Invaders of the Rokujouma!? Volume 8

by Takehaya

  “Dealer’s choice.”

  “Okay, then leave it to me.”

  Theia turned back to the vending machine with a smile and put in more coins. She then returned holding three plastic bottles.

  “Here, Ruth. They didn’t have any tea that wasn’t sweet, so I got you some Japanese tea.”

  “Thank you very much, Your Highness.”

  Theia handed a bottle to Ruth. Although they hadn’t spoken before Theia walked off, she hadn’t forgotten about Ruth.

  Well, Theia is different, but Ruth-san is a little different too...

  It was rare to see Ruth let Theia go buy drinks. It seemed Theia hadn’t been the only one to go through something of a change. While Koutarou was thinking about that, a plastic bottle appeared in front of his face.

  “Koutarou, this is for you.”

  “Ah, thanks.”

  She gave him a diet cola.

  “Since it’s a school trip and since it’s your reward, I was thinking of buying you the one that’s full of sugar as a treat, but...”

  Koutarou preferred the sugary cola even if it was bad for him. He felt like the aftertaste of diet cola was different.

  “You’ll eventually become someone who stands above others, so I bought this one instead since you should worry a little more about your health like me.”

  Theia had gotten the same thing for herself.

  “Stand above others...”

  Theia had gotten the diet cola out of concern for Koutarou’s—or rather, her future vassal’s—body.

  “Are you dissatisfied?”

  Theia removed the cap from her bottle and smiled at Koutarou.

  “Well...”

  Koutarou couldn’t answer right away. Feeling both dissatisfied and not, he was struggling a bit with his emotions. But before he could answer, Ruth spoke up.

  “I’m dissatisfied. Your Highness. Why was I the only one left out?”

  “Ruth, you don’t like cola, right?”

  “If Your Highness bought it, I would have wanted it anyway.”

  “Ah fine, just wait! I’ll go buy another one for you!”

  Theia thrust her bottle at Ruth and returned to the vending machine. Koutarou stared at the two of them, but he eventually looked down at his own bottle and opened it.

  I feel like it doesn’t even matter anymore...

  Regardless of what changes had happened to Theia or Ruth, there was no need to worry. Koutarou felt certain of that after witnessing their carefree discussion.

  “Here, this is yours.”

  “Thank you very much, Your Highness. I’ll do my best to drink it.”

  “I feel like something is very wrong, but... oh well.”

  While listening to the girls talk, Koutarou brought his bottle to his mouth. The chilled cola felt great in his parched throat.

  “By the way, what are we going to do with this Japanese tea?”

  “Since Her Highness bought it for me, I’ll drink it later.”

  After Koutarou had drunk most of his cola, he spotted Yurika passing by the entrance to the arcade as he was casually looking around.

  “...Where is she going this late?”

  “What’s wrong, Koutarou?”

  “Well, it looks like Yurika is heading outside.”

  Koutarou had only seen Yurika for a few seconds from where he was sitting, but he could tell she was dressed in thick outdoor clothes. Since the entire hotel had working heating, not even Yurika would normally wear that much clothing indoors. It had to mean she was planning on going outside.

  “At this hour?”

  Ruth looked up at the clock in the arcade. It was now past 9:30PM, and it was almost time for lights out.

  “That’s odd... I’ll go check with her.”

  Just the fact that Yurika, who hated the cold, was going outside was strange. Koutarou had an ominous feeling and finished off his cola before heading towards the exit of the arcade.

  “Ruth, we’re going too.”

  “Yes, Your Highness.”

  Theia and Ruth followed suit, and the three of them chased after Yurika together.

  Koutarou and the others caught up with Yurika as she got off the stairs leading from the second floor to the first.

  “Wait up, Yurika! Where are you going this late?”

  “Satomi-san?!” Yurika’s eyes opened wide when Koutarou suddenly called out to her. “Wh-Where? I’m not going anywhere.”

