Glancing at the message he’d received, Shinichi went straight to the point.
He figured there must’ve been something that Myuhi wanted from him, and it seemed he was right, as Myuhi found herself frozen, as though caught, and a wry smile found its way on her lips.
“Ahaha, you noticed?”
“Think I wouldn’t? After looking for your timing from behind me this whole time, and all the times you controlled your breath and told yourself to calm down? Of course, I noticed.”
“Uu.”
Speechless, Myuhi flushed beet red. It wasn’t just because she’d been seen through. Being so close to him physically was a huge hurdle for her too psychologically.
The fact that she had mustered enough resolve to go through with something like this could only mean that she wanted to talk about something that could only be spoken of in such close proximity.
“Well, okay, if you’ve figured out that much, then I’ll get straight to the point. In the end, who were Mo-chan’s managers?”
“I’m pretty sure I’ve dropped enough hints though.”
“Well, unlike a certain someone, I can’t figure it out that fast.”
“Oh, but why are you so concerned about it anyway?”
Shinichi grinned, while Myuhi was speechless.
From the expression he wore, clearly he knew why but was intentionally going out of his way to make her say it anyway.
“It’s you we’re talking about, so if you’ve judged she’ll be fine, I’m sure that’s the case, but you know, a girl can’t help wonder when you’re being all so mysterious about it. Anyway, I helped protect her too, so isn’t it normal for me to worry?”
Her voice was tinged with a mix of sulking and bashfulness, and that made him chuckle softly, but really, it was only those last words that he really needed to hear.
So, in his own slightly distorted yet honest way, he said.
“As honest as ever, well, if I were to put it concisely, I have just two word: Central 3.”
“!?”
It was impressive how Myuhi managed to keep her surprise from leaking out the moment those two words dropped, but alas, with how close they were right now, there was still no masking that momentary drop in her breathing.
“Where did you learn those words? Or rather, seriously?”
“You’d be surprised what you can figure out if you dig around a little… And of course, I’m serious.”
That was a Japanese translation of a certain term — a jargon from the underworld. A combination of a phrase and a number, the former indicating affiliation and the latter signifying role. In this case, “Central” referred to the government of Garesto while the “3” had roots in Garesto’s pre-modern military structure, where unit types and roles were identified by numbers.
In this case, “3” referred to what was now considered the intelligence division, but it carried another, more specific connotation – one more appropriate in this case – translated into Japanese, it is none other than ‘Secret Protection Unit.’
“But that would mean!”
That was a covert government-affiliated special force, tasked with guarding or monitoring individuals who, for one reason or another, could not have publicly assigned escorts. Many times, the subjects themselves were unaware of being guarded.
Myuhi gasped as realization struck her. Those people have been with Monica since her debut as well.
“So, you’re saying… she’s…?”
“Yeah, even without the issues surrounding her songs, she was always someone with problematic circumstances.”
Monica had has always been a complicated figure. A rare songstress, a half-blood born before interworld relations were even public, and a symbol of the cultural exchange. Even with just that, her situation would’ve been plenty dicey, yet, it turns out there was a hidden story to her that the Garesto government wanted to keep completely under wraps—something far beyond the official story of her identity.
“No wonder the government acted so quickly after what happened yesterday,” Myuhi said with a knowing smile. “So they were basically being indirectly threatened by the Mask who now knows their secret. Icchi, you showed them the mask on purpose, didn’t you? Hoping to put that pressure to use. Oh, those poor things, they were so shaken up after the concert.”
She chuckled sympathetically as though fully understanding their plight. Shinichi neither confirmed nor denied her accusations, simply offering a shrug and a faint smile. His expression, however, soon turned serious as he said.
“Let’s make one thing clear, I’m not telling you anything about her ‘situation.’ Not when even she doesn’t know, and especially not when it’s something the government is desperate to keep hidden. I can’t just hand that over to you guys so easily. Unless, of course, you have a trade that’s worth it?”
