by Takehaya
“You have lots of stuff like that at home.”
Sanae remembered the day she had met Koutarou. Back then, there were baseballs, bats, and gloves lying around. Koutarou had even chased her around with a bat.
“But now I’m loyal to the knitting society.”
“That’s because that girl is your type.”
“More so than you guys.”
“What’s with that?! You don’t have to be like that!”
Sanae puffed out her cheeks and pouted in response to Koutarou’s retort. He smirked as he looked at her, but just as he was about to say something, he quickly turned to look behind him.
“Huh?”
“What? What’s wrong?”
Sanae was taken aback by Koutarou’s unexpected behavior and her puffed-up cheeks returned to their normal size.
“I just had a feeling someone was watching...”
“There’s nobody here.”
“Must’ve just been my imagination.”
“Well, aren’t you self-conscious? That’s not good, you know. They say that’s the first stage of becoming a narcissist.”
“Don’t lump me in with Mackenzie.”
“Huh? Glasses-kun is a narcissist?”
“Yeah. So much so that he joined the drama club.”
“Hmm... So he’s just like he looks then.”
“Right?”
For better or worse, Sanae had forgotten the dissatisfaction she had felt earlier—although neither of them were aware of that as their now peaceful conversation continued.
“Anyway, I can’t imagine anyone would enjoy watching me...” Koutarou said, shaking off the strange feeling from before.
“I’m not so sure...”
“Hmm? What was that?”
“Nothiiing! Stop imagining things and just keep walking.”
“Fine, fine.”
After they passed through several intersections, a shadow came staggering out from a nearby alley.
“S-Satomi-saaan!”
The figure approaching them was none other than Yurika.
“Yurika?!”
“What happened to you?!”
Yurika’s appearance was strange. She looked haggard and her cheeks were wet with tears. Moreover, her clothes were in complete disarray. Her scarf was crooked, her buttons were buttoned incorrectly, and her undergarments were peeping through. She was a absolute mess.
“Help me please, Satomi-san! Some strange club is chasing me around and bothering me!”
Yurika grabbed on to Koutarou and looked up at him with tears in her eyes, pleading for help.
“They stripped me, measured me, and made me wear weird outfits! I can’t take it anymoreeeee!”
“Th-That sounds terrible...”
“I... I guess the clubs are getting desperate... Ha, hahaha...”
The club chasing after Yurika was of course the cosplay society that Koutarou had enlisted. However, neither Koutarou nor Sanae could just tell her that, so they played it off with smiles and dry laughter.
“They said that they’ll measure my underwear size tomorrow! I don’t want to show my everything to anyone except to the person I loveeeee!”
“Aha... Ahahaha...”
“Nyaha... Hahahaha...”
Yurika was hysterical as Koutarou and Sanae frantically tried to play dumb.
So it was her earlier...
With the appearance of Yurika, Koutarou finally realized what he’d felt outside the school gate. However, unlike Koutarou, Yurika had no idea what was going on.
Practice and a Sense of Distance
Friday, May 1st
As the calendar flipped to May, many of Kisshouharukaze High School’s clubs started practicing for the obstacle marathon. Clubs were a big deal at Harukaze High to begin with, and their influence within the school was directly related to the size of the club. That was why events where clubs could directly compete against one another drew a lot of attention. As a result, there were already plenty of students in the schoolyard for various club training activities.
One of those clubs was the girls’ track and field team that Kiriha joined. They were in the middle of timing themselves at a five kilometer race in order to choose their representatives for the obstacle marathon.
“Hahh... Hahh... Hahh...”
Kiriha was running on the track with proper form and breathing. That beautiful form and her unwavering pace stood out even among the track and field team. She had run from the starting line to just before the goal without faltering. However, there were two girls in front of Kiriha which put her in third place. Kiriha had excellent technique, but her lack of training meant she was wanting in stamina and experience. Moreover, her womanly body wasn’t well suited for long distance races. All considered, she was putting up quite a fight.
“Kiri-chan, keep it up!”
“Hahh... Hahh... Hahh...”
Cheered on by one of the girls who had crossed the finished line before her, Kiriha ran through the goal, still in third place. Following Kiriha, the other team members crossed the finish line one after the other.
“You’re quite fast, Kurano-san. It’s hard to believe you’re a rookie first-year.”
“Mmhmm! Don’t compare my Kiri-chan to one of those average first-years.”
“Th-Thank you very much. Haa... Haa...”
As Kiriha tried to catch her breath, the two third-years who had finished before her approached.
“Why are you the one boasting?”
“Kiri-chan and I are bound together by fate! That’s all that matters.”
While Kiriha was still breathing heavily, the other two girls seemed to be perfectly fine. They were trained marathon runners, so five kilometers was nothing to them.
“But it’s unfair, Kiri-chan... You’re beautiful, you have big breasts, you’re smart, and you’re fast.”
“B-But I can’t quite compare to you two, Senpai.”
“Kyaaah! Even your personality is beautiful!”
“Kyah?!”
“Would you cut it out? We’re being serious here.”
