that he almost had no way to obtain money.As the only way to properly obtain money, he could also exterminate demons and receive compensation from the , but they were extremely bitter in their payment. Because the other side also understood that even without compensating Homura he would still kill demons, and also because of the relation structure that the was under the control of the , they didn’t pay him generously.Yet despite so, it was not Homura’s personality to rip off money from other people by force or asked for money from humans who regarded him favorably like Kinugasa.
As a result, Homura’s financial situation was always barely sc.r.a.ping by.
For someone like him, this culture festival was an extremely profitable event.
It was only obvious that he would be unusually motivated.
However, until the end it was only Homura’s circ.u.mstance.
It was irrelevant for the other students.
No, rather, the more Homura got motivated, the other students who harbored fear to the would only shrink back more.But―that was only a story until before this.
“Ah-! Homura-san came back already!”
“Welcome baa―ck!”
“Oo―. I’m back.”
When Homura arrived at the backyard, several students who were working behind the scene saw his figure and gathered around him with light footsteps.
In their expression there was no color of fear that was there until before.
Rather, their expressions were even filled with adoration and respect.
――The impetus for this was the battle with Hecatoncheires.
Not only once but twice, not just twice but thrice, Homura had showed that he saved this world from demons.No matter how much lies the church and government piled up, but such brilliant efforts were not something that could be hidden.
The students were beginning to realize gradually.
The was not that terrifying of an existence like how the government made him out as a .Certainly the power he possessed was terrifyingly fearsome, but… there was no doubt that he was the ally of them, mankind, a rea.s.suring protector.
And then, that change of recognition didn’t happen only inside the academy.
The recognition of the normal civilians towards the was also in the process of changing.The truth was,
“Ah, the back, look at the back. The has come back there!”“Hee. That’s the you-know-who… looking at him directly like this is my first time, but isn’t he really cool!”
“Of course he is cool. After all he had already saved humanity three times now.”
“Waa― lets’ take a commemoration photo!”
The big part of the reason why their shop was thriving to the degree that he needed to purchase additional ingredients was the result of customers that came rushing to take a look at Homura.
The moment Homura entered the weather-beaten backyard,
Countless gazes were gathering on him.
The gazes were filled more with interest rather than good will. The gazes were overflowing with curiosity.
Among them there were also people taking pictures.
{Even though they had feared Master until that much……. Self-interested bunch.}
Looking at that populace, the avatar of that Homura hid in a pocket dimension, Vel leaked out her honest opinion in a small voice that only Homura could hear through mind transmission.That was because she didn’t wish for Homura to become closely mixed with humans.
Because she knew that it was only a fleetingly brittle relation that would surely break someday.
Homura talked to Vel who was like that with a soothing tone.
{Come now, don’t say that. They dropped their cash here after all, so I’ll warmly welcome them.}
{…Even something like that?}
While saying that Vel directed Homura’s consciousness towards one of the customers, an old woman sitting at the corner.
“Grat.i.tude~grat.i.tude~……nanmandabu, nanmandabu……”
{No well, as expected I wanted to be spared from getting prayed on while rubbing prayer beads like that……}
“Eh? Kamishiro-san. Where is the additional ingredients?”
One of the students tilted her head and asked Homura who was looking at the old woman with a wry smile.
Homura moved his gaze from the old woman hearing that voice and said “Aah, wait. I’ll take it out now”, then he took out a cube that shined like rainbow the size of a dice from his trouser pocket. After that――
“――release.”He liberated the s.p.a.ce that was compressed by the dimension element fifth grade sorcery, .Large amount of food and drink of various kind was brought out in the backyard.
“Wow, amazing……! Isn’t there around the amount of one mini-truck here?”
“That’s a convenient sorcery.”
“Can you teach me somehow?”
“Oi, there is no way you can use fifth grade sorcery……”
“If it’s not for combat use then it’s not that hard of a technique y’know.”
“But Homura-kun. No matter what, this amount is just too much……”
One of the female students pointed that out after looking at the materials that were in a heap.
From that the other people were also continuing “Certainly.”
The truth was, the amount of material that Homura brought was around five times the amount that the kitchen group requested.
But naturally, there was a reason for this.
“Aah, about that――”
When he was going to explain that,
“Master―!”
