Chapter 102: Lying Really Is Wrong, After All

“And so, we’re about to storm the Kikkōryū main house and secure ourselves some convenient arms and legs.”

“Hold it, Kirishiro. Don’t skip ahead. Don’t skip the explanation.”

When Taketsuru returned from his walking date with Niwashita-san and I informed him of our plans, he called a halt.

Leaving the scene of his own accord, only to stop us once matters had progressed in his absence—what a selfish man.

“I’m not quite following. Can you give me a quick explanation of the current situation?”

“Very well.”

At worst, Taketsuru could probably act appropriately based on his judgment at the scene, but Niwashita-san deserved a proper explanation.

She was an ordinary person in particular, so we needed to take meticulous care that the dangers of an ordinary summer event didn’t approach her.

First, we served the two of them sliced watermelon from the refrigerator after they had worked up a sweat on their summer walk—Meiko did—and briefly explained.

We had succeeded in driving the power of the Sea God’s sacred orb out of Kuwajima.

Through some mistake, that power had gone to Kikkōryū Junna.

Through heartfelt “persuasion,” Kikkōryū Junna had become our ally.

In the process, Kikkōryū Hōtoku had also become our ally by force of circumstance.

And after all that, Meiko had firmly resolved to crush Kikkōryū.

“I don’t really understand that last part, but I’m scared to ask Nekoyanagi-san. Did those two do something?”

At “those two,” the ninja father and daughter flinched.

Incidentally, Meiko wore a smiling Noh mask of an expression as she cut the remaining watermelon into supermarket-style cubes.

Red watermelon juice dripped from the knife in her hand.

“Nothing particularly significant happened. To settle matters with Kikkōryū, the course of the conversation led me to envision either the ‘Meiko becomes my girlfriend route’ or the ‘Meiko becomes my fiancée route,’ but various things happened and the idea was shelved.”

“Got it. You did something, and the Kikkōryūs are the victims of displaced anger.”

Taketsuru nodded with a knowing look.

What could I possibly have done…? Well, naturally, I had some idea.

Under common sense, regardless of whether romantic feelings were involved, it was wrong for a close man and woman to play word games about being “lovers” or “engaged,” even as a sham.

Especially in circumstances where one could read that the other person had feelings for them.

Most often, such a lie was eventually exposed at the end of the event, and only after its exposure did the heroine finally face her feelings.

It would be no exaggeration to call that one of the heroine’s growth events, but this wasn’t a situation with any particular room for growth.

I had charged in too quickly. One misstep could collapse the human relationships we had so carefully constructed—a double-edged sword.

With Meiko, in the worst case, she couldn’t disobey my orders whatever happened, so it would be fine.

However, that was merely the reality of our particular circumstances.

As an ordinary college student found anywhere, I shouldn’t perform such an outside analysis of myself.

I had reservations about ending the lie-exposure event instantly, but by ordinary standards, this was the correct answer now.

“I won’t tell any more ‘lies’ about being Meiko’s boyfriend or fiancé. Meiko is simply my ‘childhood friend,’ and lying really is wrong, after all.”

“Kikkōryū must die. Kikkōryū must die. Kikkōryū must die. Kikkōryū must die.”

“Your resolve has turned into murderous intent!”

I was glad Meiko was motivated.

Incidentally, Meiko was currently staring at the ninja father and daughter who had agreed to cooperate with us, her eyes bloodshot.

Meiko, those are the Kikkōryūs you don’t need to kill.

“Meiko-san… How pitiful.”

“Tae-chan? You’re acting like the sympathetic party, but this was your fault in the first place, wasn’t it? Wasn’t it? Wasn’t it?”

“E-Even if you say that…”

Kuwajima muttered something unnecessary, and the destination of the bloodshot gaze switched briefly to her, but that was a trivial matter.

Niwashita-san was watching us with the relaxed expression of someone saying, “My, my,” so there was probably no danger yet.

The composure of a woman who had fulfilled a long-smoldering mutual love was incredible.

So I thought.

──────

“Nekoyanagi Meiko”

Between shame and anger: Just kill me already

──────

Which is why you have no right to die on your own, Meiko.

“Let’s collect ourselves and review our situation. To begin with, we don’t have time to bother with the Kikkōryū clan’s bridal duel or whatever it is.”

“You have time. You just don’t feel obligated to play along.”

“Honestly, I don’t.”

