Chapter 264 - No Cradle
(1)
Rurururu...
"Hello~"
"Good morning, Toya-kun~"
"You're early again today."
"Was I a bother?"
"No, not at all. I'm happy."
Yay.
"The semifinals are today, right?"
"The opponent seems tough too, so it might be difficult."
"You'll be fine, Toya-kun."
"Basketball is a game played by five people."
It's not always Toya-kun's one-man show.
"Don't waste tomorrow's ticket, okay?"
"I got it."
"Will you be back tomorrow?"
"Yeah, that's the plan. When I get back, I'll give you lots of attention."
Yay.
"I'm looking forward to it~♪"
"Well, Tasuku is waking up, so I'll hang up now."
"Okay."
Morning job done.
Now I just need to make breakfast, eat, do the laundry, clean Toya-kun's room...
School's off today. What should I do~?
I wonder what everyone's doing?
"What's everyone up to~?"
I sent it to the Unity group message.
"Was sleeping."
"Getting ready for my part-time job now."
"Just finished the housework. What are you doing, Airi-chan?"
"Just finished housework, relaxing in my room."
"Anyone free want to get together?"
Kana's suggestion got the free people on board.
"That sounds good. Is the family restaurant okay again?"
"Isn't that fine?"
"Well then, Airi-chan, we'll come pick you up."
Emi said that for me.
"I think it's fine on a holiday, though?"
"Can't let our guard down. They're the kind of people who would even dig up Kanna-chan's past."
"I can't forgive that!"
"Yeah, there's something I want to talk about regarding that. Makoto-kun, can you come too?"
"Me? I'm off today, so I can go."
"Well then, I'll tell you when we meet."
The log keeps flowing.
"We still need preparations to strike from our side. Everyone, be careful."
Watanabe-kun is saying.
"It's a meeting for those preparations. Don't worry."
"Got it. I have the day off from my part-time job too, so I'll come."
After a while, Emi came to pick me up.
I sat in the back seat.
"Nothing's happened to you since then, Airi-chan?"
"Nothing~"
"That's good."
We headed to the family restaurant with Ishihara-kun driving.
When we arrived at the family restaurant, the Sakai couple, Watanabe-kun, Makoto-kun, and the Kimoto couple were there.
"Everyone's having a tough time even though it's Saturday."
"I guess it's also to take tomorrow off."
Emi and Watanabe-kun said.
"So, what's the talk?"
Makoto-kun said to Emi.
Emi handed a manila envelope to Makoto-kun.
"What's this... wait, seriously!?"
Makoto-kun was surprised when he saw the contents. What was inside?
"You even looked up the phone number for me. That much was easy. Leave it to the professionals?"
Emi said that and laughed.
"I'm impressed."
"So, what did you find out?"
"I just identified the owner of the smartphone you leaked to me, Makoto-kun. There were a lot of prepaid ones, but even so, it was no trouble at all."
What kind of job do Emi's parents have, I wonder?
"So, what are we going to do with this guy?"
"I was thinking we could all discuss that."
"Is this 'God' guy in here?"
"I don't know about that. I couldn't find out the code names, after all."
No one would contract under a code name, right? Emi laughed.
"Should we investigate them one by one and expose them as retaliation?"
"If we put pressure on them, they'd be unemployed in no time, you know?"
Watanabe-kun and Emi's conversation is getting dangerous.
"Speaking of pressure, actually, I've already started wiretapping..."
Makoto-kun said.
Huh?
"It seems those guys are investigating the relationship between the Shiratori Company and the local bank."
"Isn't that bad?"
Kana said uneasily.
"They've already sniffed out that the Sakai Company bought up the local bank's shares."
"It's fine, the documents haven't leaked anywhere. Neither side should suffer any damage."
Emi said.
"For now, let's all go without secrets. That could become a weak point."
"Yeah..."
When Makoto-kun said that, Emi nodded.
"Should we counterattack soon? If we quickly take the head, it'll be over, right?"
When Akira said that, Watanabe-kun shook his head.
"According to Makoto, there's an existence called 'God' above the 'Emperor.'"
Even if they cut down the Emperor, it would just mean the next Emperor is born.
"First, I want to get a hold of that 'Wizard' guy. He seems to be managing the server."
"What do you mean by 'get a hold of'? Turn him over to the police?"
When I asked, Makoto-kun shook his head.
