kscans

Chapter 222 - Even the Pandemonium Takes Notice

Some time passed after the test of my homemade Magi Battery.

It was a Saturday, still in early October. I found myself in Tokyo once again.

At Tokyo Station, I managed to avoid getting lost by sticking to Erina-san and the others' backs the entire time, except for a trip to the restroom. I felt a sense of personal growth.

Last time, and the time before that, I had been swept away by the crowd and gotten separated before I knew it...

After all that, we checked into our hotel and then headed to the Central Government Complex in Kasumigaseki. The bus was too crowded to get on, so we took a taxi.

Still, Tokyo was as crowded as ever, enough to make my head spin. Was it really true that there were fewer people now than before the 'Day of Awakening'?

But what was surprising was that the population hadn't decreased that much even after the 'Tokyo Incident.'

The taxi driver told me that a rumor was spreading that 'in Tokyo, powerful Awakened Persons will fight for you in an emergency.'

During the Tokyo Incident, it was the 'B-Rank Candidates' of the time. And the mysterious monster that Yamashita-san and his group fought the other day was dealt with by them and a 'passing master Awakened Person.'

I don't think such good fortune... no, a blessing in disguise, would happen so many times. But there was no need to go out of my way to deny it when the city was so lively.

As I was glossing over the conversation with some appropriate social smiles and nods, we arrived at the government complex.

I paid the fare in cash and got out of the passenger seat.

"Thank you very... eh?"

The driver's words, directed at my back as I got out of the car, stopped unnaturally.

I turned back to see what was wrong, and he was staring at me with wide eyes.

"At this place, with that back... don't tell me you're...!'"

"Thank you for the ride."

I didn't answer his question, but instead gave him a business smile and started walking toward the government building with slightly larger strides.

As I walked, I whispered to Erina-san and the others who had come up beside me, a cold sweat on my brow.

"Is my back that distinctive...?"

"No. But perhaps due to your level ups, your back now has a strange sort of dignity to it."

'Though from the front, there's no dignity whatsoever!'

"A ninja speaks with their back, you know...!"

"Excuse me, if you're going to make a joke, please leave a little room for me to retort."

"I'm not joking!?"

'Neither am I.'

"That's even worse."

While having such a silly conversation, we finished at the reception and got on the elevator.

We arrived at the floor specified in the email, got off, and followed the signs right in front of us. It seemed to be the same room as last time.

Standing in front of the double doors, I couldn't help but stare into the distance.

"...Do you think the other 'B-Rank Adventurers' have reformed?"

"Impossible... They are already in a place from which they cannot return."

'Mia is pretty far gone herself, though.'

"Sis?"

I let out a small sigh, glancing at Mia-san, who had started bickering with her sister through the earring.

Did I have to face that pandemonium again? The thought alone was depressing.

Then, recalling what happened last time, I hurriedly turned to Erina-san.

"What's wrong, Kyouta? I'm all ready!"

There stood a full-armored idiot.

She wore a sash that read, 'I am the head of the new generation of ninja,' and held a banner that said, 'The Invisible Ninjas have arrived!'

In her hands was a bundle of flyers that read, 'A pure vote in the village chief election,' with mine and Erina-san's faces printed on them for some reason. There was even a catchphrase I had no memory of saying. What was this, 'Embrace my Wind Release and ascend to heaven!'? I'll send you to hell.

A beautiful blonde girl, dressed in a style reminiscent of the Taisho era, was sparkling with excitement in an outfit that not even a street performer would wear. In addition to the sash and banner, she had rubber shuriken hanging from a headband and a ninja sword... probably a bamboo practice sword, at her waist.

"Erina-san."

"Yep! Let's do our best for our coalition government, Kyouta! Once we're elected, we'll welcome Senpai, Paisen, Shī-chan, and Ā-chan as executives and advisors, and run the village together!"

"Me grabbing you by the neck and sprinting all the way home, or you taking off that ridiculous getup right now. Which do you prefer?"

