Campione! Vol 12 Chapter 3

Chapter 3 - A Request Made to the Hime-Miko Part 1 During the night of the visit to Odaiba, G.o.dou was finally able to start reading his textbook. The final exams for the second semester were already over. However, Kusanagi G.o.dou's test scores have slowly declined from their usual high marks. Well, he had been entangled by an incident involving a G.o.d-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 G.o.dslayer 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 apt.i.tude tests took place in Jounan Academy. For that reason, G.o.dou 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 G.o.d 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 cla.s.ses prior to winter break were over, G.o.dou 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, G.o.dou and s.h.i.+zuka would alternate the responsibility of cooking every couple of days. Lunches were to be prepared individually while the person on s.h.i.+ft would do both breakfast and dinner. Once G.o.dou came home he walked towards the kitchen. (Also, the schedule of s.h.i.+fts of course did not include their mother. Even though one of the reasons was because she was rarely home for dinner, the most significant cause for this was because she was their mother.) Today G.o.dou 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, G.o.dou glanced at his cellphone that was set aside and noticed a text message. "Who sent this?" G.o.dou, 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 G.o.dou. 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 pa.s.sing 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 j.a.panese tradition was to take a hot yuzu bath and eat pumpkins^ 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?" G.o.dou was currently contemplating over this. Revival just what is being revived? G.o.dou 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? "However, during that time with the Santa Clauses we saw someone strange during the investigation." G.o.dou 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 s.h.i.+zuka and cleaning up, G.o.dou returned to his room. The room was really an eyesore. The j.a.panese-style six tatami room contained a desk and chair, a j.a.panese-style wardrobe as well as a bookcase. Anything that there was no room for was shoved in. As a result, G.o.dou'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 quant.i.ty of things were brought in. Only the minimum requirement of a necessity will do. This arrangement was much more lightweight, relaxed, and s.p.a.cey. So contrary to what one might expect, G.o.dou 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, G.o.dou sensed something was missing. Many things that were desperately needed were now lost this was the kind of feeling that surfaced in G.o.dou. An indescribable feeling of being lost and forlornness sank into him. "As expected, there is something that I can't piece together plus the relations.h.i.+p 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 relations.h.i.+ps. 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 relations.h.i.+p. His relations.h.i.+p 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 surpa.s.s Liliana, she also transcended Princess Alice. "At the present, I would say Mariya Yuri's a.s.sistance is the most essential." But how should he request help from Yuri, the sheltered Yamato Nades.h.i.+ko? She was someone who would evade getting into a discussion, an inconversable hime-miko. "Eh? It's like that?" G.o.dou 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 pa.s.sive 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^ who provided help to all living things combined with the indignant nature of an Acala 1 J reincarnation. 'Til give it a try and see what happens " This kind of thinking was imprudent, parallel to some sort of evil thought. G.o.dou 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 relations.h.i.+p with Yuri. After spending two minutes stressing over this, G.o.dou 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, G.o.dou had entered a tiger's cave. When the night pa.s.sed, it was December 20th. Just as before, it was G.o.dou'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. Cuc.u.mbers, 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." G.o.dou was trying to comfort his sister while opening the door to the fridge. He took out some natto 1 J , 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?" s.h.i.+zuka stood up and walked towards the front door while G.o.dou continued eating. Perhaps his mind was entangled by doubt. After s.h.i.+zuka opened the front door, a beautiful girl wearing her uniform came into view. "M-Mariya-senpai!?" That said, the two girls had an uppercla.s.smen-undercla.s.smen relations.h.i.