He shot her a provocative look, as if daring her to try. But in response, Myuhi just wryly smiled, not bothering to rise up to the challenge. Meekly, she just surrendered.
“Alright, alright, I’ll stop here for now.”
“Wise choice.”
“Yeah, I mean, getting glared at is one thing, but being envied? I’m still not used to that,” she said as she scratched her cheeks, exasperated.
“Hah?”
Rather than agree with him, it seemed more as though she was caught up with something else and did not know how to handle it.
Myuhi glanced briefly toward the source of her discomfort, and Shinichi, who quickly realized the gaze on her, pieced together what she meant and understood.
“Well, try to get along,” he said.
“Stop it. The difference in our position is making both my stomach and heart ache.”
“Well, that sounds about right,” Shinichi said with a laugh as he waved off her protests.
Before Myuhi could argue, Shinichi called over the lounge staff and ordered some drinks. That timing caught Myuhi off guard, and the thought that a complete third party had seen them cuddled so tightly left her too flustered to protest. By the time she could gather her thoughts, the drink had already arrived. Shinichi picked up the cup and saucer and quietly placed them beside.
“Tomo, your drink’s here.”
“Oh, thanks,” Tomoe replied absentmindedly. Her eyes never left the old book in her hands, but she knew exactly how everything was positioned around her. Her hand reached out, and as though nothing could be more natural, found the cup, and she brought it to her lips.
Satisfied, Shinichi stood up and walked away, not minding that Myuhi was still clinging stubbornly to his neck. She didn’t seem to mind being dragged along, and as if finally recovering her composure, she whispered with amusement.
“…You know, your knack for this sort of thing is starting to really impress me.”
“What sort of thing?”
“How you manage to rack up points effortlessly with everyone.”
“Hah?”
The confusion on Shinichi’s face brought a chuckle out of her, but it seemed she had no intention of explaining any further.
Shinichi could only tilt his head before letting the matter go. The fox-eared girl clung tightly to his back, laughing cheerfully as if nothing mattered.
“…You know, I’ve already gotten used to Ruona’s eccentricities, but the way he just accepts it all is really something.”
“Nah, he treats her better now actually. If it were before, he would’ve thrown her already. Oh, snap, they’re coming this way!”
The pair of bachelor men, who had been watching with resigned expressions at the boy and the girls snapped to attention as the people in question approached.
When Shinichi stopped in front of them, he spoke with a wry smile.
“Well done, Werbra. Your adjustments made it a lot easier to handle. Thanks.”
Shinichi said while holding up the foster in one hand. Those words seemed to breathe life into the previously drained Werbra, and confidence and curiosity immediately lit up on his face.
“Right? Right! It was really interesting for me too. I’ve tinkered with all sorts of stuff so far, but this was new!”
“Oh my, since when did you illegally modify the foster?” Myuhi asked with a sly grin.
“It’s not illegal,” Shinichi replied with a deadpan tone.
“Yeah!” Werbra chimed in defensively. “This time, it was just a minor adjustment for Quick Extract compatibility and some component swaps that’s allowed for tech students. It’s a simple fix that requires ten minutes at most!”
Despite the two denying her accusations, Myuhi’s skeptical glare didn’t waver, especially at Werbra, whose casual confession bordered on incrimination.
Unlike Shinichi, who was unfazed, Werbra broke out in a cold sweat and fell silent as he did his best to resist the overwhelming urge to explain any further. Fortunately, a lifeline arrived in the form of a question.
“Q-Quick Extract? What’s that?” Shinguuji asked.
“Huh, you didn’t know, Guu-chan? It’s a high-speed photon extraction method that Icchi came up with despite his low Mind stat. It was originally a fringe theory someone proposed, but he made it happen,” Myuhi said.
“Oh, so he realized the theory? That makes sense,” Shinguuji Ryou said with a mix of trust and resignation, nodding as though nothing less could be expected from Shinichi.
Despite still clinging to him, Myuhi’s amusement at Ryou’s reaction was unmistakable.
