"This doesn't feel like an infiltration quest at all..", thought Seijurou as he laid down comfortably under a makeshift shade on a beach in one of Shizuoka's white sand coastlines.
Contrary to the specifics of the quest debriefing given to the first years two weeks prior, the big day of the Shizuoka sabotage mission had so far delivered short of its expectations. Even if there were countless things to do as shown by the many tourists in their swimwear that flocked the pristine beaches of the town, none was related to work. "Sensory Wards" connected to tracker related "Builds" had already been secretly set up by the "Stealth affiliated" students earlier that day, but there had been no suspicious activities so far. As for those who were designated to engage the enemy and evacuate the innocents when the unthinkable happens, like Seijurou, they all had been just on standby for hours.
"Well, not that I'm complaining.. I actually like this kind of life. I hope this stays forever..", Seijurou mumbled to himself while putting his arms behind his head to be more comfortable. As he closed his eyes, the drowsiness resulting from the calm sea breeze caressing his bare body engulfed him almost immediately. Wearing just an outdated but homely pair of board shorts, the gently warm atmosphere seeped through his skin, taking him to dreamland. But something was keeping him from going full on unconscious. "Growth, huh?"
A few days before everyone left for Shizuoka, Seijurou met up with his homeroom teacher, Hayama Akira, for his post term assessment. It was something all students were required to do before the second semester started. Including all quests completed prior to the consult, it is used to determine where the students currently stood regarding their performances during the entire first third of the school year.
"What really surprises me about you is how you continuously use an element you have little control of..", Hayama said to Seijurou, who sat opposite to him at his office desk. "Before the semester ended, I would've deemed it reckless.. but I do want to know why you keep playing with fire, Erida-san."
Seijurou simply nodded to his teacher with a short sigh as if he already knew the answer. "My low offensive magic skill level doesn't permit me to use the other elements effectively, Hayama-sensei.. but with fire, even when it's out of control, I seem to deal more damage as I either cloak myself with it or cast an area spell. It sort of gives me an idea of having a natural affinity for it."
"Not quite I'm afraid..", rebutted Hayama. "Remember what I told you earlier this school year?"
"Which one, sensei?"
"Although the true numerical value is undisclosed for security reasons.. you have an abnormally high resistance to harmful magic..", replied Hayama, causing Seijurou to realize something evident with his wide eyed expression. And then, he placed samples of each element on small petri dishes. A droplet of drinking water was placed on one while a pinch of sand was placed on another. He then lit a small wick over some wax on the other, but he kept one empty assuming that it was just air. "Tell me Erida-san.. which one of these do you think will hurt me if I touch them?"
Seijurou stole a quick glance from the burning wick. "The flame, sensei.."
"Correct.. and why's that?"
"Of the four basic elements of 'elemental magic', fire, without needing to be manipulated on, is naturally harmful when in direct contact with."
"Well said, Erida Seijurou. You really are the smartest in my class..", Hayama commended enthusiastically. "Now try touching the wick with your finger."
Hesitant at first, Seijurou looked at the small flame reluctantly. However, slowly but surely, he placed his finger over the wick. As soon as he came into contact with the fire, it violently turned into a tiny blaze covering the miniscule dish.
"The 'magic resistance skill' recognizes and blocks potentially harmful magic only..", said Hayama as he observed the fierce reaction of fire to Seijurou's touch. "Using water, wind, or earth spells will work normally for you but too weak due to your magic skills. However with the fire's hazardous nature.. just using the same amount of skill and 'MPs', or 'SPs' if you 'upload', would cause numerous turbulent combustions coming out of you. Just by being in contact with it pressurizes it and increases its value exponentially, making more destructive versions of completely mundane spells."
Seijurou looked at the flames on his fingertip as he continued to play with it. "That's what you told me after the 'Rumball' activity earlier this term.. but I never understood why the other elements didn't work the same way until now, sensei."
"I'm glad you get it now..", smirked Hayama while taking the experimental items away. "Saying that your element is fire is a grave mistake. It's more of the opposite, actually. You have a natural aversion for it."
Seijurou squinted at his sensei with a little bit of confusion. "So.. should I change the way I fight, Hayama-sensei?"
Ignoring his student's question, Hayama proceeded to bring out some paperwork towards the top of his desk. "With Kinjou, Sendou, Taneda, Xi, and Baba preceding you.. you are currently ranked sixth in the class if we combine your overall academic and practical performances. Here's your report card."
Getting his report card with that kind of grades and hearing a relatively mediocre assessment from his homeroom teacher would make Seijurou freak out hysterically in disappointment if he was still in middle school, being number one all the time. However, with the introduction of the practical application of battle theories, high school was a different kind of beast to slay. "It's quite a relief to hear that from you, sensei. I thought I was a goner there."
