CH 15

(Akira POV)

“Sigh…”

After the morning classroom lecture, I am in the cafeteria having a cup of tea and catching my breath for lunch break.

Yeah, the classroom time was a real struggle.

Come to think of it, the eradication squad is not only the star of the Security Organization, and knowledge is equally crucial as the physical aspect apparently, so it was only logical that my head was likely to go haywire with a fever.

On the surface, I was able to finish without any problems because Ys was whispering in my ear the answers to the questions throughout the session.

[A sigh of resignation is not recommended. Akira.]

“(I know that but… look at those eyes around me….)”

[Well, not that I don’t sympathize with your feelings.]

While doing the act of uttering the words to Ys in my head, which I have been able to do after a week of training, I can sense the meaning of the gazes that are being directed at me from all sides.

Yeah. The stares directed at my face are still fine. It seems like they are trying to remember my face as a newcomer, simply admiring me, or watching my complexion, though the reason for this is unknown. If so, I think it’s only natural, and it doesn’t bother me when I think of it that way.

[Men are really easy-to-understand creatures.]

“(I’m a man on the inside, too.)”

Tajika-san, whose name I first learned from each other, is conversing in the distance with her sister, whose face is identical to hers, and with a group of young women who clearly belong to the aristocracy, while also casting me sidelong glances.

Despite the fact that I am unaware of the specifics of their conversation, I believe there is no need for fear.

But I can still recognize the jealous glances from the young ladies.

I was recommended by Susanoo-sama, plus I have this appearance. It would seem like a slap in the face to someone who has experienced favoritism due to their appearance or their familial status.

[Obviously, they are looking at your breasts, hips, and buttocks.]

“(Yeah, I can tell…)”

Due to the composition of the eradication squads that are meant to be partaking in the combat, there are still more guys overall when I turn my attention away from Tajika-san and her group.

And part of their gazes is evidently focused on a small part of my body… as Ys said. To be frank, their mingled sexual and carnal desires in their gazes are very repulsive.

I mean, given the way they are staring at me, I suppose they don’t expect me to notice it, but whether it’s because I used to be a man or because women are just more perceptive than men, their glances are very noticeable.

That makes me feel even more uncomfortable.

If this is the case, I would rather… to be viewed from the front.

“Sigh…”

[Well, good luck, I’ll let you know when someone attempts to touch you directly.]

And this is why I have been sighing until now.

For now, I heard that practical training will start in the afternoon, so there will probably be no more time to cast an impudent glance at me like now, nor to feel my presence.

Or rather, I hope it will disappear. I am dead serious.

■■■■■

(Toki POV)

“Sigh… Akira onee-sama is so picturesque even when she sighs…”

“Toki-san, I’m not trying to be harsh… but has your younger sister ever acted this way before? Tell me the truth.”

“Don’t say any more. Even I’m confused.”

Me, Sora, and my rival, the self-proclaimed aristocratic young lady of Japoterasu… Hono Oori and her followers are having lunch at the same table in the cafeteria, chatting lightly.

The subject of conversation inevitably centers on the newcomer Akira Whiteice, and since we wind up sitting next to each other, I take the initiative to discuss what I learned in the morning’s lecture… But for some reason, Sora seems to be veering off course as we speak.

To be honest, this is the greatest headache for me as an older sister. I wonder what on earth has tugged at Sora’s heartstrings… I am certain she didn’t have any propensity towards the same sex.

Well, I suppose I should neglect Sora at this point. What should be the priority now is to discuss with Hono-san.

“But even so, she is still a mystery to me.”

“Yes, I’ve never heard of a city called Graecian, and if Toki-san’s information is reliable, then she has been to Takamagahara, but how that came about is obscure.”

“If she has been to Takamagahara, then it makes sense that she is acquainted with Susanoo-sama, but I don’t grasp why someone so honorable as to be allowed into Takamagahara would come to join the eradication squad.”

Hono-san is consulting with me based on the information she has obtained from the surrounding young ladies and me.

But the level of knowledge I have is unquestionably not that significant, and this depth of understanding is undeniably insufficient to know who she is.

In actuality, if there was someone else around her, I might be able to approach that person and acquire some information, but since she is too striking that both men and women are behaving in a strange controlled manner with each other, nobody seems to be approaching her, so there is nothing to be done.

“Toki-san. Do you have any insight into the individual she is contracted with?”

“No, not at…”

“If it’s a god that Akira onee-sama has a contract with, it’s probably an animal type.”

Sora, who has been enthralled with saliva pouring from her mouth, suddenly comes to her senses and speaks, prompting everyone at the same table to stare at her face when I am ready to respond that there is nothing I know about Hono-san’s query. 

“What kind of…”

“I can see an eight-legged white lizard around Akira onee-sama’s shoulder. Perhaps that thing is a fission of Akira onee-sama’s contracted God since the others don’t seem to be able to see it?”

“A fission!? But it’s invisible to me!?”

“T-There is no way that a fissure could possess an individual. T-There must be some kind of mistake.”

“…”

“Even if you claim otherwise, it appears that they are still lying securely on Akira onee-sama’s shoulder while maintaining a wary eye on the boys around.”

The young women in Sora’s immediate vicinity are shocked by her remarks and inquire about them, but Sora offers them aloof answers.

Well, I suppose I can’t argue that I have no understanding of their feelings.

The fissure of a God… If that’s true, then she should still be seen as a being on the side of Gods.

After all, according to the textbook, since only Gods at the highest level are capable of creating a fissure, possessing a group, an organization, or even a single individual would constitute a myth on the level of a national myth or something similar.

“Toki-san. I’d like to confirm something, but does your younger sister have a contract with a God with that kind of power?”

“Yes, I believe she has made a contract with a God who grants simple distant vision and spiritual vision. Even though she said she couldn’t tell me specifically which god she has made a contract with, that ability is certainly present. I’ve seen her use it a few times.”

“If that is the case, it would be unwise to dismiss this information as false.”

At my words, Hono-san’s noble-like graceful face is somewhat distorted, and she begins to rack her brain.

Nevertheless, information is unlikely to be discovered anywhere about the eight-legged white lizard if they… are not from Japoterasu but from Graecian.

The name of the God and the specifics and origin of their powers are apparently the most confidential information in any city.

“Even so, are you serious about doing that?”

Despite being somewhat late to inquire her, I still pose the question to her nonetheless.

What she is about to do, depending on how it is perceived, could be an act of dishonoring Susanoo-sama, so I figure that it would be better to let her quit if she is half-hearted about it.

It appears, though, that my concern is unwarranted speculating.

Hono-san chuckles once before announcing proudly, “Yes, I need to be aware of her capabilities as the leader of the first unit of candidates to the Security Organization’s eradication squad. Even if Susanoo-sama strikes me with heaven’s punishment, I will do all in my power to remove her from the eradication squad if her competence is insignificant. The eradication squad is not the place for an individual with very little skill.”

Since she is expressing herself in such a strong manner, it serves no worth for me to add any further comments.

“Now, it’s almost time to go, and we’re heading to the seminar room early. Enjoy your day.”

“Good day to you.”

And Hono-san leaves accompanied by her followers.

“Then, Toki nee-chan, it’s time for us to go as well.”

“Right. Shall we go?”

We ultimately leave the cafeteria when the bell rings.

Now, today’s practical training would be rough in a major way.