Invaders of the Rokujouma!? Volume 2

by Takehaya

  Theia couldn’t stand it. The boy that was supposed to swear unending loyalty to her had instead gone and pledged himself to some random country girl—one with no affluence or power to speak of. It was a devastating blow to Theia’s pride. She had absolute confidence in herself. She had faith in her capabilities, in her position as seventh princess, and even in her mental strength. Theia believed she was superior to Harumi in every way. And yet despite that, Koutarou had chosen the weak Harumi over her. He didn’t even treat her with respect. She just couldn’t accept any of that.

  “It’s got nothing to do with reason.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?!”

  Nothing to do with reason?!

  Those words upset Theia even more.

  Surely even that pleb can recognize the insurmountable gap between me and that girl, yet he still favors her?

  “Impossible! Simply impossible!”

  Theia couldn’t accept it, much less handle it. It took wisdom, power, and courage to stand above others. The royal families of Forthorthe had prospered for over a millennia by that creed. That was why, as the seventh princess, Theia couldn’t accept it... no matter what.

  Ruth smiled at Theia.

  “Your Highness, I’m not following your reasoning either.”

  Ruth put her hands to her chest and smiled gently. She had always looked over Theia as an older sister with that smile. Wisdom, power, and courage were irrelevant.

  “Ruth is special! The Pardomshiha family has served the royal families since before the founding of Forthorthe!”

  “Your Highness...”

  Hearing Theia’s response, Ruth was both happy and sad at the same time. Theia didn’t fully understand Ruth’s feelings. Ruth would have sworn her loyalty to her even if she hadn’t been born into the Pardomshiha family. However, admitting Ruth had sworn loyalty to her because she wanted to would mean she was forced to reckon with the fact that Koutarou was the same. He hadn’t sworn himself to her because he didn’t want to. The young and prideful Theia just couldn’t do that.

  “Curse you, pleb. You’re always finding some way to provoke me!”

  Theia continued to bite her lip as she glared at Koutarou and Harumi.

  Invaders of the Sports Festival!?

  Sunday, May 10th

  On the day of the sports festival, the sun was shining brightly. There were practically no clouds in the sky and the good weather continued well into the lunch break. The sun’s rays beamed down on the courtyard surrounded by the school building.

  “It looks like we picked a good spot, Senpai.”

  “The courtyard is quieter too, and there’s not as much dust...”

  After the morning events, everyone was taking a break for lunch. The schoolyard was full of people and dust that had been kicked up by the wind. Because of that, Koutarou and Harumi had snuck away to the courtyard. It seemed they were the only ones who had thought of it, because they had the place all to themselves.

  “The truth is that I’m embarrassed to take out my lunch in front of other people...”

  “There’s no need to be embarrassed. It looks delicious.”

  “Really?”

  Harumi covered her mouth with the colorful cloth she had wrapped her bentou in and stole a glance at Koutarou. She was unconfident and somewhat embarrassed. Today, Harumi had prepared lunch for both of them. She normally let her mother make her lunch, but she was absolutely determined to do it for herself and Koutarou on the special occasion of the school festival.

  “Yeah. This doesn’t look like something an amateur made.”

  “Thank god... I was a bit worried.”

  Hearing Koutarou’s response, Harumi stopped hiding behind the cloth and let out a sigh of relief. She had been truly worried that she might disappoint Koutarou.

  “You have nothing to be worried about. It looks really well made.”

  “Well... I don’t think I’ll be of much help in the obstacle marathon, so I at least wanted you to get something to eat... so I...”

  “Senpai, you worry too much. Men are simple. Any guy would be happy that a girl made him lunch, regardless of how well made it is.”

  “B-But I really wanted it to be good...”

  “It must be hard being a girl... Thank you for the food.”

  Koutarou quit chatting and started putting food in his mouth. He was starving after working hard all morning. But his hard work had paid off. Five blue ribbons were pinned on Koutarou’s gym uniform. The ribbons signified placing in an event, and blue meant first place. Koutarou had had sweeping success in all five events he had participated in. That was why his fuel reserves were so low now.