"Your defensive abilities and quick thinking in battle, shown during the preliminaries and the Minami incident, pulled your grades up significantly..", Hayama continued as he handed out some more informative paperwork. "Adding to that, using your supposed weakness as your weapon of choice greatly emphasizes your mind's potential to turn future outcomes in the battle field in your favor."
A shroud of confusion engulfed Seijurou's expression once more. "A weakness?"
"You don't even recognize it as a weakness, huh? Looks like Kinjou's positive attitude has rubbed on you already..", replied Hayama, which caused Seijurou to blush a little. "It's your fire spells, Erida-san. Although unmanageable until now.. you've learned how to release its explosive disposition at the right places and moments.. making it seem like you've got full control of it."
Seijurou still sighed in frustration even with the praise. "I'm still far from polishing it though. It's like the fire has a mind of its own.. it doesn't behave the way I want to."
"I'm aware that frustration stems from trying to catch up with your peers, yes?..", said Hayama, making Seijurou nod in agreement. "Don't be hard on yourself. This I say to you.. you have presented the most growth among your classmates, Erida Seijurou. So to answer your question earlier.. keep fighting the way you do as always."
"What're you mumbling about, Erida-kun?..", said an overly cheerful and recognizable voice, bringing Seijurou back to the present in a famously beautiful sunny beach.
The moment he opened his eyes, Seijurou turned as red as Satsuki's two piece swimsuit and looked away in embarrassment. "Nothing, Kinjou.. I was just thinking this feels more like a vacation than a quest."
"Why're you looking away like that? Did you just think of lewd thoughts about Satsuki-chan, ero-jurou?..", asked Chizuru, who suddenly appeared wearing a yellow version of Satsuki's beach wear.
Seijurou blushed even more and almost popped a vein. He also threw a towel towards Chizuru. "I only started thinking that when you pointed it out, idiot! And cover yourself up.. you're showing too much!"
"As if there are 'things' to cover up..", said Himiko plainly all of a sudden, causing Seijurou to erupt in shock. Apparently, she was there sunbathing in her black one piece and witch hat the whole time. "Unlike Heiress-chan.. some of us aren't blessed by the goddess of fertility, Gennara."
"Oi, Himiko-chan! You're one to talk.. you're flat as a board yourself!..", exclaimed Chizuru in fury after realizing something when she glanced at her chest. "Yours are even smaller than mine! And why do you say it so casually?!"
"Don't fret, Chizuru-sama.. they just know not what a true goddess' body looks like..", said Kaguya, who was also quietly sunbathing with her teammates close by. "Most especially that healthy looking behind of yours."
Chizuru giggled awkwardly. "-sama..? Thank you, Kaguya-hime. You look good yourself in your swimsuit.. and you're all here too. Shouldn't you be rehearsing for tonight?"
"With that creepy smile of hers.. the gods only know what Kaguya'd be up to..", Kanae answered before sipping from her fruit juice. "We have to look after our own too, you know."
"But we're good to go for the concert, Chizuru-tan..", added Kasumi in her usual soft spoken tone. "Don't worry."
Seijurou stared at his female classmates uncomfortably with a drop of sweat rolling on his head. He thought of how quickly they had invaded his alone time. "I have to get out of here and get my personal space back. This situation is making me look like a typical protagonist of an 'isekai harem'."
Just when Seijurou successfully snuck out of the all female group, someone tapped his shoulder from behind. At first, he did not recognize the silver haired boy in plush board shorts. But at closer inspection, the familiar "pantsu dropping" smile gave it away.
"Yanagi-senpai! I have no idea why, but I'm sure glad to see you..", said Seijurou, thinking that he was no longer an oddball amongst an estrogen filled society.
Shinsuke simply laughed at his junior. "And I'm happy to see you too, Erida-kun.. but where are you going? Those're your classmates, right?"
Seijurou looked back towards what used to be his oasis. "A bunch of girls talking about weird stuff don't exactly make me feel comfortable."
After curiously looking at Seijurou's classmates, Shinsuke shot a glance towards a group of swooning girls behind him who had been stalking him for a while. They all squealed in agonizing but joyous captivation the moment he smiled and waved at them. After that, he put his attention back at Seijurou and chuckled awkwardly. "I know what you mean."
Seijurou stared at the girls blankly behind Shinsuke. "No, senpai.. I meant it a little differently."
Meanwhile, at the other side of the beach, Jax, Keigo, and Gin relaxed and sunbathed themselves as they observed closely the different activities being done by tourists. It may have seemed that they were looking out for suspicious movement, but apparently, it could be said the same for them if one figured out what they were really up to.
