Chapter 198

Episode 194: Nervous Blindfold Rendezvous

Night!!!

A peaceful 8 PM where even the grass and good children are sound asleep!

Well, Kroma is always in a festival mood, so it’s still bustling everywhere!

It’s like this 24 hours a day!

But that doesn’t matter to us at all!!

“Whoaooo! Kill the imposter!”

“Do we really need to make such a fuss? We should handle this calmly. Besides, it’s already 8 PM, so brush your teeth and get into bed, my lord. You won’t grow if you don’t?”

“Whaaat? Just when I thought things were normal, they’re off the rails again >.<"



"Relax. I'll sleep with you too."

"Huh? The spots next to this child are mine, right?"

"It's physically impossible."



While those perverts are arguing, let's quickly switch to serious mode!



After parting ways with Mr. Rokuhara and Eina, I spent time with Hikari as usual.



Through an event of Hikari dragging Solciera around, her magical power has already been fully recharged.

I'm ready to pound any imposters anytime.



"So, we're meeting here?"



Following Mizuki Senpai, we arrived at the back of a certain stage.

This is where Toa was attacked and serves as the rendezvous point for the investigation team coming from Kroma.



"Mmm... fa..."

"Hikari, are you alright?"

"I'm fine. I drank hot milk to stay awake."

"That's not helping, is it?"



Hikari rubs her sleepy eyes while giving a thumbs up.

Given how extreme Hikari's on-off switch is, she's completely unsuited for night investigations.



Let's see, shall we give some candy to the mysterious beautiful girl?

I always carry candy that can fry the brains of boys and girls whenever.



The candy given by the admired older sister... sounds nice, doesn't it?



"Sougo, we've been waiting for you ^^"



Star Reader's Staff has already locked onto the target.

If we meet at the Hinotuchi Cultural Festival again, I'll surely ruin his quirks.



"Candy? Want to lick one?"

"Thank you! Um, do you have lemon flavor?"

"Yes, here you go."

"Yay!"



Hikari pops the candy into her mouth and happily sways with a radiant smile.

Watching her like that, my cheeks naturally relaxed.



Mizuki Senpai seems the same way; though she appeared tense just moments ago, she's now better.

Of course, considering we might end up fighting a fake Solciera, it's understandable.



"We're supposed to meet here at 8 PM, right?"

"Yeah. I think Ryuko from Watatori and a teacher from Kroma said they'd come..."

"Ryuko, huh? I've been helped by her once. She's very reliable."

"Is that so? Actually, I haven't met her face-to-face yet. ...Though I did receive her contact info out of nowhere some time ago."



I remember her mentioning something about contacts during the Rei-chan Clone incident.

Thinking about how Mizuki Senpai will increasingly treat Ryuko casually moving forward makes me excited!



"Oh, isn't that her?"



Looking in the direction Hikari pointed, there stood a beautiful girl.



"Ah, um... Are you students from Factom General Academy?"



W-W-W-What!? A beautiful girl who doesn't exist in the database has appeared!
Everyone, assume shock position!



"Tch!?"

"Eh? ...Eh? What are you talking about, my lord?"



Beautiful girls are divided into two major categories: Yin and Yang.

It's common knowledge that this concept, originating from an ancient country with a three-thousand-year history of beautiful girls, was transmitted to our land of beautiful girls.



"Of course."

"Did some fictitious thing pass from a fictitious country to another fictitious country?"



Kame-kun, you need remedial lessons later.



"Eh?"



Now, if we compare this beautiful girl using the concepts of Yin and Yang, the girl before us is clearly Yin.

And this is not meant in a negative way.

She exudes a calm, quiet atmosphere that suits an old library well.



Her black hair is slightly messy, but that somehow makes her more approachable.

And most importantly... the blindfold!



"―A new achievement has been unlocked―"

"What's with this announcement?"



Everything about her is perfectly balanced—this is the kind of beauty pursued through balance.
Not high-class French cuisine, but the familiar taste of a public diner.



This feeling of "probably only I understand her charm..." cannot be achieved intentionally.

What a wonderful beautiful girl, please tell me your name.



"Ah, sorry, I should introduce myself first. U-Um, I'm Kogare Muroki. At Kroma, I teach dungeon exploration. So, technically, I'm a teacher...?"



During her introduction, she seemed to lose confidence, and her voice grew quieter.

Teacher Kogare... This is dangerous for teenage boys' brains!



Teachers with blindfolds, black hair, shy personalities, and are older... Boys are weak against such concepts!



"Isn't this too specific?"

"Let's ask for special lessons after school, hmm ^^"



In that event, the beautiful eyes revealed for a moment will deeply etch themselves into your brain.



"Wait, don't leave me behind with these two."



We're not leaving you behind.

Come along.



"Hurry up and come over to this stage, angel ^^"



Star Reader's Staff is in great form today.



