“Speaking of which, that guy seemed to have done something like that in the past somewhere......”
Godou frowned after hearing the name of the North American Campione.
When did I encounter this guy before and what kind of things did we do?
“No matter what, let’s first try to make contact with this grey colored guy. Conversing with it——accomplishing this would be great.”
If the other member was a god, no matter what kind of appearance it had it would probably still be able to engage in conversation.
Well, there were certain times when traces of communication would feel very enigmatic......However, no matter how you look at it, you would be skeptical whether it is even possible for the Grey One to engage in conversation.
Soon after, the Grey One left the crowd of people.
It was heading towards a lesser used coastal route. Was it planning to continue roaming at a different location? Up until that point, Godou and Liliana continued to close in on the Grey One.
After that, the target stopped in its tracks. It looked as if it was waiting for the two of them to come over.
Could they actually peacefully make contact with it?—— Just as Godou was looking forward to that possibility......
The pursued target conducted a series of movements that was beyond all expectations. Slowly raising its right hand and spreading open its palm, a knife-hand gesture was prepared.
Then in one swift motion, the Grey One placed the knife-hand gesture next its neck and proceeded to chop its own neck off . What appeared to be the head portion of the sailcloth swirled into the air.
“Huh, did it actually commit suicide!?”
The two of them quickly accelerated their pace. The sailcloth covered body of the Grey One toppled forward.
Once they approached the corpse, Godou immediately peeled off the sailcloth. The insides were shaped to look exactly like a human body.
The physical body seemed to resemble a muscular and youthful person. However, it had a very black coloring.
Its pitch-black color gave the impression it was made of carbon while the texture of it resembled that of charcoal. Also, once it came in contact with the air, the charcoal-like body made a slight rustling noise as it crumbled like a collapsing sandcastle.
“The head portion over here also collapsed......”
On the other side, Liliana spoke while inspecting the neck of the Grey One who committed suicide by cutting its own throat.
She also ripped apart the sailcloth and looked inside——this should be the area where the head and face were.
“What the heck is this guy......”
The mysterious person who committed suicide was apparently a spirit of earth.
Facing this state of death, Godou was unable to comprehend the situation and was left feeling stumped.
“Neither a human nor a god, this existence, who was responsible for the annoying Santa Claus mystery, has now committed suicide——。It is really hard to understand this incident.”
Amakasu muttered through the cellphone as he sighed in sorrow.
The grey sailcloth and bits of black ash plummeted down at the location where the suicide just took place.
“Upon normal inspection, the incident of Santa Clauses being greyified should consequently have ended...... I think this is the case. Well, I’ll do a quick inspection of the situation. All in all I’m very thankful that the two of you were capable of supporting each other.”
“......It seems like your inexplicably happy, am I right Amakasu Touma?”
“Of course I would be happy. It cannot get any better than having my workload lessened.”
Amakasu replied to Liliana’s slightly derisive question.
In short, the History Compilation Committee would take care of the job that dealt with the aftermath of an incident. Godou and Liliana originally held no responsibilities in regards to this aspect. They now have nothing left to do.
The two of them headed back in the direction of the large shopping centers for the time being.
“First hold on a sec.”
After he first spoke to Liliana, Godou walked towards a crepe stand.
The food he bought used cooked apples mixed with cream, and then that was mixed with caramel and orange sauce.
Even though it was a pretty warm for a day in the middle of winter, however, this place was an area along the seaside.
It was quite chilly due to the winds blowing over from the sea. In that case it would be best to not order anything such as ice cream.
“Which kind do you want Liliana? Pick your favorite.”
“What are you really up to? Today’s cooperation toward this common goal was solely because it was the request of a Campione. I, Liliana Kranjcar, never planned on accepting a salary from you.”
The female knight spoke with a look of appraisal. However, Godou calmly retorted.
“What are you going on about? Wasn’t it Liliana herself that said I was someone who wasn’t aware of my role as a king? As a result of that, my mindset had slightly changed.”
“W-Why do you say that?”
“It is the duty of a king to give rewards to knights for their achievements. No need to thank me, just accept this ok?”
Godou declared this and handed two crepes in her direction.
This was really for accompanying him in exploration, and there was that lunch she made not too long ago etc. All the various things she did were included in this act of appreciation. However he should probably avoid saying it that sentimentally.
After being urged on in a slightly facetious manner, Liliana showed a bit of courtesy towards this which felt somewhat forced.
“If it’s like this, then as a knight I’ll just have to accept this.”
When she finished speaking, Liliana acquired one of the crepes.
Just like that, the two of them began eating their crepes, making a crunching sound while they were doing so. Godou certainly did not have a sweet tooth, although he did not particularly detest desserts either.