With pitter-patter footsteps, among everyone who were wearing cat ear hairbands, there was only one pet.i.te girl wearing dog ears, Ichinotani Chikori was energetically running into the backyard.
Homura asked Chikori.
“Oo―. Chikori! How was it? You can borrow it?”
“Yes-. The additional tables and chairs. The share for twenty tables, the people of the Imperial Household Agency lent them to me.”
Right. This was the reason why Homura procured an excessive amount of ingredients.
Homura intended to invite even more customers by doubling the number of the shop’s seating.
“Yoo―sh, you did well!”
“Ehehe―”
Homura messily patted Chikori’s head that accomplished her errand properly.
Thereupon Chikori’s small ponytail shook all over like the tail of a dog.
But in contrast with the two’s harmonious atmosphere, the surrounding students’ expressions paled from that exchange.
“A, additional table, you want to increase the seats more than this!?”
“No way no way, that‘s impossible! Even though we are in the brink of burning out here already……!”
Their reaction was most correct.
Currently even with just twenty tables the students who were not used of working part-time were already gasping for breath.
If the number of seating was increased more than this, both the kitchen and the hall wouldn’t be able to manage.
But naturally, Homura had also expected that. Therefore he said this.
“Calm down. After all I’ve already called for helper soon.”
“Eh? Helper?”
“Well, more accurately they are not people though.”
“Eh, wai-, not people you said, don’t tell me……!?”
Those were ominous words one couldn’t pretend to not hear coming out from the mouth of Homura who was the .Hearing that all the students in that place felt a bad premonition, they even tried to stop――
They were already late.
(This time ain’t a battle, so there ain’t any need to manifest them at full power I guess.)
Like that, Homura discarded almost all the chanting――
And called the name of the G.o.d he summoned.
“Come walking like gliding. Bastet!”“Uwaaa! It’s as expecteddd~~~~!”“What are you thinking――――-!”
The students screamed.
However the summoning was heartlessly carried out without any trouble.
The moment Homura called the name of the G.o.d, a silver pentagram― was carved on the ground, an eruption of light was produced from there.Before long that surge of light was settled and on top of the , a lot of furb.a.l.l.s were making their appearance.That was a mountain made from countless cats that curled up their bodies.
And then there was a single girl that laid sprawled on top of that cushion of cats.
Light brown skin and jet black hair.
And then on the head of the little girl was crowned with cat ears of the same color as her hair.
This girl was the G.o.d of love and bountiful crops which were revered by the ancient people of Egypt, the G.o.ddess that supervises the cats of the earth― Bastet.Homura talked to the materialized G.o.d of cats with a carefree tone as if asking a favor from a friend.
“Bastet. It has surely reached your ears which can listen to the voice of the Jupiter cat. Just as you know, this is a situation where I even want to borrow a cat’s hand. Cooperate with me.”
In response, Bastet raised her body on top of the giant furball,
“Fu……. Being flattered or the like by a human is not something we the highly proud cats do but, if it’s thy request then we cannot also just refuse. Leave it to us.”
Smiling a little after that, she largely opened her mouth where there were two fangs growing there,
“Nyaa―oo――――-“ She emitted a greatly low sound that was like a rumble, it was not a sound range that generally could be p.r.o.nounced with a human’s vocal cords.
That sound, no, that voice made the cats that were curling up until now to come alive all at once.
With their inherent keenness and nimbleness, the cats spread out through the whole area of Homura and the others’ shop in the blink of an eye.
“Kyaa! Wh, what’s this!?”
“Ca, cat!? Look, the cat is carrying the food!”
Some cats clutched a cup with their tail, bringing it until the table――
Then some other cats were skillfully carrying a plate of hotcake on top of their heads,
And some other cats began to carry out transportation of ingredients for the sake of the students in the kitchen.
Sometimes there was also a cat that sneaked a bite, but those individual cats were immediately punched by other cats and punished.
Actually, their movements were led really well.
All the students and also the customers similarly opened their eyes wide towards this sight.
“How cute~. It looks like a fairyland for some reason!”
Precisely because this was a shop that originally was dressed as a cat ear teahouse, that these helpers generally received great evaluation.
