Rokujouma no Shinryakusha!? - Volume 32 - Chapter 4

Confession Under the Bridge

Sunday, May 15th

Yurika had once again become an evil henchman. As a magical girl and ally of justice, this discovery was no small shock. Koutarou used every method he could to console her, but nothing worked for days. And before he knew it, it was time for the sports festival.

“Ah, so that’s why Nijino-san’s been looking so down.”

Hearing the story from Koutarou, Kenji nodded. He’d been wondering about her all this time. Even now, she was wandering around like a zombie.

“It wasn’t her fault this time and I want to do something for her, but... turns out that’s harder than it sounds.”

Koutarou let out a sigh as he stretched to warm up. In just a few minutes, the interclub obstacle marathon would begin. He was desperate to cheer her up before then.

“So, Mackenzie... What do you think I should do?”

Koutarou had been friends with Yurika for a long time and knew a lot about her, but this was a special case and he wasn’t well equipped for handling such situations. That’s why he’d turned to his best friend and resident girl expert, Kenji.

“That’s easy. Just embrace her and give her a kiss.”

“Anything except that.”

“Why are you trying to make this harder on yourself, Kou?”

“I’m not. I mean it. Anything but that, seriously.”

“Hmm... How about tempting her with her favorite food?”

“That didn’t work. I mean, she’ll eat it, but she just goes back to moping. And it doesn’t matter how much I feed her, either.”

“Then what about taking her out on a date?”

“I tried asking, but she’s so glazed-over that it’s like I can’t even get through to her.”

“Okay, then maybe you should try calling Nana-san for help?”

“She’s in Forthorthe right now managing diplomatic relations between Forthorthe and her home country.”

“Then I guess you’re SOL.”

“Don’t say that! She’s still working at her part-time job even though it’s pro bono all because she knows the factory workers would be troubled if she suddenly quit.”

When Koutarou and the others made their move to rescue the Brown family, there was a high chance the factory would fold in the aftermath. But Yurika was still working hard in spite of that. She knew her coworkers were counting on her right now, and she couldn’t abandon them. But that only made her even more depressed. She knew what was going to happen and still couldn’t save the innocent factory workers from misfortune. This was completely different from busting up a yakuza ring.

“Maybe I’ll give Yurika an allowance and try to defend the factory to keep it from getting shut down... But someone’s going to have to take responsibility for this.”

That’s why Koutarou was so fixated on Yurika. He knew she’d done and was still doing the right thing, and he hated to see her punished for that.

“Say, Kou... Why don’t you just give it up?”

Kenji paused his warmup and adjusted his glasses as he looked at Koutarou. His best friend’s quandary was amusing to him.

“What?”

“You don’t want her to be upset or hurt... Simply put, you don’t want her to be unhappy, right?”

“Yeah... I guess not.”

“But giving her an allowance and trying to keep her workplace from shutting down is way beyond the scope of a normal friendship.”

“Huh?”

“You follow me?”

“...”

That was when it hit Koutarou. He and the girls had always been helping each other out, and the degree of that help had gradually increased over time. He’d never realized it before, but it seemed so obvious now. Like Kenji said, that was way further than most people would go for a normal friend. It was the kind of thing you’d only do for someone special.

“You just can’t leave Nijino-san alone... You can’t leave any of those girls alone. So why don’t you just give up on the idea of picking just one? It’s a losing battle at this point, you know?”

No matter how anyone looked at it, there was a special bond between Koutarou and Yurika. One that drove them together and not apart in the face of misfortune. And it wasn’t just them. A similar bond existed between Koutarou and the other girls, as well as between the girls themselves. That was plain as day to Kenji. He knew it would be impossible to break them up at this point.

“Shut up. I’m not going to do anything stupid.”

“Heh... Whatever you say, Kou.”

Kenji knew that hardheaded Koutarou could solve all the trouble he’d been having with the girls by settling on just one of them. But he also knew that if the girls took hands in a circle around him, Koutarou could never bring himself to hurt any of them. It was indeed a most amusing situation.

Koutarou had sidled up to Kenji before the race to ask for advice, but that wasn’t his only reason. He could’ve done that anytime. There was something far more important at play.

“Mackenzie, it’s almost time.”

“Yeah, I know. Have there been any changes?”

“Nothing as of yet... I’m counting on you for today, you know?”

“Yeah, yeah. A friend in need and all that.”

With a light shrug, Kenji walked off. The club obstacle marathon was just about to start, and Koutarou wasn’t who he’d be running with today.

“How are things with Kenji, Koutarou?”

As if to take Kenji’s place, Kiriha approached Koutarou. She was in charge of everything and was going around to each of her friends for a final check-in.

“He’s fine. The same as always. He’s got some guts, though. Maybe he’s more suited for this stuff than I am.”

“So Kenji’s personality is helping us out in more ways than one, is it?”

Satisfied with Koutarou’s report, Kiriha turned her gaze on Kenji. He’d walked away and was calling out to a tall, blonde girl. It was, of course, Professor Brown’s daughter. Kenji’s partner for the race was Emily.