+p in the tea ceremony club. Mariya Yuri elegantly lowered her head and spoke towards the startled undercla.s.smen. "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 G.o.dou who was standing behind s.h.i.+zuka. Mariya Yuri had a stern and serious expression comparable to when a n.o.ble princess adjudicates over sinners. Regarding the G.o.dslaying devil king as an adversary, she casted an intense seriousness that was much different than the highly ranked girl's usual cautiousness. G.o.dou 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. G.o.dou braced himself and responded to the princess's calling. Part 2 G.o.dou terminated his plans of eating together with s.h.i.+zuka and decided to save his breakfast in order to eat it at night. Fortunately clothing for him was not an issue. G.o.dou put on the s.h.i.+rt from his school uniform and a coat, then immediately left after picking up his backpack. However, s.h.i.+zuka'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 G.o.dou 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 G.o.dou's heart. This was because the maiden by his side was both adorable and stunning, thus making him feel embarra.s.sed. 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 G.o.dou, what was the reason for yesterday's text message?" G.o.dou flinched after being suddenly questioned. Perhaps he was unable to speak about his aroused battle spirit caused by various circ.u.mstances? "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 G.o.dou. 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 G.o.d'. After that, the G.o.d came looking to quarrel with me, making me feel somewhat distressed. Once I crush that G.o.d, would it be better if he was submerged in Tokyo Bay or the Suruga Bay?' It seems Yuri's high cla.s.s temperament and her hime-miko duties were provoked. G.o.dou accurately antic.i.p.ated 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, n.o.ble, and had a habit of preaching and nagging others. Even though he cowered in fear from her aggressive att.i.tude, G.o.dou 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 G.o.d into j.a.pan and now you intend to cause ma.s.s destruction once again!? Your concern for the surrounding area is completely inadequate!" "W-Wait a second, Mariya." G.o.dou 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. G.o.dou 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, G.o.dou immediately followed up by yelling "Mariya" and closed in greatly. The distance between G.o.dou and Yuri was practically nonexistent as G.o.dou 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." G.o.dou 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 G.o.dou-san " Suddenly, Yuri quietly stated G.o.dou's name. This was really unfathomable since it was obviously an offensive change. However, G.o.dou 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 G.o.dou. Her entire face turned red as she was probably very embarra.s.sed. At this time G.o.dou 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 G.o.dou feel ecstatic. The beautiful hime-miko, who was fl.u.s.tered because of the close distance and wished to have some separation, suddenly spoke in a whisper. "Anything that the King No, if it is G.o.dou-san's wish then I will try my best in response. However, I have something that I want to say about this." G.o.dou'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 G.o.dou. "I didn't think G.o.dou-san was lying." "Eh!?" "I don't know why I would wishfully think that G.o.dou 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 G.o.dou's sense of guilt. "R-Regarding this, please allow me to once again apologize " "To earn a person's trust takes many years to acc.u.mulate, however losing trust in a person only takes a swift moment I feel that what G.o.dou-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, G.o.dou did not hesitate when offering the highest level method of forgiveness seeking. He immediately utilized a prized technique pa.s.sed 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 G.o.dou experience the same feeling that I just experienced " Just like that she stopped him in his tracks. G.o.dou 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 cla.s.s 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. Cla.s.s five's Kusanagi, I'm on to you!" G.o.dou heard this unfortunate intermittent whispering. Looking to his side, there were two girl students who appeared to be from Yuri's cla.s.s located not too far away from them. The one with the gla.s.ses was Sawa-san, the pet.i.te 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, G.o.dou 