Kawaii Onnanoko ni Kouryaku Sareru no Wa Suki desu ka? Volume 3 Chapter 3

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Placation

“…Morning, Kisa. It was pretty cold a while ago, were you safe from a cold?”

“I’m different from the average commoner who doesn’t keep an eye on their physical well-being. I would never catch a cold.” Kisa returned these words with a confident smile.

The complete opposite of the Kisa who was quivering in fear at the shopping mall’s wall. The gesture of her slender legs, clad in black tights, as she put on her indoor shoes was as beautiful as ever. Her bangs falling down as she directed her head downwards, the nape of her neck appearing in doing so, Mikado yet again felt his heartbeat accelerate.

Kisa really was playing unfair. She wasn’t even doing anything special, but just her mere existence inflicted more than enough damage on Mikado. She was like a walking nuclear bomb, an existence ready to bring forth Ragnarok.

Mikado swiftly braced for the impact, and headed for a counter attack.

“Did you bring my coat?”

“Eh? No, I didn’t. I told you I’d keep it.” Kisa spoke, with a confused expression.

Normally, Mikado would give her an earful for being so selfish with something that didn’t even belong to her, but just this once, he gave up.

“I see, so you didn’t bring it~”

“W-What is it…”

Kisa showed wariness at Mikado’s nod. He lifted up the corners of his mouth, flashing a challenging smile.

“Is that…how much you wanted to have something of mine?”

“H-Huh?!” Kisa’s face flushed in a second.

She had high attack power, but her defense was easily broken. Aggressive approaches were the most effective against her. Hence, Mikado pressed even further while his enemy was staggering.

“I mean, that has to be it, right? You don’t even need my coat anymore, so you could just return it to me.”

“I like the design of it! Not because it belonged to you!”

“Then just buy it yourself? A store called Nobilis is selling the exact same one.”

“I can’t be bothered to go buy it myself!”

“Then just task one of your subordinates with it?”

“Ugh…” Kisa formed a fist with her hand, taking a step back.

Both her cheeks and ears were burning in a strong red, her knees shaking. From the looks of it, the damage was received properly. However, this advantage only lasted for a short bit.

“Well, I don’t mind giving it back. I was wearing it when I was sleeping…and it was touching my skin directly.”

“…Directly?!” Mikado felt his heart almost leap out of his chest.

“Yes, directly. It felt pretty comfortable on my skin, and I didn’t have the energy to put on something proper after my shower, nor my underwear, so I just slept with it on.” Kisa ran her slender fingers along her body to emphasize it.

This alone was enough to make Mikado vividly imagine the scenery. Pantomiming. Mikado felt like he could almost see the steam rising up her shoulders after the hot bath, with her glossy, slightly reddened skin.

“And, Mikado…do you want that coat, which I wore on my naked body, that desperately…?” Kisa softly snickered, her smile filled with slightly bashfulness, and provocativeness.

“Ugh…!”

Mikado could feel his heart beating even faster, forcing him to hold down his chest as it started to hurt him. The two of them were glaring at each other, breathing heavily. They each had received a severe amount of damage.

Kisa closed her distance between Mikado even further, running her fingers along his chest.

“Hey…What is it, Mikado? If you properly ask me for it, I wouldn’t mind returning it…?”

“I don’t…want it…”

It should have been nothing more than his coat, but it suddenly turned into a dangerous item to risk the love game as a whole.

“Full of lies. Just now, you were imagining me naked, right?”

“I wasn’t…”

Mikado’s eyes were entranced by her beautiful lips, as he was desperate to look for a way out. Those who call themselves a Kitamikado had to be able to seize victory in every situation imaginable.

At the same time, Kokage entered the entrance of the school building.

“Ahh! Mikado-kun and Kisa-chan! What are you doing~?”

The bodies of the two twitched in shock. The person surveilling them has appeared. They had to cancel the love game immediately, and go back to fighting.

“Well…Nanjou brought some explosives to school, which clearly went against regulations, so I’m trying to tell her off…”

—What a lame excuse!

Mikado retorted himself, but he couldn’t come up with a better setting.

Kokage rested her chin on her camera, tilting her head slightly in a confused manner.

“Ehhh? But, it didn’t look like you were angry…Rather, Kisa-chan was even touching Mikado-kun’s tits…”

“Men don’t have breasts!”

“They sure do~! You can’t just differentiate between man and woman! Boys should be allowed to wear bras whenever they feel like it, yes!” Kokage emphasized.

Both Kisa and Mikado joined in together to deliver an explanation.

“T-This is…I wasn’t touching him or anything, I was trying to throw him away! He was so annoying just because of some TNT I brought with me!”

“What do you mean ‘just because’?! You’ll leave a crater if that blows up!”

“Again, so annoying!”

“It’ll be a big problem if that happens, you know! Be aware that you’re still a high school student!”

“Mrrowow!”

“At least talk in Japanese!”

Kisa acted like an agitated cat, which looked as cute as it could be. She and Mikado were glaring at each other, as sparks flew. Wondering if this really looked like a fight, he shot a sideways glance at Kokage. She was crying.

“S-Stop…hic…fighting…please…sniff…”

“Why are you crying?!”

“I don’t want to watch the people I love fight…The two of you always looked like a good pair, so why…”

“I-Is that so?! D-Did we look like that?! How, and in what way?!”

“Calm down, Nanjou! We’re fighting, remember?!” Mikado tried to calm down Kisa, who got caught on Kokage’s words.

Of course, being told that they were a good fit made Mikado feel interested as well, but he couldn’t give in to that desire. It might just be a trap that Kokage set up for him.

“Umm…I think that the length of your eyelashes perfectly compliments each other!”

“E-Eyelashes? What do you mean?!” Kisa was confused.

—No, Kokage and setting up a trap is pretty much not happening.

Mikado changed his train of thought. Kokage just acted along her instinct and some foreign logic. She would never lure someone into her own scheme like that.

At the same time, Kokage looked at Mikado and Kisa, seeming slightly saddened.

“Why do you keep fighting recently? The atmosphere in the classroom is all stiff and awkward as well…If you were a bit nicer to each other, everyone’s school life would improve, I’m sure…”

Kisa shrugged.

“What a stupid question. We belong to two differing families. Since ancient times, we have kept fighting. Right, Kitamikado-san?”

“…Yeah.” He nodded.

Throwing hate and strategy at each other, a blood-riddled battle.That is the true relationship between the two families. Even if they happened to be classmates, they would never end up in a relationship on good terms. Being the successors of these families, Mikado and Kisa had the duty to keep this relationship going. Loving each other would be a sin.

Yet again realizing this cruel fate bestowed upon them, Mikado grit his teeth in frustration. Still, just being left to go along as fate desires wasn’t the style of the Kitamikado—No, Mikado’s way. He would do everything in his power to overthrow this nonsense called destiny.

Kokage crouched down on all fours, crawling along the brushes of the courtyard. Her knees cut through the crass, and her hair was full with leaves, but she didn’t bother too much with it. If a Kawaraya bothered with such trivial problems, her ancestors would laugh at her.

It was the same small bushy way that she had used to continuously check out Mikado ever since middle school. Using this small passage not even the gardening club or facility members knew off, she continued to crawl along. She took out her camera in the bushes next to the flower bed, capturing Mikado in her lens.

Kisa was close to Mikado as well, and they were talking about something. She couldn’t quite pick up what the two were talking about, but she decided to take a picture nonetheless, reading the camera. But, before she could click the shutter, a giant eye appeared in front of the lens.

“Hyaaaaaaaaaa?!”

Kokage was left terrified of the shock, as Mizuki looked down at her.

“M-Mizuki-chan…Don’t scare me like that…”

“Whatchu doing~? Hide and seek? Let me join in!”

Her eyes were sparkling with innocence, as she put one hand on the grass.

“Not hide and seek. I’m taking pictures of Mikado-kun and Kisa-chan.”

In order not to gain any attention from her targets, Kokage pulled Mizuki into the thicket.

“I see~ Did you manage to get a good one?”

Mizuki reached out for the camera, brimming with interest, so Kokage swiftly pulled it away. It’d be highly troublesome if she accidentally destroyed all the hard work Kokage had gathered.