However, the students who knew about what happened behind the scenes couldn’t stay calm about it.
“Wa, wait Homura-san! Is this really okay!? Using the power of for something like this is……!”A student asked Homura while sweating buckets.
As if in agreement with that student, Bastet smiled bewitchingly.
“Fufu. The worry of that person is most correct Homura. My power certainly cannot be borrowed so casually. My name is the Bastet. The “ “ “Hii……!” ” ”
Bastet’s eyes that shined bewitchingly made the students tremble and back away.
But, Homura reproached Bastet who acted like that.
“That ain’t it―. Don’t threaten anybody even though you know already. In the first place, you aren’t eating things like humans anymore anyway.”
After that Homura plunged his hand into his pocket and,
“――Here, the promised thanks.”
Homura carelessly threw [that bag], which he purchased together with the ingredients for the shop’s use in the supermarket, to Bastet.
Instantly, Bastet caught it with a agile movement that should be expected from the G.o.d of cats, then that childish face burst out in a smile.
“Oo~♥ Monpucchi! Further it’s the grill-type that I like best~♪”
Correct. What Homura bought from the market was cat food.
And it was of the grade that was a little expensive.
The moment Bastet caught it, she immediately opened the seal.
She plunged her hand into the bag like a kid that was eating snack food and began to eat with a completely satisfied expression.
“Nn~♥ Deliciousss. Deliciousss~♪ I thought that you all just merely a hairless ape, but you human bunch are quite a big deal. After all you made something this deliciousss~♪ The instant you know this flavor, things like humans just smell so fishy that you cannot bear to eat♥”
“Is that so? That’s really great.”
Homura who had paid the compensation to Bastet gave his guarantee to the students around who were still showing a fearful expression.
“……It’s fine not getting scared like that. , like Ithaqua or Iod, they are that have coexisted with humans for a long time until now. They are not so friendly to the point that they can be called as ally, but they are not a bunch that actively harm humans. They can be talked with as suits the occasion. Especially Bastet, she is harmless as long as you don’t torment cats, so it’s fine to relax.”“What’s going to happen if you torment a cat?”
“Death.”
“I know right―”
“She is a G.o.ddess of bountiful harvest as long as you don’t torment cats. She is just right as a beckoning cat.”
After laughing in a joking tone, Homura gave out orders to all present in the backyard.
“Now. With this the lack of personnel is resolved. Resume all the closed menus. Everyone to your stations! Get money, money, earn more money!”
“U, understood!”
“Be careful to not step on any cats……!”
“Chikori. You are going to set the new tables with me.”
“Go―t it!”
Like this, without any considerable difficulty Homura and the others operated the cat ear teahouse favorably.
Perhaps because this was connected with Homura’s livelihood, he showed unusual motivation, ran around between the hall and kitchen as the supervisor of the project and gave out instructions to the students.
Looking at his figure that was like that……Hoshikawa Sumika who was wiping a table at the hall while staring at him was sighing deeply in amazement.
“Ge, geez Homura-san……”
Certainly with this busy time where it made one’s eyes spun around, Sumika herself was also thinking that she wanted to borrow help even if it was a cat’s hand, but… to call an
(…Well, Bastet herself is not a G.o.d that harms humans, most of all it’s exactly because she is safe that Homura-san also summoned her in this kind of place……)
As a straightforward, common-sense woman, Sumika felt dizzy from this idea that was extremely lacking in common sense.
But, towards that Sumika,
“Ahaha! As usual, he is really an extraordinary boy isn’t he, that Homura!”
“Truly. Summoning an
“Eh……”
Two voices she had remembered hearing from somewhere entered Sumika’s ears.
When she turned to those voices reflexively, what entered her eyes was a pair of a man and a woman sitting on their chairs.
A silver blonde haired middle aged man wearing a characteristic suit with a basic tone of blue and white.
And then, wearing a tropical aloha shirt that really suited the summer and a suggestive G-pants where half of the bottom was visible, a young red haired woman.
“Sir James! And also Dorothy-san……!”
Sumika knew well the two of them.
That was only to be expected.
Both these two were the trump cards of humanity, similar with Sumika――
Sir James Weasley.
Dorothy Scarlet.
They were people who held the designation of S-rank magician.
