Magika No Kenshi To Shoukan Maou:Volume 5 Chapter 3

Chapter 3 – Tally of Votes

Part 1

Passing through the promised week, the end of his days of monitoring Karin, or it could possibly be likened to accustoming a wild animal to eat food given by humans. Anyway, when the end of those days came, Kazuki returned to his usual normal days once more.

And then in the school days that he had missed for quite a long while―it was also the same day for the voting of the Chief Student Council President after the election battle.

“Well then, after the distribution of the blank voting paper, write the name of the candidate that you support.”

After Liz Liza-sensei said so, she distributed the voting paper to the students in the classroom.

The paper also reached to Kazuki, who was sitting in his missed chair that he hadn’t sat in for a week.

From his surroundings, he began to hear the rhythmical sounds of pen tips dancing around on the voting papers.

…Should I vote for myself? In front of the voting paper, Kazuki felt lost.

But after he became a candidate, it might be irresponsible if he couldn’t puff out his chest and claim that [I am without a doubt fit to be the Chief Student Council President]. Finally, Kazuki wrote down his own name with a what-do-I-care attitude.

* chon chon *, Kazuki’s back was poked. Behind Kazuki was the seat of Koyuki.

“…In the period while Kazuki took a break, the academy has gone through a serious situation you know?”

“Serious situation?” Kazuki replied without turning his head.

“Because of the Takasugi brothers, they conducted an extensive election campaign…”

After the battle election tournament ended, it wasn’t like the candidates couldn’t do any appeals anymore. Public addresses, pamphlet distributions…in this one week, there were many things that could be done.

“Every time it was break time, the Takasugi brothers kept repeating speeches with unpleasant content. Those days were tedious periods.”

“Ah, I can imagine it. …Though I left my election campaign to Mio and the others, did it go well I wonder?”

Kazuki entrusted the election campaign to his teammates Mio and Kohaku as his representatives.

The advocacy that Kazuki wanted to convey―[The Magic Division and the Sword Division’s equality and friendship]

[Research of tactics unbound by the Heaven and Earth Formation and the class to incorporate it]

[Flexibility of the treatment and application toward illegal summoning of Diva outside Solomon's 72 Pillars]

[Commencement of Sacred Treasures' experimental use continuously and tactical research to make use of them] ―those matters.

Sure enough, could the students agree with those advocacies? Including the matter of how he didn’t show his face at all in front of the students in this one week, there was no doubt that it was disadvantageous for Kazuki.

“It’s fine. Amasaki-san did it properly. She also made a poster.”

Koyuki handed him some kind of paper from behind.

When he opened the folded up poster, there was a printing of Kazuki’s illustration inside that was drawn in an awfully shoujo manga chick pattern. Painting of anime tone. Eyes that were twinkling brightly. Nose and jaw that tapered angularly. Tall and thin body proportion that looked like a walking stick…

Beside the illustration, it was accompanied with a speech balloon that said [Follow me!]. The background was the universe for some reason.

“…It became like this while I was resting? I…”

Beside Kazuki who was trembling all over, the girls who were in the neighboring seats were chuckling. “We're going to follow you until the end of space you know, Chief Student Council President!”

The girls in the other neighboring seat were also looking this way. “Even more than Hayashizaki-kun’s advocacy, it was an election campaign that conveyed more of the fact that Amasaki-san likes Hayashizaki-kun so very much, right?”

“Well, it got you a favorable reputation.” Koyuki said. “It has more than just formality, there is also intimacy in it.”

Intimacy…. He had quite a feeling that to have the intimacy in it was the most important thing compared to anything else.

Noticing this side’s conversation, Mio who sat in the front row of the classroom looked back and waved her hand.

“Kazuki! That poster, I was the one that drew it you know! How is it!?”

“Shut your mouth you trash! Don’t talk of unrelated matters!! Don’t do any discussion either!!”

Having Liz Liza-sensei’s scolding resound, Mio shrunk her shoulders in a fluster and fixed her gaze back to the front.

Before long the voting paper was folded until the content couldn’t be seen and it was collected.

◇ ◇ ◇ ◇

And then in the afternoon of that day, the student general meeting was conducted. Finally, the voting results would be announced.

In the seats of the auditorium, all the students except the third years lined up. The third years of the Knight Academy were going through practical training in the form of rotation to the Knight Order of the whole country. Their appearance also couldn’t be seen in this day. It became that their votes didn’t get counted in the total tally.

The sixteen candidates, including Kazuki, were sitting in a row on top of the stage that overlooked the students.

Headmaster Amasaki and Board Chairman Takasugi appeared at the center of the stage in turn. They each made the greeting for their own inauguration.

And then it became the time in the program for the voting results announcement.

