Author: Suisei
Translator: Rinkage

Character page: Here

---

Chapter 147 – I met another chuunibyou

“It’s lively in here. I guess it’s thanks to that performance earlier. No, actually, the shop always has a good atmosphere and the cakes are delicious. It’s no surprise.”  [Youki]

“If you call that a performance, it’ll just add to Ami-san’s troubles.”  [Cecilia]

“You’re right about that.”  [Youki]

As I leisurely enjoyed the cake I ordered, I chatted with Cecilia. The shop was bustling with the sudden influx of customers, and Ami-san was working super hard. She handled the billing, served the cakes, cleaned, and went around each table with a teapot full of tea. As for the muscle pâtissier, he was holed up in the kitchen. He came out once after changing his clothes, but Ami-san quickly shooed him back into the kitchen.

“Brother, check on the cakes that are running low and make more right away! I’ll handle things out here.”  [Ami]

“But, sister, shouldn’t this finely tuned body have its moment to shine?”  [Andrei]

“Maybe in the kitchen, but there’s no place for it when dealing with customers!”  [Ami]

Hearing this conversation, Cecilia and I couldn’t help but exchange awkward looks.

“I really think Ami-san has her hands full…”  [Cecilia]

“…Indeed.”  [Youki]

Just as the hustle and bustle continued, a few knights entered the shop.

“Pardon us. We received a report that screams were heard outside the shop earlier!”

Two knights surveying the shop called out in loud voices. However, both the shop owners were too busy to attend to them. Ami-san clearly wanted to go but couldn’t, and as for Andrei, it would only make things worse if he came out.

It’s time for me to step in as planned.

If Cecilia were to go, it would cause a commotion, so she stayed at the table while I explained the situation to the knights.

“We received reports of a shirtless muscular man who’s causing a disturbance…”

“They also reported that he approached two adventurers with a serious expression.”

“We found town pieces of clothing at the storefront, which suggests the possibility of a crime. Therefore, we’re expanding the area of inquiry to gather more substantial information…”

“…”

I couldn’t help but feel that it was already too late. The two knights who entered the shop seemed to have gathered some information already. What they found out was both true and false, though. As for the two adventurers who caused the main trouble, they were now sitting there eating cake and making eyes at Ami-san – What the hell!

It would be faster to drag those two over here and have them explain the situation. As such, I brought the two involved parties over, and everything was quickly resolved. It wasn’t much of a commotion, and no one got hurt. Even though they caused a ruckus in front of Ami-san’s shop, she decided to forgive the two adventurers, so they were only given a stern warning. Although I didn’t do much in the end, the two knights bowed their heads and thanked me for my cooperation.

“I didn’t really do much at all.”  [Youki]

“No, we appreciate the information and your cooperation. Thanks to you, we were able to handle this smoothly. We’ve got some important cases to deal with today.” 

“Important cases?”  [Youki]

“Hey! That information isn’t relevant right now.”

“Uh, right. Sorry about that. Forget I mentioned it.”

I couldn’t get further details because his partner scolded him. It only made me even more curious about what was going on.

All right. It’s time to use a method I don’t usually resort to. Let’s flip the chuunibyou switch halfway on.

“There’s no need for that. You’re talking about that, right?”  [Youki]

“…No way, you know about it?”

“I’m an adventurer after all. Information is a weapon. It’s part of the job, so naturally, I keep up with it.”  [Youki]

I spoke with an air of coolness as I struck a pose. However, I was internally panicking, wondering if they would call me out for it. I tried to reassure myself once again.

I’m now entirely in my chuunibyou mode. There’s nothing to fear.

“So, that’s how it is. So word about him has already spread. Now that I think about it, he’s been giving adventurers a lot of trouble. It makes sense the information would spread quickly.”

“I never expected him to start moving again. It surprised me too.”

To anyone watching, it probably looked like we were having a normal discussion, but I was just mirroring the tone of the conversation. However, I had no idea who they were talking about.

“No, I was completely caught off guard, thinking he had completely stopped his activities. And now, just when we’d almost forgotten, he reappears. Just when Minerva was on the verge of returning to her former self, thanks to captain’s plan.”

I tried to piece together what they were talking about.

Raven made a move, it’s related to Minerva, and it concerns both the knights and the adventurers. Could the one who appeared be…

“Exactly. This could undermine all the hard work of the captain of the knights’ order and the Magic Knight of Black Lightning…”  [Youki]

“Yeah, we have to capture the Steel Arms of Azure Flame today, no matter what.”

I knew it – it was the Steel Arms of Azure Flame. I could fathom a guess halfway through, but it was clear now.

Realizing the seriousness of the situation, I said goodbye to the knights and hurried back to Cecilia.

“Cecilia!”  [Youki]

“Is something wrong, Youki-san? It seemed like you were talking with the knights about something important.”  [Cecilia]

“It sounds like the Steel Arms of Azure Flame has appeared in Minerva.”  [Youki]

“…What?! Is that true?!”  [Cecilia]

“We need to go to Raven. He might have more information.”  [Youki]

“Understood.”  [Cecilia]

I paid for the cakes and teas, and then we made our way quickly to the knights’ headquarters.

Why would they appear now, of all times? What’s the reason?

They suddenly stopped their activities before, only to resume them now, just when we’d almost forgotten. And on top of that, they had the nerve to do it on my date with Cecilia.

Once we meet, I’ll memorize their scent and voice perfectly. Then I’ll chase them down wherever they go.

