#364
I knew it would come to this.
Even after awakening the Heavenly Sword Technique, I continued my training.
If I were to use the Heavenly Sword properly, there would be no practice room or academy left intact, so I couldn’t train directly. Instead, I practiced by sparring with the Black Prince in my mental world, sharpening my sword skills.
Of course, I didn’t skip Yuji’s training.
After all, if Yuji awakens the mental projection, it gives me an extra card up my sleeve, so it wasn’t a bad thing.
Up to this point, it was all personal preparation.
But to stop the Messiah, my power alone wouldn’t be enough.
I needed the strength of a group.
In the original story’s final chapter, the Messiah didn’t come alone.
He appeared above Tokyo, leading the remaining executives, the League’s low-level villains, and Soviet military forces, launching a surprise attack on the entire city, including the academy.
It was only natural that they would simultaneously open gates across the entire Tokyo area and summon otherworldly beings.
There was no way I could stop all of those monsters by myself.
So, I was in contact with Association President Ichiro, preparing for the decisive day by calling heroes from all over Japan to gather in Tokyo. I was mobilizing the Self-Defense Forces to build a defense network and drafting evacuation plans for Tokyo’s civilians in case of emergencies.
As the heroic might of Japan, known for its strength, converged in Tokyo, the bustling metropolis was becoming an impregnable fortress.
‘Still a bit disappointing. It’d be nice if other countries like the U.S. could help…’
In the original story, during the final exams of the third semester, candidates for the Great Game were selected, and during spring break, when the academy hosted the Great Game, the Messiah launched his surprise attack.
The Great Game.
A tournament where all the hero academies around the world gathered to select the strongest hero candidate, the Crown Prince.
This year’s Great Game was already scheduled to take place at the Shuo Hero Academy.
Hero candidates aiming for the Crown Prince position were practically the elite of the elite, handpicked from each country.
Naturally, with the immense power of the hero candidates and their instructors combined, the original story depicted how quickly they could respond to the emergency of the Messiah’s attack during the competition.
But now, the situation was different from the original.
Or rather, thinking it over, this might be better.
In the original, hero candidates from communist countries, including the Soviets, acted as internal enemies, essentially aiding the Messiah during his attack.
The hero candidate from the Rothan communist zone was essentially an internal enemy, aiding the League in their assault during Messiah’s attack.
Though the power was weakened, having an internal enemy was worse than having no power at all.
[It seems the preparations are going smoothly. Partner.]
The Black Prince said that in my head.
I agreed with him.
Of course, to prevent confusion, information about Messiah’s attack was only shared with the top echelon of the Japanese Hero Association, including Ichiro, the heroines, Yuji, and a handful of others like Saori Ishihara.
The ordinary academy students and civilians in Tokyo were unaware of Messiah’s impending strike.
I mobilized every means at my disposal to do my best within the deadline.
Now, all that was left was the decisive battle.
*
Time passed, and finally, the day before the decisive battle arrived.
February 14th was approaching.
Despite the sweet sight of chocolates being exchanged here and there for Valentine’s Day, I was indifferent.
The day Messiah had foretold was tomorrow.
It wasn’t the time to relax.
I headed to the academy while recalling my training achievements and the defense preparations of the academy and Tokyo.
It was still chilly on the way to school, being February and all.
[Partner. There’s no one here?]
The voice of the Black Prince echoed in my mind.
He was right.
The heroines, who always walked to school with me, were nowhere to be seen today.
Normally, they would be fighting over who would carry my bag, but it felt odd that they weren’t around.
More importantly, wasn’t today Valentine’s Day?
By all clichés, it should be the norm for everyone to rush to give chocolates to one another.
Where could they be?
“I’ll go to school first.”
Well, that wasn’t the important thing.
Even if it was Valentine’s Day, it was the day before a decisive battle.
They could be nervous.
I thought so as I continued toward the academy.
“Kim, hello!”
“Bro, have you arrived?”
With a sliding sound, as I entered through the sliding door, I was greeted not by the usual heroines but by Yuji and Saori Ishihara.
The seats where the heroines usually sat were still empty.
It was one thing they didn’t come to greet me, but why weren’t they here?
HR was about to start shortly!
“Hey, Kurosawa. Where did those guys go?”
I pointed to the empty seats of Olivia, Eri, Makoto, Haru, and Rin.
Yuji awkwardly laughed at my question.
“Ha ha ha. Well, maybe… they’re absent? That’s quite rare. Ha ha ha.”
He was sweating, clearly trying to hide that he knew where they were with a well-meaning lie.
“Really? Strange things happen, huh.”
I casually replied to Yuji and took a seat.
My partner Makoto’s seat was empty too.
They could skip school, but being absent was not an option.
This meant they were all gathered somewhere, plotting something.
In a light novel world, when the heroines gather to plot, it’s pretty obvious what they are up to.
If my guesses were right…
I thought this as I sat down, and when it was time for HR, predictably, instead of Mayuzumi Mayu, the substitute instructor walked in to conduct HR.
“Mayuzumi-sensei is on leave today, so I will be overseeing HR.”
Though the substitute instructor said that, I didn’t believe it.
Not only were the heroines collectively absent, but even Mayuzumi-sensei was taking the day off?
“Yuzumi-sensei is taking a break too?”
Who would believe that?
The heroines didn’t show up until the class ended.
Honestly, I think I know why, but it feels oddly empty without them.
Empty?
Me, thinking like that?
This is ridiculous.
I shoved those embarrassing thoughts aside.
Ding dong ding dong.