  “Oh, it’s delicious!”

  “Ah...”

  Harumi was elated at Koutarou’s simple praise. Getting a passing grade not just on looks, but taste too, she was so happy that she was ready to break out in dance. In reality, her lunch was splendid. Her omelet, Salisbury steak, and wiener along with basic side dishes might have been a little plain, but they were all made with care. It was good home cooking, and certainly worthy of praise for a beginner. Growing up without a mother and having to cook for himself, Koutarou could appreciate that quite well.

  What can I say? Having someone make food for you without any ulterior motives is a wonderful thing.

  Koutarou felt an honest gratitude as he ate one dish after another. Having lost his mother at a young age, it was rare for someone to cook for Koutarou simply out of kindness. Lately, Kiriha had been making him food, but that was because she was aiming to take over room 106. In the purest sense, this was the first lunch someone had made for him in a long time.

  “Is there anything you don’t like?”

  “Not really... Well, I can’t say there’s nothing.”

  At first Koutarou couldn’t think of anything, but he quickly regretted his words. The blushing Harumi became visibly nervous.

  “What was bad?”

  “There’s not enough.”

  “Wh-What is there not enough of?”

  Was it the seasoning? Is it not cooked enough? Or does he mean I’m not good enough?

  The anxiety kicked Harumi’s mind into high gear.

  “Everything. It’s so delicious, I could eat three times this much.”

  “E-Everything...?”

  Harumi was stunned at Koutarou’s unexpected answer.

  “Well, we still have the afternoon events, so this might be just right. If I eat till I’m full, it’ll be hard to move around.”

  “...”

  “But next time, I’d love to be able to eat until I’m stuffed.”

  “Next time...?”

  Koutarou smiled and kept eating. Watching him, Harumi’s smile grew bigger and bigger.

  Next time... Next time, he wants to eat more... He likes it...

  Harumi was so happy, she couldn’t speak.

  So this is what it’s like to have friends...

  Harumi had a weak constitution and was constantly in and out of the hospital. Though she considered the nurses and children there her friends, she didn’t have any other friends her age. Koutarou was the first. It was enough to make her want to cry tears of joy.

  “What’s wrong, Senpai?”

  Koutarou looked up from his lunch when he noticed that Harumi had fallen silent. Her cheeks were crimson and her eyes were moist. Seeing that she looked like she might cry at any moment, Koutarou started to panic.

  “A-Are you okay?! D-Did I say something stupid?!”

  Koutarou had no idea how Harumi felt. Ever since he was young, starting with Kenji, he’d always had a lot of friends. He couldn’t even begin to imagine what Harumi was going through. That was why he was so sure he must have done something wrong.

  “I’m fine... I just got some dirt in my eyes... I-I’m going to go rinse my face...”

  Harumi turned away to avoid Koutarou’s glance and hastily stood up. Her heart was beating so loudly that she was worried Koutarou might be able to hear it too.

/>   If I don’t calm down, I’m going to end up saying something strange to Satomi-kun...

  Harumi ran out from the courtyard, her heart throbbing and her head dizzy.

  “Senpai...?”

  Being left behind, Koutarou sat there looking confused. He couldn’t get his head around what had just happened. However, Sanae, who was clinging to Koutarou’s back, could faintly understand Harumi’s feelings.

  “...That kind of ticks me off.”

  And as revenge, she began choking Koutarou. It was an easy feat considering she was already hanging on to his neck.

  “Guh— Gwaaah?!”

  “Damn it! Aaah! It’s really getting on my nerves!”

  “Wh-What do you think you’re doing?!”

  “Think of the situation you’re in instead of getting carried away! Did you forget what happens if you lose today?!”

  “Guuuh... S-Sanae, d-don’t think the same trick will work over and over again...!”

