Unlimited Ambition

I quickly interrupted him: "You dare?! Believe me, I'll tear your city down without the Roman Catholic Church even lifting a finger!"

"Hehehe, just kidding, Your Highness, why take it seriously?"

If I hadn't said that, things would probably have gone beyond just a joke.

However, judging from his confident demeanor, he didn't seem to take the Right Seat of God seriously. Indeed, he was far more powerful than those youngsters. Aiwas could have wiped them out in a matter of minutes. But they were all shady characters.

Moreover, judging from his tone, there were no scenes involving Kamijou or Yuriko this time.

So he was hiding something after all, that guy.

I rolled my eyes. I mentally calculated for a moment; war was fast approaching. Academy City wasn't exactly a safe place. I couldn't rest easy knowing Mikoto and the others were there.

Hmm... I'll go there tomorrow and formally establish an alliance with Aleister, and at the same time, bring Mikoto and the others here.

War... Hmph, I wonder how many more will die—no, not a single one can die! Absolutely, this is the meaning of my existence. If I can't protect those guys, what's the point of my life?!

And so, I tossed and turned in bed, unable to fall asleep, until finally the extra chapter's protagonist got impatient and kicked me off the bed: "Idiot! Don't you even know what time it is?! If you get up late tomorrow, people will laugh at you again!!"

I rubbed my head, which was a little sore from the fall, then rolled my eyes. I lay flat on the floor and closed my eyes.

It was 4:00 AM the next day. I got up (actually, I should say I got out of bed), washed up, and without even eating or saying goodbye, I went straight to the airport. I took the morning flight to Academy City.

Because I was worried about the cost, this time I used a government-provided chartered plane. So, to avoid being labeled a pay thief or a scumbag official, I'd better get down to business first.

To everyone's surprise, Aleister readily agreed. He immediately agreed to a full alliance between Academy City and the Jerusalem State Church. This included sharing intelligence and technology. In return, Academy City would send teaching staff to be permanently stationed in Jerusalem as a symbol of the friendship between the two sides (essentially, a legitimate way to relocate Mikoto and the others there).

Jerusalem's responsibilities are also significant. First, it must provide at least one-third of the forces needed to defend Academy City, and even then, it will only have advisory authority, not direct command. Second, with the European powers blockading Academy City, Jerusalem will be responsible for supplying the city with all necessary resources.

As for the prize money distribution after the victory, I'll take Europe, North America, and Africa. Aleister will get all of Asia, Oceania, and South America.

That's pretty much it. Both sides tactfully avoided mentioning the post-war period, only dividing up secular rights. After that, I again expressed my doubts to Aleister: what exactly did he intend to use to repel the invading Right Seat of God?

According to the Dark Knights' intelligence, they will arrive in less than two days.

“There’s absolutely no need to worry about that. Let me keep you in suspense for now. Your Highness must have plenty of other things to do. Please make yourself at home. In two days, I’ll invite you to a good show,” Aleister replied.

Is that so? Judging by this guy's confident demeanor, he's definitely going to pull out some secret weapon to show off to me. Tch, what a bastard.

After that, I left the secret room where Aleister was and returned to the temporary accommodation I hadn't been to for a while. Sure enough, Mikoto and Kuroko were in class at this time. So the room was empty.

So I did a little cleaning and acquired some adorable spoils. These included super sexy lace lingerie, childlike cartoon underwear, some things that looked like illegal drugs, and a female vibrator.

……

Seriously, how lonely were you guys while I was away?!

Chapter Thirty-Two: Espionage Operations Before the War

War, oh war. Come to think of it, the world I've experienced is infinitely more peaceful than the last one.

Because I haven't experienced a single war in these fourteen years. Those border conflicts and heretical rebellions are nothing compared to the high-intensity wars of the last world.

So there's absolutely no need to worry, because the opponents are all laymen—wildly imaginative young people, or magicians whose brains have gone mad from studying magic.

That kind of thing cannot be called a rival at all.

The guys I really care about, Aleister and the formidable duo of Aiwass, have now become my allies. So, there's only one left who can truly influence this world, who I care about, and whose allegiance is unclear.

Laura Stuart.

Almost a month has passed since our last meeting. She showed no mercy, obliterating one of my mental clones in a single exchange. Speaking of our relationship, there hasn't been much progress lately…

He's probably already disappointed in me, that guy.

It seems that now that we understand what's going on here, it's time to have a proper talk with her. It would be ideal to clear up the misunderstanding and get her to join our alliance. However, if she remains obstinate, I'll have no choice but to be ruthless and deal with her.

So I rolled around on my bed, inhaling the lingering scents of Mikoto and Kuroko. It felt wonderful. Just then, my phone rang.

I opened it and took a look... hmm... it's a very unfamiliar phone number... no, wait, it seems I do have this person's name in my phone book. It's something like... hmm, Fukiyori Seiri? That should be the name, right?

—Tyusha?!

I jumped out of bed and pressed the answer button: "Hello! Is this Fubuki-kun?!"

"That's right...it's me." The guy over there seemed a little hesitant, completely different from the upright girl I first met.

"...Is it about Qiusha?" I continued.

"That's right, so... I'd like to talk to you about Qiusha. Are you free now?"

"Of course. I'm free all day, very free indeed—but don't you need to go to school now?"

"It's nothing! I only skip class once or twice occasionally." The girl across from me shouted, "The location is the ice cream shop at the school gate. Don't tell me you don't know what that is."

"Of course I know. Are you there now? I'll be right there!" I said, then hung up the phone. I snapped my fingers and used a dimensional jump spell to appear in the alley next to the ice cream shop, then walked out happily—only to be pulled inside by Fuki, who was waiting at the shop's entrance.

"Huh? What are you doing?" I asked, a little puzzled.

