Invaders of the Rokujouma!? Volume 1

by Takehaya

  “Satomi-kun is...”

  The disorderly atmosphere before homeroom was the same in any classroom. There were those who were talking to friends, those doing homework, those reading... The students all spent their morning in various ways.

  “...Ah, there he is!”

  Harumi finally spotted the person she was looking for sitting in the back of the classroom.

  “Good, Satomi-kun must be feeling better...”

  Koutarou had taken the day off from school yesterday. Since they had club activities, he had called to let her know. But Harumi couldn’t help worrying about Koutarou. That’s why she’d come to check on him today.

  “He’s laughing... It looks like he’ll be fine.”

  Having confirmed that, Harumi stopped peeking into the classroom and turned around to walk to the second-year classrooms. Being as withdrawn as she was, she didn’t think to call out to Koutarou.

  “All right... I’ll have to work hard today too.”

  Seeing that Koutarou was back and healthy was enough for Harumi. And she would see him later for their club activities, so she had no reason to rush anything.

  Koutarou on the other hand was just chatting away with Kenji like always, completely unaware that Harumi had come to see him.

  “School sure is relaxing. Too much noise is no good.”

  Koutarou looked around the classroom as he spoke, and Kenji flashed him a playful smile.

  “Still, it’s rare for you to take a day off from school, Kou.”

  “Don’t say that like I’m some kind of brainless jock.”

  “...But you are.”

  After all the commotion, Koutarou ended up resting for a whole day.

  Sanae had appeared on Sunday. On Monday it was Yurika. On Tuesday it was Kiriha, and on Wednesday it was Theia. The nonstop fuss had left Koutarou so exhausted that just sleeping until morning hadn’t been enough to recover. Because of that, Koutarou was absent from school on Thursday, and it was now Friday.

  “Well, moving in and starting school was too much for even the mighty Kou, I guess.”

  “Yeah, something like that.”

  Koutarou hadn’t told Kenji the truth. Kenji didn’t do well with anything involving the occult or strange occurrences.

  “Ahahaha, but I’m glad you’re feeling better now, Satomi-kun! Ahahaha!”

  Shizuka, who was with Koutarou and Kenji, laughed awkwardly. Being the only one who was aware of Koutarou’s situation, she understood his complex emotions. She smiled at him sympathetically, but...

  “Hahaha... HA?!”

  That smile suddenly froze.

  “Okay, everyone, get back to your seats.”

  The female homeroom teacher entered the classroom. Of course, that alone wasn’t enough to surprise Shizuka.

  “Listen up, everyone! I’d like to introduce you to some new transfer students!”

  Their homeroom teacher had brought four transfer students with her.

  “Oooooooohhhh!”

  The excitement in the classroom reached its peak instantly.

  “S-Satomi-kun! Look over there!”

  Having spotted the transfer students right away, Shizuka shook Koutarou’s shoulders in a fluster.

  “Huh?”

  Koutarou and Kenji were still chatting and hadn’t been paying attention.

  “What now, all of a sudden, Landlord-san...?”

  “Just look over there!”

  Losing her patience with Koutarou, Shizuka forcibly pulled on Koutarou’s chin and turned his head towards the front of the classroom.

  “Ack!”

  Koutarou’s eyes immediately shot wide open and he blinked repeatedly. He doubted his own eyes. He couldn’t believe what he saw before him.

  “I-It couldn’t be...”

  If it meant not having to believe what he was seeing, Koutarou was willing to accept all the mysteries of the world right now. That was how badly shaken he was.

  “Y-You guys, I-I regret ever thanking you...”

  Koutarou’s voice sounded like someone who had gazed into the depths of hell. But the hell he was seeing came in the shape of people.

  Nijino Yurika.

  Kurano Kiriha.

  Theiamillis Gre Forthorthe.

  Ruthkania Nye Pardomshiha.

  These four stood at the head of the class in Kisshouharukaze uniforms, all showing angelic smiles.

  “Everyone, please be nice, okay?”

  The four girls introduced by the teacher bowed their heads.

  “Please take good care of us!”

  The girls were wearing brand new uniforms, and all said their greeting in unison.

  “...Satomi-kun...”

  Shizuka put her hand on Koutarou’s shoulder as if to console him. Out of the whole wide world, Shizuka was the only person who understood the position Koutarou was in right now.

  “I tried to stop them, you know.”

  That was when Sanae appeared in front of Koutarou. Strangely enough, she was in a school uniform too. She floated around Koutarou like usual.

  “What are those girls planning...?”

  Shizuka should have been able to see Sanae too, but she showed no signs of noticing. Instead, she was focused on the four girls in front of the blackboard. But Shizuka wasn’t the only one that didn’t see Sanae. In fact, not a single person seemed to notice her. Only Koutarou and the four girls could see and hear Sanae right now.

  “I told them that even if they’re trying to put pressure on you to chase you out of the room, this is too much.”

  “F-For something like that... they’d go this far...”

  Koutarou’s clenched fist began trembling.

  “Oh, Koutarou is here!”

  Theia called out to Koutarou in a very unnatural fashion, as if she had just noticed him.

