CH 76

Encounter with the Unknown

Translated by LyraDhani

Edited by LyraDhani

Tsugumi observed the venue as he passed on the questions and invitations of people who came to visit him one after the other. The atmosphere was relatively calm and there was no sign of trouble.

…But, why do they want to talk to Hagakure Sakura so badly?

The reason why they were so eager to talk to Hagakure Sakura was because she belonged to Jukka, but since she wasn’t a part of the government, she didn’t have that much power. There should be no particular benefit in getting along with her.

Among the people who came to talk to him, there were a few foreigners who were full of exoticism. Some of them were very enthusiastic and asked if he could come to their country, but he turned them down softly.

I understand the desire to bring Magical Girls into your country, but there are other ways to do it. Saying so to himself, Tsugumi sighed.

…While Tsugumi himself didn’t pay any attention to it during this time, “Hagakure Sakura” was a bit of a hot topic at the party. The most important topic was the kimono she was wearing, but above all, everyone was concerned about her origin.

–If a kimono of such high quality were to appear on the market, it would surely become a topic of conversation in wealthy circles. However, their familiar kimono shop had never mentioned the existence of such a faintly shining kimono.

This meant that the kimono was not made recently. In that case, does that mean Hagakure Sakura is actually from an old family? Such speculation was spreading among the participants.

No one could imagine that the kimono in question was a gift from a God who was not his contract God. Combined with Tsugumi’s usual cat-like attitude, the misunderstanding was only accelerating.

Not knowing that, Tsugumi managed to handle the wave of people and headed for the wall out of sight in order to catch his breath. On his way there, he accepted a drink from a boy and sipped it after confirming that it was not alcohol. The refreshing tartness of the apple passing down his throat was pleasant.

“Hmm…  I’m still a little nervous about this glamorous place, after all…”

Tsugumi complained in a small voice and as he quietly observed his surroundings, a pair of men caught his eye.

One of them seemed to be a middle-aged man, and the other appeared to be a boy about the same age as Tsugumi. The most notable thing about them was their clothes. They were dressed in an ankle-length coat-like garment with a stuffed collar and a long sash hanging down from their necks. Yes, the outfit resembled the Christian plain dress he had seen in a book.

As Tsugumi looked at them with curiosity, his eyes suddenly met the middle-aged man’s. He smiled and gave a nod, but the man stood there with a surprised look.

Then he looked at the Tsugumi from top to bottom, as if checking something, and began to slide backward, reacting as if he had seen a monster.

…I don’t understand. Did I do something strange without knowing it?

As he tilted his head inwardly, the young boy moved the middle-aged man to hide behind him and smiled at him fondly. As if caught in the act, Tsugumi smiled back at him.

The boy with golden hair and emerald green eyes waved to Tsugumi lightly and walked away with the older man in tow to the back of the hall. Perhaps because he knew someone with a very similar color scheme, he felt somewhat familiar, even though they had never met before.

…But what was the man’s reaction earlier? He had no idea what to think, but they probably wouldn’t meet anymore, so there was no point in worrying about it.

Thinking about this, Tsugumi quickly tipped the glass in his hand and drank the contents. Now that he had a good rest, it was time to get back to work.

“…Now. Let’s go.”

Muttering this in a small voice, Tsugumi started walking in the opposite direction from where the two men were headed.

◆　◆　◆

“What the heck was that…! How can she wear something like that and remain unconcerned!”

A middle-aged man wearing a cassock exclaimed in a voice that sounded as if it was being squeezed out of him. His face was pale and his hands were trembling.

“Well, well. Please calm down, Bishop-dono. Here, how about a glass of bright red God’s wine?”

“…Priest Azalea. What did you think when you saw it?”

To the middle-aged man who said so bitterly while receiving the wine, the boy who was called Priest Azalea answered with a carefree smile.

“Let’s see. As far as I can tell, those clothes are of the relic class that we have carefully stored away. The other children we passed in the street also wore some mystical ornaments, but she has a lot of guts to wear something of that level all over her body. –Normally, if you expose yourself to such an enormous amount of divine authority, you might go crazy at any moment.”

“That’s right. I was afraid to even approach her. Perhaps, the reason why the little girl is so unconcerned is because of the blessing of the giver, the heretic God. …I must admit that the power is real, no matter how heretical it may be.

“Oh, my. Is it okay for Bishop-dono to say such a thing? –It would be a betrayal of the Church.”

Bishop laughed at Azalea, who said this in a teasing manner.

“Hmph. I don’t want to be told off by you. For the guy who told a Cardinal at the Vatican ‘I don’t want to be a part of doctrine’.”

“Haha. –Everyone is too uptight. Over the past few years, Demonic Beasts have finally begun to appear in Europe. As long as our God does not save the believers at this stage, it would be a bad move to keep away the country that has the means to defeat those monsters. If the human race dies while we are talking about heresy, it would be the end of the world, wouldn’t it? At a time like this, it would be foolish to fight over a doctrine that people later added on their own.”

Priest Azalea said in a relaxed tone and drank down the red wine in his hand in one gulp.