“Not really, no~ The two of them seem to be on edge like always…I’d like to get a motive with them being as close as before, but…”

“Seems like you have it rough, Kokage-chan~”

“Yes…Mikado-kun’s father even started to rush me because I didn’t bring any results yet…But, there’s still value in doing this!” Kokage formed a fist to support her words.

“value in doing this?” Mizuki tilted her head with a blank expression.

“Yes! Mikado-kun is the most interesting photographic subject I ever had! His expression when he’s smiling, when he’s troubled, when he’s angry…they are all so deep and profound, I can never get enough of them! Just watching him through the lens…is so much fun!” Kokage showed a heartfelt smile.

Laying bare her honest feelings was kind of embarrassing, but she was also happy, and felt a bit ticklish inside. This was the first day she ever revealed these feelings.

Mizuki gazed at Kokage, as if she tried to see through her.

“Kokage-chan…don’t tell me…?”

“What is it?” Kokage asked with a sideways glance.

Mizuki swiftly shook her head.

“No, it’s nothing! I think it’d be better to keep the number of rivals to a lower number! It’s fine if you haven’t realized it!”

“Ehh?! Now I want to know!”

“Don’t sweat it, really! It’s not like the fate of the earth depends on it, so just forget I said anything!”

“You’re teasing me, aren’t you! Please tell me!”

Information existing out there unbeknownst to the Kawaraya Family was not something Kokage could swallow. She had to know at all costs, most importantly because she felt like it was something essential for her.

“Can’t help it~ I’ll tell you! Kokage-chan…maybe your lungs are reversed in position?!”

“I-Is that so?! I didn’t realize at all!”

Still, Kokage didn’t quite grasp why it would matter if the left and right lung got switched. She wanted to ask for further detail, but Mizuki just started laughing as she stepped out of the thicket, running towards Mikado and Kisa. She got a bit scared that Mizuki might snitch on her, so she took a bit of distance, but that’s not what happened.

“Mikado-kun! Are you fighting with Onee-chan again?! Just leave her alone, and go on a date with me, come on!” She jumped at Mikado, hugging him from behind.

“S-Stop…I can ‘t…breathe…”

“Hey! Don’t just kill Kitamikado-san before I get the chance!”

It almost looked like Kisa was angry that her prey was about to be stolen.

“I won’t kill Mikado-kun though! He’ll be playing with me now after all!”

“I’ll die before we can get to that…” Mikado grew pale in his face.

—I-I have to take a picture of that! Kokage realized her chance, and although it wasn’t a picture of the two of them acting close, she felt the urge to take a picture nonetheless.

He heard a rustling noise coming from an empty classroom. Mikado wanted to see what that was about, and took a peek inside the room. There, panties were growing from the ceiling. Assuming it was just his eyes playing a trick on him, he rubbed them, and looked up again. Now he could even see a skirt as well.

“Some new living being?!”

Together with his confused scream, a girl’s uniform appeared, as well as a face.

“Keep it quiet. I’m busy.”

The owner of the skirt was Kisa. From the looks of it, she had pushed her upper body into a hole in the ceiling. Her legs had a safe halt on a ladder. Because the stimulus of the panties was too great, Mikado didn’t pick up on anything besides that.

“…What are you doing?” Mikado asked, trying to keep his gaze away from the skirt.

What made it even worse was that the panties didn’t belong to just anyone, but Kisa.

“I found some hidden passage Kawaraya-san is always using to spy in on us, so I’m setting up a trap.” Kisa came down the ladder.

“Better not be any that leaves her in mortal danger…”

“They’re all perfectly safe. The victims will just suffer from a mental breakdown.”

“It’s not safe at all!”

This spoke completely against any ethics Mikado possessed.

“She’s been annoying me with her tailing recently, so of course I have to take some countermeasures. I’ll render her useless for about three days, so hopefully she’ll stay calm after that.”

Kisa picked up a suspicious-looking case off the table. It was a metal case, big enough that you could even carry it in two arms. Four lamps were in the corners, with a motorric sound coming from the inside.

Kisa followed up with a swift explanation.

“Inside here are a great number of insects. If I put down the cable connected to it up behind the ceiling, Kawaraya-san will activate the trap, and the box opens. She’ll be assaulted by an army of insects!”

“Weren’t you bad with insects?”

“I’m not! I just hate them so much that they make me want to destroy the entire earth if it meant rotting them out!”

“I’m surprised you can just normally hold a boy like that then.”

He could even hear the crawling and thumping of the insects inside, making even Mikado feel a bit uncomfortable. He took a step back, but Kisa approached him even further with her case in hand.

“They’re not actual insects after all. These are reconnaissance planes in the form of insects, developed by a military company under the Nanjou Family’s wings. They look just like insects, but they’re entirely mechanical. And I didn’t put them in there either.”

“Basically, you haven’t even looked inside yourself, Kisa.”

“As if I would! Also, unless someone touches the cable, or presses this switch!” She pointed at the switch on one side.

This momentum became lethal.

“…Ah.”

Kisa’s fingertips touched the switch, which was followed by an electrical sound. The color of the case turned reddish-black, and the insects flew out as soon as it opened.

“Kyaaaa?!” Kisa let out a shriek, jumping at Mikado.

Her soft body, with even softer mounds, was right inside his arms.

“H-Hey!” A scorching heat filled Mikado’s entire body.

And, calling it bad luck, or natural because they were inside an empty classroom connecting to one of Kokage’s sneak routes…

“Did something happen?!”

Holding her camera, Kokage stormed inside, making both Mikado and Kisa freeze up again. The two of them had their bodies clinging to the other, their fingers intertwined. Mikado had one hand on Kisa’s waist even. They were unable to separate in time, not escaping from Kokage’s view.

“This…This is!!!” Kokage let out a happy voice, and immediately took a picture.

Following that was a bright flash, and the detrimental scene burned on Kokage’s data card.

“I did it! I finally completed my mission!” Kokage embraced the camera, dashing out towards the hallway.

Having been left behind in the room, Mikado and Kisa still embraced each other, spacing out with blank expressions. They didn’t even have the time to pay any mind to the insects flying around.

“…………!!! We have to catch her and finish her off!”

“No killing! But yeah, we have to grab her immediately!”

The two of them dashed after Kokage at full speed. In the hallway during lunch break, Kokage’s footsteps resounded loudly enough to track her. Though they had a delay of a few seconds, their bodies were clearly better trained than Kokage, or maybe they were just that desperate, so they quickly approached her.

“Wait! We won’t do anything! We definitely won’t do anything, so just stay there!”

“No thank youuuu! You’ll definitely do something to me!”

“Then we’ll attack you! So keep running, it’ll make things easier!”

Kisa screamed after Kokage, taking out a small handgun, removing the safety lock. Mikado watched this in fear, and quickly grabbed her hand.

“Stop with the guns! And where did you even hide that?!”

“It’s a maiden’s secret! I was just going to shoot her legs! The rest will come after she’s stopped!”

“You’re way too violent towards a classmate of yours!”

“Not at all! If I really was, I would have turned her into pieces already with my claws!”

“What kind of animal are you? A sabre tiger?!”

Mikado tried to steal the gun from Kisa, who was vehement on pulling the trigger. And as the two of them were fighting, Kokage jumped down the stairs like a rabbit.

“See, she escaped because of you, Mikado! What are you going to do about this?!”

“So it’s my fault now…? I’ll do something about it!”

Mikado let his brain cells work at full capacity, anticipating Kokage’s next moves. Judging from this situation, she’ll definitely try to escape by leaving school grounds. The nearest exit from these stairs is the hallway through the courtyard. They were on the third floor right now, but the situation didn’t permit the normal route. He opened the window next, and after checking Kokage’s presence, he jumped through the opened window frame.

“Wah, Mikado?!”

“I’ll be going on ahead!”

Ignoring this puzzled Kisa behind him, Mikado didn’t hesitate a second to leap into the open air. It was a free fall cutting through the wind. Right before he landed, he bent his knees, expanding his muscles, and dampening the impact of the jump, his feet landing on the grass. With this, Mikado stood facing Kokage.

