Invaders of the Rokujouma!? Volume 8 Read online

  The sound of something big hitting the floor could be heard. The next moment, Sanae appeared in the inner room.

  “Ah, you’re back, Koutarou!”

  “Welcome home, Sanae.”

  “Thanks! Look at what we got, Koutarou!”

  Upon seeing Koutarou, Sanae flashed a large smile and, by moving the fingers on both hands, she used her psychic powers to make a small box float in front of Koutarou. It was some anime merchandise that she and Yurika had bought.

  “Good for you, Sanae.”

  “Yeah!”

  With a quick nod, Sanae hurried off towards the TV with the box floating after her. It was almost time for their favorite show—the same anime they’d just bought merchandise of.

  “Ow, that hurt...”

  “Welcome home, Yurika.”

  Yurika staggered past Koutarou. For some reason, she was holding her head in her hands and there were tears in her eyes.

  “I-I’m back...”

  “What’s wrong, Yurika?”

  “No, i-it’s nothing.”

  “Yurika, it’s starting! It’s starting!”

  “Okaaay...”

  As tears continued to well in the corners of her eyes, Yurika sat down next to Sanae in front of the TV. Before long, a familiar song began playing. It was the opening theme of the anime that Sanae and Yurika made sure to never miss.

  “Next time on Magical Girl Love Love Heart: ‘An enemy?! An ally?! Sparkling Heart appears!’ A bouquet of flowers for your maiden heart!”

  After the flashy preview, the show ended. Sanae and Yurika, who had been sitting still in front of the TV all this time, began moving again.

  “Yurika, who is Sparkling Heart, I wonder?”

  “It must be the character we’ve seen peeks and glances of!”

  “Oh, you might be right!”

  “Do you think she’s an enemy?! Or an ally?!”

  “I can’t wait to find out!”

  Sanae and Yurika were excitedly talking about the anime that had just gone off.

  Based on the name, Sparkling Heart is probably an ally of Love Love Heart. Well, pretending not to notice that stuff is part of the fun of this kind of anime.

  Koutarou warmly watched over the two girls.

  “Maybe we’ll get to see some new magic too!”

  “Oh, I hope so! It sure seems like it!”

  The two of them were cheerfully chatting while imitating the gestures performed when using magic in the show. It seemed this week’s episode had gotten them especially hyped up.

  Magic, huh? Oh, right! I totally forgot!

  As Koutarou watched Sanae and Yurika goof off, he suddenly remembered something. He approached the wardrobe and pulled out a long stick wrapped in cloth. It was one of the things he had come across in his travels with Clan. Since it was too long to keep in the container, he had to keep it separate.

  “Yurika, could you come here for a moment?”

  With the stick in hand, Koutarou called Yurika over.

  “Y-Yes?!”

  Yurika seemed a little surprised that Koutarou was talking to her, but she quickly crawled over to the tea table in the center of the room.

  “What is it?”

  “Actually, I wanted to apologize to you.”

  Koutarou put the long stick still wrapped in cloth on the table and sat down in a polite manner with good posture. Since he was about to apologize, he wanted to come across as sincere as possible.

  “About the hot water you used to wake me up this morning?”

  “No.”

  “Then is it about kicking that ball in my face during gym class today?”

  “It’s not that either.”

  “I know! It’s about you sneakily eating Yurika’s taiyaki, isn’t it?!”

  “That was you, Satomi-san?!”

  “Hey now, Sanae, don’t make things more complicated.”

  “I don’t care what you say. You totally ate it.”

  “I did eat it, but that’s not what I wanted to talk about.”

  “Waaaah! You’re terrible! The worst! I was really looking forward to eating that!”

  “I get it, I get it! I’ll buy you another one later, so just calm down!”

  “Really?!”

  Yurika had genuinely started crying, but when Koutarou promised to buy her another one, she stopped at the drop of a hat.

  Yurika, can’t you have at least a little more pride...?

  Though he felt sorry for her, Koutarou couldn’t help worrying about Yurika’s future.