By the way, the image of Teacher Kogare reclining in a room filled with the ticking of an antique clock is probably already preserved as a religious painting in some country.



"A healing ear-cleaning voice from Kogare!?"

"Out of curiosity, is this our first meeting? How can you create such stories out of thin air?"



If there's a beautiful girl, there's certainly "something" there.

Understand her brilliance not with your eyes, but with your heart.

Don't look, feel.



Grasp the wind, touch the essence of the beautiful girl.



"???????"



"Teacher Kogare, nice to meet you. I'm Mizuki Teruue, the vice president of the Student Council at Factom General Academy. And this is Na Takikai Kei and Yatsutaka Hikari."

"Nice to meet you!"

"Nice to meet you, Teacher Kogare."



Kei and I bow our heads.

Teacher Kogare hastily returns the gesture.



You don't need to be so nervous.

We won't eat you ^^



"Um, that Na Takikai... Could you be the heir to the Na Takikai family?"



Teacher Kogare hesitantly asked.



Ah, so teachers don't want to deal with rich heirs, huh?

Dealing with them must be exhausting.



Since I won't be involved with the Na Takikai family anymore, let me state it clearly.



"No, I'm no longer... related to that family."

"So, that's true."

"Kei...?"



For some reason, Mizuki Senpai looks sad.

Is having connections with the wealthy truly more desirable?



But don't worry, Factom General Academy's finances are already recovering, so there's no problem.



"By the way, where's Watatori Ryuko? I heard she was coming with you."



Hikari voiced her question.

Upon hearing this, Teacher Kogare suddenly remembered and bowed her head again.



"I'm sorry! Watatori-san will be late. It seems she overslept."

"I see. Well, at least she's not injured or anything."



As Mizuki Senpai spoke, Teacher Kogare continued bowing her head.

Looking at them now, it's hard to tell who the teacher is.



"So, before Watatori arrives, let's align our understanding of this investigation."



With that, Teacher Kogare pulled out a piece of paper from her expanded space and handed it to us.

Apparently, it shows the security routes for the Hinotuchi Cultural Festival day.



"All the routes where Solciera was spotted overlap with the security routes planned for the cultural festival day. More precisely, they are near the relics that will be displayed. The attack on Toua Moon occurred behind a specially set-up stage for displaying relics. In each case, Solciera appeared near relics."

"...So, Kroma suspects Solciera is targeting relics?"

"Yes. But..."



Teacher Kogare looked troubled and slumped her shoulders.



"An enforcer from Kisou Academy came this evening... They suggested the possibility that someone impersonating Solciera is acting with a different purpose unrelated to relics. That person was scary..."


It must be Mr. Rokuhara...



"So, today's goal is to determine if Solciera is genuine and clarify her intentions as much as possible. Though, we may not even encounter her."



Well, if we do meet her, we'll eliminate the imposter immediately.



"With no intention of granting the right to recite a death poem."



"Since this is sudden, all we can say from our side is this. Sorry..."

"Not at all, this is more than enough. It's already a great help that you're allowing us to investigate. If we happen to meet Solciera, please leave her to me."



Saying this, Mizuki Senpai summoned and aimed her gun.



"Even with this title of S-Rank, I can't afford to lose."

"What a reliable S-Rank...! So different from Watatori who called in groggily after oversleeping...!"


Ryuko-chan... Even the teacher treats you like this...


"So, should we just wait here? I could fly around and scout if you'd like."



Hikari raised her hand to volunteer.

Just as Teacher Kogare shook her head in response...



"No, let's wait for Watatori-san. If Solciera's target is relics, it wouldn't be strange for her to return here... ――She's here... Eh?"



Mizuki Senpai was the first to enter combat stance.

Following her lead, I drew my dagger and Hikari unfolded her light wings.



There she was.



A melancholy-faced girl with silver-blue hair swaying in the night breeze.



Named Solciera.

A girl who shouldn't exist here, yet undeniably does.



"Partner, that is indeed Solciera."

"Hmm, as expected, huh. My lord, be cautious."



The words from Demon's Gear and Angel are the most trustworthy in this situation.

I stood in front of Teacher Kogare, dagger at the ready.



"Eh? She actually came!? Wha-wha-what should we do!? Without Nei-senpai, Watatori-san, or the Student Council President here!"



There's no time to calm down the flustered Teacher Kogare.

The killing intent cutting through the air is emanating from the Solciera before us.



"Kei, Hikari, fight with everything you've got. Whether imposter or real, she remains a monster."



"Yes ma'am!"

"Understood."



Facing us, Solciera coolly readied her large scythe.

Then she simply stated:



"Summon the Sanctuary User."



As if implying she has nothing more to say, Solciera closed her mouth.



"...Let's go."



At Mizuki Senpai's signal, we charged forward.



The surroundings remain lively with cheerful voices echoing.

Colorful lights illuminate the school district as students shout and sing freely.



In this corner of Kroma, dominated by chaotic freedom, the battle has begun.



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