"It seems they're already thinking of cutting off the 'Wizard' guy. They're looking for the next Wizard."
"And besides, it might be better to let the 'Wizard' guy run a little longer."
Emi said.
"You're meeting everyone tomorrow, right? I want to check the audio log, photos, and names from then. I've made the arrangements."
"Tomorrow looks like it'll be interesting."
Akira laughed.
"By the way, is Kanna okay?"
I asked Makoto-kun.
"I wonder. On the surface, she's acting calm, but... it feels like that."
"It must be a shock."
"She regrets causing trouble for Toya."
"She should worry about herself more than Toya-kun."
"Yeah..."
"Will that 'God' guy show up at tomorrow's meeting?"
Watanabe-kun asked Makoto-kun.
"I don't know. Only the logs for the 'Familiar' guy and the 'King' guy, and the Emperor's Wizard, were left."
"I see..."
"There's no need to be so pessimistic. I cross-referenced Makoto-kun's call logs with the call records I extracted from the phone numbers, and I also confirmed the identity of that 'God' guy."
"Seriously!?"
Everyone was surprised.
"Takahashi Sora. 27 years old. A young prefectural assembly member from the ruling party. The only son of the chairman of the Takahashi Group. A somewhat troublesome person."
The Takahashi Group is a famous conglomerate in Japan, apparently a giant in both politics and economics.
They seem to have connections not only with the police but also with the public prosecutor's office, and can cover up minor things.
"Another big one shows up."
Watanabe-kun said that.
"Is it okay to take on someone like that?"
Sakai-kun said uneasily.
"Zen-kun? With this kind of thing, the bigger the opponent, the more advantageous it is."
Akira taught Sakai-kun.
"The bigger they are, the more enemies they have. There are guys who would happily bite on a leak of information like this."
The media is sensitive to scandals involving these kinds of people too, she added.
"But won't they just cover it up?"
When Ishihara-kun said that, Emi taught him.
"It's fine. There are always tough media outlets that don't bow to that kind of pressure. I have connections."
"I've also secured that Takahashi guy's smartphone properly. I plan to let him run until a really good scoop comes out."
"Can you save that?"
"It's fine, because we can't do anything about it with our power alone..."
"I know. I've prepared a server machine. I sent the address to Makoto-kun via SMS."
"Yeah, I'm already using it. I moved Unity's site there too. And that expose site as well."
"Um, I can't quite follow the conversation, but basically, you've got the opponent's head firmly under control too, right?"
"In short, that's what it means."
When Kimoto-senpai asked, Makoto-kun answered.
"Well then, finally..."
Kana asked.
"Yeah, that's right. Shall we begin the counterattack? First, I was thinking..."
"In that case, I have a proposal too. I've received another interview request from a TV station. It seems the last broadcast was well-received."
"Well then, shall we start the counterattack from there?"
"It's finally time."
"Yeah, the time for enduring is over. Next is our turn."
Watanabe-kun and Eguchi-san said.
"Specifically, what are we going to do?"
"I thought about that too. I want to take our time setting the trap and then go for a short, decisive battle... but I can't find a starting point. I want to consult with everyone."
"You're not going to broadcast that, are you!?"
"Of course not. Makoto has gone to the trouble of planting a bomb. If we're going to do it, I want to blow it all up at once."
"So, for the time being, we're still probing?"
"Find the weakness of the Takahashi Group. That's what I was thinking..."
Watanabe-kun grinned.
"Sora's existence itself is already a weak point. And they don't realize we've figured that out."
"I see..."
Emi also laughed.
My head can't keep up.
"So, what should we do?"
"For now, let's go cheer for Toya tomorrow. We can leave the meeting matter to Emi."
"That's for sure. Trust me."
"Got it."
I replied.
Everything will be after Toya-kun and the others' tournament is over.
The counterattack will start from there.
I wonder what they're going to do?
I was nervous, but also excited. They're the ones who put Kanna through such a terrible ordeal.
I won't let them off easy!
(2)
"Miss, we have arrived."
"Thank you. I don't need a ride back."
"Very well."
I came to the local shopping mall alone.
A suburban shopping mall near the soccer stadium.
There's a residential area nearby.
It's my first time shopping alone.
Wait, shopping isn't the purpose.
I'm flustered by the unfamiliar place.
I try asking at the information desk.
"Excuse me, I'm looking for a store called 'Anarchy.'"
"It's on the Garden Walk on the second floor."