"I'd give that an eight..", whispered Gin as a woman in a flowery one piece swimsuit passed by.
Keigo shook his head while he stared. "Nah.. too much covering. Seven to say the least."
"Hey! Look! That's definitely a nine..", said Gin when an orange haired girl in a green two piece threw a flying toy disc towards her friend.
"Will you pipe it down!..", hushed Keigo. "We don't want to get too obvious and be charged with sexual harassment."
Suddenly, Jax exploded in a nosebleed when a gorgeous silver haired woman wearing an unnecessarily revealing white one piece bikini emerged from the water like a sea nymph. He shook his head in amazement as Yoshiki Mizuki walked towards the shore. "Man.. I love the beach."
Gin immediately took a towel to wipe Jax's bleeding nose. "Jax-sama! You're bleeding!"
"Get the fuck out of the way, Gin!..", exclaimed Jax as he struggled to shove his thug to the side. "You're blocking the view, baka!"
Gin blushed the moment he saw who Jax was pertaining to. "Yoshiki-taichou.. a true goddess among mortals."
Keigo snickered to himself. "Looks like we have a winner."
"By the way, Jax-sama.. where's Satsuki-chan?..", asked Gin as they all settled down again after Yoshiki Mizuki passed them by. "I'm pretty sure you're hyped up on worshipping her in her swimwear."
The three of them chuckled with the jest, but Jax had other things in mind. "She said she'll get changed first in the resort and join the other girls for beach volleyball.. but it's not at all like that, Gin. I don't see her that way."
"Right..", said Keigo sarcastically, causing them to laugh once again.
But Jax looked towards the direction of the volleyball net from afar when he got reminded of what he just said. He blushed and smiled the moment he saw Satsuki playing and giggling with her friends. "Yeah.. it really isn't that way."
"Oi, where're you staring at?..", Gin asked Jax. As he realized where his pseudo boss was looking, he jumped for joy with hearts coming out of his eyes. "Nice! Hurray for girls, sports, and swimsuits! Let's take a closer look to see the jiggly parts."
"Keep it down, baka! I already told you..", said Keigo while almost popping a vein in irritation.
Jax just laughed at his subordinates' hilarious antics. However, he never let his gaze stray away from Satsuki. As he thought how wonderful the sight before him was, a faint smile unconsciously kept itself painted on his face. "How I wish I could do all the fighting.. and you just stay how I see you now."
The afternoon went on without much of the trouble the first years anticipated. Most tried the different water activities offered by the local resort while some preferred the more lonesome approach of simple relaxation under the sun. It was as if Seijurou was right when he said that it felt more like a vacation than a quest. But in his own lazy point of view, he felt that the little breather was something they all deserved after having a tumultuous semester and an action packed summer.
"Don't just go relaxing yet, Erida Seijurou..", Himiko popped out of nowhere again, surprising Seijurou as he watched the sun setting towards the horizon. She gave him her usual blank stare. "The quest isn't over. Stay on your guard."
After all his unnecessary shocked acts, Seijurou rearranged his glasses and sat beside Himiko on the fine sand. "How do you always sneak up on me like that? It's creepily impressive."
"I was here the whole time..", said Himiko plainly, causing Seijurou to let out a drop of sweat. She then glanced momentarily at a meditating Shinsuke close by and flushed without breaking her blank expression. "Besides.. you think you can have Yanagi-senpai.. -sama all by yourself?"
"I have no intention of having him by myself, Ba.. Himiko..", replied Seijurou as he too, glanced at his senior. "I just happened to bump into him earlier."
"Not that I'm interested.. just curious.. why is he here?..", asked Himiko in her own unfriendly-like bashful way.
"Besides us first years, Yanagi-senpai said that 'FSG's seven' were dispatched here as well..", answered Seijurou with some reluctance in his tone. "Apparently.. this is an even bigger quest than we've imagined. They're here to make sure of the mission's success."
Himiko nodded and looked towards where Seijurou was paying attention to, the orange blazed horizon caused by the sunset. "Then you better keep your shield up, 'protector-san'. This might be another long night for us."
As the gleam of "Aele's ball of fire" sinking into the ocean reflected on Seijurou's eyes, his pupils blazed with resolve. "I hope you're wrong, Himiko.. but I am ready to protect everyone."
While his kouhai watched the horizon turn crimson in color, Captain Yanagi carried on with his meditation. He may have seemed like someone who was trying to relax on a beautiful beach, but he was actually communicating with his colleagues through telepathy.
"Aya-neechan.. you're onto something, aren't you?.., asked Shinsuke in his thoughts.
"Peering through a mature woman's thoughts again, kaichou? You really are naturally naughty..", teased a pixie cut black haired woman in a purple yukata. She had been posing as a tourist for a while and acted like she was just patronizing the different stalls of the festival. "I've been seeing suspiciously repetitive movements everywhere. They're setting something up."
