Rokujouma no Shinryakusha!? - Volume 32 - Chapter 1

Nalfa’s Big Move

Friday, April 29th

Nalfa was wearing a particularly bright expression this day, which would ordinarily be unthinkable considering she was in the middle of moving for the second time in the past month. The dorm for Forthorthian transfer students was currently unusable because of the spy devices that had been found inside, meaning Nalfa needed a temporary relocation. It was a rare sight indeed for someone to be happy about being forced to move, but Nalfa was over the moon. The reason? She wasn’t moving just anywhere...

“Nalfa-san, is it all right if I open up this cardboard box?”

“N-N-No, Koutarou-sama! I’d just die! That box is full of my undergarments!”

“It’s cool. I get it. No girl would want a guy she didn’t really know seeing her—”

“That’s not what I meant! If I had the Blue Knight do something so trivial for me, all of Forthorthe would condemn me!”

“...Would they really?”

“They really would!”

“Okay... Then I’ll just put it down by the closet.”

“Please do!”

Nalfa, you see, was moving in to Corona House room 105, the apartment next to Koutarou’s. A university student had been living there previously, but he’d graduated earlier in the spring and had moved away to attend graduate school. Shizuka had been planning on renting the vacant apartment out to a new tenant, but as formal diplomatic relationships between Japan and Forthorthe were just being established, she decided to rent it out to Theia and the others. She was hesitant to rent the room out to a stranger considering the circumstances, and she knew she wouldn’t have to worry about Theia and the others bothering the neighbors or anything. And with the apartment available, it was an easy first choice for housing Nalfa when she suddenly needed somewhere to move. There could be nowhere safer, so they wouldn’t even have to take any extra security precautions. It was win-win-win.

Nalfa, of course, had no objections to this plan. In fact, she welcomed it. She was perfectly content to be living next door to a princess and sleeping just one room over from the legendary Blue Knight. It was any Forthorthian girl’s dream.

“Let’s see... I’ll just put it down right around here.”

Fwump!

“Say, Kotori...” Nalfa leaned over and whispered as she watched Koutarou put down the box he was carrying. “Koutarou-sama doesn’t really seem to get that he’s, like, a galactic celebrity, you know?”

“I mean... I can’t say I really get it either. I know Kou-niisan is some famous hero, but even after seeing him fight, I’m still having trouble thinking of him that way.”

Nalfa’s biggest problem moving in to Corona House was Koutarou himself. He seemed practically oblivious to his own social position, and he was frequently doing and saying things that caught Nalfa completely off guard. Every time it happened, she thought her heart was going to stop... But more often than not, it was just Koutarou being courteous—like with the box earlier—so she couldn’t even be mad at him about it if she wanted to. It was just so hard to see and think about a legendary hero in his everyday life.

“I think that’s understandable. You found out so suddenly, after all, Kotori.”

“Yeah, but I can tell how famous he is from how you behave around him, Nalfa-chan...” Kotori said with a wry smile and a shrug.

In reality, she was the one having the hardest time coming to terms with Koutarou’s identity. She hadn’t fought alongside him like Theia and the other girls had, and she’d never seen his scars like Kenji had. She had no clue and no context... Learning that Koutarou was a hero in a far-off galaxy came as a bolt out of the blue. She could barely even imagine it, so it would be some time yet before she actually came to terms with it. Even after seeing him fight and hearing the whole story, it was the best she could do to try to think of Koutarou as some secret celebrity. First and foremost, he was “Kou-niisan” in her eyes.

“Saying he’s famous is kind of an understatement. He’s a fundamental part of every Forthorthian’s—”

“Oh no! Nalfa-chan, look out!”

That was when Nalfa, who’d gotten distracted by her discussion with Kotori, tripped over her luggage.

“Huwah?!”

Unable to respond to the unexpected accident, Nalfa’s expression froze up as she tumbled towards some unpacked tableware. She was falling head first, and the tableware consisted mostly of glass and porcelain pieces. Worse yet, she couldn’t brace herself because of a cardboard box in the way. At this rate, she was seriously going to injure herself.

“Nalfa-san!”

But that’s when Koutarou came flying. He’d been keeping an eye on Nalfa throughout the moving process, and he dropped what he was doing to come to her aid, managing to catch her just before she crashed into the tableware.

“Argh, sorry, Landlord-san!”

But the trouble wasn’t over yet. Koutarou had caught Nalfa, but rather than stopping her, he was now tumbling with her and her diverted momentum. Quickly realizing that crashing into anything like this would be dangerous, Koutarou spun his body around to shield Nalfa.