I go down to the second floor and check the map.
There it is.
I head straight for that store.
It was a store that sold camouflage-patterned pants and T-shirts, as well as items with tough-looking designs like skulls, dragons, and snakes.
Is this his hobby?
"Welcome... oh wow! If it isn't Haruna! What's up, showing up out of the blue?"
"Hello, Haruto."
"Welcome. A friend of Haruto's?"
"I'm his girlfriend."
"Haruto! You managed to catch such a cute girl!"
The person who came from behind was dressed even more flashily than Haruto was before.
Clothes and accessories that looked like they were coordinated with the store's items.
He had multiple piercings in his ears.
A guy with lightly permed blonde hair, good build. Haruto too, but when do they find time to work out?
"So, little lady, are you going to buy something from this store too?"
"Sorry, but it's not my taste."
I answered immediately.
"Is that so? That's a shame. So you came to see Haruto?"
I nodded.
"Haruto, you haven't had lunch yet, right. Go on a date for about an hour."
"Is that okay?"
"She came all this way. Go take a break."
"Thanks, boss. Well then, let's go, Haruna."
Haruto and I went into a fast-food restaurant.
I ordered an apple pie and orange juice.
After receiving the items, we sat at a table for two.
"Anyway, what's up? Showing up so suddenly?"
"I was lonely."
"Huh?"
"Because I hadn't seen you since we met at the company."
Loneliness.
So even such negative feelings come with love.
"Sorry about that. I can't take days off on weekends or holidays."
"I thought it couldn't be helped since it's a part-time job, so I came to see you myself. Was I a bother?"
"Not at all. I was surprised because I never thought you'd come to see me, Haruna."
"That's good, then."
"From now on, I'll make time on weekdays when we can play. Sorry for worrying you."
At that moment, a pair of women spoke to Haruto.
"Ohhh! If it isn't Haruto!? What's with the hair?"
"Seriously, look closely, it is Haruto! What's up!? Haven't seen you around lately."
"Things happened."
"So, who's that girlfriend? A new girl?"
One of them pointed at me.
"She's super cute, huh. I'd drop her if I were you. You'll just get dumped again!"
"It's none of your business who I date!"
"Whoa, he's getting serious. Damn, that's hilarious."
"Haruto, who are these people?"
A voice so cold it even scared me.
Anger.
Do I have feelings like this too?
Jealousy.
Am I jealous of those two?
"Oh, they're friends from high school. They're in junior college now."
"Nice to meet you~"
"Hey hey, how long have you been going out?"
"I have no obligation to answer that question."
"You're kind of a boring girl. Haruto, wouldn't I be better than a girl like this?"
"And you've gone all sports-club with your 'ssu' talk. You hate stiff formality, don't you?"
A boring girl.
Those words shook me.
Is Haruto bored with me?
Anxiety.
The weakness of a heart shaken by a single word.
Does love make people weak?
"I'm seriously dating Haruna. It's different from the casual flings I had with you guys."
"How mean! So we were just flings!"
"Flings or not, you were the ones who dumped me, Reika."
"Ugh... Let's go, Chie."
"Seriously, bye-bye."
The two of them left.
"Geez... Haruna, you don't need to worry about it."
"Aren't you having fun with me?"
What am I asking?
But I couldn't help but ask.
"That's not true at all. I have a ton of fun with you, Haruna. I love you so much for coming all the way here just to see me."
Don't say things like that in a place like this.
My face is hot.
My heart is pounding.
My pulse is racing.
Agitation.
Being told 'I love you' shakes my heart even more.
Should I say it too?
"I love you too, Haruto."
"Having you say that to me is like a dream!"
His excitement had reached its peak.
I don't know if it was the peak. I've never seen the ceiling.
"Oh, it's about time. Sorry, I'll properly invite you out again."
"...No."
"Huh?"
"What time do you finish today?"
"My shift is until 5 PM, though?"
"Then I'll kill time until then. Call me when you're done."
"...Roger that."
Haruto said that and went back to the store.
I walked around looking at clothing stores.
I wonder what kind of clothes Haruto likes?
Should I go for something flashier?
Maybe I should just ask Haruto directly?
I went into a bookstore.
I bought a few interesting-looking books and the latest fashion magazines.
I killed time at a coffee shop reading them.
I happened to look around.
Young men and women in trendy clothes were walking hand in hand.
A couple was walking happily together eating ice cream.
I looked inside the shops too.
