“However, during that time with the Santa Clauses we saw someone strange during the investigation.”
Godou immediately changed his train of thought. However, who should he request for help?
Should he request Liliana again, or Amakasu? Neither of them would probably be applicable. When all was said and done, one ambivalent keyword came to mind. If only there was someone here who possessed clairvoyance, then it may be possible to obtain an answer......
No, wait a second. Someone who possesses clairvoyance, isn’t that person nearby?!
After eating dinner with Shizuka and cleaning up, Godou returned to his room.
The room was really an eyesore. The Japanese-style six tatami room contained a desk and chair, a Japanese-style wardrobe as well as a bookcase. Anything that there was no room for was shoved in.
As a result, Godou’s room was very concise.
He did not possess any unnecessary items, which gave a plain lifestyle feeling. Nevertheless, he still had items that were an eyesore.
The reason for this was due to him not having the temperament to be storing things, hence this was to be expected. Besides the desirables and necessities, he would not mind doing away with everything else if he had to.
——He would feel irritated if a large quantity of things were brought in.
——Only the minimum requirement of a necessity will do. This arrangement was much more lightweight, relaxed, and spacey.
So contrary to what one might expect, Godou was really fond of this sort of profoundly plain room.
“Is my room really that lonely?”
He was referring to something besides the contents within the room. It felt like this place used to be filled with something, something very lively——.
While suddenly incurring this kind of feeling, Godou sensed something was missing.
Many things that were desperately needed were now lost......this was the kind of feeling that surfaced in Godou. An indescribable feeling of being lost and forlornness sank into him.
“As expected, there is something that I can’t piece together......plus the relationship I have with those people hasn’t really improved.”
There were a lot of suspenseful matters regarding the girls by his side and their interpersonal relationships. Even though the distance between him and Liliana has curtailed quite a bit, it would be meaningless if he was unable to further deepen their relationship.
His relationship with Erica was still the status quo. Also that girl seldom attended school and was as cunning as always. And then there was Yuri——.
Not only did she have clairvoyance, she was someone who had the ability to use Spirit Vision as well.
In this aspect, not only did she surpass Liliana, she also transcended Princess Alice.
“At the present, I would say Mariya Yuri’s assistance is the most essential.”
But how should he request help from Yuri, the sheltered Yamato Nadeshiko?
She was someone who would evade getting into a discussion, an inconversable hime-miko.
“Eh? It’s like that?”
Godou felt a little uneasy. Yuri was indeed a highly ranked girl. Not only was she courteous by virtue, she was also conservatively polite. She was very passive towards making contact with boys making her unreachable.
However there seemed to be a completely different side of her. Indeed, it was like the gentleness of Guanyin Buddha[7] who provided help to all living things combined with the indignant nature of an Acala[8] reincarnation.
“I’ll give it a try and see what happens......”
This kind of thinking was imprudent, parallel to some sort of evil thought.
Godou appeared to have abandoned this kind of thinking as he shook his head. No matter how he tried to play it off as a joke, the words of a Campione would never appear as an antic.
But this was perhaps an opportunity for him to alter his relationship with Yuri.
After spending two minutes stressing over this, Godou picked up the phone and sent out a text message. A response should appear tomorrow morning at the earliest.
“If I don’t take any risks then there is no way to move forward. Did a certain supervisor say something like that in the past?”
Because he was incapable of openly stating his beliefs, Godou had entered a tiger’s cave.
When the night passed, it was December 20th.
Just as before, it was Godou’s responsibility to cook for the Kusanagi household in the morning.
The first was miso soup, which is made by pouring miso into hot water and boiling it into a soup, then adding potatoes to complete the soup. The prewashed rice was then placed in the rice cooker for it to be cooked in an environmentally friendly system using the least amount of labor. Cucumbers, eggplants, and pickled radishes were also soaked together for fifteen minutes.
“Afterwards I should probably cook some vegetables.”
“All you did was place the cut up vegetables in the steamer on the kitchen stove for five minutes. You speak as if you are actually cooking Onii-chan.”
“What does it matter, it may be simple but at least it’s very nutritious.”
Godou was trying to comfort his sister while opening the door to the fridge.
He took out some nattō[9], raw eggs, and nori and placed them on the kitchen table. After that, he presented it like a western-style buffet. These dishes should be enough between the two siblings.
......The older brother lazily made the food, however the chef for the Kusanagi household was absent so there was no other alternative.
“Onii-chan, it’s clear that you serve decent dishes while occasionally cooking, but once you start cooking on a daily basis you begin to slack off. ”
“But this is the case for the majority of skilled cooks.”
“Even if those skilled cooks cut corners, they would still be able to create excellent dishes. However in Onii-chan’s case, you are already putting in minimum effort before you reach the stage where corners should be cut!
Because he was reminded of Liliana’s culinary skills, he stated in the following manner. However his sister had actually counterattacked.
At this time the doorbell to the front door sounded. Has she arrived?
“Who would be here this early?”
