Vol 2 Chapter 2 (1/2)

The Maidens' Day Off

On that day, Hinako was sitting on a bench within the school’s courtyard while leisurely reading a book

It was three days after the battle royal ended The nor was still in effect

Currently it was three in the afternoon Class had just concluded and it was quite rowdy in the direction of the school building Kurou and Sefi should be back soon

Although Hinako would routinely follow Kurou to class, she was allowed to roam freely after Kurou was enrolled into the school She normally sits in when class is in session, but occasionally reading outside like this while taking in the breeze was fine

As she was about to flip the page, Hinako suddenly stopped in her tracks It seee

Hinako’s attire was not her typical cosplay wear, instead it was the Sword Acade the unifor a student However, the cosplay attire felt heavier compared to the school unifor mobile for combat

So I prefer wearing lighter clothes? It was not until just now that Hinako learned of her own preferences

For Hinako, she had been living in imprisonment within the sun cult’s facilities since her childhood Back then she would only as assigned to her

The room she stayed in until she was fifteen was co outside was prohibited

The Maiden of the Sun————

Hinako appeared to be referred to as that within the sun cult Despite that, she had never even set foot under the sun

Hinako’s imprisonment was ordered by her parents ere the cult leaders Furthermore, she was surrounded by many companions ere tasked with her surveillance

Perhaps those well-acquainted companions of hers also cared for her dearly They ht to the outside world Through their assistance, Hinako was finally successful in escaping froes

However, Hinako and her helpers were caught soon after and she was prepped to return to the facility once again Right when that happened, the sun cultists and the police were caught in a chaotic scene She then fell under Kurou’s protection as he was pursuing the sun cultists

Hinako believed that not one of her helpers remained alive

The sun cult have their normal practices that they do on the streets and they were not a covert organization either However, a portion of the cult was arovernuys could not be left alone unattended

Hinako still reratitude she held towards those who helped her She also believed that she did soivable to them

Nevertheless, there were no regrets fro the decision to come to the outside world

The splendor of the outside, everything she had desired was out here

Hinako pondered these thoughts while taking in the breeze, cal the time

“Ara, Hina, why are you here?”

The one who struck a conversation was Sefi, as carrying a backpack with her It would appear that she had just returned from her classes

Being the one who “monitors the two humans”, Sefi was now able to casually converse with Kurou and Hinako However, she would never show her good relations with them in public With Kurou’s coarse attitude, it was not like he cared about what they were perceived as in front of other people

“The weather has been quite good today”

Suht noas not too cold or hot, the perfect season for being outdoors

“That said, this issummer”

“Huh? The first time……”

“Because I was always locked within a roo and it felt comfortable, in the end I was completely detached from summers and winters”

“I-I see……”

Sefi was slightly taken aback Although, Hinako had no intention to shock her

“Well, besides that…why are you wearing that uniform?”

“Ah, you mean this?”

Hinako gently grabbed her own skirt hem

“An acadeave me this I can’t be enrolled into the school, but at least I won’t stand out while wearing this uniform”

“I see, well, I suppose this would be the least attention grabbing”

There were many human faculty members within the acade part of the workforce For a human student like Kurou, or Hinako, as not enrolled or working on the premises, the students would find their existence to be quite an eyesore

To avoid drawing attention, putting on the uniform should be ok

“However, why are you still wearing the katyusha? Isn’t that so you ith your maid outfit?”

“I aet inal task”

“I’otten……”

Sefi made an exasperated expression

In fact, despite Hinako forgetting a long ti in return for the person who risked his life for her————that sort of intention does exist Except, she has not really acted on it

“Hina, may I sit next to you?”

“Go ahead”

Sefi sat down next to Hinako

“Say, you didn’t stay with Kurou?”

“Why must I return with him after class?”

Supposedly this was the so-called girl-talk Hinako was also picking up some common trends of life

“Neverat?”

“This is a shoujo irls are swooned by”

“What a crude description…Well, I suppose that pretty as”

“Do other girls e live lives like this?”

“Who knows, it’s just a a”

Hinako understood what fiction was

However, as depicted in the e to be going to school every day, playing with friends, and liking boys

Hinako had finally realized the extent of her abnor conditions

Although it was not normal to be surrounded by Swordies in her current situation, at least her lifestyle was fine She was able to happily read a book outside and choose her own clothes

“Hey, Hina”

“Hmm?”

“For you, due to the coh to say for certain right now…but after things cal to school normally”

“Ah, this sort of thing……?”

“I don’t think it would be difficult since Hina hasn’t done anything bad If I issue a request to my mother and sister, it should definitely be possible”

It was said that Sefi’sof this caliber, it should be quite simple

However, for the daughter of one of the four generals to be going out of her way for a human…

“Sefi is a good person”

“What, what are you suddenly blabbing about……!”

