The War Arc begins. Kanata’s mornings are always lively, it seems…
The chirping of small birds and the morning sun on his cheek signal the start of a new day.
A small body curled up in his arms, the faint breaths of her chest… Lilith, she’s snuck into his bed again?
A slender body clinging to his back, the feel of her flat chest against him… Natsume is here too.
And this is the specialty of Room 649, the “Flat-Chested Sandwich.”
His ears are yanked hard. This is the expected preamble.
“Captain! You slept with Natsume and Lilith again! Listen! As a soldier, no, as a member of society, you need some morals…!”
“I think the one who should be reprimanded isn’t the one who was trespassed upon, but the one who trespassed…”
“…Be quiet… I want to sleep a little longer…”
“Natsume! You’re in your underwear again! I’ve told you many times to wear pajamas! And to rest in your own room!”
“…I’ve had enough nagging from Shuri. If you’re jealous, Shion, you can imitate her…”
“I-I’m not jealous at all!”
“…Ugh… It’s so noisy in the morning. You’d think they’d remember I’m not a morning person… Shion, send some nourishment to your brain, not just your breasts. Oh, and Natsume, you’re flat-chested but you live on instinct alone. Where is all that nourishment going?”
The little devil, the root of all evil, says this with a victim’s face, and the three-way war begins.
The flames of battle finally subside, and the three women, feeling the need for nourishment, agree to a temporary ceasefire.
Then Lilith and Shion begin preparing breakfast, while Natsume starts setting the table.
Kanata threads a scarlet crystal magatama and dog tags, gifts from Shuri, onto a sword-shaped pendant and puts it around his neck.
“What a beautiful magatama! And is that a sword pendant? Hey, hey, where did you buy it?”
Natsume, interested in his accessory, leans in to look at the golden ornament and magatama shining on his chest.
“I received both as gifts. The scarlet crystal magatama is a souvenir from Shuri’s hometown visit.”
The sword pendant wasn’t a gift, it was a forgotten item.
“Do they sell it in the City of Blazing Flames? Can I buy it online?”
“No way. Shuri said she couldn’t find anything satisfactory, so she had it custom-made. She could have compromised on a souvenir, but she’s so honest.”
Well, his was probably an afterthought. Shigure and Hotaru apparently wear matching magatamas.
They’re quite close. Come to think of it, comrade Axel mentioned seeing the two of them walking around Rocktown in matching outfits.
What a cliché couple. Just get married already.
“Even without the dog tags, anyone can tell you’re Lieutenant’s corpse just by the scar on your chest.”
Hey, Lilith. Don’t say such ominous things so early in the morning!
“Stop saying unlucky things, they might come true!”
“You might end up as a charred corpse, burned to a crisp. Burned, you see.”
Natsume, don’t say such unlucky things! I’m a Lieutenant!
Stop reusing the same joke, Johnny the punster.
“Like this teriyaki chicken? I’m not joking, I want to die in the embrace of a beautiful woman.”
“…Not in your chest?”
Natsume says something good for a change.
“Even better if it’s in my chest.”
As the chairman of the Breast Innovation Party, he has no choice but to answer honestly.
When it comes to breasts, there can be no lies. That’s stipulated in the party rules of the Breast Innovation Party.
“Lieutenant, you pervert. I have one question: in whose embrace would you prefer to die among these three?”
Lilith asks an unnecessary question. Uh, um…
The three girls, each vying for his attention, lean over the table… If he chooses one, hell awaits.
“…Well… um… regarding that answer… I would like to deal with it positively…”
“Indecisive! You trash! It’s obvious it would be me, a super beautiful girl!”
“…A lukewarm virgin is the worst.”
“…Sigh. You can make decisive choices on the battlefield, so why are you so useless in your private life?”
He receives a three-combo of anger, exasperation, and resignation in the morning, and his life gauge drops by half.
He’ll endure the harsh criticism for now. Well, maybe it’s not criticism. It seems true that he’s an indecisive, useless husband.
We, the Asura Unit, will sortie towards the battlefield tomorrow morning. We’ll be parting with the Garden for a while.
Basic training is over, so perhaps a stroll through the beautiful Rose Garden is in order.
Oh, I wonder how Beecham is doing, the one I left with Shigure-san?
I should go to the dojo.
At Shigure-san’s dojo, many disciples were engaged in training.
“Ah, pervert-kun!”
“Ah… you’re from Rinsei… the seriously naive one, wasn’t it?”
“Sakuya! Konohana Sakuya! You’re so off! Is your face the only interesting thing about you?”
What a great reaction. As expected of someone from Kamigata, or rather, Kami-gata.
“Kanata-, Sakuya isn’t stupid, you know?”
Abumi-san gently admonishes him, and his waist, weak to older-sister types, easily crumbles.
“I’m sorry.”