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 G.o.dou and Yuri to enter inside. Part 3 G.o.dou and Yuri ran towards the vast courtyard in the Nezu Shrine. Five minutes had already pa.s.sed 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. G.o.dou discreetly tilted his head, just now he was clearly conflicted by his own lie. Moreover it was tantamount to yesterday morning. G.o.dou and Yuri evidently had nothing to say, but their line of sight suddenly crossed paths. Yuri candidly lowered her head and gracefully smiled. Considering G.o.dou had said some outlandish things, this approach was appropriate. The taut atmosphere from before seemed like it was merely a farce. "G.o.dou-san, I actually noticed this prior to now." Yuri suddenly started talking as she casually walked in a uniform posture. "I noticed that I no, we, forgot something very important." "You too Mariya!?" G.o.dou was absolutely astounded. Could it be that Mariya's situation was the same? "Recently, I have been unable to remain at peace because I feel like I've forgotten something important. It repeatedly felt like there was some sort of prearranged plan around Christmas " "Christmas?" "Ah, there was also the text I received from a person that I supposedly know which said something was going to be revived during the winter solstice and that I should be careful. It was full of some vague matters that would make anyone feel very confused." The purpose of the unspecified delivery address was probably to prevent the ident.i.ty of the sender from being discovered. However, up until now there was still no response and the intention to respond probably never existed. However, back to the main topic G.o.dou thought of something while Yuri was talking. At this time, there seems to be someone who can fill in the blanks for Kusanagi G.o.dou. Just like Yuri, there also seems to be some sort of other person . Letting her cover his back and fighting side by side, sometimes she would bicker while other times she would share opinions and offer advice. Occasionally she would create complications that would drive people crazy. However, they would also hang out together at times. What other instances would there have to be in order for her to be a suitable partner? G.o.dou desperately reflected upon this bleary memory of his. However this was insufficient, it was still inadequate. If only there was some kind of opportunity ! Afterwards, G.o.dou heard Yuri mention a divine revelation. "Ever since ancient times, the winter solstice has always been an important sacrificial day for welcoming the G.o.d of bountiful harvests. The people express grat.i.tude for the b.u.mper harvest in the fall and feel very joyous towards the arrival of the winter solstice. Furthermore, they celebrate the coming of spring and request the omnipotent to start storing power." !? G.o.dou looked to his side while Yuri gazed at G.o.dou with a dazed expression. "What's wrong G.o.dou-san?" Just then, did she use her spirit vision to obtain that divine revelation? How typical of her. Under situations which lacked awareness of the circ.u.mstances, her ability would oftentimes be able to grant useful declarations. Even in this condition where the situation was unclear, as long as they had her power then . Like having discovered a beacon illuminating the road ahead, G.o.dou heavily nodded. He felt that the suspended hands of a clock have now clicked and once again started to move at an uptempo. In the end, G.o.dou and Yuri arrived at the school together. Walking together within the school is still too great of a difficulty. This was why the two of them separated at the shoe cabinet located at the front doors of the school and headed to their respective cla.s.ses. Tomorrow was already going to be the graduation ceremony and the day after on the 22nd was the start of winter break. Due to this, a complacent atmosphere was found within the school. Cla.s.ses were going to end soon and all the teachers and students within the school were cleaning sort of like a ma.s.s cleanup. It was probably influenced by this kind of atmosphere. Speaking of which, today Erica showed up. She appeared to be in charge of the cleanup group for the science room. She quickly brought some people who were students that in the same cla.s.s as her and who had a pretty good relations.h.i.