Though individually she can be considered a winner even if it"s only about her appearance and character.
"With that being the case, if they heard that you and I join hands in this operation, as expected for the horn family it wouldn"t look good, isn"t it?"
"Sometimes ago you say that you"re going to give up, but, didn"t you get a lot of pressure from the horn family?"
Then Cecil-san put her hands together and make a proposal.
"About that, if by any chance the horn family says something against me joining the operation, please just say 『I just get Arclight family daughter application for exploration group』."
"I will also say something to confirm it. You don"t have to worry about it, alright? I will deal with the Arclight family. After all, I"m the favorite of my grandfather. No matter what the family says, if I ask my grandfather, I can shut them up as much as I want. My father and mother won"t go against my grandfather, and my brother is quite the sensible person after all."
"Though it"s not an admirable thing to mind about a family name too much, however, one should use the things that can be utilized. and from the story, I feel that Bashcarta use his family authority too much."
Toward Cecil-san consideration, Aira-san gives her grat.i.tude.
"... Cecil, thank you."
After the time pa.s.s by a little, Aira-san who finished contemplating asked Cecil-san.
"Emm... Can I ask one thing?"
"Why did you want to partic.i.p.ate?"
*Nnn*, Cecil-san looked toward the ceiling while thinking.
"Because, I don"t like how Viburk and the other do things I guess?"
Cecil-san tilts her head.
"Is it that strange? I do think that it was a good reason, though?"
Then Aira-san turns her face toward me.
"About the operation... you heard it from him?"
I only conveyed to her all the fact though.
It"s just that, because I know about the Horn family relation, I can"t urge her to partic.i.p.ate the operation.
Aira-san combs her hair with her hand while contemplating.
"I didn"t do anything you know? it is something that Cecil-san decided by herself."
.....................................
There, I noticed Cecil-san burning gaze filled with amazement directed toward me.
That is a gaze saying 『again; you"re doing that so that people would like you...』.
It"s because Cecil-san is here, that my words sounds weird and feels like a hypocrite!
"T-That is really what I think alright!?"
Toward my frantic excuse, Aira-san responded with an awkward smile.
"Eh? Y-Yes?... about what?"
Ah, d.a.m.n it...
"N-No, that is... no, it"s nothing."
I looked toward Cecil-san with reproachful eyes.
Ugh... this is tough.
"That is natural."
The two of them answered immediately.
"So, it"s decided then."
Like that, the one who said that is someone who has been watching in silent, the person is Kyurie-san.
Then she put her hand on Kyurie-san shoulder.
"It might be temporary but, unexpectedly we"re going to do joint exploration sooner than we thought eh, Kyurie?"
"Fufufu, I guess so~..."
Kyurie-san then stands up from her chair.
Kyurie Velstein.
.............................................
"Fufufu, he might think of something which is inappropriate about us, you know? after all, even though Kurohiko is looking like that, he"s quite the precocious child ne~."
Is it a crime just because I"m imagining the two of you forming an idol unit!?
"T-That"s not it! That"s right... I was just thinking about the operation plan! Regarding today subjugation planー."
The two of them gaze at me with scornful eyes.
"That"s a lie isn"t it?"
Or rather, when I see that tacit understanding between them, when those two relationships develop rapidly, won"t I will be the only one that will be left out, such slight uneasiness crossed my mind.
But still, It feels like, whenever they work together, I won"t be able to refute them.
.........................................
After Cecil-san and the others formally joining Aira-san group, we discuss various things regarding the operation plan in the dining hall.
Furthermore, Aira-san has recovered completely, looking at that I also feel relieved.
That remind me,
I"ve become a bit interested as to what kind of relationship they have.
By the way, the things that Aira-san explained to them are something that I"d already know.
Furthermore, after we do self-introduction formally, I find her to be a second-grade student in this academy.
Wait a minute; she"s a senpai?
I guess, I should call her Rei-senpai from now on.
"S-Should I call you Rei-senpai?"
Well, it might be because of her way of talking, I would"ve thought that she"s a boy if not for the uniform she wears.
Wait, that"s rude of me to think that way toward a woman.
I feel Rei-senpai have a gentleness that is entirely different compared to Cecil-san.
"But still, you"re really a strange child eh? This is just occasionally, though? Your behavior looks like an older person you know?"