Wham!

“Kyah!”

“Ugh!”

With a loud thud, Koutarou and Nalfa crashed right into the wall of room 105. Koutarou took most of the impact since he’d forcibly positioned himself between Nalfa and the wall, but the both of them collapsed to the ground.

“Kou-niisan! Nalfa-chan!”

Dust and plaster showered down on them as a gaping hole opened up in the wall. Their combined weight was well over a hundred kilograms, and the impact of their little crash was serious. The hole led right into room 106, and the girls standing on the other side of the wall in Koutarou’s apartment stared right through it with wide eyes.

“Owowow...”

It was quite the accident, but fortunately Nalfa wasn’t seriously hurt. She was aching all over, but she could move just fine and didn’t appear to be bleeding anywhere. She grimaced as she picked herself up.

“Kuh... I’m glad I made it in time...”

Koutarou, however, was still on the ground. Taking the brunt of the impact had knocked the wind out of him and he still hadn’t recovered. It was all he could do to sigh upon seeing Nalfa safe.

“L-Layous-sama! Are you okay?!”

Seeing Koutarou’s condition, Nalfa cried out and clung to him.

“Are you, Nalfa-san?”

“Who cares about me?! Are you hurt, Layous-sama?!”

The Blue Knight had ended up like this because of her carelessness. As a proud Forthorthian citizen, that was unacceptable to her. In her panic, she started calling him “Layous-sama” instead of “Koutarou-sama.”

“I-I’m fine, and more importantly... I care about you.”

Koutarou was finally starting to pull himself together. He was aching and his breathing was ragged, but he lifted himself up off the floor.

“Are you hurt, Nalfa-san?”

“I, um...”

That was the first Nalfa’s thoughts turned to herself. She’d only been concerned about Koutarou.

“I’m okay. Just a little scratched. But are you sure you’re all right, Layous-sama?”

Nalfa was fine thanks to Koutarou. She was a little scraped up, but that was all. That was why she was so focused on Koutarou. Just the thought that he might’ve gotten hurt for her sake made her anxious.

“I’m okay. I’m sturdier than you are. You guys all worry too much.”

Fortunately, however, Koutarou was just fine. He’d gotten the wind knocked out of him good and well, but it would take more than that and a few scratches to stop Koutarou. Not only was he used to playing rough sports, he was constantly protected by layers of magic and psychic power.

“Thank goodness...”

Relief washed over Nalfa when she realized Koutarou was okay. She didn’t know what she would have done if she’d gotten him seriously hurt, so she thanked her lucky stars he was all right. Thankful tears welled in her eyes.

“Still, this is pretty awful...” Koutarou muttered.

While he and Nalfa were fine, there had still been a casualty—the wall between rooms 105 and 106. The hole they’d knocked in it was easily big enough for a person to pass through.

“Landlord-san is going to kill me... She treasures Corona House more than anything.”

The image of a demonic-looking Shizuka flashed through Koutarou’s mind. Corona House was all her late parents had left her, so it was very special to her. There was no way she wasn’t going to lose her mind when she saw the gaping hole in the wall. Knowing that, Koutarou braced himself for the beating he was soon to receive.

“I’m sorry, Layous-sama. This is all my fault...”

“I’d much prefer this to you getting hurt.”

“Thank you very much, Lay— Er, Koutarou-sama.”

“What about me? I’m covered in all this white stuff...” interjected a sniffling Yurika.

“Sorry about that, Yurika.”

“Well, it sounds like it was for Nalfa-chan’s sake, so it’s fine...”

“I’m very sorry, Yurika-sama...”

The real fallout from the hole in the wall had landed on Yurika—literally. She was heavily dusted with drywall and plaster. She wasn’t hurt, but she was crying nonetheless. Her freshly-opened pudding cup, you see, was now powdered too.

Shizuka ran over as soon as she heard the commotion, and a demonic look flashed in her eyes as she beheld the disaster in front of her. Koutarou knew she’d be mad, so with little other option, he resigned himself to death and prostrated himself before Shizuka to explain the situation.

“I’m sorry. You’re right to be mad, so I won’t make any excuses.”

But that’s when she said something unexpected...

“I forgive you.”

Not believing his own ears, a stupefied Koutarou looked up at Shizuka.

“What?”

“I said I forgive you.”

“Y-You do?”

“What else am I supposed to do? As bad as this is, it’s better than Nalfa-chan getting hurt. If I told you I wished that had happened instead, my parents would never forgive me. You did the right thing, Satomi-kun.”