+p with her to go with. Of course for Erica, displaying her own hard working att.i.tude would probably be implementing effective commands to instruct other people to quickly finish cleaning By the way, G.o.dou was part of the hallway cleanup group while Liliana was part of her cla.s.s cla.s.s five's cleanup group. When G.o.dou would occasionally enter the cla.s.sroom, he felt as if the silver-haired knight was eyeing him with criticism. But he bypa.s.sed the notion that she was concentrating on him. Believing he was just overthinking this, G.o.dou focused on his cleaning. Once they finally finished cleaning, it was time to head home. While G.o.dou was preparing to leave, the group of three consisting of Nanami, Sorimachi, and Takagi approached him. "Hey Kusanagi, you always seem to be involved in these strange rumors." "Although I think it's just a joke, I should still do a quick confirmation. You and Mariya-san this matter regarding the socialization with the overwhelmingly top ranked girl of the Nades.h.i.+ko section in my school, was it true?" "F-Furthermore even though you guys already arranged plans for marriage, Mariya was depressed because you had an affair!" G.o.dou frowned and muttered "huh?". "Although I know where this kind of silly rumor came from there has to be a limit on circ.u.mventing the truth. If lies like these were spread around, it would create complications for me and Mariya." The indignant G.o.dou said this while in a sour mood. Afterwards, the three idiots suddenly nodded their heads and displayed a smile on their faces. "Ha ha ha, I guess you are right." "I just knew that you and Mariya-san becoming a couple had to be a joke." "There is eye-witness information saying you two were arguing on the way to school. However the result was that you guys happily arrived at school walking side by side after reconciling. This kind of strange information was broadcasted everywhere and we unwittingly came across this unconfirmed report which instigated some suspicion towards you." "Ah, no, the arguing and coming to school together was true." What.. .Did. ..You. ..Say!? After G.o.dou announced this fact, the expression of the three idiots changed for some reason. "The person telling this kind of nonsense was probably someone at the location and witnessed me and Mariya quarreling. However, the relations.h.i.+p is definitely not the same as what they said, I'm serious. Oh yeah, there is something I want to request from Nanami." G.o.dou spoke to his startled friend who had a frozen expression. "It's pretty tough to complete that game I borrowed from before, is it ok if I continue borrowing it?" "U-Uh huh. It would be fine even if you borrowed it for a year or two as long as you put your heart into it as you play. But Kusanagi, the things you just said can we believe in them?" "Huh?" "What he means is, we still have faith in you as our comrade, being one of the men who gallantly fights in solitude during Christmas against an empty reality, how could we not believe!?" "No, I don't have any plans to battle anyone during Christmas, none at all ?" Having no plans, for some reason he hesitated right after he finished speaking. It seemed as if he had the feeling that something was awaiting him. Part 4 Afterwards, on the way back home, G.o.dou headed towards the supermarket. The purpose of this was to carry out the obligations of his cooking responsibilities. For lunch, he simply tended to that by eating an onigiri bought from a convenience store. Ok then, what should I eat for tonight? I could eat the leftovers from this morning, but that will definitely not be enough. I have a lot of free time right now compared to my busy morning. While G.o.dou started to reflect on the few dishes he could adeptly cook, one problem came to mind. After considering this matter, tonight's dinner menu had to be prudently selected. How should he go about doing this? In the vegetable aisle of the supermarket, the perplexed G.o.dou heard a voice. "I happened to notice that you are doing something rarely seen from you in a place you infrequently visit." G.o.dou looked back and saw Liliana standing there wearing her uniform and holding a backpack. She probably just departed from school as well. "I hardly ever see you shopping in these kinds of stores." "Grandpa isn't here right now and today is my responsibility to prepare dinner. Did Liliana come here to go shopping as well?" When Liliana's maid Karen was on vacation in her home country, it would not be strange to see Liliana going shopping by herself. However she responded by shaking her head. "No, I actually wanted to confirm something so that is why I came here to see you." "Confirm?" "I heard you ruthlessly plucked the j.a.panese hime-miko Mariya Yuri and made her your possession. Furthermore, you even had an affair and abandoned her. What is this all about?" "P-Plucked?" G.o.dou stared blankly at Liliana who suddenly started talking incessantly. "This is the only time where I won't a.s.sess you as wrong. Mhmm, no matter