“That said, I’d like to limit his involvement to this special case.”

“Definitely. He should stay on the sunny side of things.”

Kiriha and Koutarou agreed on that point. Just because Kenji had guts didn’t mean he should walk the same path they did. It would be better if he lived a normal life.

“Kou-niisan!”

“Hello, Koutarou-sama! Kiriha-sama!”

Their conversation, however, was interrupted when Kotori and Nalfa came running over. They were wearing runner’s bibs that identified them as part of the photography club.

“Here, Kou-niisan. These are the bibs for the knitting society.”

“Thanks for bringing them, Kin-chan.”

“It’s no big deal. Besides, we had ulterior motives.”

“Koutarou-sama, look this way!”

“Ah, so that’s what you mean.”

As Koutarou put on his bib, Nalfa snapped away. She and Kotori had specifically come over to get a picture of him wearing it.

“Like brother, like sister. You’re a clever girl, Kin-chan.”

“Teehee...”

Kotori was beaming with an embarrassed smile she only ever revealed to her closest friends. But catching sight of something out of the corner of her eye made it disappear in an instant.

“Nii-san... Again?!”

When Koutarou mentioned her brother, Kotori naturally glanced around for him... and saw him chatting up the new transfer student.

“When it comes to women, Matsudaira Kenji is a natural...”

Kiriha found herself groaning as well. They were too far away to hear what Kenji and Emily were talking about, but based on their body language, they were already quite close. Emily was even playfully punching Kenji in the chest. They’d only known each other a few days, but they were acting like old friends.

Since Emily had moved to Japan in a hurry, her Japanese wasn’t very good. And since she’d moved halfway around the world, she didn’t know anyone here. It made her uneasy, especially with her current family situation. She felt like she didn’t have anyone to talk to... And that’s where Kenji walked in. He was sociable and fun. He even spoke English, but since it wasn’t his native language, he made mistakes from time to time just like she did in Japanese. It helped break the ice between them and they became fast friends. Since the other students weren’t great with English, Emily relied heavily on him. That was even why they were participating in the race together today. Kenji would stay by her side as her interpreter.

“I hate to say this about my own brother, but I don’t know if it’s amazing or shameful...”

Kotori was looking at Kenji, but she wasn’t angry this time. She’d heard he was helping Koutarou and the others, so she kept her fingers crossed that his intentions were innocent.

“Either way, it’s thanks to him we can get her out of here,” Koutarou offered.

Today would be the day Koutarou and the girls rescued the Brown family. They’d entrusted Emily to Kenji so he could guide her to safety once the race started.

In order to pull off the difficult mission of rescuing the Brown family and securing the swiped navigation device as simultaneously as possible, Koutarou and the girls had decided to use the obstacle marathon to their advantage. They would make their move during the event, camouflaging the rescue among all the hubbub.

“Koutarou, there are three people with strange auras.”

“Master, I’ve located the three figures Sanae-sama is talking about on camera. I’m forwarding the information to your bracelet.”

“Thanks.”

When formulating their plan of attack, the biggest obstacle was how to rescue Emily. Emily’s mother, Claire, was confined to the hotel, so the only real question in her case was the matter of timing. But Emily could move freely, albeit under surveillance. That’s where Kenji came in; he would keep tabs on Emily and guide her to the target destination during the race. He would be the real linchpin of the operation.

I’m counting on you, Mackenzie. But to think the day would come that we’re all depending on you and your less-than-appreciated talents...

At first Koutarou and the girls had considered asking the Sun Rangers to call Emily to the office at a prearranged time, but that would be too obvious. It also might inadvertently lead to BTE security discovering the Sun Rangers since they would inevitably look into any teachers trying to make contact with Emily.

And that conundrum was where the idea of using the obstacle marathon came up. By doing some behind-the-scenes work to change the course of the race, they could basically guarantee Emily would be in a certain spot at a certain time. It wouldn’t even be suspicious. By all appearances, Emily would just be participating in the marathon—and so would Koutarou and company. They’d all just be part of the event. It wasn’t like BTE security could realistically look into every student, faculty member, and volunteer involved in the race.

With all that decided, the last remaining problem was their point of contact with Emily. From her point of view, she’d practically be getting kidnapped. Someone would need to be with her to convince her. And since Koutarou and the girls determined no one else could win Emily’s trust before the sports festival, that job fell squarely on Kenji.

“Big Brother, we’ve gotten close to the three suspicious people and are investigating them, ho!”

“We picked up some strange electromagnetic waves and detected an L-shaped metal device with our sensors, ho! There’s a 90 percent chance they have radios and guns, ho!”

“Veltlion, three small unmanned crafts—what you’d call drones here on Earth—are stationed overhead. Based on their position and movement, we can assume they’re backup for the guards on the ground.”