The bell rang, signaling the end of class.
Just as I was about to leave the classroom with my backpack.
“Kim!”
Yuji called out to me, smiling.
“I have something to say to you, just the two of us. Is that okay? Hahaha. It’s important.”
He scratched his head awkwardly while glancing my way.
I don’t have a hobby of chatting alone with guys, but since I had some idea about the heroines’ schemes, I had to play along with this silly act to some extent.
“Sure.”
“Then let’s go, Kim. Follow me.”
Once I gave my permission, Yuji smiled with a relieved expression.
The already handsome guy looked even brighter when he smiled, making the surroundings feel unnecessarily cheerful.
“Wow, Kurosawa is really good-looking!”
“Ah! When he smiles, it’s like love at first sight!”
“He’s like a prince! Prince Kurosawa!”
“He’s totally the opposite of the Black Beast!”
“A beast and a prince!”
The extras whispered among themselves, watching the scene.
His image as an F-rank underperformer was completely erased, thanks to his performance at the last sports festival and having dropped his ‘hard work’ persona.
With the underperformer image gone, only his handsome looks and the title of Son of the Sword Master remained. Yuji’s popularity had skyrocketed within the academy.
So much so that a fan club was formed.
Merchandise release was just a bonus.
Whoooosh!
The cries of the fangirls vibrated Yuji’s katana at his waist as if protesting.
Looks like Kusunagi is causing a ruckus again.
Since it wasn’t a pleasant sight for me either, I led Yuji out of the classroom.
“Alright, let’s get out of here quickly.”
“Yeah, follow me, Kim.”
We exited the main building and walked through the courtyard.
Yuji hung around the courtyard, spinning here and there like he was sightseeing.
I guess he’s just stalling for time.
How long do we have to do this?
A sigh escaped me.
“So, what was it you wanted to say?”
“Um, that is…”
In the flow of things, I asked again about what Yuji mentioned earlier.
He trailed off at my question.
He must be flustered because he has nothing to say.
Thud.
Yuji stopped in his tracks.
We were at a beach park where you could see Tokyo Bay clearly.
In this spot where the winter sea breeze blew and the cries of geese were heard, Yuji looked at me and said.
“…I do have something.”
This time, there was no panicked or deceitful expression; he looked genuinely serious.
I really don’t want to see the serious expression on a guy’s face.
Anyway, it seems like he wasn’t lying about having something to say.
“What is it?”
At my question, Yuji bit his lip.
He hesitated for a moment before looking at me seriously and said.
“…After the final battle… I think I’m going to marry Kusunagi.”
Marry?
I think I heard they started dating, but marriage?
I feel like I heard something about a marriage.
More than anything.
“Hey, why are you suddenly saying such ominous things?”
Marrying after this fight?
Is this ominous death flag dialogue or what?
This is reality, but at the same time, it’s a light novel world.
What will happen if I spout such a death flag line and actually die?
“Is it ominous? Ahahaha, that wasn’t my intention, sorry.”
At my words, Yuji waved his hands frantically, then clasped them together and bowed his head.
It’s been a while since I’ve seen such a humble apology.
“Forget that and say what you need to say.”
Since I’ve already blurted it out, there’s nothing I can do.
After all, what could happen just from one line?
“Umm…”
Yuji nodded at my words, then hesitated and spoke.
“…Kim, no, Deok-Sung. If you don’t mind… I would like you to officiate the wedding between me and Kusunagi, as you are the friend I respect the most.”
A wedding?
Officiate?
It’s a ridiculous suggestion, but seeing Yuji’s serious expression makes it a bit hard to refuse.
Aside from being a guy and this cringe-worthy request, he’s a pretty decent light novel protagonist with a good nature.
He’s also someone who should roll in my stead during emergencies, so granting this request shouldn’t be too hard.
“Sure. But… don’t die on me.”
“Got it.”
At my words, Yuji smiled brightly.
Ugh.
A guy’s smile really doesn’t sit well with me.
“If you’ve said all you need to say, just guide me as usual.”
“Okay, I’ll… wait, how did you know?!”
“Just guide me.”
I instructed Yuji, who was startled by my command.
“Got it. Kim.”
Nodding, Yuji continued leading the way.
Following him, we arrived at a huge mansion.
It was the residence where Yoshizaki Seira usually stayed, which had appeared in animation as well.
“T-this is the destination. Uh, then I’ll be going now! You really need to go inside, Kim!”
After earnestly warning me, Yuji disappeared quickly.
Beep.
Creeeak.
The tightly shut mansion’s door opened automatically.
I let out a sigh inwardly and stepped inside.
Passing through the well-cultivated garden, I arrived at the main door of the mansion.
[Partner. Aren’t you all fluttery?]
The voice of the Black Prince echoed in my head.
Fluttery? No way.
With a poker face, I opened the mansion’s heavy door.
Creeeeak.
As the door opened with a heavy creak, what filled my sight was pitch-black darkness.
One step.
As my foot crossed into the darkness, suddenly…
Ba Bang!
Light burst forth along with a flash, and celebratory fireworks showered towards me.
“Surprise!”
“Master! Happy Valentine’s Day!”
In the brightly lit mansion hall, all the heroines I had never seen were gathered.
And the voices of the heroines could be heard.
Yeah.
I figured it would be a surprise party.
The commemoration of Valentine’s Day.
And noticing Yuji drawing out time in the empty classroom since this morning.
If I still didn’t get it after seeing all that, it would be more foolish than anything.
Thinking that, a slight smile crept onto my lips.
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