“I don’t care if I am excommunicated from the church for this. What I fear the most is that the faithful will die with a grudge toward God. If that happens, they will surely not even have peace after death. –it would be too pathetic. That is why someone has to find a way out of this, even if it means getting in the mud. It would be better if as few people as possible were sacrificed.”

Priest Azalea announced this with a calm expression on his face and placed his right hand on his left chest as if in prayer. He looked like a clergyman of great faith.

“If only you were mature in your words and actions, you would be a devout servant of God…”

The middle-aged Bishop sighed with reverence and gulped down the wine he had been handed. Bishop looked at the wine glass with admiration and placed it on the table with a careful hand.

“Hmm. The wine here is also very good. The food is good, too, and everyone I’ve met in this country has been generous and gentle. The people in this country have a violent nature that cheers at the sight of women and children fighting, and a tolerance for the evil Gods. This country really is a magical land that I don’t understand. at all. How am I supposed to explain such a ridiculous story to the Cardinals?”

Patting Bishop on the back to comfort him as he held his head, Priest Azalea said aloofly.

“Our purpose this time is to ‘audit the country of Japan’. Well, it is up to the higher-ups to decide whether or not to rescind this country’s heresy status after hearing the report, but if they are not too stupid, they will be able to make a wise decision.”

“I am saying it’s a hassle. …It’s just my luck that I got involved with you. It’s been crazy ever since I met you.”

“Give it up, Uncle. This must have been fate.”

Saying this, Priest Azalea giggled and smiled.

“The time has come for the majestic of God to shine once again. It seems that our Lord has not yet descended to this world, but it will only be a matter of time. By then, we must have our foundation in place. –If I can help Him to descend, I will be very happy.”

He exhaled like a boy in love. But behind his eyes, he was not smiling, and there was a glowing, dangerous gleam in his eyes. It was the appearance of an unmistakable fanatic.

When Bishop stared at him with a stern look, Azalea opened his mouth happily.

“Alright. When you’re done putting down roots, let’s get in touch with the distant relative who has moved to this country. –Ah, we’ll be busy.”

A middle-aged Bishop and a young priest who looked buoyant. As if to hide their contrasting figures, the night sky was covered with thick clouds. The moonlight was no longer visible over the ship.

◆◆◆

–The scene returns to Tsugumi.

After taking a break, Tsugumi wandered around the venue and caught a girl standing alone near a table where there were few people. He could only see her back but she was not very tall, so she was probably around the age of an elementary school student.

At first, he thought she might be another Magical Girl who had been dispatched, but younger children didn’t participate in this guarding duty due to working hours. Besides, he didn’t think any of the Magical Girls he had seen in front of the ship before were wearing the same dress as her.

Perhaps she had been separated from her parents and got lost. Thinking this, he secretly observed the girl and a red-faced man approached her quietly from the other side of the boat.

-Maybe her father had come to pick her up?

Tsugumi thought so, but when the girl made a frightened gesture toward the man who reached out his hand carelessly, Tsugumi hurriedly approached her.

“–What are you doing? Do you know this child?”

Supporting the girl’s shoulders, Tsugumi glared at the man, who mumbled some excuse in a small voice and strode away. …It was very easy, but it would be rare to find someone who could be so domineering in front of Jukka. It was like power.

…Well, there was no direct damage, but he would the security people later because that man was making a bad example.

As the man ran away, he could see the strength in the girl’s shoulders relax. Apparently, she was very scared.

“Is everything all right?”

He gently removed his hand from her shoulder to turn in front of her and made eye contact. The girl’s face was so beautiful that he tilted his head back in his mind.

–He felt like he’d seen the girl’s face somewhere. Moreover, it might be relatively recent. As he pondered this, the girl spoke up.

“Oh, um. Thank you very much. I came here with my father, but we got separated. I was troubled alone when that man came up to me…”

Saying this, the girl anxiously squeezed the hem of her dress. There were tears in her eyes, and they were about to spill out. The sound of her voice and her anxious expression reminded Tsugumi of who the girl in front of him was.

–But why is she here?

Even if he pondered about it, no answer came out. He wondered what to do, but he couldn’t just leave her here alone, so he decided to take her with him while listening to her story.

“That was a disaster. –If you would like, why don’t you talk with this Neesan until we find your father?”

With a gentle smile, Tsugumi made such an offer to the girl. She gave a relieved smile at the offer and gave a small nod.

“Yes, with pleasure! I’m so glad I get to talk to you, Hagakure-san!”

“Fufu, thank you. May I ask your name?”

When Tsugumi asked, the girl looked embarrassed as she spoke her name. –The name was exactly as he had expected.

“–My name is Yumeji Nadeshiko.”

–Ah, I know, friend.

Swallowing these words, Tsugumi gently held Yumeji’s hand.

–The last few months had been difficult for Yumeji and her father because of the Magical Girl issues. At least, it was what Tsugumi had heard from Itadori, and indirectly through Itadori, he had been consulting with Yumeji about it.

But Yumeji was attending this party with his father, whom she had been having a hard time with. He could only think that there was something going on behind the scenes.

Pushing down the doubts that had been floating around in his mind, Tsugumi pulled Yumeji’s hand and started walking to lead the way ahead. First, it would be better to move to a place where they could talk calmly.

–But I never thought I would meet someone I know in a place like this. The world really is a small place.