  “Don’t lie. You dressed like that in here... You might as well be wearing a sign that says you’re planning on sneaking outside.”

  “Auuugh...”

  Yurika wearing a thick coat, avoiding the elevators, and sneaking through the less trafficked areas of the hotel made it obvious she was planning on going out, and for a while by the look of it. If she was just heading out to pick up something she had dropped from a window, for example, there would be no need to try and be sneaky about it.

  “Yurika-sama, where are you planning on going?”

  “Based on your answer, we might even help you. Just tell us.”

  “U-Um... that’s...”

  Questioned by Ruth and Theia, Yurika was at a loss for an answer. After turning it over in her mind, she gave them an answer that only she could.

  “A-Actually, Maki-chan is missing.”

  “Aika-san is?”

  “Yes. So I was going to quietly search for her...”

  After healing her wounds from their battle, Yurika had tried to figure out where Maki had gone. Since she knew that Maki was planning something, she couldn’t just leave her be. And though she’d tried looking for her, she hadn’t had any luck. Maki wasn’t anywhere by the ski slopes, and even after skiing hours were over, Maki still hadn’t returned to the hotel. Thusly Yurika determined that Maki must be somewhere outside the hotel, and she was going to go to try and find her.

  “By yourself?”

  “Y-Yes. I wouldn’t want it to turn into a big deal, so I thought I should go alone...”

  If their classmates or teachers found out that Maki was missing, it would cause a fuss. And if Yurika was alone, she could use her magic to look for Maki. There was also the chance that the two of them would end up fighting again, so Yurika going on her own was a good idea for multiple reasons.

  Aaaugh! What should I do? Satomi-san will get angry again.

  Even so, Yurika couldn’t tell them that. And since it was Koutarou, he would definitely worry about her going out on her own. He wasn’t the kind of guy that would just let a girl walk around the mountains at night by herself. So Yurika closed her eyes tightly and prepared herself to get hit or yelled at.

  “Ah, I see. Good idea, Yurika.”

  “...H-Huh?”

  However, no matter how long she waited for it, neither fists nor angry words came flying her way. She cautiously opened one eye and saw Koutarou nodding and smiling.

  “In this situation, you’re perfect for the job.”

  “S-Satomi-san?”

  Yurika was terribly surprised by Koutarou’s unusual reaction.

  What?!

  Yurika was so surprised, in fact, that she even doubted her own eyes and ears.

  “What do you mean? There’s no way that Yurika could find Maki in the mountains on her own.”

  Theia was equally as skeptical as Yurika was, and asked Koutarou to explain himself in her place. Behind her was Ruth with a worried look on her face. She seemed to feel the same way.

  “Did you forget? Yurika can use real magic now. She’d definitely find Aika-san before the police could even send out a search party.”

  “You’re right!”

  Theia’s eyes lit up at Koutarou’s answer. Yurika had the staff that Koutarou had brought home. If she used its power, she would be able to resolve the situation before it got serious. However, in order for her to do that, Yurika had to be alone. If other classmates or teachers went with her, she wouldn’t be able to use her magic.

  “Yurika, I apologize for my rude remark. Your judge
ment was correct.”

  “I am very sorry too, Yurika-sama.”

  “N-No, you don’t really have to apologize...”

  When Theia and Ruth apologized, Yurika felt a little warm and fuzzy, but mostly confused.

  H-Huh?! S-Something’s strange! What’s happened to them?!

  The situation developed completely counter to anything Yurika could have expected. Just a few days ago, they would have made fun of her, but now all three of them were showing her respect. That only confused her even more.

  “But Yurika...”

  Then Koutarou’s expression turned more serious.

  Augh! Here we go! He really is going to get angry!

  Yurika instinctively shut her eyes again. She would be put down after being raised to the skies. It was something that had happened several times in the past.

  “I’ll have to subtract points for not consulting with us first. Even if you can use magic, going into the mountains alone at night is dangerous. Besides, you can use your magic in front of us.”