Shizuka stood up and walked towards the front door while Godou continued eating. Perhaps his mind was entangled by doubt. After Shizuka opened the front door, a beautiful girl wearing her uniform came into view.
“M-Mariya-senpai!?”
That said, the two girls had an upperclassmen-underclassmen relationship in the tea ceremony club.
Mariya Yuri elegantly lowered her head and spoke towards the startled underclassmen.
“I’m very sorry for disturbing you guys this early in the morning, but I have some urgent matters to discuss with your brother. Please forgive my rudeness.”
“Brother......you mean my Onii-chan!?”
“Yes, would it be possible for me to accompany Kusanagi-san for a bit?”
She was directly looking at Kusanagi Godou who was standing behind Shizuka.
Mariya Yuri had a stern and serious expression comparable to when a noble princess adjudicates over sinners.
Regarding the godslaying devil king as an adversary, she casted an intense seriousness that was much different than the highly ranked girl’s usual cautiousness. Godou felt his intuition was correct.
This turned the originally conservative Yuri into a courageous, initiative taking girl.
He had successfully coerced her!
However why did he have this feeling like he overdid it? There was the saying you can't catch a cub without going into the tiger's den, but it felt like there was a point where he had proudly stepped on the tiger’s tail......
The price of wanting to control the situation for himself felt like it had spiraled beyond his expectation.
Since it is like this, he might as well keep her company. Godou braced himself and responded to the p
rincess’s calling.
Part 2
Godou terminated his plans of eating together with Shizuka and decided to save his breakfast in order to eat it at night.
Fortunately clothing for him was not an issue. Godou put on the shirt from his school uniform and a coat, then immediately left after picking up his backpack.
However, Shizuka’s tone on the other hand had a mix of anger (I wonder why?) and bewilderment.
“O-Onii-chan, quit provoking other people. What did you do to make Mariya-senpai actually come to our house!? Could it be the blood inherited from grandpa has finally awakened!? Afterwards you better explain everything clearly to me!”
T-There was no easy way to explain this, so might as well use a bit of deception right?
The brother who was carrying these immoral feeling went towards the front door and spoke to the hime-miko waiting for him.
“Sorry for making you wait.”
“No, it was me who first disturbed you without permission and I came off very adamant. This sort of delay isn’t a concern at all.”
After respectfully replying, Yuri started walking together with Godou by her side.
That said, if the words she had used were elegantly and respectfully spoken like they had always been in the past, the words would have sent a warm feeling to Godou’s heart. This was because the maiden by his side was both adorable and stunning, thus making him feel embarrassed.
However, the tone she used right now was filled with the dignity of a queen of winter.
Just when they happened to leave Nezu Sanchome’s business street, the might of this dignified feeling became much more powerful.
“Well then Kusanagi Godou, what was the reason for yesterday’s text message?”
Godou flinched after being suddenly questioned.
Perhaps he was unable to speak about his aroused battle spirit caused by various circumstances?
“It’s nothing, just a few things I recently remembered......”
“No matter what position you hold, you still shouldn’t do anything like this!”
Yuri took out her cellphone and displayed the contents of the text sent yesterday towards Godou.
Subject: Some matters we need to consult
'Today there was someone who sought to discuss some matters with me. It seemed that he felt very anxious because he was being tracked by a deity. Since my abilities were applicable, I replied ‘then let’s eliminate this god’. After that, the god came looking to quarrel with me, making me feel somewhat distressed. Once I crush that god, would it be better if he was submerged in Tokyo Bay or the Suruga Bay?'
It seems Yuri’s high class temperament and her hime-miko duties were provoked.
Godou accurately anticipated this and purposefully sent her a message that would give her headaches by instilling apprehensive thoughts. He was successful on his first attempt. As expected, Yuri was more than just a kindhearted girl.
She was also strong-willed, noble, and had a habit of preaching and nagging others.
Even though he cowered in fear from her aggressive attitude, Godou did have a strong sense of satisfaction. It would be contradictory to Mariya’s nature if things did not turn out like this.
“You intentionally brought the heretic god into Japan and now you intend to cause mass destruction once again!? Your concern for the surrounding area is completely inadequate!”
“W-Wait a second, Mariya.”
Godou replied, unable to resist anymore.
“Everything in that text was a lie.”
“A lie?”
“Ah, haha, I only did that because it was necessary.”
Following that, Yuri suddenly displayed a smile that was clearly very charming. Nevertheless, it was a smile that would insinuate fear into anyone. This was an expression of regret showcased by the beautiful princess.
“Why must you do something like this?”
“No, you see, there never is an opportunity for me to talk to Mariya right? We are only able to have a proper conversation if I did something like this.”
Although he mentioned some pretty bizarre things, there was nothing else that could have been done.
Godou lowered his head with dignity and spoke his heartfelt feelings with determination.
“I felt like if I tried to casually converse with you, you would evade my attempts.”
“So it’s like that? Just now I was contemplating whether or not to cut off all connections to the lying and irresponsible Kusanagi-san forever.”