“You’re really hopeless at some things, but when it comes to the strangest ideas, you master them terrifyingly fast, don’t you?” Ryou remarked, half in awe and half in disbelief.
For someone like Ryou, who had been using the foster for over a year longer than Shinichi, the latter’s learning speed – especially with unconventional skills and techniques – was downright absurd.
That being said, as Shinichi’s dormmate, Ryou had once visited his room and was able to find out just how incompetent he was at domestic chores like cleaning and organizing.
He didn’t say anything about it, but secretly, he prided himself to be the first among his peers to know of this glaring weakness of his.
“Yeah, I’ve once been described as clumsy but instinct-driven,” Shinichi shrugged. “If it’s something that clicks with my instincts, I pick it up fast, but if it doesn’t, I’ll never learn it. It’s a double-edged sword.”
Ryou didn’t really get it, but he just nodded anyway. If Shinichi says so, then that’s probably the case.
Shinichi, however, responded with a small, knowing smile.
“—So, tell me. Which part did you fail to understand?”
“Ugh!”
Shinichi saw through Ryou’s unease and went right into the heart of the matter, and Ryou immediately winced as he put two and two together and realized that Shinichi was talking about his assignment.
Yes, it didn’t take all that much to realize that despite the brevity of Shinichi’s words.
After all, it was none other than Shinichi who had given him that task last night.
“…Erm, so I read the attached files in sequence but nothing made sense from the 4th page.”
Shinichi knew he could directly hand over the old book to Tomoe since he needed to get his uniform back, but he wasn’t sure if he would be able to meet Ryou, so he’d already given him his assignments last night.
“So you were the type to skip the instructions, huh.”
“Hah?”
“I clearly wrote there that the tasks have been divided by page, and you have to train in order, or you won’t get it.”
“Geh.”
Shinichi chuckled despite expecting this result, while Ryou became embarrassed and speechless.
“So, what should you do now, my foolish disciple?”
“I’ll start from page one. No, I’ll start from the cover and read everything properly, Master!”
Shinichi nodded in approval, and Ryou let out a breath of relief, though there was still some bitterness that lingered on his face from the frustration of having made such a basic mistake. Of course, Shinichi noticed that.
“I know the basics are boring and training can feel tedious.”
“It’s not that, really…”
“But for you just mastering the basics will make a huge difference.”
“Really?”
“If you want to survive in the field you’ve chosen, you’ll of course need to train past the basics, but regardless, the basics will become an important tool for you, a weaponwith which you can defeat the enemies from that lineage.”
“Well, yeah, but that doesn’t mean I only need the basics, right?”
“Your spiritual power is already off the charts. So, if you just build a solid foundation how to use it, you will easily be able to overwhelm others with just raw strength. In a sense, you’d be the strongest by just pushing through with the basics. Understand?”
Shinichi said as he thrust out a fist in front of Ryou. There was no malice from that of course, but just the sight of it motioning for him was enough to make Ryou sweat. A wry smile surfaced on him.
“I know that much. I mean when you’re forced to experience it for yourself, anyone would.”
Simply fast.
Simply strong.
Simply tough.
There had been nothing but simplicity whenever Shinichi attacked during their spars, yet Ryou had been completely overwhelmed. THat was a fight void of any fancy or spectacular tricks. Really, there was no better advocate for simple and straight up fighting than Shinichi himself.
“Wait, don’t tell me. Was that training all part of your plan?”
Ryou suddenly realized that Shinichi had probably anticipated this and set up the training accordingly.
Shinichi only faintly smiled in response but that was confirmation in and of itself.
“I didn’t expect you to grow so fast though.”
“Ouch!”
Was it out of jealousy or annoyance?
Or perhaps it was meant to be a tit-for-tat for all those times he’s been made to redo his training plans?
Regardless, from his fist that was extended, Shinichi extended a finger and flicked Ryou on the head, causing the talented student to wince in pain.
