Demon King Daimaou: Volume 6 Page 2

  —Is that how a date works? Maybe that’s just a Union thing?

  Akuto frowned.

  “If you like each other, you become boyfriend and girlfriend...?”

  “That’s right. It’s up to the individual exactly how you say it, but after the tea, the boy confesses his love to the girl. And then she either accepts it, or doesn’t. That is the turning point of their fate,” Keina said confidently.

  Then she turned to Akuto and said, “Let’s go on a date after school, the day after tomorrow! You pick the spot! That’s the boy’s job! I want a place where you can eat elegant, classy sweets! An eco-friendly place that’s perfect for a date to accelerate our love!”

  ○

  “And somehow I ended up agreeing to this...” Akuto said to the beautiful girl on his bed after he got home from school.

  Soft green hair. A perfectly beautiful face, like a doll. She looked like some sculptor’s interpretation of the ideal young girl. But she was lying on the bed reading a magazine, eating ningyo-yaki snacks out of a bag next to her. Despite her beautiful appearance, she was acting like a middle-aged housewife or an unemployed young teen.

  “I see,” Korone said. She was a Liradan who’d been sent by the government to be Akuto’s observer.

  “I see...? Is that all you have to say?”

  “My job isn’t to tell you how to run your personal life. And anyway, why are you telling me this, exactly?”

  “Oh, right. Supposedly it’s after this that you decide if you want to be boyfriend and girlfriend, so I’m just going to tell her no, then.”

  There was no doubt in his voice.

  “That’s awfully sudden,” Korone said as she looked up from her magazine.

  “I don’t really know her, is the thing. Of course, if I wanted to be her boyfriend it would be after we’d been friends for a while first. I don’t want to rush this,” Akuto said, sounding very serious. His straight-laced personality was both an asset and a flaw.

  “Why not just tell her?”

  “She’s insistent that she won’t hear my answer until after this date.”

  “That’s a very strange thing for a human to say. It’s as if she’s insistent on following a series of steps,” Korone said thoughtfully.

  “So anyway, it looks like I just have to play along with her steps. I was hoping you could tell me where I can find a place that you can eat elegant, classy sweets, at an eco-friendly place that’s perfect for a date to accelerate love,” Akuto said. His memory was impressive.

  Korone sat up on the bed and looked at him.

  “Couldn’t you look that up online?”

  “Of course, I tried. But none of the places felt quite right.”

  Akuto took out his student handbook and called up a mana screen to display the cafés he’d found. All of them were aimed at a much older clientele. There was a café that converted to a bar in the evenings, a café that served exclusively cold-brew coffee, one with tatami mats and green tea that was members only, one that was decorated in the style of an obscure foreign ethnic group, etc.

  “None of these are right for a high school date, no. How did you get these?”

  “I searched for places with elegant classy sweets that were also eco-friendly, and perfect for accelerating love. This is what I ended up with. No, the part about accelerating love was too abstract for me to really understand,” Akuto’s face was dead-serious.

  Korone looked back at him with a serious expression as well.

  “I’ve been thinking for a while that you are an idiot.”

  “It’s something I feel bad about. But this is also a place where I have no knowledge or experience.” Akuto’s face became even more serious.

  Korone looked back at him with an even more serious expression.

  “I’ll give you some advice. A good place for a date is a couple’s café.”

  “A couple’s café?” Akuto didn’t seem to understand, so Korone began to explain carefully.

  “A couple’s café is a place you can only go to as a couple. The booths are divided and very cramped, so you have to sit next to each other. Many of them have self-service drink bars, and no waiters. The light is as low as possible, and it’s set up so nobody around you can see what you’re doing.”

  “Do you mean...”

  “Even if some kind of sexual act is performed there, the café owners will not ask you to stop. There’s also cafés devoted to exhibitionism, where the lights are lit up brightly and the drink corner and play rooms are separated. Many people at these cafés prefer to go as two sets of husband and wife, and enjoy watching each other as they swap partners. There are also cafés where men can go alone, where events called ‘happenings’ will occur, where a naked woman will suddenly come up and offer to have sex with you. Whether you accept or not is up to you.”

