Chapter 336: [Black Cats], and [Red Cats].
Chapter 336: [Black Cats], and [Red Cats].
Several days passed since I “cursed” that Zavit dude who was causing troubles for Silhouette- san.
Zavit who leads the underground segment of [Papillon]… Or rather, including his subordinates, all [Papillon]-related personnel besides Silhouette-san’s group disappeared from the commercial city Cantarre.
Well, there’s the possibility that they would have some sort of run-in with Silhouette-san’s group just by being in the same city after all. I understand their reasons.
The Ryounkaku-like glittery tower had lost its light as well due to its owner disappearing.
Still, it’ll just be a matter of time before it regains its brightness together with a new owner. There’s lots of merchants living in this city after all.
On a side note, Silhouette-san has absolutely no intention of moving to that tower which used to be Zavit’s stronghold.
Silhouette-san’s group, the former Papillon members, changed their name to [Black Cats] and began operation as a new entity.
It’s similar to the name of [Red Cats], and apparently they did that on purpose. It could also be from that black cat that Silhouette-san was keeping in her room though. Well, they seem to consider themselves a kind of rival group against the [Red Cats] so there’s that.
Right now, I’m passing several tablets to Silhouette-san who now leads the [Black Cats].
“This is the magical tool that can predict the appearances of the variants… Those golden monsters?”
“Yes. The information includes direction and distance from the tablet, their numbers as well as the predicted appearance time. With that, evacuation or counterattack would become easier. I’d like for you to pass these to the inns and brothels under your management, and contact me whenever there’s a predicted appearance.”
While holding the thin black sensory boards in her hands, Silhouette-san listened to my explanation of the details.
Rather than the tablets, she was more surprised by the mass-production model smartphone I gave her later. Well, the one I gave her only has my number on it for the moment.
I plan to give them out to Nia and the others from [Red Cats] after this as well, but since it seems that Nia is holding something against Silhouette-san, I don’t think there’ll be any phone calls between the two of them.
The vice-chief Est-san might do that, but the calls between the two of them, how should I say it… Since they both look like the scheming type, I don’t think their phone calls would become anything fun.
“It’s a promise, and I also received something like this so I can’t not help. It doesn’t really seem to be a lie that this concerns the fate of the entire world. I’ll make sure to contact you when we catch any appearances of the golden monsters, so rest easy and leave it to us. —With that said, there’s nothing going on between the two of us, so I’d be glad if the young ladies by your side can stop being so wary of me…?”
While saying that in a somewhat teasing tone, Silhouette-san turned her eyes towards Yumina and Luu who’s besides me. The two of them are clinging onto my arms and show no signs of moving away at all.
“I understand that you’re not a bad person. Still, it’s the truth that you’re a dangerous existence to us in a way, so just in case.”
“It would be terrible if our Touya-sama was sucked dry in an indecent establishment like yours! A-a-and anyway, don’t you think your exposure rate is a bit too high!?”
“Touya-kun sure is loved, eh.”
“Well, hahaha…”
I can do nothing but laugh bitterly while being sandwiched by the two of them.
The other day, after I returned to the Surface World from the “Moonlight Parlor”, everyone lectured me for quite a while after noticing the smell of perfume on me and the kiss mark on my cheek.
Although I was able to solve their misunderstandings in the end, after that it was decided that I’ll bring several people with me whenever I go to the Reverse World (and especially when I meet with Silhouette-san).
They have no confidence in me… I mean, it’s true that I get strangely restless whenever I come here though! I think they might’ve seen through that already. I can’t help it, I’m a boy too…
“Well, I understand your feelings of worrying about your boyfriend… Let me guess, you guys still havn’t done ‘it’ right? If so, we have guests as well as girls who get off on being seen, so do you girls want to observe as an experience?”
“Fue!? O, observe!?”
“What do you want us to observe!? What!?”
The two of them by my sides grew bright red, and almost looked like they’re about to blow out steam from their heads.
