Chapter 4.4.2 — Cooperation Attack
Volume 4 Chapter 4 - Cooperation Attack Part 2
All the matches that were scheduled in the morning had come to an end. Now it was time for afternoon break.
Today had such fine weather too, Kazuki and the others spread a large leisure sheet at one of the corners on the grounds. In preparation for this afternoon break, Kazuki had prepared a three layer set of multi-tiered boxed lunch.
“If it’s fine for everyone from the Sword Division, then please enjoy.”
While giving that invitation, Kazuki opened the box lunch.
In the first layer was rolled omelet and sides of vegetables and fruits with a rich color scheme, the strawberry and mini tomatoes were beautifully placed inside the jet black box. The second layer was filled with standard goods like karaage , asparagus and mini hamburger, from there things like congratulation bream and fried shrimp for the side dishes were prepared plentifully. In the third layer, it was filled with onigiri that was shaped like an anime character’s face that Lotte liked, the face shape was reproduced with the free use of seaweed and fried tofu.
“T, the long missed Nii-sama’s handmade lunch―!”
When Kazuki called to the bunch from the Sword Division, Kanae unhesitatingly dove onto the sheet, Kazuha-senpai too opened her eyes wide in surprise.
“W, what’s with this family oriented lunch box? Are you really the one that made this?”
“I love housework and maids after all. I am a maid.”
“I don't really understand what you're saying but, it’s unexpected…”
Contrary to his expectations, Kazuha-senpai didn’t even insult him with abusive language; but she obediently lowered her knees beside Kazuki.
However she sat in seiza very formally, even though it was fine for her to relax more.
“Is it okay to eat even though I'm a man?” Torazou-san too finally came.
“Isn’t it obvious that it’s okay. I didn’t particularly make this because I have secret motives toward the girls. I am a maid-san. Torazou-san’s happiness is my happiness too, that is the heart of devotion…”
“I don't really understand what you're saying, but thank you, friend. As thanks for this time, I will wear a maid uniform too.”
That was unneeded. Don't you dare sully the maid uniform.
Kamiizumi-senpai and Kimura-senpai too, they sat in a place a little separated from Kazuki and surrounded Hikaru-senpai.
Leme was already eating without saying anything. Before he even realized it, she had already materialized herself.
‘Jiii―’, Kazuha-senpai was looking at Kazuki’s expression as if to peek at his heart.
“I thought you were a carnivorous man, more like those wild and delinquent types. Fuhaha―, all the women in this academy are my women―, making good use of that well-featured face which suits the occasion to forcefully do this and that to the girls in the Magic Division who are not used to men, like that.”
“I dislike a man like what Kazuha-senpai described the most you know?”
Kazuki made a bitter face. Just doing things as one pleases forcefully for one’s own self-interest without even thinking of other people and made a mess of everything…for example someone like Nyarlatoteph.
Why did he have to remember about that kind of guy in this time of fun? When that tentacle bastard floated in his mind the meal’s taste became bad.
“Otouto-kun isn't a carnivorous young man, he's the totally harmless pet of the Witch’s Manor. Loo―k here, cutie, cutie!”
Kaguya-senpai sat at Kazuki’s side, hugged Kazuki’s and pet his head repeatedly. That big and bouncy chest hit Kazuki’s face decisively and it got pressed like a soft marshmallow.
“He is a pet? This Hayashizaki?” Kazuha-senpai looked at him with amazed eyes.
“No, I don't have any intention of being a pet though…”
‘However’, Kazuki thought inside his heart, Kaguya-senpai treats me like this as if she isn't considering me a man at all, but actually, she is conscious of me as someone of the opposite sex.
It was Hikaru-senpai’s fault for telling him that fact, even an innocent skinship like this might, in reality, not be completely innocent. He became unable to calm his own feelings because of that.
“Senpai, please release me already.” Saying that, Kazuki slipped out from Kaguya-senpai’s hug.
“Kazuki got sulky when I’m this affectionate.” Without knowing what was inside Kazuki’s heart, Kaguya-senpai became disappointed.
“Things like Kazuki doing this and that to many girls is just an outrageous misunderstanding. Kazuki is a real gentleman. After all, he has never done anything that I dislike at all.”
“On the contrary, Kazuki-oniisan is a hero that risked his life to save mine desu.”
Both Mio and Lotte were sitting at Kazuki’s side and snuggled up to him.
“…Though he is a pervert that has a maid fetish.”
Koyuki said some twisted things while sitting down a little farther away. Because they were in a place where there were other people’s eyes, Koyuki didn’t come to him to be pampered.
“Koyuki too, don't be alone over there, come a little closer okay?”
“…Can't be helped. If you say so.”
When Kazuki called to her, Koyuki’s expression broke out just a little and approached closer to him with little steps (tokotoko ). She chose a place right behind Kazuki and sat down while gluing her back closely to him.
