Il Cielo dei Tre Regni
by Lunar Wave
Disclaimer: This story borrows the setting and characters of the Koihime†Musou series and borrows multiple elements from Katekyo Hitman Reborn. I own neither series as they both belong to their respective owners. Also, considering Koihime†Musou could be considered a fanfic of the Three Kingdoms, I'd like to say I don't own anything related to the stories of the Three Kingdoms.
-()-
Arrival of a Dangerous Person
-()-
"Bakazuto. How exactly did you break your arm?"
"Ahaha, that's…" Kazuto winced.
"Did you overtrain the Shigure Souen Ryu. Again?"
"M-maybe…"
"Learn to fight without destroying yourself. If an enemy manages to ambush you now, you'll be helpless and useless."
"You really don't need to emphasize it," Kazuto grumbled, holding his broken arm, as Reborn quickly began burning it with his flames.
"Hold still. And for making me work, I'm going to work you harder."
"You already planned to make me work harder, don't lie!"
Reborn scoffed, "If you just didn't give me so much lip, then maybe I could be nicer."
"Papa always said you just do as you please. Besides…" Kazuto laughed, "It's not like you hate it."
"Maybe not," The hitman smirked, "Being able to stand up for yourself can only be considered a boon to a mafia boss." He then smacked him in the head as a smirk appeared on his face, "But you are more likely to make enemies the more confrontational you are. Aren't you planning on continuing Tsuna's legacy?"
Kazuto grumbled as he shook his arm that Reborn just finished healing.
"Don't break them again. A human's natural healing factor can only heal so much. Be careful."
"… Thanks, Uncle Reborn." For everything. For looking after him. For teaching him. For encouraging his better traits. For pointing out his flaws. For pushing him far enough to start excelling. For holding him back when he gets too much.
Reborn simply smirked, "That's what I'm here for."
Uncle Reborn, his father's teacher ever since childhood. The world's strongest hitman. A killer capable of great feats. And he insisted on teaching him. The successor to one of his own students. Whether it is nostalgia or a sense of duty, he couldn't tell. But Reborn has been one of his pillars growing up.
On some level, in his wildest dreams, he didn't believe he'd ever leave the watchful gaze of the man, at least till he earns his position of Vongola Eleventh.
-()-
"Sonken-sama… is it really alright for you to be moving?"
"Don't treat me like an invalid, Suirei. This much I can handle myself." Sonken Bundai smirked, her arm in a sling, still healing. "As long as you stand at my side, I doubt anything will be able to get to me right now."
"You shouldn't have faced Kayuu personally." Choushou Shifu sighed. "But for the capital to be empty aside from the townspeople…"
"All the townspeople are gone." Sonken frowned. "That is not a good sight. An abandoned capital is a worse sight to see than normal."
"According to Sousou, the emperor is nowhere in the palace." Choushou reported. "Neither is Toutaku, for that matter."
Sonken frowned at that report. "Has anyone sent word to the Coalition Commander?"
"Sousou informed us, so she might send a messenger their way as well."
"Sousou and Ryuubi don't exactly hide their disdain for each other, you know?" Sonsaku pointed out from the side. "Renfa even mentioned that they tended to disregard each other even when they were at the frontlines with each other. Unless, of course, it is to try and coerce Shokatsuryou and Kan'u to her side."
"So new, and they're already making enemies." Sonken laughed. "Regardless, let's begin scouting out the palace as well."
"Understood!"
None of them were aware of the plight that the commander camp was going through.
-()-
Just outside the capital, many bodies were sprawled on the ground. Kept there by a powerful force that no one there truly understood. The source of the attack, a girl, flew above all of them, a beautifully ornate sword pointed at the fallen bodies.
"Hongou Kazuto." She declared, "Die."
"I won't let you!" Chouhi Yokutoku roared, pushing herself up. Her pike is raised and she thrusts it at the flying enemy, who merely dodges by flying a little higher than her range. "N-no fair…"
Kazuto groaned, before beginning to spout words, "Earth Flames. The rarest of the Seven Flames of Earth. It can control gravity."
"G-gravity?" Shokatsuryou Koumei asked as she fumbled with something. Her crossbow was nowhere near her for her to do anything with it.
"Basically, she controls the very concept of weight itself," Kazuto replied with a very loose definition. "What we're feeling is double our weights."
"So that's why she can fly, huh…" Bachou grimaced. "Dammit, I can't even get on my horse like this!"
"You'll break your horse's legs." Kazuto rebuked, before turning his eyes to the sky again. "So, you want to kill me, then? For what reason?"
"And why should I explain anything to someone who is about to die?" She asked, warily looking at Chouhi, who remained doggedly defending Kazuto's prone body. "Get out of my way, brat."
"Well, I'm clearly not about to die, if you can't even get near me." Kazuto deadpanned, watching Shuri's actions carefully.
"Do you believe this girl who can barely stand would be able to stop me forever?" The white-robed girl scowled, talking about Rinrin.
"No, but I'm sure she can delay you long enough for the other armies to know you're here."
"And why would they save you, when they're out for personal glory?"
"Because one's sister is here." Sonken Chuubou, "One's daughter is here." Bachou Mouki. "And an entire army's lord is right here." Kanhyoku Bunsetsu.
She grimaced, knowing that what he said is true, however…
"I don't need to kill them. Just you."
"You need to kill me? I fail to see why anyone would need to kill me." That is not really true. He does know quite a lot of reasons why people would kill him, but… the girl used Hongou. Not Sawada. Only people of this world would have any reason to kill him as Hongou Kazuto. Which contradicts one thing: she used Italian to describe her attack. This world doesn't have Italian.
"It's simply for the sake of this world."
"Lie." Kazuto replied matter-of-factly, catching her and everyone off guard. "What do you mean 'this world'? That's not the reason and you know that."
"Your proof that it's a lie?"
"Intuition." Kazuto replied, his eyes trained at the girl. Everyone only looked at him with looks that he can't really describe at the moment.
"That's not proof at all." The girl replied slowly.
Kazuto scoffed, "You don't hide your body language as well as you think even under all those layers."
"My… body language?"
"As strange as it may sound, I'm not lying."
"That's… Wait, what is that girl passing onto y- STOP!"
"I'm still not letting you anywhere near them!" Rinrin roared.
Kazuto forcefully dragged his hand to his mouth, swallowing two pills that Aisha managed to drag all the way to him, which was passed on from Shuri.
For an instant, the world felt calm, tranquil. Then a blaze of orange burst from his forehead, similar to how his opponent looks.