The auditorium returned to deadly silence. However, the presenter Headmaster Amasaki who was standing in front of the mic didn’t open his mouth.

Before long Liz Liza-sensei came running from the wing of the stage. She informed everyone of the lateness of the vote’s tally.

The students were noisy. For some reason, it seemed that the announcement of the voting results would still take some time.

Kazuki who was on top of the stage, was also feeling his own nervousness rise.

Nervousness―Kazuki was someone that was recommended by Headmaster Amasaki rather than stepping forward by his own will. Kazuki himself naturally also had a feeling like [I, who just enrolled this academy for around two months, am…].

But if there were people saying to him that he was fit to become the Chief Student Council President, a feeling that he wanted to answer those expectations also became stronger day by day when he went through the battle election.

Kazuki took a glance at the rivalscandidates that were sitting in a row beside him.

He wouldn’t mind if he lost to Kaguya-senpai or Hikaru-senpai.

But the other thirteen candidates were mixed with enemies that he had doubts about.

The first was, of course, Takasugi Shūsui who he didn’t want to get elected.

And then those other seniors from the Sword Division―Mino Tamiya, Shiraha Sekairi, Oguma Tokaku, and Mikogami Daizen too were also dangerous characters who had a high possibility of being intimate with the new Board Chairman Takasugi.

It seemed that they were doing [Anti Magic Division] speeches during the period of the election campaign.

The candidates from his own Magic Division, Miyamoto Reina, Kiritani Natsuo, Yumeno Shiori, and Tsukimiya Shion, these four people were alright. Those girls were included in the group that assaulted him in the middle of his date with Hikaru-senpai.

In short, they were candidates that were brainwashed by Hayashi Shizuka. They were already released from that brainwashing.

The next was the group of delinquent students from the Magic Division. …They weren't even brainwashed, having said that it was unclear what they even wanted to do if they got elected as student council president. Probably they didn’t even have any purpose when becoming a candidate, a doubtful group of students.

That Mibu Akira was [wanting to show her good side in the battle election], but the other candidates, Iwatami Reiko, Akihita Hibari, and Karino Mika were not limited to that kind of reason. They might be pawn candidates that were encouraged or bribed by Board Chairman Takasugi.

Saying it broadly, Hayashizaki Kazuki – Otonashi Kaguya – Hoshikaze Hikaru – Miyamoto Reina - Kiritani Natsuo - Yumeno Shiori - Tsukimiya Shion - Mibu Akira, these eight people were characters that were not related with Board Chairman Takasugi’s scheme for certain.

And then the remaining eight people, some were included in the grey zone, but they were Kazuki’s [political opponents] so to speak.

If he thought of it properly, Kazuki was the champion of the tournament, the second place was Mibu-senpai, third place and fourth place were Kaguya-senpai and Hikaru-senpai, so he had no need to worry. However, this battle election was shadowed by suspicious happenings from the start to the end. Owing to that, even now, Kazuki couldn’t wipe his uneasiness yet.

…Was there still some kind of plot remaining that would make a complete reversal of this situation….

“The tally is over!” A voice colored with exhaustion could be heard, Liz Liza-sensei came running from the wing of the stage. Headmaster Amasaki received the paper of the tally’s result and informed “Then I will conduct the announcement”. The inside of the auditorium returned to silence. Kazuki too felt dryness inside his mouth, he gulped his saliva audibly.

“I will only announce the five top names in the number of votes obtained.”

What was important was only first place. Even if the lower rank’s vote tally were announced it was nothing more than a public humiliation.

“Fifth place, Takasugi Shūsui. Number of votes obtained, 23 votes.

Fourth place, Yumeno Shiori. Number of votes obtained, 25 votes.

Third place, Hoshikaze Hikaru. Number of votes obtained, 76 votes.

Second place, Otonashi Kaguya. Number of votes obtained, 112 votes.

First place, Hayashizaki Kazuki. Number of votes obtained, 263 votes.

That’s all. Possessing the majority of the votes, Hayashizaki Kazuki is elected as the Chief Student Council President.”

After a moment of silence, the auditorium was enveloped with loud cheers. Even on top of the stage…Kaguya-senpai and Hikaru-senpai and Yumeno-san, the other candidates gave a round of applause to Kazuki.

Kazuki was dazed and listened to the loud cheers and applause for a while. After that, the self-awareness of the fact that he was being elected came late. He was being elected properly without any incident…

…Then the matter this time, could he say that he had finally reached a checkpoint where he could pause with this? Everything was over…?

“Chief Student Council President, the general policy speech.”

He was urged by Headmaster Amasaki. Kazuki brazenly walked to the center of the stage and stood in front of the microphone.

He faced the applause that reverberated through the auditorium. Already, he couldn’t act overly humble or servile anymore.

