Chapter 20

1.

One of the three great academies of Kiburatos, Millennium.

The Millennium academy, where I am currently enrolled, holds a quite unique position diplomatically. There isn’t much exchange with other academies, and consequently, there isn’t much conflict either.

Being one of the three great academies alongside Gehenna and Trinity, Millennium remains remarkably uninvolved even when large incidents break out across Kiburatos.

Rather, Millennium tends to get involved not in disputes with other academies but in issues strictly speaking not ‘human’ in nature, such as those involving Dekagrammaton or the Nameless Priest.

Could this diplomatic trait be why Millennium plays the role of a neutral country within Kiburatos by handling everything from large events like the Great Wheel Emperor to private requests from other academies?

And this applies not only to the school as a whole but also to the personal status and emotions of individuals.

What happens if a Gehenna student enters the Trinity district or a Trinity student steps into the Gehenna district?

In either scenario, it’s nearly impossible to predict what might happen while they’re there. Thus, students from academies other than Millennium face situations based on their diplomatic standing, whereas Millennium students encounter little to no conflict regardless of the district they enter.

Of course, as this is Kiburatos, where unforeseen incidents often occur, we can’t rule out accidents, but these are far from diplomatic conflicts.

“Besides, there’s also the reputation of the Preternatural Special Task Force.”

“Hmm. That’s quite an intriguing story. You mentioned you’ve already discussed everything with the Veritas kids?”

“Yes. They kindly agreed to help without hesitation.”

Thus, as someone who is not a ‘hero’ but a ‘student’ named Nanashi, I plan to leverage Millennium’s diplomatic nature as well as the reputation of the Preternatural Special Task Force.

Balancing two identities, performing two roles; this was my strategy.

The hero and everyone’s friendly neighbor, ‘Silk.’

Nanashi, the dispatched Preternatural Special Task Force operative from Millennium.

To fulfill this dual life, I would inevitably need the approval and assistance of Leader Himari.

Indeed, for the ‘goal’ I had shared with Veritas, too.

While explaining my plan to Himari, I cautiously observed her reactions. It was inevitable. The story I presented essentially involved utilizing the Preternatural Special Task Force’s reputation freely, moving away from its closed-off approach.

And it was being suggested by a mere rookie member.

“…If she refused, I wouldn’t have much room to argue.”

How should I put it? Over the last few days, I felt our relationship grow closer. I could sense Himari treating me more casually, but…

The dynamics of personal relationships might differ from her role as Leader. There might be some special policy of the Preternatural Special Task Force that I’m unaware of…

“Ho ho, very well. I don’t see any big problems.”

“…”

…She just agreed.

This makes me feel like an idiot for worrying.

“I have no reason to stop my diligent junior. I’m sure Amy would agree too. Right? Amy, please put some clothes on. I’m begging you.”

“Huh? It’s hot, so what can I do? Besides, I don’t care, and anyway, was there something to begin with?”

“Haa, that’s fine… Anyway, since Amy is on board, you don’t need to worry too much. As for the other proposal from Nanashi…”

My other proposal, my goal.

I’m referring to the collective group of heroes, ‘Defenders.’

“I think it’s not bad considering the recent odd flow of energies around Millennium. Thanks to Nanashi’s active efforts, the atmosphere has improved somewhat, but the threat remains.”

I had a rough idea of what threat she was referring to.

Dekagrammaton, Gematria, the Nameless Priest—stuff like that.

‘If I’m destined to face these bastards eventually, it’s better to prepare beforehand.’

Someday, I’ll encounter something I can’t handle alone. That’s when I’ll need all the help I can get.

All I’m doing is preparing in advance.

“We should have a proper meeting later about how the organization’s operations will function. From the looks of it, you’ve gone beyond just the conceptual stage.”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“Wonderful. Ho ho, I never imagined Nanashi had something so interesting up your sleeve. I do believe bringing you into the Preternatural Special Task Force was indeed the right decision.”

“…Haha.”

As she grinned at me, Himari absentmindedly tapped her cheek with a finger before showing a sly smile, seemingly recalling something.

“Nanashi?”

“Yes?”

“Does Kosaka Wakamo, who seems so fond of you, join this ‘Defenders’ organization?”

“Uh, well… I’m not entirely sure since we haven’t talked directly.”

“Ho ho, don’t try to dodge with such obvious answers. Please explain thoroughly. Quickly.”

“Se, senior?”

“Surely you aren’t thinking of making the woman who hurt you so badly a colleague within the same organization?”

What. That’s scary.

