Chapter 27: Pots, Fried Rice, and the Calf
In principle, a Campione can survive in any environment on the surface of the earth. Most of them, relying on their diverse Authorities, are perfectly capable of establishing functional survival outposts in places untouched by civilization.
But that is only "in principle." Having the ability doesn't mean liking it. Perhaps in the era of "drinking blood and eating raw meat," the early batches of God-slayers didn't care whether they were in a city or not, but for those born in the modern era, it is an entirely different experience.
In any case, neither Hikigaya nor Alexander had any interest in setting up camp on a 100,000-square-meter island made entirely of jagged rocks to wait for an enemy. Shortly after finishing the island's construction, the two headed for Yokohama.
Like Hikigaya, Alexander had his own subordinates, an organization called The Royal Arsenal. This group was somewhat similar to the early Witan Council, composed of like-minded people from various places. However, what united them wasn't the study of God-slayers, but the God-slayer himself—Alexander.
In Yokohama's Chinatown, there were members of the Royal Arsenal. In this place, which Japanese mages referred to as the "Concession," a large number of casters from China gathered. They were not restricted by the Committee, which didn't even dare to expel them.
The reason was simple: out of ten Chinese mages or martial artists, nine—or at least eight—belonged to the Five Mountains Sect. Even more frustratingly, the Five Mountains Sect was essentially a product of Luo Hao's status as the "Leader of the Martial World." It was a league of sects; Luo Hao never changed the independence of these sects. She only demanded obedience and had no interest in restructuring them.
This led to a very troublesome situation—since nearly every sect had members in the Five Mountains Sect, any action taken against a Chinese sect could easily be escalated to an action against the Cult itself. While Luo Hao wouldn't necessarily care about trivial matters... what if she happened to be bored at that moment? Coupled with the fact that she had personally "visited" Japan several times, the Japanese magical world simply did not dare to touch Chinatown.
Thus, long before Hikigaya became a Campione, Chinese influence had naturally become the largest foreign force in the Japanese magical world, bar none. Furthermore, because Chinese people value the virtue of taking care of relatives, many who weren't officially part of the Chinese factions but had familial ties could use these connections to blend in.
This was the case with Alexander's subordinate in Yokohama.
Cecilia Cheung—one could tell from the name that she didn't strictly inhabit the "Chinese circle," but she certainly had Chinese relatives. In reality, this bespectacled girl was not a Chinese national, but one of her elders was a high-ranking official in the Chinese magical
association "Jiutian Gang." If Chinese martial artists could occasionally stay out of the Five Mountains Sect circle, the casters almost all joined. With such a background, once Cecilia Cheung set foot on Japanese soil, she could walk the streets with her head held high.
In her ancestor's apartment, the two Campiones were cooking dinner.
Logically, as Alexander's subordinate, even if it was her first time meeting the Grandmaster of her organization, Cecilia should have at least ordered takeout out of politeness rather than letting Alexander cook his own meal. In fact, she had brought takeout, but Alexander clearly suffered from perfectionism; he unceremoniously judged her crab fried rice as "not real fried rice."
From that point on, the plot twisted: Hikigaya provided the pot, Alexander did the work, and Cecilia waited to be fed. To be more specific, Hikigaya handed over the pot and went to the sofa to watch TV, while Alexander stayed in the kitchen lecturing Cecilia on his philosophy of fried rice.
Cecilia felt that the most impressive thing was the pot Hikigaya Hachiman provided. After Alexander scooped the rice onto the plates, the pot looked exactly as it did when he first pulled it out—brand new, without a single speck of stain or grease.
Hikigaya's private assessment was: This woman has a small chest and short hair; it's only natural she lacks worldliness.
Then, the three of them, who had long since been starving, each took a plate of fried rice and began to enjoy it. After eating their fill, they started chatting. Cecilia was the first to speak. Perhaps because her first attempt at politeness failed—not only did it fail, but she ended up eating for free—she wanted to succeed this time.
So, she put on an appreciative look and said, "Alexander, you really are a serious person."
"Isn't that obvious?" Alexander replied unsatisfactorily, clearly thinking his subordinate was stating the obvious. "I'm not like the others, like beasts... um, we are different."
He suddenly changed his tune because he received a fierce glare from Hikigaya.
Cecilia: "..."
She realized she might need to try a "curved" approach to politeness; she had chosen the wrong target. Cecilia decided that if she didn't successfully achieve the "polite interaction" achievement today, she wouldn't leave.
Although it was also her first time meeting Hikigaya Hachiman in person, in her intelligence reports, the youngest Campione's reputation was quite good. If one didn't count the North American operation, he almost didn't act like a Demon King.
"Lord Hikigaya, your implement is truly miraculous. As expected of a Campione."
"Isn't that obvious?" Hikigaya looked at her quite strangely. "Look at whose pot it is."
Cecilia: "..."
'Can these two please stop starting their sentences with the exact same phrase? Am I being looked down upon from start to finish? And for making a common-sense error, essentially being called an idiot?'
Cecilia made a snap decision: from now on, she would be a good listener and let the two Campiones perform.
Since she stopped talking, Alexander and Hikigaya didn't hold back. Truthfully, both had felt from the start that this girl was better off when she wasn't talking; they just hadn't wanted to interrupt her earlier because she seemed so desperate to be polite.
The two cast an appreciative glance at Cecilia and then began their conversation.
"So," Hikigaya asked, "Annie told me before—you guys have a non-aggression pact?"
A non-aggression pact between Campiones was truly a rare thing. However, Alexander gave him an answer that felt like he was dodging the question.
"To be honest, I completely could not imagine that was a woman," Alexander said reminiscently. "I met him—her—seven years ago when I went to California. She seemed quite rational, so I originally thought we could establish a super-friendly relationship."
At this point, a "why did it turn out like this" expression appeared on his face.
"As a result, a week later, I almost died with her in a mutual destruction. I didn't even finish what I wanted to say to her."
"Uh... how did the plot twist like that? Also, what did you want to say to her?"
"Look, she's getting up there in age, right? Well, back then I really thought she was a guy, so I recommended she try cross-dressing games in her spare time, and suggested it was better to 'graduate' early and find a partner..."
'This guy really knows how to poke a sore spot. It would be weirder if they didn't fight... wait, if that was seven years ago, does that mean Annie's heartbreak was already set in stone seven years ago?
Oh, that's truly tragic. Let me hold back a laugh first.'
Better change the subject.
"Regarding the island, you're sure we'll know immediately if anything changes?"
"Of course. My Labyrinth is a very useful Authority. As long as someone approaches the sea area that has been 'labyrinth-ized,' I will know."
Alexander reached out his hand, and a very tiny, miniature calf appeared on his palm. It was similar to a "familiar" in magecraft. Though small, the calf's eyes were very spirited and agile.
Then, Hikigaya saw the little calf suddenly turn its head and look at Alexander. A look of surprise appeared on Alexander's face.
"Guests have arrived so soon..."