“Landlord-san...”

“Besides, I’m sure a boy I know will do something to make it up to me later, hmm?”

“Yeah... I’m sure he will.”

“So we’re good.”

It was Koutarou’s lucky day; Shizuka didn’t actually kill him. In fact, she instantly forgave him with a smile on her face. His wallet would take a hit later, but that was far better than Shizuka losing herself in rage. And so, with that resolved, Koutarou set about cleaning up after the incident.

The first order of business was treating Nalfa, who had scraped her arm in the tumble. While Koutarou was pleading his case to Shizuka, Nalfa had gone to wash up. And now, after looking over the freshly-cleaned wound, Koutarou pulled out his first aid kit.

“Did you wash your scrape?”

“Yes, I made sure to clean the wound.”

“Good. Now let me see it.”

“Here.”

“I’m sorry about this, Koutarou-sama.”

“What are you talking about? You got hurt, so you get first aid. It’s that simple.”

“That may be... but my carelessness has caused you so much trouble...”

“You’re still just not used to life here. You’ll get the hang of things over time.”

“Thank you, Koutarou-sama...”

As of late, Koutarou had begun carrying a miniature first aid kit in his pocket. It was far more convenient than having to go get the real thing every time Nalfa hurt herself. Presently, he pulled an antiseptic spray from the small kit and applied it to Nalfa’s scrape in an accustomed fashion. This was practically routine by now.

Auuugh, I’m having His Excellency the Blue Knight act as a paramedic... This won’t do! As a Forthorthian, I should be ashamed of myself...

Nalfa was embarrassed of the burden she placed on Koutarou, but he seemed to pay it no mind. He was far more intent on seeing her wounds treated.

“Here, Satomi-kun.”

After putting some gauze on Nalfa’s arm, Koutarou was just about to reach for a bandage when someone suddenly held one out to him.

“Thank you, Sakuraba-senpai.”

“Heehee... You’re very welcome.”

It was, of course, none other than Harumi’s doing. She was a considerate girl and often played nurse when Koutarou was treating Nalfa. Today was no different, and Harumi smiled brightly as she handed Koutarou the bandage.

“Oh?”

When Koutarou went to take it from her, his eyes fell on Harumi’s hand. She had a blue ribbon trimmed with white lace tied neatly around her right wrist.

“What is it, Satomi-kun?”

“I just noticed your ribbon.”

“Oh, you mean this?”

Once Harumi handed over the bandage, she held her free hand up and giggled bashfully as she glanced at the ribbon in question.

“Actually, I had a wonderful dream the other night... I was thinking it would be nice if something similar happened in real life, so I copied an idea from it.”

“So it’s sort of like a good luck charm?”

That was just like Harumi... Or so Koutarou thought as he went about bandaging Nalfa’s right forearm. When he reached her wrist, he stared at it blankly for a moment.

Bandages... Bandages and ribbons...? Did something like this happen before...? No, I can’t remember anything like it...

His eyes flipped back and forth between the girls’ wrists. Something about this felt familiar, but no matter how he racked his brain, he couldn’t recall a thing. Coming to the conclusion that it must be his imagination, he shrugged it off.

“So you finally noticed, you fool.”

Suddenly, a familiar face occupied Koutarou’s field of vision. Her golden hair bouncing everywhere, Theia looked up at him with pouting blue eyes and puffed-up cheeks.

“Mackenzie noticed everything last week.”

As she spoke, the unhappy Theia jabbed her finger against Koutarou’s nose. It was her way of punishing the thoughtless boy.

“Everything?”

Koutarou looked down his near-flat nose at Theia, whose choice of words had gotten his attention. Seeing this, Theia held up something.

“Harumi’s not the only one with something new, you know.”

In her hand, Theia was holding the handlebars to a bicycle. She’d removed them so she could better adjust them for her height... but Koutarou had no recollection of Theia having a bike. It must be new.

“So Sakuraba-senpai got a ribbon and Theia got a bike...”

There, Koutarou took a look around the room. Looking at the girls in turn, he realized that they each seemed to have something new. Maki had headphones with a feline design to them hanging around her neck. Yurika had a pair of sneakers that she was gleefully staring at, apparently having just taken them out of the box. Shizuka had a new apron, and when her eyes met Koutarou’s, she spread it out for him to see. Sanae spun around to show off the winged backpack she was wearing. Ruth was in a cute new outfit, and she blushed when she saw Koutarou studying her in it. Kiriha donned a new hair accessory, and she’d made some minor alterations to her hairstyle and outfit to match. And last but not least, Clan was lovingly polishing a vacuum tube—the kind an old radio would use.