  Koutarou put his large hand on top of Yurika’s head.

  “...Huh?”

  Yurika lifted her head up and opened her eyes. She was met with the sight of Koutarou still smiling at her.

  H-He’s really not angry...?

  Yurika wouldn’t have been surprised at all if she had been shouted at or hit, but this unexpected development sent her for a loop.

  “All right, I understand the situation.”

  “S-Satomi-san?”

  Koutarou said he understood, but Yurika wasn’t following the situation at all.

  “Yurika, I’ll come with you. I’ll go get changed, so just wait here a minute.”

  “O-Okay...”

  Yurika was so out of it that she just ended up going along with things.

  “Koutarou, I’ll come with you too.”

  “No, that would be bad.”

  “Why?”

  “With me, Yurika, and Aika-san gone, that would mean three students from class 1-A are missing. Any more than that and even the teachers would notice.”

  “Th-That’s true...”

  “Your Highness, I believe it would be wise if we remain and keep everyone’s absence a secret.”

  “I understand. But call me right away if things get dangerous.”

  “Yeah. Anyways, I’m gonna go change. Yurika, don’t run off on your own!”

  “O-Okay!”

  Leaving Yurika and the others behind, Koutarou rushed up the stairs.

  Satomi-san praised me... and now he’s going to help me...

  Even as she watched him go, Yurika couldn’t understand how this had happened. She couldn’t understand it, but she could feel that the atmosphere around her was starting to change.

  And what is... this blissful feeling?

  Koutarou still recognized Yurika as a normal girl, but now he also acknowledged that she could use magic.

  And why is my heart pounding so hard...?

  Yurika was able to accomplish her duty as a magical girl while being treated as a normal girl. What’s more, she was even getting help and being praised. It was a twist of fate brought about by Koutarou originally thinking Yurika was a cosplayer, and it was a splendid development for Yurika. She was so thrilled that her racing heart wouldn’t calm down anytime soon.

  Not long after leaving the hotel, Yurika stripped off all of her thick outerwear to reveal her magical girl outfit. She would normally complain how cold it was in the middle of the mountains at night in light clothing, but right now, Yurika didn’t mind the temperature one bit.

  “Satomi-san, Satomi-san, look! I’m going to cast another spell!”

  “I think that’s enough.”

  “You don’t have to be so modest. This next one is amazing!”

  “You said the same thing about the last one.”

  “Just look! Hyah!”

  With a bright smile, Yurika held Encyclopedia above her head with both hands. When she did, red and yellow lights shot out from the staff at the same time and enveloped Koutarou and Yurika.

  “H-Huh? I’m floating!”

  “It’s amazing, right? It’s supposedly called Limited Levitation.”

  Both Koutarou and Yurika’s feet started to float slightly above the ground, almost like they were standing on an invisible board five centimeters above the snow.

  “It doesn’t seem to have enough power for full-on flight, but it makes it easier to walk in places like this where the footing is so poor.”

  “Oh, that’s quite impressive...”

  Thanks to the spell, Koutarou and Yurika’s walking speed increased considerably.

  “All right, then I’ll cast the next spell!”

  “Yurika, that’s really enough. It would be problematic if we run out of mana when we need it, right?”

  Koutarou stopped Yurika as she held her staff overhead again. Since the two of them had left the hotel, Yurika had cast about ten spells. She was using magic she believed would be useful for traveling in the mountains at night—spells like levitation, light, protection against the cold, and night vision. She’d gone so overboard that even though Koutarou knew that the staff had been created to use a lot of weak magic, he couldn’t help worrying about its mana reserves.

  “It’ll be fine. This staff hasn’t lost a bit of its power even after using this many spells.”

  “I hope not...”

  Since Yurika understood how the staff worked better than Koutarou, she knew he was worried over nothing. And besides, she wasn’t just using the staff for fun. She was using a lot of lesser spells to preserve their stamina and help keep them prepared for a confrontation with Maki. And by repeatedly casting spells in front of him, it wouldn’t be hard to put Koutarou to sleep before she encountered Maki, effectively keeping him out of the fight. That was half of the reason she was using so many spells, but the other half was genuinely because she couldn’t help herself.

