Invaders of the Rokujouma!? Volume 2

by Takehaya

  “I’ll be going on ahead, Mackenzie-kun.”

  “Kasagi-san?!”

  However, Shizuka got on it before he could. She was thinking the same thing he was, and Kenji hurriedly followed after her. However, Kiriha had something else in mind.

  “All right.”

  Instead of crossing a beam with others on it, I’ll pick one I can get right across! With no one in my way, I can easily make up for the time lost on the detour! Even if it doesn’t work out, there are still the ninth and tenth obstacles!

  Kiriha began crossing the middle beam that Kenji had abandoned. The beams were single file, so she avoided getting on the same beam as Shizuka and Kenji. Even if she hurried, she wouldn’t be able to get past the two of them. That was why Kiriha had picked the middle beam no one else was crossing. She was planning on dashing through it. The beam was longer, but she figured that she would be able to cross it faster with nobody in the way.

  “It’s a balance beam! This must be hard for you since you’re so unbalanced, Tulip!”

  “Just keep barking, pleb! I’ll show you the difference between us!”

  That was when Koutarou and Theia arrived at the obstacle. And just as Kenji had predicted, Koutarou went for the narrowest beam. He wasn’t one for tactics, so he went straight for the shortest path.

  “Cross it, Koutarou! We’re close the goal now!” Sanae cheered.

  “Leave it to me!”

  Based on the situation, it seemed like Theia would follow after Koutarou, but instead she went for the thickest beam.

  “Hey, Koutarou.”

  “Hmm?”

  “Theia went that way.”

  “...You’re right. How awfully timid of you, Princess Tulip!”

  Even though Koutarou tried provoking her with as much malice as he could, Theia showed no sign of anger.

  “Heh heh heh, slow and steady wins the race. I’ve always abided by that wisdom. Impatience is unbecoming of royalty!”

  As Theia declared her strategy with a smile, she began crossing the beam. Because of the thickness of the beam, there was next to no chance of losing her balance. With that, she was able to move several times faster than Koutarou.

  Out of everyone on the balance beams, Kiriha was the first to pass the middle, keeping up her first place lead. Following her were Theia, Shizuka, and Kenji in that order. Koutarou was behind all of them. Not only had he arrived last, he’d chosen the most difficult beam to cross.

  And while it seemed like this obstacle would be a simple matter of crossing the balance beams, there was an unexpected ambush awaiting.

  “There they are! It’s the leaders!”

  “We’ve finally caught up! Now where is that first-year brat?!”

  “Gottsan desu!”

  The ambushers were the three upperclassmen Koutarou had stepped on at the start from the rugby club, the judo club, and the sumo club. The three boys approached the balance beams with an angry fire in their eyes.

  “Uwah! Those guys are...”

  Sensing something threatening from behind, Koutarou looked back and spotted the three giants. Though Koutarou was usually quick to forget, he clearly remembered those distinct uniforms he had used as stepping stones at the start of the marathon.

  “Koutarou, it’s those three! It looks like they’re looking for you! What are you going to do?!”

  “Even if you say that...”

  Not good!

  Koutarou looked away and kept his head down, doing his best not to stand out. He was hoping to cross the beam before they spotted him.

  “Damn! Where is that brat?!”

  “You don’t remember, rugby club?!”

  “It was just for an instant, so not clearly...”

  Fortunately, the three boys were even quicker to forget than Koutarou was, and none of them remembered his face.

  “All right! Luck is on our side!”

  What luck!

  Sanae cheered out loud, but Koutarou was still trying to keep a low profile and kept his celebrating to himself.

  “Gottsan desu!”

  “Hmm? What is it, sumo club?”

  “Gottsan desu!”

  “What? He was with a woman at the time? That’s right! Good thing the sumo club doesn’t admit girls! You picked up on just the right thing!”

  “Rugby club, over there! That guy’s got a girl with him! We’ve finally found him!”

  “Good work! It’s time for revenge!”

  “Gottsan desu!”

  The three set their eyes on a certain male student crossing the balance beams.

  “Mackenzie-kun, something strange is happening behind us...”