Sefi’s face was flushed red as she turned her head aside

By sudden chance, Hinako thought to herself that a government official position would probably not suit Sefi despite her being the daughter of the four generals She was too kind for that Even Hinako clearly knew that you cannot just rely on kind words to be a politician

“By the way, I’ood person too”

“Huh!?”

“What are you doing Kuro?”

At some point Kurou made his way towards the back of the bench where the tere sitting

“Good person? You’re clearly a harassment demon”

“That’s just instinct It has nothing to do with my kindness”

“That’s nothing to be boastful about!”

“It’s sad that you fail to understandThere’s so I need to say to you two”

As Kurou spoke, he purposefully squeezed between Sefi and Hinako as he sat down

Sefi’s expression appeared to be saying “what is it”, however, there was nothing she could do besides make way for him in silence

“Due to some circumstances, I was called forth by Sylphy”

“By Onee-sama?”

“Yup, remember hoon the battle royal from before?”

“After you won, it did see”

“Is that so?”

Kurou played dumb towards Hinako’s statement

After his bout with the third-year student council president, Kurou spent the entire night locking hi heavily He could not even s his food It e dealt to him

“Setting that aside, I was told that there would be a prize for the winner and I was able to collect it from Sylphy-sama”

“I see, the student council president did talk to Onee-saards to this……”

“Coives out, Sylphy-sarander prize The student council president must have been very keen on this as well”

“So what’s this prize then? What does it have to do with us?”

Kurou smiled as he nodded

He patted Hinako on the shoulders

“Be happy Hinako, you get to go outside”

“Outside……?”

“Yup, Sylphy-sao shopping along the streets”

“Shopping…along the streets……”

Hinako blankly muttered

Hinako had always been placed in confinement, even now, she was kept within the Sword Academy

Just as she was able to move freely within campus, this time she was able to step out onto the streets

The world was slowly expanding for her

For Hinako, there must have been a bit of apprehension————

“I want to go Kuro, I want to go”

A rarely seen shi+ne in Hinako’s eyes lit up as she nodded non-stop towards Kurou

Currently it was Sunday Kurou had brought Hinako out to the streets as promised

With an assured , having a feht up when co

After departing from the Sword Academy, the car ride took about twentywith the youth of Swordia

Tokyo Swordia was noticeably divided into two portions, the Specialized Central Region and the Outer Huion

The governathered in the Specialized Central Region It was the Swordie’s sphere of influence

On the other hand, the Outer Huion was predominantly occupied by humans

There were no police checkpoints, walls, or anything of the sort between the boundaries Basically, huions at will

However, even though there were no issues froal standpoint, there truly exists an invisible barrier at the borders As a result, no one would particularly want to cross the borders

The three of theion

It was a clear sunny h the teh, there was a nice breeze that made it a comfortable day

After getting out of the car that Sylphy had assigned to them, they instantly followed Sefi’s instructions as they set out shopping Following that, their first target was the department store which Sefi frequents Coo to, Sefi seeh to Kurou, he did not have the slightest clue as to the difference between the types of stores

“Hey hey, Kuro, take a look at this”

Hinako, who always maintained that stoic expression, had sparkles in her eyes as they entered the department store

“What are you doing standing by the entrance?”

“Look at the stairs…they’re !”

“”

Kurou followed Hinako’s line of sight, which led to an upwardescalator

“Can I go back?”

“Hold it right there You said you would bring her here right?”

“Perhaps that ht have been the case……”

Sefi stared intently at Kurou as feigning stupidity

Common sense was clearly out of the scope of this ojou-sama Kurou and Sefi understood this point very clearly

However, who knew her inexperience could reach these levels

“First letAutomatic escalators and such, even I know about that”

“Right”

“S-Sure”

Kurou looked thoroughly frustrated while Sefi put on a superficial smile

“W-Well I guess we should be going Let’s start with clothing How about we go to the store that I regularly go to?”

“About that Sefi, I have a question”

Hinako had her eyes fixed on the floor layout sign near the entrance

“It says there are food stands underground? Perhaps it's just the psychological effect, but there is a sweet smell”

“Suddenly wanting to eat already? Alright, please keep up with us”

After she finished speaking, Sefi grabbed Hinako’s hand and marched off

Although Hinako gazed doards with a reluctant expression, she did not resist Sefi as she followed her

Kurou wryly s behind the two of them

As they entered the woh the place in a well-versed manner

“Oh yeah, Hinako, what kind of clothing style do you like?”

