Campione 05

by Miko of the Sword

"As for suspicious points two and three..."

  Nanami spoke in an exaggerated tone, and watched Godou's expression at the same time.

  "I say, Kusanagi, could it be possible that during the entire summer, you and Erica-san and Yuri-san were happily vacationing away together? Haha... isn't that a state of paradise like in a galgame?"

  "How could something like that happen?! No matter how stupid you are, please think before you speak!"

  Deliberately investigating my summer activities, how free are these people? Godou marveled as he denied. In such a situation, lying was a temporarily solution. However...

  "Comrade S, is there any response on the lie detector?"

  "He just made a great big lie. My lie detector of the heart is beeping. To this fellow Kusanagi, divine justice must be served!"

  "That's right, evildoers must be executed! Let us cast righteous judgment upon this lustful maniac!"

  Hearing the conclusions of the three idiots, Godou frantically yelled.

  "Wait! What is this lie detector of the heart! That's just you guys guessing blindly!"

  "You betray your ignorance. This is something that can only be used by males who have long been deprived of the love of innocent girls. You can call it a kind of magic. A dirty fellow like you will never reach this level of enlightenment."

  Unexpectedly, Sorimachi gave a puzzling answer.

  Just as the surprised Godou was about to speak to defend himself...

  "Your crimes stop here, for you fellows have gone too far."

  At that moment, the door to the classroom flew open and the awe-inspiring voice of a girl was heard.

  Liliana Kranjcar, the silver-haired knight who hailed from eastern European ancestry, had arrived.

  "Kusanagi Godou, rest assured, I will take care of them immediately."

  "Sorry, Liliana, I owe you one."

  The reliable knight has appeared, and Godou expressed his gratitude.

  This made Liliana turn her face aside shyly.

  "This is part of my mission, thanks are not necessary. Since I could not find you, I went searching just in case... If you have learned your lesson, then do not leave my side as much as possible. I would be grateful if you try not to increase my workload."

  Godou forced a smile as he nodded, while the three idiots were clearly shaken.

  "You seem quite confident, but what difference will one more person make? We have three people here, the power of the crowd, hahahahahahahahahaha!"

  "Trash like you? I can easily handle three hundred. What a joke."

  Liliana retorted condescendingly to their cheap villainous threats.

  Hearing her merciless answer, the three idiots clearly began to panic.

  Though they had no idea of her true capabilities, they were already overcome by the spirit of the blue knight.

  "Wait, wait wait! Liliana-san. We are just trying to impeach Kusanagi Godou for his crimes."

  "Foolish! Kusanagi Godou is the one with righteous goals, who walks the king's path. Rather than let you idiots impeach him, let me show you what shame is."

  Takagi's explanation failed to placate Liliana, so Sorimachi posed a question.

  "I-I object! You say that Kusanagi has a righteous heart, that idea is very problematic! This man is an evildoer who deceives and plays around with multiple women. Isn't he a sexual predator and public enemy of women!?"

  "Do you three just plan on using such superficial slander to change my opinion? What pitiful fools..."

  Seeing Liliana's slightly dissatisfied expression, Godou somehow had a bad feeling that Liliana was going to give a highly unusual rebuttal.

  "Yes it is true that he is an unparalleled lecher. He will play around with girls on impulse, and is the harem king who has tainted innumerable women. That is the undeniable truth."

  That is so not the truth! You've got it all wrong from the start.

  Not hesitating to exposing Godou's faults, Liliana continued sorrowfully in a low voice.

  "I have already advised him, he should practice some restraint in playing around with girls. I swore to maintain our relationship for eternity and forever serve him by his side. I wanted to become a woman who offers everything she has to him willingly, and become his partner. However, his rampant fetishes are a part of him, and I have no choice but to accept them."

  Liliana turned her face a little awkwardly.

  Uh, if he were truly someone so despicable, then just abandon him quickly. Godou could not help thinking that.