  “Huh...?”

  Of course, the person they had mistakenly set their sights on was Kenji for being with Shizuka.

  “Hey, first-year brat! How dare you use us as stepping stones?!”

  “And you’ve got a girl! I’m so jealous!”

  “Gottsan desu!”

  The earth shook as the three giant men barreled towards the beam Kenji was on. The other students planning on crossing the beams quickly got out of their way.

  “You can’t run away anymore!”

  “Wh-What’s wrong, Senpais?! Just what is going on?!”

  Having no idea what was going on, Kenji was thoroughly confused. The beam he was on shook as the three boys approached.

  Why are they so angry? And why are they closing in on me?!

  He had no way of knowing that he was just taking a bullet for Koutarou.

  “Are you trying to play dumb?! Don’t tell me you forgot about stepping on us at the starting line!”

  “That alone is enough to execute you, but what’s with you?! You’re even with such a cute girl! I’m so envious!”

  “Gottsan desu!”

  “This must be a misunderstanding... I haven’t stepped on anyone!”

  “You’re the only one here with a woman! You can’t fool us!”

  “You heard him! Introduce us, you bastard!”

  “Gottsan desu!”

  Kenji desperately tried to persuade the three of them, but they wouldn’t listen to a word he said as they climbed up on the balance beam.

  “Th-They’re coming!”

  “Kyahaha, stop touching me in strange places, Mackenzie-kun!”

  “S-Sorry!”

  Kenji tried to run forward, but with Shizuka in the way, he was trapped.

  “Damn it, you first-year brat! What kind of enviable things are you doing in this situation?!”

  “That’s it! I’ve had it! What makes you think you can act like that just because you have good looks?! We’re just three guys!”

  “Gottsan desu!”

  All the while, they were gradually gaining on Kenji. To the three of them, capturing Kenji had a higher priority than winning the race, so they weren’t concerned about falling off the balance beam. That’s why they were crossing the beam much faster than Kenji and Shizuka. At this rate, it was only a matter of time before they caught up to Kenji.

  “Oh dear. Sorry, Mackenzie...”

  As Koutarou watched the three men close in on Kenji, he put his hands together and apologized from afar.

  “...Koutarou, you really are sly.”

  “You think so?”

  “Ha, I see how it is! This is your fault, isn’t it, Kou?!”

  Seeing Koutarou with his hands together, it hit him. They were chasing after a boy and girl team that had gotten an early lead. The only team who fit into that description was Koutarou and Harumi.

  “Don’t involve innocent bystanders, Mackenzie-kun!”

  “Like you’ve got any room to talk. You’re the one who got him involved...”

  “Apples and oranges. Surely you don’t want to lose, Sanae-kun.”

  “Well, that’s true. Now that I think about it, you’ve always been an awful person...”

  “You think so?”

  Sanae gave Koutarou a dirty look while floating next to him, but Koutarou was completely indifferent.
>
  “He’s right! Don’t be so uncouth, you first-year brat!”

  “You’re wrong! That guy, Kou, is the true culprit!”

  “That brat’s all by himself! Besides, he just looks like the kind of guy that’d never be popular! You’re a terrible liar too, you ladykiller bastard!”

  “Gottsan desu!”

  Kenji had figured out the truth and was doing his utmost to convince the upperclassmen, but it was all for naught. They continued to pursue him and were just a few meters away now. Kenji steeled himself.

  “...At this point I’ll get caught and fall off the balance beam! I’m going to take you with me, Kou!”

  “What are you trying to do?!”

  “This!”

  The next moment, Kenji jumped off the beam and kicked at Koutarou who was crossing next to him. It was his attempt at recovering from a hopeless situation. Rather than being thrown off by the three men, he would kick Koutarou off of his beam and then lose the upperclassmen by escaping through the mandatory track. Though he might lose to Shizuka, as long as he didn’t lose to Koutarou, he was willing to take what he could get. This was the only plan he could come up with to cut his losses.

  “Take this!”

  “Look out, Koutarou! Dodge it!”

  “As if, Mackenzie!”