"Ahahaha, it"s strange, isn"t it? though from the self-introduction just now, you"re definitely younger than I am."
Is she a person with sharp intuition?
"Yes, ーthank you."
I shake her hand which she presented to me.
Unn...
........................................
By the way, in this academy, because afternoon cla.s.s is over at half past 2, thus after school we still have some time before the sky went dark. I guess this might be due to the academy considering the time for sacred ruin exploration.
Then, at the time when we walked out from the dining hall.
And, it"s strange that around half of the people I saw in the dining room before are there.
*Guh*, Aira-san is at a loss for words.
"Mu? The one over there, Cecil Arclight? Hohou? Aira yo, did you manage to invite her?"
"Sure, I don"t mind you know?"
Then I also saw Zix and Hirgiz-san bewildered expression.
"I wonder, what does that 『I see』 means, Cecil Arclight?"
"............................"
After Bashcarta said that, his entourage continues their sneering.
As if saying, she doesn"t want to keep them company.
"In addition to taking in that Arclight..."
"Does she have no conviction... well I guess she wants to win no matter what, that Aira Horn."
Haa...
I guess this is how birds of a feather flock together look like huh...
To stir up things, he"s a really energetic guy, isn"t he.
Well, I can understand Maro feeling.
Maro yo, you said only one?
See, because of you Zix shows a complicated expression.
"That"s right! The cowardice people will definitely lose!"
"In other words, this is a fight between good and evil huh! I should spread this matter around the academy!"
Uwah, they began talking about their self-justification.
Since everyone seems to know the result, everyone tries to keep silent and let it pa.s.s by, butー
At that moment, I heard a laughing voice.
The owner of the voice is... Kyurie-san.
Everyone who noticed turn toward her full of caution.
"To think that you"re an idiot to this degreeー rather, this feels refreshing."
Kyurie-san then raises her face slowly.
The sign of them trying to say something has gone.
"Most recently I meet with my good old friend. I sat in silence when I meet those guys. I don"t feel anything; I don"t see anything... I don"t understand anything."
*Kukuku* Kyurie-san continue laughing.
"You see I have the mind to return a good will with another good will butー I ultimately will return ill will with another ill will. that"s why, I don"t have any pa.s.sion in the so-called mercy toward people bearing ill will."
Kyurie-san then took one step forward.
When she barely pa.s.sed him, Kyurie-san declared,
"Won"t it will be better for you guys to think up a way to defeat the giant than making this kind of ruckus? such as why you can"t think up a way to beat the giant by yourself? why it"s not enough with just an upper ranked students? do you know why? why you can"t win by yourself? why did you think only your group operation that will go smoothly? the answer is simpleー that"s because you realize that you yourself don"t have any ability."
After she pa.s.ses Bashcarta and his entourage, Kyurie-san called us.
"Let"s go. It"s a waste of time to talk with this people. If we were to borrow their words then that would be, it"s like wasting time in a sweltering h.e.l.l."
We go through pa.s.s Bashcarta.
Then,
"In three days."
Kyurie-san said those words without turning herself.
"Ah?"
"... Khu, F-Fine! I will make that face of yours filled with tears! I, Bashcarta the sixth place at the Academy rank, furthermore we also have the strongest person in the academy Beoza! I will make you understand what kind of power we have!"
Bashcarta places his big hand on Viburk shoulder, while talking with a rough voice.
"Well, you don"t have to mind them Viburk. after all they are not a soldier. they don"t understand that this is war. In a war, they cannot win with just one or two strong soldiers. that"s right, this is war Viburk. in other words... collective strength triumph everything."
"Sacred cursed sword you say!? a-amazing!"
"This is a collective strength!"
"That silver haired person, even though she"s beautiful, she"s scary~."
Bashcarta gazed at us with calm and composed looks.
"This is, what we call collective strength. Fufufu, you guys, you should use the power of your family when you can. well, it is precisely because you guys can"t, that you guys invites things like forbidden spell user or a woman from the sixth inst.i.tution. and a genius that lose unsightly to a murderer, what left of her is just a women with nothing but her beauty, and only move with her affection alone. gahahaha, should the Troia family makes a funny drama out of you guys as the leading actors? I bet everyone will have a great laugh you know!?"