  "One day, he may burn himself through his womanizing... But no matter when, I will always be his support, and I swore I will definitely save him. As long as this sentiment persists, my heart will not be swayed by despicable slander."

  Liliana's forceful words were powerful, and overflowed with sincere touching emotion.

  However, the content sounded like something said by a female victim of some deception or marriage con.

  The three idiots had the same impression, and loudly protested.

  "Deceived women always insist on something like 'he did me no harm'!"

  "Hurry and awaken! Liliana-san!"

  "There are still many men in this world much better than him..."

  "I hope you all do not misunderstand. Kusanagi Godou and I do not have that kind of superficial male female relationship. I am only his knight, and the companion who promised to stay by his side forever. We have sworn that we will face all trials and tribulations together no matter where or when, that is the relationship that we have."

  Without being aware, Liliana had drifted into a dreamlike state almost as if talking to herself.

  "Though the way he plays around with women will make it tough for me... Nevertheless, it will strengthen the bonds between the two of us, as long as I become the most special existence in his heart, and no matter what kind of woman he seeks, he will always return to my embrace in the end..."

  The man she is talking about must be one of those emperors or sultans, whatever you call them, that dominated the Islamic world a couple of centuries ago. She definitely cannot be referring to Kusanagi Godou. As Godou tried to escape reality, the three idiots stared at him and began to cry.

  "Beast! Making a harem and getting approved! Heavens! How could you allow something so unfair?!"

  "Is this conditioning? Is this the result of the forbidden act of sexually conditioning a minor below the age of eighteen!?"

  "Am I crying...? Are these tears? Damn it, this is so despairing!"

  The three have been completely defeated, and at this time, the classroom door opened again.

  "Ah, found it, Kusanagi-san turned out to be here."

  "E-excuse us for intruding."

  Two new girls have appeared, and they are the Seishuuin Ena and Mariya Yuri combo.

  "Uh, excuse me. We're in the middle of something. If you have something to tell me, could it wait?"

  "Just a few simple words, it'll be over in an instant. I came here to invite Kusanagi-san to our date tomorrow. That is, Kusanagi-san, Yuri, and me, Ena, the three of us together on a date."

  "Date!?"

  The shocked Godou turned his gaze to Yuri who has turned bright red from the neck.

  "Ena-san! To have a date with Godou-san... I have not prepared myself for that yet!"

  "If you haven't prepared yet, then prepare now. It's not easy for us to become Kusanagi Godou's 'women,' so you need to take more initiative."

  Hearing these exchanges, Sorimachi's shoulders trembled continuously.

  "M-my ears must be having problems. How could I be hearing these alien words? Hahahaha, who could have thought that I, Sorimachi, would be so out of date, to be ignorant of the strategy of the simultaneous pursuit route..."

  After his accomplice's exclamation, it came to Nanami's turn to babble emptily.

  "I-I must stay awake. That girl must be a fairy or a hallucination. It must be my imagination. Think about it, how could fiancées or beautiful girls volunteering to be a lover appear in a simple male high sc
hool. That only happens in fairy tales, we must have been caught up in some sort of massive dream..."

  The two of them were hard at work denying reality.

  Could this be all my fault? As Godou began to get the feeling of wanting to apologize...

  "Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh!"

  Takagi suddenly roared.

  His massive 185cm tall body began to shake all over.

  "I absolutely will not accept this! This woeful world, this unreasonable result, I absolutely cannot accept!"

  As he roared, he took the bound Godou onto his shoulder.

  "Kusanagi, I will end our lives together right now!"

  "Wait, wait a minute, why does it have to end like this?"

  "Your existence has disrupted natural order. You are the destroyer of the world—an unacceptable existence! Let us start our eternal slumber together!"

  Inexplicably making a sacrificial decision, Takagi began to charge madly with Godou on his shoulder.

  Leaving the classroom and passing through the corridors, he finally ran up the stairs.

  Though he has trained his muscular body in the kendo club, this mad charge was clearly out of the ordinary.