Everyone was the same kind of couple.
I headed to the clothing store again.
I don't really get it, but I bought what caught my eye from the fashion magazines.
I also headed to a shoe store.
Then I got a message from Haruto.
"I just finished. Where are you?"
"I don't know. I'm in front of a shoe store."
"Then don't move and wait there."
"No, I'll come to you. Wait there."
"...Roger that."
I headed to Haruto's store.
The store seemed to still be open.
"Hey, Haruto. Do you have ladies' items here?"
I asked Haruto while looking around the store.
"We do, but don't tell me..."
Yes, that's exactly it.
"Aren't you interested in matching outfits?"
"Oh, no way. The clothes here wouldn't suit you, Haruna."
"Why?"
"Hey, saying they don't suit her, are you trying to obstruct business!"
The staff member I met earlier came over.
He seems to be the store manager.
"Even if the clothes don't suit her, you could get matching accessories or something!"
"Accessories?"
I looked at the display case in front of the register.
A skull ring... that's too much for me.
I found a platinum bracelet. Something like this would be fine.
"I'll take two of these."
"Thanks as always!"
I received two bracelets, put one on Haruto.
And then the other on myself.
"Now we match."
Sharing.
Something only for the two of us.
What it means.
Maybe it means nothing.
But it was an interesting thing for me.
"Well, thanks for your hard work."
"Thanks."
Haruto took my hand and we left the store.
"So, shall we go eat something and then head home?"
"Before that, Haruto, I have a request."
"What is it?"
"I want to eat ice cream. Together."
Eating the same thing together.
Maybe it doesn't mean much.
But I was interested.
In what kind of feeling it would give me.
"Roger that."
We went to an ice cream shop, bought ice cream, and walked around the shopping mall eating it together.
"Tomorrow is finally the finals for Toya-senpai and the others!"
"...Did they win today?"
"I watched on my phone during my part-time job. It seems they won a close game."
"I see. Then tomorrow we'll all cheer for them."
"Are you coming too, Haruna?"
"I want to know a reason not to go."
As if there could be one.
Sharing time with you.
I'd do anything just for that.
The passing tranquility, the moon's cradle.
If only I could sleep there forever.
I listened to him while having dinner with him at a restaurant.
"Can I stay at your place tonight?"
"Huh?"
"I'd need to go to my house once to get a change of clothes, though."
"Um..."
"Won't you tell me?"
The end point of love.
"W-well, staying over is fine, but that's a bit..."
"Is there some problem?"
"No problem. In fact, I'd be super happy, but it's too soon!"
"Is there a problem with it being too soon?"
"I care about you, Haruna, so I want to treat you properly!"
Being treated too properly is also a problem, you know.
(3)
"Goddammit!"
I threw my smartphone onto the bed.
The Bone I sent to Kumamoto screwed up.
Fearing a purge, the Bone ran to the police himself.
It seems the bastard spilled everything he knew.
Now all the plans are ruined.
"A blunder, Emperor."
God's cold words floated on the PC monitor.
"A serious blunder, Emperor."
Pope also said.
"But do not worry, Emperor. We will handle this matter on our end. You need not concern yourself. It is merely the betrayal of a Bone."
"Adding in the Wizard's achievements, it might be a net zero."
"It seems Bones need to be trained more thoroughly."
Hermit spoke.
"It might be time for the more loyal servants, the Knights, to step in."
"Let us have the Bones handle appropriate menial tasks."
"As God wills."
"It seems we should attend the next meeting as well."
"...Let us do that. The location will be..."
At that moment, the phone rang from the Wizard.
"What's the meaning of this!? Emperor! There are plainclothes cops staking out my new place!"
"What!?"
"I haven't done anything!? I only acted as I was told!"
"Calm down, Wizard. It might just be a coincidence."
"That's not true. I felt like I was being followed when I went shopping at the convenience store too."
"I'll arrange a new place immediately. Don't worry. You don't need to do anything anymore. I'll contact you from now on."
Having said that, I hung up.
"What's wrong, Emperor?"
"...The Wizard screwed up. It seems he's been marked by plainclothes cops."
"...It can't be helped. We'll handle this on our end."
God's cold words.
I blocked and deleted the Wizard's contact info.
I also cleared the call history and sent history.
"Are the preparations for the new Wizard ready?"
"For the time being, we'll have the Warlock do it. He seems to be a pretty skilled opponent too."