how negligent you are on the battlefield like a monster, you are always appropriately conscientious during everyday life." "A-Appropriately?" "At best considered a person who became accustomed to living in society, yet still retaining a rather flawed notion of common sense this kind of person not only possesses many traits that cause other people complications but is also someone who pulls one's punches. This is exactly how I feel!" "Is this how you see me Liliana ?" "However, the actions you did towards Mariya Yuri were indeed too excessive. Unlike a gentleman, you lack the proper morality of a human being. I was really wrong about you." "No, although I can a.s.sume where you heard this kind of rumor from." G.o.dou used an indifferent tone to express his opinion to the aggressive Liliana. "You probably should've diligently double-checked this rumor against the facts before coming to find me. How about you try giving a call to Mariya, she will definitely refute this claim and say there is no truth behind it." "Eh ?" Suddenly, Liliana's imposing manner waned as she sank deep into thought. After contemplating this over, she displayed a "oh c.r.a.p" kind of expression. "Well, let me ask you again, Liliana did you come here to go shopping?" "J-Just forget about everything regarding this matter Kusanagi G.o.dou." Liliana let out a sigh as she spoke. The red-faced Liliana pretty much reverted back to her serious demeanor. "I'm sorry, after hearing the rumor, for some reason this kind of 'Kusanagi G.o.dou likes feminine charms and carelessly establishes relations.h.i.+ps with other girls very quickly' impression surfaced and I very naturally believed this rumor." "You were probably going off baseless facts!" In the end the two of them selected the ingredients together. To some degree, this scene involving a devil king and knight selecting ingredients in the fresh food section could be considered as some sort of parody. "Going beyond that explanation, it's time to worry about tonight's menu." "Buy cheap ingredients that are exceptionally discounted. Using those to cook dishes should be fine, right?" G.o.dou shook his head in response to the prevailing method Liliana offered. "In fact, I did that yesterday as well as the day before. Don't you think that conveniently cutting meat, fish, vegetables, and putting them all in a pot would be a very easy way to make them delicious? The tastes of most types of foods are acceptable just by doing some minor cooking I would think" said G.o.dou. However, while he still had more to say, an inconceivable feeling developed within him. "As a result, two days ago I made chanko and saved the leftovers to simmer in udon for yesterday's breakfast. After that, while I was making pickled cabbages yesterday night s.h.i.+zuka started to become agitated. So for this morning, I guess you can say the things I made were more cuisine-like." Once he recalled the expression of dissatisfaction on his sister again, G.o.dou became irritated. He thought, how annoying can a girl get. "So tonight's menu has to be selected carefully. However, because I'm unsure what kind of dishes are acceptable to a little girl I'm feeling quite distressed." Liliana sighed for some reason. G.o.dou cringed. He felt his counterpart wanted to say "you are a person who always needs someone else to take care of you". "Overall, I think I understand that you are definitely a loser instead of a winner in this domestic life battlefield." G.o.dou cowered at this criticism that he was completely unable to refute. "This is why I suggested the appointment of a butler and maid." "Whether it is yesterday or today, I will most likely never arrange such a thing. Well, let's just say I will not approve of this even beyond five years from now." "Then that exhausts all your options. Looks like you need a charitable counterpart." The moment he heard this, G.o.dou blinked repeatedly in surprise. Liliana said charitable? Does that mean . Afterwards, an hour had pa.s.sed. The silhouette of the fairy-like silver-haired European beauty could be seen skillfully making dishes at the Kusanagi household. Taking the cut up pieces of white radish, cuc.u.mbers, carrots, celery, etc. she turned the components into a salad and included some cream and cheese as dessert. Furthermore there were crunchy deep fried pumpkins, fried sweet potatoes, fried lotus roots, and egg rolls made out of shrimp and avocado. She was able to create many vegetable and meat dishes in a concise amount of time. Plus, she took G.o.dou's leftover miso soup from earlier this morning and added it to the curry powder. Following that, other ingredients such as bacon, lettuce, tomato, and so on were included. The result was the creation of a BLT (the abbreviation stands for Bacon, Lettuce, Tomato) soup that tasted like curry. When seeing those ingredients ama.s.sed together, at the time there was a certain curiosity as to what it was going to be morphed into. After giving it a quick taste, a brilliantly created Western style flavor could be detected. As expected, the workmans.h.i.