  Korone suddenly stuck a finger out at Akuto. He sighed.

  “I see. You’re not going to give me a real answer, are you?”

  “Correct. Why would I want to help someone else fall in love? Especially with the boy I like,” she said.

  “Huh?” Akuto looked at her in surprise.

  Korone pressed her lips together tightly, and then slowly stuck out her tongue like a sheet of fax paper. She made an “akanbe” motion, pulling down on one eyelid, all with a flat expression.

  “Just kidding.”

  “...You tease me often enough that I’d like to think I’m used to it, but those expressionless jokes of yours always get to me...” Akuto’s head slumped.

  Korone made it worse by raising up both hands behind her head to give herself bunny ears. She remained completely expressionless.

  “Just kidding.”

  ○

  The next morning, Akuto continued to struggle with his choice of café. And Keina Doronz was only making matters worse.

  “Did you find the perfect classy, relaxing, eco-friendly café where you can go and eat fancy sweets?”

  “No, not quite yet. But I’m working on it.”

  “I expected more from you, my darling. But I know you’re up to the task! No, if you can’t do it, just order the lower classes around you to help!”

  Keina pointed to the other students. Of course, none of them looked happy. None of them were willing to say anything in front of Akuto, though.

  “You shouldn’t say things like that.” Akuto said, but Keina just ignored him.

  “Oh, darling! You’re so kind to the commoners, aren’t you?”

  “That’s not what I meant...”

  —I’m not sure if she’s a selfish person, or just young and childish...

  As he thought about it, he suddenly heard a voice.

  “Today’s class is a practical exercise.”

  It was Junko.

  “Oh, Hattori. I see. It’s practicals today. Doronz, what do you want to do?” Akuto asked. Junko frowned.

  “Do you have time to worry about the exchange student? I’m the only one who can face you, so I need you focused on me.”

  The Academy’s main goal was to teach magic, so the primary classes were magical practicals. These classes included learning to control destructive magic, so they could be quite dangerous. Akuto was always causing trouble in them because he had more magic than he could control.

  “Alright. I’ll do my best not to hurt you.”

  If somebody else had said those words, they might’ve sounded arrogant. But in Akuto’s case, it was just his bad habit again. Junko blushed.

  “Y-You dummy. Don’t be weird.”

  Then Keina, who had been listening in on their conversation, interrupted them.

  “Hah! Don’t make me laugh! You’re no match for my darling!”

  “What’s with you and this ‘darling’ stuff? You’re an exchange student, so I was willing to cut you some slack, but I can’t do that when it comes to magic class. Magic is Imperial technology. If you don’t take this seriously, you’ll really get hurt.”

  Junko and Keina glared at one another.
>
  “There’s nothing wrong with my magic. If my darling and I pair up, we’ll be just fine!”

  “That’s exactly what I’m talking about. Imperial technology is...”

  “They told me this country is a bunch of nationalists who hate foreigners, and I guess they were right, huh?!”

  “What? Fine, then pair up with him and get blasted flat on your butt! Then you’ll regret how stupid you’re being!” With that, Junko left angrily.

  —Well, jeez...

  Akuto didn’t know what to do, but it was still time for class. Today they were practicing the use of telekinesis to do detailed work. They were going to learn to use magic to move tiny parts with millimeter accuracy.

  “There’s only a few micrometer gauges and sets of materials, so pair up. Once you can do it on your own, practice working together,” Miss Mitsuko said. And then she added, “Sai, make sure you’re far away from everyone else. You don’t need to work with anyone else, either.”

  The other students were sitting in front of sets of differently-sized blocks on their classroom desks, but Miss Mitsuko was pointing to a desk placed out in the middle of the schoolyard.

  “Well, I know the reason for it, at least,” Akuto said as he obediently went out into the yard. But Keina followed behind him.