“Keep surpassing my expectations, alright?”
Shinichi left behind only those words full of expectation before leaving the scene with the fox-eared girl in tow.
“That bastard…”
Ryou could only watch Shinichi leave as he rubbed his forehead in pain.
But while his words might suggest that he was unhappy, the expression on his face told a completely different story.
Not a hint of discouragement could be seen on his face, only determination and an audacious confidence, as if he was silently declaring that he would take on any challenge thrown his way.
“He’s quite the charmer, huh,” Werner remarked with a rueful smile after quietly watching everything from the side.
“That’s one way of putting it,” Myuhi said.
Shinichi hadn’t gotten that far yet, so both he and Myuhi could hear them loud and clear. And apparently, Myuhi shared Werner’s sentiments, only there was another emotion that laced her words, the expression on her softening as she became thoughtful.
“Doesn’t it get tough playing the part of the ‘big brother’ all the time?”
The Songstress seemed to view this part of Shinichi with approval, but Myuhi thought differently, and she couldn’t help but ask that question in concern. There was a tone of reprimand to her words, as though she was either worried or discontented that Shinichi was pushing himself to take on such a role, but without even missing a beat, Shinichi responded by asking a question of his own.
“Would you ask a chameleon that question?”
He said those words with unwavering confidence in his own identity. With that bright smile, void of any pretense, he declared boldly that he wasn’t playing a role due to some bad habit he picked up from his environment. No, this was who he was, a trait he developed naturally, something he embraced with pride. There was no hint of arrogance in the way he said it too, only clarity as he explained his stance.
For a moment, Myuhi found herself blinking in surprise, then a wry smile surfaced on her lips. Perhaps she had been wrong in her assumptions. Whether it was a form of self-deception, a simple case of stubbornness, or a pure truth, she couldn’t say for sure, but one thing was certain – his response had left her with no way to argue.
“You’re a people pleaser through and through, aren’t you?” she said.
In response, Shinichi didn’t even flinch, and his response came readily.
“Not really, there are just some people I like to please.”
“That’s a problem too,” she retorted, her grip around his waist tightening as she looked ahead.
Since earlier, that same envious gaze had been locked onto her.
“Hey, it’s getting hard to breathe. Loosen up a bit.”
“…No matter what, you’re not going to ask me to let go, huh? That’s why you’re so annoying.”
“What in the world are you even complaining about?”
Shinichi, perplexed by her words, merely shrugged in response. He couldn’t understand what was so wrong with his behavior. However, despite his lack of understanding, he allowed the fox girl to cling to him. After all, it was no trouble to him. In fact, he didn’t mind it at all.
“Tsk! This lack of reaction. Why does it feel like such a huge defeat as a woman? Darn you!” Myuhi complained, her voice tinged with a playful yet slightly frustrated tone, but while her words suggested displeasure, the liveliness of her fox ears and tail said otherwise.
Meanwhile, the owner of that envious gaze was already on the verge of eating her handkerchief.
“Thank you for you hard work, Teach!”
Despite knowing that he was being watched – finding that amusing – Shinichi ignored it and just spoke out to the white haired beauty of a teacher that was currently resting her entire back against the sofa.
“Ah, Nakamura. We somehow made it through. It’s all tahnks to your advice!”
Frire obviously noticed Shinichi and even responded to him, but apparently, she had no plans on so much as budging an inch from her current position, only responding to him with an exhausted voice.
It was curious if it was her pride as a teacher that made her respond to Shinichi despite her exhaustion,
or if it was because he was someone that she could afford to be comfortable around that she didn’t bother to make herself proper.
“Padyuel, you were a huge help too. Thanks,” Shinichi said.
“Huh? Oh, no. Please consider this as the responsibilities of the elite.”
Aristel Padyuel was taken aback when Shinichi suddenly thanked her, and she immediately tore away her gaze and responded in that adult like manner. Aristel was seated across the table from Frire’s sofa, her extravagant blue ringlet curls were a statement on their own. Officially, she had come here to fulfill her duties, but the truth was that she had wanted to see someone. Unfortunately, she hesitated too much to call to him while he was eating that Frire found her first and took her away.