The hime-miko declared this with a cold smile. That compelling force of hers had also increased.
However, Godou immediately followed up by yelling “Mariya” and closed in greatly. The distance between Godou and Yuri was practically nonexistent as Godou looked straight into her eyes. In the past, whenever a beautiful girl approached him, he would cower and be incapable of doing anything.
“Ku-Kusanagi-san!?”
“I will apologize as much as you want me to for lying, but please listen to me this one time.”
Godou said this with the highest level of sincerity.
“This is an unreasonable request of mine, but rather than having Mariya treat me courteously, I would heavily prefer you to show anger and criticize me without anguish. Even if you feel uncomfortable, you should still continue to conduct yourself as such.”
“............”
“If possible, I hope you would scold me whenever I do something unacceptable in the future like you are doing right now. Basically me and that idiot Salvatore Doni both need a person of this sort.”
A devil king is someone who is permitted to be unreasonably violent and live an indulgent lifestyle that allows them to ignore other people’s liberties. Someone who possesses powers of a Campione should not be saying these things to a mere human.
“So if someone must be selected, I hope that person would be you Mariya. Of course, if Mariya doesn’t want to then I won’t force you......What do you think?”
“Kusanagi-sa——Godou-san......”
Suddenly, Yuri quietly stated Godou’s name.
This was really unfathomable since it was obviously an offensive change. However, Godou was not surprised with this new way of being addressed. Instead, it could be said that this label was familiar sounding or rather, it was something he was accustomed to.
Afterwards Yuri silently followed in kind with her head lowered like Godou. Her entire face turned red as she was probably very embarrassed.
At this time Godou finally noticed it, his proximity with Yuri was extremely close. If his face was any closer it would be within kissing distance. They resembled lovers preparing to embrace each other.
However, Yuri finally seemed to have responded with a nod.
This made Godou feel ecstatic. The beautiful hime-miko, who was flustered because of the close distance and wished to have some separation, suddenly spoke in a whisper.
“Anything that the King——No, if it is Godou-san’s wish then I will try my best in response. However, I have something that I want to say about this."
Godou’s back broke out in a cold sweat as sensed an omen of danger.
Surely enough, Yuri suddenly sighed and held a sorrowful expression while looking up at Godou.
“I didn’t think Godou-san was lying.”
“Eh!?”
“I don’t know why I would wishfully think that Godou would always be sincere to me. Calmly thinking about it, there are clearly many strange aspects to this. Nevertheless I still unconditionally trust you.”
Yuri’s murmur was not of criticism but rather of sorrow.
Her serene and grieving expression instead greatly provoked Godou’s sense of guilt.
“R-Regarding this, please allow me to once again apologize......”
“To earn a person’s trust takes many years to accumulate, however losing trust in a person only takes a swift moment......I feel that what Godou-san has done this time should reflect what I have just said.”
; “I’ll do anything for forgiveness. Kneeling down, anything would be fine.”
This kind of uncomfortable situation was akin to being reprimanded.
Deeply experienced, Godou did not hesitate when offering the highest level method of forgiveness seeking. He immediately utilized a prized technique passed down within the family and knelt along the road. As a result, Yuri’s lonesome expression turned into a smile.
“It would have been fine even if you didn’t do anything to this degree. I only desired to have Godou experience the same feeling that I just experienced......”
Just like that she stopped him in his tracks. Godou pondered while maintaining his kneeling position.
Phew, I’ll never lie to Mariya again——. Furthermore.
“S-Sawa-san, did you hear that......!? Mariya-san and......class five’s Kusanagi-san? The two of them seemed to have said staying by each other’s side, is that a joke? Or could it be......”
“Of course, it’s just as Miyama-san thought, this is virtually the same kind of conversation a married couple would have as they overcome a divorce crisis. This means......”
“Not only were Kusanagi-san and Mariya-san dating, he even had an affair......!?”
“A guy like this is actually in our school. Class five’s Kusanagi, I’m on to you!”
Godou heard this unfortunate intermittent whispering. Looking to his side, there were two girl students who appeared to be from Yuri’s class located not too far away from them. The one with the glasses was Sawa-san, the petite one was Miyama-san.
Speaking of which, he would trek through here on a daily basis. Moreover, it was the only way to get to Jounan Academy.
Other than Sawa-san and Miyama-san, there were a couple students staring at them from a bit farther away! Sensing this dangerous situation, Godou spoke without hesitation.
“Mariya! Come over here!”
“O-Ok!”
Unwittingly, they went to the entrance of the Nezu Shrine. A hurried decision was made when selecting the shrine’s courtyard as refuge, prompting Godou and Yuri to enter inside.
Part 3
Godou and Yuri ran towards the vast courtyard in the Nezu Shrine.
Five minutes had already passed since that previous scene. It was unclear exactly when it happened, but the atmosphere between the two of them had became tranquil and the mood strangely turned very positive.
Campione 12 Page 8