"My! How lewd, Kyouta! To ask me to strip in a place like this, you're so shameless!"

"..."

"I'm going to put everything away, so just wait a second!"

My seriousness must have gotten through to her when I cracked my knuckles silently.

Erina-san put away the sash, banner, flyers, and other mysterious equipment into her Item Box, transforming from a suspicious person back into a beautiful girl in a hakama.

She pouted her lips, expressing her dissatisfaction like a child.

"Geez. You're so stingy, Kyouta. To get so mad just because I made up a line for you without asking-"

"Are you implying there's nothing else to be angry about here???"

I once described Erina-san as 'unbound by the chains of common sense.'

This self-proclaimed ninja was unbound in a completely different way.

"I'm already tired, but... let's just get it over with and go in."

"Why do I have to feel this way just to attend a briefing?"

"This is so exciting!!"

Mia-san and I both stared into the distance, but the self-proclaimed ninja was as energetic as ever.

Was she one of them, too? Perhaps it was difficult for the second hopeless girl because she tried to be relatively sensible.

As the only person with common sense here, I wanted her to somehow stay on this side.

"I'm opening it..."

I called out to the two of them just in case before opening the door.

I entered, whispering, "Excuse us," and as expected, a scene that could only be described as chaos unfolded before me.

A drill-haired lady and a cat-eared butler in men's clothing, taking turns being dominant and submissive.

A bikini-armored, hairy old man and a muscular samba woman, comparing their muscles.

A pair of cross-dressing boys, doing some sort of candle wax play in the corner of the room.

A pompadour, an afro, and a mohawk, bumping their hair together and praising each other.

A beautiful Dark Elf woman in a kindergarten-like smock, whom I hadn't seen last time.

And another new face, a shirtless dwarf man with butterfly-like wings on his back.

...Oh, dear. I want to go home now.

The pandemonium before me made my face scrunch up like that wrinkled Pikachu meme from a few years ago.

"Oh, if it isn't the Invisible Ninjas!"

"That's right! We are the Invisible Ninjas!!"

I turned my gaze in the direction Erina-san had cheerfully replied, a bad feeling in my gut.

My entire field of vision was filled with flesh tones.

To be precise, a rich chest hair and powerful pectoral muscles, and a fine six-pack were closing in.

"It has been a while! I am glad to see you are well!"

"Umu. It is best for the young to be energetic."

The UMA, Stars and Stripes Boomerang Man, and the yokai, Fundoshi-Only Old Man, had appeared.

It was as violent a scene as ever. In a bad way.

"Ah, hello... during the Tokyo Incident, thank you for protecting the evacuees."

"Nonsense. We merely acted according to our own justice."

"Indeed. We only fulfilled our duty as those with power, and our role as adults."

Their words really are respectable. I thought so back then, too.

It's just that the impact of their appearance, or rather, their attack power, is way too high.

"Hmph. I wasn't there at the time, so I feel a little out of place."

"Ah, you're..."

Just then, a woman in a white tuxedo, top hat, and a mask covering her face approached.

...To think that in this group of 'B-Ranks,' this appearance would be classified as normal.

"Well, everyone seems to be in good spirits. How about it? A duel, perhaps?"

"Ah, no. The briefing is about to start, so..."

"I see... what a shame."

The white-masked person opened their tuxedo, revealing a large number of Yu-Gi-Oh decks.

I couldn't see their face, but I could tell they were genuinely sad about my answer.

But for some reason, I didn't feel a shred of guilt. Yeah, because I'm the victim being harassed by a weirdo here. I'm not in the wrong.

Why am I being harassed by a weirdo within three minutes of entering the room?

"I thought that if I could drag a famous person like you into the swamp, I could spread the word more... you don't have time after this?"

"Sorry, I have a prior engagement... famous?"

I had plans for Erina-san to drag me around to various shops after this, so it wasn't a lie.

