Aiko knew she needed to tell everyone what Hajime had told her about the mad gods that ruled this world, and what his true goals were, before Ishtar tricked Kouki into fighting Hajime. She had no proof, though. It was possible Kouki and the others wouldn’t believe her. After all, they’d fought on thus far thinking the gods would send them home if they won the war.
However, the truth was that those gods were twisted psychopaths who reveled in watching people suffer. Their only hope of returning home lay in conquering the labyrinths and finding the hidden lairs of all the Liberators. Unfortunately, that was a hard tale to swallow.
Will they believe me? Or will they think I’m just spouting nonsense and keep fighting like they have been until now? Either way, Aiko had to at least persuade the students not to trust the Holy Church too much. She’d had her own suspicions, but Hajime’s tale, and their current attitude had convinced her.
“Yaegashi-san. There’s one other thing Nagumo-kun told me. He didn’t want to tell anyone else because he thought they’d just get angry at him for saying it.”
“What... was it?”
“Well, it has to do with the gods the Holy Church worships, and what Nagumo-kun’s true goal is. There’s no proof backing up any of it, but... I think it’s important that I tell everyone. Could you gather everyone tonight... No, by this evening?”
“That’s... No, forget it. I could get them all right now if you want?”
“No. I don’t want it to seem suspicious. It’s better to wait until a time we’d all be together anyway, like dinner. That way we’ll be able to pass it off like we’re just trying to catch up with each other.”
“I see... Alright then. We’ll do it at dinner.”
They exchanged a few more pleasantries before parting ways. Neither of them knowing what would happen between then and dinner.
The sun was just beginning to set. Aiko strode through one of the castle’s deserted hallways. Its cold stone walls were painted a brilliant orange by the sun’s dying rays. The dark shadows that lay over the areas not lit by the sun contrasted beautifully with the light.
Aiko was admiring the sunset when suddenly she heard footsteps. She came to a stop, wondering who it was. She looked in front of her and saw a female figure hiding in the shadows. The figure was standing in the middle of the hallway, her back ramrod straight. She was wearing the traditional garb of an Ehit priestess.
She spoke in a beautiful, but eerily inorganic voice.
“It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Aiko Hatayama. I have come to collect you.” The woman’s robotic voice sent chills down Aiko’s spine.
“Umm, nice to meet you? What do you mean you’ve come to collect me? I was just about to go eat dinner with my students.”
“I’m afraid your plans have been changed. You must accompany me to the temple.”
“Huh?”
The woman stated it as a command, not a question. She stepped out of the shadows, and Aiko got a good look at her for the first time. Aiko gasped when she saw who it was. Her supernatural beauty left Aiko awestruck.
Silver hair that scintillated in the sunlight, striking blue eyes, and an ageless appearance that made her seem like both a mature woman and a little girl at the same time. She was the perfect embodiment of feminine beauty. She was tall for a woman, almost 170 centimeters. Aiko had to crane her neck to look up at her. Her skin was like fine porcelain, and her limbs were slender. Her breasts were modest, but not small. They fit her frame perfectly.
However, her face was utterly expressionless. So much so that it seemed like she was wearing a mask. She had the kind of beauty that stirred artists, but at the same time, she seemed entirely artificial.
The woman continued speaking.
“My master is displeased with what you are attempting to do. They would find it much more... interesting, if your students continued down their current path. Thus, I must remove you from the game board until events have run their course.”
“Wh-What are you...”
The woman took a few steps forward. Aiko took a few steps back. The woman’s priestess robe rustled and her eyes glimmered. A second later, a haze descended upon Aiko’s consciousness. She instinctively focused her mind, like she did when she was trying to cast magic, making the haze disperse.
“I understand now. You truly are worthy of the title ‘goddess.’ To think you could repel my charm. Very well, I suppose I shall have to take you back by force.”
“S-Stay back! Wh-What are you after!?” Aiko began chanting a spell. However, before she could finish, the woman closed the distance between them and slammed her fist into Aiko’s solar plexus.
