CH 67

The Schemer and the Child

Translated by LyraDhani

Edited by LyraDhani

Walking down the long hallway, Tsugumi let out a weary sigh.

–I might have gone a little too far.

It was the thought that came to mind. No matter how necessary it was, it wasn’t Tsugumi’s intention to be so rude in a place where everyone else was higher-ranked than he was. …He hoped they didn’t hate him for being so cocky.

“Don’t dwell on it forever. Everything is going according to plan.”

“…I know.”

At Bell’s reprimand, Tsugumi gently held his chest with his right hand.

–The beginning of the matter was a conversation he had with Inaba.

Arriving at the government two hours before the meeting began, the first thing Tsugumi did was to go to the Demonic Beast Countermeasure Headquarters. He did that to find out more about the personalities of Rikka and the other three.

He had already gathered information about each of them from the Internet and magazines, but he thought it would be more reliable to hear directly from the people who were actually working with them.

Besides, he simply wanted to thank them for the various efforts they made during the battle with the B-class Demonic Beasts. Since he had the opportunity to meet them, he thought it would be the right time to do so.

WhenTsugumi visited the Countermeasure Headquarters, he was told shocking words by Inaba and the others in a welcoming mood.

–The fifth in the ranking, Hyuga Aoi’s viciousness.

Although not widely known to the public, Hyuga Aoi’s values regarding hierarchical relationships were already tremendous. Perhaps because she had been active in the entertainment industry since she was a child, Hyuga was very particular about the number of years she had been active in the industry. In her common sense, those who had been active longer should be respected as “seniors”.

According to Inaba, even Yukino, who had only been active for a few months, was an object of attack for Hyuga. …What a troublesome personality.

In addition to that, she said that given Hyuga’s personality, it was quite likely that she would poke at Tsugumi – Hagakure Sakura – at this meeting. In the direction of this, she would most likely point out her lack of ability as a Jukka.

The fact that Hagakure Sakura had yet to defeat an A-class Demonic Beast, excluding irregularities, was certainly sufficient material for an attack.

As Tsugumi was thinking about this backstory, he received a proposal from Inaba. –A simulation battle.

In other words, a virtual battle with A-class using a simulator. By actually fighting an A-class opponent, he could demonstrate his abilities directly to the members of Jukka.

–But just proposing a virtual battle at the meeting was lukewarm. If they were going to do it anyway, they should thoroughly reveal Hyuga’s nose at this point. Inaba laughed and said so.

The staff of the Countermeasures Headquarters, including Tsugumi and Inaba, spent two solid hours discussing the plan. It was why he was almost late for the meeting.

–The first phase of the operation was complete. All that was left was to successfully defeat the A-class Demonic Beast.

As Tsugumi nervously pondered this, Bell moved softly in front of him.

“Even so, I was surprised. –Inaba, the dog of the government who proposed to pick a fight with Rikka, is a considerable person, but you also did a good job of stirring things up to that extent.”

With a wicked grin, Bell looked into Tsugumi’s face.

“Oh, no, Bell-sama. You don’t know how vicious Nanase Tsugumi is, do you? Compared to Yukitaka, this is still a bit lukewarm.”

Tsugumi responded calmly. His attitude was a far cry from the belligerent way he had been agitating Hyuga earlier. It was true. Because that appearance was almost an act.

–The first thing that Inaba instructed Tsugumi to do during the two-hour strategy meeting was to “make Hyuga angry”. That preparation was for the effective implementation of the second strategy that was coming up after this.

The mission itself was not that difficult, since he had already anticipated that Hyuga would try to pick a fight with him by the time he was late for the meeting.

In addition, Tsugumi had the greatest weapon of all. –Yes, the imitation of Yukitaka’s behavior.

It provoked others, manipulated their behavior, and directed their thoughts in the direction he wanted them to go. For Tsugumi, who usually spent time with the professional, Yukitaka, it was a very easy job to manipulate the actions of Hyuga, who had a rather simple thought process. …Well, whether he actually wanted to do that was another story.

“All that’s left is to win. …Honestly, it may be tough at times depending on the opponent, but if Inaba-san’s second plan succeeds, we’ll be well on our way to victory.”

Tsugumi placed his right hand over his heart as if praying and kept his eyes down.

“I’m counting on you, Inaba-san.”

With that murmur, Tsugumi was urged by one of the Countermeasures Headquarters staff waiting at the end of the corridor to enter the simulator room.

◆◆◆

“We have been waiting for you. Your seats have been prepared in advance, so please go that way.”

When the members of Jukka arrived in front of the monitor room, Inaba, a staff member of the Demonic Beasts Countermeasure Headquarters, urged them with a polite tone. Frowning at her words, Hyuga said.

“It’s you again… Since when did the Countermeasure Headquarters become Hagakure Sakura’s dog?”

“Would you please stop saying stupid things? We are only working for the government’s benefit. It is not our intention to have you and Jukka, who are the government’s notoriety, fall out with each other. This is just a necessary step to achieve that. –Well, speaking from a personal point of view, I would certainly prefer a cute straight-forward girl to a twisted child.”