“Sorryyy, Kiri-chan!”
“N-No, it’s nothing...”
The high-spirited third-year was Takahashi, and the serious one was Kawashima. Their names were written across the chests of their gym uniforms. Kawashima was also the girls’ track and field captain.
“But with this, we have our representatives for the obstacle marathon.”
“Me and Kiri-chan!”
“That’s right.”
“What? Me?”
Though things were proceeding as planned, Kiriha was still a little shocked. She thought she would have to talk her way into being chosen, so she was pleasantly surprised that things had worked out on their own.
“That’s right. We’ve traditionally chosen one candidate for their smarts and the other for their fitness.”
“Which means it’ll be you and me, Kiri-chan. There are times when it takes more than muscles to win, after all.”
“Don’t make it sound like you’re bragging about it. Jeez...”
Kawashima was amazed at Takahashi’s carefree attitude, but Kiriha was still thinking.
“By the way, Senpai, what kind of obstacles does the marathon have?”
“Kawa-chan, please explain.”
“Jeez, you’re always like that...”
Kawashima’s shoulders slumped when Takahashi gave up on explaining so easily. With a heavy sigh, Kawashima explained instead.
“You see, Kurano-san, there are ten ‘obstacles’ in total. In the past it’s been everything from a curry eating contest to reading kanji. You know, standard sports festival challenges. The hitch is that the obstacles change every year, so we don’t know exactly what they’ll be this year. That’s why—”
“An idiot like me can’t win on her own! If we have to read kanji or English for one of the challenges, I won’t stand a chance.”
“I told you not to brag about that.”
“Teehee, so
rry!”
The club obstacle marathon was a five kilometer long course with ten obstacles along the way. The racers would hit an obstacle roughly every four or five hundred meters. The obstacles came in all manner of challenges. Some required physical strength, some required dexterity, and some required intellect. Things like shot put, spoon races, and quizzes were all popular choices.
The obstacles functionally served as handicaps depending on how quickly—or slowly—a participant could complete them. Just being a fast runner wasn’t enough to win, which was what made this race difficult. The clubs all had various strategies for the event, from sending out a well-balanced team, to sending out their fleetest competitors to make up for their lack of brains. The strategy the girls’ track and field team used was to send their fastest member with their smartest member as a pair.
“I see. That makes sense.”
“Let’s give it our all, Kiri-chan!”
“Of course. I look forward to running with you, Takahashi-senpai.”
“Great! Just leave it to me.”
Kiriha smiled brightly. She was quite satisfied with this outcome.
Everything is going just as I’d hoped.
Takahashi was the fastest one on the team and she was also quite small. She was a perfect match for the kind of partner that Kiriha had in mind.
All that’s left is...
Kiriha gave an inconspicuous hand signal.
“Ho! Did you call for us, Ane-san? Ho!”
“What is it? Ho!”
The two haniwas, Karama and Korama, responded immediately. They were using an advanced built-in stealth system to stay hidden as they followed Kiriha.
“I’ve been chosen as a representative according to plan. I want you two to focus on gathering information as we discussed.”
“Understood! Ho!”
“Right away! Ho!”
“Take note of anyone in the courtyard who’s more fit than I am. And don’t forget to record data on their physique as well.”
“Ho! Leave it to us, ho!”
“Ane-san can practice at ease, ho!”
“Good. And after you’ve done that, I want you to prepare some funds. We still have the gold I was planning on handing over to Koutarou, right?”
“Ho, ho! Understood, ho!”
“Roger that, ho! We’ll bring it over, ho!”
Kiriha grinned as she felt the presence of the two haniwas departing.
“If you think I’ll just play by the rules, you’re mistaken, Theia-dono...”
Kiriha flashed a fearless smile. She was confident that she wouldn’t lose to Theia.
“What are you doing, Kiri-chan? Practice is starting.”
“Sorry, I’ll be right there!”
Kiriha put on her honors student act again and ran over to her club mates.
Meanwhile, Theia was also fanning the flames of her rivalry with Kiriha as she was steadily preparing for the sports festival. Having assumed complete control of the cheerleading squad, she was shouting at them again today.
“Maggots, what is your specialty?”
“Unity! Cheering! Victory!”
“Who is your master?”
“Hail to the princess! Hail to the princess!”
“I can’t hear you!”
“Hail to the princess! Hail to the princess!”
As they answered to Theia, the cheerleading squad was running in formation around the school building. Theia was in the back, waving around a bamboo sword and pushing them forward.
“Would you die for my sake?”
“As you wish, my princess!”
“Shed your blood for me! Devote your lives to victory for the royal families!”
“All in! All in! All in!”
The sight of powerful men dressed in jet black uniforms being ordered around by a young girl in her gym clothes was quite surreal, but they were all dead serious about it. Also, anyone who objected to Theia had already been purged.
“Good! Now sing, you maggots! After me!”
“Hail to the princess! Hail to the princess!”
“One, two, three, go! We’re the wonderful cheerleading squad!”
“We’re the wonderful cheerleading squad!”