However, being called famous caught my attention.

"Is my back that noticeable...?"

"It's not limited to your back. To begin with, high-level Awakened Persons are of a different 'caliber' as living beings. Just by standing, you draw people's attention."

"Huh."

So, in other words, people instinctively react to the mana I'm unconsciously leaking.

...I might need to work on my mana control more.

"On top of that, there are several products related to you out in Tokyo."

"What did you say?"

"Invisible Ninjas manju. Invisible Ninjas senbei. Kyoko Yajima photobook. The War Chronicles of Kyoko Yajima. The tea shop favored by Kyoko Yajima..."

"Wait. No, seriously, wait."

I reflexively shot a glance at the self-proclaimed ninja, the prime suspect, but her head immediately shook from side to side.

If she were to do something like this, it would be 'with good intentions,' so she probably wasn't lying. In that case, it meant some strangers were doing it without permission.

"I have no memory of putting out such things... and who is 'Kyoko Yajima' anyway?"

"Is it not your transformed appearance? Then, is it as the rumors say, the 'phantom fourth member of the Invisible Ninjas'...?'"

"No such person exists."

The white-masked person showed me their smartphone screen.

On it was, of all things, a picture of me in drag from the cultural festival. As her gloved finger slid across the screen, a picture of me in a maid outfit from the sports festival also appeared.

...I see.

"Erina-san."

"I've called Grandma! Leave the lawyers to me!"

"I'm in your debt."

"Don't mention it!"

A healthy commercial spirit is a good thing, but there are limits.

My patience has run out...

"Oh, how scary. Well, this is just what they call the price of fame."

"This is why I hate standing out...!'"

"It's a shock, because you're a ninja."

"I am not a ninja."

"!?"

I have a desire for recognition, too. But I don't want to become a celebrity and be turned into a 'product.' I refuse to be judged by self-proclaimed critics and made into a toy on the internet.

As we were having this conversation, it was almost time for the briefing to start.

I shot a protesting glare at Mia-san, who had become a wallflower, leaving me to deal with the weirdos, and then sat down in a nearby folding chair.

However, it seemed that, as the white-masked person said, I was rather conspicuous.

Just by lightly scanning the room, I made eye contact with quite a few people... at least, with the members who were at the Tokyo Incident.

"It seems you'll be the main focus in the village chief election, Kyouta...!"

Well, it's possible that the attention is on the self-proclaimed ninja next to me rather than on me.

After all, she has good looks and a personality that doesn't get buried even in this pandemonium. You could also call her a member of the super-weirdo class.

But a presence that drew even more attention entered the room.

Leading the way was a petite girl with a well-endowed figure and long black hair in a two-side-up style.

Flanking her were a beautiful girl with elf ears and a stunning figure, and a slender beauty with gray hair in a ponytail.

The white-masked person went to talk to that trio of different types as well. And for a few seconds, every gaze in the room was fixed on them. I was no exception.

In terms of presence, that trio was a cut above the rest.

It wasn't a matter of pure mana capacity. It was what you might call a natural 'aura.' If this world were a manga, they would surely be the main characters.

I had seen programs about them several times. There were almost always threads about them online. And they were all filled with positive content. Their overflowing charisma and the air of the powerful must have captivated many.

If the era had been different, they might have become kings or queens. As the consciousness of the formidable individuals gathered here was drawn to the entrance of these girls, who gave off such an impression...

A single man quietly entered through another door.

"Everyone, thank you for waiting."

A man in his thirties with glossy black hair styled neatly, wearing an expensive-looking suit without a hint of awkwardness.

With a face that looked like it belonged to a stage actor, he stood at the head of the room with a friendly smile.

Akasaka Yuusuke. Director of the Dungeon Agency and the one who had gathered this group.

And the 'scary person' who had the aforementioned trio perfectly under control.

"Well then───let's begin the briefing."

The briefing on the 'A-Rank Adventurer System' was about to begin.