Invaders of the Rokujouma!? Volume 6

by Takehaya

  Signs of the Radical Faction

  Saturday, December 5th

  Higashihongan Sanae was in a great mood.

  “Ohohohoho!”

  She flew circles above Koutarou and the others while laughing loudly. Her practically perpetual smile was beaming brighter than ever.

  “Hmph...”

  “Sanae-chan is victorious!”

  Sanae landed in front of Koutarou, holding up her index and middle fingers in the shape of a V.

  “Yeah, yeah. Good job.”

  “Eeheehee...”

  Koutarou patted the giddy Sanae on her head, making her smile even brighter.

  “Sanae-sama, your tennis skills are quite impressive.”

  “Heehee! That’s because papa and mama have trained me ever since I was little,” Sanae proudly responded to Ruth as she circled around to Koutarou’s back.

  “Hmm, then your parents must be really good,” Shizuka commented.

  “That’s right!”

  Shizuka complimenting her parents pleased Sanae even more. She clung to Koutarou’s back in the usual fashion before cheerfully declaring that it was time to go.

  “Let’s get home before it gets cold!”

  It was now around 3 PM. They still had some time before it got dark, but now that it was December and winter was in full swing, the sun going down meant that it got cold immediately.

  Koutarou and the others had used their Saturday to go to a nearby sports park and play tennis. The participants were Koutarou, Sanae, and Shizuka, plus the princess and her attendant from Forthorthe for a total of five people. Aside from Ruth, they were all athletic. Being a boy on top of that, it was only natural that Koutarou was good at it, but surprisingly enough, the strongest player out of the girls was Sanae. She seemed to have some experience.

  Even as they headed home, Sanae was still in a good mood. It was a good walk from the sports park to Corona House, but Sanae had more than enough enthusiasm to last the journey.

  “Praise me more, you jerk!”

  “Splendidly done, my lady.”

  “Mm, it wasn’t a big deal.”

  Sanae wiggled and kicked her legs as Koutarou carried her down the sidewalk. That adorable gesture, fitting for a girl her age, brought a smile to everyone’s face.

  “Splendid or not, Koutarou did all the work.”

  Everyone, that is, except for Theia, who was still in a foul mood. She simply couldn’t accept having lost to Sanae.

  “Your Highness... Heehee...”

  Seeing Theia like that, Ruth’s cheerful grin changed into the gentle smile of someone watching over their younger sister.

  “Don’t be such a sore loser, Theia. It may have been Koutarou’s body, but I was the one moving it, so I’m the real winner!”

  “If I could do the same thing, I wouldn’t have lost either!”

  What ruffled Theia’s feathers was that Sanae had possessed Koutarou in order to participate, similar to when they played Jenga. She could use her psychic powers to wield a racket, but it was exhausting and inaccurate. A ghost’s telekinesis was somewhat of a rough ability, and it wasn’t suited for precise tasks or use over a long period of time.

  And so Sanae had used Koutarou’s body to play tennis. She’d gone undefeated, and that was what left her in such a chipper mood. However, it could have been said that the reason for her victory was a combination of her skills and Koutarou’s athleticism. If, for example, Sanae had played against Shizuka or Theia before she became a ghost, she may not have stood much of a chance. Theia knew that, and was quite unhappy about what she perceived as an unfair advantage.

  “That might be true, but that just means this victory was thanks to the bond between me and Koutarou! Right, Koutarou?”

  “Yeah, yeah. Sure thing.”

  “Hmph...”

  But what bothered Theia the most was Sanae and Koutarou’s relationship. Sanae was able to manipulate Koutarou’s body relatively freely, and that was because Koutarou had accepted Sanae into his heart. If he resisted, she probably wouldn’t be able to control him. Or, if she could, only with a great deal of awkward difficulty. Playing an active sport like tennis would be impossible. But the two of them working so well together seemed to mean that Koutarou had indeed accepted Sanae on a deep level. In Sanae’s words, they had a strong bond. That’s why seeing them get along so well left Theia feeling a little unsettled.