“Hya?! Something fell down?!” Kokage let out a scared shriek.

He closed in on Kokage, slowly pushing her against the wall.

“Now, Kawaraya. Hand over that camera. If you leave this to me, nothing major will happen.”

“Oh no no no no…” Kokage embraced her camera, taking another step back.

Her knees were shaking like a deer terrified for life.

“It’s not like you took an exceptional picture, okay. Still, you can’t just use something like this for your own. Peeping pictures like this is a crime. And I don’t want to report a dear classmate of mine…unless I really have to…you get me?”

“Y-Ye—” She was even too scared to properly say the word ‘Yes’.

“Alright, then, come towards me. Don’t worry, I’ll guarantee your safety…”

“I’m sorryyyy!”

From Kokage’s mouth, something like a pill fell out. Right as it hit the ground, a bright light flashed Mikado’s eyes, and a white smoke came piling up.

“A smoke screen?!”

Mikado quickly closed his eyes, sealing off his mouth and nose, but he didn’t make it in time. Once he opened his eyes again, the flash of light had burned into his eyes, greatly worsening his field of view. Though, he could pick up footsteps running away. He kicked into the air, allowing him to make Kokage fall over right into his arms.

“Kya?! How did you know?! Were you an esper, Mikado-kun?!” Kokage tried to break free, but to no avail.

“You won’t defeat a Mikado just by stealing our sigh…As long as I have my hearing at least, I can continue fighting.”

“Scary! You’re not even human anymore!”

“Now, return the camera…Here? Or is it…here?” Mikado relied on his sensation to find the camera.

“Ah, no, hya…”

A sweet voice leaked out of Kokage’s throat.

“C-Can you not let out a weird voice?!”

“B-But…if you touch my breasts like that…”

“Breasts?!”

After Kokage pointed it out, Mikado himself realized that the sensation in his hand was too voluptuous, too soft to be a camera. And way too big as well. If he put a bit more grip into it, Kokage twisted her body.

“Mmm! Y-You can’t…Mikado-kun…! You can’t just fondle them like that…!”

“………!!!”

He could feel his blood boil, forcing him to instinctively jump away from Kokage. Impossible. A young man of the Kitamikado Family, doing something lecherous like that. Not allowed to happen. Before Mikado could catch his thoughts, Kokage ran away, him being alone in the courtyard as the smoke cleared. From the school building, Kisa came running as she looked around.

“Mikado! Where’s Kawaraya-san?!”

“Eh? Kawaraya…? Who…?” Mikado was dumbfounded.

“Kawaraya Kokage, from our class!”

“Class…meaning?”

“Memory loss?! What are you spacing out like that?! Your face is red like a tomato! What happened?!” Kisa gazed at Mikado’s expression with a glimmer of worry in her eyes.

“W-Well…by accident I happened to…Kawaraya’s…”

He wanted to respond honestly, but the shiver running down his spine forbade him from doing so. This was tremendously bad. He could not, under any circumstances, tell the truth. His instincts were warning him. It wouldn’t just end in normal bloodshed. The last time he felt such instinct was when he was having a barehanded battle with a lion, on the brink of death.

“Kawaraya-san’s…what? Tell me…Mikado?” Kisa asked with a gentle tone.

That being said, her eyes were those of a devil. A dark aura, enough to wipe out humanity with just its density, started to build up behind her slender shoulders.

“I happened to…almost break her…poor soul…” Mikado changed his words.

“Hmm? How surprising that Mikado of all people would be able to do that.”

“I-It was just by accident, I was getting a bit fired up…”

“…Is that so. That’s okay then.” Kisa’s expression softened, a sigh of relief escaping her lips.

The sky above Mikado looked so dazzling and beautiful. He was grateful to be able to return to his family for another day. Still, this wasn’t quite the time to be relieved. Kokage had completely vanished from their sights, no traces left behind.

“For now, I’ll have Sigma do some jamming to disable any sort of communication in the area. With that, she won’t be able to send it to your father via email, or upload it on a server as backup.”

“That’ll be great. Now all we have to do is stop any sort of direct contact between the two of them.”

As Mikado was starting to think of a plan, Kisa took out her smartphone with a graceful gesture.

“I’ll send my armed private squad here. She’ll be dead in 15 minutes.”

“Don’t kill her!”

“We don’t have any other methods left, right?! You want her to keep bothering our game then?! The same thing will happen again eventually!” Kisa glared up at Mikado.

Naturally, she couldn’t be more right. The more these things occurred, the higher Kokage’s chance of success was, with the game over approaching for Mikado and Kisa.

“That’s why…we have to take care of this now. We have to make Kawaraya our ally.”

“Ally?! Something must have happened with her, right?! It must be because of her gigantic chest…I’ll remove it so she’ll be as flat as a cutting board…!”

“Stop with the gruesome stuff already! That’s not it! Pull yourself together!”

Kisa suddenly took out a great number of daggers, to what Mikado protested.

“Haa…haa…huff…”

Kokage ran through a backside alley, heavily out of breath. Not thinking about anything, she just dashed away from the school, chased by some armed group on the way, almost caught, but somehow managed to escape as she heard gun shots behind her. She really thought she was going to die.

Still, to protect the pride and honor of her family, as well as to become the ‘Exclusive Intelligence Officer’ of the Kitamikado Family, she had to bring this mission to a success no matter what. She couldn’t allow herself to be captured right here. Finally, she stopped hearing footsteps of her followers, as she lowered her speed.

“N-Now…it should be fine…right…?”

Resting her body with one hand on the wall, she tried to get her distorted breathing under control. It was a miracle she was still alive.

Looking up, she saw a vending machine close to her. The mechanical sound made it seem like it still worked, and it said [Refrrreshing~] written on it, filled with cold juice. Thinking that she might as well get a sip for her dry throat, Kokage moved towards the vending machine. She put the money inside, and pressed the button, but no juice came out. She tested it another time, but the result stayed the same. Thinking that it must probably be broken, she pressed the lever to get her change back, and put her left hand inside to grab the coins. Then, the opening grabbed onto her hand.

“Hyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa?!”

In the truest sense, it grabbed onto her like jaws of a flesh-eating beast. She tried to free her hand, but was left unable to do so.

“W-What’s going on with this?!”

In her field of view, she found an emergency stop button. At the opposite of the opening for the change was a small hole, as she could see this red button. What even is an emergency stop button for a vending machine?

Or so she started thinking, but she didn’t have the time to rationalize with everything. Right now, her left hand was being eaten by a vending machine.

“Gaaaah!” Kokage gave up, and pressed this emergency stop button.

A fanfare sound rang out, and her right hand was also grabbed.

“Whyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy?!”

Kokage cursed all the cruel absurdity in this world. Both her hands were now restricted by the vending machine, ending up with her butt wide out in the back alley. Her thighs, riddled with sweat, were starting to get cold as well.

Now, the words ‘CLEAR’ lighted up in front of Kokage’s eyes, on the button she had pressed for the purchase. She didn’t know what exactly was cleared, but looking at this situation, it couldn’t have been anything good. A metallic sound rang out, and the juice finally came falling out. With sparks, the can opened, as a violet smoke emitted. Breathing that in, Kokage could feel her consciousness slowly fade away.

“A-Abduction…”

Kokage’s consciousness cut right as she realized she would be having a meeting with an extraterrestrial lifeform.

The Nanjou facility looked like a giant storage house. Even wider than the sports grounds at school, with intense flood lights shining down. The floor itself was riddled with iron plates. Mikado raised his eyebrows at the fact that there were no items, not even shelves in this storage house, the walls even thick enough to not let any sound outside. All he could see was a high-power vacuum machine, a hose massive enough to be used by firefighters, and a small-type burning incineration machine.

Just what exactly were they burning in here? And why were there red spots on the ground?

—Well, finding out won’t do me any good!

Mikado gave up on thinking. He could technically ask Kisa and Mizuki next to him, but he’d run the risk of being stained by the Nanjou darkness. ‘If you stare into the abyss, the abyss stares back at you’ were the famous words of Friedrich Nietzsche.

Kokage was stationed on a chair in the middle of the place, her arms and legs restrained with shackles. Her uniform was loose here and there, and her shoes had been taken off. Chains were digging into her slender arms and supple chest, but Mikado couldn’t be taken aback by that.

