Chapter 22

The place that Nein brought them to was like a catchall space.

Between the buildings, a dead space had formed.

In a space about the size of a small park, there was a house made of gathered junk (like a secret base made by children), and as the three approached, a girl who looked a bit older than them appeared.

“Hey, welcome back?”

“Yeah, I’m back.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa! Why are you bringing unrelated men and women back here? I had no idea we had such plans!?”

“It was a spontaneous event that I picked up.”

“Hey! Stop acting on such whims! That’s how you bring ruin upon yourself!”

After the commotion, the girl muttered “Can’t be helped,” and went back towards the house.

Then she returned with a tray carrying teacups and offered them to Kevin and Clay, saying, “It’s just plain tea.”

“It’s really just plain tea, don’t expect much from the taste.”

“Hey, stop saying that, it makes us look stupid for drinking it all the time!”

“Tastes bad, another cup!”

“And you, the cute one over there, you’re quite forward, huh!? Asking for seconds even though you said it tastes bad!”

“My shabby dad always said to take whatever’s free.”

“I don’t think there’s a need to drink something bad on purpose, you know.”

Clay, who was quickly getting used to the place, shuddered, while the somewhat shy Kevin cautiously sipped the thin tea.

…It was damn bad.

Despite being thin, it had a mysterious bitterness and astringency, but it wasn’t undrinkable.

He endured and drank a cupful of tea, then handed it back to the girl, saying, “…Here.”

“Got it!”

Somehow, she filled his cup to the brim and handed it back.

“…”

“Huh? You didn’t want seconds?”

“It’s you who’s weird for asking for more.”

“Ehen!”

“I’m not praising you.”

Confused, he ended up drinking the tea with tears in his eyes.

Then, the older girl introduced herself again.

“My name is Stella.”

She said.

“I’m a magical girl as a hobby.”

“And we are the champions of justice.”

The boy, Nein, added.

“Well, we’re the top two of an organization called the Children’s Alliance, which sounds pretty weak.”

“Wow! That means you have a lot of members, right?”

“No, just the two of us.”

“Eh?”

“Including us, two people.”

That means there are no members…

And as if sensing what Kevin was thinking, the girl who called herself Stella said shyly, “Well, we’re recruiting members for now,” but who would want to join a group of champions of justice that no one knows what they do,

“So, if I join, I’ll be effectively in the top three!”

“Hey.”

“And Kevin, you’ll be one of the four heavenly kings!”

Clara said excitedly, not knowing what to say, and not knowing where to start with so many questions.

So, he decided to ask, “What exactly is evil, the champions of justice?” but Stella and Nein’s expressions changed dramatically at that question.

Serious mode.

“…Have you two noticed the evil that’s spreading through this city?”

They started talking like conspiracy theorists.

“In this city, Neon City, there’s an evil organization that’s manipulating the flow of people behind the scenes and trying to rule the world.”

It was a real conspiracy theory.

Kevin was apprehensive, and Clara’s eyes sparkled.

“Well, it’s hard to describe the organization as simply ‘evil,’ but that ‘Thirteen Step’…”

“…The Thirteen Step? The one that often comes up in the TV sponsor slots?”

“That’s probably the ‘Thirteenth Paradise.’ They’re like a subsidiary of the Thirteen Step.”

“Hmm?”

“The so-called ‘Thirteenth’ group is everywhere, and if you live in Neon City, it’s almost impossible not to benefit from them.”

Stella explained, and Kevin thought, “Then they’re just a normal big corporation, not bad guys, right?” But since Clara’s eyes were shining even more next to him, he decided not to say anything.

“The problem is. The ‘Thirteen Step’ operates on utilitarianism—cutting off the happiness of some for the happiness of the majority, and as a result of doing that for many years, some of it is now out of control… You both know that there’s been an increase in terrorism lately, right?”

“Yeah, I know. My dad also said it’s dangerous lately, so don’t go out late at night.”