"That's!" The girl balked at the sight, "But how?" Confusion reigned on her face, seemingly searching for an answer.
"That's my question." Kazuto snarled as his body is surrounded by orange flame for an instant, starting from the ring on his right hand. He then forcefully pushed himself off the floor. His ring slammed into two on his left, and one on his right. He grabbed another box from his pocket and slammed the ring into that too.
Orange flame burst from all four, surrounding his body.
The boy emerged from the flame, in a full black suit, a wooden sword in his hand, earpieces on his ears, and a strange glow on his eyes. Strange metallic boots are strapped on his legs.
"Wh-what, what just? What are those boxes!?"
"Seems that you haven't been keeping up with the times." Kazuto replied. "My turn." And flame burst from his feet and he blitzes at his enemy, with his sword shifting to metal.
-()-
"Why did Sousou-sama tell me to go tell the coalition camp about the missing Emperor?" Kyocho grumbled. Well, she was aware of why, it's just really annoying. Kakouton, the general that she was serving under, is currently under surveillance from General Kakouen, so there was no need for her to be at Kakouton's side at this point. Ten'i is currently the designated Sousou bodyguard as well, so she's alone here.
But to meet the camp of the chibi that called her a weakling, that seemed tense whenever Sousou was around, it just felt as if she was going to be walking to a death sentence.
"They'll be in the city soon enough." Kyocho sighed. "All I need to do is wait for them to come in, and I'll tell them then."
The Sousou Army has no obligations to the Ryuubi Army. If anything, they who completely snubbed their leader countless times, have no right to them. Normally, Kyocho wouldn't even think twice to do what Sousou asked her to, but… The Ryuubi Army is an exception. Every member of the Sousou Army would believe so.
"But still… that niichan was nice." Kyocho muttered. He never seemed to be on guard around them as much. She never interacted with Hongou as much, so she doesn't particularly care to do a favor to them, but…
-()-
"This is so cruel, to burn down the palace…" Teifu muttered as she looked at the burnt lands. "Have they no shame?"
"Suirei, calm down." Sonken told her, although a somber look on her face. All the intricate designs of the building, gone, turned into sludge-like mud. All the treasures stolen, taken away.
"It would be impossible to take all these away without a destination." Sonsaku pointed out. "Where did they go?"
"Judging by the heat of the wood, they burned the capital only recently." Shuuyu told her. "So they had to have been here merely hours before."
Kougai argued, "But if that was the case, then we would've seen them escape! With all the treasures in the palace, it would be impossible for them to leave without being spotted!"
"True." Teifu frowned, looking at the throne room, now utterly barren and ruined. "To think they'd even steal the throne."
"What reason would Toutaku have to utterly destroy this place so?" Shuuyu wondered, "There must be a reason for all this destruction."
"But with this, we gained nothing from victory." Sonken sighed, standing atop the place where the emperor usually sits. She surveys the room, once the most resplendent place, now mere ruins.
"Nothing?" Sonsaku asked.
"No glory can be had from marching into an empty capital." Choushou told her. "No treasures to be made ours. No people to rescue and have them tell stories of our actions. As far as the world will be concerned, we were too late. A coalition that banded together, for a capital that already lost everything."
"Put like that, it sounds romantic, though." Rikuson hummed, looking around.
"If your romance is failure, certainly." Choushou sighed. "In the end, nothing was gained. Anyway, should we at least search elsewhere?"
"Hmm… oh?" Sonken smirked, "What's this?"
"Yes, mother?" Sonsaku asked.
Sonken slowly walked to a nearby fallen torchlight. Not worth much. "Suirei, do you see something here?"
"What do you… This is!?"
In the rubble, a beautiful jade, shaped in the form of a dragon, was quickly retrieved by Teifu. The Yellow Dragon, a symbol of imperial authority.
"The Jade Seal of the Emperor!" Sonsaku said, excitedly.
"This must be a sign!" Teifu said excitedly. "That the Son Family will rise, above the ashes of the fallen Kan!"
"Well now," Sonken said, pleased. "Seems that heaven has deigned to give us a boon for aiding its messenger."
It's a shame that her second daughter, Renfa, wasn't here to see it, as the Son Army celebrated, before hurrying along, the Imperial Seal in their possession.
-()-
Sonken Chuubou could barely afford to look away. All of them have been released from whatever sorcery the girl was using, as she focused on fighting Hongou.
"Stop flying about and die already!" The girl roared, as she swung her blade. Kazuto grimaced as he blasted himself away from the strike, before spinning and charging once more.
"I refuse," Kazuto replied, swinging his sword. "I won't be much of a Hyper Dying Will Mode user if I keeled over for you, now would I?"
The girl merely raised gravity on him in return, but he immediately blasted himself out of the range, before pursuing the girl again.
The two continued with this mad dance of dodging and attacking.
"This is frustrating…" Sei grimaced as all of them on the ground were reduced to spectators, "Shuri, can't you shoot at her?"
"I'm afraid that I'll just hit Kazuto-sama…"
"It's fine!" Touka told her. "Kazuto's trained to fight people over 2 li away! He'll be able to dodge your shots!"
"I'm not as good a shot as that though!"
"Then…" Aisha grimaced, "You! Lend me your bow!"
"Ah, brilliant idea, Aisha!" Sei grinned, "You there, grab a few spare bows and pass them over to us! How many of us here can use one? Bachou?"
"Sorry, focused mostly on using spears on horseback." Bachou shook her head.
"I'm afraid I'm not proficient in it either." Son Chuubou apologized. "I focused mostly on the sword for my studies…"
Kannei shook her head as well.
"How good are you and Rinrin, Aisha?"
"Rinrin's about the same as a regular foot soldier," Aisha grunted. Not amazing, but good enough to point the bow and hit something. "As for me…" Aisha pulled back the string of the bow and shot.
Kazuto instantly moved out of the way, but the enemy slapped it down with a point of her sword. However, the distraction was enough for Kazuto to move in and take a swing.
"Guh!" The girl growled as she blocked the strike with her sword. Kazuto would've taken more chances but the girl immediately sent him hurtling away.
-()-
"Should we interfere soon? That's your student, right~" A manly voice, speaking effeminately, asked.
"Not yet. I need to see how much he's come." A younger, childish voice replied.
"Ahh~ But he's not doing well, not at all…"
"This is his first aerial battle, after all."
"So when do we go in?"
No reply was given, as the younger voice simply took in the situation. Instead, he addressed the boy that kept getting sent flying across the sky, "Bakazuto. Sky Flames are the strongest when it comes to flight. If you're losing in an aerial battle, then you still need training."