There were people that thought of him. Answering that and making great effort, gave birth to bonds―

Right now, he was standing right here.

“I receive this appointment to become the Chief Student Council President because of the support from everyone.”

Even in the case that they were not elected, all the candidates were told to think of the content of their speeches beforehand. Kazuki read out loud the script inside his head from memory.

“I have enrolled in this academy for less than two months. Honestly, there are still many things that I don’t have any idea about. I am likely going to rely on many things from both the student council presidents of the Magic Division and the Sword Division. Even so, I intend to understand the things that I should do by myself and the things that I want to do.

In the fifteen years since magic was born in this world, along with the cooperation of Solomon's 72 Pillars, this academy was established. The time has come where we should stop being in the age where we are just wielding about this new principle of the world without any idea of what we are doing. Magica Stigma have to stop being haughty of their own power. The swordsmen have to have pride in their own training. Both sides joining hands together. The strong power to cut through this [new era of swords and magic] has to be grasped within the two hands joining together.

I think it is the professional duties of this Knight Academy’s Chief Student Council President to be the keystone of that turning point.

To cause a change that had never been seen until now by our own hand is going to be accompanied with the feeling of walking inside the darkness groping about blindly. However, even inside the darkness, as long as you advance without letting go of the hands of your comrades, you should be able to discover the light without fail. The Chief Student Council President, as the existence that connects the Magic Division and the Sword Division, the one who stands as the vanguard inside this darkness, right here I will declare my resolve to face this challenge.”

Even while choosing decorated words, Kazuki intended to insert his own will inside this speech.

“…For the last, to those people that reached out their warm hands, accepted, and supported this me who is of a different nature when seen on various surfaces as far as this academy is concerned, once again I express my gratitude. With all my heart, thank you very much.”

With a lowering of his head with a bob, the applause that had stopped in the middle of the speech returned with the vigor of heavy thunder.

{Leme is going to become troubled if you don’t live up even more to Leme’s expectations okay? Shine, O future Harem King!}

Inside Kazuki’s head, Leme’s encouraging voice also rang out.

Part 2

When the student general assembly was over and it became after school, Kazuki hurriedly sprinted back to the Witch’s Manor. He went to look for Karin’s situation at the moment.

“So the school day is over, Hayashizaki Kazuki. You are slow. It’s boring playing games alone, so it’d be fine to compete against you or Charlotte.”

―Karin, who swore to enter Kazuki’s circle of comrades along with Tamamo no Mae, had become a NEET who has become addicted to anime and games in the span of a few days.

“Also, my stomach is hungry. So it’d be fine to eat your homemade food.”

In this one week period of monitoring, this girl had experienced depending on Kazuki’s life support entirely.

Kazuki seized that kind of Karin by the scruff of her neck.

“From now on, Karin will be going to school too.”

“Wha, what? Is it to the Magic Division?”

Karin’s monitoring period was already over. He also had already obtained the permission from Headmaster Amasaki about this matter.

If that had been decided, then the girl must be returned to school without delay. If she kept living like this, he had the feeling that she would become a NEET that was too late to be saved. The place she would be going was not the detention facility, but to the place where Kazuki’s eyes could reach―the Magic Division.

Kazuki had become the Chief Student Council President, so he was able to advance the procedure for changing courses speedily.

“We have to give you your own room in the Witch’s Manor too. There are several empty rooms here.”

“Wha!? You bastard-! You are planning to cancel my monitoring!?”

Being informed of the sudden separation, Karin yelled in a shocked condition.

“Are you lonely?”

“Hmph, I’m not lonely at all.”

“I’m going to be lonely, you know?”

“Fuh, what an effeminate guy. Well, if this bastard says so, it’s fine even if I stay together with you.”

“But get out. Get out right now. Come on get out.”

“Wait a second! I might be coming to assassinate you again you know, this me!?”

“You're not going to do that already, I believe in you.”

“No way―! I ‘m staying here―! Snackk―kks!!” Like that, the quack assassin kicked and struggled.

◇ ◇ ◇ ◇

While Kazuki dragged Karin out by the scruff of her neck, he quickly headed to the <Student Council Room>.

The Student Council Room―to the end the Witch’s Manor, was a place for living, so there existed a separate location purely for working in the main school building of the Magic Division.

For Kazuki who had never been helping except as the servant in the Witch’s Manor, this was his first time entering the student council room.

“Once again congratulations, Otouto-kun!”

The instant the door opened, the smiling face of Kaguya-senpai came flying right in front of his eyes. It seems she had been in waiting in front of the door, senpai’s forehead was so close it almost touched Kazuki’s jaw.

“Fufufu-, and also welcome to the student council room of the Magic Division! Chief Student Council President-dono!!”

Kaguya-senpai performed a bow, then she invited Kazuki to enter the room.