However, the unforeseen location they were in at the moment made it impossible to calmly savor this kind of sweetness.
The reason was because his partner beside him was a silver-haired European girl. Furthermore she had a fairy-like ambience and was absolutely stunning, making her a particularly eye-catching girl.
She appeared to stand out even in Odaiba where there were a myriad of young girls.
He had already noticed it while eating along the way. Even though they were acting naturally, people from the crowd that circulated through here gathered an interest in them.
Having said that, Liliana on the other hand looked like she was oblivious to the attention they were receiving. She was completely composed like there was nothing out of the ordinary. There was the fear she might think the reason for the attention was due to her being an outsider.
The difference between her and Erica, who acknowledged her own beauty, was astounding.
In any case, he was sure to be seen as her boyfriend by other people because he was alongside her......Kusanagi Godou didn’t believe he had the capability to hook up with someone that had the looks and tolerance of Liliana.
Godou contemplated on whether or not to say something after they finished eating.
‘Well then, I should probably be going now. Thank you for all that you have done today——’ these were the kind of words he thought about saying.
This was probably the proper and correct way to go about this. Since he lived nearby there shouldn’t be any problems riding the same tram back with her. Although if he wanted to prolong their time together there were numerous reasons he could come up with......
At that moment, a pair of lovers walked by right in front them.
The man and woman looked like they were young college students. The female student was carrying a massive yet adorable teddy bear in her arms. The dimensions of that teddy bear made it impossible to carry with two hands.
&nbs
p; Was it bought in some kind of doll store?
As he pondered on the thought, he unintentionally noticed the store that the couple exited from. It was an enormous video game center.
“......It appears to be the same facility we went to before.”
Liliana suddenly mentioned this as Godou had just finished eating his crepe.
“Well, that is because this is a popular chain of arcades. The place we went to before is of the same type.”
“In other words, this place also has the opportunity to go hunting. In addition to that, the teddy bear that we just saw was a humongous toy. I don’t have that category of children inside my bedroom......”
The way she muttered was as if she thought of some sort of plan. Liliana was one of those types of girls who would call her doll related objects as her children. Godou nodded his head, and while purposefully using an uninterested tone, he said:
“I’m not sure if it is a prize from the video game center. If it is, something that big would probably be set-up to be difficult to obtain.”
Even though Godou was unfamiliar with what goes on within the industry, it was very likely that this was the case.
“Even with the money spent on buying it from the store you might still be unable to obtain it. We might as well just head home directly for today.”
“No matter what kind of situation it is you must find a method to secure victory. Your suggestion is really quite negative.”
Liliana spoke in a manner that slightly ridiculed him.
She also cleared her throat with a cough and went to say with a hint of embarrassment:
“I regret to say that I, Liliana Kranjcar, am not quite familiar on the sure win methods and how to conduct myself in a place like this. I wish to have a senior that possesses the corresponding knowledge to guide me for a bit.”
What an exaggerated way of speaking, it pretty much meant: “would you like to go to the arcade”.
This invitation caused Godou to hesitate.
“Even if I had the knowledge and such as you said, I don’t really go to these kinds of places. Nanami and Sorimachi from our class look like they would be somewhat familiar in this aspect.”
There was a difference between large scale games, free games, and PC games.
It could be said that Godou’s knowledge on these topics were quite vague. As a result, this was a perfectly normal way to decline someone. It was basically the natural course of action to this situation right?
However, Liliana did not back down one bit to this degree of suppression. She chuckled and said:
“Then it should just take about ten minutes total. Furthermore, my compensation isn’t some kind of cheap object that can be paid off completely with just one crepe.”
In the end, the event that was predetermined to be ten minutes prolonged to forty minutes. Plus, speaking of the results——.
“We still weren’t able to nab that big one.”
Godou stated this after exiting the arcade.
There were four sets of doll grabbing machines that were equipped with the teddy bear prize within this arcade. Furthermore, there was a difference in their dimensions. There were extremely small ones like the size of a cellphone strap, small ones that you could fit on your palm, medium sized ones about as big as a football, and lastly there was the exceptionally large kind that the pair of lovers were holding onto just then.
The largest item, being the highest benchmark, was of course the one Liliana set her eyes on as her prey. However, the claw’s strength was particularly weak so no matter what you did it was unable to grab the toy.
Godou even lent her a hand but it was completely useless.
It was quite admirable how those pair of lovers were capable of acquiring it so easily.
After expending a large amount pocket change and time, the two of them finally gave up. Even though they were only passing by, if only they were able to obtain it, then——.
“Well, the couple who were able to seize it could be considered quite capable.”