Koutarou and the girls hadn’t expected their plan to go off without a hitch, however. Emily typically had two men keeping an eye on her at all times. But since her guards would have to keep their distance today because of the race, they’d arranged for drones and brought a third man with them. Moreover, they were armed. There was also no guarantee that the drones were the extent of their surveillance net. Koutarou and the girls would have to be careful. Whether or not they could do this stealthily would determine the success of the operation.

“Kiriha-san, what do you think?”

“This is all within expectation. It shouldn’t affect how we proceed.”

“All right... You hear that, everyone? The plan’s a go.”

Koutarou relayed the news to the girls and signaled Kenji. Since he was with Emily, he wasn’t wearing a communicator in order to avoid standing out.

“I sure hope Nii-san will be okay...”

“Don’t worry. I’ll make sure they don’t touch Mackenzie.”

“Thank you, Kou-niisan.”

Seemingly knowing what Koutarou and Kotori were talking about, Kenji glanced over and gave them a quick nod before turning back to Emily.

Clubs were a big part of school life at Kisshouharukaze High School, making the interclub obstacle marathon every bit as big of a deal as the sports festival’s grand finale—the team relay. Everyone looked forward to it with anticipation, and that anticipation reached a fever pitch just as the race was about to start.

“Hahh... Here we go...”

In the midst of all the excitement, however, Yurika was feeling lower than ever. Today would mark the demise of her part-time job for good. The factory she worked for would inevitably be shut down, meaning she wouldn’t get paid for all the work she’d done... meaning she wouldn’t be able to buy all the Blu-rays and manga she’d been looking forward to. That alone was bad enough, but all of her coworkers would be out of a job too. It was misfortune after misfortune, and the weight of Yurika’s misery nearly crushed her as she crouched down on the ground to cry a little.

“Keep it together, Yurika! Save your tears for later!” Koutarou encouraged.

“B-But... everyone’s going to...”

“If we don’t save Emily-san and her family today, then there will be people all over the world who end up without jobs!”

The premature leak of Forthorthian technology would lead to an industrial collapse. Why use old technology when there was something newer and better? The manufacturing sector as Earth knew it would face bankruptcy, spelling rampant unemployment the world over.

“Hngh... Y-You’re right. I-I’ll do my best...”

Yurika wiped away her tears and forced herself to stand up. She was, after all, a magical girl of love and courage. That gave her the strength she needed to steady her legs and steel herself. There would be time to cry later. For now, it was her job to run damage control and keep an already bad situation from getting worse.

“Yurika...”

Koutarou had something he was planning on saying if Yurika didn’t stand up. He was sure she’d need a little more motivation to get on her feet.

I guess Yurika’s growing in her own way. She really is doing her best...

But to his surprise, it seemed that wasn’t necessary. So he kept it to himself and instead said something he hadn’t planned for at all.

“Don’t eat too much curry at the speed eating obstacle. I know Landlord-san’s curry is the best, but you need to be able to keep running afterward.”

“Don’t worry. Shizuka-san said she’d make me as much as I wanted after the mission is over.”

“I take it back. That side of you hasn’t changed in the least...”

“Huh? What was that?”

“It’s nothing. Let’s go. The race is just about to start.”

“Okay.”

Yurika rubbed her eyes one more time, and when she lowered her hands, she now looked like a magical girl ready to face the trials to come. Koutarou glanced at her from the side and wished that she could always look like that, but then he thought better of it and smiled wryly. Not long after, the starting pistol signaled the beginning of the marathon.

Koutarou and the girls chose starting positions in a circle around Emily in order to ensure maximum safety at the chaotic start of the race. Since everyone took off running at the same time, things would never be more hectic than they were right out of the gate. But with their strategic positioning, at least one of them should end up somewhere near Emily and Kenji.

“Emily-san is ten meters out in front of me! Follow after her with my marker!”

As luck would have it, Shizuka ended up being the closest. She’d broken out ahead of the pack at the very start of the race and then fallen behind in the ensuing chaos. Koutarou was only twenty meters or so behind Shizuka, but he couldn’t see her through the crowd. All he had to go off of was a holographic map displaying markers for Shizuka, Kenji, and Emily’s positions.

“S-Satomi-san, p-please wait!”

While Koutarou was keeping a good pace, Yurika was already struggling. She wasn’t fit, either mentally or physically, to keep up with all the chaos. And upon realizing the sorry state she was in, Koutarou decided to do something bold.

“Come on, Yurika!”

“Satomi-san? Wha— Kyaaah!”

He grabbed Yurika by the arm, pulling her closer before picking her up like a princess. As far as he was concerned, this would be far faster and safer than letting Yurika run around on her own amidst all the confusion. He would literally carry her through the race, at least until they got out of the clustered chaos at the start.

“You can be really pushy at times, Satomi-san...”

“Just for today!”

“But didn’t you do this with Sakuraba-senpai two years ago too?”

When Yurika mentioned it, Koutarou recalled something similar had indeed happened once upon a time. Running the marathon with Harumi as a first-year, he’d scooped her up for an early start too.

“Sakuraba-senpai is special!”

