Vol 1 Chapter 1 (1/2)

Nogi Wakaba wa Yuusha de Aru: Chapter 1

This afternoon,

I peered over the Seto Inland Sea from Marugame Castle.

Each time I stand here, I renew my vow.

I swear to take back the world stolen from us.

We as heroes are the weapons to achieve that goal.

Small may our numbers be, but we must fulfill our duty.

Among our comrades,

A proactive stance like Yuuna's is hard to find in this world.

I can see an unstable side to [censored by taisha], but...

Hero Record Aug 2018 AD

Nogi Wakaba's Record

July 30, 2018

Nogi Wakaba stood at the Kagawa Prefecture Marugame Castle atop the inner citadel stone walls, overlooking the Seto Inland Sea.

In her hand was a sword. Ever since before she could remember, Wakaba had been training in iai, and thus the weight of that sword felt quite familiar to her body.

The midsummer sunlight poured down from above, causing sweat to seep from her skin.

Cicadas were chirping busily around her.

She closed her eyes.

She still vividly remembered-- the despair and anger from that day.

* *

July 30, 2015

Nogi Wakaba, a fifth grader at the time, was taking refuge at a shrine's kagura-den in s.h.i.+mane Prefecture.

She was on a field trip from Kagawa to s.h.i.+mane when an intense earthquake occurred. Earthquakes kept happening intermittently after that, and so the teachers decided it was an emergency situation and evactuated the students to the shrine, which was the shelter in the area. The number of people in the shelter, which included nearby residents, was quite high.

Wakaba's school was holding a field trip in the middle of summer break due to the number of lesson days, but it was completely unexpected that they would get caught in an emergency situation like this.

As cla.s.s president, Wakaba took a roll call of her cla.s.smates and informed their homeroom teacher that all were present and accounted for. According to what she heard from the teachers, apparently, the earthquakes weren't happening just in s.h.i.+mane, but everywhere throughout the country. Fissures and tsunamis were happening as a result, and damage was happening throughout j.a.pan...

However, Wakaba's cla.s.smates seemed to actually find it exciting how this turn of events happened during their field trip. Friends were talking amongst each other and those with smartphones were checking news sites.

”You think we'll have to stay here until tomorrow?”

”Wha? But we're finally on a field trip and everything.”

”Anyone have cards?”

A group of three girls was chatting amongst themselves. Wakaba looked towards them.

(I should probably warn them... no, there's no need to go that far. Letting them chat like this might actually help soften their anxiety.)

As she had that thought in mind,

”...Ah, Nogi-san's glaring at us.”

”Are we being too noisy?”

”Let's quiet it down before she gets angry at us.”

The girls who had been talking softened tehir voices.

(Ah... I wasn't particularly mad or anything ...Does my face really look that scary...?)

”Wah-kah-bah chan!”

Wakaba turned around as the voice called to her to see a camera flash before her eyes. It was her cla.s.smate and childhood friend, Uesato Hinata with a smartphone at the ready.

”Mmm... Wakaba-chan... you're so picturesque with that listless look on your face. The shrine building in the background is great too. That's one more picture in my treasured Wakaba-chan image collection.”

”Hi~na~ta~... Don't collect photos of me! Delete it!”

”No! This image collection is my lifework!”

Hinata boldly declared something incomprehensible.

”Please don't make such a scary face. Your forehead's gonna get wrinkly, you know! Squishy squishy.”

”... Could you please not press on people's foreheads with your fingers?”

”I'm just trying to loosen you up. It's because of that strict face of yours that cla.s.smates get scared of you just like what happened now.”

”You... you saw that?”

Wakaba's face heated up in embarra.s.sment.

”Now, now, Wakaba-chan, it's because you're always so serious. Ever since first grade, you've been an honor student and cla.s.s president. Our cla.s.smates have this image of you being an 'iron woman'.”

”Uggh...”

She was aware of it herself, but it was still a shock to hear it again.

”But... You just gotta shatter that image yourself!”

Hinata grinned and took Wakaba by the hand as she lead her back to that same group of female cla.s.smates.

”H-hey, wait!?”

”Good evening!”

Hinata ignored Wakaba's confusion as she called out to the girls. The girls were just as confused.

”Sorry about that. The truth is that Wakaba-chan wanted to join in on your conversation.”

”H-Hinata, what are you--!?”

”What are you being so embarra.s.sed about? You see, she wasn't thinking of giving you girls a warning. She was actually having a cute little inner struggle of how to join in on the conversation.”

”Wha? That's not--”

When Wakaba tried to deny the story, Hinata covered Wakaba's mouth.

”Mmm! Mmm!”

The three girls were confused for a second--

But eventually that confusion seemed to blow away and they smiled.

”Hmm, that kinda changes my image of Nogi-san.”

”Well, she always seems precise, and she's quite the honor student, after all”

”Yeah, yeah. I thought she was a scarier, stricter person!”

”I see what you mean-- Oh, and Wakaba-chan's unsociable, so she's at a disadvantage in that regard, I think.”

It was a bizarre progression of events, but Wakaba and Hinata joined the group of three girls and talked with them. Hinata spoke with them as familiarly as one would speak with years-long friends.

She had the sociability to get along with anyone, which Wakaba lacked. Because of Wakaba's overly-serious nature, she felt a little disconnected with the rest of the cla.s.s.

”But she's a super cute girl on the inside. I, Uesato Hinata, can attest to that. So please get along with her, okay?”

”C-c-c-c-cute...? What are you talking about!?”

Despite Wakaba glaring at her, Hinata didn't shy away and just said 'now now'.

