Volume 5B, Chapter 36: Accepter in a Hiding Place
That is me
That is not me
Point Allocation (Sharing)
We did a physical examination in spring too, didn’t we? thought Suzu inside the art room with the curtains closed.
Spring was already 3 months ago and Horizon had not been part of Class Plum back then, but…
…Everyone would go to the Blue Thunder.
Suzu had not known whether or not Horizon had been the real one or not, but she had avoided going to the Blue Thunder because she might “figure out” the answer from her movements and general presence.
She had not known what she would say to the others or how it would affect Horizon’s interactions with the others if she did happen to confirm to herself that it was or was not Horizon.
So Suzu had been happy when he had brought her back.
And she had lightly scolded herself for being a coward.
“Um…”
“Shh, Suzu-sama, please do not speak. It will prevent me from accurately measuring your boobs.”
Horizon held a cloth measuring tape around her from behind. And…
“Nh…!”
She measured. But then she changed the angle of the measuring tape.
“Is this the right spot…?”
“Eh? F-for what?”
“Oh, I was only trying to decide the best angle and position for measuring your bust if I think of it as divided horizontally between the under-bust and over-bust”
“Oh,” said Naomasa. “You mean measuring them from the top or bottom?”
“Judge. After all, Suzu-sama does have some volume even if it is not very noticeable when she wears her uniform. With Kimi-sama or Asama-sama, this would clearly be the best position for the maximum boobs diameter, but with a flatter volume such as Suzu-sama’s – especially when she is still growing – I began foolishly wondering if there was an internal over-bust or a future growth over-bust I should use instead of the obvious one.”
“N-no, um…”
“So in your opinion, those boobs still have hope in their future, Horizon?”
“Heh heh heh. Horizon? What about Adele?”
Horizon turned toward Adele.
Asama and Heidi tried to encourage Adele by saying “C’mon! Give it your best shot!” However…
…What is she supposed to be giving her best shot here?
But Horizon…
“Kh…”
After a while, she calmly nodded.
“An automaton cannot lie. But I also wish to avoid saying anything cruel, so this is quite the conundrum. Any suggestions?”
“That’s cruel enough as it is!!” shouted Adele, but Suzu felt like she should not sympathize with her. So she said something else instead.
“Let it bother you…and you lose.”
“But if I don’t let it bother me, I’m pretty sure I’ll lose any hope of a future.”
“Now, now,” said Asama as she patted Adele’s shoulder. At the same time, Mitotsudaira measured Asama’s chest.
“…Eh?”
Mitotsudaira’s voice caused everyone else to stop moving.
Naruze instantly raised her right hand.
“Don’t say it. Someone might hear you. Instead, send me a divine mail later.”
“Wh-why would you need that information!? For a doujinshi again!?”
But then they heard quiet laughter. It came from Mary who was letting Kimi measure her by the curtain-covered window. She faced the others to speak.
“Was it this lively during the spring too?”
“Heh heh. You, Horizon, Futayo, Gin, and Narumi weren’t with us during the spring.” There was a smile in Kimi’s voice. “Then again, it was plenty lively then too. And during the Battle of Mikawa, after we completed our writing class, the Testament Union ordered us to redo the physical examination so we wouldn’t be able to do anything.”
“That’s right, isn’t it?” said Naito. “They were basically trying to confiscate our weaponry, weren’t they?”
“Right, right,” replied Naruze with a nod. “We had our skirmish with the guard unit there, but we kept the initiative. …That’s what led to Neshinbara and Shirojiro getting their meeting in the library.”
“I see.” Futayo nodded while playing rock-paper-scissors with Masazumi to see which would measure the other first. “I was exhausted and fell asleep at the time, so I didn’t catch a lot of that.”
“…Yeah, and I was also asleep while you did that,” said Masazumi.
“I had a meeting in the engine division,” said Naomasa. “Were you asleep too, Mito?”
“I had a meeting with the knight league.”
Mitotsudaira’s words sounded a little weak, but that was probably because she had grown more distant from the knight league since then.
The Battle of Mikawa had caused a lot of change. And the current events probably would too.
“The physical examination we’re doing now is to make up for the one we couldn’t complete at Mikawa,” said Kimi. “But that might be for the best. I mean, we have Horizon, Futayo, Mary, Gin, and Narumi with us now.”
“If you ask me, that does not seem like a good excuse for peeping.”