Inaba said, snickering at Hyuga’s high-handedness.

The other members of Jukka looked at the scene with slight dismay.

–It had been a problem for a long time, but the compatibility between the Countermeasure Headquarters and Hyuga was quite bad. The staff did not take kindly to Hyuga’s prioritization of her work as an idol. In addition, Hyuga hated the staff of the Headquarters, who were annoyingly careful even though they didn’t fight.

The fault was on Hyuga’s side, but her mental immaturity and her special position as a Rikka had allowed her to be overlooked in this aspect. If only there was some chance, Hyuga’s personality would improve a little, but it was still difficult now.

Since an opportunity had presented itself to reveal the nose of such an unsavory character, there was no reason for the staff of Headquarters not to cooperate.

Besides, this was not nominally a favor to Hagakure Sakura, but to “help lubricate Jukka’s operation.” No matter how it would turn out, there was no reason for Inaba to be blamed.

As Hyuga said, she was intervening too much, but considering that she was helping to facilitate the activities of a promising Magical Girl, Hagakure Sakura, it was not just a funny matter from the government’s point of view.

–It was true that right now, Hagakure Sakura’s power was still not as strong as the other Jukka. But the people in Headquarters were convinced. She would surely rise to become one of the most powerful members of Jukka.

Hagakure Sakura’s growth rate was quite remarkable compared to other Magical Girls. If she continued to hunt Demonic Beasts at this rate, it would not be a dream.

“Hmph. I don’t think so, but you’re not cheating, are you? If it were up to you, you could have told Hagakure Sakura who the opponent in the simulator is in advance, right? If it’s possible to take countermeasures in advance, testing her power is meaningless.”

Hyuga said with a dissatisfied look on her face. Although faintly, Hitsugi and Yukino were also looking at Inaba with eyes full of suspicion.

…The Headquarters’ attitude toward Hagakure Sakura had become quite famous within the government. It was natural to be suspected.

However, neither Hagakure Sakura nor the members of the Countermeasures Headquarters violated any rules in this case. What Inaba did was only “advice,” “suggestions,” and a little help. There was no problem.

“I can understand why you are suspicious of us. If I were in your shoes, I would definitely suspect some wrongdoing. –So, Hyuga-san. I’d like you to set this up.”

Smiling, Inaba handed the tablet terminal to Hyuga. Then, peering quizzically at the tablet she had received, Hyuga’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Isn’t this the setting screen of the Demonic Beast battle opponent?”

“Yes, it is. From what I’ve seen, it seemed Hyuga-san didn’t approve of Hagakure-san the most. Since I would be suspected, I thought it would be fairer to have you decide the opponent at random. What do you think?”

“…If you insist that much, I don’t mind.”

Saying this, Hyuga looked at Inaba suspiciously and quickly manipulated the tablet device to select something. Then, after checking the screen, she returned the device to Inaba by pushing it toward her.

Inaba looked at the screen returned to her. Then, she said, muttering.

“A-class list NO.201, the Minotaur, King of the Labyrinth?”

“Is there a problem?　”

“Not at all? Then, I will now run the combat system. Please sit over there, Hyuga-san. –The others have already sat down.”

Yes, the other members had quickly taken their seats while Inaba and Hyuga were exchanging information. Perhaps they thought it was too much of a hassle to get involved.

–But this exchange was heard by them as well. As long as Hyuga chose her opponents, there would be no cheating at all. Even if it was just as Inaba and the others had planned.

Watching Hyuga’s back as she walked into the room, Inaba gently covered her mouth with her right hand. She couldn’t hold back her smile.

She quietly walked out into the hallway and let out a giggle.

“Really, that girl is so so simple.”

–Inaba had intended to let Hyuga choose the opponent from the beginning. The reason for this was to specify the opponent, which was originally supposed to be chosen at random.

Even though Hagakure Sakura’s ability was practically A-class, she might have a hard time depending on the opponent. Even if she could defeat an A-class Demonic Beast in the simulator, a hard victory with a shredded body would not win the trust of the members of Jukka. The ideal was just to win smartly.

If she had more time, she could have thought of countermeasures for all the A-class Demonic Beasts in the data, but two hours of discussion would only be enough time for a few of them. So Inaba thought of a way to reduce the number of choices of Demonic Beasts to fight. That was the basis of this strategy.

–The first step was for Hagakure Sakura to put pressure on Hyuga, eliciting feelings of anger and rebellion. Then, when Hyuga’s vision was narrowed by her anger, she was forced to choose the opponent.

Analyzing Hyuga’s personality, it was easy to predict what type of Demonic Beast she would choose.

‘A Demonic Beast with abilities that I didn’t struggle with at all, but that would be troublesome for other Magical Girls.’

–Hyuga would definitely choose that kind of Demonic Beast. This prediction was spot on.

“One of the three Demonic Beasts on the list is the Minotaur. We had prepared enough countermeasures. In other words, as planned so far. …After this, I can only pray that Hagakure-san will win safely.”

Saying so, Inaba smiled beautifully.