As everyone crunched on watermelon, we once more turned to an explanation of our upcoming plans.

It was after five in the afternoon.

I wanted to finish this briskly in about two hours, eat dinner, then move on to the operation against the sea-serpent monster.

“Therefore, let’s ask Kikkōryū about Kikkōryū. Explain your size, headquarters, leader, and enthusiasm for this marriage once again.”

I questioned the father and daughter who now sat where the caretaker couple had sat at the same table where we had eaten lunch.

They exchanged glances, and Hōtoku, the father, spoke for them.

“The Kikkōryū clan is a group of a little over three hundred people who could be called ninjas, including the branch families. Our headquarters—or rather the main family, including Terumi-sama’s household—is a line of locally prominent landowners. Branch families like ours live in ordinary society, half doing missions and half doing regular work.”

“Half missions…?”

“…Well, um. Lately, gardening has rather become our main occupation.”

When I picked at that point, Hōtoku looked away awkwardly.

According to the hallucination’s information, ninja work was more like ten percent of what he did.

His daughter was eighty percent high school girl rather than ninja too.

Your family would probably suffer more from Kirishiro cutting off your work than from being expelled by the ninjas.

He was also mumbling evasively about the main family, but in short, they were like one of those locally rooted, particular kinds of “freelance professionals” whose name began with ya.

Judging by Hōtoku’s work, the ninjas were probably scattered through construction and similar trades, with the main family acting as their coordinator—the ninja protection racket.

If their original jobs had been intelligence and bodyguard work, one could say they were putting their abilities to use. There might even be kunoichi working in the nightlife industry.

“Meiko, are modern ninjas generally like this everywhere?”

“Let’s see… Well, every clan struggles for funds, so I don’t think any of them survives on ninja work alone. Mine tried running a dojo and all sorts of things, but apparently none worked. The dog clan branched out widely, and both its ninja business and investments were apparently thriving.”

“Is Inugashi really suitable as their successor?”

“…………”

Meiko fell silent with an ambiguous expression. I decided not to pursue the matter.

It was difficult to say that modern ninjas made full use of their abilities.

In truth, the reality wasn’t so different from what I had imagined when I first learned Meiko was a kunoichi.

Modern ninjas had largely blended into ordinary society and were almost indistinguishable from ordinary people. Many had probably washed their hands of it completely and didn’t even know ninja blood ran in their veins.

Paradoxically, it was no exaggeration to call every Japanese person a very diluted ninja.

“But because of that, Kikkōryū blood gets thinner every year, you might say. Even Water Release, once a hallmark of Kikkōryū, often can’t be used properly by children these days. The main family’s blood is still stronger, but in branches like ours…”

“Hmm. Kikkōryū descends from the Sea God’s shrine maiden. Naturally, as that blood thins with every generation, the abilities cease manifesting.”

“What?! The Sea God’s shrine maiden’s bloodline?!”

“Why don’t the people involved know this?”

I was exasperated by Hōtoku and Junna’s faces at hearing a shocking truth.

Junna, you actually received the orb’s power. Couldn’t you make that much of a connection?

I had reached the conclusion after hearing a little folklore and meeting the Sea God’s shrine maiden once. Surely ninjas should know it even in a branch family.

“Meiko. What do you think?”

“Well, the average ninja doesn’t meet a Sea God’s shrine maiden, so it isn’t strange that they didn’t notice.”

“I see. It would have been difficult for anyone who wasn’t an ordinary college student found anywhere.”

So this was a difference in levels of ordinary.

Strange beings known as average ninjas presumably had difficulty encountering supernatural phenomena, lest the world’s abnormality level rise any higher.

Only a being as ordinary as an ordinary college student found anywhere could accept a supernatural phenomenon like the Sea God’s shrine maiden. So that was it.

While Meiko beside me wore a look that said, “That’s definitely wrong, but I have no evidence to argue,” I proceeded.

“That aside, the key person in the coming development is you, Kikkōryū Junna.”

“Huh? Me?”

I pointed at the daughter, who had spent her father’s explanation gazing dreamily at the Sea God’s power inside her.

“I’ll be blunt. Unless you make Kikkōryū Terumi fall for you, Kikkōryū will be annihilated!”

“?!”

“Therefore, you will undergo ‘rom-com training’!! Nekoyanagi Meiko will serve as your instructor!!”

“!????!?!?!”