“Why not just say I’m special too?!”

“It’s not like you have an excuse!”

In Harumi’s case, her weak constitution and frailty put her at a serious disadvantage at the chaotic start of the marathon. Koutarou had carried her through it because he wanted to give her a fighting chance at finishing the race.

“Still... Has it really been two years since then?” he asked.

“It makes this feel kind of nostalgic.”

“Yeah. Back then, we were all just fighting...”

Koutarou could hardly believe how things had changed. So much had happened since that spring two years ago that it felt like it had been five or more.

Back then, I was doing everything I could to drive them out...

That might have been the most unbelievable part. In the past, he was desperate to get rid of the warmth he was now carrying in his arms. And it wasn’t just Yurika, either. He’d tried pushing away all of the girls that were now supporting him, blind to the fact that his destiny lay with them. Thinking about it that way now, he couldn’t help tightening his grip on Yurika a little.

“Why is bad stuff always happening to me?” Yurika whined.

“In that regard, nothing’s changed at all,” Koutarou quipped.

“Please don’t say that... I’d almost forgotten.”

“My bad. Actually, I admit that I was just thinking about how you’ve changed.”

“How so?”

“You’ve gotten a little, um... well...”

“Don’t hesitate there! If you’re going to praise me, then say it loud and proud!”

“Fine. You’ve gotten a little heavier.”

“Wah! You shouldn’t say that at all!”

Luckily for Koutarou, Yurika had no idea what he was really thinking. It helped put him at ease, but it was far too early to get complacent. They still had a job to do, so Koutarou rallied a little more strength in his legs and pressed boldly onward.

The first obstacle was at the 500 meter mark in the children’s playground. Since it was so close, there were large groups of runners flooding in. But the obstacle here was the traditional grade school-level math quiz, which helped thin the crowd and stagger the runners. There were those that could solve all ten problems in a flash and those who’d spend ten or more minutes stuck on this first hurdle. It was here that Koutarou ran into Sanae.

“Heya, Sanae.”

“Huh, you’re already here? That was fast.”

Sanae looked up from her worksheet in surprise when she heard Koutarou’s voice. She’d thought he’d take longer to get to the first obstacle with Yurika in tow.

“We don’t have any time to mess around today, you know?”

“That’s true. We all have to do our best.”

Koutarou set Yurika down and took a seat next to Sanae. Yurika went and grabbed two worksheets, setting one down in front of Koutarou before taking a seat herself. There were desks scattered about the playground for the purpose of the marathon, most of which were already filled with other runners.

“What happened to Aika-san?” Koutarou asked.

“She left together with Shizuka. I’m no match for Maki when it comes to math,” replied Sanae.

“I bet.”

Koutarou and the girls had had a hand in planning the obstacle marathon, and Sanae and Yurika had insisted on getting the answers to this first obstacle ahead of time. It was, after all, an emergency. But nevertheless, their request was denied for several reasons. The first was that Koutarou and Maki, who were strict about following the rules, disapproved. Theia and Kiriha did as well, but for strategic reasons. They thought it would look unnatural if the same group of people stayed around Emily throughout the entire race. Moreover, Harumi and Ruth were against it simply because it would be unfair to the other participants. As such, they insisted Sanae and Yurika solve the math problems just like everyone else... meaning they’d inevitably be stuck at the first obstacle for a while. Fortunately, however, Shizuka, Maki and even Ruth were already out ahead. There wouldn’t be any problems if Koutarou and the other girls trailed along afterward.

“Let’s do our best on the next obstacles to make up for this.”

“Heck yeah! Let’s show them what we’re made of!”

Koutarou and Sanae were confident in their fitness, so they knew they’d be able to get ahead later on the obstacles that involved physical challenges. They wouldn’t be able to go all out because of the mission at hand, but they couldn’t help wanting to do well. They both, after all, loved a good race.

“I don’t have any confidence...”

Meanwhile, Yurika was taking the low road. She felt like keeping up was the best she could do. In fact, if she could just stay out of everyone’s way, that would be victory enough for her.

“All right! I’m done!”

Sanae had reached the first obstacle ahead of Koutarou and Yurika, and she was better at simple math than both of them. By the time Yurika reached the second problem on the worksheet, Sanae was already finished with all ten on hers.

“That was fast, Sanae.”

“I was done with half of them by the time you guys got here. So I’m going on ahead. See you later!”

With that, Sanae gave an energetic wave and got the referee to check her answers before departing the first obstacle.

“We’ll be right behind you!”

“Good luck, Sanae-chan!”

Koutarou and Yurika shouted after her, waving as she ran off.

She still loves games and contests as much as ever...

Watching her go, Koutarou couldn’t help thinking back two years. Sanae was pretty snappy when he first met her, but she’d always relished having a little competitive fun with the most innocent, childish smile on her face.

“Satomi-san, we have to solve our problems too.”

“Yeah, let’s do our best.”