“They call themselves ‘The Resistance.’ But the fact that they’re causing trouble for ordinary people makes what they’re doing extremely ‘evil.’”

“And the troublesome thing is that the ‘Thirteen Step’ seems to see even that as part of the natural order, and they’re ignoring the damage and losses caused by it as part of the ‘happiness to be cut off.’”

“Hmm?”

I’m getting confused.

I don’t understand utilitarianism.

I think it’s good to pursue the happiness of many, but I’m not sure if it’s right for some people to be unhappy for that, but is there an easy way for everyone in this world to be happy?

And the resentment that arises from that.

I can understand that it would explode, but that doesn’t mean it’s okay to cause trouble for others.

The “Thirteen Step” seems to treat a series of incidents as “ignorable” problems.

“It’s like, you know.”

“Yeah.”

“I think that’s something adults should think about.”

“…Well, that’s what you’d think.”

Clara was saying, “What are you talking about, we’re the champions of justice!” but Nein said without concern.

“The Children’s Alliance, or rather, what we’re doing is making sure kids like us don’t have a bad time. That’s why we go to places where terrorism is likely to happen and guide children so they don’t get involved.”

“Don’t you suggest anything to adults?”

“As I said earlier, most of the institutions in this city are under the influence of the ‘Thirteen Step,’ so everything is ignored. Besides, the police are only supposed to ‘eliminate abnormalities,’ and ‘preventing abnormalities’ is completely outside their job.”

“You might think it’s inflexible, but very few people like their jobs. Everyone is doing it reluctantly for their own happiness, and no adult thinks the job itself is happiness.”

“That is”

He thought of his mother.

She works hard and bravely, but he knows she doesn’t enjoy it.

And that it’s necessary for them to live.

…As a child, there’s little he can do for his mother.

And the thought that his mother might be on the side of “happiness to be cut off” for the “happiness of many” …

“Can’t we do something…?”

Nein dismissively cut off Kevin’s murmur, “Adults rarely listen to what children say.”

“That’s why we, who have no social status, need to offer something appropriate to get adults to listen to our opinions.”

“Compensation…?”

“That’s what we were about to go get.”

Nein said with a grin, and Stella hurriedly tried to shut him up.

“Don’t involve us without permission!”

“But this guy is ‘special,’ you know that, right, Stella?”

“That’s true, but…”

“And they followed us of their own will. So, we have to ask them to help us with what we can do.”

Again.

Nein turned to us and said, “We want one thing,” and pulled out a map (old and tattered, stained in places) from his pocket.

“We・want・the・holy・sword.”

“…The holy sword?”

“Don’t you know about it?”

As if it was something he should have known, Kevin tilted his head, puzzled.

“Why?”

“…Well, if you don’t know, it means you haven’t been told, so I won’t say… But now we’re talking about this.”

He pointed to a part of the map and said, “There used to be a ‘Thirteen Step’ factory here.”

“I don’t know what was going on or what they were doing. But I know there was a holy sword here, but a long time ago, a natural disaster like a heavy rain closed the factory, and the holy sword seems to have been lost.”

“Oh, there was a time when there was a local downpour.”

“And I’ve found where the lost holy sword is supposed to be.”

Nein smiled slyly and pointed to a different place.

“There’s a shop that seems to have opened recently at this location. There was a reaction to the holy sword there. I don’t know what kind of shop it is because it’s quite simple, but well, they’re not making anything good.”

“The holy sword, huh.”

Clara said, tilting her head as if she didn’t understand, and said what she was thinking.

“When you say holy sword, that’s what comes to mind. The holy cucumber sword—it’s popular on the internet, and I want to try it too. Maybe I’ll ask my dad to buy it online once.”

“Huh? Is that kind of weird thing popular now?”

“By the way.”

Kevin, who had been looking at the map and checking what kind of store it was on his smartphone, reported the search results with a very calm expression.

“That store, where the holy sword is supposed to be. It seems to be making that holy cucumber sword.”

“…Huh?”