  “Sweet bean jam... Cream... Chocolate... Cheese...”

  “So, Koutarou, what are you apologizing for?”

  Sanae urged Koutarou ahead in place of Yurika, who was busy daydreaming about what flavor her new pastry might be.

  “About that, actually―”

  “Satomi-san, how many are you going to buy me?!”

  “Listen to what I have to say!”

  Koutarou slammed his fist onto the table.

  “...Okaaay, I’m sorry.”

  Waiting for Yurika to shift her focus to him, Koutarou finally began slowly speaking.

  “Yurika, I’m not sure what to say after calling you an idiot and whatnot every time you brought this up, but...”

  “Huh?”

  “Be happy, Yurika. Magic really exists.”

  “Huh?”

  Hearing Koutarou’s words, Yurika’s pupils shrank to tiny dots.

  “I know you won’t believe me right away, but I’ve seen it with my own eyes.”

  “You’re kidding?! R-Really, Koutarou?!”

  In contrast to Koutarou who was talking calmly, Sanae jumped with excitement and immediately wanted to know more.

  “Yeah. I can’t go into the details, but there’s no mistaking it.”

  “Wow, really?!”

  Sanae’s eyes were sparkling. She hadn’t believed in magic, but since she loved magical girl anime, she was thrilled at the prospect of it being real. And since Koutarou was the one saying it and not Yurika, she believed him right away.

  “W-Why now, all of a sudden?”

  However, Yurika herself couldn’t hide her confusion, and she stared at Koutarou with her pupils still tiny as dots.

  “Like I said, I can’t go into the details. I would cause trouble for a lot of people if I did.”

  Koutarou hadn’t told the invaders about what really happened while he and Clan were gone. All he’d said was that they’d run into some trouble that forced them to work together, and during that time, he and Clan came to an understanding. He hadn’t told them that a large amount of time had actually passed during the few minutes they vanished, or anything about the events that had unfolded during that time.

  “Instead of that, I’ve got something cool for you.”

  “Something cool?”

  “Aww, I wish I got a souvenir too.”

  Sanae watched as Koutarou unwrapped the cloth from what he was holding, revealing a staff. Unlike Yurika’s staff, it was mostly wooden with a plain design using black and brown colors.

  “Th-This is...?!”

  The moment she saw it, Yurika was speechless. Powerful magic had been cast on the staff. She hadn’t noticed it up until now because it had been camouflaged by all the mana present in room 106, but now that it was right in front of her, it was obvious to a magician of her caliber.

  “That’s right, it’s a magical staff. By using this, even someone who has no talent for magic can freely use spells. Of course, its effect is weaker that way.”

  “Koutarou, you mean it’s a real magic wand?!”

  Sanae excitedly shook the anime merchandise she had gotten just today. Inside the box she was holding was a small version of a magic wand that appeared in the show.

  “Yeah. Just look.”

  Koutarou smiled at Sanae and grabbed the staff. He stared at the tip and concentrated.

  “Fire! Appear!”

  Immediately after Koutarou said that, a small flame appeared at the tip
of the staff. The staff now almost looked like a long, wooden candle.

  “Wow, fire really came out! Amazing!”

  “This isn’t just a magical staff?!”

  Sanae was surprised by the fire appearing at Koutarou’s command, but Yurika was surprised over something else.

  This staff isn’t of Folsarian design! And what’s more, it read Satomi-san’s mind and cast a suitable spell!

  The magic that Koutarou had just used was different from the kind Yurika knew. The magic she used was what she’d learned from her predecessor, Rainbow Nana. It was the standard magic used in the magical country of Folsaria. Yurika could indeed feel magic at work when Koutarou had summoned the flame, but it wasn’t the same as the Folsarian magic she knew.

  “S-Satomi-san, where did you get this?!”

  Koutarou had met a magician somewhere. Moreover, it wasn’t a magician from Folsaria. That meant it wasn’t anyone from Rainbow Heart or Darkness Rainbow. Whoever it was, Yurika was dying to know.