The student council room differed from the elegant atmosphere of the Witch’s Manor. It had a business-like uproarious space.

…So this is the place where Kaguya-senpai and Hikaru-senpai do their student council work.

What foremost stole his eye was the desk that held the four personal computers in the middle of the room. Among those, it looked like two were unused. It was transformed into a state where paperwork, coffee maker, and snacks were piled on it.

There was also a multi-functioned machine that was equipped with printer and copy functions, but papers that were printed wrongly were left alone slovenly as they were on the ejection tray.

Large numbers of paperwork files and URD that preserved electronic information were stored in the bookcase. But those that didn’t have space left in the bookcase were piled up into a mountain on the floor. The decorative plant that was put beside it was losing its vitality.

…It was a room that made him picture Kaguya-senpai and Hikaru-senpai doing their job frantically. Kazuki felt the itch to first start by cleaning up the room and then tidying and putting everything in order.

Inside this cramped space, his usual comrades were lining up in full force.

“That was very cool! If I was the one that got elected, I wouldn’t be able to say such things, ahaha.”

“Nii-sama! Kanae is filled with emotions both as big sister and as little sister in this big moment for Nii-sama!!”

“So Karin-oneesan is coming too desu-!” Lotte hugged Karin who was led here by Kazuki.

“Wha, what, I’m not playing around now!” Like that, Karin gave out a shy reaction.

“…I don’t think it’s good for the Chief Student Council President to perform his duties in the Magic Division’s student council room. It feels like he is leaning too much to the Magic Division like this.”

Kaguya-senpai murmured like she was worrying about the fellows of the Sword Division like Kanae or Kohaku.

“It doesn’t really matter, does it? Nii-sama is a student of the Magic Division. It’d be troublesome if it’s not in the Magic Division student council room and Nii-sama moves away. If from now on, there is a matter that the student of the Sword Division has to bring to the Chief Student Council President, at that time it’ll be fine to use the student council room of the Sword Division.”

Kanae’s expression became bitter while talking.

“…Or perhaps I should say, in the first place, the school building of the Sword Division is still a wreck.”

The scar of destruction that was left behind in the Sword Division by the Quad Core Magica that Nyarlatoteph directed couldn’t be returned to its former state in just two weeks, even with the use of the latest construction techniques that used alchemy freely. Currently, it was in the middle of construction with high praise.

Fortunately the student dormitory was safe so the students could continue their life in the dormitory, but the classes were conducted in a temporary prefab school building. It seems they are in a situation that prioritizes practical skills classes that are performed outside as much as possible.

“Now that you mentioned it, in the end, what happened with the organization of the Sword Division’s student council?”

“…Because Kohaku resigned as the student council president, in the end, the voting for the election of the Sword Division’s officers was also performed today. Thereupon I became the student council president and Kohaku was the student council vice president…”

Kanae answered Kazuki’s question with her shoulders dropping very low in dejection. In contrast, Kohaku’s cheeks were blushing and she cheerily said things like “I’m happy that I can work with Kana-nyan-senpai”.

“If I am supported from both sides by Kaguya-senpai and Kanae, then I can rest easy.”

“Now that we're talking, what is Kazuki's job as the Chief Student Council President anyway?”

Mio spoke of the essential question.

“The Chief Student Council President doesn’t need to take over the work that Kana-chan and I have done until now, so what Otouto-kun's going to do is [the new work that has never been done until now] or something. …Things like a totally new project designed to connect the Magic Division and the Sword Division and its implementation I guess.”

“Hee, project! Then, how about combined Magic Division and Sword Division excursion!?”

Mio made her proposal with an excited expression.

“At the very least, we should do a combined athletic festival or culture festival together! If that happened I could enjoy the school event together with Nii-sama!”

Kanae too talked in agreement with Mio’s opinion. Until now the Magic Division and the Sword Division were managed as if the two were separate schools. Because of that, their school events were all done separately.

“We should talk about everyday classes before an event like that you know. To heighten the cooperation between swordsman and Magica Stigma even more, we should adopt a combined tactics research class. Growing out of the Heaven and Earth Formation is also one of Kazuki’s public promises after all.”

Hikaru-senpai, who wore a serious expression, put out a proposal fitting for a senior.

“Sacred Treasures treatment too, this one will be troubled too if there is no class work for that.”

Kohaku too interjected with an earnest voice. Upping the battle power of swordsman with the application of Sacred Treasures was her dearest wish.

“The things the Magic Division can do, the things the Sword Division can do…so they could mutually understand each other respectively, how about publishing a school newspaper?”

Koyuki too expressed her opinion properly. Because she said newspaper, indeed it sounds fun.

“The right to sanction things like budget integration goes to Otouto-kun after all. The last responsibility is to Otouto-kun, okay?”