Tenzou spoke to Toori while they crouched low and moved along the wall of the rear building.
It was past evening. The Musashi was traveling west and the sunlight shined on it from the west, but the rear building was in the shadow of the front building.
Ninja techniques worked better in the shadows. They could erase your footsteps, erase your presence, and even make you invisible. The idiot behind Tenzou must have known that.
“Oh, c’mon. We couldn’t do this the first or second time during the spring. Don’t you want to see Mary naked?”
“Well, I do, but…hmm.”
“What’s that groan for?”
“Toori-dono, you mustn’t look at Mary-dono naked.”
Me: “Hey, this guy’s getting all possessive…”
Novice: “I doubt you’ll have time to see much of anything. I mean, the art room currently has a good chunk of Musashi’s military power gathered inside it. …But what about you, Urquiaga-kun and Peerless in the West? Do you not have a problem with them peeping?”
Uqui: “They aren’t after Narumi. I’d stop them if they were, though. And I’ve already seen it.”
Tachibana Husband: “Ha ha. Gin never leaves any openings, so there’s nothing to worry about. If anything, she would probably hesitate and leave an opening if I did go peep with you.”
Those almost sound like normal opinions, but they’re just as crazy as the rest of us.
I hope this doesn’t end badly, thought Tenzou as they arrived in front of the art room. They would have to crouch down lower than the window frame from here on, but…
“Tenzou, what do we need to watch out for?”
“Judge.” Tenzou nodded. “Suzu-dono is our greatest enemy. It’s possible she has already noticed us.”
“That’s a good point,” muttered the idiot just as Tenzou noticed something.
…Is that…?
Sanada Nobuyuki questioned his own actions.
The ship carrying his father had gone ahead to Sanada while he remained in Musashi’s diplomatic building.
He was officially moving from Musashi to Mito via Sanada, so his presence there was not a secret.
He had nothing to do but wait for time to pass.
What was he supposed to do on the Musashi?
He could not perform diplomacy without preparing first. And the only diplomacy he was prepared for was a personal matter.
…Yes, and that got lost in the confusion last night.
His marriage.
He was fairly certain Musashi Vice Chancellor Honda Futayo had rejected him, but what if the exact situation had been the problem? What would happen if he stated his wishes while they were facing each other as individuals?
But when he arrived at the academy, a sign frame popped up to inform him they were performing a physical examination. Honda Futayo was apparently being measured in the art room.
If he looked in through the curtains, he might be able to see her changing or being measured.
Oh, how wonderful a sight that would be.
But did this count as peeping?
No, this was a continuation of his confession from the night before. He was here to confirm how she felt. That was the whole of his motivation here, so he had no impure thoughts.
And if he had no impure thoughts, it was not peeping. Yes, he must avoid thinking about how cute their bangs girl was. He was only here to take his wife in accordance with the history recreation, so he would only take a quick peep…no, remind her of his intentions.
“Okay.”
Nobuyuki made full use of his invisibility ninja technique as he continued on.
Suzu sat in her chair and observed everyone’s movements.
She had noticed someone approaching when they were about 30m away. She had removed Noise Neighbor for the physical examination, but this may have been her first time sensing someone at that distance without it.
…Someone’s right up next to the wall.
Once she noticed that, she immediately realized who it would be.
So she hesitated at first.
She thought maybe it was okay to keep quiet about it. After all…
“Toori-kun wants to see…doesn’t he?”
Who did he want to see? She thought it had to be Horizon. But he also occasionally went to peep at the Asama Shrine’s spring or wherever the class’s girls were changing.
She thought back over the historical victims.
…Asama-san, Mitotsudaira-san, Kimi-chan, Masa-san, and…
She had to add “me” to the list.
So she decided to share the problem and informed the others that he was here to peep.
“He leaves us no choice.”
Asama sounded exasperated as she prepared a restraint spell and pulled out her bow, Mitotsudaira smiled a little and pulled out her silver chains, Adele smiled and pulled out her spear, Naomasa pulled out Jizuri Suzaku’s giant wrench, Heidi prepared a form to sue him for damages, Futayo held up Tonbo Spare, Gin pulled Arcabuz Cruz from her dual pitch space, Narumi drew a mandible sword from empty air, Naito and Naruze prepared their broom and pen, and Horizon…
“Wait, everyone.”
She had placed Lype Katathlipse, Aspida Phylargia, and Maska Orge onto the art room’s work desk and a dull sweat poured down her face.