  "Calm down, Takagi! Why are you so impulsive!?"

  "Can't you even understand?! All the sad men on this planet—those who have never tasted love, and ostracized by all women outside of the 2D world—they have lent me their power!"

  Takagi carried Godou and ran up the stairs in one breath.

  Liliana could only watch in shock at the speed and imposing manner of the escaping Takagi, whose male figure has surpassed the boundaries of ordinary humans and was now challenging the limits of the human race.

  Part 3

  And then on the roof—

  The berserk Takagi has carried Godou to the highest point in the school.

  "This place should be high enough..."

  Muttering to himself, Takagi reached the edge of the roof and was stopped by fencing that was meant to prevent accidents.

  The unsettled Godou frantically looked down to see the sports ground not far below.

  "High enough? What high enough!?"

  "Of course it means to jump down from this height, is it high enough to kill me and Kusanagi."

  "If you commit suicide, your family will be sad! Let's settle this peacefully right now, okay!?"

  "Ho... My sister is not like your Shizuka. Every day all she says is stuff like 'brother is so unfashionable, go and die!' There is nothing left that binds me to this world."

  At that moment, someone had secretly crept behind Takagi and Godou, and applied a series of karate chops. Mmm... Takagi was painfully laid low on the ground.

  "What!?"

  "Godou, are you ok? I finally caught up."

  The one who knocked out Takagi, and caught Godou before he struck the concrete floor, was Erica Blandelli.

  "I saw you were kidnapped and came to save you... But I hope I wasn't interfering unnecessarily?"

  "No, not at all. I'm saved. Really, thank you very much."

  As he expressed his gratitude, the blonde girl set him down gently and ripped apart the tape binding his hands and feet.

  "Godou, I hope you will express your thanks with action."

  "If it is something in my power, I will try my best effort... But what do you want me to do?"

  Erica could not help but laugh bitterly at the unhesitating answer that clearly lacked forethought.

  "Though I find your honest but reckless principles very cute, it is still very careless. It would be better if you carefully consider situations and be flexible with your judgment."

  Godou felt slightly troubled at Erica's passionate warning.

  Was it too careless to agree to do anything for her when caught in the mood of having been saved by her?

  Erica smiled gently at Godou, but if you raised the hidden malevolence in that smile by 30%, then it would become the "devil's smile" that gloats from having played a prank on others.

  Just as Godou gazed at his beautiful savior, and Erica was about to joyfully make her request...

  "Kusanagi-san, are you okay? Ena will save you right away—oh too late."

  A cheerful voice reached the roof, this familiar soprano voice belonged to Seishuuin Ena.

  "Naturally, Erica-san never misses out on a good opportunity."

  "Thank you for your compliment, not at all. Ena-san is also very quick to act."

  Ena had run to the rooftop without any loss of breath, and the red-tinted blonde Erica conversed amiably with her.

  Their dialogue was friendly but there seemed to be unexpected hidden barbs to their words.

  Godou was mystified, what kind of relationship has these two developed?

  "Anyway, this incident has come to a close then? Kusanagi-san, please answer the question just now. If Ena, Yuri, and Kusanagi-san go on a date together, our feelings for one another can be deepened."

  Ena proposed without any concerns.

  Date. Now that it was mentioned, it was something that Kusanagi Godou has never experienced before.

  Though he has traveled together with Erica to different places, there was never any date-like feeling. Moreover, this was a first date initiated by the female side, and both of them possessed extraordinary levels of beauty and attractiveness—no, definitely cannot accept.

  "Please forgive me but I must decline! I have no reason to have a date with you two!"

  "If you want reasons, they do exist. Yuri and I both will become Kusanagi-san's women, so you definitely have to look after us both, and from now on our relations will only get better and better."

  What was this girl openly babbling about?

  Hearing this woman talk nonsense, Godou knew his face was becoming red.