  Being childhood friends, Koutarou and Kenji were no strangers to fighting each other. That was why, despite his initial shock, Koutarou was prepared to intercept Kenji as soon as he jumped.

  I’m on top of a balance beam with poor footing, and my opponent is coming at me with a flying kick... I have no way of blocking it!

  “In that case, I’ll just do this!”

  Koutarou swung his right arm and hit Kenji’s extended right ankle.

  “Nuaaaah?!”

  It was enough to throw Kenji off, and he fell towards the mat covered in white powder.

  “Uwaahhh?!”

  Meanwhile, Koutarou had warded off Kenji’s attack, but he’d lost his balance and was now desperately waving his arms trying to regain it.

  “Don’t think you’ve won just yet!”

  And just before Kenji fell onto the mat, he reached out his hand. He was planning on grabbing Koutarou’s flailing arm and pulling him over.

  “Koutarou, watch out for his hand!”

  “Damn you, Mackenzie!”

  “Wahahaha, Kou, I’m taking you down wi—”

  Kenji’s foot touched the mat first, but he didn’t care as long as he could still grab Koutarou’s arm. Really, Kenji’s strategy was flawless. His quick decision-making when cornered, the following flying kick, and even reaching out his hand at the last moment were all according to plan. If the situation had been normal, things would have worked out just as he wanted.

  BOOM!

  However, regardless of how amazing Kenji was, there was nothing he could have done to be prepared for the sudden explosion at his feet.

  Kenji vanished in the explosion of smoke and white powder. Koutarou, who was on the verge of losing his footing, was fortunately pushed by the following shockwave and regained his balance.

  “Wh-What?! What just happened?!”

  However, despite having regained his balance, he was still in shock from the sudden explosion.

  “Wh-Wh-Wha?”

  “Koutarou, are you okay?!”

  “Satomi-kun, how’s Mackenzie-kun?!”

  Of course, Koutarou wasn’t the only one who was shocked. Sanae, Kiriha, and Shizuka were equally surprised. Caught in the explosion, however, Kenji had no time to be surprised as he rolled along the mat the same way his eyes rolled into the back of his head.

  And then there were the students who were surprised at the sudden calamity, but for different reasons.

  “Hey, the drama club member with the girl just exploded!”

  “What?! You mean the guy who looks like he’d live a charmed life off of his looks blew up?!”

  “Gottsan desu!”

  “Did you hear that?! The playboy bastard in the glasses just self-destructed!”

  “What?! Did he fail at seducing a woman?!”

  “That’s what I like to hear!”

  They were mostly the unpopular male students that had made it to the obstacle, including the three upperclassmen that had been following Kenji.

  “Hooray! Hooray! Hooray!”

  They all rejoiced, cheering and smiling.

  “Ohohohoho!”

  But there was one student who wasn’t surprised at all.

  “My, how frightening! This is why barbarians at the fringe of the universe are so scary! To think they would bury landmines just to win at a sports festival! How truly frightening!”

  The person who was laughing loudly on the far beam was none other than the seventh princess of the Holy Forthorthe Galactic Empire, Theiamillis Gre Forthorthe.

  “Landmines? You mean this was your doing, Tulip?!”

  Hearing her high-pitched laugh, Koutarou was certain she was behind the explosion.

  “Ohohoho! I have no idea what you’re talking about! Keep your false accusations to yourself!”

  However, Theia was feigning ignorance. As there was no evidence, she was quite full of herself.

  “Quit lying! The only ones who would do something like this are you and Sanae!”

  “Wait just a minute! How did I get thrown in there?! You take that back and say you believe me more than anything!”

  “C-Calm down, I was just saying...”

  Being lumped in with Theia angered Sanae. She grabbed ahold of the nape of Koutarou’s neck and began shaking it. Since he was still on the beam, Koutarou desperately tried not to fall off.

  In the midst of his struggle, a famous foreign song began playing from Koutarou’s pocket. It was his cellphone. The song was the theme from an old, popular secret service movie that Koutarou had set as his ring tone whenever Ruth called.

  “Stop pegging me as a troublemaker!”

