Campione! - Volume 19 - Chapter 2.2

Part 2 

The place of reunion was a palatial residence that was made devoted to extravagance. 

It was placed on Tokyo harbor district, Roppongi. The walls of the whole residence were painted white with elegant and refined atmosphere. 

It seemed that the building was constructed with the very image of『South European mansion』. 

It was a residence where the skill of the artisan and obsession, and also budget were invested into it in abundance. 

Things like luxurious chandelier and so on were hung up at the entrance hall, the interior was also splendorous. If someone spent their summer vacation in this kind of place, it would be a splendidly enjoyable experience for them. 

But, however. 

Liliana was thinking in the reception room of the residence. This place was undoubtedly, an embassy of a certain European country――a building that was inside that embassy’s ground. 

「Your excellency.」 

「What is it, Liliana Kranjčar.」 

「Please permit one question from me. If my recognition is correct, this place is……」 

Hearing the question from Liliana, the thin old gentleman smiled faintly. 

While he was a great man that was overflowing with dignity, he was also a possessor of a twisted humor. 

「As a knight whose grandfather is my servant, your understanding is slightly bad isn’t it.」 

「I’m ashamed.」 

「Well, fine. In short, this place is arranged when I called out to the appropriate person within my faction――for the time being this will be the temporary residence where I’m tiding over. The ambassador residence or something of the person who is serving as Japan ambassador in Tokyo, it was vacated for the sake of Dejanstahl Voban. That’s how it is.」 

「…………」 

「No worry, it seems that the country has already been notified. You can relax here without reservation.」 

「……Understood.」 

Currently, Liliana was kneeling in front of the old Campione. 

He who was known with the name of Sasha Dejanstahl Voban was actually a devil king who had reigned for more than 200 years. 

Because of such background, even this kind of absurd barbarism was allowed to be passed. 

The ambassador that was dispatched from a large country in Southern Europe was chased out and the residence was turned into a personal property nonchalantly as a mere『villa to be used during vacation time』. 

Furthermore, it was done without the marquis himself lifting even a single finger……. 

「Your Excellency. Why did you cross over to Japan here?」 

At five o’clock in the morning in Japan time, Liliana received a contact from her grandfather. 

『Answer the summon from his Excellency without fail.』 

Like that, she was even told the designated place and time. Marquis Voban wandered throughout Europe following his whim, but his influence at Balkan Peninsula that was his birthplace was especially strong. 

Liliana’s grandfather that was born in that land was a believer of the marquis because of that. 

Liliana was feeling puzzled because it would soon be a battle royal between fellow Campiones while coming to this place. 

「I am thinking of entrusting you with a verbal message. The message is, ‘do you remember my words’.」 

「…………」 

「Of course, as for whom this message is intended to――」 

「I deeply understand. I will report it to Kusanagi Godou without fail.」 

「Uh huh.」 

Half a year ago――right after the duel against Kusanagi Godou, Marquis Voban stated. 

『The next time we meet, I’ll hunt you down with all my strength for sure. Polish your skill in preparation for that time. Struggle through carnages. The serious Voban is not a naïve enemy that can be matched by you as it is.』 

『From now on, you become one of my enemy.』 

It was a challenge that was addressed to a candidate of longtime enemy in the future from the old wolf king. 

It was obvious that was what should be conveyed to Godou. 

Liliana Kranjčar who was currently a knight of Kusanagi Godou was accepting the gaze of the old Campione as the representative of her lord. 

「Fuh」 

Marquis Voban slightly slanted his lips and grinned. 

Even his evil eyes with emerald color that could transform the living equally into salt looked happy somehow. 

In front of an unprecedented game where seven Campiones would gather in one place and fought until there would be only one left, surely his warrior blood was boiling. 

「Come to think of it.」 

Liliana spoke after suddenly remembering something. 

「I heard that your Excellency arrived in Japan together with Madam Aisha. If your Excellency permitted it, I’m thinking of greeting the madam too ――」 

「Who knows. She was gone from my sight from a little while ago. I wonder where did she disappear to?」 

It was unclear whether he really didn’t know, or possibly he was hiding her. 

