No more variables beyond this point.
“We should handle this ourselves. Do you have any special plans?”
“Fortunately, we have an excellent spy capable of uncovering the enemy’s schemes. The League won’t even dream that senior Hoshino has joined our side.”
“Using the betrayal command against them… That’s a good idea, Hoshino.”
Aris’s silver eyes turned toward Kasumi.
“Choke!”
Kasumi hiccupped.
“May I ask for your cooperation?”
“Huh? Y-Yes! Of course!”
“Good.”
Aris nodded.
“I’ll approve the operation. Hoshino. Mr. Kim Deok-Sung. Good luck.”
As her words finished, a smirk played at the corner of her mouth.
With approval granted, all that remained was to extract the information.
*
After Kim Deok-Sung and Kasumi returned.
Hotel Suite Room.
Left alone, Aris gazed at the night view of Kyoto while skillfully peeling an orange.
“Kim Deok-Sung…”
Aris’s silver eyes narrowed.
Just as she had said to him earlier, she viewed Kim Deok-Sung quite favorably.
He possessed the two main virtues of a hero: kindness and responsibility.
It would be a lie to say she felt no interest or curiosity.
“And he’s bold too…”
President of the Shuo Hero Academy’s Student Council.
Runner-up of the Great Game.
In front of her title, not only students but also active heroes felt intimidated daily.
Indeed, Hoshino Kasumi, who had been next to Kim Deok-Sung, showed clear signs of tension throughout their conversation.
“But that guy… not intimidated at all.”
Kim Deok-Sung boldly continued talking as if he were just with a friend, showing no signs of being nervous even in her presence.
Since enrolling in Shuo Academy, she had always been the one receiving awe and praise from those around her.
After being stuck in a suffocating routine of constant self-punishment, she felt a long-lost comfort.
Ironically, Aris savored a breath of relief during her conversation with Kim Deok-Sung.
“That president is ridiculously obsessed with him; there must be a reason.”
The image of Ichiro Shinozaki, always praising Kim Deok-Sung with a face like a lovesick girl every time they met, came to mind.
She had heard rumors of him being called the Black Beast with a complicated love life, but Aris didn’t buy into them.
She understood that the credibility of gossip at the academy was low, and the Kim Deok-Sung she met didn’t at all resemble the protagonist of those rumors.
It might be a coincidence, but the tangerine that Kim Deok-Sung left for her was from Wakayama Prefecture, where she farms in her hometown.
‘How did you know I’m a tangerine ghost…?’
She hadn’t told anyone, right?
It felt just like when she returned to her hometown…
“What the hell are you saying, you silly girl…”
Flustered, Aris accidentally let out some Kansai dialect and quickly covered her mouth.
She looked around.
“D-Does anyone see me?”
There was no one in the room.
“Oh boy, that was close…”
Aris’s face turned red.
“Ugh…”
It was supposed to be a secret that she was from Wakayama.
Even if she was a member of the student council, as close as her limbs were.
I’m not the country girl Aris.
I am Saionji Aris, the pinnacle and strongest of Shuo Academy, the Silver Queen.
Thump.
Even though no one was around, her heart raced at the feeling of having her secret exposed.
Maybe it was because she thought of him, but she felt Kim Deok-Sung’s gaze.
“Ah, anyway, I’ll keep an eye on you, Kim Deok-Sung!”
Aris, with her face flushed, blurted out in Kansai dialect.
The towering Kyoto Tower reflected in her silver pupils.
Are you sure you’re not sick?
After the triangular confrontation.
Kasumi lay wrapped in her blanket in her room, trembling and muttering.
“The junior saved me again.”
Kim Deok-Sung kept his promise.
As he said, the student council president neither punished nor held her accountable.
Instead, she encouraged her, saying she would guarantee her student status.
“So kind… The president and the junior…”
I don’t want to lose anyone.
Kasumi thought that way.
Thump.
Her heart raced.
The one who made her, who always considered herself an outcast, no longer feel alone.
The person who made her a friend.
The one who told her that her hideous true self was beautiful.
The one who accepted her identity.
The one who promised her salvation.
Her only understanding person.
That’s all.
In Kasumi’s heart, there was only Kim Deok-Sung.
“Junior…”
I love you.
I love you. I love you.
I love you. I love you. I love you.
I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you.
Kasumi’s gaze went blank.
“My own junior.”
My own savior.
My life, my everything.
I would be happy to die for my junior.
Thinking this, Kasumi picked up her phone.
[Hoshino Kasumi? When do you have time?]
A message from Maruyama Ryosuke, the student council president of Meijin Academy.
Kasumi threw off her blanket.
If she wanted to help her junior, she needed to approach this person to steal some information.
Having thought that, she typed on her phone with steady hands that no longer trembled.
[See you tomorrow.]
[Got it. The location is… ]
Kasumi’s gaze grew cold as she looked at her phone screen.
*
The next day.
The person I met in the hotel lobby was Makoto.
“Master. Today, I’ve decided to accompany you.”
Makoto fiddled with her green hair covering her neck. Unlike when she was dressed as a boy, she wore a shiny hairpin in her hair, a white dress, and sandals, standing next to me with a flushed face.
“Oh, how do I look with the clothes and hairpin? Is it weird? Do I look like a boy…?”
“What’s up? Isn’t it weird? I feel like I look like a guy…”
Makoto fidgets with the hem of her dress, looking awkward.
“I, I tried following your advice and wearing this, but no matter how I look at it, I feel strange… I guess it doesn’t suit me after all… I just… I definitely don’t look like a girl…”
She lowers her head.
Her shoulders droop.
Do I really have to listen to this nonsense before we even start?
It’s not like we’re doing some kind of bowing ceremony.
This is ridiculous.