“Hey, Miss Grimoire. Last time we met was at your commemoration party for your S-rank promotion wasn’t it?”
“Long time no see! Sumika!”
The moment Sumika called the names of the two, the young woman leapt from her chair and began to embrace Sumika.
“I was worried what would happen when Jambure appeared, but looking at you still energetic like this makes me happy!” (TN: The accents of these two are a little weird. Also they mix some English into their sentences.)
“Yes. I am also happy, Dorothy-san. ……But it’s a little hard to breath for me here.”
When Sumika who was being buried alive into the voluptuous chest pointed that out with a wry smile, Dorothy went “Ou!” exaggeratedly in surprise and immediately let Sumika go.
“Sorry. I am too high spirited.”
Dorothy stuck out her tongue while apologizing.
It was an act where no apologetic feelings could be seen from it, but coupled with Dorothy’s cheerful personality, it felt lovely just like her without any unpleasantness.
Most of all Sumika felt honestly happy that Dorothy felt that worried for her.
That was why Sumika was going to say her grat.i.tude “Thank you very much for worrying about me” with a smile.
But――
“I was also worried you know. It was also the case with Jambure, but… for you to also go as far as exchanging battle with that , that’s really something.”Sumika’s expression froze from those words of James.
“……Ho, how do you, that”
“When you have become a S-rank as long as me, you will already create your own information network whether you want it or not. That’s why, naturally, I know that. Whether it’s about how you fought Alfaro. ……And even the demon called that became the cause of that fight.”Sumika’s expression turned increasingly stiff from this.
Obviously.
The affair that happened in the beginning of this summer.
The arrival of the Elfiena to j.a.pan, and also the acceptance of the .It was something that the general public mustn’t know.
The day the spreads the story of the demon’s acceptance onto this earth, the panic among the people would be unavoidable.Most of all j.a.pan was… Sumika and the others were fighting the church in order to protect a demon.
It was an act that was generally off the right track from mankind’s principle.
It was hard to be understood.
If this matter came to light, the position of this country would be shaken.
――If the reason for these two S-ranks coming to j.a.pan together was to criticize her.
Like that, Sumika racked her brain with a hard expression,
“Whoops, it’s okay even if you don’t make that kind of scary face, Miss Grimoire. I and also Miss Scarlet have no intention to criticize that decision of yours at all. We didn’t come here for that.”
Having predicted what she was thinking, James declared that,
“Rather if the event went just as the wished for and they discovered the corpse of a demon in j.a.pan’s state guest house… the standing of this country will worsen drastically. Protecting a demon, even though it was such an unprecedented affair, but fighting them back was the appropriate judgment. Even regarding the migration, there was no way to stop it if that was the decision of the .”He showed that he didn’t have the intention to criticize j.a.pan and showed his understanding of j.a.pan’s position.
“Rather, in the first place――the itself also showed their understanding of this migration of the . Yet despite so they broke that promise and stabbed you in the back… it was a trick of a brute that is a disgrace to chivalry. I disdain those fellows instead.”“Exactly as James said. We don’t have any intention of blaming Sumika’s decision. …After all if right now j.a.pan collapsed, we will also get troubled the same. Rather we are really, really thankful that you accurately handled that difficult situation.”
Dorothy also continued at the same line after James.
Hearing the words of these two, Sumika… she felt relieved inside.
“…Thank you for the understanding.”
While expressing her thanks, Sumika felt embarra.s.sed of her hasty conclusion.
If she thought back, there was no merit for these two even if the position of j.a.pan right now was shaken.
The reason was that James was the head of the that was incompatible religiously with the .Dorothy was also in the opposition of the Democratic party of the president of America, Joseph, she was a member of the Republican party’s force.
They were all in a position of putting a distance with the .These two were closer to j.a.pan with their standings.
Just as Dorothy said, if j.a.pan collapsed then the power of the would decline comprehensively.That was also something inconvenient for the two of them, so they had no reason to endanger j.a.pan’s position here.
However, it created a question in Sumika if that was not their reason.
“Then, what business made two S-cla.s.s magicians to visit Tokyo life sphere together like this?”
James answered this question.