“Mm…No…the vending machine…the vending machine is alive…”

Right now, Kokage had her eyes closed, most likely having a nightmare. Wondering what cruel and inhuman way was used to capture her, a cold shiver ran down Mikado’s spine. Finally, Kokage’s eyes shot open, and a shaking voice came out as she observed her surroundings.

“W-Where is this?! An UFO?! Inside an UFO?! How many light years are we away from the solar system?!”

Kisa stood next to Kokage, softly smiling.

“Don’t worry, we’re still on earth.”

“Eh, Onee-chan is acting kind…? Is this the end of the world…?” Mizuki’s eyes opened wide.

To that, Kisa calmly nodded.

“Well…she’ll be going to hell in a bit after all…”

“That’s not kind at all! You better hold back, alright?!” Mikado pressed just to be sure, but the location in itself was too unreasonable anyway, so he didn’t have much hope.

Since the love game was a secret to the Nanjou Family only, they had to resort to using one of their facilities, but he might regret this decision soon.

“Mikado-kun and Kisa-chan?! E-Even MIzuki-chan?! Was I betrayed?!” Kokage screamed, and Mizuki gleefully waved her hands.

“No betraying to be found here! I thought the interrogation would be fun, so I joined!”

“Unnecessarily malicious!”

“I-I’ll be interrogated?! N-N-Not happening! Whatever you do to me, I will not reveal the contents of my mission!” Kokage closed her lips with as much force as she could, but the second she even mentioned the word ‘mission’, Mikado couldn’t take her much more seriously.

She had announced that she was suspicious before the interrogation even started after all.

Kisa showed a benevolent smile.

“Resist as much as you want. That makes the interrogation at least worth my time.”

“Ahahaha…” Bubbles started foaming out of Kokage’s mouth.

Kisa grabbed her jaw, slightly lifting it up as she stared deeply into her eyes.

“But, since I am such a kind person, I’ll give you a chance right now…You were tasked to investigate the relationship between me and Mikado by the Kitamikado head, right?”

“Eek?! I-I don’t know about any of that! I wasn’t ordered!”

“I really think it’d be wiser to just confess, especially for your own good. Your mother would be sad, you know?”

“Why are you a detective now…”

It is the job the furthest away from the darkness of the Nanjou Family after all.

“A lawyer! Please call a lawyer! Until then, I will not say anything!”

At this point in time, Mikado had to give praise to the Kawaraya Family for having the guts to stand against the Nanjou Family like that.

“Can’t help it then. Let’s start this merry-go-round.”

“There’s lots of tools here as well!”

Pushing the wheels, Mizuki brought a cart with her. On top of said cart was a plier, a hammer, a cutter, needles, a saw, awl, wire, and many more rather grotesque items.

“Fufu, how about we start with this one~” Mikado picked up the plier.

“D-Don’t tell me, with that plier…” Kokage’s eyes opened wide.

“Exactly! It’s just what you think!”

“P-Please, don’t! I’ll do anything instead of a confession! I can be your dogsbody for lunch time even!”

“I won’t do something as cruel as that to a friend of mine~”

“You say as you’re about to torture me?!”

“Hehehe~ Hehe~”

Mizuki didn’t even pay any mind to Kokage who was desperate on running away, as she used the plier to bend the wire. With the cutter, she slightly cut open a part of fabric, putting it on the pointed end of the wire. She followed that by cutting some timber with the saw, wrapping the wire around one end.

“D-Don’t tell me…Mizuki-chan…that plier is…”

“Right! We’re using it for work!”

Finishing the baton with wire wrapped around it, Mizuki lifted it into the air to openly show it.

“O-Oh…Don’t scare me like that…I thought you were going to use that to torture me—”

“Here we go!”

“Fueh?”

As Kokage let down her guard, Mizuki attacked her. She used the fluffy end of the wood baton with the fabric on it to tickle Kokage’s bare legs.

“Kyahahahahahaha?!” Because of the sudden stimulus, Kokage couldn’t hold down her voice. “H-Hold…Mizuki-cha…what are you…hahaha! It’s tickling me! Ahahaha! Stop, please! I’m bad with this sort of thing!”

“Ohhh, nice voice, Kokage-chan! Laugh some more! Tickle tickle~!”

“What about this side then? Fufu…seems like you’re weird here as well.” Kisa joined in, as she tickled Kokage’s neck.

A full-on tickling attack conducted by the Nanjou sisters. Watching this sight, with two beauties running their fingers across Nanjou’s well-built body, who even let out sweet-sounding moans, MIkado swallowed his spit. He was torn between wanting to take her position, but also not taking her position at the same time. He didn’t even know where to direct his sight at.

“You’re…pretty stubborn…”

“I’m tired~”

Kisa and Mizuki both let off with their assault, stopping their hands.

“Haa…huff…cough…!!” Kokage was twitching on top of the chair, barely alive.

Her cheeks were colored in a scorching red, her lips wet. Her eyes were drowsy, almost looking like she just went through a highly sexual act. From the looks of it, the tickling attack couldn’t be underestimated. Thanks to Mikado throwing in a veto, the torture was only held on a level such as this, but he wondered if he did the right thing now.

As a Kitamikado, Mikado was trained to survive any sort of torture to keep the country’s secrets safe, but he didn’t have any training with this.

“Now that it’s come to this…We can only use the injection…”

Kisa picked up a syringe from the cart, reading it. This left Kokage terrified.

“I-Is that…truth serum?!”

“Not quite~? It’s medicine to make you feel all better after all that tickling~”

“I’ll definitely die! I’ll bite my tongue and die right here!”

“You’ll feel better right away~ We’re high school students, so we have to hold back off the serum!” Mizuki made a fist.

“I’m not scared of the serum, but what happens after that! If you tickle me any more, I’ll really lose myself! I can’t!”

“No biggie, I’ll hold your hand while we do it!”

“If you’re that kind, just forgive me to begin with!” Kokage tried to break free yet again.

She was panicking on a level Mikado worried she might actually bite her tongue. Mikado decided to jump in now.

“Let’s leave it at that, I feel bad for her.”

“A-A god…?!” Kokage’s eyes sparkled as she looked at Mikado.

“I’m not a god or anything.”

“Buddha! Thank you very much! I’ll tell you everything now!” Kokage had a complete switch in attitude.

Kisa observed this with a suspicious gaze.

“I see…so you’ll be kind to her when she is weakened the most, so that she’ll open her guard to you…Not bad.”

“I wasn’t doing any dirty plan like that!”

Mizuki softly shrugged with her shoulders.

“Understood, Boss! I’ll leave the torturing to that level!”

“That makes it sound like I was the one who planned this entire thing in the first place!”

All color drained from Kokage’s face.

“N-No way…to think Mikado-kun was the mastermind all along…”

“You’re wrong, okay!”

It took him around 30 minutes to clarify that Mikado was nothing more than a forced accomplice instead of the mastermind. He could not have anyone think that the Kitamikado Family would do something grotesque like torture. Finally, Kokage had calmed a bit down, so Mikado freed her from the restraining chair. Kisa and Mizuki kept eyes at the exit just in case she would try to run away.

“…And, you were instructed by my father after all, right?” Mikado calmly asked, to which Kokage nodded along.

“Y-Yes…I snuck inside the Kitamikado residence to gather some intel on you, and I got caught. If I accept, and deliver results, I’ll get a high position in the family for information, and if I don’t, my family will be crushed…I’m sorry.” She grabbed the hem of her skirt, deeply bowing down, as her hair shook.

“No, it can’t be helped if you had a reason for that. Sorry for making you suffer like that.”

“N-No no! I am the one at fault! You didn’t do anything, Mikado-kun!” Kokage panicked and waved her hands.

She really didn’t have any bad intentions, just a girl too honest for her own good.The only person not knowing about the love game in this place was her. It would be quite the gamble to tell her, but—

“About the reason why my father had you look into us. Kisa and I aren’t in any sort of romantic relationship.”

“Really…?” Kokage still looked a bit dubious.