"Understood."
"If I'm going to do it, I want you to dispose of that guy's server, hardware and all, first."
The Warlock joined the conversation.
"Understood. I'll prepare a new server."
"And replace everyone's PCs. There's a possibility they're already infected with a virus."
"Roger."
"Don't leave a single one."
"I know."
"And so, unwelcome guest. Would you please take your leave?"
When the Warlock said that, the chat became inaccessible.
Understanding the intent, I immediately pulled out the LAN cable.
I understood that the Warlock was a higher level than the Wizard.
But what to do after this?
What should I do after this?
The phone rang. An unknown number.
I answered. It was a voice like a young boy or girl.
"A directive from God. Change the location. The date and time remain unchanged. The location is..."
"Who are you?"
"Does 'Warlock' ring a bell?"
A voice like a child's is the Warlock.
"I'm using a voice changer. Use your head a little."
"What did you say!?"
"I am a direct subordinate of God. My class is higher than yours."
"..."
"Well then, I look forward to tomorrow."
The call ended there.
At this rate, my position is in danger too.
Calm down. Get a grip.
Making a rash move in a situation like this plays right into their hands.
I'll wait until tomorrow and seek God's instructions.
Though I might be disposed of on the spot.
I couldn't sleep that night.
(4)
"You don't need to do anything anymore. I'll contact you from now on."
My intuition told me this was bad.
I turned off the PC and smashed the hard drive.
Taking only the bare necessities, I quietly slipped out of the house.
I walked, blending into the darkness, careful not to be noticed by the plainclothes cops.
I left the room lights on, so they're probably off guard, right?
Their eyes didn't reach someone leaving the apartment.
I wandered aimlessly in the twilight.
No, I have a destination.
I took a bus to the station. From there, I took a train for about four stations.
Then I walked for about ten minutes.
There was my destination.
I rang the doorbell.
"Makoto~ Did you forget your keys again~?"
It was Kanna's voice.
The door opened.
Kanna's face went pale when she saw me.
"You... who are you?"
"Does 'Wizard' ring a bell? Of the Egoists."
"Egoist!?"
It seems bringing up the name 'Egoist' was a bad move.
It made her even more wary.
"Wh-what do you want!?"
Kanna's legs gave way and she cowered in fear.
"Calm down... I..."
"Who are you!? What are you doing at my house!?"
It seems Makoto came home.
Makoto pushed me aside and helped Kanna up.
"Th-this guy says he's an Egoist."
"What?"
Makoto's expression turned stern.
"W-wait, calm down. I'm not an Egoist anymore."
"What do you mean?"
"I was called the Wizard. But I've outlived my usefulness and now I'm being hunted."
"Do you have any proof to back that up?"
"I do have proof. But it's not good here. Can you let me in?"
"I'm not such a good-natured guy that I'd let a stranger with an unknown background into my house."
What should I do?
I racked my brain.
And I arrived at one answer.
I took my driver's license out of my pocket and showed it to him.
If this guy is Makoto, he should know I'm the Wizard.
It seems he understood.
"Come in... Kanna, can you stand?"
"Y-yeah. I'm fine now. More importantly, is this guy okay?"
"Judging by his state, he seems pretty desperate. Probably fine."
So they let me into the house.
"So, you screwed up and they decided you were useless?"
When I explained the situation to Makoto, he said that.
I nodded.
"Don't you have the wrong place to run to? Wouldn't going to the police solve it?"
"The police are no good. God has his hands in there."
"Aren't there Egoist subordinates staking this place out too?"
"Right now, they're targeting Shiratori and Hiyama. You guys are off their radar."
"So you were investigating the connection between the Shiratori Company and the local bank, huh?"
When Makoto said that, I nodded.
"So, what do you want us to do?"
"I'll cooperate. So please ensure my safety."
I bowed my head to a young whippersnapper younger than me.
Makoto consulted with Kanna.
Soon, Kanna started making a phone call.
"Hello, Emi? There's a guy called the Wizard at my house right now... Yeah. Please."
Kanna said to me.
"Follow me. I'll prepare a special place for you."
If there is such a thing as a goddess, then the one in front of me must be one.
I thanked the two of them.
(5)
That night, an emergency meeting was called for Unity.
I wonder what happened?
Emi-san came to pick me up at my house.
We moved to the family restaurant in Ishihara-kun's car.
"Emi, what happened?"
I asked Emi.