  “Satomi-san, Satomi-san! What kind of spell should I use next?!”

  “Yurika, don’t get too carried away. It’s dangerous, so watch where you’re going.”

  “It’s fine! Not even I would― Oof!”

  Not a moment after Koutarou said something, Yurika walked into a tree by the side of the snow-covered road. When she did, the snow piled up on the branches overhead poured down on her.

  “What did I just say? Here, give me your hand.”

  “S-Sorry.”

  Koutarou reached out his hand to Yurika, who was covered in snow and sitting on the ground. She was looking down, her face red from smacking into the tree, but she grabbed Koutarou’s hand and stood up. She then began to embarrassedly wipe the snow off herself.

  “Hey, Yurika.”

  “...What?”

  “About your next spell... Make it one that’ll fix your face or dry your clothes.”

  “Okay, I will...”

  Yurika had become freely able to use magic in front of Koutarou, but it hadn’t seemed to make much of a difference in their relationship.

  Maki took to tracking down the demon on the mountain as soon as she healed herself after her fight against Yurika. However, since Maki wasn’t a specialist in divination magic like Dark Green was, her detection spells weren’t as strong and she lost track of the demon before night fell. After that, she aimlessly wandered the mountain for a while, but just a moment ago she had managed to pick up the demon’s track once more.

  “There’s no mistaking it... It’s just past here...”

  Maki was wearing her magical girl outfit. She was far too lightly dressed to be walking around a snowy mountain, but the cold wasn’t affecting her at all. Like Yurika, she was using several spells to protect herself from the elements. She was even walking lightly across the snow.

  “There... Is it in that cave?”

  Maki could see the entrance to a cave up ahead. It was about three meters in size—more than large enough for a person to pass through. The detection spell that Maki was using was telling her
that there was powerful mana deep inside the cave. Based on that, Maki assumed that the demon she was after had made the cave its lair.

  “This certainly is an impressive amount of mana...”

  As Maki stood at the entrance of the cave, she could sense the magical power coming from within. It was enough to give her goosebumps even without using her detection magic. This demon must be incredibly powerful to have mana like that, and if Maki could make it her ally, it should prove quite useful in battle. But even so, something was nagging at Maki.

  “I wonder what this feeling is...”

  Maki used indigo magic and excelled at spells that manipulated the mind. She was sensitive to thoughts and emotions, and she detected a hint of something mixed in with the mana.

  “Is this... fear, perhaps?”

  Maki was able to sense strong fear from what she assumed was the master of the cave. It was powerful enough that it created a disturbance in the mana leaking out, almost like waves crashing on the shore.

  “Sense Emotion. Mana Shield. Resist Magic.”

  Maki sensed something ominous about the fear coming from deep inside the cave, and cast several spells accordingly. While the existence within the cave wasn’t as powerful as Maki, it seemed dangerous enough to convince her not to go in defenseless. A minimal amount of preparation was necessary.

  “Now then, just what lies in wait inside?”

  Relying on the light from her staff, she carefully entered the cave. The passageway continued forward in a slight curve. At least there was no fear of getting lost. The walls and floor of the cave were covered in ice. The heels of Maki’s shoes clacked loudly against the icy floor as she walked further in. The sound of her footsteps echoed into the very depths of the cave.

  “It seems like the master of this cave can manipulate ice...”

  Trace amounts of magical power were embedded into the ice. There seemed to be no mistaking that the master of the cave had created it. So as Maki continued deeper still into the cave, she activated another spell to defend her against the ice.

  “Guuuuuuuuh...”

  After walking several dozen meters into the cave, a bestial groan could be heard. It echoed off the walls, making it sound much louder than it actually was. But the effect was profound. Between it and the powerful mana emanating from the place, Maki’s whole body shook.