+p could only be considered admirable if this kind of sensation was induced to others. "I'm very sorry that these are only some casually made food." After finis.h.i.+ng her cooking, Liliana apologized. "At the very least I do believe my cooking isn't as atrocious as yours." "I guess so it definitely felt like the workload didn't really change." "I'm afraid you carry an 'as long as it is edible it is fine' kind of att.i.tude while haphazardly cooking. However, I believe the art of cooking parallel to romance, some degree of pa.s.sion is still needed." "Uh " While criticizing G.o.dou's careless nature, Liliana appeared to have become a fearless speaker. This was probably self-inflicted. G.o.dou cringed as a result. "O-Overall you really helped me out a great deal, thank you. If it's not too much trouble, would you like to also stay here for dinner Liliana?" "I don't have any plans for today but disturbing your family gathering is not ideal, please forgive my refusal." Liliana used the perfect excuse to decline G.o.dou's invitation. Well, there will always be some conflict no matter how many times a person suddenly eats at someone else's house. In fact, the level of G.o.dou and Liliana's relations.h.i.+p was also inadequate.. G.o.dou thought about this while nodding. However, he was really incapable of comprehending this situation. For some reason, seeing Liliana stand in the kitchen of his house made him feel nostalgic. She was wearing a uniform and a scarf, using a kitchen knife, while lighting the fire on the stove . Nevertheless, it was quite unimaginable as to how the European beauty felt at home in an aged j.a.panese house that was unsuited for her. She a.s.similated to the setting of the Kusanagi household, making G.o.dou feel very nostalgic. "Oh yeah, Liliana, this is your first time coming to my house right?" "Eh? Yeah it should be, ah, no eh?" Liliana tilted her head and looked completely puzzled by G.o.dou's inquiry. "Today is certainly the first time, I think?" "I also feel that is the case " The two of them were facing one another with their expressions aligned as they were pondering. Although this should be the case, something feels very suspicious. Burdened with doubt, G.o.dou looked directly at Liliana who possessed a pure and beautiful complexion. Afterwards, Liliana shyly casted down her eyes and nervously looked around the kitchen. "P-Please don't look at me like this, it'll make me feel very embarra.s.sed " "l-I'm sorry. I don't mean it like that." The fl.u.s.tered silver-haired beauty moved away from his line of sight. Seemingly wanting to change the subject, Liliana decided to speak up. "Kusanagi G.o.dou, you haven't really tidied up these past couple of days have you? There is a dirt stain in the corner." "Ah I did remember contemplating wanting to straighten up the place a few times." "Still as carefree as ever. I understand now, coming to disturb you today could be considered as fate's doing to bring us together." Liliana suddenly went to the hallway, opened the storage room, and took out the vacuum that was placed in there as well as a duster and cleaning rag. She was promptly on the move as if she knew in advance where the cleaning tools were. "Ah, I didn't intend to impress you with cleaning duties too!" "Don't worry about it, the longer someone sees the stains in this house the more disgusted they would feel." As soon as she finished speaking, Liliana swiftly commenced cleaning. She first tidied up the things scattered along the hallway, bed and so on. Afterwards, it was of course time for the vacuum and duster to take the stage. They could reach places to clean that was inaccessible to a cleaning rag. "No don't, I didn't intend to trouble you to this extent." "Don't worry, I might as well do it while I'm here." Dressed up in a uniform and ap.r.o.n, Liliana was hard at work with the cleanup. This kind of routine-esque appearance gave people the impression that she was a newly-wed wife who undertakes the household duties all by herself. Not only that, a mysterious magical force arising from her enduring att.i.tude made G.o.dou's heart skip endlessly. In short, he was unable to just let her clean alone. As a result, G.o.dou also helped clean in all quarters of the Kusanagi household. In G.o.dou's