Who could blame her. Mikado and Kisa were terrifically serious about keeping the picture a secret. But, Mikado had to continue. Being honest was the way of the Kitamikado Family.

“Kisa and I are actually in a game.”

“Mikado?!” Kisa protested immediately.

“Don’t worry. I’ll definitely convince her.” Mikado announced with confidence.

This strong confidence was transmitted towards Kisa.

“…If this fails, we really can only force her.”

She wasn’t exaggerating. In order to protect Kokage from being erased by the Nanjou Family, Mikado had to succeed in this.

“What kind…of game…?” Kokage asked in confusion.

“A love game. It’s about who can make the other person fall for the other first. The loser will become the winner’s slave, throwing away their family.”

“If the family loses their successor, it’ll bring it to ruin, right?!”

“Exactly. That’s why, this game decides the fate of Japan, making it the final war between the two families. A world either ruled in light or darkness…Millions of lives of people rest upon this, it’s not just a normal love game.”

If it had been possible, Mikado would have preferred to have a normal romance. Forgetting about this stupid game, just spending a wonderful time. But, this kind of thing was not allowed between the two families.

“Such a…crazy battle has been going on…in the same classroom…?” Kokage was dumbfounded.

Mizuki put her index finger on her lips, throwing a wink.

“By the way~ Only the three of us here know about this game, okay? Rinka-chan seems to have caught on though~”

“Why can’t you talk to the head of the Kitamikado Family about that? I’m sure that he would do anything to support you…”

Mikado shook his head with a heavy expression.

“That won’t happen. He won’t take any risk of having his family suffer. If he catches on, the game will be stopped immediately, I will be forced to leave the school, and kept as far away as possible from Kisa.”

“M-Mikado-kun will leave school…” Kokage’s expression grew cloudy.

“If you play along for us, I will guarantee full safety for your family. Depending on it, I’ll even give you this executive intelligence officer title. That’s why, could you please help us? This is a request as the future…no, as your friend, Mikado.” He directed his gaze directly at Kokage, reaching out with his hand.

“E-Eh…um…Uu…” Kokage panicked, her eyes running along her surroundings.

—I knew it. It’s working.

Mikado saw his chance. Kokage shouldn’t be doing all of this out of the goodness of her heart. She is being forced by Mikado’s father, hence most likely holding some sort of resistance to this, and he was betting on that.

Kisa walked towards Kokage.

“…I will promise you as well. Once I become the head of the Nanjou Family, I will make you the executive intelligence officer.”

“Eh? I-I can become an amazing person like that two times?!”

“No, just once. If I win, Mikado will have to leave his family. Either way, whoever wins in this game, you will not suffer from it if you help us.”

“I see…” Kokage muttered, as Kisa grabbed one of her hands.

She seemed oddly docile, as she calmly continued.

“I…I’m betting my everything on this game. I cannot allow anyone to become a bother. Kawaraya-san, please. Become our ally.”

“It’s the first time I see Onee-chan ask without giving an order!” Mizuki raised her voice in shock.

“Even I can ask nicely once in a while. Most of the time, it’s with a muzzle to their heads though.”

“That’s not asking, that’s threatening!”

“Why would I not use any methods available during negotiations?”

“Do you even understand what the word negotiation means…?”

Yet again, Mikado was terrified at the darkness residing in the Nanjou Family, but this time, it was a heartfelt request, so he let it slide. Through that, he realized that the love game meant a lot to Kisa, and that realization made the deepest part of his body slowly burn with strong passion.

He felt the same after all. This love game was the most important battle in his life.

“How about it…Kawaraya-san?”

“…Please.”

Both Kisa and Mikado asked her yet again, waiting for her response.

“…………” Kokage cast her face downwards, thinking.

A heavy silence ensued. The future of the two was resting in her hands alone. That must be insane pressure for her. On top of that, if she were to decline, then Kisa would be using her methods, and Mikado wasn’t sure if Kokage could make it out of them alive.

“…I understand.” Kokage opened her mouth.

“Really?”

A ray of hope appeared in front of Mikado.

“Yes. However…I have one request.”

“Say whatever! I’ll use my influence to make it come true!”

Be it money, social standing, or even a title. Either way, it would be something cheap if it meant they could continue the love game. If it allowed Mikado to stay with Kisa, he would give everything.

Kokage’s ears turned flushed, and she started fidgeting.

“I…want to visit Mikado-kun’s room.”

“……Huh?” “……Eh?”

Both Mikado and Kisa froze up at the same time. The request was completely outside their assumptions.

“What…exactly do you mean by that?” Kisa narrowed her eyes, glaring down at Kokage.

Some sort of aggressive aura started to emit from her shoulders. Kokage saw this, and started shrinking like a frog, afraid of a spider.

“U-Um, the rooms of the head of the Kitamikado Family and the successor are completely locked off, right! Not even subordinates or friends can enter!”

“Eh, really?! I was planning on paying Mikado-kun a visit soon!” Mizuki said, clearly not grasping the mood.

Though any sort of interior information should be locked off for the outside, this is what you would expect from the Kawaraya Family.

“She is right. The successor of the Kitamikado Family can never show anyone a weakness…Not even those close to me. The security is insane, so only I’ll be able to enter my room.”

“Aren’t you crazy lonely?! I can enter Onee-chan’s room whenever I want to!”

“Yes, but I wish you would hold back a bit in that regard! I need some privacy as well!”

“I don’t though~? I wouldn’t mind if Onee-chan saw my innards~”

“I don’t want to see them!”

“I want to see Onee-chan’s innards though~?”

“Well I will never ever show you!” Kisa took some distance from Mizuki.

Mikado felt a shiver run down his spine, as he protected his own stomach with his hands. As the words go, politeness towards closeness, but even if Mizuki had no ill-intent with this, Mikado really couldn’t take this as a joke.

“I want to have a look at the room nobody in my family has ever set foot upon. My Kawaraya blood is begging me to do so!”

“It’s true that my room is the one place nobody is supposed to ever see, but…”

“Can I really…not go to your room…?” Kokage gazed upwards at Mikado, looking like a puppy asking for a treat.

From just the words alone, it was quite the stimulative request. A classmate of his, not to mention a girl, wanted to see his room under any circumstances. Still, Mikado wasn’t the type of person to be swayed only because of that.

“I…don’t really mind, but it’ll be some trouble, you know? I can take care of the security of my room, but I can’t do anything about the security of the residence…”

“I’ll try my best!” Kokage put up one fist.

“Seriously?! Even I haven’t been in your room yet!”

“You want to see my room…?” Mikado asked.

Kisa’s expression grew flustered, but she stood strong and lifted her chin in an arrogant manner.

“A preliminary inspection! After I win against Mikado, making him my slave, and crush the Kitamikado Family while doing so, I have to know what Mikado’s room looks like! I have to know where to put my bombs after all!”

“Let’s not blow up my room okay?”

Mikado still felt like becoming her slave wouldn’t be too bad of a life, but turning his hometown into a sea of flames is nothing short of demon lord level.

“Then, then, how about we all go to Mikado-kun’s room then!” Mizuki raised her hand, to which Kisa sighed loudly.

“That’s not going to work. Someone from the Nanjou Family invading the residence of the Kitamikado Family…worst case, an all-out war could break out. We can’t do that yet.”

“Not yet, huh…”

“Yes…not yet, right?”

Though Mikado felt uncomfortable at the Nanjou sisters sharing a gleeful smile like that, she was right. Either way, it was decided that Kokage would come visit Mikado’s room the day after, and they disbanded.

—I feel like this will end pretty badly…but that’s not going to happen, right?

Mikado was worried beyond belief, but could only hope for the best.

The following day.

A few hundred meters away from the Kitamikado residence, Mikado and the others had finished their preparations. A limousine had parked on the shoulder of the road, Sigma observing the situation with a stern expression. She must be tired of yet again tasked to be the running dog for her master.

Mikado called out to Kisa.

“You said you’d prepare the infiltration tools. Did you bring them?”

“Of course!”

Kokage’s shoulders twitched.

“They are specifically made by the Nanjou Family, right…Do they have some sort of optical illusion tech?”

“Heh, it’s not something trivial like that.”