While looking at that, Silhouette-san laughed lightly. She’s having fun teasing them, this woman.
The two of them are sheltered princesses, so they don’t have a lot of resistances against those types of things. This world doesn’t have things like adult DVDs that the previous world… Hah!
I unconsciously turned my eyes to the mass-production model smartphone I gave to Silhouette-san. Could I perhaps have given it to a person I shouldn’t have…
If there’s a magic tool that can replay a video it recorded, it’ll likely sell all over the world… Ero-power can become money after all… I have never watched any of those kinds of DVDs though. I’m underage, you know! (Note: press “X” to doubt.)
Oops, before that I have to calm these two down. Or else I feel like they’ll really begin to blow out steam.
“It’s great how pure they are.”
“Stop teasing them too much. They’re really innocent, after all.”
“Ara, you’re saying that as if I’m not innocent.”
“Are you innocent?”
“No way.”
While having some light talks like that, I brought the two who are still bright red and left the “Moonlight Parlor”. Now then, it’s the [Red Cats] after this. That side also has its troubles…
“Heeh, someone like Touya actually has a fiancée, I’m surprised. And what’s more, two of them? Nicely done, oi! This lady killer!”
As expected, she bit onto that part. Nia, her eyes glittering, is completely in her curious- neighborhood-obasan mode. Annoying.
Also, what the hell do you mean “someone like Touya”, oi. How rude.
“To be exact, there’s nine of us in total who will be marrying Touya-san in the future.”
“Nine!? You, don’t you think you have too many!? Are you a king!? Wait, you are a king… Is that allowed over in the other world?”
Hearing Yumina’s reply, Nia folded her arms while tilting her head to the side, her red twin tails shaking along.
No, I think it’s a lot in the Surface World as well… The king of Egret had 7 wives though. And although he’s already dead, that pig-king from Sandora apparently had more than 20, or something.
“That aside, is it really okay for us to receive this communication device called ‘smartphone’? We are thankful but…”
“Yes. Since they’ll be needed in case something happens. It also has functions like a map, a calculator and a memo so it’s really convenient, you know.”
Est-san raised her face from the user manual she had been reading and asked us. Next to her, the ponytail girl Yuni and the fluffy wave girl Yuri are having fun taking photos of each other.
We had come to the abandoned fortress the [Red Cats] are at and given the four of them mass-production model smartphones. The main purpose for the visit today was that, but I actually have one more thought in mind.
“In exchange, although it isn’t really nice of me to say that, could you guys help me with something?”
“What is it? As long as it’s something we can do, we won’t spare the effort.”
I’m supposed to talk about this kind of thing with the actual chief Nia but, well I guess it’s fine. The actual leader of [Red Cats] is basically Est-san anyway.
Getting out of the tent, I took out four microvan-sized egg-shaped devices from [Storage].
“These are…”
“They’re called ‘Frame Units’. Yumina, Luu, can I ask this of you?”
“I understand.”
“Leave it to us.”
With familiar movements, the two of them opened the hatches of the Frame Units and got into one each. After some time, a low start-up sound rose from the units, and a large virtual screen showing a plain is projected in front of them. Hm, the plains stage, huh.
From the skies of the empty plain, a Shining Count and a Knight Baron materialized and dropped down onto the imaginary field. Seems like Yumina is in the Shining Count and Luu in the Knight Baron. Right, unlike the ones in the castle, these Frame Units don’t have the data for the Valkyria inside them.
“Uoo! It’s those giant golems!”
“Those are… From the other day…!”
“Wh-wh-wh-what are those!?”
“Fueee…”
Nia and the others each showed a different degree of shock. The [Red Cats] members around us, too, were leaving their mouths hanging open while staring at the screen floating in the air.
“These are the ‘Frame Units’. As you can see, they’re training devices used to practice Frame Gear operations.”