Kazuki’s surrounding had naturally became a formation where he was surrounded by girls.
“It became a harem posture like it’s the most natural thing to do…”
Kazuha-senpai was shocked once more from the situation. After that she picked a karaage from the box lunch and ate, “Ah, delicious…” her mouth broke out into a smile.
“You are really surprising…”
For the first time, Kazuha-senpai directed a relaxed smiling face without any tension to Kazuki.
“Senpai’s prejudice against me was really preposterous remember? Suddenly saying things like 'enemy of women.'”
“Right. Certainly it was like that, huh. Recently we were in the same team, you are strong but it is not a conceited strength, more like a strength that protects everyone and brought courage…looking at you from this close, it’s impossible to not understand the feelings of all the children that are all over you or perhaps I should say…certainly it’s not like you are unkind or not cool…wait, what am I saying!?”
Had she opened herself and talked like a broken dam? Or so he thought, but Kazuha-senpai covered her mouth with her hands in panic.
“Ee―err, what I want to say is…I misunderstood various things about you, but you are really not that bad of a guy, just that! Sorry for flaring up at you for various things!”
Kazuha-senpai joined her hands together and apologized. Because of that misunderstanding, it even became the cause of them crossing swords.
“Don’t mind it, thank you very much for recognizing me, senpai.”
“B, but don't misunderstand okay-! There is no way that I will be so lovestruck like all these girls towards you! I mean, what’s your deal with these maniac onigiri!!”
“Eh, I have confidence in that work though…”
When Kazuki became despondent, Kazuha-senpai became panicked “Ah, no, it’s well made and delicious but…! But I want to say at least one complaint though!” and looked the other way.
A small heart mark flew at Kazuki. Her positivity level increased to 42.
“Nii-sama, Nii-sama, please feed me-! Aa―nn?”
As if having waited long enough for the conversation to stop, Kanae approached her face near and opened her mouth.
“Here, the usual karaage.”
Saying that, Kazuki fed Kanae. When he did that, Kanae was “Eh?” and her eyes became round.
While Kanae was chewing (mogumogu) inside her mouth, her face completely turned bright red.
“F, for Nii-sama who usually acts embarrassed and wouldn’t do this kind of thing, to be doing ‘aa―nn’ this naturally…what kind of miracle is this!?”
Now that she said it, if it was in the past then he would be reluctant, for him to feed Kanae easily while thinking [it’s only ‘aa―nn’ anyway], even Kazuki was surprised. However, just when he was thinking about that, from Kazuki’s both sides,
“Otouto-kun, here I’ll give you aa―nn! Aa―nn!”
“Wa, Kaguya-senpai, please don’t shove the whole fillet of fish here, it’s huge!”
“I’ll show you my guess about what Kazuki-oniisan wants to eat! It’s onigiri right desu?”
“Thank you Lotte.”
Kazuki moved his neck alternately, he was being fed by both Kaguya-senpai and Lotte.
“Kazuki, rice is sticking on your cheek.”
From behind, Koyuki snapped at and ate the rice grain that was sticking to Kazuki’s cheek directly.
“Kazu-nii…how about mouth-to-mouth feeding?”
Mio stuck out her lips near him looking for a kiss.
“Are you an idiot?” Saying that, Kazuki chopped Mio’s head.
Seeing that situation, Kanae who was bright red and squirming around from some time ago erupted violently like a volcano.
“Nii-sama―! What in the world is this!? What’s going on with this smooth chain of events!? Is this what’s going on everyday in the Witch’s Manor―!”
When she was asking whether this is going on everyday or not…he really couldn't deny it.
“Th, then! Then please do even more vividly ecchi things to me!”
“What’s with you? What ecchi things!? Choose your words a little more carefully!!”
“I can’t go on without Nii-sama doing lewd things to me! I hate it if Nii-sama won’t do lewd thiings to me!”
Kanae toppled over on top of the sheets while kicking around her arms and legs and threw a tantrum.
“Ecchi―! Ecchi―! Quickly do ecchi things to me!!”
Under the refreshing clear sky, Kanae yelled out outrageous words.
“…Kanae-oneesan, please don't do anything unbecoming when in front of other people that are looking.”
Kazuki looked at her with extremely cold eyes and spoke with an extremely cold voice.
“Wa, please don't treat me like an older sister all of a sudden! If I am changed completely from a spoiled little sister, I will look like a fool unbecoming of my age, won't I!?”
No, you weren't just looking like an idiot, you were a real idiot right from the depths of your mind.
“What ecchi things? We aren't doing anything ecchi here! Something ecchi is…must not be done yet, you know!”
Mio came and cut in between Kazuki and Kanae.
“What are you doing pretending to be innocent, this bad horny thieving cat!”
“Wha!? The cat in heat is you right!?”