-()-
I still need training. Kazuto thought as he shoes burst in orange flame once more, to escape the gravity field that was created by his opponent. Flying training. At best, all he's doing is flying in straight lines. Predictable and easy to read, but… it's not like his opponent has a lot of tricks either.
"Is that all you can do with your flames?" Kazuto called out. "I've fought stronger!"
"It works, doesn't it?" The girl growled. "And you're not doing any better, are you?"
Kazuto grimaced. His only encounter with Earth Flames is against the Shimon Family heiress, his childhood friend Kozato Mikoto. And she was amazing with her flames… but she didn't exactly fly with them. This is an entirely different game for him.
Kazuto gritted his teeth, focusing. Why did Mikoto not fly with her flames again? There has to be a reason.
Then it hit him. Concentration. Mikoto would have to literally focus in two places at once. This effect is mitigated by the fact that Hyper Dying Will Mode pretty much boosts a person's natural capabilities… However… That means…
Kazuto decided to put it to a test. He rushed forward once more.
"How long will it take for you to learn!?" The girl scowled, as she raised her sword and sent him backwards once more.
"The more you hit me away, the less chance you get to kill me, you know!?" Kazuto called.
She grimaced at the call out. She knew that he was right. And she's on limited time, as Shokatsuryou was starting to command her soldiers to move out of their way, to begin…
"FIRE VOLLEY!" Shokatsuryou cried, her feather fan forward.
"FIRE!" Kan'u roared, foregoing her own spear to her side to use one of the bows.
"FIRE-NANODA!" Chouhi yelled, a relatively clumsier hold on the bow.
"Kazuto-kun! DODGE!" Ryuubi cried out, and Kazuto weaved through the rain of arrows sent their way. Any arrows that happened to hit him were deflected off his suit.
"FOOLS!" The girl roared, swinging her sword and sending the arrows spiraling back to the army. But that distraction was enough.
Shigure Souen Ryuu, First Form. Offensive. Shajiku no Ame. Kazuto mentally cried out as a burst of fire surrounded him as he thrust the blade towards the girl.
Ordinarily, this would've been enough. Ordinarily, it would've been, but…
Kazuto's eyes widened as the girl quickly switched targets, the arrows falling uselessly towards the ground. She raised her sword and…
"GAAAH!" Kazuto was sent hurtling down onto the ground. The sheer force that he felt was nothing like he ever felt before. Mikoto never aimed to kill him with her gravity. He felt like something broke, but he's uncertain. A lot of pain was going through his body right now.
"Finally. You're done." The girl coughed, flying downwards.
"Kazuto-kun!" Ryuubi cried, drawing her sword and rushing forward.
"Forward, protect our lord!" Kan'u roared.
"Stay still!" She roared, and a swing of her sword once more brought everyone to their knees. This, of course, meant that Kazuto was no longer in the target zone. But…
"Guuuhhh." Kazuto gripped his sword, trying to force himself up. Pain burst through him, but he ignored it. He… And the flame on his head goes out. Dammit!
"You survived that hit. I'm impressed. I'm sure I hit you with my sword." The girl frowned.
"The Shichiseiken… the Seven Star Treasure Sword." Kazuto guessed. "For a sword that has 'star' in its name, it seems to be a powerful Earth weapon."
The girl nodded. "Just from its appearance, you figured that out, then. But don't think you'll survive the next strike."
He grimaced, thinking of his options. He could… send himself flying with his boots, but that's just more likely to send him spiraling out of control now that he was forced out of Hyper Dying Will Mode. Still… better than dying. He began pushing flames into his feet and let it burst. He began speeding away, and towards the others, but the girl simply pointed the sword at him once more.
"You won't be able to dodge this." She frowned, and she manipulated gravity once more, and he felt himself enter a sudden stop, hurting his body more before he was pulled back towards her.
"Kazuto-kun!" "Kazuto-sama!" "Kazuto-niichan!" "Master!" "Milord!"
Several cries were heard but Kazuto grimaced as he awaited the sensation of a stab. His suit won't be able to stop this hit. A high-speed sword stab is beyond what his suit was made to protect…
BANG!
… but that feeling of a stab never came as a gunshot was heard. Once more, he felt as if he was stopped suddenly, and his body protested, as a burly body appeared and carried him away.
"That's enough." The voice of a young child was heard.
A mostly naked burly man was suddenly carrying him, but that's not what he was looking at. No. He was looking at the small figure standing on the shoulder of the man.
The figure didn't look particularly familiar… no, it was. But it was always in photobooks. The picture of the man who would eventually teach him, who was teaching his father before him.
Smaller he may be, but the black fedora, black suit, wielding a green pistol, which retransformed into a green chameleon. But why was he here?
"Chousen!" The girl cried out. "Are you betraying us!?"
"I could hardly bear to watch you hunt down a poor, handsome young man like him." The burly man laughed. "Besides. I've found my own path." He gestured to the baby on his shoulder.
"So, you finally fell to infantophilia." The girl deadpanned, recoiling in disgust, although a sliver of hurt still lingered in her tone.
"Non, non, this is a strapping, handsome man… even if he now looks like a baby."
The baby nonchalantly transformed his chameleon to a sniper rifle and pointed it at her.
"Excuse me, but I have a tardy student I need to take care of. Kindly leave now. Your purpose has reached its limit now."
"P-purpose? Who the hell are you, and why do you have a gun!?" The girl asked, bewildered.
Kazuto coughed, a few bits of blood splattering out. "R-reborn…"
"Ciaossu, Bakazuto. You're late for your lessons." The baby form of Reborn smirked at him from the shoulder of the man.
"Did you just say… Reborn!?" The girl said, recoiling. "The World's Strongest Hitman, Reborn!?"
"So you know me?" Reborn asked, amused, as he turned to the girl.
"J-just stories… o-old ones…" The girl said, cautiously looking at him. "Sh-shit… This isn't good. If the world's strongest hitman is here… I need to go." The girl quickly flew up.
"Do you think we'll let you leave!?" Aisha roared, and her bow is drawn. "FIRE!"
"Doppia Gravità!" She cried out, and everyone was suddenly forced onto the ground once more, even more forcibly than before. A majority of everyone there was knocked out this time, but Chousen remained standing. She grimaced at the sight before her.
"No… at least my target. I need to kill my target." She thought and she turned her eyes downward and at the fallen Kazuto. Kazuto looked back defiantly. She pulled out a dagger and… an arrow struck her arm.