Within the screen, the battle between two Frame Gears began.
The sword slash unleashed by Yumina’s white knight was blocked by the shield Luu’s black knight is holding. Using that force to make a half-turn, the black knight swung its halberd at the white knight this time, but Yumina dodged it by crouching down.
“I’ll be lending these to you guys, so please let the people here in the fortress train… Or rather, play with them.”
“Those? You mean for us to ride in those things and fight in the future?”
“I hope such an opportunity doesn’t arise but… It will probably become necessary. Gaining power for the sake of protecting something is by no means a bad thing, is what I think.”
After listening to my reply, Est-san sank into thought while looking at the virtual screen. Eventually, she gave a nod.
“For now, we shall borrow them as recreational tools. If we can learn those techniques, we might not feel the powerlessness we felt the other day anymore.”
I passed Est-san a notebook-thick user manual for the Frame Unit. Rather than a manual for the units, it’s more like an operation manual for Frame Gears, though.
The battle unfolding within the screen overhead ended with Luu’s black knight’s victory. As expected, Luu would have the upper hand in a close-combat situation.
Having said that, it was a small difference. To have fought that well against Luu, I wonder if that particular ability of Yumina had evolved even further…
The power to see ahead into time and predict the future. Last I heard it was still kind of hazy and incomplete, but if she can master it, it would become a strong weapon of hers.
Not just her alone, the other eight girls who’ve become my dependants might be experiencing some sort of change too.
The Frame Units’ hatches opened, and the two of them came out.
“Alright, I’m next!”
“Ah, there might not be a point for you to practice with that, so don’t force yourself to do it, ok?”
I called out towards Nia who was heading towards the Frame Units with great momentum.
She, who got cold water poured onto her enthusiasm, turned to me with a glare.
“Are you making fun or me or something!? Something like that, I can learn immediately—"
“No no, I didn’t mean it that way. Dr. Elka and the professor at our place are developing a new type of Frame Gear based on golem technologies. Since it seems to have turned out in a weird direction, they’re expecting that only Legacy golems are capable of moving them. And so, since we’ll most likely ask you to practice for that side together with Rouge, there’s not much meaning in you practicing with the Frame Unit, is what I meant.”
I turned my eyes towards the child-sized red golem behind Nia. It’d be good if we can make something that can fully utilize the powers of even a Legacy like Rouge who’s part of the [Crown] series.
“Eh, that is that, and there’s no actual problems in me using these anyway right?”
“Well, that’s true. For the playing part.”
“Then it’s fine isn’t it. Oi, Luu, teach me how to use this please!”
Right away, Nia dragged Luu over and got into the Frame Units.
“Well, she’s quite a dynamic person isn’t she.”
“Basically, she acts like an idiot. That’s according to Est-san, by the way.”
I replied to Yumina’s impression while folding my arms and heaving a light sigh.
Yuni and Yuri too followed after Nia with excited steps, and with Luu as the instructor, four Frame Gears operated by the four girls appeared on the screen.
First up, they repeated basic movements like moving forward and backward, jumping and crouching with Luu’s instructions. Their movements still look shaky, but they should be able to get used to them in time. Our knight order members were like that too.
After this, let’s go pass smartphones to the leaders of Primula Kingdom and Trihalan God- Empire as well. Ah, I can also bring Mentor Central… Oops, the queen of Palerius along to Primula while I’m at it.
If you think about it, the two of them are both descended from the same man, and both became royalties in different worlds… It’s an amazing story. A reunion after five thousand years… When you put it like that it sounds like something momentous, but to be honest after that much time they’ll probably just feel like strangers to each other.
That reminds me, Dr. Elka said before that His Majesty the Primula King has a “stone tablet” that’s been passed down from his ancestors, and that I might be able to decipher what’s written on it. I’ll have a look at it as well while I’m there.
So I thought while watching the screen which is showing Frame Gears that have begun playing tag for some reason.
- Pixel