  “Darling, let’s do our best, okay?”

  “Huh? The teacher told me to do it on my own. You don’t need to risk doing this. I know that you might be bothered by what the class rep said, but...”

  “Don’t worry. We can do this together!” Keina ran ahead and then brought him out into the yard.

  “It’s not that easy. This delicate stuff is what I’m worst at. It sound stupid, but it’s like trying to open a can with a missile. See? Everybody’s telling you to go back to your seat.” He turned back towards the classroom window. Miss Mitsuko and their classmates were motioning her to come back.

  But Keina just laughed.

  “Ahaha, it’s fine. Let’s just show them how it’s done. Let’s show them how strong the bond between us is!” Keena grabbed Akuto’s hand and moved it towards the blocks on the desk.

  “Listen, this is a bad idea...” Akuto trailed off as he felt a warmth in his arm where Keina held it.

  —What? I feel power...

  “See? It’s just fine.” Keina smiled at him.

  Of course, Akuto had no intention of using his power. But the hand on his arm was covered with a faint flow of mana.

  Most mana was dispersed into the air. To use magic, you linked it with the mana in your body. The more powerful the mana, the more difficult it was to control. And controlling the mana in someone else’s body was extremely difficult. Everyone’s mana had a unique frequency that could only be produced by their own brainwaves.

  —It’s resonating with my unique frequency?

  That was the only explanation he could come up with. Keina was perfectly controlling the mana within his body.

  Akuto’s surprise spread to the other classmates. Miss Mitsuko was displaying a mana screen for them that showed Akuto and Keina. The blocks on the desk were being manipulated exactly how they were supposed to be. The smallest of them, practically the size of powder, were kept inside a box of transparent plastic. Akuto lifted these out to form a wall.

  “Th-That’s impossible!”

  Junko couldn’t help but raise her voice in shock.

  ○

  “An exchange student?” Fujiko Eto asked.

  Fujiko was the girl’s dorm mother, a beautiful girl with the best grades in school who was loved by everyone. But she was secretly a black mage who worshiped Akuto.

  One of the few people who knew about her secret identity, Lily Shiraishi, was sitting in front of her. Fujiko had been summoned to the student council room.

  “Yes. That’s what the paperwork says. But the fact is, nobody knows anything about her.” Lily rubbed the brim of her fancy hat with her fingers while she spoke.

  “Well, that’s certainly unnerving. How is it possible for someone in the Empire to be a complete unknown? If you’ve brought me here to tell me ghost stories, I’m afraid we’ll have to do this another time.” said Fujiko, looking a little bored.

  Lily brought up a mana screen on the desk that showed video of Akuto’s classroom from earlier.

  “As you can see from this, it seems that this involves Akuto, somehow.”

  The screen showed Keina helping Akuto with his mana control practice.

  “Th-This is...!” Fujiko gasped.

  “Correct. I don’t know how she did it, but she managed to get control of Akuto Sai’s mana. Which means...” Lily tried to say more, but Fujiko cut her off.

  “How dare she touch my Akuto?!” She slammed her fists down on Lily’s desk in rage. Lily winced a little.

  “...No, that’s not what’s important here.”

  “Ha—! Haha... Hahaha...! It was a joke, of course! Yes, this is fascinating!” Fujiko was laughing, but she seemed to have understood the seriousness of the situation. She looked Lily in the eyes with a serious expression.

  “You said we don’t know who she is, correct?”

  “Correct. She seems to have just appeared out of nowhere. And to make matters worse, she was found in the crater left behind after that battle.”

  By “that battle,” she was referring to the fight that had taken place earlier, where Akuto had turned into the Demon King and destroyed the god Suhara. But after that fight, almost everyone had lost their memories of Akuto, and instead believed that a different Demon King had killed Suhara, instead.

  “Which means that she might have something to do with whatever it was that erased everyone’s memories.” Fujiko crossed her arms.