“It’s even more amazing?! Like a weapon that can make everybody in a five kilometer radius fall unconscious?!”

“A bit more practical, impactful. The best item ever to hide your presence, Kawaraya-san!”

“T-Thank you very much! All that just for me?! I’m honored to be able to use such techniques from the Nanjou Family!” Kokage’s eyes were sparkling with anticipation.

“The invasion tool just for you…is this!”

The item Kisa took out from the limousine—was a plastic, solid looking sack. One thick zipper ran across one side.

Kokage raised a voice of admiration.

“W-Woah, it fits me perfectly! What is this?”

“A Nanjou Family special…diving bag!”

“Diving bag…?” Mikado got a weird premonition, and carefully asked.

“It seals off any resistance, to make sure they properly sink down in the ocean!”

“It’s just a tool to take care of people then!”

“I don’t want to die just yet!”

“By the way, what makes this diving bag so amazing is airtight shutting. In order for the person inside not to escape, everything is completely closed off. Be it light, scent, or even air.”

“U-Um…if not even air can’t get inside…won’t I suffocate?”

“It’s fine, it all depends on Mikado! If he hurries, you’ll survive!”

“That’s way too dangerous! At least keep open a hole for air!”

“You can’t even cut a hole in this material! Don’t underestimate our materials we use!” Kisa protested.

Mikado painfully realized that he should have taken care of the tools himself. At the same time, Mizuki showed her face from inside the limousine.

“Hey, how about we use the cardboard box we had the diving bag in?”

“That’s it!” Mikado answered quickly, and took out the box.

It was big enough for one person to fit inside, with enough of a hole for air. He had Kokage sit inside, and closed the box.

“…Alright. I’ll be going then.” Mikado said, as he picked up the box, and walked towards his home.

This might be the first time ever he was nervous about coming home. It felt like he was challenging a demon lord. If Kokage was spotted on the way there, it’ll cause a great ruckus. The two of them would be questioned harshly, and Kokage would eventually break under the pressure, leaking the operation. Thus, the Kitamikado Family would find out about his relationship with Kisa. Hence, failure was not allowed.

As he mentally prepared himself, Kisa approached him.

“…Mikado, there’s something I need to warn you about.”

“…I’m listening.”

Advice from strategic professionals like the Nanjou Family was always much appreciated. Hence, Mikado carefully listened, as Kisa looked at him with a serious gaze.

“D-Don’t do anything weird with K-Kawaraya-san…okay?”

“………Huh?” Mikado spaced out at Kisa’s unexpected words.

“I’m saying that you can’t do anything perverted just because the two of you are alone! A-Allowing her in your room is just a condition for our negotiations! It’s nothing like a usual situation when a boy and girl are alone in a room! Don’t be mistaken, okay?!” Kisa’s face was burning red.

Mizuki hid her mouth with her hand, giving Kisa a sideways glance.

“Ohh? Onee-chan is worried!”

“O-Of course I am! He’s doing a game with me, so playing around with another player would collapse the game! M-Mikado is…my prey…!” Kisa pouted, pinching her index fingers together as she muttered.

“Ugh…!”

Mikado felt a long spike piercing his heart. He wasn’t sure if he should call this jealousy or not, but she was definitely worried about Mikado. Though he was a bit perplexed that she saw him as prey and not as a man.

“…It’s okay. I’m fully aware of our goal this time.” Mikado cut.

Just because he was a virgin didn’t mean he would go crazy just because he was alone with a girl. On top of that, he was taught to keep his virginity his entire growth as the successor of the Kitamikado Family. Additionally, Kokage also announced from inside the cardboard box.

“I’m also fine here! I don’t really understand much about perverted stuff…It should be fine as long as I don’t take my clothes off, right? Believe in me!”

“…Maybe I should put some bindings on the box?”

“Again, stop wanting to suffocate her!”

Mikado felt like a storm could be brewing up soon, so he quickly made his way. Tightly holding onto the cardboard box, aiming for the Kitamikado residence. The box in itself wasn’t heavy by any means, but carrying a girl inside was quite the refreshing experience, using up a lot of his mental strength to focus on not letting her fall.

As he approached the gate, the sensor of the gate activated, scanning the visitor. Mikado showed his face, and iris.

[Welcome back, Mikado-sama]

Together with an electronically created voice, the heavy metal door slowly started to open. Mikado was slightly anxious, as he set foot into the house. The way was paved with gravel, going through a beautifully decorated garden. In various places, you could see the lenses of the security cameras flashing. On the ground, sensors had been set up, checking if the person was an invader according to the pulse, so if he were to drop the box once, it’ll be all over.

From the set-up intercom, he heard Mizuki’s voice.

<Mikado-kun~ Go right ahead, and stop at the garden lantern!>

“Gotcha.”

From the surveillance satellite data, Mizuki taught him the safest infiltration route from the limousine. As Mikado hid his body next to the lamp, the sounds of the guard passed him by. Since someone might always check the contents of the box, he had to evade any sort of contact at all costs.

<Next, run to the storage house in less than two seconds! Take the corner to the right, and started dashing!>

“Can do!”

Going along with Mizuki’s instructions, he started running at full speed.

<It feels like I’m playing a sneaking game! So much fun>

“Stop with the jokes…I’m an actual person.”

<I know I know~ I’ll fulfill my mission, and get you back alive! I have two lives left after all!>

“I only have one life though?!”

<Ah! If you jump over that pool, I get an extra 5000 points!>

“We don’t have a point system!”

Maybe having the hardcore gamer act as operator was a bad idea after all. With a joint operation between the Nanjou sisters, it’s all high specs, no doubt, but the personalities were much problematic.

Eventually, Mikado made it inside the residence from the back entrance, and he let out a stressed sigh. Comparing the number of guards inside to the ones in the garden, it was much easier to handle. Careful of the surveillance cameras and surrounding footsteps, Mikado walked down his own home.

“U-Um…Mikado-kun…are we there soon…?” Kokage’s worried voice came from inside the cardboard box.

“Shh. Don’t talk now.”

“B-But…I have motion sickness, so…”

“Motion sickness?”

“Yes…it’s my first time riding a boy, so it feels a bit weird…”

“Don’t phrase it weirdly like that!” Mikado could feel his cheeks turn red.

“I-Is it weird…? What about it is…?”

“The way you said you’re riding me…”

“…? I am riding you right now, aren’t I?” Kokage asked, clearly not catching on what Mikado was trying to say.

Unlike her well-built, often troublesome to deal with body, she was as pure as it could get. Because she was focussed on gathering information all day every day, no more room for anything else in her head.

“A-Anyway, I’ll be hurrying to the room, so put up with it for a bit longer!”

In order for the inside of the box to not turn into a mess, Mikado picked up the speed. Being aware of any surrounding footsteps, he was about to arrive at his room.

“Oh, young Master? You seem to be in a rush.”

His butler Nishida appeared in front of him. He was an old man, 75 years old, with silver-grey hair. Wearing a smoking jacket with not a single wrinkle in it, he had one monocle, and yet a sharp gaze that would not let any dirty spot unattended. He has been in the Kitamikado Family’s service ever since Mikado’s father was born, and he was more of a grandfather than his blood-related one.

“O-Oh, Nishida. I just have some urgent business.”

“What might you be referring to? And why are you carrying this huge box?”

The monocle of his butler ran over the box. Panicking greatly, Mikado tried to find an explanation.

“This…has wildflowers in it. I’m conducting research to heighten my survival skills.”

“That’s the young Master for you. I am yet again amazed. Even if the earth were to break apart, everything can be taken care of if the Kitamikado Family is alive after all.”

“No, even I can’t do anything about that…”

“Naturally you can. The world only needs the Kitamikado Family, and from your genes, new generations can be born.”

“A place with people who all look like me sounds like hell!”

“No, it’s paradise.”

“Is that so…”

Though he was a kind hearted spirit, in his years of working for the family, he had started to see them as gods. Mikado would rather not end up the messiah of this new world, unless Kisa was with him of course, acting as his Eve.

“Now, hand me that box. I will carry it for you.”

“N-No, I can do it myself…” Mikado took a step back.