"I got a call from Kanna-chan. I guess we finally caught the fox's tail."
"?"
"She said she'd explain the details at the family restaurant."
Emi said that.
When we arrived at the family restaurant, several members of Unity were waiting. There was a suspicious-looking man in a black hoodie, sunglasses, and a mask, though.
"Take off the sunglasses and mask. No one else is here."
When Mika-san said that, the man took off his sunglasses and mask.
A slightly older man with a vacant look and a scruffy beard.
"What's your name?"
Watanabe-kun asked.
"Ueda Ryuhei. I was called 'Wizard' in the Egoists."
Egoist!?
Everyone was shaken.
Watanabe-kun calmly continued his questions.
"What's your purpose in contacting us?"
"To take refuge."
Refuge?
What does that mean?
Watanabe-kun asked him to explain in detail.
It seems he was in charge of managing the Egoists' website, hacking, and other internet-related matters.
However, he kept failing against Makoto-kun. His address was even found, leading to him being marked by plainclothes cops.
I don't know why the plainclothes cops were after him.
It seems Makoto-kun and Emi were planning to let him run for a while.
Right? Because they were going to make contact with everyone tomorrow.
When he reported that to the "Emperor," he ended up in his current situation.
If he had waited at home as he was told, he would have been "purged" by the "Executioners."
Emi's smartphone rang.
Emi answered the phone.
The conversation continued in the meantime.
"After causing us so much trouble, asking for help now is a pretty convenient story, don't you think?"
Watanabe-kun said.
"I know. But I have no other safe place. I know I did bad things to you guys. But I had no choice. If I didn't, I would have been eliminated."
"No choice?"
Kanna reacted?
"Do you think you can just say 'no choice' and get away with it, you bastard!!"
"Kanna, calm down."
Makoto-kun soothed her.
"I'm really sorry! Please, I'm begging you, help me."
"Wouldn't it be better to go to the police?"
"Their reach extends to the police too. If I went to the police, I'd end up like those three 'Bones' who were released on bail and threatened you guys."
"'Bones' are those three guys who were wrapped up in a mat?"
"That's right."
"I understand... Thank you. You can go home now. I'll contact you if anything else comes up."
It seems Emi's call ended.
"What that man is saying seems to be true. It seems a group of suspicious men in black suits broke into his apartment."
"The Executioners."
The Wizard-san's voice was trembling.
"You didn't screw up and leave any traces behind, did you?"
Makoto-kun glared at the Wizard-san.
"It's fine. I smashed my PC and smartphone to pieces. No one noticed me when I left the apartment."
"He's telling the truth. It seems there are no suspicious groups around Makoto-kun's house."
"Well, normally you wouldn't think someone would run and hide in their enemy's house."
Emi and Ishihara-kun said.
"The problem is what to do with this guy... Turning him over to the police doesn't seem effective."
"I'll secure a place for him."
"Akira?"
"I have a villa in the mountains of Beppu that I haven't used for a while. That place should be fine. I'll have my family's 'soldiers' handle the transport and surveillance."
Soldiers...
Akira said that and made a phone call.
"So, is it true that you'll cooperate with us?"
"Yeah, I'll tell you anything. Like the time of tomorrow's 'gathering'..."
"That would be a waste of time to ask. It seems they've already changed it."
"Huh?"
"If you were going to replace things, you should have changed your smartphone too, not just your PC. I recorded everything."
When Makoto-kun said that, the Wizard-san was surprised.
"Just who the hell are you?"
"Just a soccer player."
"Makoto, do you know the new location?"
"Yeah, I heard it clearly. I also got information on the new 'Warlock' guy while I was at it."
When Watanabe-kun asked, Makoto-kun answered.
"You can figure it out even though they changed their PC!?"
Emi asked Makoto-kun.
"What a bunch of idiots. Changing the PC is pointless if you don't change the router."
"Don't tell me, Makoto-kun... you even broke through the router's security?"
"Well, yeah."
Most people leave the router settings at default, right? Some even use things like pocket Wi-Fi, Makoto-kun said casually.
"Well then, for the future plans, we'll go to Kumamoto as scheduled tomorrow. We have to go cheer for Toya."
When Watanabe-kun said that, Sakai-kun asked, "What about this guy?"
"For the time being, he'll be 'under house arrest' at Akira-san's villa. I'll contact him when we need information. Don't do anything reckless until then."