”Ahahah, that's so funny. Don't worry. We're already friends with Nogi-san now.”

The girls smiled and said that as they saw Wakaba and Hinata's interactions.

After they had talked for a while, Wakaba went outside the kagura-den. Though it was already evening, the July heat was still substantial, so she wanted to feel a little bit of the evening breeze.

From time immemorial, a shrine's torii was said to be a boundary to an outer world. Back in the age before people had forgotten religious piety, a shrine was treated as another world. Wakaba did not know that shrines held that meaning, but she was able to feel the place's tranquility.

When she looked up at the sky, she could see the twinkling of countless stars.

”So this is where you were, Wakaba-chan. It's getting late. Aren't you going to sleep?”

Hinata had gone outside as well and she stood beside Wakaba.

”Well, a problem could arise while we're sleeping for all we now. I thought I'd stay awake just in case.”

”The teachers should be the ones to stay awake, though.”

”I'm cla.s.s president, so it's my duty.”

”Haah~... Really, Wakaba-chan. I don't know if you're just being way too serious or what.”

Hinata smiled slightly in resignation.

”So I'll stay awake with you.”

”... You don't need to accompany me, you know?”

”No, it's because I'm your childhood friend. I'll always be with you.”

When Hinata answered in such a clear tone of voice, Wakaba had no more forceful words to say.

”... Hinata.”

”What is it?”

”Thanks for what you did back there. If you weren't around, I would've ended up distancing myself from our cla.s.smates again.”

”No, no, I just don't like it when people misunderstand you, Wakaba-chan.”

Hinata spoke as if she had only done the natural thing to do.

But Wakaba wasn't satisfied with just that.

”A reward for everything. That's the Nogi way of life.”

That was a commandment that Wakaba's grandmother often spoke of. Wakaba loved her grandmother dearly, and so she treasured those words of hers.

”So I want to reward you for your friends.h.i.+p, Hinata. If there's anything you want me to do for you, then just ask.

”Well, if you insist... hmm, then how about you help me grow my treasured image collection by wearing... some sort of cosplay? ... While we're at it, how about something a little extreme...”

Hinata muttered something improper.

Perhaps Wakaba spoke too soon... she was starting to regret her decision a little.

”Well, I'll take my time to think of what I should have you do, Wakaba-chan. Anyway, for now, it'd be great for you to be more at ease when you talk to people in cla.s.s. If you do, then everyone else will start to understand you and get along with you better. If you ever get nervous about talking to someone, I'll help you out just like I did now.”

Hinata's words slowly sank into Wakaba's body.

(I can get along with everyone better... huh?)

Wakaba was a little detached from the cla.s.s, but perhaps she herself had been unconsciously distancing herself from her cla.s.smates. Perhaps if she actually tried talking to people like they did now, it would be simple to get along with everyone.

”Ah, but then if you get really popular, you might not care about me anymore, Wakaba-chan. You'll toss me out like a woman of the past [TN: basically an ex-girlfriend, but I don't think Wakaba caught that part], won't you... yoyoyo.”

”Wh-what are you talking about!? Of course I wouldn't do that! No matter what happens, you're my best friend!”

As Wakaba struggled to put together words, Hinata smiled strangely.

”It was just a joke. Oh, Wakaba-chan--”

Suddenly, the ground shook intensely.

(This... is on a completely different scale than the other tremors...!)

The tremors made it difficult to even stand. Wakaba kept her stance lowered to prevent herself from falling down. Beside her, Hinata let out a small shriek as her rear fell to the ground.

After a few dozen seconds, the tremors settled.

”That was a huge tremor, huh... Hinata, you okay?”

Wakaba held her hand out to Hinata.

But without taking her hand, Hinata just muttered with a ghostly pale look on her face.

”I'm scared...”

”Huh?”

Hinata's body was trembling slightly.

”Wa-Wakaba-chan... s... something really, really scarey is...”

She looked up to the sky as she spoke.

Thinking there was something up there, Wakaba looked up as well.

On her first look, what she saw was an ordinary starry sky.

But she was mistaken.

The countless stars in the sky squirmed as if they were drifting about on the surface of water.

At first, Wakaba thought the star-like objects were birds or something.

But their movements were irregular and it would be strange for so many birds to be flying in the sky so late at night.

And then several of those stars got bigger and bigger--

Despair fell from the sky.

One of the star-like objects fell onto the roof of the kagura-den. It definitely was not a bird at all. Its entire body was an almost unnatural white, its size far more gigantic than a human, with an ominous mouth-like organ. It appeared to be like a deep sea animal that had evolved far differently than terrestrial animals, or possibly an invertebrate that was born under imperfect conditions. In any case, it was clearly different from any living being known to mankind, and therefore, the simplest name to call it was-- a ”monster”.

And it wasn't alone. Two, three... several came falling from the sky in quick succession, tearing apart the kagura-den's roof and walls with their teeth and breaking in.

”What... are those things...?”

Wakaba stood stock still at the bizarre sight unraveling before her.

On unsteady feet-- Hinata stood up. A strange light imbued her eyes and hex-like words leaked from her mouth.

”--...----......----......----”

The moment Wakaba tried to ask what was wrong, people darted out from inside the kagura-den, screaming.

”Kyaaaaaaaah!!”

”Wh-wha-what are those monsters!?”

(Khh!)

Wakaba immediately rushed to the kagura-den. Hinata grabbed her by the hand.

”I'm going too.”

The strange light had disappeared from Hinata's eyes, and instead, they displayed an intense will. Her tone of voice was firm as well.