Theia’s high-pitched, clear singing voice rang out, followed by the low, manly voices of the cheerleaders. Their voices were carried by the wind over the entire schoolyard. She continued to lead them in song.
“Believe in your comrades and protect the princess!”
“Believe in your comrades and protect the princess!”
“It’s pretty great!”
“It’s pretty great!”
“It’s pretty great!”
“It’s pretty great!”
“We’ll work until we retire!”
“We’ll work until we retire!”
Just as Theia and the reformed cheerleading squad had finished the first of their songs, Theia’s bracelet emitted a beeping sound. It was an incoming call from Ruth.
“Oh, it’s Ruth. But we just got to the good part... Okay, you people keep on running!”
“Hail to the princess! Hail to the princess!”
Theia shouted after the boys as they continued to run. They cheered loudly in response, but they didn’t so much as break formation once out from under the immediate control of their diminutive leader. Theia watched as they disappeared around the corner of the school building, then ordered her bracelet to accept the call from Ruth with a slightly annoyed expression.
“Blue Knight, open communications with Ruth.”
“As you wish, my princess.”
“Ruth, it’s me.”
“Your Highness!”
“What is it? Did something happen?”
The urgency in Ruth’s voice overrode her normally gentle tone. Realizing that this was serious, Theia’s annoyed expression disappeared.
“I have discovered two unidentified flying objects above Kisshouharukaze High School.”
“Unidentified flying objects?”
“Yes. They’re hiding using thermo-optic electromagnetic camouflage, so it took a while before I discovered them. But they seem to be on standby about a hundred meters in the air, gathering information from the schoolyard.”
“Gathering information...? Do you have any idea who it is?”
“If a presumption will suffice.”
“Let’s hear it.”
“When Blue Knight’s main computer analyzed the slight energy leaking from their camouflage, it calculated that there was a 63 percent chance that it’s those two haniwas.”
“The haniwas, huh? I don’t know what she’s investigating, but it seems Kiriha is planning on doing something at the sports festival...”
At first Theia was in a bad mood because her practice had been interrupted, but upon learning that her rival was taking action, she looked up to the sky with a dauntless smile. It was the grin of a ferocious animal.
“I won’t just let Kiriha do as she pleases. Blue Knight, jam the area above the schoolyard. Send out an unmanned attack craft and destroy the flying objects when you find them.”
“As you wish, my princess.”
“Your Highness, fighting with Kiriha-sama goes against the convention!”
Ruth was talking about the Corona Convention that Theia and the others had signed. One of its articles clearly stated that fighting outside of room 106 was forbidden. While Ruth was worried about Shizuka intervening, Theia’s smile didn’t waver.
“Heh heh heh. If they really belong to Kiriha, that would be true.”
“Your Highness?”
“However, they’re unidentified flying objects. It’s not certain that they belong to Kiriha. Just taking care of some peeper doesn’t count as fighting with Kiriha.”
“Are you trying to feign ignorance?”
“The other 37 percent saved me, Kurano Kiriha! Wahahaha!”
Theia was using the uncertainty regarding the flying objects to her advantage. If she was going up against Kiriha,
it would be a violation of the Corona Convention, but she was still allowed to attack anyone else. She was going to claim that she had thought it was some peeper rather than Kiriha’s haniwas.
“Please stop, Your Highness! If you do something like that, who knows what will—”
“It seems you’re planning something, but it stops here, Kurano Kiriha! I won’t let you have your way!”
Ruth’s plea fell on deaf ears. Theia roared with excitement as she stared up at the sky where an unmanned attack craft came out from a black disk.
Theia’s attack vessel was about a meter long and had the shape of a stocky airplane. It seemed to be a mix between a fighter jet and a commercial aircraft. However, the unmanned attack vessel was much faster than one would imagine from its bulky frame. It was able to continuously dodge the electric attacks from Korama.
“It’s fast! Ho!”
With Korama caught off guard, the attack craft opened the ports for its laser. Seeing this, Karama rushed to get between Korama and the vessel. The attack craft fired off its laser attack, but it was blocked by Karama’s yellow spiritual energy barrier.
“Are you okay, Brother?!”
“Karama! You saved me, ho!”
“Be careful, ho! Don’t put yourself in a position where it can go all out! Ho!”
The attack craft had only been attacking with its laser since it couldn’t use missiles, live rounds, or anything else that would leave evidence behind. And since it couldn’t cause damage to the surrounding area, it wasn’t firing its lasers at full power and would only fire them when it was when parallel to the ground or while climbing.
If Theia hadn’t specifically given the craft those orders, the haniwas would’ve had a much harder time blocking its attacks.
“We can’t lose to some soulless machine! Ho!”
“Let’s show it our guts! Ho!”
The haniwas used their combined electricity and fire to fight the attack craft. The battle above Harukaze High was about to reach its climax.
However none of the students were aware of the battle raging on above them. The only ones looking at the sky were the two involved: Kiriha and Theia. The others students were all focused on the commotion unfolding in the schoolyard.