  "Even if we go on a date, I will not go with you two together! Public opinion will not accept such a thing!"

  "Who cares what public opinion thinks, what matters is the feelings of the three of us... Ah, if Kusanagi-san wants us to alternate and take turns, then you can go first with Yuri."

  No matter how he protested, Ena brushed him off with minimal effort. Godou felt a sense of despair.

  Ena did not have the same oratory skills or her social techniques as Erica. Instead, the Hime-Miko had the ability to turn any situation to her advantage.

  As Godou was about to back down from the overly troublesome opponent, a helping hand was extended from beside him.

  "Ah, what a shame, but Godou is going on a date with me tomorrow."

  The speaker was Erica of course, but Godou's mood became even more depressed.

  This was a helping hand, no question about it, but if he reached out for it, he was just going to find himself in a new troublesome situation.

  "I have never had a date with a boy, so I want the first time to be with Godou no matter what. Of course... after the second time, no one else but you can enjoy the privilege."

  "Uh, with our relationship, we don't have to specifically go on a date, right..."

  "It is precisely because it matters for our relationship that we need to date. Though we have traveled to many places together, they were all troublesome affairs, and we never enjoyed the pleasures of dating, so please do accept ok?"

  Erica was making Godou spoil her by using a rare begging tone of voice.

  But at the same time, she still carried the determined and arrogant gaze of a queen, as expected of Erica.

  "Kusanagi-san, we have two people here, you can embrace both at once."

  "Godou, quality trumps quantity. You are the only one in this world who can have me, Erica Blandelli, all to yourself. Don't waste it."

  As Ena affectionately called out to Godou, Erica drew near and spoke softly.

  Her lips approaching his ear, whispering sweet words. No good. If that continued, she will most likely steal a kiss. Godou felt his entire body stiffen.

  However, what attacked this time was not lips, but an ominous warning.

  "...By the way, let me say this, thoug
h it counts as my duty. Godou, you remember the promise just now, right? The one where you agreed to do everything in your power as thanks. Ah, I also remembered, there was lunch a few days ago when you owed me a favor. I believe that a man who does not keep his promises at such a time would be the worst."

  Godou renewed his unerring gaze at the beautiful face before him. It had become a smiling face no different from a devil. The [Diavolo Rosso] lightly nodded her head.

  "Erica, to make your proposal at such a time, don't you feel a little despicable?"

  "No other way, if I didn't do this, you will escape once again, I have to be serious once in a while."

  Speaking in innocent tones, Erica was truly maddening yet adorable.

  Now that he thought about it, ever since Liliana moved to Japan, the blonde beauty's troubling ways had clearly decreased in frequency. Probably because the number of naggers apart from Yuri had increased, Erica was now behaving herself a bit more.

  Or perhaps she was one to adjust her style as the situation arises. She reduced those half-joking hugs but made up the loss by pouncing on sure-kill-opportunities.

  Eschewing the tactics of continual advances, instead turning to calculating moments of assured victory to attack critical weak points. Just like at this moment, the strategy of cornering Godou with no avenue of escape.

  "Kusanagi Godou, are you fine! Sorry, I am late."

  "Godou-san, I hope you were not hurt!?"

  Running to the scene were Liliana and Yuri.

  The silver-haired girl was holding the slender Hime-Miko in her arms like a bridal carry.

  Most likely, it was because Yuri exhausted herself when the two of them ran along the corridors and up the stairs. Her physical stamina was clearly much lower than a normal girl’s was.

  Godou deduced so, but his inner thoughts became even sadder.

  No one had taken any concern for the safety of Takagi.

  These girls can be described as kind-hearted and merciful, and yet they treated him like this. Godou finally understood, if only slightly, the pitiful life of the classmate lying sprawled over the concrete floor on the roof.

  "Since everyone is here, then let's start over. Kusanagi-san, who do you wish to date tomorrow? Do you want to pick the happy threesome with me and Yuri, or spend time as a couple with Erica-san?"