"Guh! Who!?" The girl asked, looking around.
BANG!
"That's your last warning." Reborn nonchalantly replied, as if speaking about the weather.
Clearly, Reborn was protecting Hongou Kazuto. This is not… She pulled out the arrow in her arm and sent it spiraling towards him. She quickly turned away. "Chousen! You'll pay for your betrayal!" She cried out and, faster than even the horses of this era, she flew away. Chousen simply smacked the arrow down. Kazuto strained his eyes to see… the arrow… that's the standard used by the Toutaku Army… Then the one who shot that was… But before he can finish that thought, he felt the call of sleep.
"A dirty mouth on that girl." Reborn smirked, before turning to the boy. "Hoy, Bakazuto, don't fall asleep n-" Whatever else the shrunk Reborn has to say was lost as Kazuto fell to the realm of dreams.
-()-
"Good shot, Ren-sama!" Chinkyuu cheered, sitting next to Ryofu, who was lowering her bow.
"I'm impressed as well. Although, I suppose we can't really join up right now, huh?" Josho muttered from within the carriage. "A shame…"
"Umm, you could go, Josho-san… We can just…"
"Thanks, Yue, but you need a second fighter, and that's my job." Josho waved her off, patting the sword on her side. "I won't leave you hanging."
"You shouldn't have done that." Kaku scolded from within the carriage. "The situation seems to have been handled just fine. What if that sorcerer spotted us?"
"I'm more impressed that she hit." Denhou pointed out. "That was a great shot, Houfu." Ren nodded back.
"Are you going now, Denhou-san?" Yue asked.
"There's still plenty of chaos back there. Going there at night might be better."
"Actually," Kaku hesitantly shook her head, "Our group is planning on sticking out here for a good while."
"Why?" Denhou asked, confused. "You're going to forego a proper roof on your head, you know? Why would you stay out here?"
Kaku winced, as Yue gripped on Kentei ever so slightly. They can't join now. Not with Kentei. While Denhou did not recognize Kentei, she still looks remarkably similar to Reitei. Any veteran warlord will recognize her. If they start questioning Kentei's position, then they'll question them too. And Yue's identity will be revealed before… No. That is unacceptable for Kaku.
"Considering what just happened to the Ryuubi Army, it'll take a while for them to reorganize." Kaku compromised. "Sorry, but this is a personal decision for us."
"Fine, if you've decided." Denhou shrugged. "Although your group will probably get better pay if you joined another army, don't you think? Considering what Houfu-san just did, I don't think any army would reject your group's talent."
"Maybe so, but we owe Josho a lot." Toutaku told her.
"I see… but will your group really be fine out here?"
"I don't want to pile on their work right now." Josho took over. "Besides, I want to give Koumei-chan a bit of a surprise."
"Very well then."
"Umm… if possible, can you not tell anyone of our presence here?" Josho asked.
"Eh? It's fine, but why?" Denhou asked.
"You already mentioned that people would want to recruit us, yes?" Josho said, "We want to avoid the hassle of another warlord wanting our services before we even get to speak with Ryuubi."
"Very well. I'll say that I escaped alone if they ask." Denhou nodded.
"Thank you." Josho nodded, smiling towards Ei, who gratefully nodded. Denhou nodded back, walking out and away from the carriage, headed once more to the main camp.
-()-
Reborn scoffed as he watched Kazuto's eyes droop down into sleep. "Lazy brat." He muttered as he surveyed the group. "Chousen, you have an estate here in the capital, correct?"
"It's my adopted father's, but he did leave it to me~ Although I don't think I'll be keeping it~ They'll be hunting me down soon. After all, despite everything, they don't want me to reveal too much of what I know to people."
"Good. Then we'll make use of it." Reborn jumped off Chousen's soldiers and towards the collapsed soldiers of the Ryuubi Army.
"Oh my, they lost consciousness quickly, didn't they?"
"Being subjected to that much gravity all of a sudden is not something most people can deal with." Reborn clicked his tongue. "Any of Kazuto's Guardian Candidates up?"
"Rinrin… is fine." The small girl in tiger themed clothes coughed, some blood spat out. Not a lot, but enough. She grimaced before looking back up, "Sun Guardian, Chouhi Yokutoku." She forced herself up using her spear, then looked at everyone. "Even aneja got knocked out…"
"You recovered faster. Good. That's a good trait for a Sun Guardian. That means you can protect the family sooner than anyone could reasonably expect." Reborn smirked, "It seems my student has learned to choose worthy people."
"Ehehehe." Chouhi laughed, before wincing.
"But now's not the time to dawdle. Chousen has an estate that we can use for treatment." Reborn ordered.
"Right!" Rinrin grimaced. "ANYONE STILL ALIVE!?" Chouhi called, and a few soldiers, who were outside the range of the attack moved forward. "Help Rinrin out!"
"W-w-what happened here!?" Another voice cried out, and Chouhi grimaced at the sight. It was Kyocho Chuukou, Sousou's servant.
"Whatcha doing here, chibikko?" Chouhi asked.
"I… uh… Sousou-sama said to inform your group that the palace is empty…" Kyocho grimaced, looking at everyone. "What happened here?" She repeated.
"We were attacked by an assassin." Reborn interrupted, jumping from the ground to Chouhi's head.
"An, assassin!?" Kyocho looked at the number of people who were all…
"Hey. Can you go tell Choukou? Probably the others too?" Chouhi interrupted. "Rinrin doesn't have time to explain everything, so just go away already!" Chouhi grabbed Kan'u and Ryuubi and lifted them on her shoulders.
"R-right…" Kyocho said, running back to the city.
"Everyone! Begin grabbing the injured! Chouhi Squad! Grab Shuri and Sei. The rest, grab our weapons! Anyone from Bachou's group, carry Bachou! Anyone from the Sonken group, grab Sonken and Kannei! Anyone from the Kanhyoku group, grab Kanhyoku and Hanhou!" Chouhi groaned as she let flames flow through her ring once more, and a burst of yellow flame surrounded her body. This seemed to at least alleviate some of the pains her body was feeling. "Chousen-san, let's go."
"I can help carry a few more people." Chousen offered. It was obvious that Chousen had been offering to carry one of the two that Chouhi was carrying.
"… Grab Shuri." Chouhi replied, stubbornly giving an implied refusal. Chousen shrugged before going over and…
"Uhh, which one?"
"The small one." Chouhi grimaced. Her body was complaining. Chousen grabbed the young girl whose grip on her feather fan is still strong. Chousen even grabbed the blue-haired girl that Reborn could see is wearing a blue ring. The Rain Guardian Candidate, then.
