Chapter 21: The Hero of Kawanohara City (Extra Update 4/16)
“Master, has your condition been not so good recently?”
Garuda asked, “You haven’t even put your phone on silent mode.”
He had been paying attention to Nagine during this time.
Nagine’s recent state was indeed very strange.
Mistakes like tonight’s were unusual.
If the phone rang while eavesdropping on the conversation between Maki and Amakusa, and if either Maki or Amakusa recognized the ringtone…
It would require a significant amount of time and effort to clean up afterward, or—
Eliminate them.
Although Nagine no longer used Starlight.
Garuda could detect that the influence of Starlight still lingered in her.
Last year, she hadn’t shown such signs.
As for the reason, both Garuda and Nagine knew full well.
But they had never spoken it out loud—
“Intense battles.”
Since the pseudo-god Hakuryu’s disappearance.
Kawanohara City had not been peaceful.
Nagine had been continually using her abilities every night, causing her magical power to wash over her ordinary body again and again.
Resulting in the curse spreading at an increasingly rapid rate.
Battles were accelerating the depletion of Nagine’s remaining time.
If this continued, would she even make it to high school?
But both Nagine and Garuda knew.
This was unavoidable.
“I’m sorry, I might not have been sleeping enough lately…” Nagine quietly replied.
The eyes hidden behind her mask.
Suddenly flashed with a faint light.
……
……
Maki concluded tonight’s home visit.
As he walked out of the Amakusa family’s home, he noticed the rain had stopped.
Tonight he knew he hadn’t managed to persuade Amakusa; she was even more intelligent than he had imagined.
But at least he had conveyed one attitude to her: “Someone will handle this matter.”
The two tacitly understood each other.
This evening was the happiest night Maki had had in a while.
Because this job was completed by his own hands.
In the past few months, Maki had felt a sense of unease regarding his luck.
Like tonight, just as he was preparing to head to the Amakusa family’s house.
He stepped outside the door and once again hit the “jackpot”—
A corpse of a fantasy monster fell from the sky, landing right in front of him.
Then his record increased.
“Truly worthy of being the hero who saved Kawanohara City alongside the half-blood dragon princess, Mr. Maki.”
When the logistics team’s personnel came to recover the corpse, their eyes were filled with admiration when they looked at Maki.
Maki’s lips twitched, and he could only respond with a bitter smile.
He really wanted to explain that it was all a misunderstanding, but no one would believe him anymore.
Because this was the twenty-ninth “corpse-collecting” incident he had experienced in the past few months.
The first time, he had been misguided and claimed the corpse of a fantasy monster right in front of him.
Just to add to his performance bonus.
After all, that fantasy monster looked like it had a threat level of very low, only level 0 or 1. Even he, as an ordinary person, had a chance to kill it.
Embarking on a quest for fame and profit, he naturally didn’t let that opportunity pass.
And then began his frequent lucky streak.
From the seemingly frail level 0 fantasy monster corpses.
To now, he could find heaps of fantasy monster corpses piled high at any time.
Maki suddenly became a well-known figure in the Kawanohara City’s SEMA division.
In his early thirties, he had a face that looked friendly and honest, giving off no sense of intimidation from the outside.
New employees regarded him as a hidden expert.
He was the deputy head of the Kawanohara City SEMA division.
Everyone’s impression of him was of a low-profile strongman who casually dispatched fantasy monsters on his way home from work.
Everyone thought the absence of magical energy detection on Maki was due to their own inadequacies in recognizing his disguise.
Even instruments couldn’t detect him? That was obviously because Mr. Maki could even fool the instruments.
Records don’t lie.
“Truly worthy of being Mr. Maki.”
This was what Maki heard the most recently.
Even the newly appointed division head had been casting wary glances at him lately.
But Maki knew he could never tell the head or anyone else about everything.
Because the one who could throw corpses at his feet could also turn him into a corpse and deliver him to others.
Maki felt he was not a traitor to SEMA.
Because he had never done anything to betray SEMA.
In his heart, he constantly compared himself to the heroes from his favorite historical tales of the Three Kingdoms.
If one day, that person truly appeared in front of him.
He would be like his beloved hero—
“Lü Bu drifts through half a lifetime, only regretting not meeting a wise lord. If you do not abandon me, I, Bu, am willing to be your sworn father.”
On the way home.
Maki suddenly slammed the brakes.
On the road illuminated by the headlights.
It was his newly added “record” from tonight.
……
……
On a sunny day.
“Speaking of which, doesn’t our school have too many study trips?”
In the classroom.
Suzuki, Tanaka, and Kanade were chatting as usual.
Hearing their topic, Kanade suddenly realized that time had unknowingly reached mid-May.
The annual study trip of Hoshikage Middle School was approaching.
Normally.
A junior high school study trip only happens once throughout the three years.
But at Hoshikage Middle School, it seemed to happen every year.
So Suzuki curiously asked.
“Our school is indeed a bit special; it seems this matter has its origins,” Tanaka pushed up his glasses and explained:
“A long time ago, Hoshikage Middle School seemed to frequently have bullying incidents, and the relationships among students were not harmonious. Eventually, after one study trip, the whole class’s relationships improved.”
“So the school changed policies, canceling forest school activities and replacing them with a study trip once a year.”
“I see, no wonder we had a study trip not long after the school year began last year.”
Suzuki marveled, “Truly worthy of a private school; it must have a lot of money~”
“And I heard that this year’s study trip will be super luxurious as compensation for last year’s cultural festival being too extravagant!”
Tanaka lowered his voice, sharing rumors he didn’t know where he had heard them from.
Kanade had heard vague details about this too.
He had heard it from the student council president, Miki.
Although she spoke ambiguously.
There was one key piece of information: “luxurious cruise.”
It seemed Hoshikage Middle School was being extraordinarily generous this year.
Planning to charter a cruise ship to provide transportation for the students during the study trip.
Truly worthy of a private school that could invite popular actors to participate in their cultural festival.
“Sigh, I’m so envious of you, Tsukimi~”
“Why suddenly say that?” Kanade felt a bit surprised that the topic had shifted to him.
“Having a study trip with a girlfriend is so enviable,” Tanaka chimed in.
“No, no, no, I’m in a different class from Nagine…”
“But you’ll definitely be able to be together during free activity time, right?”
“There’s freedom to team up even between different grades during free activity time.”
In the end, Suzuki and Tanaka added:
“And also when sneaking around the dorms at night—”
“Sn—sneaking around the dorms!?”
Kanade, who had missed last year’s study trip, was surprised and asked back.
“However, last year the boys got caught by the teachers, and they were wiped out.”
Suzuki displayed a sad expression, but his eyes appeared filled with strong determination.
As if he was planning to redeem himself this year.
Time quickly passed to lunchtime.
Today, Nagine didn’t prepare lunch for Kanade.
From Kanade’s perspective, he understood the circumstances.
After all, he had been so rude to Nagine the day before.
Although she indicated during their phone call last night that she didn’t take it to heart.
“But she must be a bit upset, right?”
For lunch today, Kanade planned to buy bread at the school’s convenience store.
But just as he arrived at the hallway.
Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of a solitary figure in the school courtyard through the hallway window.
He remembered Maki’s reminder to him from last night.
Feeling a little uneasy, Kanade turned and walked down the stairs.