Returning to his senses, Koutarou went back to working on his quiz alongside Yurika. Unlike two years ago, she wasn’t struggling as much with the problems and managed to finish just about the same time Koutarou did.

Koutarou caught up with Theia at the third obstacle. Two years ago, it had been a dexterous challenge of carrying a ping pong ball with a spoon, but this year it was speed eating curry. Changing things up like this was part of what made the obstacle marathon so much fun.

“Hey, Theia.”

“Koutarou? Wasn’t Yurika with you?”

“She got stuck at the second obstacle.”

“Ah, grabbing a ping pong ball with chopsticks? That took me some time myself.”

“Yeah. She’s way better with a spoon.”

Koutarou had managed to catch up with Theia because of the time she’d lost at the second obstacle, and now the third as well.

“I gotta ask, Theia. Why are you eating so delicately now?”

“I have to keep up appearances.”

“It wasn’t all that long ago you didn’t have any trouble gorging yourself in front of a crowd...”

“Back then I was just a foreign transfer student, and now I’m a Forthorthian envoy. It’s not at all the same.”

Theia was taking her time on the third obstacle because she knew people were watching her. While it hadn’t officially been made public yet, rumors were already circulating around school that she was someone important based on her history at the school and the way people talked about her now. And because of that, Theia couldn’t risk doing anything to ruin her image. Just eating curry sloppily could reflect poorly on Forthorthe.

“Then you’re no better off than you were two years ago. Granted, your reason is different now.”

Two years ago, Theia had also struggled at the speed eating challenge. She’d wasted an inordinate amount of time tearing off tiny pieces of bread and eating them in a most ladylike fashion. But now she was acting out of national pride rather than personal pride. She too had changed over time and gradually come to reveal a bit more of her true self.

“You’re the only one who ever needs to know the real me.”

Nevertheless, Theia was still stymied here at the third obstacle because she had her image to worry about. But she wasn’t discouraged. She knew that she could always be herself in room 106. So she ate away as daintily as she had as a first-year, but she didn’t look anywhere near as unhappy as she had back then.

“If you’d been able to say that two years ago, you would’ve won by a landslide...”

Koutarou felt if he’d met Theia as she was now two years ago, he would’ve become her vassal after hearing her story. She’d grown into a splendid leader and had that effect on people. She made them want to follow her.

“But of course. I’ve become an excellent princess.”

Theia boasted proudly as though it were undeniable fact and flashed the same radiant, confident smile she had two years ago. The only difference was that, this time, it had real meaning behind it. Knowing that, Koutarou couldn’t help smiling back at her.

“Yeah, I know.”

“But to tell you the truth... I’m glad you met me when I was such a fool.”

“Why’s that?”

“Because I don’t regret anything about the past two years I’ve spent with you.”

With those words, Theia’s smile changed. It was a subtle change that only those who knew her well would notice, but it was so glaring to Koutarou that he had to look away.

“H-Hurry up and eat already... We don’t have any time to waste.”

“Says the boy who started the conversation. How self-serving...”

Koutarou was only trying to cover up his embarrassment, but Theia heeded his words and promptly got back to eating. She was only taking petite bites, but she radiated a special energy that drew attention from everyone around her. Koutarou had a vague understanding of what that was, but pretended not to notice.

Koutarou caught up to Kiriha at the fifth obstacle. As a natural genius, there was only one task that her mind couldn’t make simple work of... and that was dumb labor. In terms of brute strength, Kiriha’s wits didn’t do her any favors.

“So that’s why you’re stuck here, huh?”

“For two and a half more minutes.”

The fifth obstacle was to move four barrels of varying weights from one bench to another. Kiriha had managed to move the three lightest ones, but gave up upon trying to lift the fourth barrel. The penalty for being unable to complete the challenge was a two and a half minute layover for each unmoved barrel, and Kiriha was still waiting out her term.

But she was lucky. There were plenty of female participants who’d gotten stuck on the third or even second barrels, meaning they had two and three times as long to wait. The only girls in the race who’d been able to move all four were those who trained regularly, like Shizuka with her martial arts.

“So even the amazing Kiriha-san is just a normal girl when it comes down to physical strength...”

“I pride myself on being quite feminine, you know.”

Kiriha gave Koutarou a dirty look after what he said. That was rare coming from her, and it gave Koutarou quite a shock to see it.

“...I know that. You’re always taking care of me.”

Kiriha was practically in charge of Koutarou’s lifestyle. She and Ruth were always cooking for him, and she even stepped in to help out with the laundry and other cleaning when he fell behind on it. It made him feel guilty, but it was just a testament to how wonderful and thoughtful Kiriha was. He didn’t mean to belittle that, and couldn’t help the self-conscious smile that crossed his lips.

“Goodness, Satomi-kun, don’t say such shameless things in broad daylight! At least save it for when it’s just the two of us!”

Kiriha blushed and whipped around, bashfully trying to hide herself away from him. It was a completely non sequitur reaction to their conversation, but she wanted the people around them to think they’d been talking about something different. And it worked.