“When did you all...?”

“Jeez, you could stand to learn a thing or two from Mackenzie!”

“Hey, I’m not like him. But, really, what brought this on? I’m seeing it now. You all seem to have something new.”

“They’re all good luck charms, just like Harumi’s ribbon. We’re third-years now, but our futures are uncertain. After seeing Harumi take the initiative, we all decided to give it a try too.”

“Huh...”

Even though they all had something new to show off, their new belongings suited them all perfectly. That was why Koutarou hadn’t noticed them before. Nothing seemed out of place. It was easy enough to believe, then, that the girls had picked them out for themselves as good luck charms. Koutarou was superstitious whenever he had a ballgame coming up, so he got the idea.

But what’s with this feeling...?

There was just one thing that bothered him. He felt the same strange familiarity about the girls’ new belongings that he had about Harumi’s ribbon. They were grabbing his attention, but he didn’t know why. He didn’t hate the feeling, however. In the end, he decided just to put it in the back of his mind for now. He’d figure it out someday.

“A good luck charm... That might be exactly what I need too.”

Nalfa looked at the other girls as Koutarou did... then at the gaping hole in the wall. Her shoulders slumped with a sigh. She wanted to decrease the number of accidents and injuries that her carelessness caused. If she didn’t, she’d just keep causing trouble for Koutarou. She was willing to do anything it took, even if it meant getting superstitious.

“Don’t worry, Nalfa-chan! I’m sure you’ll be fine once you get used to life here!” Kotori said cheerfully as she hung some curtains up over the hole in the wall.

Hearing her best friend’s encouragement, Nalfa’s spirits began to lift.

“I hope so...”

“Don’t worry!”

“Yeah, you’re right... I’ll do my best!”

“That’s the spirit!”

There, a smile returned to Nalfa’s face. In the end, she might not need a good luck charm as long as she had Kotori. She was so very happy they’d become friends.

Once he was done tending to Nalfa, Koutarou got back to helping her move. With the hole in the wall, he and the girls could go back and forth between the apartments freely, which actually sped things up. It wasn’t long before room 105 was in livable condition.

“Here, Yurika. This is for you.”

“Are you sure?! That’s your pudding, Satomi-san!”

“You helped with the move even after what happened to you. I can’t let that go unrewarded.”

“Thank you for the tasty treat!”

With the move mostly over now, the group was in the middle of a tea break in room 106. Everyone was sipping on tea and nibbling on rice crackers, except for Yurika who was indulging in the pudding she’d gotten from Koutarou. It was an apology after what had happened to hers.

“Yurika, gimme some too!” Sanae begged.

“Just a little, okay?” Yurika offered.

“Mmm, that’s good!”

“Yeah, this is much better than the one powdered with plaster.”

“You ate that?!”

Koutarou chewed on a rice cracker as he contentedly watched Yurika enjoy her pudding. When he took a sip of tea next, his eyes met Shizuka’s.

“You’re being awfully nice, Satomi-kun,” she said from the other side of the table.

“Well, it was my fault.”

“I know. And you’re being awfully nice about it, Satomi-kun,” Shizuka repeated with a slightly different inflection as she tapped her shoulders.

“All right, all right...”

Realizing what she wanted, Koutarou got up and moved around behind Shizuka so that he could rub her shoulders.

“How’s that?”

“Can you go a little stronger? My shoulders are so stiff after having to bend at a strange angle to clean up.”

“You got it.”

“Ah, that’s better. Keep it up, Satomi-kun.”

“I’ll pour my heart and soul into it.”

“Very good.”

Yurika wasn’t the only one Koutarou owed an apology. And after damaging her only keepsake from her parents, he knew a pudding cup wasn’t going to cut it with Shizuka. Koutarou had been on his best behavior with her since the incident, which fortunately seemed to be pleasing her. Her demands hadn’t escalated much, but she certainly seemed to be enjoying herself.

“Koutarou-sama is rubbing her shoulders...”

This was all a strange and wondrous sight to Nalfa. She was so taken by surprise that she didn’t even think to record it with her camera. She simply stared at them wide-eyed.

“Shizuka-san has known Kou-niisan since before he became the Blue Knight, so they’re like close friends.”

“That may be... But I still feel like I should be the one rubbing her shoulders.”

Koutarou may have busted the wall, but it was for Nalfa’s sake. She believed any punishment that came about from it should fall squarely on her.