Marquis Voban grinned while nonchalantly dodging the question. It seemed that he had guessed something from Liliana who wasn’t speaking much at all about it. 

「It appeared that all of you has also finally encountered that witch.」 

「Yes. The other day, I had the honor of receiving that chance.

」 

「What a bad luck. Well, it can be said though that as long as you are wandering near the gods and godslayers, it is inevitable for that bad luck to visit you someday.」 

「…………」 

The comment of the marquis, depending on how it was perceived it could also be taken as a sympathy. 

She had never even imagined, that this kind of remark could come out from this cruel tyrannical godslayer. 

Perhaps it was just as expected from Madam Aisha. And then, Liliana realized that she was just about to make a disrespectful reply toward the madam against her better judgment with that thinking, so she shut her mouth in panic. 

「Rather than that, Kranjčar.」 

On the other hand, Marquis Voban was taking out a certain item. 

It was a letter. Last night, the same thing was slipped into Kusanagi Godou’s hand. Most likely it was sent using sorcery of mailing. 

Inside that letter was the writing from the magic sect founder――Liliana lifted her face in shock. 

「Just when I was planning to invite your master this came, it seems that the reunion will come true faster than I thought. It will be a very enjoyable night.」 

「Welcome home, Goshujin-sama~!」 

Aisha was energetically speaking the standard greeting. 

It was said that a knowledgeable person wouldn’t forget how to dance until a century, that no one couldn’t forget how to ride bicycle for life, and so on. At the period where once India was a colony of the British Empire, the young maiden Aisha who didn’t have a single relative was a live-in maid who was working in the mansion of a British noble. 

With a cheerfulness that was identical with that period of her life, today too she was brightly performing maid work. 

Well, however. 

「Welcome home, Ojou-sama~! Please sit in the table over here~! Currently this month’s limited menu『Polar bear-style okonomiyaki – Fresch cream and avocado garnish』is greatly popular with everyone you know~!」 

The work location was at Tokyo Metropolis, at Chifuda district’s Akihabara. 

It was inside a multi-tenant building along Kandagawa that was slightly distanced from the main street “Elcectronic Street” which was currently world famous――so to speak it was a maid café. 

Of course there was a reason why she was working hard in this kind of business. It was a proper reason. 

「For me to drop my wallet even though I have just arrived in Tokyo……what a massive failure that I have committed.」 Like that. 

In a bad luck, it happened right after she left the residence of her friend in Roppongi. 

The impetus of the event was when she discovered pacific herring by chance in the kitchen of that residence. As her gratitude of being indebted in various things toward that friend, Aisha tried to make a fish pie that was tradition from Britain. She stuffed several fishes into the pie dough while using only the head of the fish to jut up above the pie. 

It seemed that for a foreigner who saw such a pie for the first time, where a grilled dead fish was glaring at them, would make them get startled. 

However, for some reason in the middle of seasoning, a fire outbreak happened from the oven and it became an uproar due to small fire―― 

Right after that, Aisha impulsively left the residence. 

She wasn’t running away. She was planning to buy a new oven. 

……Well, since they arrived in Japan, the fighting spirit of “Voban-oniisama” was steadily rising up, so one of the reason this happened might be because Aisha who was sensing the right time『Is it any time now I wonder?』, that if she didn’t escape soon the onii-sama’s impulse would explode because of her presence. 

In any case, Aisha noticed when she was at the electronic appliances retailer at Akihabara. 

About the serious affair of the disappearance of her favorite wallet before she knew it. 

Of course if she contacted her main residence at Alexandria or her friends that were scattered all over the world, they would immediately send her money. 

But, even her memo where the contact addresses were written was also lost together with the wallet……. 

Thus, Aisha resolved. 

『My own path, has to be cut open by myself!』 

She immediately discovered a worker recruitment leaflet at the vicinity of Akihabara and she intruded on that maid café. 

Furthermore, when she was interviewed the male shop manager who was at his late twenty was, 

『Eh, you have no resume!?』『You also have no domicile and guarantor!? In the first place you are not residence of Japan!?』『Is it fine to work part time while you come to Japan for sightseeing?』『Your nationality is Britain more or less……what do you mean more or less?』『You said you have experience not in café but as a real maid, where?』『Your age is 17――you are a minor in addition huh』 

Etc, etc. The shop owner almost tore off his hair. 