"You were too slow, so I drank yours too. Blame it on yourself." She said, then gave a light snort in dissatisfaction.

From hanging up the phone to the dimensional jump, and then appearing in front of you, it couldn't have taken more than ten seconds, okay?! Aren't you even a little bit surprised?! While it's true that my arrival was a bit strange, your excuse is just as bizarre, isn't it?!

...Fine, let's just consider it even.

"Speaking of Fubuki-sai—"

My words were immediately interrupted by the earnest girl in front of me: "Don't call me that so intimately, we're not that close yet."

Huh? Really? I remember last time, although we hadn't known each other for very long, several things happened. I'm so touched, we should be at the level of ordinary friends by now, right?

"So, Fukiyori-kun?" I asked.

"What?!" Fuki asked, as if deliberately picking a fight with me. What? Didn't you call me out?! Turning the tables on me like this was also troubling. But seeing his displeased expression, I unconsciously felt a little guilty. My voice softened considerably.

"That... Qiusha's matter. Isn't that what we were going to talk about?"

"How dare you bring this up?!" Fubuki suddenly got angry: "You said such nice things last time, and I trusted you so much!!"

Huh? Has everything been exposed?

"You're dating a girl your own age, aren't you?! You've even gotten to the point of living together, haven't you?!"

"How did you know?"

Of course, I wouldn't be so stupid as to say something that would be digging my own grave.

"...Who told you about this?" I asked, pretending to be very curious.

“You should know my classmate,” Fukiyo said. “But for his safety, I’d better not reveal his name.”

"...May I guess?" I said. "Does that guy not have much luck with women?"

“That’s right.” Fuki nodded.

"Is he a hedgehog?" I continued.

“No.” Fukiyuki shook his head.

...Isn't that Kamijou-kun?

Hmm... According to the information, the only people I know who are in the same class as Fukiyori and Akisa are Tsuchimikado and the blue-haired guy with earrings, besides Kamijou.

The blue-haired guy with the earring isn't very tight-lipped, but he's quite loyal. After all, he works for me. So he wouldn't be gossiping.

In other words, is Tsuchimikado Motoharu you?

"That siscon?!" I asked.

"Huh? You guessed right on the second try?!" Fuki was slightly surprised.

It really was that bastard. Damn it! I'll teach him a lesson next time we meet!

"Let me explain, Fukiyori-kun! It's a misunderstanding, absolutely a misunderstanding! Don't believe a scumbag like Tsuchimikado Motoharu who's obsessed with his sister!" I told her.

"Hmph... But what that guy said was extremely detailed and well-organized. He even showed me a photo—" Then Fukiyo pulled a photo out of her cleavage and threw it at my face.

...This method seems a bit unfair.

Perhaps we were a little too loud, because passersby in the alley cast curious glances at us. Or perhaps they misunderstood, mistaking us for an ordinary couple arguing.

I looked at the photo. It showed me and Mikoto, holding hands and strolling happily. Very well, Tsuchimikado Motoharu, you actually dared to pry into my secrets. Are you ready for your little sister to be snatched away?!

In that instant, I made up my mind: no matter what, even if it meant starting another world war, I would win over Tsuchimikado Motoharu's sister. Besides, she's a cute creature with maid-like qualities. It's such a waste that she's paired with that idiot.

“Well then, let me explain a little, Mr. Casanova,” said Fukiyoshi.

"It's a misunderstanding! This is really a misunderstanding!" I shouted. "This child and I are just very good friends. And that's all. Nothing more."

"You'll be struck by lightning for telling such lies, you idiot!" Fukichi was even angrier when he saw the evidence laid out in front of him, but I still refused to admit it.

"I'm telling the truth, Fukiyori! Please believe me!" I grabbed her hands. "Look, we're holding each other's hands affectionately right now, aren't we? But what kind of relationship do we have? To be precise, we're just friends, right?!"

Seeing Chuiji's bewildered expression, I chuckled to myself, then pulled her out of the alley and walked up to a guy who looked easy to bully: "Hey, classmate, what kind of relationship do we two look like?"

"...Probably, a couple?" the guy said uncertainly.

"See, that's pretty much the level of misunderstanding. Human imagination is basically at this level." I then turned to look at Fukiyori: "Now you understand, right?"

"...Like, like an idiot..." For some reason (actually, she knew but was pretending to be stupid), Fukiyori's face turned red, as if she couldn't stand my way of playing. But she quickly added, "Well... I'll just say you barely passed. But you must be more self-respecting in the future. Don't do anything to betray me—my friend."

Fukiyori accidentally let something slip, but quickly came up with a way to fix it. Was that quick or slow?

Girls are really interesting creatures. They are indeed quite difficult to understand, but it is precisely because they are difficult to understand that we want to get closer to them and become more and more familiar with them.

Is it a blow-and-send method?

Looking closely, this girl is actually quite cute. Hehehe. And the way she's looking down, hesitating whether to pull her hand back, is also quite charming.

"So, Qiu Sha has already been discharged from the hospital, right?" I continued to hold her hand and asked.

……

?

For some reason (don't pretend to be innocent, you jerk!), Fukiyori seemed a little angry, then forcefully (from an ordinary person's point of view) pulled her hands back, put her hands on her hips, and hummed: "Yeah, that's right, Akisa is back. And she's been quite active lately. A cute girl like her always has a lot of followers. It's making her a little overwhelmed."

...Is it fake?

I saw right through the girl's lie and guessed her thoughts a little. No girl would like a boy she's close to—regardless of their relationship—to mention another girl in front of her.

What's more, I just did something a little out of line.

Feeling a little disappointed? Is that how you feel?

"Please, please help me. If possible, please let me meet with her in the next few days. I have something very important to tell her." I pleaded earnestly, clasping my hands together.