"Then, follow me!" Chousen began running at full sprint, carrying Kazuto, and two girls.
-()-
Chousen was running faster than Rinrin felt was necessary but… Rinrin merely bent her legs and ran faster herself.
She failed to protect her family. That thought echoed in her mind. It was mortifying. Watching Kazuto almost die…
"Don't overthink it." Reborn's voice interrupted her thoughts.
"E-eh?"
"You didn't have a way to fly. You didn't have a way to shoot from afar. All you need to do is learn. So don't overthink it. Your job is to protect the family. And you're all alive. Now you just need to keep them alive."
"Th-that's right…" Chouhi nodded. "Can you teach me?"
"Hmm?"
"How to heal them? You're Kazuto-niichan's teacher, right?"
"So he told you about me?" Reborn smirked, "Fine. It would be a shame for a strong Sun Flame user to not learn how to heal right."
They're all still alive. Rinrin nodded, feeling the breathing of her sworn sisters on her back.
They'll make it out of this stronger. And ready to fight the next time that girl appears.
-()-
"Ugh…" Kazuto grimaced. What happened? Bleary eyes opened, and all he could see is the light of stars from the windows. He tried to move, but…
"Guh!" Kazuto grimaced, as pain burst from his body. It's not as bad as he thought it should be but… Kazuto tried to push himself up again, but various weights were on his body, stopping him from moving.
"So you're up, Bakazuto." A childish voice was heard. But while the voice is not one he would normally connect to the man, only he called him 'Bakazuto'. The demeaning nickname that he generally reserved for when he does something that could be considered rather dumb.
"R-reborn…"
A silhouette of a smaller version of Reborn's form appeared in his vision, but his eyes have yet to adapt. The silhouette landed on his body, and Kazuto can't help but think that it was lighter than he thought he should be.
"Did you think you can get away from me?" Reborn smirked.
"How… how did you get here?"
"Use your intuition, Bakazuto." Reborn scoffed, "That's practically your only talent."
Kazuto frowned at that. What did he mean by that? The weightless feeling of Reborn… even if Reborn was somehow shrunk to the days when he was a baby, it would still be too light.
"… You're… not actually here?" Kazuto's eyes widened.
"Correct," Reborn smirked. "But you took too long to figure it out."
"… It's been over half a year since I last saw you."
"It's just been a couple of months or so for me." Reborn shrugged. "You missed Christmas."
"So, time really does move slower for you… but not by much" Kazuto coughed. Checkerface was right. "So, if you're not really here, how are you…"
"I had Irie Shouichi program a holographic communicator, and then we chucked it into this place. Unfortunately, the communicator landed in the middle of enemy camp."
"The group the girl was from?"
"Yes." Reborn shrugged. "Did you not appear there?"
"Apparently I went full shooting star and landed in an open field." Kazuto replied.
"Interesting." Reborn hummed. "Anyway, I will have you keep the communicator on you at all times. No arguments, except bath time."
"Right…" Kazuto sighed. "So you'll be here the whole time?"
"Unfortunately, I do still need to eat and sleep." Reborn grimaced. "Tsuna would not let me strap myself in a bed, with an IV Drip and just stay here as long as necessary. Which means I also need to keep up my own physical fitness. But I'll be here for as much as possible, as is my duty as your home tutor."
"Can you still be called a home tutor if you're not living with me anymore?"
Reborn pointed his gun at him, before scoffing, "You're lucky that I'm not physically here, or I would shoot you."
"… So… do I need to know the specifics of your communicator?"
"It's durable enough to survive most conditions," Reborn smirked. "It's powered by Dying Will Flame, as is obvious, so keep it charged. Currently, only former Arcobaleno can use the communicator, so your dad won't be coming through anytime soon, but that's a limitation on our side, so we might be able to upgrade it in a couple of months." Kazuto wanted to ask what's so special about the former Arcobaleno, but…
"… I see…" Kazuto nodded. "So, how did you figure out that I'm on this side of the world?"
"You don't need to know that. Leave that problem to Irie Shouichi." Reborn scoffed. "Right now, your job is to become a suitable successor to your father, as the Eleventh Head of the Vongola Family." Reborn scoffed. "You've missed months of lessons. I will be remedying that."
"I could always just chuck this communicator away."
"You could," Reborn smirked, challenging him. Kazuto sighed, knowing that he wouldn't. Kazuto moved to stand up, but he felt as if his body was being weighed down by… something.
"Right… so…what happened to me? Why do I feel so heavy?" Kazuto grumbled.
"Your eyes are not damaged, are they, Bakazuto?" Reborn scoffed. "They should have adjusted by now."
Kazuto slowly turned his head to the left to see Rinrin's head lying on his arm.
"She worked hard to heal you up. Fortunately, I was here to instruct her. She's not that good yet, but she has potential. Much like Sasagawa Ryouhei."
But that didn't explain the rest of the weight. He looked to his right and there laid Touka peacefully sleeping on his side, with Aisha just beyond her. By his legs, Shuri was lying down peacefully. They were still wearing their dirty battle clothing.
"Chouhi had them be dropped off here, saying that they would want to wake up to see you." Reborn shrugged. "The bed became a bit cramped, but they did give me plenty of people to teach the girl how to heal. Unfortunately, Chouhi collapsed soon after, so we couldn't move on to the rest of them." Reborn gestured to the room's floor.
"… I see. Thanks, Reborn."
"They're your Guardians, yes? Then there's no reason for me not to help them out."
"… I never planned on bringing them back with me." They're too important to this world. If Ryuubi Gentoku disappears, what would happen to this world's history?
"We'll worry about that later." Reborn replied. "And that's not something for you to decide, is it?"
He felt tightened grips on his right side. But judging by the slow breathing, Touka was still fast asleep. Did she instinctively do so?
"I guess not…"
"Then let's focus on the present. How many Dying Will Pills do you have left?"
"I've used them five times. Once against the Yellow Turbans. Once in training. And three times so far during this campaign."
"Then you have about seven times left." Reborn nodded, "And considering the climate of the near future for you… You'll have to make your own pills… or find a way to reach Hyper Dying Will Mode without them."
"Do they have an expiration date?" Kazuto asked.
"Three years from manufacturing." Reborn promptly replied. "Also, I got those pills about a couple of days before you disappeared."
"Great… that means I have about 2 years and a few months then."
"Most likely."
"Are Sonken, Bachou, and Kanhyoku alright?"
