NOVEL NEXT When a person hears something too ridiculous, they say they can’t find the words. But all five people, except for me, are utterly speechless. Was it really that absurd?
Why, what, why. Honestly, it’s true that Makoto is handsome, right?
Anyway, surprisingly, I’m indeed proceeding with the plan. I decided to take the lead in negotiations, and with Makoto, it was obvious he’d have a meltdown when someone from Trinity showed up. Therefore, it was necessary to knock him off his game first, and the method I chose was to open with an unexpected compliment.
But I mustn’t say anything completely absurd. I should stick to the facts while shaking Makoto up a bit.
“What’s wrong, what’s wrong? Why are you so surprised? Is it your first time hearing you’re handsome? Yeah, seems you’ve got people around you with no taste!☆”
Is Makoto handsome? That is indeed a fact. I sprinkled in a bit of excitement, but I’m not lying.
If the opponent is unpredictable, I’ll just throw him off balance too. No, I won’t just shake him up—I’ll get him to dance to my tune.
“You, you… are you hurt or something?”
…Wow, but that’s a bit infuriating. I never expected to hear that from Makoto.
“Guh…”
I can hear Iori stifling a laugh. From the moment I caught wind of it, her attempt to hold back has already failed. Rather than trying to suppress it, wouldn’t it be better to laugh out loud and take a hit from me?
Aco, your expression is totally ruined. How can you be so bad at managing your face? You really make me want to bury my head in my hands.
Iroha… can you please stop looking at me like I’m some pathetic animal? And let’s be real, you’re the one who’s more pitiful here.
“….”
And Hina… Hina, why do you look so shocked? It’s as if I betrayed you or something. I don’t remember doing anything that bad.
“No, what’s important isn’t that little detail! Kiki-kik! This scheming Trinity girl, if Makoto-sama really couldn’t see through such a flimsy act, then that would be a huge mistake!”
…Huh, how did she know? This girl is surprisingly sharp in the most unexpected ways.
“How pathetic.”
“…What?”
“How sad it is that you can’t take pure compliments as compliments. How little praise have you received from those around you that you suspect even when you hear someone praise you? Yeah, I can somewhat understand that feeling…”
“Guh… s-stop! That’s enough of the weird talk, you scheming pigeon! If you really have eyes in your head, it’s only natural to admire Makoto-sama! It’s the very principle and law of the world! It’s just that I can’t trust the deceitful tongue of a Trinity girl!”
“Hmmm, saying Trinity is scheming and cunning… well, that’s not entirely wrong.”
That’s true, and I can’t really argue against that. It’s a fact that our Trinity is cunning, scheming, and busy backstabbing each other for power.
“Kishisisit—!! Admit defeat! If you spill all the secrets of Trinity without missing a single word, I’ll send you back to Trinity without a scratch!”
Oh, it sounds like maybe Makoto isn’t as bad a kid as I thought.
“Of course, that’s only if I can extort a ton of money from this hostage negotiation afterward! Kiki-kik—cough, cough!!”
…Forget what I just said. Seriously, there’s no one as unbelievably thick-headed as him.
“Ugh… what a nuisance. Makoto-senpai, this person is…”
Iroha, approaching Makoto, whispered something in his ear. I can hear her emphasizing the word “President” in between. Hm, Iroha is indeed competent. Thanks for cutting in at the right moment!
“Wait a minute. What do you mean, Iroha? That scheming pigeon is the president of Trinity?!”
“Ahaha! Yes, that’s right. Surprisingly, that is true. She’s one of the current three student council presidents from Trinity, and also the host of T-party. You can call her Misono Mika or just Mika-chan for short!☆”
“Wh-what…?”
“It’s not just a student council president; she’s the host… We’re really done for now.”
With a dazed expression, Makoto and Iroha, who is holding her forehead with her eyes closed, are just as I expected. This is how Manma Battle should be.
“Keep saying how Trinity is scheming and whatever, but don’t you think saying ‘pigeon’ is a bit much?”
“Guh, I was just stating facts! That’s right! Kishisisit—!! Nothing has changed at all! No, this is actually a golden opportunity for us!!! Hey, quickly overpower this arrogant Trinity girl!!!”
Slamming his hands on the table, Makoto stands up. At that moment, the executives from the Manma Battle emerge from the shadows of the office.
Well, I mean… if we look at it, he is the president of Gehenna, so having bodyguards makes sense. But does that mean they’re just lounging around, ignoring what Makoto told them and sleeping at this hour?
…Maybe it’s actually more reassuring for them if Makoto is just sleeping and not causing trouble.
“If I capture you here, Trinity will fall into chaos. Then we won’t even need a ransom! I’ll capture you, who had the guts to sneak into Gehenna, and then trample Trinity into dust!!!”
Click—
The sound of guns being cocked rings out several times.
About… eight people, I think? Well, it seems easier than the usual training. The ones with bolt-action rifles are somewhat threatening, but it’s not particularly bothersome.
“Kiki-kik—!! And you, the Student Council President, don’t you dare interfere unless you’ve truly betrayed Gehenna. The moment you do, the Manma Battle will declare you a traitor of Gehenna!”
“…I had no intention of interfering, President Makoto.”
Hina, frowning, answered calmly.
“Yeah, of course, that’s how it should be! I shall generously overlook your rudeness today, Student Council President.”
Listening to Makoto’s nonsense, I can’t help but let out a laugh. He’s definitely a born comedic character. What can you do if Hina intervenes? If Hina even had a slight thought of taking power, it wouldn’t be her standing there but you.