Sefi scanned around in excite her school uniform

On the other hand, the only proper clothing Hinako had for going outside was her school uniforo buy clothes for that reason

Of course, Kurou was also wearing his uniforh the laws did not prevent huion, issues would arise if others noticed he was a human It would probably be difficult to suspect that he was hu the Sword Academy’s uniform

On another note, Kurou kept the katana he always used by his waist Sefi also had a sword on her Since the sword she normally uses, the Starbreaker, was too conspicuous, she kept a spare double-edged sword That said, Kurou planned on acting alone to counter any threats thatSefi battle at all

“Oh yeah, we should probably buy soh it's already summer, there will be times when the weather turns cold”

“Ah, I see Then I’ll leave it up to you Sefi”

“You should put soht into it as well”

Hinako was quite intrigued by the urban environment, but not so much when it came to fashi+on

“Jeez, if it isn’t a maid, it’s a nurse Alith the cosplay That’s why I have a peculiar i for you……”

Sefi gru store and proceeded to browse the clothing selection Despite her co it her all

“By the way Kuro”

“What is it?”

“It is et per placed under house arrest by the Sabers?”

“It’s unpleasant to hear you calling it house arrest It's supposed to be protection Well, it seems not only the sun cult, but even the Blazes are after you It would be quite dangerous to go outside”

In truth, the Sabers did not even consider guarding Hinako as a top priority Despite HInako being the daughter of the cult leaders that lead a terrorist group, she was not considered a cri her aside was out of the question so she was captured just for the sake of protection by the Sabers

In order for Hinako to head out elsewhere, Kurou went to Sylphy for permission However, it would be more accurate to say that she requested it froave permission to him

Surprisingly, the Sabers knew going into this that having Hinako head out may attract the sun cult or Blazes If that were to happen and Kurou was able to capture the enemy, it would be a nice bonus

Most i the battle royal Since there were no issues with the law and budget, Sylphy giving per was to be expected

After Kurou elaborated to this extent, Hinako responded with an “I see” while nodding her head

“However, it’s quite unexpected that they trust Kuro so much”

“There’s nothing to it Even if I fail and die, Hinako will just be taken away unharmed”

“What a dull society we live in”

Hinako was not particularly

“Well, iven this permission is……”

As Kurou was speaking, he cast a quick glance towards Sefi Sefi see with a store employee that she knew

“Sefi will also be targeted by the Blazes”

“Don’t say it was as you had predicted Although Sefi doesn’t want to be enclosed within the school either Furthermore, who knohen the Blazes will be wiped out”

Sylphy would also disapprove, but she likely knows her sister’s tendencies Being netted within the school, always being protected by others, that would certainly be against Sefi’s nature

“Anyways, I a”

Kurou patted the katana by his waist

No h time for Sefi and Hinako to escape Sefi’s abilities have risen Even if the opponent was a Blaze, she could probably also acco to this extent

“Over here Hina! Come over!”

“Yes, I’”

Hinako briskly walked towards Sefi

Kurou watched as the two of the to try on clothes within the store There was nothing to fret about, as long as they were able to have fun that would be great

It would be quite a mundane life if one were to be apprehensive all the time

“However, to be shopping with the girls and such, Kurou must really be fearless”

“”

All of a sudden, there was a pat on his shoulders that stupefied Kurou His mouth opened in shock

Over there was————

“Lars? Why are you……?”

“Doesn’t your cellphone have a GPS installed in it? All I did was requested the Sabers’ electronics division to pinpoint your position……”

“N-no no, I wasn’t referring to that Iout of nowhere”

The person who appeared was Kurou’s fellow disciple and partner from the Sabers——Lars Currently he is enrolled in the Sword Acadeh he was not acco Kurou, he was still dressed in his unifor by his waist

“Well, it looks like you just got yourself another guard The deputy sure likes to indiscried from the hospital”

“Yeah”

Despite being a bit startled, Kurou had no intention to complain Lars had the successor’s mark for the Sword Saint too and his abilities were basically on par with Kurou’s With hiainst an opponent like Manaka Furthermore————

“Hey, Sefi, Hinako, look who is here to foot the bill!”

“Cut it out Kurou!”

“You are the son of the four generals For things like ht?”

“That’s not the case since I’ to do with my parents’ wealth”

“Perhaps you could even buy the whole department store We don’t even have to pay attention to the prices”

“Kurou…are you even listening to me?”

Sefi and Hinako leisurely walked over after they were done selecting clothes

“So Lars, you were discharged from the hospital too?”

“Looks like you’re still alive Lars”

“What a elcome”

Lars grinned in response to Sefi and Hinako’s comments

“They all look great Although, right now I alance, no an to want them all”

“Hmm? Sefi, isn’t your family loaded with cash?”