Kaguya-senpai talked with an expression that disallowed any pampering. A lot of opinions came out without even any time to take a memo.

“This kind of really new thing, so it’s my job to start a committee or something and then advancing it steadily. …The first priority might be to create a school newspaper for the point of contact between us and the students to let them know of our activities and also for us to take in their opinions.”

…Suddenly Kazuki looked around everyone’s face, he noticed the lack of someone from the usual members here.

There was no appearance of Kazuha-senpai. Senpai was not someone related to the student council of the Magic Division and the Sword Division, so she didn’t have any duty to come to this place, but….

“Kohaku, what is going on with Kazuha-senpai…?”

Kazuki quietly walked near Kohaku’s spot and whispered into her ear.

“This one invited her to come together here, but her expression darkened for some reason and she refused.”

Kohaku’s expression clouded as she answered. Kazuki felt his chest stir unpleasantly. He hadn’t had a conversation with Kazuha-senpai after he forcibly kissed her.

“If you have business with Kazuha-senpai, this one think she is at the [altar of the sword god] ―the usual abandoned clubroom.”

◇ ◇ ◇ ◇

In the middle of the ringing sounds of the construction work for the rebuilding, Kazuki traversed the ground of the Sword Division that was painful to look at with the destruction that was still here and there. He walked to the abandoned clubroom where he once encountered Kazuha-senpai. Ascending the outer stairs of the clubroom building with *kan kan* clanging noises, he arrived in front of the clubroom located on the second floor. Kazuki knocked on the door while feeling nervous.

“The pingpong club is abolished so we are not taking new applications for club membership anymore―” Kazuha-senpai’s voice came back like that.

“…It's Hayashizaki though.”

“EAA!? Hayashizaki!?”

“There's something I must talk about with senpai.”

Slowly opening the door, Kazuha-senpai showed her face.

In any case, Kazuki let out a breath in relief that senpai showed her face to him.

However Kazuha-senpai, who was facing him directly had her face boiled red in the blink of an eye.

“…!” Kazuha-senpai caught her breath and averted her eyes from Kazuki in a snap. Then, with half tackling she wrenched open the gap between Kazuki and the door *dokan* and slipped through.

“Senpai!?” Kazuki was panicked and pursued her. There was a difference in their running ability. Kazuki caught up with her immediately around the area where Kanae and Kohaku once fought.

“Senpai, please don’t run and talk to me!” Kazuki caught Kazuha-senpai’s hand while gasping.

To chase a fleeing girl and catch her elbow forcibly…feelings of guilt welled up inside him overbearingly, but if he couldn’t talk with Kazuha-senpai in this place he had a gut feeling that he would completely lose something that couldn’t be recovered.

Without looking Kazuki’s way, Kazuha-senpai, whose elbow was restrained opened her mouth.

“You…I hear the more you get closer with a girl, the stronger you become.”

Kazuki’s mind froze all of a sudden.

“I want to talk about that after this but…where did you hear it from?”

“After that, Otonashi Kaguya taught me. About what you did to me suddenly, the kiss too…”

It seemed Kaguya-senpai saw the figure of Kazuki wielding Futsunushi no Kami and guessed everything.

Kazuha-senpai had already known about how he stole her first kiss looking for power.

“…Senpai, but I-” The helpless Kazuki opened his mouth to make excuses.

“That Karin too, did you help her planning to [conquer] that girl? Did you kiss me for that purpose? Helping girls for the sake of becoming closer to them…you kissed other girls for that purpose…you did that kind of thing repeatedly for that!?”

“That’s not true! I don’t have that kind of inten…!”

“…I know. Sorry, I, said something unreasonable…. I got it already, the one who said to help Karin is also me, certainly there was no other way at all before. Moreover I, that time you kissed me………I didn’t particularly hate it.”

“Kazuha-senpai…?”

“But I don’t like that kind of me! I don’t want to understand and accept you!”

Kazuha-senpai was shaking her head in an exaggerated motion and raised an exasperated voice.

“Kazuha-senpai, forgive me. To forcibly do that kind of thing…”

“It’s fine if you don’t apologize! You didn’t do anything bad! But I cannot not say this complaint!! Because…a girl’s first kiss is really important you know!! Even me, even me, even though I had imagined that my kiss would get stolen in a more romantic situation!”

Senpai’s voice, shoulders, were shaking. Even with her back turned to him, he knew that she was crying.

“Despite that…despite that, with a guy like you, that is friendly with various girls, to get kissed like this…!!”

“I’m sorry, senpai. But, I didn’t steal senpai’s kiss with a simple feeling. But certainly it was also not a pure feeling. But…even in the case that I had to redo that moment again, I’d do the same thing.”

“Do you think I can consent just like that―!! Saying but but but, don’t keep repeating contradictory things―!!”