  “Sorry, but I can’t say. Like I said earlier, if I carelessly say too much, I could cause trouble for a ton of people who helped me out, and I don’t want that. Please understand, Yurika.”

  However, Koutarou stubbornly refused to tell her. His tone was calm, but it was a firm rejection.

  “O-Okay...”

  Yurika reluctantly withdrew. After sensing his resolution not to tell her, she realized that questioning Koutarou further would be useless.

  It doesn’t seem like there’s any danger, so I guess it’s fine for now...

  Yurika imagined that while he was gone, Koutarou had met a magician who’d helped him. And based on what he said about not wanting to cause them any trouble, it probably wasn’t an evil magician. And if it wasn’t an evil magician or someone related to Folsaria, Yurika had no reason to interfere. And since the owner of that staff was Koutarou, there was no need to worry about it being misused.

  “Here, Yurika.”

  Koutarou presented the staff to the silent Yurika.

  “Satomi-san?”

  After taking a look at the staff, Yurika gave Koutarou a suspicious glance.

  “I said I got it for you, didn’t I?”

  “You’re giving this... to me?”

  “That’s right. Here, take it, Yurika.”

  Koutarou nodded and pushed the staff into Yurika’s hands. Not understanding what Koutarou wanted, she shifted her glance between him and the staff in her hands. Koutarou clearly believed in magic now, but she couldn’t understand why he would be giving her a staff when she could already use powerful magic.

  I wonder if it can use some kind of special magic...

  Yurika looked at the staff and tilted her head.

  “Good for you, Yurika!”

  Sanae realized Koutarou’s intentions first. She excitedly showed Yurika the merchandise they’d bought earlier. On the box were images of magical girls using their magic wands.

  “With this, you’ve graduated from being a cosplayer! Now you’re a real magical girl!”

  “Ah...”

  With that, Yurika finally understood Koutarou’s intentions too. Koutarou had said that he’d gotten the staff for her. He’d gotten a magical staff that let anyone use magic as a souvenir for a cosplayer who couldn’t use magic. He was definitely not giving a brand new magical staff as a present to the magical girl of love and courage, Rainbow Yurika.

  “Wow! I’m so envious, Yurika! Now you’re a real magical girl!”

  “I’ve been a real one from the start!”

  Sanae’s eyes were filled with envy, but Yurika just started crying.

  S-Satomi-san believes in magic now, but he still doesn’t believe that I’m a magical girl!

  Once she realized why Koutarou was giving her the staff, Yurika couldn’t help the tears. She was well aware that it was for the better if her secret didn’t get out, but at this point, she at least wanted Koutarou to know. However, reality was cruel. Even though Koutarou believed in magic, Yurika was still just a cosplayer to him.

  “Good for you, Yurika! A cosplayer that can use real magic, huh? There aren’t many cosplayers that lucky around.”

  “You’re wrong! That’s not right at all!”

  “Sanae, you don’t have to keep calling her a cosplayer. Her wish has finally come true now.”

  “Ah, right. Sorry, Yurika. That was a little insensitive of me.”

  “Yurika’s always been a magical girl. Let’s just leave it at that, okay?”

  “Koutarou, you’re quite a gentleman, aren’t you?”

  “So you finally realized?”

  “Heehee, I knew all along!”

  “...I want to punch him. I want to beat up Satomi-san...”

  Yurika wept bitterly while firmly grasping the staff. Her position as the magical girl of room 106 had finally been established, but the humiliation she felt was even more intense than ever before.

  Koutarou had brought the staff home so that Yurika had a means to defend herself. In his mind, she was just a cosplay-loving classmate. That’s what Yurika herself had led him to believe. So to him, Yurika was the only civilian mixed in with the invaders.

  On top of that, Yurika was kind-hearted, gentle, and averse to fighting. So while they were both civilians, unlike Koutarou who was athletic and good at fighting, Yurika was practically defenseless against the trouble that had a tendency to surround room 106.