“H-Hey, Kiriha-san! Why are you blurting out something like that all of a sudden?!”

Koutarou felt the eyes of almost everyone around fall on him. Most were just curious onlookers, but he felt plenty of hostility mixed in with the bunch. Thanks to the psychic powers he’d gotten from Sanae, he could tell that some of his male classmates were ready to kill him.

“If I had to say, it’s because I just can’t help wanting to tease my beloved a little,” Kiriha whispered into Koutarou’s ear, still blushing.

Her incredible acting had everyone around them going.

“Okay, okay, I get it! Please forgive me! You’re the perfect girl, no matter how you look at it!”

“As long as you understand.”

Koutarou was confident in his strength, so the fifth obstacle would’ve been a cakewalk if not for the serious blow Kiriha had dealt him.

“God, thinking back on it, you’ve had me wrapped around your little finger for two years now, Kiriha-san...”

Once he regained his cool and gave it some thought, Koutarou realized that he’d been dancing in Kiriha’s palm since the day they met. Even when he wanted to complain, Kiriha always had a reason for acting the way she did. She was practically untouchable. Koutarou could never really get angry at her. And that was part of the reason he felt for her the way he did.

“You’ve got it backwards, Satomi Koutarou.”

“Huh?”

“You’re the one that really had me going over something as illogical as a timeslip.”

“I do feel really guilty about that...”

“There’s no need to feel guilty. It was fate, after all.”

Kiriha smiled as though it were the most natural thing in the world. At first glance, her relationship with Koutarou didn’t seem to have changed at all over the past two years. That was because what had changed was deeper than that, far below the surface. They might still have the same banter they always did, but it had a completely different meaning now. It made the grinning Kiriha feel both nostalgic and refreshed.

“But in the end, I’m no match for you, Kiriha-san. I wasn’t when we first met, I definitely wasn’t when you were a kid, and I’m certainly not now.”

“Who knows what might happen if you used your real strength, hmm?”

If Koutarou got serious, he could easily force a weaker girl into submission. Not that Kiriha in particular would really resist him to begin with.

“If I did that, we wouldn’t even be here in the first place.”

That wasn’t what Koutarou wanted. Using force would only tear apart the bonds they’d worked so hard to build up. Even his relationship with Theia—which appeared to be based on them fighting—was really only about them goofing around together.

“I know. That’s why I love you.”

“And that side of you is the most unfair of all, Kiriha-san...”

“Of course. It’s the one thing I refuse to yield on.”

To that, Koutarou had no response. When Kiriha played that card, there was only one way he could respond... and those three little words were the hardest thing in the world for a teenage boy to say.

According to the mission plan, Koutarou and the girls would bow out of the race and begin the rescue operation at the fifth obstacle. It was the perfect location. Emily would end up being delayed for the same reason Kiriha and many of the other girls were, making it look quite natural when they all managed to group up there. It put them into position to kick things off just as soon as they departed. So for Koutarou and the girls, this was where the real race started.

“I’m sorry to ruin your first obstacle marathon like this, Aika-san.”

Koutarou apologized to Maki when she arrived. She’d so been looking forward to the race, but was being forced to drop out just halfway through it.

“Don’t worry. I get to enjoy every day with you, Satomi-kun. Complaining about something so trivial would be silly.”

Maki shook her head with a smile. It was indeed a shame to miss out on the race, but Maki would never put her own desires before someone else’s happiness. Maki had only recently come to know warmth in a frigid world, and in that sense, she too was now a magical girl of love and courage.

“You’re such a good girl, Aika-san.”

“I’m not... It’ll take a lot more than this to make up for my evil ways.”

“Well, you can start by helping me out with sulky Princess Clariossa over there.”

Unlike reserved Maki, Clan quite openly wore her heart on her sleeve. It was plain as day she was unhappy.

“I-It’s not like I have any complaints about the plan!”

“Then why are you so upset?”

“That’s... because these villains have terrible timing!”

Clan forced out that answer in desperation, but she wasn’t at all wrong. Koutarou had had exactly the same thought.

“Sounds like you were looking forward to the obstacle marathon after all, huh?”

“I w-was not! What a baseless assumption!”

“Is it, though? I don’t think you’d be so angry if you hadn’t been looking forward to it.”

“Ugh...”

“But still... you’re right about bad timing. I’m pretty irritated myself.”

Koutarou and the girls were the ones who’d decided to put their plan into action today, but they hadn’t had much of a choice. The obstacle marathon was the safest and surest way to rescue Emily. If there had been another option, they gladly would’ve chosen it. That just simply wasn’t the case. So Koutarou thought Clan was absolutely justified; these bad guys had terrible timing.

“I’ll think of something to make it up to you later, Clan. But for now, cheer up. You’ll make us all sad looking like that.”

When those words left Koutarou’s mouth, Clan’s expression relaxed a little.

“You’re right... Nothing good will come from sulking like a child in a situation like this.”

Koutarou had assumed Clan would put up more of a selfish fight than that, so he was actually a little disappointed she’d come around so quickly.