Kazuha-senpai yelled out in order to spit out the feelings that she didn’t have an outlet to express.

“I, had changed my feelings from how I hated you. …I had fun fighting together with you. I had a feeling I can become strong without limit. …But, right now, I don’t want to see your face anymore.”

The words that came from senpai’s back were―the words of parting.

And then senpai tried to run away once more. Kazuki panicked and caught her arm once more.

“Senpai, please wait!”

“Do, don’t touch me, let go!”

“I, I don’t want to break off my relationship like this with senpai. Can’t we somehow return to how we were before?”

“…Doing things like kissing already, of course there's no way we can go back to before…!”

To make a kiss they had done once already as if into nothing, that was something impossible to do.

If he thought of the weight of that act…that was really obvious.

“Senpai said to me to not apologize. But because of that, I hate to part with senpai quarreling like this. Please let me atone in some way. Whatever it is, I’ll do it, this kind of thing is unpleasant.”

Finally, Kazuha-senpai turned to look at him. Senpai’s face from her nose to her cheeks, even further until her ear had become bright red. Her glaring eyes that were shining with tears looked completely like a flipped blade of a knife.

“………Then, take responsibility.” Kazuha-senpai said while sniffing *gusu* from her nose.

“In what way could I take responsibility?”

“………Kiss me all over again, this time in a romantic situation that could make me content.”

“Eh?” …Romantic, she said?

“In this one month! If in this one month, you cannot kiss me in a romantic situation that I can approve, on top of that, if you do it unnaturally, then it's a permanent break-off!!”

“Please wait a second senpai! Aren’t you just saying some earth-shattering things because you got carried away with the momentum!?”

“Idiot! Womanizer!! If you are just going to back away…then why did you restrain me like this! As I thought someone like you, is someone I hate the most!!”

She shook off Kazuki’s hand that unintentionally slackened. Then as if to hide her bright red face, Kazuha-senpai turned her back and dashed away at full speed. This time, unable to chase after her, Kazuki recovered from his daze. The inside of his head was dizzy. An unthinkably difficult problem came flying that he never even imagined.

Romantic she said…what is the meaning of romantic?

“…E, even though I thought that she hated me, I really have no idea what happened.”

Tsukahara Kazuha―62. By reflex the display of the positivity level floated in front of his eyes.

“Puh, kukuku…this is, I happened to witness an unexpected scene of carnage just now.”

Suddenly, a voice came from the shadow of the tree beside him. …Appearing in unexpected places and in unexpected moments, a voice he remembered hearing before…

“Kaya!?”

“Long time no see huh. As always Onii-chan, looks like you are getting along well with girls, making me laugh unintentionally, that one.”

A silver haired girl dressing her body in punk fashion of T-shirt and damaged jeans.

The companion that always caused a foreboding premonition inside Kazuki’s chest was here.

“We didn’t meet recently, so I came to give my blessing after Onii-chan became the boss of this academy. And then when I sneak around, I happened to meet this kind of farce. Kukuku…”

Kaya laughed arrogantly. But what she saw was not something like a farce for the person concerned. Also, what is called the Chief Student Council President was something that tied everyone together, it was nothing like a boss.

He noticed a girl accompanying Kaya beside her.

A black figure like a shadow―the moment their eyes met, Kazuki felt an indescribable chill.

She was a girl in the age around of a middle schooler with black hair and black skin. In order to match with Kaya’s punk fashion, she was wearing black no-sleeve parka with hood that was worn low over her eyes and a miniskirt tied with a belt decorated with studs. The legs that extended from there were also long, slender and well proportioned black legs.

It should be their first time meeting each other. Despite that, he felt a chill that was carved into his heart from somewhere….

“I also thought of introducing this child. Come on, take off your hood when you are introducing yourself.”

Kaya reached out her hand from the side and removed the parka’s hood from covering the girl.

A long ear leaped out with a ‘pyon’ along with jet black hair.

“No-!” With that she shook her head and the girl fixed back the hood to cover her head again.

The ear just now was an elf…no, but this color of hair and skin was….

“The name of this kid is, Nyarlako you know.”

Kaya called that name with a good mood as if she was singing. The girl was “That’s not true!” and raised an angry voice.

“I, I’m not something like Nyarla or whatever! I am Maya. That’s the name that Kaya gave me, so call me properly with that…!”

“Fufufu, sorry okay, Nyarlako♪”

Kaya called her like that again without correcting herself, she stroked Maya’s head over the hood and made fun of her.

The black girl was “Uu―” and she looked down with teary eyes.

…Nyarlako. Kazuki’s whole body got goosebumps. It couldn’t be, no, what was going on?