“I do not have enough arms to use them all…”
“Oh, you’re right. Vicereine Horizon’s quick attack requires both hands, doesn’t it?”
“Horizon? At times like this, go with your gut and choose one.”
Was that how it worked? But…
“Mary-san, you aren’t going to…fight back?”
“Judge. I am still not used to the etiquette in these matters, so I will simply observe the rest of you this time.”
What does that mean? wondered Suzu, but maybe that was the normal way of things.
However, Narumi tilted her head.
“It doesn’t really harm us, but what’s so fun about peeping? …If they actually bothered to build a relationship, they could see something else entirely.”
“Ohhh…” said the others and Gin nodded.
“Date Vice Chancellor, I apologize, but in Tres Espa?a, it is ‘passion’ that leads a man to seek a woman. Of course, that is only the way of things in a southern nation.”
“Judge. It’s true that a northern woman prefers to warm up her man when he returns from the cold outside.”
“Warrior women are the same, Date Vice Chancellor. …Master Muneshige does not mind either way as far as that is concerned, but since he does not make many spontaneous adlibs, I would like a plan for what to do when it does happen.”
Flat Vassal: “That’s deep…”
Gold Mar: “Sometimes I feel like we mistake weird for deep.”
Mal-Ga: “This kind of thing is hard to draw…”
But Kimi had her own opinion on his peeping.
“What matters is that he feels like he saw something worthwhile. That might be something sexual, but I think the main point is to feel like he’s shared some kind of secret with us.”
“Kimi…that isn’t something you should force onto someone.”
“Oh? But wouldn’t it be weird to ask permission for that kind of thing? And so…”
Asama only wore a shirt over her breasts and Kimi stuck her hand between them from below.
“Look, look.” Kimi jiggled Asama’s breasts back and forth. “You make a fuss about it, but…it’s best to show off something that you want to keep a secret but are confident enough to let him see because you know he’ll like it. So let’s keep it at just a glimpse.”
Mary grabbed the chest of her track suit, lifted it up, and looked inside. Then she blushed and smiled at the others.
“I will keep that in mind.”
Asama: “I wonder if Tenzou-kun’s happiness gauge will spin too far and make him impotent.”
Silver Wolf: “Tomo! Tomo! You’re actually pretty angry, aren’t you!?”
Suzu did not entirely understand, but that was apparently how this worked. But then Asama looked in the direction of the curtain-covered window.
“Huh…?”
Futayo saw Asama suddenly lower her bow.
“Tomo…?” asked Mitotsudaira.
But then…
“Huh?”
She too frowned and lowered her silver chains.
But Futayo did not know why they had lowered their weapons.
…Huh?
What does this mean? Aren’t we all preparing for a simultaneous counterattack? Were we only practicing our combat poses and we aren’t actually going to attack?
…If so, that is very disappointing.
“Masazumi, I thought perverts were to receive the death penalty.”
“I do sometimes think that would be nice and that seems to be Ookubo’s policy, but we can’t properly govern Musashi if we don’t delay any modifications to the law until a year after the fact.”
“I see. In that case, I must protect you, Masazumi.”
“Ga-chan! You’re bleeding! You’re bleeding from the nose!”
“Naruze-dono. To be blunt, are you sick?”
“Oh, yes… You could say I have a sickness…”
But Asama and Mitotsudaira were not the only ones who ended their attack preparations. Futayo’s princess, Horizon, also did. She stopped doing “eeny meeny, miny, moe” with the Logismoi Oplo, and…
“Suzu-sama.”
“Y-yes?”
Futayo did not understand their actions or words. But…
“Kimi-dono?”
She asked Kimi, who placed the back of her hand on her mouth and smiled bitterly.
“Oh, you foolish brother.”
The dancer placed her hands on her cheeks and began wiggling around with a smile.
“He really is thinking about us, isn’t he?”
As soon as she said that, there was a loud crash outside the window.
It was the sound of flesh being struck. Mitotsudaira looked across the others to make sure they were all dressed, and then…
“Criminal…!”
She used her silver chains to open the curtains for the window that had been struck. And there they found…
…Not the idiot!?
It was not. Adele shouted the identity of the person who had slammed into the window in a silly pose.
“The Sanada Chancellor!”
Everyone wordlessly raised their weapons once more.
“Um, I don’t know why he’s here, but keep in mind that he is a guest, okay?”