“That’s right! Vice Commander, say more, say more! Pervert-kun lacks manners!”
“Sakuya isn’t stupid, she’s a complete idiot. To be more precise, she’s an ‘idiot’.”
*Thud!*
Sakuya stumbles perfectly. A splendid reaction. As a reaction comedian, is she better than me?
As he shudders at the appearance of a powerful rival, Kotone gently interjects.
“It’s alright, Kanata-han. Your very life is a gag, you see.”
“Whose life is a gag!”
“But ever since you joined, you’ve had nothing but misfortune. You’ve really lived, haven’t you?”
Indeed. He’s impressed by his own tenacity. Surviving in a bargain sale of disasters.
Shigure-san, who had been listening to the stand-up comedy unfolding in the sacred dojo from a back seat, stands up.
“It seems you have energy to spare. Abumi, Kotone, I’ll let you spar.”
“Director, am I being left out?”
“Sakuya, you should spar with Kanata once. You’ll both gain something from it. Beecham, watch their fight carefully. Beecham, you’re similar to Sakuya. See how a sensory fighter gets toyed with by a thinking fighter.”
Hearing Shigure-san’s words, Sakuya glares at Kanata.
“Director, I won’t lose to Kanata! I admit he has talent, but he’s still a rookie! I’ll show you, Director, that I’m the real genius!”
Shigure-san is deliberately provoking her. It’s obvious she’ll get riled up.
“Is that so? Everyone, stop. Let’s witness the battle between Kenrou and Hien.”
The Rinsei disciples, having interrupted their training, sit in seiza on either side of the dojo and enter viewing mode.
Sakuya, “Hien,” I’ve wanted to fight her once, but having so many spectators is…
But with this setup, there’s no backing down. Shall I do it?
Kanata and Sakuya face each other with training swords. Shigure-san is the referee.
“Kanata, Sakuya, you may use all your skills and special abilities. I will stop you if I judge you will be seriously injured.”
“Is that alright, Director? A large-scale war is imminent.”
Sakuya is right, getting seriously injured before a major war is no laughing matter.
“There’s still time before we reach the battlefield. I’ll heal any injury unless it’s severe… Begin!”
At Shigure-san’s command, Sakuya closes the distance instantly and unleashes a flurry of attacks.
Fast! Her hand speed and accuracy are on par with Natsume’s. She truly has reason to call herself a genius!
To break through… Here! He deflects her upward strike with the Fifth Sword, Woodpecker, and counterattacks with the Six Swords, Shrieker’s Kagura, a rapid series of thrusts.
Sakuya, with her incredible reflexes, dodges the thrusts while retreating. An overhead combo shifts his focus upwards, but he also evades her leg sweep, the First Sword, Hiragumo, by leaping like a swallow.
Their distance increases, and they face each other again, glaring.
“Not bad. You’re interested in swordsmanship, not just breasts.”
“Yeah. If I die, I won’t be able to see breasts anymore.”
“But I’ll teach you there are always greater beings!”
Such an overconfident person. Can’t say I’m any different. I was arrogant until the Grim Reaper broke my pride.
They exchange blows dozens of times, but neither can break the stalemate.
He tries to catch her Wolf Eye between his combos, but she keeps her distance with swallow-like agility.
Sakuya, for her part, can’t land a decisive blow because she has to interrupt her combos due to his Wolf Eye.
Sakuya’s breathing is starting to quicken. But it’s still too early to make a move.
“…Were you waiting for me to get tired? That’s a perverted tactic.”
She noticed, huh? Her speed, and the freedom to choose her distance, also consumes the stamina needed to maintain that distance.
“I guess I have no choice. I’ll show you my secret move!”
Sakuya attacks, enveloped in wind! She’s really creating wind! Pyrokinetic hurricane?
She was already fast, but now she’s even faster! She’s riding a jet stream she created herself.
Besides using it for scything slashes, she can use it like this!
A furious onslaught, pouring all his stamina and Nenshin Power into it! At this rate, it’s only a matter of time before he’s broken.
But he has a plan too!
Sakuya, convinced of victory as she deflects his sword, is sent flying backward the next moment.
She doesn’t fall awkwardly, but lands on one knee, leaning on her sword like a staff.
“What in the world!”
“Nenshin Shockwave. It’s effective against lightweights like Sakuya.”
Unless you’re a one-trick pony like the Grim Reaper, having a wide repertoire decides the outcome.
His Nenshin Shockwave isn’t quite first-class yet, but against a small, lightweight opponent like Sakuya, it’s a sufficient weapon.
He’s grateful to Ikkaku-sensei, a master of Renki, for teaching him the trick, which allowed him to grow to the point where he can use it in actual combat.
Sakuya’s barrage has failed, and she’s sufficiently out of breath. Now, it’s his turn.
