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Classmate wa Isekai de Yuusha ni Natta kedo, Ore dake Gendai Nihon ni Okizari ni Narimashita - Chapter 80

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Chapter 80 – A Formal Invitation to the Mansion (Part 8)

“I made this whole thing by myself without any of those crusty old geezers or hags noticing, y’know? Pretty amazing, right?”

Koharu beamed proudly, almost like a puppy bringing a toy to its owner, clearly expecting praise.

I didn’t know much about this sort of thing, but even I could tell that sneaking around and building a secret passage without getting caught by those people was a pretty big feat.

“So, the plan is to grab Kuon directly and escape through this passage?”

“That’d be nice, yeah. But it’s not that simple.”

With that, she cracked open the hidden door just a sliver.

Peering through, I caught sight of a corridor within the Kuon estate’s main building.

“Kyōri-neesama’s locked away in a completely sealed room—no connections, no windows. Only those damn geezers know where it is.”

“Then how are we supposed to get her out?”

“The Kuon family chooses its heir through the Selection Ritual. Even if they want to keep her locked up, they’ll have to bring her out for that.”

“Ah, so that ritual is our one and only shot at making contact with her.”

“Exactly. Which means we cannot afford to mess it up.”

Koharu clenched her fists tightly, a serious expression on her face.

She must really want to free Kuon from this place—deep down, from the bottom of her heart.

And I could sympathize with that. I really could. But...

(The real issue is… what happens after we get her out?)

From her letters and the look on her face, it was obvious Kuon didn’t want to be here. But these people—who supposedly welcomed me as a guest—were perfectly happy to sic monsters on me the first chance they got.

Even if we managed to get her out, where would she stay? How would we protect her identity? How could we keep her safe from future attacks?

(Sure would be nice if we had someone powerful who could just step in and solve all this with a single word...)

As that wistful thought crossed my mind, a new question popped up.

“By the way, do you live here full-time?”

“No. I live in the next prefecture over. I only came here for Obon.”

“So, Kuon Sōgen—he was already in that condition when you arrived?”

“Yeah. Honestly, if Grandpa hadn’t ended up like that, none of this would’ve happened to neesama...”

While Koharu grumbled about her grandfather, I turned the thought over in my head.

So he was already mentally gone by the time of Obon.

But the appraisal said he’d been slowly poisoned over a long period... which meant his condition had probably been deteriorating even before that.

In which case—who wrote that letter to me?

“Hey, are you even listening?”

“Ah, sorry. Just got lost in thought. Anyway, I agree—breaking her out during the Selection Ritual is the best shot we’ve got. But we still need a plan for protecting her afterwards.”

“...Yeah, you’re right.”

“And we should check Kuon’s own feelings too, don’t you think? She might genuinely want to inherit the Kuon family.”

“Didn’t you hear what I said!? Neesama would nev—”

“Relax. I’ve got that part figured out already, okay?”

“...Hmph.”

As I replied, I glanced back toward the place where the monster had melted earlier.

Up until now, I thought this power struggle was just between the main family and the branch family.

But that monster... or more precisely, whoever summoned it... they didn’t seem aligned with either faction.

Maybe they were an independent like Koharu. If so, hopefully we could cooperate.

But if they were hostile—

“Anyway, let’s head down. Your room’s close to this passage too.”

“Wait, one last question.”

“What?”

“Was this whole operation your idea? I mean—building this secret passage, figuring out the timing for rescuing Kuon, all of it?”

Koharu hesitated for a moment, then sighed in resignation and answered.

“There’s someone named Ibara-san. She’s a new advisor to the main house, and she helped me out.”

No doubt she meant that kimono-clad woman I saw in the hallway yesterday.

Back then, she’d been following around that guy who clearly hated my guts. So… is she actually spying for our side?

Too little info to say for sure. Maybe I should’ve used Appraisal on her when I had the chance.

“You can ponder it later, all right? I don’t want to run into any more creepy monsters while you zone out.”

I bowed my head in apology and followed after Koharu, descending through the hidden passage.

What I’d thought was just a family drama had turned into something much more complicated.

I’d lend Koharu my support for now—but if things went south, I’d be ready.

(Seriously… this place is just one headache after another.)

With that bitter thought, we quietly returned to our respective rooms.

◇◇◇

“…So sleepy.”

Mumbling to myself, I dragged my half-asleep body out of bed and stumbled toward the washbasin.

My wristwatch read 6:11 AM. Normally, I’d still be deep in dreamland at this hour.

“Tomorrow morning, we will be holding a ritual that will determine the future of the Kuon family. We humbly request your presence, Iori-sama.”

That’s what the shikigami had told me last night while clearing away dinner.

Honestly, I’d rather sleep for another hour. But whatever.

Grumbling to myself, I changed into the clothes I’d stashed in my Item Box and stepped into the hallway—

“Whoa!?”

A massive line of shikigami stood in perfect formation, all of them bowing their heads to me in unison.

Quick glance: at least a hundred of them.

“We’ve been waiting for you, Iori-sama. We shall now escort you to the venue.”

“Uh… right. What the hell is this?”

“The Head has ordered us to protect you in case anything happens.”

In case something happens, huh? After yesterday, that wasn’t exactly far-fetched.

But the irony was, these guys were just as likely to cause a problem as they were to prevent one.

Especially since the order came from Kuon Sōgen himself. That only made things more suspicious.

Still, it’s not like asking them to leave would do any good. Better to go along for now.

And if it came down to it, I could handle things without even using my Skills.

Ten minutes later, with my massive shikigami entourage in tow, I arrived at a large courtyard set up with spectator stands.

About 200 people were already seated. Among them, I spotted Ibara-san.

“…”

She waved at me. I quickly bowed in return, then followed a shikigami to my assigned seat.

“This is your seat, Iori-sama. Should you need anything, please don’t hesitate to ask.”

The other shikigami dispersed to their own posts, leaving only a young girl-type shikigami by my side.

Was she just an attendant… or a minder?

Either way, I turned my attention elsewhere.

(There’s Koharu… and Kuon.)

Koharu was seated a few rows down, somewhat isolated despite having a shikigami with her.

Kuon, meanwhile, sat at the edge of a large altar-like stage in the center of the courtyard—

“Whoa…”

I’d seen beauty before, but this was something else.

Dressed in a red-and-white furisode kimono with crimson lipstick, she looked almost divine—like a celestial maiden.

But her expression was distant, melancholic.

“We are deeply grateful to everyone who has gathered here today for this most important ceremony,”
“—on behalf of the Kuon family.”

As I admired her, a man in ceremonial garb stepped forward and spoke.

“Now then, Kuon Genji-dono. Please step forward.”

“Right!”

(…Ah.)

The man who responded and stepped onto the stage was unmistakably the same guy who glared at me yesterday.

So that’s Kuon Genji. No wonder he doesn’t like me.

As I mulled that over, the elder swept his gaze across the assembled audience.

“As many of you already know, allow me to explain once again. The Selection Ritual is the means by which the next Head of the Kuon family is chosen. The candidates will each enter a labyrinth teeming with yōma—alone. The first to escape will be formally named the next Head of House Kuon!”

With that, Genji strode to the altar’s center and proudly drew a small dagger.

“Let the Selection Ritual begin!”

In the next moment, the glowing blue sigils around the altar flared to life—and Kuon Genji vanished within.

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