After thinking about what Masazumi said, they all held back a bit when they blew him away with their attacks.
Tenzou saw just how many times a human could be juggled in midair by a series of attacks.
The first hit had come from Gin’s Arcabuz Cruz.
A shell with the tip flattened for mail delivery hit Nobuyuki in the top of the chest, so his body bent backwards. Then two silver chains slammed into his sides and lifted his arms above his head.
Immediately afterwards, two mandible swords with flattened tips flew forward, grabbed him from the sides, and lifted his entire body into the air. Then Naomasa’s wrench hit him to send him even higher.
Nobuyuki flew for a bit after that, but he did react.
He was Sanada’s Chancellor. He moved in midair, likely trying to escape with some kind of ninja technique. His body swelled out as if to show off his physical strength.
…Ohh!
He was a Sanada ninja. He probably could not use any special ninja techniques, but neither could Tenzou. Tenzou watched to see how a top-level normal ninja from another nation would attempt his escape.
“The Muneshige Bow scores its first hit…!”
Horizon fired Maska Orge just as Nobuyuki attempted to move and his limbs stretched out in midair as if all his muscles had tensed.
Toori spoke from next to Tenzou.
“Don’t you really feel that one in your heart?”
The man who had been hit bent backwards in midair and then went limp. But…
“This should reach him,” said Futayo.
The extension device sent the bottom of her spear right into his jaw, sending Nobuyuki flying again. As if to kick him while he was down (or shoot him while he was up), guided coin bullets struck his limbs and direct coin bullets hit his torso.
“Oh, let’s go for the cliché.”
“Good idea, Margot.”
As Nobuyuki tilted backwards, a gathering of 7 coins stopped his rotation by hitting him in the crotch.
A moment later, his body crashed through one of the front building’s hallway windows and he slammed into the library’s external wall.
It made a nice sound. But…
“Oh, s-sorry. I was too slow!”
A spear flew out through the hole in the wall, but…
…Adele-dono, the tip didn’t look flat on that.
Finally, Asama fired a restraint spell which filled the front building’s hallway with light.
“…So it’s over.”
I have a feeling dying would have been easier on him, thought Tenzou, but then the nudist moved next to him.
He scratched his head and peered into the art room window that had become a cannon producing a variety of attacks.
“Hey, how’s it going, everyone?”
Horizon sighed while still holding Maska Orge.
She stood in front of the idiot with Asama and Mitotsudaira on her left and right.
“Are you here to peep?”
“Yeah, more or less,” he admitted. “But there was already someone here trying to peep.”
Horizon tilted her head at that.
“Couldn’t you have chosen to peep with him? Then you could have avoided being found out before doing anything.”
“Well, I don’t really get it myself, but I always end up doing this out in the open, y’know?”
“I am not sure that is something to be proud of.”
Asama, Kimi, and the others nodded in agreement there. And Masazumi…
“Oh, yeah. During swimming class last year, you walked right into our locker room while saying ‘oops, wrong room!’… Did you really think that lie would work?”
“Don’t be silly. What matters is that you have an excuse! …Oh, what’s that look of contempt for, centipede girl!?”
“That’s right, Narumi-sama. Having an excuse is indeed what matters. Even if it is a lie, you can still fall for it if you wish to be deceived or let them deceive you.”
“And Tenzou’s here too, so you have a talk with him later, Mary,” said the idiot. “But…”
“But?” asked Horizon.
She tilted her head, so the idiot crossed his arms and tilted his head too.
“At the very least, I figured you wouldn’t want a stranger to see you…or I guess that was my reasoning?”
Mitotsudaira felt a brief flash of surprise.
It was not quite a fully-formed question. It was more of an uncontrollable emotion felt in response to something unexpected.
…U-um…? Oh!?
How was she supposed to respond? But Kimi walked up from behind, shook her hair around, and wrapped her arms around Mitotsudaira, Horizon, and Asama.
“Heh heh. Foolish brother? Do you want to see?”
“Oh, yeah, yeah.”
…You don’t have to be so honest about it!
“But,” said Kimi. “Do you not want anyone else to see?”
“Yeah…” The nudist scratched his head. “For example…”
“Y-yes?”
Mitotsudaira and Asama urged him onward in unison. Her king then peered in through the window and faced Mary.
“I feel like I shouldn’t really look at Mary. Or that centipede girl. I mean, Tenzou and Uqui should be looking at them, right? Same for the Tachibana Wife. That’s how I see it.”