  If I were a ghost, would Koutarou treat me the same way he does Sanae?

  Theia didn’t really know how Koutarou thought of her. She didn’t have the ability to tell just by looking like Sanae did, and that uncertainty made her anxious. And since she just couldn’t let it go, those feelings continued to brew inside her.

  “Koutarou, say it more lovingly.”

  “How would I even do that? Hey, what’s wrong, Theia?”

  “Huh?”

  Hearing her name, Theia was surprised at how close Koutarou’s voice sounded. When she looked up, she saw him looking back down at her with a concerned expression.

  “You look a little down. Are you tired?”

  “No, I, um... Of course not! I’m fine!”

  “Really?”

  Koutarou nodded but kept watching her face. Such an earnest, intense stare sent Theia’s heart racing. As if to escape his eyes, she looked down on the ground.

  Yeah, I thought so. Something seems to be bothering her.

  After observing her for a while, that was the conclusion Koutarou came to.

  “Here.”

  And so he presented his right hand to her.

  “Koutarou?”

  Not understanding the gesture, Theia looked at Koutarou and then at his hand. Her brain was working overtime to try and decipher the situation.

  “...U-Um...”

  When she finally figured it out, she reached out and took Koutarou’s right hand with both of hers.

  Th-This is... This is what he meant...

  Theia could feel Koutarou’s warmth through his hand, and the heat where their hands touched was only more intense. But Theia was undeterred and showed no sign of letting go. She only held on tighter.

  “Theia, what are you doing?”

  After suddenly grabbing his hand, Koutarou looked at Theia with a confused expression. She’d taken his offer the wrong way.

  “Huh?”

  “Your bag. If you’re tired, I’ll carry it for you, so hand it over.”

  Koutarou thought that Theia looked tired, so he wanted to carry her bag for her.

  “Er...”

  Theia now realized why Koutarou had held out his hand, that she was holding his hand for seemingly no reason, that the misunderstanding was ultimately her fault, and that this was probably all very confusing for Koutarou.

  “Wuh... I... This is... Um...”

  After everything clicked for her, Theia panicked and quickly let go Koutarou’s hand.

  “W-Wait, Koutarou! You’ve got the wrong idea! That’s not what I meant!”

  Theia spat out excuses to try and smooth things over. She was desperate to hide that she’d misread his intentions.

  “So you aren’t tired?”

  “Th-That’s not it! Well, I am tired, but...! But...!”

  Theia was so embarrassed that she couldn’t even look at Koutarou. She just frantically kept talking while staring down at the ground.

  “In that case, here.”

  And almost as if he had planned for it, Koutarou held out his hand to Theia again.

  Koutarou’s hand...

  When she saw it, Theia recalled what it felt like to hold his firm, warm hand. Just thinking about the sensation, her cheeks grew hot.

  “I can’t take it anymore, I... I..
.!”

  And right as Theia was about to say something, Shizuka opened her mouth.

  “Satomi-kun, Satomi-kun! Isn’t that Kiriha-san?”

  “Where, Landlord-san?”

  “Over there.”

  “Ah, you’re right!”

  As Koutarou turned around, Theia could see his broad shoulders and Sanae clinging to them.

  “I...”

  The sight instantly cooled her heated emotions like the whole thing had never happened.

  “Where?”

  “Over there, Koutarou.”

  “Oh, I see. Yup, that’s definitely Kiriha-san.”

  Sanae was literally between Theia and Koutarou.

  “...”

  Mortified, Theia bit her lip as a new set of emotions began springing up inside her.

  Just what am I so disappointed about...? What is this unsatisfied feeling...?

  Theia was deeply disappointed, and she didn’t care if Kiriha was there or not.

  “Your Highness...”

  However, unlike her master, Ruth was smiling.

  You’ll realize how you really feel at any moment now, Your Highness...