Reborn merely raised his eyebrow, before slowly pulling out his gun again.
"Pink-haired brown-skinned girl is Sonken. Brown-haired ponytailed girl with headband is Bachou. Girl with ribbon and armor shoulder pads is Kanhyoku."
"They're on the floor." Reborn replied. "Two girls are also here too, one with two slings, and a purple-haired brown-skinned girl."
"… Why are they on the floor?" Kazuto asked. "Why haven't their armies taken them back?"
"We told them that we needed to heal them from the effects of sorcery." Reborn shrugged. "They accepted that well-enough. As for why they're on the floor, Chouhi insisted on trying to heal everyone, so they were there. But she collapsed after healing you three. The blonde girl on your foot is still mildly injured. Chousen has bandaged up their wounds, but otherwise, they'll need Chouhi to take care of them."
"I see…" Kazuto muttered.
"Seems you're starting to fall asleep again. That's fine, I suppose. Tomorrow will be a difficult day for you." Reborn looked out the window, "So, for now, rest. You won't be leaving that bed till tomorrow morning anyway." Reborn jumped back up. "I'll be taking a two-hour nap. So anything you want to tell people back home?"
"… Tell Papa and Mama I'm safe. Tell Yoshiko to not worry. As for Mikoto, Damien, Iris, and Aster, tell them that I'll catch up with them soon, so they shouldn't be complacent now." Kazuto smirked.
"Yes. Your flame is strong enough to give them a challenge now, I believe. You just need to start applying it better."
"Right…" Kazuto nodded, as Reborn started fading into yellow flames. The yellow flames dissipated quickly, leaving only starlight to light the room.
He turned to the young girl who did her best. Kazuto reached out his hand and nudged Rinrin.
"Rinrin, get in the bed. You'll get a cold like that."
Rinrin blearily looked at him. "Oniichan…" She slowly nodded, before crawling up and hugging his left side. "You're alive…"
"Thank you, Rinrin. For healing me."
"That's… what… I'm… supposed to do…" Rinrin fell back to sleep, her exhaustion made clear to Kazuto.
Kazuto smiled softly before allowing the call of sleep to beckon him once more.
-()-
The next Kazuto awoke, it's to a kick in the face.
"GAAH!?" Kazuto jumped up, as Reborn rebounded off and landed onto the nearby windowsill. "R-reborn!?"
"Morning, Bakazuto." Reborn greeted, "Now get off the bed so that we can use it."
Kazuto blearily nodded, as he began shuffling off the be-
"Too slow!" Reborn then immediately kicks him off. Kazuto immediately landed on his face.
"How are you hitting me? I thought you were a hologram!?"
"I can touch you just fine, and that's more than enough." Reborn replied dryly. "Alright, put her in the bed."
"Right!" Rinrin moved forward, putting Kannei onto the bed.
"Why am I getting special treatment? Renfa-sama was healed without a bed!" Kannei cried out.
"You tried to soften the blow for your lord every time, and you are suffering the consequences." Reborn scoffed. "Chouhi. Do you remember the procedure now?"
"Yup!" Rinrin nodded, pulling out a spoon-like object, generally used for soups… "So like this…"
"Are you alright, Hongou?" Sonken asked as she pulled him up from the floor.
"Yeah, no problem." Kazuto accepted the pull and he was found standing. "Where's Touka?"
"She needed to meet with the other lords as soon as possible. Kan'u and Shokatsuryou are with her." Sonken replied.
"And Sei?"
"After being healed, she went to reorganize your army." Sonken shrugged.
"Bachou? Kanhyoku?"
"After Chouhi healed her, Bachou returned to her father. After healing Kanhyoku and Hanhou, they too returned to the main camp of their army with Choukou, although I think Kanhyoku will be at the meeting as well." Sonken helplessly replied. "In fact, once Shishun is done, I'll be taking my leave as well to return to mother."
"I see. Thanks for sticking with us all this time."
Sonken nodded, "… The sorcerer that came after us… why did they aim to kill you?"
Kazuto shrugged in response. "I don't know. It's not like she gave a list of crimes I committed or something. She really did think that I had no reason to know since she was going to kill me."
"I see…" Sonken nodded.
"Done!" Chouhi cheered.
Kannei quickly redressed and jumped off the bed to stand at Sonken's side. "Renfa-sama, thank you for waiting."
"Then we'll be taking our leave, Hongou." Sonken smiled.
"Yeah. Take care!" Kazuto waved, and Sonken and Kannei quickly left. Now the only ones left in the room are himself and Rinrin. He then sat on the recently vacated bed.
"… So you learned to heal then, Rinrin?"
"Un!" Rinrin nodded, jumping onto Kazuto's lap, and Kazuto rubbed the girl's head in kind.
"I see… you did your best."
"But I still let you get hurt though…"
"It's not like you can fly, Rinrin." Kazuto laughed. "And we don't have the materials needed to give you the ability to fly either."
"Well, you do, but the technical know-how to do so is beyond most engineers of this era." Reborn scoffed. "Also, Kazuto wasn't flying properly. Straight lines in a 3D battle, Bakazuto?"
"It's not like I have a lot of experience flying." Kazuto rebutted. Rinrin moved off him.
"Then we'll have to fix that." Reborn nodded.
"So who was that girl? The Earth Flame user." Kazuto asked.
"Your enemy." Reborn replied. "That is the most I know about the situation myself. And, unfortunately, Chousen was tight-lipped on the matter as well. It's unfortunate that I'm not physically present, then I could've investigated further."
Kazuto's eye twitched at that, as he felt Rinrin lie on his lap, "… Chousen… Y-you don't mean Diao Chan, right?" Kazuto asked.
"Yep. The girl trapped in a muscle-bound body, or at least that's what she tells me." Reborn replied with a shrug.
"… Right… so where is h-, she?"
"Unfortunately, due to the circumstances of the situation, Chousen has elected to leave us after the battle and go wandering instead." Reborn replied.
"Wait… what?" Kazuto balked. "Why?"
Reborn shrugged, "Chousen was actually a member of their group but is now a betrayer. She believes that she can draw attention away from you right now, as they spend resources trying to hunt her down."
"Is… that really fine?" Kazuto awkwardly said. "For someone who helped me to be in such dire straits because of me? Shouldn't we help her?"
"With what power? You almost died against the assassin, you idiot." Reborn scowled. "Do you really think you can win against that girl now?"
"Why do they even want to kill me?"
"There are many reasons one would want to kill you. All that matters is that they truly and fully need to try and kill you, without drawing too much attention to their existence."