“Yes. Actually we have a talk that we want prime minister Kinugasa and the to hear. This is also not a subject that we can just talk about through phone, so that’s why we are here like this. This morning we had already met prime minister Kinugasa and finished talking, so next we are going to meet the , however――”Saying that, James sent his gaze from Sumika towards the shop’s backyard in a glance.
At the end of his gaze was the figure of Homura busily giving off instructions to the students.
“He seems busy that we cannot find the timing to talk until now.”
“I see…”
This was the culture festival after all.
Even though it was fine to call out to him if they had business.
Perhaps this was the refined act of an English gentleman.
Sumika suggested an idea while thinking so.
“Then, should I call Homura-san here?”
But James shook his head toward this suggestion of Sumika.
“No, that’s fine.”
“But, it’s an important story that made you purposefully cross the sea to arrive here isn’t it?”
“It seems the gist of the story has been already told to him from prime minister Kinugasa. Besides… right now I don’t really want to be a hindrance.”
“Hindrance?”
After saying that, James directed a gentle gaze from within his narrowed eyes toward Homura and murmured.
“It has been a long time since I’ve seen it. The figure of Homura within a circle of people.”
That voice was filled with intimacy that had no falsehood in it.
(By any chance…)
Seeing this expression of James, Sumika asked just in case.
“Sir James, are you close with Homura-san?”
In response James nodded with a soft expression.
“That’s because originally both him and I were magicians affiliated to the same organization in the past, in the . I had also instructed him in sorcery once when he was still little.”“Is, that so?”
Sumika was surprised from this unexpected connection between James and Homura, then she recalled.
The day right after the day where Homura arrived in this academy.
When he crushed the that she fired, he was making use of the dimension element sorcery James specialized in.There was authenticity in James words from that fact too.
“That’s why, for the moment I believe that I know about him more than most people. Of course, I also understand that the infamy coiling around, all of those are also the pretentious negative campaign of the . …Really, what an ingrat.i.tude bunch they are.”Saying that, James breathed out the indignation inside his chest as a deep sigh.
Looking at him like that, Dorothy at the side asked him.
“You said that it has been a long time since you saw him like this, that means that Homura in the past was not this lonely?”
“Yes. Homura, when he was still with the already possessed an outstanding talent as a magician, but even so it was not to the degree that could subdue even . At best he was at a level that was a little stronger than all of us S-rank magicians, so he was also not isolated because of extreme strength or anything, …most of all he had comrades. Comrades that possessed strength where they could fight as much as they could to stand equal together with him at that time.”Sumika didn’t know anything about Homura except him as the superior , therefore she was shocked.She never imagined of existences that could be called as the comrades of Homura of all people.
“……Then those people, right now where are they?”
Sumika asked that question mostly by reflex.
In response to this question, …James shut his eyes in grief and answered like this.
“The sections we belonged to were different, so I don’t know about the details, but… I heard that all members other than Homura, had died in battle at .”“…Ah.”
――Sumika remembered from these words of James.
The dialogue between Homura and Shiori that she overheard.
The rift that was created between him and Shiori.
What Homura said back to Shiori, who was criticizing his actions that were covering himself in mud to fix the wrongs was,
{After all, there is also a team that no matter how much you wish, you cannot return back to like before for a second time anymore.}
Those words filled with such sadness.
“If they were still alive, then it’s possible that Homura too won’t choose to be isolated this much…”
“…No, please pretend you didn’t hear that. It’s something where there is nothing that can be done anymore.”
James who noticed that he had said something that couldn’t be helped anymore from the pensive look of the female camp cut the talk a little forcefully.
And then he directed his gaze to Sumika, saying “Rather than something like that”.
“Miss Sumika. The reason of our coming to j.a.pan today, I want to talk about it to you too. It’s something that by no means is unrelated to you who are also a S-rank. …Right now, can you give us a little of your time?”
“――Err”
Sumika confirmed her surroundings after hearing those words of James.
Thanks to Bastet’s a.s.sistance, it seemed that the store was progressing favorably.
If it was now, there was free time to listen to their story a little she guessed.
Deciding that,
“Yes. It’s fine. What is this about?”
Sumika asked what James’s business was.
Towards this, James formed a deep crease on his forehead while… saying this in a serious voice.
“…Recently, the government troops under the banner of the are moving actively.”So he said――.