Both of them were saying “Nya―!” or “Funya―!” while starting to wrestle with each other.
Kazuki didn’t want to be associated with them so he looked away, then he noticed how, when he thought about it, Kohaku was nowhere to be found. What was she doing…?
“Kazuki, actually this one also made a boxed lunch when coming here, but…”
Looks like Kohaku just got back from taking something from the classroom. She came bringing a large multi-tiered lunch box.
“…When everyone already ate that much, as expected you are full already, aren't you?”
It seemed Kohaku hadn't even imagined that this kind of banquet had already begun. Her shoulders fell dejectedly. Seeing that, Kazuki panicked and tried to encourage her.
“No, I can eat! I'll eat it all!”
“It'll be short work if everyone eats! Kohaku-chan too, sit, sit!! Oka―y, everyone, additional lunch box is coming!!”
Kaguya-senpai was being tactful from the side and made the smart move. She received the lunch box with a bright smiling face and called out Kohaku to an empty space. Kohaku settled herself there with a slightly relieved face.
“For you to be able to cook too is quite unexpected.”
Mio stopped her unproductive quarrel with Kanae and pointed at Kohaku’s unexpected side.
“Handling edged tools is this one’s forte.”
“What a comment that made the chest rumble with anxiety just now. Ah, but it’s great!”
When the lid was opened, the contents were grilled and stewed marine products, beans and vegetables that were finished with delicate seasoning in Kyoto’s style, chirashi sushi and the like. All of it was the workmanship of an amateur but that was as good as a professional.
In contrast with Kazuki’s boxed lunch that was family-oriented, this was a boxed lunch that followed through the pure traditional Japanese-style completely.
“Kazuki, here, eat this.”
Kohaku held out food with her chopsticks to Kazuki. However a feeling of opposition was burning inside Kazuki’s chest.
“As a maid…there is no way I'll lose in cooking!”
“Why are you making such a scary face!?”
Kohaku’s hand that was holding her chopsticks that presented the food was trembling from shock.
“Ah, no sorry, I’ll eat. …Delicious. This, what’s this seasoning?”
“So it matched your taste! This one did a trick to this cooking so it will still be tasty even when it’s cold…”
When Kazuki asked about the food preparation, Kohaku started her explanation cheerfully. Finding a human that shared their same hobby, both of their eyes glittered together as if in resonance.
“How is that Kazuki, this one can become a good wife right? This is surely what people call a Yamato Nadeshiko , don’t you agree?”
Kohaku puffed her chest cutely with her face faintly dyed red.
“So Kohaku can become a good maid. Let’s put you in a maid uniform.”
“What the hell is that!?” Kohaku’s body was shaking as if she was receiving the shock of falling thunder.
“Kazuki…marry this one…please marry this one…”
Kohaku was entreating Kazuki with her in a state that invited pity.
Right there Mio was “What are you saying, even though we're still in high school!” and cut in. Kaguya-senpai said “Otouto-kun is everyone’s property you know.” and hugged Kazuki closely. Koyuki pulled Kazuki’s clothes in light tugs from behind and nonchalantly made her self-assertion. Lotte was smiling with a friendly grin.
“Somehow…what a cheery bunch just like usual…”
While picking the karaage that had completely become her favorite, Kazuha-senpai whispered while directing a look to Kazuki and the others that was mixed with amazement.
“That’s true, they are interesting people aren’t they?”
Hearing the husky voice that they weren't used to hearing, all members turned to the direction of the voice.
“Ryuutaki Miyabi!?”
When they turned to look, Miyabi-senpai was sitting in seiza on the leisure sheet of her own accord and ate Kazuki’s character onigiri as she pleased.
“Hayashizaki Kazuki, for you to be able to even cook this skillfully, you are becoming more and more of a delicious boy. The way of fighting that was brimming with leadership from before was great. There is no way it won’t make my chest go ‘kyun kyun’.”
“You are our enemy right!? Why are you just eating the onigiri with an unruffled face like that!?”
Mio immediately snarled at Miyabi-senpai, but she took it in stride and warded it off with a smiling face.
“When I was just eating silently everyone was looking at nothing other than Hayashizaki Kazuki and no one noticed, so finally I let out my voice. Being invisible is harsh, isn’t it? Even though I longed for such a cheerful atmosphere like this.”
“…Nee-sama! What are you doing in this kind of place…?”
Shinobu-senpai dashed here looking like she was in a panic with wrinkles on her eyebrows. She grabbed Miyabi-senpai by the scruff of the neck and stood her up while dragging her away.
“Hayashizaki Kazuki. I’m looking forward to the semifinals. So don't do things like losing to someone like Otonashi Kaguya, okay?”
Miyabi-senpai who was being dragged away (zuruzuru ) waved her hand at Kazuki with an elegant expression that didn't break at all while leaving.