…W-wait.
Using that logic, what did it mean that he wanted to see them?
“Toori-sama, are you implying you want to make Asama-sama, Mitotsudaira-sama, Kimi-sama, Suzu-sama, and Adele-sama your wives?”
…That’s way too blunt, Horizon!!
But the idiot simply groaned in thought.
He only thought for a terribly short amount of time, but in just those few moments, sweat poured from Mitotsudaira and her body felt damp.
The same was likely true of Asama on the other side of Horizon.
Then her king finally spoke.
“Whether or not I can make someone my wife comes down to my own ability and to your decision, doesn’t it? I mean, you’re the one by my side.”
“Judge, that is true. But that will become a problem later on.”
Horizon nodded.
Mitotsudaira did not know what that nod or the “problem” she mentioned meant.
Horizon then looked to the others.
“Listen, everyone. …Toori-sama is working to save me and to retrieve my emotions while conquering the world. But…”
But…
“Unfortunately, Toori-sama cannot do that alone. And I cannot do it myself, so I can only rely on Toori-sama. And that leads to something…”
What did that lead to?
Horizon explained.
“I have determined that Toori-sama and I have remade your lives and lifestyles into our own.”
Masazumi remembered two things when she heard Horizon’s words: The Battle of Mikatagahara and the Battle of Novgorod.
…Back then…
Yoshiyori had saved them all, including the idiot, and he had entrusted them with the rest.
And at Novgorod, Horizon had said something when she fired the Muneshige Bow.
“When is the right time for us to live and to die…?”
“Judge, that is right,” said Horizon. “This is a battle formation.”
Horizon clearly stated that while looking to the idiot and placing her hand on Kimi’s which was wrapped around her.
“I cannot do anything, so I hope that you will all support me and take us where we wish to go. That will truly fulfill my desire. …But at the same time, that means Toori-sama and I will be forcing our own desires on all of you and taking away what you could have done otherwise. You might say you do not mind since the path we wish to walk down is the same as yours, but…” She looked across them all. “If not for us, you would have lived different lives and died different deaths. That might have been something wholly your own with no connection to Toori-sama or me. So…”
When she said that, the nudist spoke up while looking in from outside.
“You’re coming with us because you want to. We understand that. But, Horizon, you have another thought too, don’t you?”
“You know what will happen if you are wrong, I assume?”
“Yeah,” said the idiot. So Masazumi gasped.
…This is…
Important.
What he said next would most likely bring them to the next stage.
They had been entrusted with everything during their loss at Mikatagahara and they had seen life and death at the new beginning of Novgorod, but now…
“…Will we begin to live?”
“Don’t tense up like that, Seijun.”
Then the idiot spoke to everyone there.
“We will make our dreams come true. And from beginning to end, I’ll take responsibility and look after you all.”
Horizon listened to the idiot’s words.
“I’ll become a king and create a kingdom that can make all your dreams come true. All of you will help out when you feel like it. Although you’ll basically be saying, ‘now we’re even’. But the fact remains that Horizon and I are kind of dragging you all along on this. That’s true for Nate and for Asama too. It’s especially true for sis.”
The nudist grabbed the ninja and pulled him up from below the window.
“We’ve even got Tenzou stuck supporting all of England. But, Tenzou, you’re a more dependable guy than me.”
“Wh-what makes you say that?’
It was not the nudist who answered the ninja’s question.
It was Mary. The English princess placed her hands on her cheeks first.
“You took full responsibility when it came to me.”
“Th-that was because…”
The ninja mumbled a bit, but after a while, he breathed in.
“It was necessary if I was to stay with you, Mary-dono.”
“…Of course.”
Mary nodded and tears spilled from the corners of her eyes.
Everyone immediately turned toward the ninja.
“You made her cry!”
“Th-that was a little different, wasn’t it!?”
“You can come in, so talk with her in here,” said the idiot.
Horizon looked to the others and they all nodded, so the ninja started to climb in through the window. However, the idiot kicked him, sent him rolling, and Mary had to help him up. That all counted as a single turn.
After that, the tearfully smiling girl and the ninja began speaking in a corner of the art room.
“Toori-sama.”
“Yeah,” he said with a nod. Seeing that, Horizon continued.
“Toori-sama and I will take responsibility for influencing your lives so much. In other words…”
In other words…
“You are welcome to join us.”
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