  Up until now, Theia had never once let a stranger near her. She had never opened up to anyone other than Ruth. Seeing Theia finally desire someone else’s companionship was something Ruth had always hoped for.

  Unaware of the complex feelings between the master and servant from Forthorthe, Koutarou, Sanae, and Shizuka were all three watching Kiriha.

  “What’s she doing?”

  “Looks like she’s... cleaning?”

  They’d spotted Kiriha in front of city hall. Lots of people from the neighborhood association were gathered around, and Kiriha was standing with them. She was wearing her native kimono-like outfit that she normally only wore in private, and she was in the middle of sorting large plastic bags that appeared to be full of garbage. It looked like she was helping the neighborhood association clean up.

  But why is she picking up garbage? And why is she wearing that outfit in front of other people?

  Something seemed odd to Koutarou. For starters, he didn’t understand how Kiriha had gotten involved with cleaning up the city. She was an invader. Why would she be doing something like that?

  On top of that, her outfit raised another eyebrow. Normally when Kiriha went out in public, she would wear her high school uniform or fashionable clothing from the surface. She cared a great deal about disguising herself to blend in, but for some reason, she’d chosen not to today. She was openly wearing her native outfit.

  “Look, Satomi-kun. There are other people wearing the same outfit as Kiriha.”

  Sure enough, several men and women were now exiting city hall. Although the specific details were different, they were all dressed in outfits similar to Kiriha’s. They walked over to Kiriha and talked a bit before joining in with the neighborhood association to help carry the garbage bags.

  “Which means... they’re all Kiriha-san’s allies?”

  Seeing them together like that, Koutarou assumed they were all friends, but his words made Sanae’s face turn pale.

  “This is bad, Koutarou! If they’re Kiriha’s allies, they’re all from underground, right?! They’re here to invade the surface!”

  In her own words, Kiriha’s ultimate goal was to invade the surface. And now that her allies had appeared, it must mean they were finally putting their plans into motion. Sanae panicked at that thought.

  “Hmmmm....”

  However, that line of thinking didn’t quite seem right to Koutarou. He tilted his head as he looked at Kiriha and her allies curiously.

  “What’s wrong, Koutarou?! If we don’t hurry and do something about them, our home... The whole city will be in danger!”

  Irritated by Koutarou’s reaction, Sanae emphatically pointed her finger at Kiriha and her apparent allies. She tried again to tell him that they were dangerous, but Koutarou just kept tilting his head and staring.

  “Is that really...”

  “What are you just standing there for?!”

  “Now, now... Just calm down, Sanae.”

  “As if I could calm down at a time like this! The invasion has already begun!”

  “...I don’t think it has though.”

  Koutarou didn’t share Sanae’s reaction because he wasn’t convinced this was an invasion.

  “It has to be! Look! They’re definitely invading!”

  “But Kiriha-san and the others are just cleaning up, you know?”

  That was Koutarou’s primary reason for assuming this wasn’t a hostile takeover. No matter how you cut it, Kiriha and her allies were volunteering for the benefit of the city. The only remarkable things about the situation were their outfits and the fact that they were actually working in harmony with the neighborhood association.

  “They’re only trying to make it look like they’re cleaning! Behind the scenes, they’re definitely...”

  Sanae was still persistent, but...

  “Definitely...”

  Her voice trailed off mid-sentence. Even to her, it really did look like they were just cleaning up. She just couldn’t imagine how filling bags with garbage could further some nefarious scheme for the sake of invading the surface.

  “See?”

  “Yeah... Hey, Koutarou.”

  “Yeah?”

  “Why are they cleaning up, anyway?”

  “I don’t know either.”

  “Really... why are they cleaning...?”

  Koutarou knew that it wasn’t to invade the surface, but then again, he couldn’t actually say why they were doing it.

  That night after dinner.

  The lingering questions from that afternoon continued to bother Koutarou, so he decided to ask Kiriha outright.

  “Heh, you’re ten years too late to try and beat me!”