  Koutarou desperately tried to keep himself from passing out and reached into his pocket with his right hand. He pulled out something and pressed it against Sanae’s forehead.

  “Ack!”

  As he did, there was a small explosion that blew Sanae backwards.

  “All right! Thanks, grandma!”

  There was a small charm embroidered with golden thread in his hand. It held quite a bit of power against ghosts like Sanae.

  The golden words “family safety” shone brilliantly in the sunlight.

  “Hey, what are you doing all of a sudden?!”

  Sanae returned with her right hand on her forehead. She floated in front of Koutarou and began complaining.

  “That’s my line! You’re always trying to choke me for some absurd reason! You try being the guy who passes out for no reason!”

  “What a whiner! You’re a man! Don’t get hung up on stuff like that! It’s perfectly natural for ghosts to attack people!”

  “Then it’s only natural for people defend themselves, you evil spirit!”

  “I can’t believe it! You can’t call someone this cute an evil spirit!”

  They butted heads and glared at each other. It seemed like their quarrel was just about to get out of hand, but a third party got in between them.

  “It seems you’re quite the star, Koutarou.”

  “Kiriha?!”

  It was indeed Kiriha, her long hair fluttering in the refreshing wind. She had snuck up on Koutarou and Sanae.

  “You seem to be quite the star yourself, Kiriha-san.”

  Several ribbons were pinned to Kiriha’s chest too: three blue and two yellow. She had taken first place in three events and second place in two.

  “What are you staring at her boobs for, Koutarou?! You really are a pervert!”

  “You’re wrong! Just look at that!”

  “Like I want to look at someone else’s boobs! Are you trying to tell me you can see her bra or something?!”

  “Of course not! I’m talking about the ribbons! I was looking at how well she’d done!”

  “Yeah, I’m sure you’d give Kiriha’s boobs a perfect score.”

  “Listen to me, you stupid ghost!”

  “What?! I have my pride too, you know!”

  “Is a ghost’s pride the kind you can see right through?!”

  Koutarou and Sanae got in each other’s faces again, but more people were coming in to the courtyard now.

  “It’s good to see you’re still full of vigor, pleb. Forcing you to crawl on the ground wouldn’t be as much fun otherwise!”

  It was Theia and Ruth, but they were followed by a group of rough looking boys. Theia had four ribbons on her chest, all of them blue. In reality, Theia had participated in six events that morning, but she had thrown away any ribbons from second place or lower. The cheerleading squad, who had been cheering for her all the while, were exhausted and covered in sweat. Ruth actually had a yellow and a green ribbon herself, one for second place and one for third.

  “Just be quiet, Tulip! I’m busy at the moment!”

  “Yeah! There’s no place for you here, plateau boobs!”

  Koutarou and Sanae didn’t even bother to look over at Theia as they shouted. They just continued staring each other down. This, of course, infuriated Theia. It was bad enough that Koutarou wasn’t showing her any respect, but Sanae had brought up the subject she hated the most. Between the two of them, they pushed all of Theia’s buttons, and she immediately blew her top.

  “Are you picking a fight with me, you mongrels?! Shall I turn you into ashes this instant?!”

  “You can’t, Your Highness!”

  Even with Ruth trying to stop her, Theia wouldn’t back down. Theia marched over to Koutarou and Sanae and butted heads with both of them.

  “You just try it, Tulip!”

  “I’ll turn you into ashes after fixing your rotten character!”

  “Hey! Listen to me!”

  The showdown between the three of them was only getting started.

  “Aahh, Your Highness! Satomi-sama!”

  “Leave them be, Ruth. They don’t really hate each other as much as they say they do.”

  “Please don’t say something so disgusting, Kiriha-san! Of course I hate these things!”

  “How dare you call me a thing?! Address me as Your Highness Theia, you pleb!”

  “Take that back, Koutarou! How could you call pretty little Sanae-chan disgusting?”

  “I meant exactly what I said, you idiots!”

  Their quarrel escalated as they exchanged insults. Fortunately, there was a sudden interruption.