  “Correct. The being known as the Law of Identity... it seems to be some kind of mysterious will that manifests through the body of Keena Soga.”

  “And you called me here to find out who this exchange student is?” Fujiko asked. But Lily shook her head.

  “No, I don’t think we’re going to get anywhere with that. There’s nowhere to even begin. I just wanted to make sure that this wasn’t some new trick of yours, that’s all.” Lily looked at Fujiko, a challenge in her gaze.

  Fujiko’s eyes narrowed. She wasn’t happy, but she knew what Lily was getting at.

  “I understand why you’d suspect me, but the cells of Akuto’s that I was cultivating, and the research I did into his unique waveform, have nothing to do with this. Just before the battle ended, the pot I had was stolen, I’m embarrassed to say.”

  “By that rubber man?” Lily looked surprised.

  Fujiko nodded.

  Lily grimaced.

  “Then they used it to... No, the timeline doesn’t match up,” Lily mumbled to herself, and then waved a hand. “Okay, got it. Thanks. Sorry for making you come all this way.”

  “No, it was worth it to see that exchange student with my own eyes.”

  “Are you going to look into her? Well, just don’t make too much of a mess.”

  “No, I’m just spoiling for a fight now, that’s all.” Fujiko started to laugh with a cruel look on her face.

  ○

  After school, Junko heard someone call out to her.

  “Hattori, there was something I wanted you to tell me.”

  “To tell you?” Junko repeated, and then she saw who it was who’d stopped her.

  It was Akuto. Keina had been following him around everywhere since yesterday, but now she was nowhere to be found. Maybe she’d gone back to the dorms.

  “You want me to tell you something? That’s rare.” Junko coughed. She’d realized they were alone and suddenly felt nervous.

  It was just the two of them in the hallway at twilight. And come to think of it, during the war she’d loudly declared that she’d give up her family to be with Akuto, but she hadn’t actually told him that yet.

  “S-So, um... what is it?” She turned her face towards the sunset so he couldn’t see how red she was.

  “I was wondering
if you knew of any cafés I could use for a date,” Akuto said, his voice calm and natural.

  “A-A date?” Junko’s voice quivered in shock.

  “Yeah. I can’t find anything myself. I asked Korone, but she just started acting strange.”

  “I-I-I-I... see...” Junko began to panic violently.

  “Are you okay?”

  “I-I’m fine. A-Anyway... Hmm... The place in front of the station... No, that’s not good for a date. Take a right out of the station and then head down the street. Once you’re out of the shopping area and into the suburb, keep going and you’ll find a café with an open terrace. The owner’s a pastry chef, and you can buy little cakes at the store next door,” she said. Akuto nodded, satisfied.

  “That should work fine.”

  “It’s best to make reservations a day in advance if you can. B-By the way, when are you going to go?”

  “Tomorrow.”

  “Oh, tomorrow. I see.”

  —This is so sudden. What should I do? Buy new clothes? No, it’d feel weird to go that far. I need to be subtle. But if he’s inviting me on a date, that means things are almost certainly going to be fine. I just need to act natural and it will all work out.

  ...But if I agree to it too soon, he might think I’m easy. It doesn’t seem right to give him that much control over the relationship. That’s right. Why not say I’m busy and act a little hesitant? It might be nice to see him get a little upset...

  When she was done thinking, she began to speak, still turning away from him.

  “I’ve actually got some plans for tomorrow... No, it’s nothing important. My sister has an event she invited me to. But if this is really that important, I can go with you instead. I mean, my sister does those events all the time. Haha... Hahaha...”

  But she was speaking so softly that Akuto didn’t hear her.

  “This is a huge help. Doronz insists she wants a place where you can eat elegant, classy sweets, an eco-friendly place that’s perfect for a date to accelerate our love, and I had no idea what to tell her.” Akuto smiled, completely oblivious.

  In an instant, a chill ran down Junko’s spine like she’d been dumped into the arctic wastes.