“Youki-san, it looks like you’ve flipped a switch or something.”  [Cecilia]

“Really?”  [Youki]

That was because my switch had already been flipped earlier in the store. I started to feel some dark emotions welling up.

“I trust you.”  [Cecilia]

Cecilia simply said that with a smile and kept her eyes forward as she ran.

Wait, normally, she would’ve warned me instead, right? I have to live up to her expectations!

“Leave it to me.”  [Youki]

I kept my words to a minimum, letting the fire burn only within my heart. I hadn’t realized that my chuunibyou switch was fully on. Any thoughts of concern were nowhere to be found, and I charged into Raven’s place, fueled by the momentum.

“Raven, we’re here!”  [Youki]

“…Ah, you’re here about the Steel Arms of Azure Flame, right? I’m aware.”  [Raven]

“That’s Raven for you. Do you know where he is right now?”  [Youki]

“…Yes. According to the latest sightings, he’s here.”  [Raven]

Raven pointed to a spot on the map on his desk, covered with many notes and marked locations.

“All right. Let’s goooo!”  [Youki]

“Huh!?”  [Cecilia]

“…Ah.”  [Raven]

I carried Cecilia over my shoulder and jumped out the window. When we landed on the ground, I began heading to the scene at full speed.

“Youki-san, stop! Right now, you’re not in any disguise! Also, put me down!”  [Cecilia]

“Then, it’s fine as long as I’m in disguise!”  [Youki]

While still carrying Cecilia, I dashed across the rooftops and returned to my inn to put on my costume as Magic Knight of Black Lightning. When I was done, I dashed out to continue my search for the Steel Arms of Azure Flame. Naturally, I was still carrying Cecilia in my arms.

“Just do as you please…”  [Cecilia]

Cecilia seemed to have resigned herself to her fate.

I wanted her to take it easy today, but there was a change of plan. I was determined to capture that guy by any means necessary.

“I’ve always known I had to settle the score with him. I will… with my own hands.”  [Youki]

“It’s as if you’re preparing for a final duel with your arch-nemesis. But originally, this all started because I mistook him for you. I just wanted to apologize, so how did things escalate to this point?”  [Cecilia]

“You never know what life will throw at you. I’ve been there too. But, Magic Knight of Black Lightning will handle everything. If I can’t manage it alone, then… I’ll leave it to you to keep things under control!”  [Youki]

“Yes, I suppose that’s my role.”  [Cecilia]

After confirming our plan, we arrived at the location Raven pointed out. Only onlookers were around, and there was no sign of the Steel Arms of Azure Flame.

“Hmph, you think you can escape from me?”  [Youki]

Judging by the situation, it seemed like he overpowered a pickpocket with excessive force. Though no life-threatening injuries were inflicted, he even burned the stolen goods with his signature flames.

What a sloppy job. He should have captured just the pickpocket without resorting to flashy moves.

The knights were already on the scene, handling the situation, so I just focused on what I needed to do.

“Um, I’ve been thinking for a while, but doesn’t it look like I’m being kidnapped?”  [Cecilia]

I was carrying Cecilia over my shoulder as I jumped around. However, I also made our presences vanish while creating distractions so we wouldn’t be found.

“Don’t you know? We’re famous for flying around Minerva like this!”  [Youki]

“That’s definitely a lie!”  [Cecilia]

With our skills combined, we would be unbeatable. So, it was too early to dismiss the possibility of us becoming famous. We looked like a scene from a comedy skit. That was what Duke would probably say if he were here.

“Whoa…”  [Youki]

At the exact moment as I was about to continue my conversation with Cecilia, a magic spell resembling a water whip launched at us from a blind spot targeting my body.

“…Release the girl.”

In the direction the magic was cast, there stood someone who looked similar to me, dressed in chuunibyou style. The person was wearing an indigo scarf, black leather armour, steel gauntlets, and the same helmet as me. The Steel Arms of Azure Flame had come to us himself. It looked like it saved us the trouble of looking for him.

I gently set down Cecilia, whom I had been carrying. There was no need to fight unnecessarily. Our hunt aimed for Cecilia to meet this guy and apologize for mistaking his identity. Knowing Cecilia, once she apologized, she would probably lecture him for causing such a commotion in Minerva.

“…So it wasn’t a kidnapping?” 

“Hmph, why would I do such a thing? My name is Magic Knight of Black Lightning. Cecily is my partner, so that scene you saw is just another ordinary day…”  [Youki]

“Don’t just say things as you please.”  [Cecilia]

I went silent after the sharp retort. I didn’t want to interfere any longer. However, it seemed that it was already too late.

“Partner… could it be!” 

The Steel Arms of Azure Flame couldn’t hide his shock as he kept repeating the word ‘partner’ repeatedly. Could Cecilia be the cause? She was in disguise then, so he shouldn’t have recognized her.

“You… so that’s what this is!”

Just when it seemed like he realized something, he suddenly dashed in my direction and swung a punch at me. I easily dodged his fist and created some distance between us.

“Attacking out of the blue, huh? You’re wearing a chuunibyou costume, but you are behaving in this manner. Listen, when launching a first attack on your opponent, a battle cry is crucial!”  [Youki]

“Magic Swordsman-san, now’s not the time to discuss that. It seems like he’s not listening anyway.”  [Cecilia]

“Hmph, in that case, I’ll just make him listen by force. My name is Magic Knight of Black Lightning. Thanks to you running wild in Minerva, I’ve had to deal with all sorts of trouble. You’re going to pay for that! Reflect on yourself!”  [Youki]

---

Previous Chapter  | Main Page | Next Chapter