  “Satomi-kuuun!”

  “Hellooo!”

  “Hmm?”

  Koutarou recognized the voices of the cosplay society girls as they casually called out to him. He immediately calmed down, putting his spat with Sanae and Theia on hold

  “It looks like you’re having fun, Koutarou-kun.”

  They cosclub approached with the president pushing a handcart in the lead. They were all wearing their gym clothes rather than cosplaying. Intent on following the rules, they wouldn’t change until they had permission to do so.

  What are they doing?

  The handcart that the president was pushing caught Koutarou’s interest. There was a large sack inside of it that twitched from time to time.

  “...! ...!”

  It looked like the sack was alive.

  “Hello.”

  “Hello, Satomi-kun. And hello to your friends.”

  The president smiled and greeted everyone. Following suit, the other nine girls exchanged greetings too. Meanwhile, Theia’s cheerleading squad silently stood at attention. After the girls all greeted each other, the president looked at Koutarou again.

  “Look forward to the obstacle marathon, Koutarou-kun. Today’s outfit is a masterpiece.”

  “We stayed up all night to make it!”

  “That’s right. I lost count on how many times we stabbed our fingers on needles.”

  “...You mean how many times you did.”

  While they talked, the sack continued to move from time to time.

  “...! ...! ...!”

  Well, whatever...

  Koutarou was curious about the contents of the sack, but he decided to leave it be.

  It was around that time that Harumi returned to the courtyard.

  “Satomi-kun...?”

  Koutarou was now surrounded by people. In total there were over twenty people in the previously empty courtyard. Harumi recognized a few of them.

  “Oh, aren’t you quite a cutie?”

  “Hey, s-stop it! Don’t touch me!” Theia barked.

  “Hey, why don’t you join our society?”

  “I refuse! As if I’d join your shady club!”

  “What a shame.”

  “Well then, what about you two?”

  “If Theia-sama won’t join, I will have to decline as well.”

  “I’m sorry, Senpai. I’m already on the track and field team.”
/>   “Tulip, did you join the cheerleading squad?”

  “That’s right. Unlike you, you insolent fool, these men have unwavering loyalty to me. Isn’t that right?!”

  “Hail to the princess! Hail to the princess!”

  “They’ve been completely brainwashed...”

  “Ah, it seems the true cheerleading squad has disappeared.”

  Everyone was energetically talking and smiling. Koutarou was even showing expressions that Harumi had never seen him make before. It was like this was a Koutarou she didn’t know. This kind of interaction was totally foreign to her.

  “I... couldn’t possibly go over there...”

  Harumi stood perfectly still. The beat of her throbbing heart had slowed down, and before she knew it, her heated emotions had cooled down too. She stood their realizing that she only knew one side of Koutarou, and that saddened her.

  “I’m not really all that important...”

  Harumi couldn’t move. She felt frozen in place. She just couldn’t mingle with the others. They were a mere twenty meters away, but it felt like they were worlds apart.

  Suddenly there were fireworks bursting in the blue sky. In broad daylight, the flashes were hard to see, but so many were fired at the same time that they still stood out. It was the signal that the obstacle marathon for clubs was about to begin.

  The obstacle marathon was a five kilometer course with ten different obstacles to overcome. Since the event was coed, the girls were given easier obstacles as a handicap.

  The obstacles required more than just physical prowess, so the winning club was different almost every year. And since Kisshouharukaze High School had so many participating clubs, the marathon naturally turned into the main event of the sports festival.

  “Heh heh heh, finally the moment we’ve been waiting for has arrived...”

  Koutarou swung his arms to warm up and took a good look around. There were over a hundred people gathered at the starting line. Harukaze High had more than fifty clubs of varying sizes, and the majority of them were participating. The turnout for the race was big, but expected. About half of the participants were wearing their respective club uniforms. The remainder, mostly liberal arts clubs, were just wearing their gym clothes.

  “Kou, you seem awfully confident.”