As she felt her consciousness slip away, Aiko could faintly make out the last words the woman said.
“Fear not. I won’t kill you. You are a very precious pawn. Plus, your abilities may be required later in eliminating that irregular.”
Hajime’s face flashed in her mind. Even though she knew there was no way her voice could reach him, she tried to warn him before her consciousness was completely swallowed up.
Nagumo-kun!
“Hmm?” The woman picked Aiko up as easily as she would a feather and threw the teacher over her shoulder. She then turned around, looking behind her suspiciously. After a few minutes of careful scrutiny, she walked up to one of the guest chambers and opened the door.
She made sure her footsteps could be heard clearly, then stomped over to the closet. Without a moment’s hesitation, she threw its doors open.
However, there was no one inside. The woman tilted her head in confusion, and once more examined the room. Eventually, she decided it must just have been her imagination and headed out of the room.
Once she was gone, a tiny whisper echoed through the silent room.
“I have to... tell someone...” There was still no one in the room. However, the faint sound of footsteps could be heard going in the opposite direction the woman had left in.
A few seconds later, silence filled the room once more.
Extra Chapter: Kaori Shirasaki, Age 17. Specialty: Shock and Awe
The first time she’d ever seen him was in a busy street filled with people. On that day, she’d had to go to the supermarket one city over to get groceries.
She’d been staring at her text messages and going over the long list of ingredients. Kaori’s mom was an exceptional cook, but the spices she needed to make her dishes could only be found in specialty markets.
Still, in return for going out of her way to get obscure ingredients, Kaori got to eat three-star meals every single day. It was hard to find places that stocked the things Kaori needed sometimes, but it was kind of fun to go exploring and see new places.
Besides, Kaori never could say no to her mom. Not that she ever wanted to, anyway. After all, her mom was so nice. Plus, she was elegant and beautiful and everything Kaori idolized. Though when she got mad, she turned into a demon. Whenever she glared at Kaori, it felt as if she were being swallowed up by some monstrous beast. Even her father couldn’t stand up to Shirayasha, Kaori’s mom. In fact, it was almost pathetic how easily he capitulated to his wife’s demands. Just what was it about her mother that was so scary? I feel like it’d be dangerous to probe too deeply into that. Kaori spotted the supermarket that was her destination. At the same time, she heard someone yelling in the distance.
“Hey granny. These are vintage jeans, you know that? Do you have any idea how much they cost? An apology won’t cut it, old hag! You better pay me back for this!”
“Really, I’m so sorry. I’ll pay the cleaning costs, so please...”
“Didn’t you listen to a word I said!? No amount of dry cleaning can fix this!”
Kaori turned to see what the commotion was. A terrified young boy was hiding behind his grandmother, who was continually bowing her head to a group of what appeared to be university students.
The university students seemed to be threatening the poor old lady. To be honest, they seemed more like delinquents t
han students.
The boy’s takoyaki had spilled to the ground, and a very tiny amount of the sauce had splashed on the delinquent’s “vintage” jeans.
Kaori understood what must be going on. It’s not like the delinquents were being very subtle about it.
“What should I do... The right thing to do would be to save them, right?” Kaori mumbled to herself.
But maybe his jeans really are as expensive as he’s saying. If they are though, why would he wear them in a busy street like this? Besides, normally you wouldn’t ask someone to compensate you if it’s just an accident. Regardless, they were in the wrong for terrifying such a little boy over something so trivial.
But even if helping is the right thing to do... I’m scared... Kaori stood stock still, unable to take a single step forward. The more she thought to herself she needed to save them, the more she grew terrified of the delinquents. Her mind focused on their dyed hair, the familiarity with which they shook the poor grandmother down, and the intimidating glint in their eyes. Her legs began to tremble.
“S-Someone...” Kaori frantically looked around, looking for someone to turn to. She knew it was pretty pathetic of her to beg someone else to help, but that was all she could think of to do.