"They failed then." Kazuto scoffed, "Sonken, Kanhyoku, and Bachou were right there, and they'll lend weight to what happened to us."
"The girl they sent to kill you most likely didn't expect you to have outsiders in your group. You didn't have them the last you met, correct?"
"Bachou was. But she was off helping Aisha when I fought a Forest Flame User…" Kazuto replied, grimacing. He softly patted the head of Rinrin who was pretending to sleep on his lap. He can feel the tension in her arms, as she listened in. It seems she didn't want to interrupt, but she still wanted to know. He can understand that feeling.
Rinrin got hurt in the fight. Touka got hurt. Aisha got hurt. Shuri got hurt. Everyone he cared about got hurt. The only ones who weren't hurt were Hinari and Chiihou, and that's because they weren't here.
"Don't beat yourself up over it. It's only natural that people who want to kill you will hurt your family." Reborn told him.
"W-what!? Why do you!?"
"Have you forgotten? I can read minds." Reborn chuckled.
"Right…" Even now, even with Hyper Intuition, Kazuto doesn't know if Reborn is telling the truth or not regarding that. Was he just doing some form of cold reading? Most likely, if Kazuto's being honest with himself.
"Regardless, Kazuto. You are the heir of Sawada Tsunayoshi. As many friends as Tsuna has, he too has enemies. And they attacked you to try to get to him before, have they not? This is merely the same feeling as Tsuna had. Your family getting hurt because someone wants to hurt you. That's how the world works. Especially if your family works to protect you."
"… That doesn't mean I want them to be hurt."
"They will." Reborn rebutted. "They're your family. Some of them will be your Guardians. You can't naively believe that you can take on everything for their sake. They won't want that. Nor would you if the situation is reversed. No matter how stupid you get, stop taking on the burden alone. That's always been your biggest problem, Kazuto. You keep trying to take on as much of the burden on yourself."
"Touka, Shuri, and Hinari do paperwork with me. Aisha, Rinrin, and Sei are the ones managing the army. I think I relegate jobs enough to not be considered that."
"But what happens when you are in danger? Why was it that you refused to gather Guardians before? 'Because Fuyurugi would get hurt.' 'Because Oikawa would get hurt.' 'They're civilians, they shouldn't be dragged into my mess.' That fight with that earth girl only proves my point in the first place."
"Eh?"
"Why did you fight her in the air? She was flying in the first place. Which means that she was confident fighting in the air." Reborn scoffed, "While you, on the other hand, are a newbie, someone who just started. That was your first aerial battle. So why didn't you drag her to the ground? Where your soldiers, who are mostly close combat fighters, are? Where Chouhi Yokutoku can strike her with her pike?"
"I…"
"You can trust your Guardians to fight against people you know they're strong against. But you can't trust them to fight someone like her. Someone who uses powers that they don't know." Reborn finished. "You can trust them to do things that they excel in, but you can't do the same when there's a chance of danger. That's naïve."
"… I…"
"Niichan." Rinrin finally spoke once more, "Rinrin can fight. Like with Ryofu. Rinrin can fight together with you. Rinrin and aneja and Touka-oneechan and Sei want to protect you." Rinrin faced him, a fierce smile on her face. "Oniichan should just hang back and leave the fighting to Rinrin, Aisha, and Sei!"
"… Right." Kazuto winced. "I'll… work on that." Kazuto collapsed on the bed once more, exhausted at the conversation. He once promised Reborn that he'll become strong enough that he can show mercy to his enemies, but… it seems that his priorities have shifted. Now he wished to protect his family, an overprotective, absurdly naïve wish.
"It's not wrong to have a simple, naïve wish." Reborn rebuked him. "It's not wrong to want to protect your family; just remember that they would want to protect you in turn."
"That's right-nanoda!" Rinrin grinned. "Instead of Oniichan fighting alone, we'll fight together, and become stronger together!"
"Right." Of course. Kazuto nodded. He won't change overnight, but he'll have to at least try.
"Hoy, Lazy Student, don't go back to sleep. Isn't there something you should be doing right now?"
"Right!" His mind shifted gears immediately, as he remembered. Touka is talking with the other lords!
"Waah!?"
Kazuto stood up suddenly, causing Rinrin to almost fall to the floor. "Rinrin, to the palace!"
"Right, oniichan!"
"Bakazuto, take the communicator." Reborn told him. Kazuto nodded, sheepishly grabbing the small circular object.
"The switch there will indicate whether you want to talk to someone on our side. Just toggle it and we'll know. Contact me once you and your Guardians are free. I will evaluate every single one of them." Reborn told him before fading away in motes of yellow flame.
Kazuto sighed, before putting the communicator into his pocket.
-()-
When Kazuto arrived in the meeting room, he was greeted by various looks. Some good, some bad. But, for now…
"Kazuto-kun! You're up!" Touka cheered. "Oh and Rinrin~"
"Rinrin, you gonna go to where Sei is?"
"Yup! Besides some of our soldiers need healing too, right? So I'll go over!" Rinrin smiled, before sprinting off.
"Should you be moving so soon?" Shuri asked, worried.
"Rinrin healed me up at the same time as you." Kazuto pointed out, "If I'm not allowed to move, then neither should you three."
"And again, the conversation derails." Sousou sighed. "Just sit down already, Hongou."
"What's going on?"
"The emperor's not here." Enshou told him. "If only we moved quickly enough, we might've been able to get here before they've gone. Another proof that you are a failure of a coalition leader!"
There's a lot of ways Kazuto could rebut that but he settled for raising an eyebrow at her sentence, "That's nice. Then what do you think we should do now?" Kazuto asked, "Are there any clues? You've had a full afternoon to comb through the palace."
Sonken Bundai shrugged, slightly wincing from her still-injured arm, "To be honest, the biggest clue we have is that attack you experienced yesterday. A sorcerer. It's possible that Toutaku was in league with them and tried to attack your group so that they can get through using your group."
That was a fair assumption… but…
"Do you really think Toutaku would take that direction?" Kazuto frowned. "Most of the territories in that direction are hostile to her. If anything, it's more likely that they'll return to their old territory, don't you think?"
"That… might be the case." Batou nodded, "But then the attack against you would be unnecessary."
Kazuto frowned. "Speaking of, Kanhyoku, are you alright?"
"All of us are safe, Hongou-san." Kanhyoku bowed. "But that attack was focused solely on you, though, so I guess most of us actually got out safely because of that…"
"Personally, it must be because of the Heavenly Messenger title." Kazuto grumbled, "The girl was wearing robes, so there might have been a faction that's miffed by that."