  “I’m glad we could meet again, Satomi Koutarou.”

  “Satomi-saaan! I’m so happy we’re in the same class!”

  Kiriha and Yurika followed after Theia. The only one who didn’t say anything was Ruth, who just smiled apologetically.

  “Those idiots... How obvious can you be?”

  The girls were of course aware which class Koutarou was in. That was why they “transferred” here to begin with. They also knew what would happen when they called out to him.

  “‘Koutarou’?”

  “‘Meet again’?”

  “‘Satomi-san’?”

  The class would turn to Koutarou with their curious and envious glances. Some even gave him dirty looks. It was only natural. Each of the four girls was beautiful. Being thrust into such a situation, Koutarou remembered something important.

  “That’s right. I completely forgot... In the end, you’re invaders. All right, if that’s how you want to play, I accept your challenge...”

  “Satomi-kun, stop! Calm down!”

  Shizuka’s attempts to restrain Koutarou were ineffective.

  Getting emotional, he shouted out in a loud voice, “Bring it on! I’ll take you all on!”

  “What are you talking about, Koutarou?”

  Theia tilted her head cutely and feigned ignorance. Yurika flinched at the threat. Kiriha calmly observed the developing situation, and Sanae just laughed at Koutarou.

  “I’ll protect my lifestyle with my own hands! I won’t let you guys just do as you please!”

  Two years and eleven months remained until Koutarou graduated high school. And now, the curtains for a three year long battle rose.

  Afterword

  Long time no see, everybody. It’s Takehaya.

  It’s been about a year since Ano Hibi wo Mou Ichido, and now my second work has finally been published. This chance only came my way thanks to everyone’s support. I would first like to thank you all for this.

  Since I have some leeway with the pages this time around, I’d like to touch on this series. Invaders of the Rokujouma!? is a comedy that follows Koutarou, our protagonist who has just entered high school, and his nonstop misfortune.

>   Since my last work didn’t have any comedic elements in it, I believe this has quite a different feel to it. Moreover, this story has been set up so it could be continued. I wrapped up my previous title in a single volume, aiming to write it as a novel. The two works are quite different in that regard as well. So depending on the reception, I should be able to continue with this story.

  Speaking of differences, I’m working with a different illustrator this time. Helping me out this time around is Poco-san. Though they were taken aback by my excitement in my hobbies, I believe they will be able to deliver great images for this series.

  This work came to life when I was working on a brutal story for a game last year and the year before that. As I was writing that story, I truly felt negative feelings, and by the time I finished it, I felt like I was going to lose my mind.

  That was when I figured that maybe writing a lighthearted story would give off lighthearted feelings the same way. Following that simple idea, I made the first draft for this title.

  However, there were problems up until this story got the go-ahead. The editorial department and I had different opinions on the project. After a lot of discussion, we eventually decided to go back to the original idea. Because of that, there was a big delay before I could get this work out into the world. But in return, I believe I was able to write something good. I hope that you feel the same way.

  By the way, when I was writing this story, I did feel lighthearted like I had hoped.

  This is the second novel I’ve written, but as my first work was written with no intention to continue it from the outset, this might as well be my first work. Therefore, I am very eager, but my experience and skills are still developing. That’s why I hope that you can kindly watch over me as the work progresses.

  If the reception is good, I think I’ll be able to release a second volume soon. If possible, I’d like to release both a second and third volume this year.

  If possible. That’s right, if possible.

  What a nice phrase.

  Finally, I would like to thank everyone at the editorial department for their hard work, Poco-san for the nice illustrations, my friends for their advice, and all of the readers for buying this book.

  With that, I’ve used up all of the pages, so this seems like a good place to stop.

  Let us meet again in some other afterword.

  January, 2009

  Takehaya

  Notes

  Tatami - A type of mat used as flooring material, roughly 0.9m by 1.8m. →

  Yayoi period - The Japanese iron age, normally cited as 300 BC to 300 AD. →

  Jōmon period - Prehistoric Japan, dating from roughly 12,000 to 300 BC. →

  Maneki Neko - Literally translated to “beckoning cat,” these figures are considered lucky charms that bring good luck to their owners. →

  Haniwa - Clay figures that were used during rituals and buried with the dead during the Kofun period; it is theorized that the souls of the dead would reside inside them. →

  Ginza - The Japanese word for “galactic” or “galaxy” is “ginga,” while Ginza is a district in Tokyo. →

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  Copyright

  Invaders of the Rokujouma!? Volume 1

  by Takehaya

  Translated by Warnis

  Edited by Morgan Dreher

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.

  Copyright © 2009 Takehaya

  Illustrations Copyright © 2009 Poco

  Cover illustration by Poco

  All rights reserved.

  Original Japanese edition published in 2009 by Hobby Japan

  This English edition is published by arrangement with Hobby Japan, Tokyo

  English translation © 2017 J-Novel Club LLC

  All rights reserved. In accordance with the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, the scanning, uploading, and electronic sharing of any part of this book without the permission of the publisher is unlawful piracy and theft of the author’s intellectual property.

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  The publisher is not responsible for websites (or their content) that are not owned by the publisher.

  Ebook edition 1.0: June 2017