But, in the end in light of Aisha’s smile and earnest wish, the shop owner gladly employed her. 

It didn’t stop there, 『If you don’t even have place to stay, you can sleep in the café!』, like that she was even given permission to have live-in work. Really what a good person. 

Thanks to that this few days Aisha was able to comfortably sleep inside the cage after the closing time. 

As expected there was no bedding inside the café, so Aisha asked for a lot of cardboard box from the nearby electronic store. Of course the payment for the boxes was only with smile. 

It was her first appearance of using cardboard box as the replacement of bed. 

『It feels pleasant and warmer than even cheap blanket or poorly made sleeping bag you know. At the past, I too was often 

using that for sleeping over in my company. About six, seven times per week……』 

It was the recommendation from a male staff working in the kitchen. 

By the way that male was at his early thirty, until three months ago he was working on game creation on a certain beautiful girl game maker or something. It was a type of occupation that Aisha didn’t understand well. 

She could have lunch and dinner provided from the café. 

If she went to Ueno in the neighboring area, she could also go to the public bath there nicely. 

The girls who were her maid comrades in the café were also kind. 

Well, sometimes though she was also beaten up so badly with their innocent questions like『You lost your contact address memo, and you don’t even know the home address of your acquaintance or his phone number~-!? What about smartphone or the backup――eeeh!? Aisha-san, you cannot use old style cellphone or even computer at all!? Fufufufu-. You are just like my great grandmother~!』and so on. 

In any case, this situation was far better compared to the time she was sleeping without even a blanket at the roadside of a slum district in winter. 

No matter what kind of era she went throughout the world, all the people that she met were giving her kindness. 

「I’m really a happy person.」 

While earnestly feeling that, today too she was busy with the lunch sales. 

「Moe moe kyuun, heaaart♪ How is this, Goshujin-sama?」 

「Please speak the charm together with me. Beeecome delicious, beeecome delicious.」 

「Kyaaah!? My deepest apology Goshujin-sama!」 

Putting ketchup on omelet rice, serving customer with special choice of words, and so one, Aisha had already finished learning the special rule of Akihabara maid. Sometimes she stumbled while in the middle of setting the table, dropping a plate that it broke, and so on. There were also accidents like that but in general life was smooth sailing for Aisha. 

She had also got used with the apron dress that had a lot more frill compared to her time as real maid. 

「My? The reason I came to Japan……what was it again?」 

It was while she was rearranging a table, Aisha tilted her head. 

Right now, Aisha noticed something forgotten of a female customer who had just left. It was a leaflet. 

「What might this be? Eerr, 『Recruiting idol cadet to be active at Akiba of the world』『The first judging will be photo and document screening. The second judging will be practical examination of singing and dancing』……this is!」 

Aisha felt like she received a divine revelation. 

A transmission from Akiba to the world. Into a target of idol worship that surpassed mere girl. An idol that conveyed feeling of gratitude and love toward the people all over the world――. 

By any chance, could this be exactly her life calling? 

「Oh, the requirement for the audition is『A female from 12 years old until 25 years old who can commute to work to Akihabara』. That……that’s so isn’t it. The requirement is a bit strict――no, it’s mostly no problem, I wonder if I should resolutely try it……」 

Aisha was lifting up the leaflet while whispering to herself. 

She folded it neatly and put it into the front pocket of her apron dress――and she noticed. There was already another item inside the pocket. 

「What is this, this……?」 

It was a letter. Perhaps it was sent into her pocket using something like mailing magic. 

Just from whom and for what this letter was? Aisha checked the content while feeling puzzled and then she tasted a violent shock. 

「In the first place, what capriciousness this is?」 

The close friend of Salvatore Done was commenting coldly. 

Andrea Rivera. A sharp and able person that aided (it could also be said as monitoring) the “Campione of Sword” that represented all the magicians of Italia. 