  “Curse youuuu! In that case, Yurika, let’s combine!”

  “Eek, no way! I’d rather lose than be possessed!”

  “You wimp!”

  Fortunately, Yurika, Theia, and Sanae were glued to the TV playing video games, leaving only Kiriha and Ruth sitting at the tea table with him. With the three noisier girls occupied, Koutarou saw his chance.

  Ruth set three cups on the table. Listening to the distinct sound of tea being poured, Koutarou finally spoke up. Although he was curious, he didn’t think it was a big deal, so he decided to approach the whole thing casually.

  “Kiriha-san.”

  “Yes, Koutarou?”

  “On our way back from playing tennis, we saw you with some other people. You were cleaning by city hall, right?”

  “If you saw me, you could have just come up and said something.”

  Kiriha didn’t deny it. Instead, she smiled at Koutarou. Ruth then passed a tea cup each to Koutarou and Kiriha. After thanking Ruth, Kiriha picked up hers, and after picking up his own, Koutarou continued talking.

  “I’ll do that next time. So, Kiriha-san, why did you volunteer to help clean?”

  “Does it bother you?”

  Kiriha smiled and placed her lips to the rim of the cup. When she did, she looked at Ruth with surprise.

  “Ruth, this isn’t the tea we usually get. What’s happened?”

  “Actually, when I went to the shopping street yesterday, I got this as a sample.”

  “You must mean from the teahouse... Hmm, let’s get this from now on.”

  As Kiriha stared at the tea cup in her hands with a delighted expression, Koutarou’s doubts began growing.

  Does Kiriha-san really intend to invade the surface?

  He couldn’t imagine how cleaning up the neighborhood or caring about tea could be a critical part of a surface invasion.

  “Well, yeah, it does bother me. You’re from underground, but you’re bringing your allies up to clean up the city. Anyone would wonder the same thing.”

  “Heh, now that you mention it, I suppose you have a good point.”

  Kiriha tilted her head and looked down a little.


  “Lately, I’ve almost been forgetting that I’m an invader.”

  Koutarou found that feminine gesture desirable.

  “Then forget it completely.”

  “I can’t do that. Actually, Koutarou, helping to clean up is part of our invasion.”

  And with those unexpected words from Kiriha’s gently smiling lips, Koutarou reflexively spat out the tea in his mouth.

  “Wh-What?!”

  “Oh my!”

  Even Ruth, unable to hide her surprise, stared at Kiriha with wide eyes.

  “You’re kidding, right?! What could cleaning possibly have to do with invading?!”

  Right now, Koutarou was mostly shocked, but also a little disheartened.

  That’s weird. Why am I disappointed...?

  While he still had his doubts about the situation, he was puzzled by his disappointment at what she’d said, even though he’d known it was her goal to invade the surface all along.

  “Could it be that you’re only pretending to be cleaning up so you can get close to the water supply and poison it?!”

  “Of course not. We are simply volunteering to help clean some.”

  “Huh?”

  Koutarou was so confused now that he was slack-jawed. Kiriha easily read his expression.

  “Heehee, look at you, Koutarou. Is it really so strange that I would volunteer around the city?”

  Kiriha laughed spiritedly and revealed a bright, feminine smile as she looked at Koutarou’s confused face.

  “No, I mean, that’s not it... I just can’t see what invading and volunteering have to do with each other.”

  “They are indeed related, Koutarou. Actually, that’s a great deal of the point.”

  As Kiriha wiped away a tear from laughing too hard, she began explaining the plan in further detail to Koutarou.

  “You can’t just use violence and force your way when you invade.”

  “You can’t?”

  Koutarou, however, was only further puzzled by this explanation. Surely an invasion would at least involve some guns or something.

  “In fiction, people certainly rely on force in these situations, but reality works differently. Ruling through fear and power only leads to revolt.”

  “...If I’m not mistaken, several decades ago a country called Germany began a series of invasions, but the countries it invaded still had very active resistances, right?” Ruth asked.