Looking at this, Maro smirked in delight.
"Oh, what"s wrong with that face, Kurohiko? You seem to look dissatisfied? Since a while ago, you looks very calm; however, it seems like you finally show your self eh?!"
"Oh~ Oh~, then what are you going to do? Want to have a go here? I"m fineー."
Maro is unable to finish speak out his words.
Hibigami.
I have the feeling that, the two of them can change the course of a war.
It"s closer to a conviction.
"And among those two, one of them is in Aira exploration group. that"s why, it would be good for you not to underestimate us too much."
"That"s right. other than my forbidden spell, I"m just your ordinary person."
"The movement just now, compared to a strong people, to them it"s no difference than just standing still. though this is something that I heard in the past, I will advice you about one thing. if you want to fight someone, you should measure your opponent ability, you know?"
"Indeed, I"m going to win."
After saying that, I return to everyone else.
There"s a limit even for stirring things up.
".............................."
But wait, does that means I have been incited by their words splendidly just now?
Ah...
"Yes, I will be careful from now on..."
I feel dejected.
"As expected, I"m a misunderstood guy?"
"... Yes."
I dropped my shoulders, and then I walk following Kyurie-san.
I don"t know if the advice just before has worked, Bashcarta and the others, this time, stopped stirring things up.
The other side is awfully particular for wanting to defeat the giant sooner, but, Kyurie-san and Cecil-san shared the same opinion that it was probably Beoza Idea to do that.
From the way he speaks back then, Beoza seems to think that, for them, being able to defeat us is a bit doubtful.
Accordingly, he might think that defeating the giant that causing the students sacred ruin exploration into deadlock to be a profitー or so that was what they had thought.
Well, though there"s no guarantee that the giant will appear again after that or not, if by any chance that the giant did not appear after that then, even if Bashcarta and the other were unable to win they can insist saying 『it"s thanks to us that the giant can be defeated』 I guess.
Beoza as well, despite looking like that, he might be dying with anxiety huh...
On the other hand, Kyurie-san thinks that, if Bashcarta and the other can defeat the giant then that would be fine as well.
When I heard the reason, she appears to be worried that I might fall to the lower layer because of the earthquake just like before.
Today is the day after Cecil-san, and the other joined Aira-san group, and the day after we had a quarrel with Bashcarta and the others.
I try to memorize the forbidden spell at the headmistress office.
And then as planned, after I"ve finished the procedure for 『non-exploration investigation』, immediately after that, we enter the sacred ruin, and I"m using the forbidden spell on the monster that appeared in the upper layer.
"Ooh~, welcome back! what"s wrong?"
Claris-san who waited in the open s.p.a.ce in front of the sacred ruin waved her hands toward here.
"A~, I was able to manage it, somehow..."
I asked Makina-san who have her skirt covered in powder, and try to brush it off "I was able to acquire it right?"
"Nn... well, I can have a go for a bit more..."
Different compared to the ninth forbidden spell, I don"t feel any fatigue when using the eight forbidden spell.
She have heard about it.
"No no no, it"s just a healthy compet.i.tion among students. we"re testing individual strength versus collective strength 『fairly』."
"Ah, you don"t believe me do you?"
"Yes, I understand. I don"t want to make Mia-san sad after all."
"Are~? You want me to eh?"
"Ow ow, that"s hurt."
*Fufufu*, Makina-san gives me a light pinch to my flank.
"Well, I don"t feel worried. after all, you have been able to give me a sense of being a reliable person for a bit."
"Yes..."
"Eh? Is that true?"
Then, while crossed her hands, Makina-san looked at me with a sidelong glance.
"At any rate, do your best. though as the Headmistress I can"t go and root for you, but, as Makina Runusfia, in my mind, I will be rooting for you." "Now then Kurohiko-san! without delay, shall you tell me the story regarding the new forbidden spell?"
Finally, the subjugation day has come.
We gathered at the sacred ruin a.s.sembly hall, at 8:00 in the morning.
Due to the sacred ruin being unusual lately, and the rumor about the giant monster, the cuckoo in the a.s.sembly hall was unable to sing its song too much, however strangely today there are a lot of students gathered.
They seem to have set the time matching with us properly.
And thenー.
After we finished our preparation, we, the Aira group entered the sacred ruin.