However, while there were a few other curious onlookers, all of them seemed unwilling to even meet her eye, much less step in.
I suppose I don’t have any right to blame them. After all, I’m doing the same thing.
“O-Oh, I know. I’ll call Shizuku-chan... and Kouki-kun and Ryutarou-kun.” Kaori suddenly remembered her friends, who were much more used to these kinds of conflicts than she was. She pulled out her cell phone and began dialing Shizuku’s number, but before she could press the call button, the situation grew worse.
“Hmph, I’m getting tired of this shit. Just hand over your wallet, you hag. I bet you don’t have enough money on you to pay for this. We’re gonna go to the bank so you can transfer me what I need. I need your wallet to make sure you don’t try to run away.”
“B-But...”
“Hey, it’s your job to clean up the mess your little brat made! You better not be trying to talk your way out of this!” The delinquents were planning on squeezing the old lady for everything she had. Kaori began to panic. She looked around frantically, and nearly forgot about her phone call.
“Shizuku-chan... won’t make it in time. I-I have to do something about this myself!”
Kaori continued repeating the same thing over and over, while making no actual progress. It’s just so scary. I’m terrified, but... they say women are made of courage. When you’re not sure what to do, start by taking a step forward! Just as Kaori was about to do what Shizuku and Kouki were always telling her not to, something else happened.
“Umm... Don’t you think asking for her wallet is a bit much?” A boy walked up to the group of delinquents. He was about the same age as Kaori. She didn’t recognize his uniform, so she guessed he went to one of the schools nearby.
Kaori put down the foot she’d raised and once again began to stare.
The boy seemed ordinary in every way. He didn’t seem dazzlingly charming like Kouki, nor was he built like a bear, like Ryutarou. The only thing that stood out about him at all was his troubled smile. It seemed to Kaori that he’d have to be pretty brave to smile under these circumstances. Despite all of that, Kaori couldn’t take her eyes off him.
“Huh!? You’ve got nothing to do with this, so scram before I beat your face in!”
“Uh well, I guess you’re right that I don’t have anything to do with this... b-but you know... I think it’d be best for everyone involved if you just took the cleaning fee and left it at that...” Though he seemed pretty scared himself, the boy wedged himself between the old lady and her harassers. He bowed deeply to the delinquents.
He was purposely being evasive in an attempt to defuse the tense atmosphere. However, all he succeeded in doing was make the delinquents even madder.
“Fine then, you pay for her. It’ll cost 10k for the cleaning.” To that, the boy gave a simple reply.
“Sorry, I don’t have the money.” Despite his evasive attitude, his reply was surprisingly direct. Kaori actually found it kind of cute.
The delinquent grabbed the boy by his collar and lifted him up. The boy’s face paled, and sweat began pouring down his forehead.
He tried to talk his way out of it, but the delinquent just angrily thrust him to the ground. The delinquent looked even angrier than before. Kaori had seen Kouki and the others get into plenty of fights. She’d seen those kinds of eyes before, and she knew from experience what the delinquent was going to do next.
She opened her mouth to yell out a warning, but before she could—
“Gah!” The boy grunted. The delinquent had already started kicking him. As she’d thought, he was someone who had no compunctions about using violence.
The old lady tried to help the poor boy up.
“It’s okay, you’ve done enough,” she said softly as her grandson sobbed silently.
However, even the onlookers couldn’t ignore such a blatant display of violence. A few of them had pulled out their cell phones to presumably call the police. At least, Kaori hoped it was the police.
That’s right, the police! Why didn’t I think of that!? I’m so stupid! She’d gotten so used to Kouki and the other jumping in and resolving problems by force that she’d totally forgotten that the police were what normal people relied on for help.
God, I’m an idiot! While Kaori was lamenting her own uselessness, the boy looked up at his attackers. His expression was so serious that Kaori momentarily forgot about the predicament he was in. She couldn’t be sure, but it felt like the temperature rose a little even though it was still midwinter. Things progressed rapidly after that.