When Watanabe-kun said that to the Wizard-san, the man said, "I won't leave even if you ask me to."
"Well then, things seem to be moving in our favor a bit, but let's proceed with the initial plan. I'm looking forward to tomorrow."
When Watanabe-kun said that, we disbanded for the day.
The Wizard-san was taken away by Akira-san's "soldiers" who arrived later.
(6)
"Phew."
Today was tough.
The opposing team kept relentlessly throwing pump fakes.
I got fouled about twice myself.
But conquering them was easy.
Just use the tactics I've honed in practice to create an open man and shoot.
And Kyota had made an amazing leap forward.
He was solid on defense, of course, but also on offense.
And when the opponent's defense tightened inside, the coach substituted Yuki and Tasuku in.
They sank shots relentlessly from the outside, and when the defense spread out, the two of them cut inside.
The fast breaks themselves were stopped.
If you attacked carelessly, you'd get called for a charging foul.
I realized that there are defenses like that too.
It was a close game, but we won cleanly in the end.
Now only tomorrow's finals remain.
Knock knock
"Come in."
"Here we are."
Sakura-san came in.
"How are you two feeling?"
"I'm fine."
"I'm worried because Tasuku hasn't played in a while! What about you, Katagiri-senpai?"
"I'm fine too. I'm so looking forward to tomorrow that I can hardly sleep, I guess?"
"Please get some sleep. It's the last day tomorrow."
"I know."
"Well, I'm going to make a phone call."
"To Tosaka?"
"Yeah, you two get along too."
"Katagiri-senpai!!"
"Got it."
I left the room and called Airi.
"Hello?"
"Airi, it's me."
"Oh, Toya-kun. Hey~..."
I heard all sorts of things from Airi.
I see. So the enemy executive escaped.
"Tell Makoto this: 'The would-be mummy catcher became a mummy.'"
"It seems he's fine. Makoto-kun apparently uses two different accounts for his smartphone and PC. He says he's set it up so he absolutely can't access the main server."
"Don't be overconfident."
"You too, Toya-kun."
Huh?
"You can't be overconfident and play recklessly either, Toya-kun."
"Yeah, I'll be careful. Thanks."
"I have an early start tomorrow, so I'm going to sleep now."
"Come back safely."
"Okay, good night."
"Good night."
I hung up and went back to the room.
...Should I knock, just in case?
Knock knock
"Toya?"
"Yeah, can I come in?"
"Yeah, sure."
I entered the room.
"What's wrong, senpai? Knocking all formally?"
"No, it's just etiquette, right?"
"Well, I guess so."
"It would be bad if we were alone and things got awkward."
"Katagiri-senpai!! That would never happen!"
"So it wouldn't! I'm a little disappointed."
It seems Tasuku joined in on the joke too.
"Tasuku!!"
"Well, as a manager, I'd be in trouble if you guys ran out of stamina the night before the finals."
"Tasuku, I'll really get mad!!"
Watching the two of them interact, I thought of Airi.
I'll be kind to Airi tomorrow.
"Katagiri-senpai?"
"What?"
"No, you were looking off into the distance."
"Were you thinking about Tosaka?"
"Well, yeah. Watching you two made me think."
"Huh?"
"I'm going to be kind to Airi after tomorrow is over too, so you should do the same, Tasuku."
"You've learned to talk, haven't you."
"Katagiri-senpai, are you still going on!? I'm going back now!"
Bam!
"...Did I go a little too far?"
"I wonder."
Tasuku was fiddling with his smartphone.
And then he started laughing.
"What's up, Tasuku?"
"No, take a look at this."
Tasuku showed me his smartphone.
Let me see...
"Don't get too mad. It's not like Toya meant any harm."
"I can't forgive him. Promise me you'll win tomorrow. Then I'll forgive you."
"I'd be fine with losing, though?"
"Why?"
"If we lose, Sakurako will comfort me, right?"
"Idiot!!"
"...I see."
"Right?"
"Well, shall we apologize and go to sleep?"
"Yeah..."
I also sent Sakura-san a message: "Sorry, I went too far."
"You absolutely have to win tomorrow! People would laugh if someone who couldn't become number one in Kyushu aimed to be number one in the world."
"Got it. Good night."
I sent that and lay down on the bed.
"Whether we cry or laugh, tomorrow is the last day..."
Tasuku said.
"Either way, I want to end it with a smile."
"Yeah."
Tomorrow is finally the finals.