Man, that was easier than I thought it’d be... Er, but now’s not the time for that!

Clan, just like Maki, craved kind words. She needed to be told she was needed. And the only reason she relented so easily this time was because Koutarou had already given her what she needed, said what she wanted to hear. Koutarou didn’t realize that, of course. But seeing the fond way Ruth was smiling at him told him he’d done the right thing somehow, so he decided not to dwell on it. It wasn’t like he had the time for that anyway.

“Ruth-san, what’s everyone’s current position?”

“Harumi-sama and Sanae-sama will reach their destination in the next ten seconds. After that, everyone will be in position.”

“All right. Let’s do this!”

Confirming that all the pieces were in place, Koutarou waved his hand and gave the signal. Seeing it, Kenji—who was holding up Emily by pretending to tie his shoelaces—stood up. The two of them then took off, departing the fifth obstacle. And so plan “rescue the Brown family and secure the navigation device” was set in motion.

Professor Brown had made but one request, and that was for Koutarou and company to prioritize rescuing his family. His insistence made it clear that he didn’t care what happened to him so long as his wife and daughter were safe. Koutarou respected that and made sure the first stage of the operation would be extracting Claire and Emily.

It would have been ideal to grab them at the same time, but the difference in their situations meant they had to focus on Emily first. She could move around freely, making her the harder target to nab.

“Master, Yurika-sama will begin her incantation in fifteen seconds!”

As the mission’s operator, commander, and tech wizard, Ruth, Kiriha, and Clan respectively were now holed up in a van not far from the fifth obstacle. They’d be providing backup to the others via wireless communications.

“Got it! Clan, where are the drones and the guards?”

Koutarou and Maki were presently about twenty meters behind Emily and Kenji. The distance had been closer to a hundred meters when they first left the fifth obstacle, but they’d diligently caught up to them since.

“The three drones are all on standby in the air. It looks like they’re just here to get an overhead view of things. Currently, the guards are moving down the embankment. One is just ahead of point B, and the other two are behind him.”

“They’re moving as anticipated. The rest is up to you. Good luck, Satomi Koutarou!”

Emily’s detail for the day consisted of three armed guards and three drones—a notable increase from usual. They were keeping a strict watch over the event. The drones had assumed a delta formation overhead, securing a wide field of view. The three guards on foot then went to check out any blind spots. It was a rather efficient method of surveillance. These guards were no amateurs, and it made Kiriha a little nervous. You could hear it in her voice.

I hope I’m just overthinking it... but no good will come of making anyone fret now...

Kiriha stifled her worries and connected with Yurika, who was waiting on the line on standby. She knew this wasn’t the time to hesitate.

“Yurika, you can start now!”

“Okay! Perfect Illusion! Modifier: Effective Area, Large!”

Yurika was ahead of Koutarou and the others, hiding under a bridge at point B. The race course followed the river, meaning the runners would all eventually pass under said bridge. The plan was for Yurika to create an illusion as they did. She would project an image of Koutarou and Maki colliding with each other and tumbling to the ground as Kenji and Emily stopped to try to help them up.

“Mackenzie-sama and Master are approaching point B!”

Yurika completed casting her spell just as they hit the bridge. They’d practiced it several times together and hit the timing spot on. Yurika also cast her spell on a wide area around the bridge to make sure the guards saw the illusion and nothing more while the plan took place.

“Okay, Emily-chan, I know this is sudden, but I need you to listen to me!”

“Wh-What is it, Kenji?”

“We’re taking you to Professor Brown!”

Kenji called out to Emily in English because he wanted to make sure she understood every word of what he was saying. He’d even planned out a script ahead of time to make sure everything was perfect—exactly the kind of preparedness one might expect from a drama club member. And as such, Koutarou and Maki left the talking to him.

“You mean my dad?!”

“You know something’s been up with him lately, right? It’s because someone’s threatening him! They’re using you and your mom like hostages!”

“M-Mom too?! Oh my god...”

What Kenji was saying was terrible, but Emily had a hunch he was telling the truth. Her father had suddenly decided they were all moving to Japan, and then he’d practically disappeared off the face of the earth... Something definitely wasn’t right. And that was completely independent of the fact that she thought it was strange her mother never left the hotel. Putting everything together, it all made sense.

“But even if what you’re saying is true, how do I know I can trust you?!”

That was the fundamental problem. Emily didn’t really know if Kenji and his friends were on her side. Even if he was telling the truth about her father, if Kenji was in on it too somehow... she could end up in an even worse situation.

“You don’t have to listen to me! Just listen to him!”

There, Kenji signaled Koutarou. When he did, Koutarou tapped on his bracelet and summoned a hologram in the air.

“Emily, Claire? Are you listening?”

“Dad?!”

The hologram was of Professor Brown. And upon seeing her father for the first time in ages, Emily was at a loss for words.

“You might not understand what’s going on at present, but I need you to do as these people say. We’re in a lot of trouble right now. Trusting them is a gamble, but it’s the best gamble we have. I know it may be hard, but please believe me. Emily, Claire... I love you.”