point of view, Liliana seemed to behave as if she was instructed by the King's request or something along those lines. Because of that, he decided to join her in the cleanup. During this occasional rest day, he sank into the awkward situation undertaking the role of a husband helping the wife of the house in tidying up. This type of impression emerged in G.o.dou. At its conclusion, Liliana went home upon completing one hour of cleaning. "That said, people in j.a.pan would thoroughly clean their house during the end of year " In the end, G.o.dou muttered to himself. Although she was still far away from the meticulously cleaned first and second floor of the Kusanagi household, G.o.dou still decided to wait for the return of s.h.i.+zuka inside the sublimely transformed house along with Liliana's diligently prepared dinner. Soon after, the night had finally ushered in . "Onii-chan the situation regarding Mariya-senpai today was already a problematic issue and now you bring a girl home!? There's no use playing dumb! Whether it's the dinner or the house that has become sparkling clean, it's obvious that it isn't Onii-chan who did it! Who did you bring over? It was Mariya-senpai wasn't it? Or was it another girl? It would probably be in your best interest to plead guilty!" That night, G.o.dou's house was filled with the affectionate conversation between brother and sister. According to s.h.i.+zuka, the silhouettes of girls had recently congregated around G.o.dou. Don't be silly, I'm not the same as grandpa. G.o.dou retorted in this way numerous times before finally driving away s.h.i.+zuka. After returning to his room, G.o.dou sighed in relief. At this time there was an incoming call on his cellphone. It was Yuri calling, G.o.dou instantly picked up. "h.e.l.lo, is this Mariya?" "Yes, I'm sorry for calling this late at night. If I may ask, are you free at the moment?" After the polite greetings the conversation got underway. This kind of etiquette and adherence to discipline is a trait of Yuri's. G.o.dou was surrept.i.tiously happy to be able to talk to her. After hearing her voice through the phone, G.o.dou immediately focused his attention. "In regards to that situation up until now, there is one thing to report." "That situation concerning Santa Clauses turning grey?" "Yes, that phenomenon manifested itself this afternoon in the following seven locations which seem to have all been confirmed: Yotsuya, Mejiro, Nakano, Yoyogi, Roppongi, Nakameguro, Yurakucho right now Amakasu-san is currently on his way to investigate." "It's still recurring?" In the end, the Grey One committing "suicide" at Odaiba did not conclude this matter. Plus the event had occurred in an imposing manner where it appears to be playing catchup for the last couple of days. "After whatever you did was all said and done, were there any breakthroughs? If only Amakasu-san had information to pa.s.s along " "In regards to this situation, I have an idea what it is." "Eh!?" G.o.dou was stunned at Yuri's sudden admission. "After hearing the reports, I was bestowed with a divine revelation through my spirit vision. At long last I saw it. Although, I'm not sure whether or not this is accurate it's Erica-san." "Huh, why that person?" Could Erica really be the culprit? What does this all equate to? "Even though she is a bit deceitful, she isn't the type of person who would carry out these sort of pranks." "I agree. However, I have a very strong feeling that the crux for solving this situation at least focuses around Erica-san." Erica Blandelli, out of all the people G.o.dou knew, she was the most gorgeous and the most talented girl. What information was she withholding? Without any clues, G.o.dou nodded his head. Either call it quits or go through with it till the end no, since matters have reached this stage, it would be best to bravely advance towards the finale. References 1 . t The yuzu bath, known commonly as yuzuyu, but also as yuzuburo, is said to guard against colds, treat the roughness of skin, warm the body, and relax the mind. Consuming pumpkins during the Winter Solstice supposedly helps prevent sicknesses as well. 2. t Guanyin is the bodhisattva a.s.sociated with compa.s.sion as venerated by East Asian Buddhists, usually as a female. The name Guanyin is short for Guans.h.i.+yin, which means "Observing the Sounds (or Cries) of the World". 3. t Acala (literally "immovable" one.) is one of fierce, angry-faced guardian deities of Vajrayana Buddhism, otherwise known as esoteric Buddhism, and is particularly revered by Buddhists in j.a.pan. 4. t Natto is a traditional j.a.panese food made from fermented soybeans. It is popular especially as a breakfast food.