Grimacing in pain, the boy opened his mouth.
“Please, can’t you be satisfied with just the cleaning fee? If not, I have another solution in mind.” Kaori’s eyes went wide with surprise. Is he planning on fighting them? Maybe he’s actually really good at martial arts or something?
The delinquent was thinking the same thing, and his lips curled up into a sneer.
“Oh, you wanna go? Fine, bring it!” The lead delinquent cracked his knuckles menacingly. He was more than ready for this fight. However...
“I’m truly sorry for all of the trouble I’ve caused!” The boy interrupted him by apologizing at the top of his lungs. He then prostrated himself before the delinquent in an exaggerated fashion.
“The hell?” The delinquent, who’d been expecting a fight, was at a loss for words. He was so stunned that he actually took a few steps backward.
Everyone on the street stopped to stare. It wasn’t every day that you saw someone prostrating themselves on the street.
It was the first time Kaori had seen something like this too.
Heedless of the attention he was attracting, the boy continued yelling.
“Please, find it in your heart to forgive them! I know this poor boy and his elderly grandmother ruined your precious jeans by accidentally spilling sauce on them! I know it’s a fiendish act that deserves nothing but the most horrific retribution!”
“Huh? Uh, wait, I-I mean...” The delinquent faltered. Even for someone as shameless as him, it was embarrassing to hear a “simple accident” be referred to as a fiendish act. The effect was multiplied by the fact that the boy was kneeling at his feet.
However, the boy’s eloquent apology didn’t stop there.
“In truth, a million yen, no even five million yen, no even ten million yen wouldn’t be enough to make up for the wrongs we’ve committed upon you!”
“T-Ten million!? Now hold on a second, I never said it cost—” The delinquents started backing away. Even the old lady and the onlookers were surprised by the boy’s sudden outburst. However, that was exactly what he wanted. The situation grew more chaotic.
“Still, this poor old lady cannot possibly hope to pay such a price
. She has to pay off the huge debt her late husband left her. Though her neighbors all vilify her for being a demonic old lady, she works hard every day just to save up enough money to see her grandson once every year! Can you imagine how much blood, sweat, and tears went into that single ball of takoyaki that young boy spilled!?”
No way!? That old lady really has to deal with all that!? The other onlookers, and even the delinquents seemed shocked. In truth, the old lady herself seemed just as confused.
“Umm, actually, my husband is still alive. And he’s not in debt...” She didn’t deny the part about her neighbors vilifying her, though.
Before she could argue any further, the boy continued.
“So please, I beg of you! Show mercy to these poor souls! Forgive them for their transgressions, I beseech youuuuuu!” His voice resounded throughout the street.
Everyone present was likely confused as to what exactly was going on.
However, the boy’s speech was effective.
The delinquents were bright red with embarrassment. I almost feel bad for them. The boy’s actions had made them out to be some sort of exaggerated villains from a cheap B-rated drama. If they tried to shake down the old lady under these circumstances, they’d probably have their social lives destroyed.
“Y-You’re sick in the head, you weirdo! What do you even know about this old lady, anyway!” Of course, they tried to clear their names. However, before they could get more than a few words out, the boy interrupted again.
“I’m truly so very sorryyyyyyyyyyyy!” Kaori didn’t think his voice could get any louder, but it did. It sounded so heartfelt, too. He was kneeling and everything.
“Sh-Shut up! Let’s go somewhere else and—”
“Please, anything but ten million yen! You’ll kill this poor lady!”
“Hey wait, I never asked for that—”
“Please, please, I’m begging youuuuuuuuu! Have mercyyyyyy!”
“Shut up! Just shut the fuck—”
“Mercyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!” The delinquent grabbed the boy by the hair and forcibly tried to pull him up. When that didn’t work, he kicked and spat at him, but that had no effect either. It was like the boy was glued to the ground. Finally, the delinquents began to panic.
Arifureta: From Commonplace to World's Strongest Vol. 4 Page 25