“It’s because ht politicians Just based on the salary of the four generals, it isn’t anything extravagant Although, I can’t say ould ever experience poverty and such However, after the war, Lars’ family went into the real estate business and made a fortune Their business is very successful”

“In other words, using one’s status to make money What an upstart”

“No, I certainly did not strike it big”

Lars looked a bit befuddled as he tried to explain

His family was sienerals Being an only child, he would one day rise to the pinnacle of the country assu drastic happened

However, who knows if Lars was thinking about his succession situation At the very least, Kurou knew that Lars was not someone ould care about his family’s power or wealth

“Now is not the time for this Hina, let’s continue”

“Yes”

Sefi seemed to have lost interest in Lars as the two of the store

The re two boys looked each other in the face

Afterwards, the two of thehed

Hu like this was all that was needed for the two disciples that have grown up with each other

“Seems like this one is still the best eh?”

Sefi held up a cherry colored dress for Hinako to see

“If it were up to me, I still think this dress is better……”

“Eh? But isn’t that one a tad short?”

“No worries Since Kurou’s sexual harassment is entirely limited to Sefi, I’ll be fine”

“It isn’t just me!”

Sefi angrily complained towards Hinako’s reply

“They look quite happy”

“That’s good and all, but just how many stores have ent to already……”

Kurou spoke to Lars while revealing his frustration

Starting from the first department store that Sefi went to, they had already visited many other department stores and fashi+on boutiques It was just as Lars stated, going shopping with girls was like asking for a death sentence

“Maybe it would be best to pretend today never happened”

“How strange, shouldn’t going out with girls be fun?”

Kurou heavily sighed

The two of theirls with nus around them They were all filled with Hinako’s clothes

“Isn’t it great for you though Kurou? You’re just here to accompany them, while I have to pick up the tab”

“Can’t you let me buy some clothes and shoes while we’re at it? Maybe even a watch”

“What kind of sorry state are you in?”

Kurou got a h the two of them were bounded as fellow disciples, it seemed that was not case when money was involved

“Rou, come over here for a sec”

“Eh? Alright”

Sefi waved hied It would be stupid to waste precious ti

“Rou, between this dress and that dress, which one do you think is better? I feel like the one Hinako is holding is a little short”

“I-I see…”

Having Sefi and Hinako both try out the dresses for him to see, that hat Kurou contemplated over

Kurou did not believe a short dress reat dress Even if it went down to the ankles, it could stillon the situation

“Well then, just buy both”

“Whose money do you think it is!?”

Hearing Kurou ment, Lars quickly objected

“That said Sefi, you’re only buying clothes for Hinako right? Why not buy some for yourself?”

“Eh? That’s because today wasHinako some clothes……”

“Don’t worry about it This and…this would ht?”

Kurou quickly grabbed a revealing sweatshi+rt and dress and held both in his hands If the shopping tied on, he hoped to at least have a feast for his eyes

“Yeah, I feel bad for Sefi having to solely buy clothes for me”

“Can I get a bit of sympathy too?”

Lars had already been co role

“Well…then I guess I’ll try it on even though I don't really intend on buying it”

Towards Kurou’s recoht say she would buy it Even so, she would try it on to not appear opinionated Clothes in hand, she went into the changing room

“Let me try this one too”

Hinako held on to the dress and so room next to Sefi

“My head kind of hurts, I guess I’ll be taking a seat on that bench”

“I hope you feel better”

Kurou waved at Lars as he exited the store He waited in front of the changing rooms for the two of them with his hands crossed He decided to turn a blind eye towards the “Ah——” and “M from Hinako’s room

“Sefi, what shi+rt was supposed to be paired with this dress?”

“Wha!”

Suddenly, the curtain to the changing rooure appeared

The front of her uniform shi+rt was open and her dress was down by her feet————in short, it was practically like she was just in her undergarments

“Ah, Sefi is currently changing too”

“Enough, go back already!”

Just as the curtain to the changing room was about to be closed back…

“Eh, are you two……!”

Kurou stated as such

This time, the curtain was half peeled back as Sefi exited Now she was not in that undergarment-only state

Although she earing a dress, she was still essentially half-naked She did not even have her bra on

“A Sefi, looks like the Kurou seduction expert has already made this her trade”

“Ha……? Ahhhhhhh!”

With the agility of a Swordie, Sefi swiftly turned her body around in the changing rooap in the curtains and stared at Kurou

“D-Did you see?”

“Now that youout of the shower before”

“Don’t bring up the past! Just howsatisfied!?”

“But, you’re the one who showed me this time……”

“Y-You’re right…sorry”

Sefi slightly lowered her reddened face Knohen the error was on her behalf was one of her strong suits

“Hmm, why are you completely undressed other than your panties Sefi?”

“T-That’s because…lately ain…plus I was just about to put it back on again”

“I see”

A Swordie’s puberty stage was basically identical to a huarment size is off