Kokage had kept herself silent inside the box, but you can’t hide the sound of faint breathing. On top of that, you could almost feel her warmth through the thin cardboard, so he couldn’t have anyone else carry it.

“Carrying luggage like this is not a job for the young Master. Please leave that to the people supposed to serve you.” An overwhelming pressure came from Nishida.

That being said, his kind words were also a bother right now, and Mikado couldn’t accept this.

“I put too many in there, so it’s pretty heavy. I’m afraid the bones in your waist might suffer.”

“I do not mind at all! If it’s for the young Master’s sake, I don’t mind breaking my waist, ribcage, or even my neck!”

“At least protect your neck, or else you’ll die!”

“Now now, no need to hold back.” Nishida didn’t give Mikado a chance to argue, and grabbed the cardboard box. “Guaaaaaah?!”

As expected, a horrendous cracking sound rang out from his waist, as he collapsed backwards on the floor. The box flew to the ground, a muffled Kya?! coming from Kokage.

“Nishida?! You okay?!” Mikado panicked.

“I really feel like I can do more than this, but it seems like my age is slowly catching up to me…Please, leave this old man behind…and move on to a new generation, young Master…” The butler hanged his head, as he was out of breath.

Even after this acrobatic stunt he pulled ending up in a bridge position, his monocle was perfectly fit on his face, and his white hair was still perfectly in order.

“U-Um…should I call an ambulance?”

“No need for that. I will rest here for a bit, so don’t mind me.”

“This pose doesn’t look like it’ll give much rest…”

Though he had spent a lot of time with his butler, Mikado still was confused at happenings such as this.

“Leaving that aside, young Master, I feel like I have heard a scream coming from that box…?”

“J-Just your imagination. There might have been a frog mixed in with the grass and flowers.”

“A frog…? It sounded more like a woman’s voice…?”

“A female frog two weeks after birth!” Mikado picked up the box, and started running towards his room.

Finishing the safety check, he jumped inside, and locked the room. After putting down the box, he wiped away the sweat on his forehead.

“Alright…coming this far, there should be no more problems…”

He was completely out of breath. Carrying the cardboard box didn’t have much physical toll, but the mental stress was immense.

—So taking a girl to your room is this much trouble, huh!

Mikado sent words of admiration to all the brave and courageous boys in the world. You couldn’t overcome obstacles such as security, surveillance teams, and even the eyes of your subordinates with any half-baked determination.

“S-Save meeee…” A pitiful voice came from inside the cardboard box.

“Sorry!” Mikado quickly opened the box, opening his eyes wide at the sight greeting him.

Kokage, who had entered the box in a sitting position, was now laying sideways. Because of her being thrown to the ground, her clothes wrinkled up here and there, her hair in a mess. Basically, she was riddled with wounds. But, the sight of her looked way too erotic for Mikado to ignore. Her blouse was opened, her slender hips revealed.

“Umm…it would be great if you could help me out…I can’t properly move in here…”

“A-Ah, yeah!”

Mikado was spacing out for a second, but quickly caught himself and grabbed Kokage’s arms.

“Hya?! D-Don’t be so rough, it hurts!!”

“What should I do then…? Your arms and legs are stuck…”

“Kindly…do it kindly, please…”

Her arms and legs were drenched in sweat, making the grip on her difficult for Mikado. On top of that, her chest and butt were highly sensitive and dangerous points as well. Making sure not to touch her inappropriately, he carefully took her out.

“Haa…I thought I was going to die…” Kokage sunk down on the carpet, devoid of any strength.

Her breasts were still emphasized heavily through their high volume and opened blouse, and her beautiful skin on her butt was openly shown. Even her thighs, and the white fabric beneath her skirt, what was that? Mikado was sure it couldn’t be panties, but he was too occupied not knowing where to look first.

“…For now, can you fix your clothes? I’ll go bring some tea, so you can look around after that.”

“No, I’ll begin my investigation right now!” Kokage jolted up from the box.

“You sure are energetic!”

“I’m finally in the lion’s den! What is that mysterious being the recon group as spotted here before! The thousand-year old mystery! I don’t have time to rest!”

“Don’t treat someone’s house like the Amazon! I’m the only one living here!”

“Just because you don’t know doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist…”

“Don’t scare me like that!”

Kokage didn’t pay much mind to Mikado’s complaint, and just walked through his room with a deeply profound expression. From the drawer to the next, she continued to open everything. Rushing through the shelves, sticking her head into the clothes drawer, peeking beneath the bed even. It was a clear violation of privacy, but this was the condition, so Mikado couldn’t stop her. All he could do was try to control the embarrassment with having a classmate look through his everything.

“Mikado-kun! Mikado-kun! Who is this kid?” Kokage showed him a picture she had taken out of an album.

It showed a young boy about three years old, surrounded by cats. The animals themselves were really clingy, but the boy seemed about to break out in tears. Mikado grit his teeth at the fact that Kokage found the worst memory in the beginning.

“That is…me…”

“Eh?! This is Mikado-kun?! You look really scared! You’re losing against the cats!”

“I couldn’t help it…Back then, I thought that cats belonged to the race of lions…”

“Well, they are a type of cat! I see, so Mikado-kun had a time like that…interesting~~~”

“You trying to say something…” Mikado could feel his face burn hot.

“Nothing at all~? I was just thinking that the clumsy and dummy Mikado-kun is also pretty cute~?”

“Ugh…”

It was the failure of a lifetime. Being called clumsy from clumsiness personificated, wearing a human skin called Kokage…Pure blasphemy.

“Can I scan this and take it home?!”

“Don’t leak it outside, okay?”

“I know I know~!”

Kokage ran the picture through the terminal she brought with her, gathering the data. Although the circumstances couldn’t be helped, Mikado still felt like this would have severe consequences in the future. That he might have shown a severe weakness to Kokage.

—No, Kokage is different from Kisa. She wouldn’t use it for bad. This should be fine.

Mikado told himself to calm down, watching over Kokage’s continued plundering. She had her knees on the ground, her upper body inside another drawer. She must be completely engrossed in her investigation, because she didn’t even realize how her butt was in the wide open. There were several times where Mikado could almost see inside her skirt.

Kokage raised her voice.

“I found something amazing! An ancient manuscript!”

“Ancient manuscript?”

Mikado grew wary of this expression, and saw a certain notebook when he turned over. The cover was pretty old, showing that it had been stored in there for a while. Written on it with beautiful handwriting was the title ‘My radiating heart’. Seeing this, his soul screamed in agony, and all the memories from back then came gushing back.

“Don’t look at that!” He screamed out, but he couldn’t make it in time.

With agility you normally wouldn’t imagine from her, Kokage evaded Mikado’s hand. She swiftly escaped on top of the floor, retreating back to the top of a bookshelf. Almost like a cat…no, a ninja.

During the times of samurai wars, the Kawaraya Family was working for feudal lords or the shogun family, acting as spies. The skills they have earned back then must have been passed on in a great number in their blood.

Kokage mercilessly opened the notebook, reading the contents aloud in a gleeful voice.

[Light]

Shine! Shine! Shine!

The justice of a Kitamikado! Peace widely filling the world!

All that exists, is light!

All evil will be driven out, turned into nothingness

My promise will be given, my blade of justice raining down from above

I will be, yes, I will be the successor of light!

Celebrate, let’s celebrate!

And then, the wind will carry us forth…Fine¹

“Ugh…Gaaaah…!” Mikado tried suppressing the severe stinging pain in his chest.

The embarrassment made him want to jump out of the window. Kokage on her part just looked at the notebook with a pale expression.

“Eh…what is this…lyrics for a song?”

“Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh…”

“Don’t make sounds like you’re some sort of zombie! What is going on with this embarrassing song? Just reading this makes me want to die out of embarrassment!” Kokage opened the notebook, showing the pages to Mikado, making him relieve all the sins and pain he unconsciously produced when he was young.

“It’s…a poem I wrote…when I was in that sort of time…” Mikado had to force the words out of his mouth, trying to endure this torture.

“Ehh?! A poem?! This sounded more like a password! And what’s with this ‘Fine’ at the end?”

“It means…that it’s over…”

“Why would you use music notation at the end?!”

“Because I thought it sounded cool!”