“What nonsense are you talking about? You’re definitely a girl. It looks great on you, so let’s hurry up and go.”
Today’s partner is Makoto.
It’s actually good.
I had things to talk about with her anyway.
“R-Really?”
Makoto lifts her head.
Her eyes are trembling.
“R-Really? You really think it suits me, my lord? The hairpin and the dress both?”
She leans in close.
“It suits you, so let’s hurry up.”
Is she fishing for compliments?
“…Yes.”
Hearing my answer, Makoto smiles shyly.
“…Thank you, my lord. I’ll take the lead today!”
She seems so happy, grinning and gleefully leading the way, unlike earlier.
We take the bus from the stop in front of the hotel, and our destination is Fushimi Inari Shrine.
A shrine famous for its thousands of torii gates and fox statues.
‘This is my first time visiting a shrine.’
Although some time has passed since I left Korea for Japan, this is my first shrine visit.
Since it’s a place that shows up frequently in anime and manga, I thought I’d visit at some point, but I never expected it to be like this.
“We’re here!”
Makoto grins, her face flushed.
She leaps up with utter excitement.
Her bouncy chest atop the puffy dress jiggles.
A bust seen only in animations, to think I’d encounter that level of scene in a light novel world.
Upon arriving at Fushimi Inari Shrine, the red torii gates start to appear.
Torii.
A wooden, red-painted, D-shaped gate, essentially a symbol of the shrine.
It’s practically the structure’s emblem.
“My lord, let’s go quickly!”
She grabs my hand and pulls me along.
She still can’t shake this habit.
With a sigh, I follow her into the main hall of the shrine.
As expected from the nickname “fox shrine,” fox statues and fox-shaped wishing boards flutter in the wind.
“This is where the senbon torii starts!”
Makoto pulls me along eagerly as we ascend the mountain trail marked by endless torii gates.
The overlapping red wooden gates create a vermillion tunnel that’s quite a sight.
Sunlight filtering through the gaps in the torii looked more stunning than I expected.
The view of Kyoto from Kiyomizu Temple was pretty nice too.
I take out my phone and snap a photo.
Perfect.
As we climb the mountain following Makoto, the sprawling view of daytime Kyoto sprawls beneath us.
“The air is nice.”
Makoto closes her eyes, inhaling deeply.
She sits down silently on a rock.
My stamina is quite good, but climbing up this mountain path is challenging.
I really don’t like hiking.
“Hey, my lord… Even though I live right next door, this is my first time in Kyoto.”
Makoto speaks in a soft voice.
Though she occasionally drops the dialect, Makoto is from Osaka.
Since Osaka, Kyoto, and the country are all neighboring towns, if she grew up in an average family, she’d have had plenty of opportunities to visit Kyoto.
There were many opportunities to come to Kyoto.
Makoto quietly places her hand over her chest.
In a low voice, she says, “…I’ve always lived locked up in the mansion.”
Makoto’s past has been confirmed in the original work and the setting book.
There’s nothing surprising about it now.
There shouldn’t be.
For some reason, my heart feels a bit fluttery.
As Makoto fiddles with her hairpin, she blushes and smiles shyly.
“But it’s okay now. There’s my lord, and Nishizawa, Bonaparte, and Shinozaki are here, and Hoshino-senpai too.”
Makoto bites her lip.
“Right. That’s good.”
She stands up.
The mountain breeze wraps around her whole body.
“I actually had something to tell you.”
“H-How did you know?”
Upon hearing my words, Makoto’s eyes widen.
Her face turns red up to her neck.
Makoto stutters, her voice trembling as she babbles.
“Well, m-m-my lord… I-I’m still a bit unprepared in my heart, I suppose… No, that’s not it. If it’s my lord… I… though I’m just a useless body, I’ll give everything…”
What kind of misunderstanding is she having?
It feels like this crazy world is full of idiots who jump to conclusions at anything I say.
Maybe they’re all just like Sa-ohjeong?
Watching Makoto, who is now sweating, I say, “I need the power of the Kamiya Clan.”
“Huuh?”
Makoto’s eyes widen.
Now that Ritsuko has fallen into the chairman’s slave, Makoto is the head of the Kamiya Clan.
Mobilizing the entire Force Association would be noisy, and there’s a high chance the enemy will notice, not to mention what could happen if the Authority barges in while Rena is being held hostage.
On the other hand, the Kamiya Clan is based right next door in Osaka.
They not only exert considerable influence in Kyoto but, due to their nature as an assassin clan, their operations are accustomed to being discreet.
‘I still don’t understand why they shout out skill names though.’
Since they’re an underworld organization, they’d respond differently to sensitive situations than the authority.
They’re the optimal choice for reinforcements.
So, I need to get the assistance of the Kamiya Clan.
Of course, I have a convincing excuse prepared to persuade Makoto.
I just need to recite it now.
“The movements of the Meijin Academy seem suspicious…”
“…Is that all we need the clan’s power for, my lord?”
Makoto cuts me off.
She looks at me and asks.
I’m flustered.
What? Her?
“Uh… aren’t you curious about the reason?”
At my question, Makoto closes her eyes.
She places her hand over her chest.
“I am my lord’s sword. A sword doesn’t think.”
Makoto opens her eyes.
“And I trust my lord. Because you are my lord. I can do anything you want. So, I don’t need to know the reason.”
Makoto’s unwavering trust.
What the heck does she believe in, acting like that?
I’m scared someone will bite off my nose while I’m awake.
I’m speechless.
“…Okay.”
I must not get used to this.
I really don’t like this hellish kind world at all.
*
After meeting with Kim Deok-Sung.
Makoto returns to her accommodation, looking down at her reflection in the full-length mirror, wearing a dress she’s not used to.
“I look like a man…”
Short hair.
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