Chapter 56.1
Episode 56 — Wrath of Harao

～ Part 1 ～

Okama Kaoru met them around the time of lower grades of primary school. Kaoru at that time wasn’t an okama or anything, he merely got quality for it. It was only at the degree of preferring to mingle with girls and playing houses since kindergarten. His mother was skillful at housework, being raised looking at her back, he had learned both sewing and cooking to a certain degree by the time he entered first grade of primary school, and acquired girl power.
Kaoru didn’t hate moving his body, nevertheless, he wasn’t too enthusiastic in frolicking around by playing soccer and game of tag in the school yard full of mud. On a certain day, he called out to Sak.u.ma Sachiko who was obediently reading books in a corner of the cla.s.sroom and Akai Asuka who was only vacantly gazing out the window.

He didn’t remember what kind of topic they talked about at that time, but well, their relations.h.i.+p started from that time.

Kaoru had never said it out loud, but he thought that Akai Asuka of those days were a considerably strange kid.
If speaking of how strange, it would be that she never put out her best effort in anything. He had never ever seen her doing anything seriously or desperately. On record, there were many boys who could run faster than Akai, but in contrast to the boys who gritted their teeth and sprinted with all their strength, she simply ran slightly behind them with a nonchalant face. That was the girl called Akai Asuka.

Well, it was just fine if the person herself wanted to take such a stance though.

Akai was indeed strange, but even Kaoru was quite mature for a boy his age, therefore, he didn’t try suggesting to her that she should make a serious effort, not even once.
Only, she was a child at that time, which means she wasn’t so good at ‘hiding her seriousness’ and various troubles had come because of it.

When was it? There used to be mixed-gender soccer. Probably around the time when they had yet to enter upper grades of primary school. Precisely because they were at the stage where the difference in physical strength between boys and girls wasn’t so obvious that there was mixed-gender soccer.
That day, Sak.u.ma Sachiko was a spectator due to her poor physical condition, but Akai and Kaoru made a promise with that Sak.u.ma.

«We’ll take 3 goals from the opposing team».

If one had even the slightest bit of knowledge about soccer, they would understand just how ridiculous a promise that was, but the girls at that time wasn’t so knowledgeable.
Immediately after the game started, Akai Asuka who usually appeared listless suddenly showed agile movements. Nevertheless, her expression remained nonchalant as usual, so it probably meant that she didn’t get serious just yet. Her handling of the ball was amateurish, her dribbling wasn’t skillful at all, but still, she was able to plunder the ball from the boys affiliated to the local soccer boys group, then without allowing anyone to follow her, she carried it till before the goal, and shot.

That was 1 goal.

While the other children and even the teachers was still dumbfounded, Akai Asuka expressionlessly made a V-sign to Sak.u.ma and Kaoru.

In exactly the same way, she got 2 more goals. As promised, Akai Asuka had scored 3 goals in a blink of an eye.

The problem was what happened after that.

Akai obviously started to ease up.
Not that she blatantly played hooky on the field. She did go get the ball, did try making pa.s.s. But her movements were obviously shoddy compared to before. No, if one was to watch without any prior information, they might see a heart-warming scene of a girl who played with her best effort in a soccer game she was unfamiliar with.
But

if they saw that G.o.d-like movements some time ago, they would inevitably judge that she was cutting corners.

As a result, Akai’s team lost with the final score of 5 to 3. 4 out of the 5 goals of the opposing team was taken away by a boy who was affiliated with the local soccer boy group.

Because that certainly did happen in a physical education cla.s.s, after cla.s.s, a boy approached Akai. Being toyed with by her, he tried to snap back somehow, but even so, he couldn’t catch up and after Akai started getting shoddy in the second half, he achieved a hat trick of scoring 4 goals unaided, it was that youngster of the soccer boy group.

The cla.s.s ended, he rushed over to behind Akai who was talking friendlily with Sak.u.ma, he tapped her shoulder, then, when she turned around, he slapped her cheek, loading into it all his strength.

The boy was immediately dragged away to the staff room by a teacher; at that time, Akai, for the first time, got to know that «There are humans who got angry when you go easy on them».
The biggest trouble was about that incident? Even after that, small troubles occurred several times, and Akai Asuka’s way of hiding her own strength got rapidly more skillful. In the end, even till Kaoru reached this age, he had never saw Akai bringing out all her power.

“Well, because Asuka is like that that I thought there were some circ.u.mstances, but I never would have thought that she’s a vampire.”

Today as well, the sky of Maritime United Nations Albadanba was clear. The sun rose up high, cool waves were rus.h.i.+ng ash.o.r.e. One couldn’t heard the cries of sea birds, but this place seemed exactly like a southern island where one would go to take a vacation on. Naturally, its true state wasn’t such a romantic thing.

On the deck, Okama Kaoru was leaning his back on the side of the s.h.i.+p. He said:

“That’s how it goes. How is it? Isn’t it boring?”
“It’s very interesting.”

The one who said so and puffed up his chest was Harao Masaki the pharaoh.