Regardless, perhaps due to her position or her familiarity with such tasks, she handled everything with remarkable efficiency, and as a result, she watched everything that happen to the boy.
“Anyway, it was really nice of you to get us this tea.”
As if to change the topic, Aristel expressed her gratitude while gesturing toward the cup filled with amber liquid.
Though she did not do anything fancy, the grace and poise given to her by her refined upbringing shone brilliantly through her conduct.
A voice of admiration cried out from behind Shinichi, though it seemed on purpose.
“Ah, that hits the spot.
Herb tea, right? It’s good for moistening the throat of course, but it has a calming fragrance to it too,” Frire said.
“That’s great.
But I wasn’t the one who picked it out or made it, you know,” Shinichi said.
“But you were the one who requested it, right?
In that case, we owe it to you regardless.”
The young lady beamed with a radiant smile as she said that. But while that was true, being thanked for something so minor made Shinichi shy.
All he really did was to notice the two of them tired, engrossed in their work without so much as a drink, so he had asked the staff to bring them something to drink.
He didn’t think much of it, considering it to be merely common courtesy, but it was precisely that thoughtfulness that brought Frire and Aristel genuine delight, and they found the sight of his flustered almost embarrassed expression to be endearing, drawing a gentle smile on their lips.
Alas, such gentleness faded as they turned to Myuhi.
“─────By the way, Myuhi-san?
How long do you plan to cling to Shinichi-san?
Though there might only be a few of us present, you are still among other people. Please control yourself.”
Aristel may have been a noble lady from another world, but that elegant smile she made while glaring coldly at Myuhi was no different from the sharpest diplomatic smiles here on Earth. However, while she approached the matter from a perspective of decency, the emotions imbued into her words were really more that of jealousy and envy, such that the expression painted on her garnered more apology than fear. Especially, to the person in question.
“Okay, okay, already. I’ll stop,” Myuhi said.
“Woah!?”
Perhaps because she couldn’t bear it anymore, Myuhi pushed that back that she had been enjoying this whole time,
and directed it toward that face that was looking at her with such envy, to none other than that noble lady.
There was no ill will behind that action other than to get her off her back,
but her actions were so sudden that Shinichi ended up falling for real.
“Huh?” “Uwaah!?”
Despite the abruptness of the situation, Shinichi managed to support himself by extending a leg,
but unfortunately, he ended up hitting the table and breaking his posture,
resulting in him being pushed further forward by gravity.
“Woah!?” “Kyaa!”
As a result, he ended up being thrown straight into Aristel, and a shrill cry resounded right by his hears.
As he inevitably found himself clinging to the young lady, he felt the soft sensation of her whole body against his. Of particular note of course were her bountiful breasts.
“Erm, are you alright?”
Fortunately, they at least managed to keep themselves from butting heads, but the boy and the girl were clearly huddled up close now, his face buried right into her neck.
A concerned voice called out to him from right up close, but a closer look would show a face flushed in red that seemed very eager for this situation.
When he felt her arms wrapped around his back – no doubt because she tried to catch him – his heart of mishchief stirred even more,
and for a moment, he wondered if he should whisper sweet words by her ear,
or caress her flushed face,
or then again, perhaps he should kiss her neck hard enough to leave a hickey?
“Or you know what? Let’s not. I mean, just how cliche can you get?”
All sorts of other dangerous imaginations surfaced on Shinichi’s naughty mind, but in the end what won out was his disbelief at this cliche situation of ‘tripping and finding himself in a woman’s arms’.
Really, if anything, it almost looks like he tried to force himself on her. As he analzyed their respective position and how they’d found themselves wrapped up in each other’s arms calmly, Shinichi placed his hand against the sofa and he pushed himself up.
“Sorry about that, you okay?”