"Then why did she not attack you when the coalition is done?" Sousou pointed out. "As much as you are nominally the leader, as long as we're in the coalition we'll be trying to avenge you if an outsider manages to kill you." They won't necessarily protect him, but avenging him is at the very least expected of them.
"How would I know? You and I both know that humans are creatures who move illogically in many ways." Kazuto replied. Sousou conceded that much, as both of them look at Enshou.
"What are those looks for!?"
"That attack also hurt a lot." Touka grimaced, rubbing her arms a bit.
"Are you okay?" Kazuto repeated.
"I'm fully healed." Touka shook her head. "I'm just remembering how painful it was."
"An attack that causes weight to increase." Kanhyoku muttered.
"A fearsome sorcery." Batou grimaced. "How does one fight such a power?"
"Be stronger than them." Kazuto grimaced.
"… That's absurd." Sousou pointed out. "You were there yet you failed to deal with it yourself. At worst, we'll have to run from such a person next time."
"There are only so many things she can concentrate on at a time." Kazuto replied. "If multiple armies can surround her and shoot arrows in intervals, there's a chance while someone distracts her, then there's a good chance to hit her…"
"We did do that." Touka pointed out. "And it failed."
"Well, I was the only distraction, wasn't I?" Kazuto sighed. "If… never mind, we'll talk about this later, preferably with everyone in our army, and not the coalition table."
Touka nodded, a small, sheepish laugh escaping her mouth.
"Would be grateful to know a strategy to deal with the sorcerer." Batou told them.
"I already gave you my answer. The best I have is 'be stronger'. I don't have anything else for you, so unless you want to turn this meeting into a brainstorming session, let's focus on Toutaku." Kazuto told them, "So, aside from the assassin, are there any other clues? Hints, clues, anything?"
"If what you said is true, then there's a chance our enemy has retreated to their old territory." Sousou pointed out. "Should we march in that direction?"
"I've had enough of this!" Enjutsu complained. "Now that we have control of the capital, isn't that practically a victory for us?"
"Without the emperor? Hardly." Sonken hummed.
"What about the treasures in the palace? Were anything missing?" Kazuto asked.
"Looted. Completely and utterly." Sonken told them. "The entire capital is empty, even of people, even of women and children. There's not one person left."
Kazuto winced, as Touka grimaced. No wonder the trip here was quieter than it should've been.
"That's not the only problem! The Imperial Seal's gone missing too!" Enshou slammed the desk. Kazuto spotted Sonken hiding a small smile. Well, the Romance did mention Sonken managing to get the thing, right? That's… not good. Not good at all for them. He'll have to warn them later.
"I'd think the people being missing is more problematic." Kazuto pointed out. "Such a mass exodus would certainly leave tracks, yes? Did any of you look around for carriage tracks?"
"None in the direction of the west." Sousou replied. "It's like the entire town simply vanished."
"Sorcery perhaps?" One lord suggested. And with that, everyone turned to Kazuto.
Kazuto raised his hand in surrender, "Unless I see it happen, I'm not making assumptions."
"Fair enough." Sousou sighed. "But now what?"
"O-hohohohoho!" Enshou laughed. "So it's now I who has more information than anyone on this table then?"
"Eh?"
"I've come across a survivor of the capital's destruction." Enshou smirked, "She asked to join my army, and I took her in! So here's my new strategist, Denhou Genkou! Maachi, come in~"
"Hello, everyone." Denhou bowed, although Kazuto could tell she was nervous. For a new recruit to be brought to the table like this, it would certainly feel like a trial by fire.
"So you lived here?" Batou asked, getting straight to the point.
"Yes sir."
"So you knew of Toutaku's tyranny then?"
"Only rumors, I'm afraid."
"Rumors alone? Even though you're in the capital?" Sousou asked, sharply.
"There were certainly cruel things done under Chancellor Toutaku's name." Denhou hurriedly said a bit alarmed, "But I've never personally been involved, being mostly part of the administration. I never saw the results myself."
"I see. And you didn't see fit to rebel?"
"With all due respect, I'm but a mere scholar. I've no army."
"I see. Then what of the capital's destruction?"
"I don't know much details myself, but…" Denhou frowned, "There were these white-robed people who started putting people under sleep and dragging them somewhere. I barely escaped myself."
"White robes… like the assassin." Kazuto nodded. "And that's all you know?"
"I'm afraid so."
"When exactly was this kidnapping spree?" Kazuto asked.
"An hour or so before your group arrived." Denhou grimaced. Seems that she realized the other problem about the situation.
"... That's not a lot of time." Kazuto pointed out. "Even if only a few hours behind, it would be impossible to move an entire capital's population without us seeing them."
"We already know that the Toutaku Army employed sorcerers." Batou pointed out. "This could be yet another sorcery."
"Has anyone sent scouts out for any possible retreat location?" Kazuto asked.
"No signs of people passing through any routes." Sousou shook her head.
Kazuto slowly turned around, "So…" He looked meaningfully at everyone, "we've got no leads then."
"Then what?" Enshou asked.
No one said anything. Kazuto fretted over the situation. In all honesty, Kazuto didn't even care to continue the campaign anymore. He just doesn't have any stakes left for this fight. However, he still needed to keep the charade. That he is doing his job as the leader of the coalition. Besides, he didn't even know if Toutaku took him up on his refugee offer. And if Toutaku truly is a tyrant then there's a chance that she did as history happened, and they retreated to the western capital.
"Then we've really got nothing." Kazuto sighed. "I don't know how our enemy managed to slip the entire population of the capital, aside from Denhou-san, out, but… with no clues, we'll just be running blind."
"Truly a conundrum." Sonken frowned. "Then what should we do?"
Kazuto didn't know. Suggesting disbandment at this point just feels like admitting to a loss. No one would accept tha-
"I think we should disband."
-()-
Chapter End
-()-
Chapter Release Date: January 17, 2020
Last Edited: August 25, 2020
-()-
Beta Reader: Seraphius
Huh, I almost thought I couldn't post a chapter today. For some reason, this chapter simply refused to upload, so I'm forced to do a Copy Paste instead. Well, here it is.
Kazuto and Touka's charisma generally manifests in this story in their ability to derail a conversation long enough to let everyone be aware of their character. Or that's my excuse for writing conversations that go on for ages.
Edit: Hahaha, LOL, I wrote 2019 instead of 2020. Silly Author and posting things without checking.