“That’s the tricky thing about matters of the heart,” Kiriha chimed in as if to answer Nalfa’s doubts. She set her cup down on the table and tossed a smile her way. “This isn’t so much a punishment as it is the two of them playing.”

“Playing?”

“Indeed. Didn’t you play around with your brother the same way?”

“Well, yes... But those two aren’t siblings.”

“Certainly not. But so much has happened between them that it’s hard to say they aren’t family.”

“So it’s sort of like how it is with the princesses?”

“Yes. This is just a way of affirming their bond. Of course... Koutarou wouldn’t admit that.”

With a wry smile, Kiriha took another sip of tea and turned her eyes towards Koutarou and Shizuka. To Nalfa, it certainly looked like she was beholding family... Or perhaps something even more dear.

Maybe this is like that soulmates thing Kotori is always talking about? But... it’s different for me. He’s... He’s a hero.

Nalfa looked from Kiriha to Koutarou, and as she did, she realized that she was looking at him differently from the other girls. She beheld him as a hero. That should have been enough for her, but somehow she couldn’t help thinking it was a shame.

“If it bothers you so, Nalfa, then why don’t you help?”

“What?”

“There’s no rule that says you can’t join in. But only if you want to, that is.”

“I...”

Kiriha’s words made Nalfa question herself. Did she want to join in? How did she want to see Koutarou?

“I’m... going to go help Koutarou-sama a little.”

That was the choice she made in the end, though she still wasn’t certain if her feelings were for Koutarou or the hero known as the Blue Knight. Either way, however, she was sure that doing nothing would only work against her.

“I see,” Kiriha replied briefly with a smile and a nod.

There, Nalfa quietly made her way over to Koutarou and timidly called out to the group. After a short exchange, she joined Koutarou and helped rub Shizuka’s shoulders.

Just what does Nalfa Laren mean for us?

Kiriha had urged Nalfa to join in because she believed it would be good for the transfer student so far from home, but that wasn’t her only reason. During the battle the other day, she’d witnessed Nalfa exhibit some kind of power that Nalfa herself seemed to be unaware of. Things had ended up working out, but there was no guarantee that would be the case next time. That inspired a desire in Kiriha to figure out just who Nalfa really was.

She seems to be an average transfer student, but it would be rash to assume that she has that power by coincidence. Was she sent here by someone? Or perhaps it has something to do with our missing memories... I’ll need to observe her further.

According to the letter Kiriha had left herself, she and the others were missing a portion of their memories between April 5th and 6th. Kiriha suspected that Nalfa might have something to do with it, but it was only a suspicion. She had no conclusive evidence to go on, so she would continue to wait and watch.

“Welp!”

That was when Yurika, who’d finished off her pudding, suddenly stood up. When she did, all eyes fell on her.

“What’s up, Yurika?”

Koutarou called out to her on behalf of the group, and she answered with a cheerful smile.

“It’s time for my part-time job, so I’m going out for a bit.”

Yurika had a shift scheduled for this evening. Her latest manga binge had put her over budget.

“Another part-time job? Where is it this time?” Maki asked worriedly.

She wasn’t the only one alarmed to hear Yurika had another part-time job, however. Everyone was, and rightfully so. Yurika’s last job, after all, had been as a yakuza henchman.

“Don’t worry. I’ve had plenty of time to reflect on my actions. This time, I’ll be polishing glass panes at an old factory.”

Yurika had learned her lesson after letting greed blind her into becoming a crime syndicate underling. Instead of jumping at sketchy job offers, she’d carefully selected one at a local factory this time.

“I see. Good luck.”

“Thank you, Maki-chan! I’m off!”

It was hard to imagine a local factory being a criminal front, so Maki was able to see Yurika off with a smile.

“After all this time, she’s finally started properly thinking for herself.”

“Master, Yurika-sama is a magical girl of justice. Surely she’s realized she has no business being an agent of evil.”

“You’re not being very honest, Veltlion. You gave her that pudding because you think she’s been doing well lately, didn’t you?”

“That’s not true. I was just thinking that I’ve had too much sugar lately.”

“Then can I have your dessert tomorrow?”

“No way, Sanae. That one’s mine.”

“Whaaat? Didn’t you just say you’ve had too much sugar lately?”

“Jeez, you really aren’t being honest...”

The atmosphere in the room grew warm and fuzzy. Just like the other girls, Yurika had grown over the past two years. Her friends were all happy to see it, and the girls couldn’t help thinking it was a shame that Koutarou was the only one who had trouble showing it. In that sense, he hadn’t grown at all.