“Oh, don’t worry about me. By all means, please feel free to embrace me even harder!
Erm, no, I mean, uh, are you alright?”
For a moment, Aristel let out her true thoughts, so she quickly corrected herself and tried to say something normal. Alas, with the deep shade of red on her becoming even redder, and the brazen display of joy in her eyes, it was all to no avail.
At the same time, Shinichi realized that trying to poke her like this could only end in him digging his own grave. So, he just allowed himself to be fooled by her and said that he was alright.
“Hmm… Well, let’s just consider this an act of god this time. Ruona.”
Frire didn’t reprimand Myuhi this time for the ruckus she caused, but she made sure to call her out as a warning, as if to say that next time she wouldn’t be getting off lightly. Meanwhile, Myuhi, who for some reason had been petrified this whole time, suddenly regained her wits and put her hands together in an apology.
“Sorry, sorry, I put a lot more strength in that than I thought, teehee!”
“Sigh, a girl like you is seriously…”
But of course, despite the contents of her words, not a hint of reflection could be seen in her attitude, so Frire just shook her head and sighed.
Aristel had something to say about that, but before she could, Shinichi interjected.
“Umm…” Aristel said.
“Don’t worry, Teach. I don’t mind at all,” Shinichi said.
“Nakamura…” Frire said.
“It’s my fault for not watching my back,” Shinichi said.
So it wasn’t anything to make a commotion about, he seemed to say, but while the teacher fell silent at that, the two women had contrasting expressions. The young lady was happy and for some reason jealous, while the fox girl’s eyes were swimming at full force as she scratched her flushed cheeks.
“…What a bad man.”
In the end, Myuhi could offer no resistance other than to mutter those words.
Though it was Myuhi herself who chose to say those words, in the end, she couldn’t stop herself from blushing.
Evidently, she wasn’t mistaken, what with Shinichi noticing all that and chuckling to himself anyway.
“Hmm, I don’t really get it, but make sure to get your leg checked,” Frire said.
“Ah, I guess it’s a bit red?” Shinichi said.
Shinichi had tried to hide it, but Frire still saw him, so this time it was his turn to be flustered.
The fox girl and the young lady immediately recovered their wits, and they turned their attention to his legs. When Shinichi pulled up the cuffs of his pants, a red line could be seen on his skin.
Clearly, a bruise was left behind when his leg hit the table. But of course, Shinichi being Shinichi, a wave of his hand was all it took to make that bruise go away.
“I’m not sure how to feel about a man who could evade my attacks getting hurt from a fall,” Frire said.
Perhaps because she was a former soldier, or because she was from a world with advanced healing tech,
Frire was completely unaffected by the sight of a mere bruise, even smiling as she welcomed the familiar sight.
“Teacher Doneju, did you notice he was hurt?” Aristel asked.
“Well, he did hit that table pretty hard, and that amaryllis said it too.
When he’s not focusing, he’s below D Rank.
He was caught completely off guard this time, so I figured he might’ve gotten hurt.”
That was all there was to it.
And Frire looked at the young lady oddly, as though to ask what was so strange about that.
“I’m not sure if I should be impressed by how honest Fudonecchi is or by how dense she is.”
“Another frightful adversary, but I’m not going down without a fight!”
Myuhi had already forgotten about what the amaryllis had said until Shinichi hurt himself just now,
while Aristel actually burned with fighting spirit at the sight of a worthy adversary in her quest for love,
and finally, Shinichi just looked at everyone in disbelief while his face twitched.
“Youko, are you seriously trying to get all these women attack me?”
When Shinichi realized what his servant’s intentions were with these women, he couldn’t help but mutter to himself that this was no laughing matter, sighing with an exhausted face as he conveniently forgot that he was the one who made a move on them first.
But then again, that might just be him trying to run away from reality.
“Uh, I know things suddenly got a bit messy, but can we get down to business?”
That being said, running away didn’t seem like the wisest course of action either, so he decided to just do what he’d originally planned.
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