“Fufufuu♪ This child is also an elf. No, I wonder if she should be called a dark elf. The debut in this country, Dark Elf! Well, if the secret of the trick is disclosed, it’s just because [a certain black thing] was inserted into the mind of the girl that her skin and hair became black though. This kind of phenomenon, does Onii-chan happen to know about it?”

He knew. The time when a certain Diva took over the body of Koyuki temporarily―Koyuki’s body transformed into black like this. The name of that Diva was…!

“That’s right, inside the mind of this child, a <fragment of Nyarlatoteph> is residing.”

…Nyarlatoteph was supposed to be defeated already! Without even a fragment left in this world!

“A nobody but also a somebody, <The Faceless God> Nyarlatoteph can split his mind in great numbers. What a plainly awesome ability, his power of existence is not something half baked. As his insurance when push comes to shove, Nyarlatoteph entrusted a piece of his smallest ego that he divided to me you know?”

Kazuki was dumbfounded from that shocking revelation. He was not destroyed…that evil god was….

“Why are you with Nyarlatoteph…?”

“At first I…Loki noticed that the headmaster of this academy was Nyarlatoteph. That was why we made contact asking if he could become our comrade. That negotiation failed. But in exchange, the guy entrusted a fragment of his existence to me. In exchange for sheltering his fragment, in the time of ruin of Nyarlatoteph’s main body it’d be fine to add this mini Nyarlatoteph as our comrade…that was what the guy said, he exchanged a promise with us.”

Kaya pulled off Maya’s hood once more and exposed the elf ears.

“Then joyously Nyarlatoteph’s main body died, so I picked one of the elfexperimental body Nyarlatoteph stocked, and there I planted the fragment of Nyarlatoteph. That’s why this child is Nyarlako-san.”

“I’m Maya I said! …I am, going to master this power…!”

But Maya’s expression immediately distorted in pain and she held her head.

“Inside this child, Nyarlatoteph is trying to recover his power slowly. In reverse, this child is trying to not lose against that. While his power is weak, she is attempting to tame Nyarlatoteph and make him into a mere power supply. What a super interesting sample right, this child. If she could break Nyarlatoteph thoroughly while he is weak, this child might be able to control him.”

“I am not Nyarla-whatever! I’m Maya!”

While holding her head, Maya raised a scream that was the proof of her existence.

“For that reason, this is my comrade Nyarlako-san.”

“…Why are you trying to revive that kind of Diva? The worst Diva!!”

“Nyarlatoteph was going through weakening and was a worthless Diva, but a Diva that specialized in mental pollution to that degree is valuable so I want to add him to my comrades by any means. Something like [Psycho Noise] that could obstruct a large number of Magica Stigma altogether from chanting without a doubt will be useful in a fight against humans after all.”

Psycho Noise―producing sound waves that obstructed spell chanting and making Magica Stigma powerless.

The one who could break through the effect and continued to chant at that time was only Kaguya-senpai.

“Moreover Onii-chan said things like the worst Diva but…I wonder if Nyarlatoteph is really that bad? Isn’t that nothing more than Onii-chan’s own opinion? That guy was played around with by the logic of the world and got weakened. He was desperately trying what he could do in the middle of an unblessed environment with all his power. That’s all there is to it. Using all he could for the sake of his existence…there is nothing bad with that right?”

Like how humans domesticated animals and pushed them into cramped cages in order to procure the stability of their food…could that be said to be righteous, or was it something that should be called evil? If the angle of the ethics was changed it would go through an upheaval.

“Rather, aren’t the ones who dragged Onii-chan’s feet behind the incompetent government of this country and the incompetent adults of this academy!?” Kaya yelled as if spitting out.

“It was that Headmaster Otonashi who used Nyarlatoteph that was just desperate to live for his own interest! Onii-chan…how long are you going to be loyal for the sake of all these low-lives?”

“I'm …being loyal to them?”

“Even Onii-chan is just being used you know? Isn’t it absurd? Using that power not just for your sake, but for the sake of those fools!”

“…I don’t think like that. I use my own power by my own will. …In short, what is it Kaya wants to say?”

“Just become my comrade. Cast away those foolish adults.”

Then Kaya’s mouth warped and she talked to give a speech.

“People are creating groups guided by the gods <Order>, the weak humans chances of survival increase with the creation of a group!”

Order―there were two types of elements, Order and Chaos, that each Diva belonged to, Kaya once said.

The ones who aimed for Lotte’s life were the gods of Order of the Norse Mythology that pushed severe commandments onto the people.

“However, as the group becomes an organization of Order, degeneration will appear without fail. When a hierarchical relationship is born, the humans that had experienced the top position will think only about their self-protection and neglect the benefits for the whole body. A weak ideal will only get defiled and smeared all over by the shit of those sleazebags!”