  But what if Yurika got involved in the underground or Forthorthe trouble? Up until now, she had been lucky(?) and managed to avoid that, but that was no guarantee for the future. Koutarou had always been worried about the possibility, so he had gotten her a magical staff so that she could protect herself. If nothing else, it was a tool for self-defense.

  “So to sum it up, that thing can use a lot of spells, but it isn’t all that powerful. So don’t get overconfident. Just focus on protecting yourself, okay?”

  The staff Koutarou had given Yurika was originally created to allow the user to freely access all kinds of magic, so it was a versatile tool in many situations. It was perfect for a civilian to use as self-defense. However, because it had access to such a wide variety of magic, none of the spells it could cast were particularly strong.

  “I understand.”

  Yurika obediently nodded at Koutarou’s words. She was planning on making use of this misunderstanding.

  As long as I have this staff, I can use magic in front of everyone...

  Her perception of the situation had changed, and she was planning on using her own magic while holding this staff. By doing that, it would look like she was just using the magic of the staff to the residents of room 106. They would never know she was using her own magic instead. It was the perfect cover. She could use all the magic she wanted, and they would still think she was just a cosplayer.

  “Hey, magical girl. Don’t get distracted. Put your weight into it.”

  “O-Okay!”

  Yurika was using the staff in her hands to firmly press down on Theia’s shoulders. The staff was vibrating and massaging her shoulders.

  “Ooh... So this is magic, huh? It feels pretty good. Ruth, have her do it to you too later.”

  “Would that be all right, Yurika-sama?”

  “Ah, yes, o-of course!”

  Yurika nodded with a smile. However, behind her smile, she was struggling to accept the situation.

  Something’s wrong... This is wrong somehow... It’s great that I can use magic without revealing myself... but something is really wrong here!

  The staff was vibrating via the power of a minor sonic spell. Yurika was controlling it to give Theia a massage with magic.

  Wait, this isn’t a magical girl’s job!

  Earlier today she had used a heat spell to iron clothes. And before that, she had used supersonic magic to drive away the cats crowding around Corona House. This wasn’t how Yurika had dreamed things would be. She’d always thought she’d get everyone’s respect if they knew that she could use magic.

&n
bsp; And I feel like it’s getting worse and worse...

  Yurika began feeling that she would have been better off just staying a cosplayer. It was indeed convenient that she could use the staff to hide her identity. Now she could boldly use magic in front of everyone to support them. However, Folsarian rules stipulated that magic couldn’t be used for personal reasons. In that sense, massages and ironing were definitely misuses of magic. She wasn’t using Folsarian magic with the staff, so it was a bit of a grey area, but it still made Yurika uncomfortable.

  “Hey, Yurika, can I have your old staff?”

  “N-No way! You can’t have that!”

  Sanae had pulled out Yurika’s staff, Angel Halo, from the wardrobe. With it in her hand, Sanae struck various magical girl poses. Seeing that, Yurika’s face turned pale and she snatched the staff away from Sanae. Normally she was scared of ghosts and would never defy Sanae, but she had to stand her ground on this one.

  “But you have the real magical staff you got from Koutarou.”

  “They’re both real!”

  “I want to be more magical girl-like too! You cheapskate!”

  “This is a precious staff I got from the person who saved my life! I definitely can’t give this away!”

  Yurika tossed her new staff aside and embraced her old one as if trying to hide it from Sanae. Her eyes were full of tears.

  “Jeez...”

  Seeing that, Sanae puffed up her cheeks and easily gave up on the staff. Instead, she floated over towards Koutarou.

  “Koutarou, give me something too.”

  “If it’s a charm against evil spirits you want, you can have it.”

  “I don’t want a charm that explodes whenever I touch it! I want something good!”

  Seeing Sanae back off, Yurika let out a sigh of relief.

  No matter what happens, I can’t give up this staff...

  Yurika’s staff, Angel Halo, was the staff formerly used by Nana, her best friend, teacher, and savior. To Yurika, it was far more than just a tool. It was a precious gift she could never let go of.

  “What would something good be?”

  “Something magical girl-like! And if that’s not possible, something love-like!”

  “And what would something ‘love-like’ be?”