「Expressly sallying forth to the sea at February in the middle of winter and then going until the offshore using this kind of old ship, dangling down fishing line……. I don’t understand your reasoning. There is no necessity at all for this isn’t it?」 

「I’m merely following the voice of heart inside me you know, Andrea.」 

On the ocean of Tokyo bay, above a fishing boat that was stopping still. 

Other than the two Italian men sitting on folding chair at the side of the ship, there was no other passenger. The middle aged ship captain was blowing his tobacco while basking in sea breeze. 

The one who was dangling down fishing line was only Doni, Rivera was merely accompanying him at the side. 

「Fish like black rockfish or jack mackerel or squid, the fishes at winter Tokyo Bay are tasty things. I suddenly wanted to have a snack for a bit.」 

「You can just enter some restaurant somewhere for that!」 

「No no. It’s good because you catch it yourself. If you are lucky then you can also catch puffer fish.」 

「That huh. A high class fish of Japan that has poison inside its body……」 

「If I catch it then I’ll cook it for you, the puffer fish. Sashimi, hot pot, deep fried, it’s exquisite no matter how it is cooked. It’s fine, if you just take out the poisonous liver there should be no problem in general.」 

「I absolutely want to beg off from that.」 

「Oi oi. I am someone that can also cook, you know about that aren’t you?」 

「That’s because your fingers are pointlessly skilled. But, in the first place I heard that expert qualification is necessary to prepare puffer fish. The poisonous part are scattered all over the places depending on the species and individual specimen, that job is something that is demanding knowledge and carefulness! Those things are all something that you lacked!」「As expected from Andria. You are more detailed than me.」 

「It’s only you who is strange for charging into a death game when you don’t even know that much!」 

Rivera shrugged after denunciating Doni for some time. 

His tone returned to his usual tone and he glared fiercely at Doni. 

「Putting that side Salvatore Doni. You know quite much about the state of Japan for someone like you. Not only about fishing and puffer fish. The route to obtain those too……」 

「Hahahaha」 

Doni laughed frivoulously. 

Along with fishing tools like fishing ro, there was other item that he brought on the ship. 

The item was camouflaged by being inserted into cloth bag――it was a Japanese katana that was sheathed inside lacquered sheath. 

Masamune, Muramasa, Muranama, etc., this sword wasn’t something with such peculiar inscription. It was a nameless katana that was produced in a war plant somewhere in the middle of the Second World War. In that appalling era, even the country Japan with its obsessed artisan gave birth to such unprincipled mass production. 

A katana made by the hand of a skilled artisan was exactly the legitimate Japanese katana. 

This nameless katana was a great disgrace for the people who wished to regard that image as sacred. 

But, this nameless katana could cut quite well. Furthermore it was tough. For Doni that was enough. 

「Actually, it was before Godou became my friend, but once I had stayed in Japan for a few months. Not to mention Tokyo, I even went to Kyoto and Nara. I read a Japan ninja cartoon that was translated into Italia language and got interested.」 

「Hmph. I thought it was something like that, but as expected. 」 

「Fufufufu」 

At his previous arrival in Japan, Doni made a connection with a certain yakuza organization. 

That organization also felt like a right wing group, but he had no interest in that area so it didn’t matter. 

Anyway, the leader of that organization decorated the alcove of his residence with Japanese katana, and after he forcefully intrude on he was able to borrow it. 

He left behind his beloved sword when he departed from Italia, so it was quite helpful for him. 

「With this it will be fine no matter when the civil war started. My preparation is perfectly completed. Let’s relax while waiting slowly for fish like tiger globefish or mackerel puffer to be fished.」 

It was at that time when Doni made such a self-indulging declaration. 

At the clear blue sky――a single gull traversed through. In addition that gull dropped something on the fishing boat where Doni and Rivera were at. 

It was an envelope, fluttering down in front of Rivera’s eyes. 

「What, is this?」 

Rivera snatched it from the air and glanced at the content of the sealed letter. 

And then he presented it at Doni wordlessly. Doni was reading the letter carefully while feeling that it was troublesome―― The peerless sword king nodded in understanding. 

Finally tonight the curtain of a large event would be raised.