  “W-Wait! I’ve got a call from Ruth!”

  “Do you think you can fool me like that?!”

  “Just for a minute!”

  While being shaken by Sanae, Koutarou pulled his phone out and answered the call.

  “R-Ruth-san!”

  “Satomi-sama!”

  Ruth’s panicked voice came through the line. She was speaking rapidly and her voice was trembling.

  “Damn! Did Ruth catch on?”

  Realizing that Ruth was on the phone with Koutarou, Theia’s expression turned grim.

  “I have terrible news Satomi-sama! There are 128 neutralizing mines missing from the Blue Knight’s—”

  “Blue Knight, commence wide range jamming! Shut down all communication!”

  “As you wish, my princess.”

  And so Ruth’s voice was cut off mid-sentence.

  “Ruth-san, what was that about landmines?! Ruth-san!”

  Flustered, Koutarou called out to Ruth again, but the call ended with a beep. He tried to call her back up but he was unable to reach her. His phone displayed a “no signal” message.

  “No signal?! Impossible, why would—”

  “It’s Theia! She’s doing something again!”

  “Damn it, Tulip! What’s the meaning of this? What was she saying about 128 mines?!”

  “How terrifying. If 128 mines really are buried here, nobody would be able to escape. Terrorism truly is terrifying.”

  “You bastard! You think you can just spout barefaced lies?!”

  “Koutarou, I’m not sure you’re in any position to be saying that...”

  Koutarou grit his teeth, but Theia’s confident smile didn’t so much as waver. Considering the circumstances, it was clear that Theia was the culprit, but there was no real evidence.

  “What will you do now, pleb? Do you dare advance knowing there are landmines below you?!”

  “You bastard...”

  Theia boasted triumphantly. It was just as she said. Knowing that they would fall on mines, nobody could advance like before. It was especia
lly true for the faster runners and the people on the thinner beams. Everybody stopped moving.

  “Princess!”

  “Ah, you finally caught up!”

  That was when Theia’s partner, a member of the cheerleading squad, arrived at the obstacle.

  “Hurry up and come to my side!”

  “Hail to the princess!”

  The cheerleader began crossing the thickest beam without hesitation, following right after Theia. They weren’t the steps of someone being cautious of landmines below them. They were powerful steps without any sign of fear.

  “I get it! Theia-dono, there are no mines under that beam, are there?”

  Kiriha wasn’t in a position to put on her usual act in this kind of situation. She simply pointed at the beam Theia was crossing and demanded an explanation in a strong tone.

  “S-So that’s why she went for the thickest beam?!”

  “It was that kind of trap?! That’s playing dirty, Tulip!”

  “Ohohoho! Enough with your baseless accusations! The cheerleading squad and I are merely crossing the beam with our unbreakable will, unwavering courage, and absolute loyalty! You can stay here lamenting your own weakness for as long as you’d like!” Theia boasted exultantly as her flunky met up with her. “Let’s go! You and I will finish first and second!”

  “Hail to the princess!”

  Theia had indeed taken 128 mines from the Blue Knight’s weapon storage, and each and every one had been buried at the eighth obstacle last night by the cheerleading squad. The only safe passage was the thickest beam. Everywhere else had been packed with mines.

  You were too naive, pleb! You too, Kiriha! Did you think I would fall into your trap without any of my own?!

  This minefield had been set up as a countermeasure due to Kiriha’s suspicious movements before the sports festival.

  “Hey! It looks like there’s nothing set up under that beam over there!”

  “So all we need to do is cross that one?”

  “That’s it! Let’s go!”

  “Cross it!”

  “Wh-What?!”

  However, there was something Theia hadn’t anticipated. When the other students realized that all of the other beams were trapped, they naturally flocked to the one she was on.

  “W-Waaah! H-Hey, cross it a little bit slower!”

  “P-Princess!”

  The beam started shaking as more and more people climbed up onto it. Since Theia was small, it didn’t affect her too much, but the same wasn’t true for the large cheerleading companion. Unable to control his high center of gravity due the shaking beam, he quickly lost his balance.