“Ah, I should have followed my Plan F after all. Since everything is completely off-track now, all my efforts will be in vain…”
“P-President! Is everything okay?! If need be, I can…”
“Enough, Iori. You don’t need to worry about such a trivial matter.”
Watching with her arms crossed, Hina. After all, she didn’t even bring any firearms. She probably didn’t feel the need to bring that heavy thing all the way here. I would handle such issues as they arise anyway.
It looks like I’ll just have to meet those expectations.
“…But I’ll forgive you☆”
“…What?”
“Haa!?”
Both Makoto and even Iori look shocked. Hmm, maybe that was a bit out of place for this situation?
“Well, it’s understandable since I know the heart of Hanuma Makoto better than anyone.”
A devil is an untrustworthy being. They are merely targets to be eradicated. You are the one who stands at the forefront, opposing the forces of Hell.
Quis ut Deus.
Who is like God?
“I am not much different from you, Hanuma Makoto. I hate Gehenna. Yes, I truly, deeply despise Gehenna. I want to trample it down if it’s in front of me.”
Today, the gun grips perfectly in my hand. I feel more energized than usual. I’ve always said I would lose to Hina, but at this very moment, I can confidently say it.
If we fight, I will win. Devils can’t hold a candle to me. Even if, for example, you, Hina, are my opponent.
“Truth is, I didn’t come here just to fight you guys…”
“What are you doing? Just shoot already!”
At Makoto’s shout, the barrels of the Manma Battle executives spit fire. Shotguns, submachine guns, bolt-action rifles, assault rifles. Different ammunition are being fired at me from various guns, but my feelings are cold.
“This is hardly something to worry about, Makoto.”
Tadatadatadak—
The sound of gunfire rings out while the ground is pounded. Just because I can endure being hit doesn’t mean I’m going to stand still like a foolish person. As always, the first target is the sniper. In this case, it’s an executive using a bolt-action rifle.
“Gyaah?!”
As I recalibrated after the recoil behind the pillar, five 9mm rounds hit perfectly between the sniper’s eyes.
It’s common knowledge that people in Kivotos are sturdy, but five shots to the face would take down even a relatively tough student. That’s why I first target the sniper. A proper headshot can take someone down instantly, so I need to be extra careful.
I immediately leap towards the executive hiding behind another pillar. As I approach, they panic and start firing. Sorry, but that’s something I can easily absorb with my body.
Bangggg—!!
With the power to demolish walls, my strike impacts the pillar. There’s no way they can withstand it. Like an explosion next to them, another executive collapses.
That’s two down.
“You, you broke the pillar with your bare hands?! Ugh…!”
“What the hell… Ugh!!”
Tadatadatak—Tadatadatak—!!
With the two stunned by the shock, seven 9mm rounds find their way to their faces. Seeing the pillar crumble entirely makes them realize that seeking cover is utterly meaningless.
Actually, one seems still in denial about that fact.
Raising one hand, they adopt a stance as if to swat something away. A handful of starry debris appears before them.
Click!
As I let go of the finger I had lightly pulled, the sound of fingernails snapping echoes, and the starry stream shoots forth, creating a galaxy. And then,
Kuaaaang—!!
As the pillar gets ‘donut-ed’, one more executive falls, out of the fight.
Now there are three left.
“W-what? In such a short time, you’ve already taken out five?!”
“Is that confidence for real? If you give her distance like that, I’ll be in danger!”
“Eh? The President is saying that?!”
“Completely outside the norm in terms of strength. She’s even taking assault rifle hits and doesn’t show a hint of flinching. Maybe she could even stand upright and continue fighting after taking an anti-tank missile head-on…”
“By the way, could that comment about hating Gehenna really be sincere? She didn’t seem like it at all.”
“Well, I guess none of us could be sure until we hear it from her.”
It’s one-sided. They don’t stand a chance. Even while thinking that, the remaining executives desperately fight back. After all, the main conflict in Manma Battle is chaotic at the top, but the executives aren’t completely inept.
But they can’t compete. Naturally. If they had slacked off on combat training, maybe, but I haven’t missed a single day since avoiding falling below the exam’s passing line. That makes me one of the strongest among the various academies in Kivotos, possessing the body of Mika, who is regarded as a powerhouse.
They would need more people to take me down. They would require more significant firepower than what the current Manma Battle has.
Soon, two more executives collapse. One sniper attempted to keep me in check, but I wouldn’t miss the chance to drive a round straight through their eyes the moment they peeked out from their cover. Another fell before they could even pull the trigger.
“What the hell is happening…”
Leaving behind Makoto’s incredulous muttering, I leisurely walked forward to subdue the last remaining executive. Here, it’s better to take my time, as that leaves an even stronger impression.
Realizing they were the last one left, the executive, in a resigned manner, charged out to attack. They wouldn’t choose surrender. That would just mean Makoto would beat them down later, so they’d rather choose to go down fighting bravely.
“Ughhh!!”
Tatata-tatata!!
As they unleash their assault rifle while charging forward. I hadn’t planned to dirty my clothes any further, so I tried to dodge, but in doing so, I recognized that Iroha was standing in the line of fire. If I take that hit, as a T.S.Type, she might pass out right away.
In that case, I’ve got no choice. It’s going to upset Nagisa seeing me get my T-party uniform all wrecked, but I might as well take the hit.
The stinging sensation when hit isn’t a pleasant one, but I don’t want to slow down handling things because Iroha passes out, so I’ll endure it.
Once the last of the executives falls, I brush off the lapel of my uniform and step right up to Makoto, whose expression is all over the place.
“Well then… now that I’ve taken care of the interruptions, let’s start the conversation over, Hanuma Makoto.”