In order to actually rescue the Browns, Koutarou and the others would need Claire and Emily to trust them. They’d prepared this footage of Professor Brown ahead of time for exactly that reason, and it seemed to be having the intended effect on Emily.

“Dad...”

“I know it’s a lot to take in all at once, but just think about it! Your father trusted us enough to give us that footage! So please do the same, Emily-chan! Please trust us!”

“Kenji...”

Emily hesitated. Everything Kenji and her father had said made sense, but something deep in her gut stopped her in her tracks. The dire nature of the situation was clear, however. She knew there wasn’t time to waste, and so Emily bravely ventured to put her doubts to bed.

“Is this the only reason you became friends with me, Kenji?”

If she took his words at face value now, then their friendship up until this point had been fake. Kenji’s smiles, his jokes, his kind words... They were all an act. In and of itself, that would undercut any trust Emily might have in him. She was at odds. There were two Kenjis standing before her, and she didn’t know which one was real.

“Emily-chan...”

Emily’s question and the uneasy look on her face made Kenji fumble for words. This wasn’t in the script, so he had to come up with an answer of his own.

“At first... I heard that a cute transfer student had enrolled at our school, so yeah, I came to meet you out of curiosity. I’m a sucker, after all... But I was interested in you from the start. It was only after hearing about your situation from a friend that I decided to cooperate with all this. I just wanted to help you, Emily-chan.”

Kenji decided to be honest with Emily. He could feel her trust in him crumbling, and he knew that piling on more lies would completely destroy it.

“I have to say it was all for this or else my little sister will get pissed at me, but the truth is...”

“Kenji...”

“If you wanna know how I really feel, why don’t you skip this stupid marathon and go on a date with me?”

That was the best Kenji could muster. In the heat of the moment, he didn’t feel like an A-list actor in a romance movie... He felt pathetic and couldn’t help smiling bitterly at himself.

“I’m not like my dad, you know... I don’t gamble on people so easily.”

Hearing Kenji’s words, Emily made up her mind. She really couldn’t just blindly believe in Koutarou and the others...

“Emily-chan, we’re—”

“But I will take a gamble on you, Kenji. So... where shall we go for this date?”

However, she did believe in Kenji. The face he made when he mentioned his sister was a sweet, affectionate look she’d seen him make before. And seeing it now helped her connect the two Kenjis that seemed so wildly different in her mind. If he’d stuck to his act, he would’ve lost her for good here.

After Emily made her decision, things proceeded quickly. First, Maki disguised herself as Emily and Koutarou as Kenji. Yurika then used her magic to hide the real Emily and Kenji so they could get away from the race. Yurika then created illusions of Koutarou and Maki to run alongside the real deal, making it look like everyone was still in the race. That would hopefully buy them enough time to save Claire as well before anyone realized anything was amiss.

“Satomi-kun, do you think it worked out well?”

Maki worriedly turned to Koutarou who was running next to her. Her face—appearing as Emily’s—had a tired but somehow invigorated smile on it.

“I sure hope so. The outcome of this will change a lot,” Koutarou said with a nod of Kenji’s jovial countenance.

They’d decided to enact their plan under the bridge because it was a blind spot for the drones overhead. Even the most accurate illusions were still obvious when they were first cast. If one of the drones managed to catch it on camera, it would be easy enough to slow down or enhance the footage and see what had really happened. That’s why Yurika needed cover to cast her spells. There was still a chance someone might see through them, however. Human senses sometimes surpassed machine specs, after all. So it was all they could do now to trust in Yurika’s magical skills.

“There’s no need to worry. The three guards are moving farther down the embankment now.”

“The drones haven’t changed position, either. They’re maintaining a triangular formation above you, Master.”

“Welp, that’s the first hurdle over and done with...”

Koutarou let out a long sigh, but it was one of relief. He now wore an expression every bit as bright as Kenji’s.

“Yurika-san will have to stick around and see things through, though.”

Maki tossed a glance behind her at the illusions of herself and Koutarou running. Yurika was controlling the illusory Maki and Koutarou herself, which was no small amount of work. Running while simultaneously maintaining two accurate, moving illusions was tough going. The illusions could be made independent if given simple commands, but that wouldn’t help here. It would seem strange if they didn’t wave back to their classmates cheering for them, for example. Yurika would have to control all of that manually. In that sense, Maki had it much easier just maintaining a disguise for herself and Koutarou. The most she had to control was their expressions.

“You can do it, Yurika!”

“I’ll do my best...”

Yurika’s reply lacked her usual energy, but Koutarou wasn’t too worried. Yurika had never failed him at a time like this.

The others should be making their move right about now too, but Kiriha-san sounded nervous earlier... I hope everything’s okay.

Rather than Yurika, Koutarou was concerned about Kiriha, the other girls, and Claire. But Emily’s rescue and the race at hand demanded his attention, so all he could do was pray for them.