The degeneration of the humans that stood at the top―certainly there were people like that in the reality that Kazuki faced in his way until now.

“Then what do you think humans should do?”

“That’s why, it’s <Chaos>. The Chaos that humankind once abandoned, now is the time that it should be revived. Obtaining the power called magic, humans are not weak anymore. The current us should realize that we have no need of things like groups anymore. Things like rules are unneeded. Live doing things that you want to do as you please. Crush the degenerated hierarchical relationship to dust, seek happiness as you please inside the Chaotic world! Before long, Onii-chan too is going to break away from the stupid chains binding you. Then come together with me, that’s what I’m saying!”

“Isn’t that merely survival of the fittest? What difference is there between your Chaos and this degenerated hierarchical relationship?” He understood instinctively that their opinions were mutually exclusive with each other. He returned a question in order to oppose her.

“A world where a human who is not even strong, without any worth to speak of, is greedily monopolized by the ruling class and a world where a human with worth always gets recognized at the top position, both of them are totally different things.”

“But with that way of doing things in the end, oppressed weak people will always appear!”

“Don’t you know that humankind would abandon the word called equality before they even realized.”

Kaya talked with a cruel expression. The girl’s logic was―whatever happened, as long as I'm fine, then it doesn’t matter, it was that kind of logic. Her own self was strong, that was why she could be so haughty….

“Then I can't be together with you.”

The smiling Kaya twitched her eyebrows and trembled. “…Recently Onii-chan is getting along well with someone like Beatrix. I wonder if Onii-chan even got indoctrinated by that girl?”

“That kind of girl has nothing to do with this. I don’t have any intention of becoming friends or anything with her.”

“Then, why is Onii-chan sticking to the side of Order.”

“It’s not the case that I went along with the side of Order or whatever. Right now I am together with my important companions. I am living together with everyone in a small place called the Witch’s Manor…occasionally there are also times when our thinking comes to a head with each other. Even so, we considered each other’s feelings…”

Particularly Lotte.

“making rules…”

Kaguya-senpai, despite appearances, skillfully restricted the conduct of everyone nonchalantly and brought them together.

“with compromise for each other…”

Even though Mio was making Hikaru-senpai look more like a girl, Hikaru-senpai was cooperating.

“With that, everyone can obtain happiness. The rules that are created from thinking of each other, tying bonds and bringing them together, I am in no way rejecting Order. That is the civilization and society itself.”

“It’s going to rot someday. The last stop of the bonds between people is degeneration.”

“I don’t think I would become happy doing only the things that I want to do. No matter how strong a human I become, I can't feel happy alone. If I live doing whatever I please, I will join hands together with someone only at that moment where our interests match…ultimately that will keep me in solitude.”

“It’s okay for strong humans to be in solitude you know? I like Onii-chan, but it’s not a reason to always want to be together forever. Surely there will be things thought to be troublesome, moments where we mutually despaired. If we are only doing the things that we both want to do, then we can only see the good side of the other party.”

“If it’s with someone that is truly precious to you, you can actually feel happy with human relationships that are even troublesome. Just like how there is worth in doing a team battle compared to fighting solo even though it’s more complicated. Just because you say humans have become stronger compared to the past by using magic, there's no need to go as far as throwing away being together with other people. Magic is for the sake of understanding other people, alchemy makes the world plentiful, it’s fine to use strong power for the sake of other people.”

“What Onii-chan is saying is merely a pipe dream. Things like using strong power for other people’s sake is impossible. What is called power is more fun to be used for trampling other people underfoot compared to using it for other reason, just so you know!”

In this world, humans who enjoyed trampling weak humans even without any reason at all, certainly existed.

However those kinds of people, why in the world did they become humans with that kind of character….

“Even so, I believe in people.”

“For me, I don’t believe in the likes of people.”

Kazuki and Kaya glared at each other.

“…Why are me and Onii-chan, who came from the same orphanage, having this much difference in our thinking?”

Because at that time when you were trembling from loneliness, there was no one that reached out their hand to you….

Kaya turned her back to Kazuki abruptly.

“Got it. I’m going to make Onii-chan regret it. If I can't obtain Onii-chan, then I don’t need you. I’ll trample Onii-chan and make you cry. I, who is stronger than Onii-chan, will teach you despair. Because I'm rapidly collecting strong allies other than Nyarlako. I still have an even greater surprise you know? With Onii-chan’s crushed and pitiful figure that is exposed because of my power, everyone around you will leave. At that time, Onii-chan will know of degeneration…”

“…Kaya…don’t you feel any loneliness?”

Kazuki asked that back. Kaya turned back and directed at him eyes without any doubt in it.

“Since I got my hands on Loki’s strong power, I never felt any loneliness, not even once.”

That became the conclusion of everything and the decisive failure of the two.

Translator's Notes and References

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