Kokage scratched her cheek in an awkward manner.

“W-Well, this might be just my personal impression, but the final ‘I will be the successor of light!’ thing is a bit…well…cringe…”

“Please, stop it already! I wrote them back in grade school, and I can’t go back in time to change it, can I?!” Mikado tried to forcefully take back the notebook, but Kokage swiftly dodged again.

“I want to read some more! These poems have a great sense, and they’re fun! Have I finally arrived at the Kitamikado Family’s greatest scandal?!”

“This is why nobody except me is allowed inside this room!”

Security was indeed a big part of it. However, the biggest reason for this was to ensure nobody could ever grasp a weakness of the Kitamikado Family’s head, or the successor. Hence, only in his own room, the successor could show his real colors.

“Ummm? Let’s see— [Mikado, this is the truth. This ultimate name was bestowed upon you by all in creation]…? Woah…”

“Stop reading it out loud!” Mikado jumped at Kokage, who had previously evacuated on top of the bed.

“Kyaa?! Mikado-kun, you’re too serious—”

Kokage lost her footing, fell over to the side and beautifully hit the back of her head on the wood of the bed. A loud and ominous sound rang out, and she stopped moving. She ended up lying upwards, the notebook on her well-endowed chest.

“H-Hey? Kawaraya! Kawaraya?!”

Mikado rushed next to her, trying to force a response out of her, which didn’t come. Slightly nervous, Mikado touched the backside of her head, but besides a bit of a bump, there was no blood coming out. And then, a sweet voice leaked from her mouth.

“Mmm…Fuhehe…got some information about Mikado-kun…” She just muttered things to herself.

“So you just fell asleep?!” Mikado was relieved, but only for a short moment.

No matter how long he waited, or tried to wake her up, she kept her eyes shut.

“Kawaraya. You can’t just sleep in a boy’s room like that.” He shook her shoulders.

“I will not…hand over the proof…” Kokage was sound asleep, clinging to Mikado.

“Wake up already! This could end very badly!”

“Ehehehe…so warm…” Her arms wrapped around Mikado, pulling him towards the bed.

He tried his best to escape, but because he felt her softness all over, he couldn’t muster up any strength. Though, just giving in to this hellish paradise was not an option either.

“What should I do about this…” Mikado was at a loss, as the soft scent of the girl next to him assaulted his brain cells.

A bit after 7pm in the evening.

Kokage softly opened her eyes from her slumber. She carefully raised up her body, looking around the room with a confused expression.

“Eh…where is this…? What was I doing?”

“So you’re finally awake? You came here to investigate my room, but you just fell asleep.” Mikado called out to her while sitting on a nearby chair.

Kokage muttered.

“It feels like I read something really fun before I fell asleep…”

“Your imagination.”

“But…I remember that I really wanted to read more…Wasn’t it related to your past, Mikado-kun…?”

“Your imagination.” Mikado kept pressing the false truth.

He needed to cover up the existence of these poems at all costs, otherwise his life would be over.

“That makes sense! Seems like I lost myself between the real and dream world !” Kokage accepted it with a smile.

—I’m so glad she’s an idiot!

Mikado thanked Kokage’s parents. If she had only a small percentage of Nanjou Family genes, she’d definitely not fall for this trick, let alone keep this a secret.

“Still, just falling asleep at someone else’s home, you okay? You’re not feeling off, are you?” Mikado asked in a worried manner.

Kokage showed an uncomfortable face.

“Well~ I was just a bit tired I think! I’ve been running around gathering data of Mikado-kun and Kisa-chan, so I haven’t been sleeping for about a week.”

“Seriously, are you okay?! Shouldn’t that be tough just staying awake?!”

“I’m totally fine! I’m not gonna fall asleep that easilyuuuuuhh…”

“You’re not fine at all!”

Kokage was about to fall back onto the bed, barely stopped by Mikado. In his arms, Kokage’s eyes opened wide.

“Ah, I-I’m sorry!”

“All good…”

Kokage pushed up her body, her face burning bright. After this a rather awkward atmosphere filled the room. Even if she can summon chaos at demand, she was still a normal girl. A blouse and skirt didn’t fit into this male atmosphere in his room. He couldn’t help but grow conscious of her, even if he tried his best not to.

“…Why are you so desperate? Even if my father asked you to, why do you have to ruin your own body to look into me that much?”

“I have to…work hard. I want to become someone worthy of being the Kawaraya Family successor as quickly as possible.” Kokage rolled her hands into fists on top of her knees.

“I think you’re doing a pretty good job already though.”

So much that it was bothersome for him. She had holes and small passages prepared at school where she could sneak around, even sneaking into the back of the car Mikado used to and from school, risking her life to observe Mikado while he was on that cruiser. This passion, this desire to find out about Mikado was more proficient than with any other intelligence seeker before.

“It’s still not enough! Just because I work hard doesn’t mean I automatically get results. I still haven’t managed to land any big scoop, and there’s so many things I don’t understand yet about the Kitamikado Family! If I don’t become someone like my mother or father, who even managed to get into the deepest parts of a company to look for information…I will be an embarrassment. If I manage to make it big like becoming the executive intelligence officer, I thought I might become a bit closer to them…” She let out a sigh after she finished her monologue.

“It’s pretty rare for you to talk this seriously, Kawaraya.”

“What do you mean by that?! I’m always serious!”

“I wonder about that…”

Still, Mikado felt like he saw a fresh new scenery. This space maniac girl he only saw her as actually worried about the future as well. She wasn’t just acting along her ridiculous desires.

Kokage continued, as she had a distant gaze on her face.

“I have a dream. I want to become someone who can uncover every secret hidden in the dark side of this world. I have to know everything there is to possibly know. About Mikado-kun, about Kisa-chan, even about the NASA conspiracy.”

Well, her desires were high, oh so high, and first and foremost absurd. Still, she was a pursuer of the truth. Seeing her honesty, and how she told about her own circumstances, Mikado realized he had to come clean as well.

“I also have a dream.”

“World domination?!”

“No.”

“Then space domination?! What a big scale!”

“It’s not any sort of domination. It’s more calm, more normal towards the citizens, yet still very important. For this dream…I need Kisa, no matter what.”

“You need Kisa-chan…” Kokage’s eyes opened wide.

On the more honest side, Kisa wasn’t needed just as a simple stage of his dream. The dream as a whole, the goal of everything, was Kisa. However, to openly say that, Mikado was too embarrassed. Even in this room with only the two of them, there was one person too much for a confession of love like that.

“In order to get Kisa, I have to win at this love game no matter what. There is no other way.”

“You are from enemy families after all…”

“That’s why…please, work together with us. For my dream. And of course, I will support yours.” Mikado reached out with his hands towards Kokage.

“…Yes. You even showed me your room…From now on, we are allies.” Kokage took his hand.

This wasn’t the first time the Kitamikado and Kawaraya Family had worked together as allies like this. Though Mikado’s ancestors always kept wary about the other family, they were always a great help to amass information. But, this was the first time they formed an equal relationship.

That being said, this time around, for this final war, on top of the Kawaraya Family, even the Shizukawa Family got wrapped up in it all. Something was…definitely changing. Most likely, this era. Or even Japan.

“Mikado-kun…do you love Kisa-chan?”

“Huh?! Where did that come from?!” Mikado felt his entire body boil.

“I mean, why else would you be so desperate to get Kisa-chan…This means that you love her, right?” Kokage gazed deep into Mikado’s eyes.

He could see the passion of her, who pursues any sort of truth. Feeling the softness of her hand, Mikado grew even more flustered, trying to pull away his hand, but Kokage held onto him with both of hers, pulling it towards her chest.

“N-No…I wonder…How do I say it…you know…” He struggled to find the right words.

The inside of his head was a mess, his body not functioning properly. Right as Mikado was backed into a corner, Kokage let go of his hand.

“Nevermind…You don’t have to force yourself.”

“R-Really?” Mikado sighed in relief.

“Yes…I feel like, I already know the answer to that…” Kokage had an oddly saddened expression on her face.

Having gotten quiet with that, Kokage stopped looking through Mikado’s room, and swiftly went home.

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1 The ‘Fine’ here is written in English in the original