Although the inside of the store had become quite warm, at that moment, Liliana still spoke with a calm expression.
She was holding onto two bear cellphone straps. These bear straps actually had a male version and a female version that were modeled slightly differently. The female one had a ribbon as well as a very gentle expression.
Incidentally, Godou vulgarly called them ‘male and female’ and was forced to correct himself by his partner.
“......Oh yeah, you can have the one over here.”
Liliana suddenly handed him a cellphone strap.
It was the male, no, the boy bear one. Godou was confused.
“Are you sure? You went through a lot of trouble to gather a boy and girl pair.”
“Yeah. The boy and girl pair is like a pair of lovebirds on the same branch. They probably shouldn’t be separated.”
Liliana stated her beliefs using a firm choice of words.
“However, I also want to share these with you. Although I don’t know why I’m compelled to think this way, in fact it is quite unimaginable......How about this is just to commemorate today?”
The female knight’s face suddenly blossomed with brilliance as a warm smile surfaced upon her lips.
Perhaps because of this, Godou carefully accepted the boy bear. Honestly speaking, even he was uncertain what the reason was. He thought it would be fine as long as he treated the situation with caution.
However, because it was a small fictional object, it would really make people feel a tad embarrassed.
“If this cellphone strap were to become mine then it would be a bit......well, just allow me accept it for now. Perhaps at a later date I’ll just give it to my sister…..oh, I think that most likely won’t occur.”
“How you handle the item you received is your liberty. If you really decide to do that, I would have to change my relation to this Kusanagi Godou person.”
Liliana sighed as they walked side by side towards the station.
In the end, they stayed together all the way until they reached Nezu.
Chapter 3 - A Request Made to the Hime-Miko
Part 1
During the night of the visit to Odaiba, Godou was finally able to start reading his textbook.
The final exams for the second semester were already over. However, Kusanagi Godou’s test scores have slowly declined from their usual high marks.
Well, he had been entangled by an incident involving a god-sama and was involved with numerous things.
Although he could say it was simply due to a lack of preparation, he was not only a godslayer and demon king, but was also a high school student. As such, he should remain focused on his studies.
Especially during the month after winter break when the all-important aptitude tests took place in Jounan Academy.
For that reason, Godou displayed diligence as he opened the textbook and began taking notes on the table within the room.
“Eh? Speaking of which, did I get into a battle with a certain god before the final exams?”
He was suddenly a bit concerned about this matter in which he had forgotten.
It was now the second day. After the half curriculum of classes prior to winter break were over, Godou walked towards the library. He was situated in a quiet place where he could study the contents of the second semester. If he ever got tired of studying he could always find a book to kill time. However, time was of the essence since he must return before the sky darkens.
——Actually, starting yesterday he was responsible for cooking.
In the Kusanagi household when their grandfather was absent, Godou and Shizuka would alternate the responsibility of cooking every couple of days.
Lunches were to be prepared individually while the person on shift would do both breakfast and dinner. Once Godou came home he walked towards the kitchen.
(Also, the schedule of shifts of course did not include their mother. Even though one of the reasons was because she wa
s rarely home for dinner, the most significant cause for this was because she was their mother.)
Today Godou planned on cooking with a pan which he filled with an abundance of vegetables, pork and afterwards he liberally (but in good proportion) added pickled cabbages.
The ingredients were cut and the time was also set on the rice cooker.
Once that was all taken care of, Godou glanced at his cellphone that was set aside and noticed a text message.
“Who sent this?”
Godou, who didn’t seem too interested, went to quickly check its content. He then shook his head, completely unable to fathom what it was.
Not only did the email omit the name of the sender, but the email address was unfamiliar to Godou.
The contents of the email were ‘Progress report, concerning the incident from the past, the resurrection will take place during the winter solstice, please be careful, Ying.’
At the moment it seemed like a warning, but it was overly simplified.
The report seemed like it was sent in passing by a staff member who had infiltrated the dangerous enemy ranks and began monitoring the enemy.
“The winter solstice mentioned probably refers to the day of the year where the night is at its longest.”
The day of the year where the night is at its longest, in other words the day when the earth is furthest from the sun.
A very popular Japanese tradition was to take a hot yuzu bath and eat pumpkins[6] every year during the 21st or 22nd of December.
This year’s winter solstice should betide on the 22nd of December. Incidentally today was December 19th. Seems like the revival will take place in three days......
“But who the heck is Ying and what is this revival?”
Godou was currently contemplating over this. Revival——just what is being revived?
Godou tried to search for an answer within his mind but was unable to come up with anything. If it is not something he can remember then it probably lacked importance. Perhaps it will be fine even if he forgot?
Campione 12 Page 7