A closer inspection shows her smile isn’t just sly—it’s slightly terrifying. Her mouth is smiling, but her eyes are dead. What is this?

Then she slowly began stroking my wrist. When I flinched and looked at her, she gripped my arm tightly, pulling me toward her.

“Respond, Nanashi. You know the girl wouldn’t reject your will, do you not?”

“Uh, yeah, well… It’s just that…”

…It’s true.

As Himari said, I’ve left a significant impact on Wakamo, and from her reactions, I believe she would help if I asked her in the future.

Thus, I planned to make an individual suggestion when we next meet, though it wasn’t about joining the Defenders.

I believe a single ace won’t suffice to resolve the various problems scattered across Kiburatos.

“If I explain, will you let go of my hand?”

“No. You won’t escape my grasp until you explain properly. Now, talk.”

“Yes, yes…”

“…It’s hot.”

With Amy’s small murmur in the background, I had no choice but to tell Himari about another plan still in its conceptual stages.

A plan I had devised in anticipation of the chaos that will soon come.

Another force to consolidate rogue elements, mercenaries, and helmet gangs from the underbelly, akin to how similar forces are organized in games.

A story about ‘Thunderbolts.’

2.

“That is… an intriguing tale.”

“Yeah. I couldn’t have predicted this content, but it’s interesting…”

“Wow, as soon as I arrived, I got to hear such a huge story? Uta-kun, Hibiki! Were both of you discussing such amazing people while excluding me?”

“Haha….”

Presumably, Veritas has already been informed, so I visited the engineering department both to send greetings and to commission new equipment, sharing the same plan.

As expected, Hibiki gleefully showed immense interest, while Uta-senpai attentively listened, finding it a fascinating story.

Also, this time, I met a familiar face with an energetic voice that always greeted me whenever I spun the gacha.

Tōyomi Kotori also joined this consultation. Though she had been absent until now due to various commissions, today Uta-senpai mentioned introducing someone—and Kotori appeared.

“I’m pleased to meet you, call me Nanashi.”

“Yes! I’m Tōyomi Kotori. Pleased to meet you!”

After a brief introduction with Kotori, I immediately explained the ‘Defenders’ plan thoroughly.

The purpose of the Defenders: an organization to solve cases that Silk alone can’t resolve.

Currently, members from the Preternatural Special Task Force and Veritas are involved. There’s also the potential to include members from other academies in the future.

Explaining these general terms, all three showed great interest and asked various questions ranging from basic and specific goals to the organization’s management and planned recruits.

Answering questions from three directions wasn’t easy, but since they clearly showed profound interest and curiosity in my plan, I diligently provided replies.

“Hmm. Good. I’ll participate. You, a hero for justice, seem incapable of harboring ulterior motives, and it’s also hard to step back now. Haha.”

“Yeah… I’ll help too. To the best of my ability.”

“Ah! Now this is a mood where I can’t be left out! Though I was planning to participate anyway!”

All three gave positive responses.

I expressed my gratitude and promised to rely on them for the future, and they each smiled in response.

The discussion about ‘Defenders’ was thus quickly wrapped up.

Now it’s time to bring up the real reason I came here.

“I’d like to commission new equipment.”

“Ah. I suspected the topic would come up sooner or later.”

“What kind of equipment this time?”

Utaha-senpai smiled, anticipating, while Hibiki nodded. Kotori, on the other hand, excitedly anticipated.

“The equipment I’d like to commission this time is… a shield.”

“…A shield?”

“Yes. Except, not just a regular shield, but one with certain offensive capabilities as well.”

My student self and my hero self.

To ensure there’s no overlap and suspicion, it’s necessary to first differentiate fundamentally in activity direction, field, and combat style.

Hence, this approach:

While ‘Silk’ has a combat style focused on speed and subduing enemies, ‘Nanashi’ would adopt a different, steadfast, and defensive combat style.

Much like Captain America.

“But why a shield? Given your fighting style, using a shield would make your activity very inconvenient, wouldn’t it?”

“You’re right. I forgot to mention. This equipment isn’t for Silk but for the operative of the Preternatural Special Task Force. According to Veritas, quite a few people are curious about my identity.”

Ah.

With my explanation, they swiftly nodded as if understanding everything.

Not Silk, but as a Preternatural Special Task Force member Nanashi.

We should start sooner rather than later to avoid raising suspicions.

The moment they grasped my intention, they immediately moved into constructive discussions.

“Good. Let’s delve into the details now?”

“Got it. Let’s begin.”

“I’m excited!”

“Fine. First, I’ll explain my concept of ideas. My thoughts are…”

And so, we continued discussing the new equipment late into the night.

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