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Classmate wa Isekai de Yuusha ni Natta kedo, Ore dake Gendai Nihon ni Okizari ni Narimashita - Chapter 81

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Chapter 81 – The Ritual Begins (Part 1)

“Oh… this is incredible.”

I couldn’t help but let my voice slip out at the sight that suddenly appeared before me.

As the light faded, Kuon Genji was no longer there. In his place, floating directly above the altar, was an enormous sphere of water—inside it, a continuous maze of bubbles undulated like a labyrinth.

Within those bubbles floated countless red orbs and a single green orb, all moving restlessly through the maze-like structure.

“Excuse me… what exactly is that?”

“That is a visual representation of the five-layer labyrinth barrier that the heir candidate is currently navigating. The red bubbles represent captured youma, and the green bubble represents the heir candidate himself.”

“Huh…”

I asked a nearby girl-shaped shikigami, and let out another breath of amazement.

So basically, it’s like an enhanced version of my own Tracking & Detection Magic.
Hmm… which means, with my Design and Blacksmithing Technique, maybe I could create something like that myself?

While I was mulling that over, about 30 minutes passed, and I noticed the green bubble representing Kuon Genji was surrounded and stalled by a swarm of red bubbles on the fourth layer.

Judging by the shikigami’s earlier explanation, he must have run into a horde of youma.

The green bubble—Genji—flitted around, trying to eliminate even a few red bubbles, but nothing changed.
Eventually, he cornered himself in a dead end, completely trapped by the youma.

“Hmph. Looks like the main family’s fool is done for.”

“Now it’s our time… to reshape not only the exorcist society but all of Japan’s supernatural world…”

The old men nearby began to whisper such things.
Honestly, I don’t like Genji much either, but hearing them badmouth him like that still leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

“…?”

That’s when I spotted Ibara.
She’s as beautiful as—or maybe even more so than—Kuon, but that’s not what caught my attention.

“―――”

Wearing a gentle smile, Ibara quietly whispered something and placed her hands together in prayer.
And the next moment—

“What the hell!?”
“Hahaha! That’s Genji-sama for you!”

Suddenly, a massive number of red bubbles vanished, and the green bubble began racing toward the top layer—toward the goal.

The abrupt turn of events brought cheers from those who supported Kuon Genji, while those who had opposed him were visibly shaken.

(Appraisal, now!)

Target: Three-Dimensional Instant Projection Ritual
Effect: Projects real-time events occurring in a specified region onto a water sphere. Capable of displaying even phenomena in non-physical dimensions.
Currently projecting: Inside the Kuon family's labyrinth barrier formation.
Status: Skill Level – [Corrupted]
Note: The formation was tampered with from the moment of deployment, allowing the caster to manipulate internal entities at will.

Looks like my bad feeling was right on the mark.
This so-called Selection Ritual had been rigged from the start—someone is manipulating the outcome, and Kuon’s successor is essentially chosen based on their whims.

The real question now is: who set up the manipulation?

(Well… if I had to guess, it’s almost definitely her…)

I turned my gaze toward the smiling woman—Ibara—and activated Appraisal.

Target: Cannot be disclosed due to [Obfuscation].
Status: Cannot be disclosed due to [Obfuscation].
Note: Information inaccessible due to [Obfuscation].

“…Tch.”

“Is something the matter?”

“Ah—no, nothing at all. Really.”

My face must’ve shown how rattled I was by the appraisal results.

(If I were using a fake body, this would’ve been easier to deal with…)

Suppressing my unease, I gave a casual reply to the shikigami that had approached, then turned my attention back to the enormous water sphere.

What I’d learned from appraising Ibara was that she not only knew about my Appraisal ability but also possessed the power to completely nullify it.
And since I’d been able to appraise Kuon and other members of the family just fine, it’s probably safe to say this anti-appraisal ability is unique to her.

I hadn’t been able to get definitive proof of her interference, but at least now I knew that the woman called Ibara was no ordinary person.
Whether that knowledge would come in handy later was unclear—but it was good to have it now.

“Ooooh!”
“To break through that in under an hour…! This is unprecedented!”
“There’s no doubt about it! Genji-sama will be the next head!”

As I pondered, the water sphere vanished, and Kuon Genji reappeared atop the altar, looking nonchalant.
A segment of the crowd responded with even louder cheers and applause.

From what I gathered, breaking through that barrier in less than an hour is supposed to be incredibly difficult.

But honestly… I don’t care how he pulled it off or how long it took.

What matters most right now is—

“Kyouri-sama, if you would please step forward.”

“…Okay.”

Kyouri stood and slowly made her way toward the center of the altar, head lowered.

(Hm?)

As she passed by Kuon Genji, it looked like they exchanged a few words—but I couldn’t catch what was said from here.

As for Genji, he took a deep breath, composed himself, and bowed toward us spectators.
According to the plan, we were supposed to cause a large amount of water vapor by detonating the water-magic drones we’d planted throughout the estate yesterday.
Then, during the confusion, we’d swap Kuon with a Skill-made doll and use Koharu’s hidden tunnel for the escape.
The signal to execute the plan was left entirely to her judgment, since she knew the layout best.

The plan could not tolerate even the slightest delay. I had to stay sharp and keep a close eye on her movements.

Just as I told myself that—

Clap clap—a round of applause, jarringly out of place, echoed through the hall.

I looked toward the sound—and saw Ibara in the audience, wearing a chilling smile that sent a shiver down my spine.

“Ibara-sama? Is something the matter…?”

“Oh no, not at all. I was simply overcome with emotion, seeing such a splendid ceremony put on by the Kuon family.”

Still smiling, Ibara slowly began to walk toward the altar, where Kuon Genji stood looking visibly confused.

“H-Hey! Ibara! What’s going on? I haven’t heard anything about this!”

Clearly, Genji hadn’t been told about any of this. He called out to her, bewildered.

But Ibara only returned his question with a serene smile, offering no explanation.

At last, she arrived before the altar.

“However, it would be such a waste for only two people to experience something this marvelous.”

Spreading her arms, she made a shocking declaration:

“Therefore, I’ve decided to invite everyone here to join the ritual—no, the labyrinth escape game.”

The moment she said it, the altar burst into an intense light, far brighter than before.

Crap!
I reached out toward Kuon and Koharu, ready to activate a Skill—but the light overtook us all before I could act.

“…Where the hell… am I?”

When I came to, I found myself thrown into a strange space—a cross between a tunnel aquarium and a path lined with cherry blossom trees.

Translator’s Notes:

  • 当主候補者 (Tōshu kōhosha) – “Successor candidate” or “heir candidate” to the Kuon household.

  • 妖魔 (Youma) – Refers to demonic or corrupted creatures, commonly encountered in Japanese supernatural stories.

  • 式神 (Shikigami) – Supernatural familiars often employed by onmyouji or spellcasters.

  • 撹乱 (Kakuran) – “Obfuscation” or “Disruption,” a special state preventing information from being revealed via Appraisal.

  • 水魔法製ドローン (Water-magic drones) – Indicates the characters have developed advanced applications of elemental magic, blending traditional magic with tech-like functions.

  • 迷宮脱出ゲーム (Labyrinth Escape Game) – A tongue-in-cheek phrase used by Ibara, likely to mock the formality of the ritual while emphasizing its now gamified danger.


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