Kaoru and Harao had been entrusted the defense of the heavy cruiser branch school. To be more accurate, the defense of Akai Asuka who was resting in the branch school. Both Kaoru and Harao had volunteered themselves for this role, but it doesn’t mean that the two had built a friendly relations.h.i.+p with each other. Tell me an interesting story, Harao suddenly made an unreasonable demand, so Kaoru started talking about the old tale of Akai.

“However … that Akai now is weakening … to the point that she can’t get serious anymore…”
“Seem so. This is the first time I see Asuka like that.”

Akai was currently suffering from ‘Blood Crave Illness’ due to not sucking human’s blood. This is a vampire-specific case that causes a bad condition in their whole body due to the spiritual impurities that circulate in their blood.
That Akai was in danger of being attacked by the vampires who were hiding on this island. Which is why the 2 people of Kaoru and Harao had offered to protect her.

“The red moon is hiding, tis power lost…. Is’t good or bad omen…. I doth not know….”
“So poetic as usual, you…”

As he was speaking, he recalled about Sak.u.ma.
Sak.u.ma Sachiko was currently visiting the village on the island together with Ryuzaki. It was to investigate Welkano-s.h.i.+ of the maritime caravan and chieftain Bergel. As an insurance, Sak.u.ma was to use «Temptation» if the talk went sour; she herself had finally shown a positive att.i.tude, but well, Sak.u.ma probably didn’t have the personality to use «Temptation» on unknown people, Kaoru thought.

Nonetheless, if speaking of whether or not she could use it on someone familiar, that was an entirely different problem. After all, it is an act that intervenes and causes impurities somewhere in the consciousness, what it does was close to temporary brainwas.h.i.+ng. Judging from a human’s code of ethics, this ability was clearly one you must not use on your acquaintances.

On that point, Sak.u.ma herself had to have some degree of compromise, but well, as it was, she was but half a succubus.

“(Well, I suppose it’s fine. Half a succubus will do.)”

Previously, she had been half-jokingly instigated by Kaoru, so Kaoru was feeling responsible for that.
But, as a result of thinking variously, like he originally thought, Sak.u.ma didn’t have the personality to use «Temptation» on anyone. Forgetting all that about the prerequisite of a succubus, and partic.i.p.ating in battle as a magic attacker seemed better for her.
She did acquire a fancy cooperative technique with Kyousuke called ‘Big Burst’ after all.

“O Okama…”

As Kaoru was vacantly thinking, Harao called out to him.

“What. No, that’s fine but you, you still won’t call me Kaoruko huh…”
“Signs of evil blood is adrift…”
“Hah…?”
“Be prepared. Tis enemies.”

Before Harao’s words ended, an invisible power thrust Kaoru’s body away.

An attack from the enemy he had mentioned wasn’t what pushed Kaoru. It was telekinesis power of Harao himself. At the point where Kaoru was just now, dark red lightning dimly crackled. Harao held an ankh in his right hand, keeping that aloft in the air, he gazed through the golden mask at the human shadows floating in the sky.

Yes, human shadows, floating.
Cladding in black armor and growing red wings, it was the devils.

“Red Wing…!”

Kaoru squeezed out his voice.

“The pharaoh and the incubus…. One need special caution, one caution, is it…?”

Red winged devils, Red Moon, namely, vampires. Those guys right now was floating above the heavy cruiser branch school, right before Harao and Kaoru’s eyes.
That was still okay. It was within their a.s.sumption. Those guys may come,they had predicted so and that was why they were here now.

If there was a problem, it was about one thing:

“Five of them…!? I haven’t heard anything about this…”

His voice slightly crammed Kaoru muttered.

Yes, over there were 5 vampires with black armor and red wings, they had gathered together and lined up.
According what he had heard, the vampires who had that black armor and red wings were called ‘p.a.w.ns’, they were the lowest grade soldiers even among the vampires. However, when Kaoru and Goubayas.h.i.+ battled one of these guys in the past, they couldn’t stand a chance against them at all, Goubayas.h.i.+ had suffered a serious injury in order to let him escape.
Not only that. These guys once pulverized Kyousuke’s body, kidnapped Kogane. Even with several combat personnel bundled together, they were formidable enough to completely disregard it. That was a p.a.w.n. Because they were ‘Soldiers‘, it was natural that there would be several of them, but 5 of them….

“I think it’s pointless, but let’s advice you just in case.”

One among the 5 vampires floating in the sky raised his hand and solemnly declared.

“Cease your futile resistance and capitulate. We won’t treat you badly.”

So it comes to this? These guys still didn’t give up capturing us.

Harao turned his left hand around his back, he kept the ankh in his right hand aloft and didn’t try to say anything. Kaoru took a glance at that Harao, and then he looked up at the 5 p.a.w.ns and bluffed to his best effort.

“Before that, let me ask. What is it that you 5 have gathered and come to our branch school for?”

No matter how confident an att.i.tude he tried to show, there was naturally a limit. Being attacked simultaneously by this many p.a.w.ns was outside the scope of their a.s.sumption. Many students went out from the branch school, he couldn’t expect any decent war potential.
Even so, Kaoru bluffed.

One p.a.w.n suddenly laughed and answered him this:

“Since you wish to know, we may as well answer. Our purpose is to capture the Queen’s person.”
“Funn, is that so…”

Prediction comes true, is it? That’s not too happy a story in this situation.

“In that case … we declineee!!”