"Can you pinpoint the core of all that activity?..", asked Yanagi in the woman's thoughts. "That's most probably where they'll try to incite something."
"I'll try my best..", replied the woman, and for some reason, she blushed a little. "However, I'll also be looking forward to the punishment you'll give me if I fail, Kaichou-sama."
The image of Shinsuke awkwardly smiling and breaking a drop of sweat managed to somehow appear in the woman's thoughts. He just politely replied. "There's no need for that, nee-chan.. but thank you.. I'll be looking forward to your success."
As the woman passed a back alley, two individuals from the shadows seemed to have caught on and watched her walk by. They eventually disappeared into the darkness of the small pathway to hide once more. One of them though opened his "console command" to talk to someone. "Leader, many of Fujiishima's squadron are swarming all over town. Do we proceed?"
An eerily low voice of a man laughed deviously from the other end of the line. "Have no fear, my disciple.. the stage is set. There is no way for them to prevent this epiphany. They shall also be nothing but lost souls like wheat for the Shinigami's blade to reap."
Translation Notes:
Isekai Harem – a genre of a manga, anime, or light novel. This type of genre generally tells of a story in a "parallel world" (isekai) with a protagonist surrounded by multiple beautiful females.
Honorifics Guide:
Protector-san – a name given by Himiko to Seijurou, which means "Mr. Protector. It seems Chizuru isn't the only fan of wordplays as Himiko herself has coined two consecutive names for Seijurou in two chapters already.
Monogatari Concepts:
Gennara – the queen of heaven, wife of the Almighty, and the mother of the Dragon himself and to all. She is one of the "Elder Four" and the symbol of womanhood. Her stunning glory is what defines the goddess of beauty, Bellarine herself, and her fertility gives rise to life itself. However, due to the rampant procreation of beautiful creatures after the "War of the Elders", which is primarily under her sphere, the other gods became unfaithful to their spouses, including the Almighty. With that, she conceptualized the "Oath of Immortality", wherein the gods were no longer allowed to engage into mortal pleasures. Breaking the oath is punishable by "mortality".
Being the patroness of the challenges of being a woman, most of the living world revere Gennara especially in times of marital hardships and motherhood. Her "Oath of Immortality" consequently, is strongly linked to the vow of marriage, meaning committing adultery is the same as breaking one's promise to the goddess herself. As the mother of the Dragon, she is also revered as the mother of creation, therefore to all. Her sigil is a seven petal flower symbolizing the "Revered Seven", with a ring around it pertaining to the Dragon's cycle of creation. But she is more often worshipped as a statue of an innocently beautiful woman with welcoming arms.
Character Description:
Yanagi Shinsuke – arguably FSG's poster boy. I was actually thinking of making an explosive introduction of him like, "Okay ladies, here's what you've been waiting for..", but Yanagi-senpai doesn't like feeling as if he is full of himself. It's mostly because this character keeps his feet on the ground (that's figuratively since he has the ability to levitate). He does love to be praised for his feats but gets really bashful for it. In fact, he is so down to earth that the people he meets never gets an impression that he's so damn powerful. Magic sensitive individuals tend to lose their balance whenever he forgets to suppress his immense magical presence.
Naturally gifted, Shinsuke was taken by the Battlemage under his tutelage at a very young age. Although having a poor sense of time (to his master's frustration), he makes sure he makes most of the time he dedicates for both training and study. With his master already gone and with just a year left before graduation, the military wing of the government already consider him the de facto Battlemage and a member of Jihon's Seven. However, he consistently refuses it until the day of graduation, which goes to show how humble he is.
Pairing up with his humility is Shinsuke's aversion (I'm getting a hang of this word) to the spotlight, which is actually counterintuitive since his looks alone grab so much attention especially from the opposite sex. Why? I already said it earlier. Being a poster boy is simply synonymous to plain handsome. Standing at 190cm and weighs about 77kg, his body is fit as hell. But those chiseled features can only be seen in a "beach episode" like this chapter. His defining characteristic is his face (I'm actually starting to get jealous of a character that I made.. something wrong with that?). Straight spiky silver hair that grew down to his eyebrows accentuate those sleepy looking but sharp indigo eyes. Slightly pointed ears that peek through his hair top off a thin but prominent jaw. With a fairly crested thin nose over a short gentle looking lip, combining it with his bright complexion, smiling makes him officially the legendary "pantsu dropper" (do I have to put this in the Translation Notes? Why is the world unfair?!). The only thing he likes the most besides taking his time is watching thunderstorms (weird.. so this guy does have a flaw.. well, can't have everything.).