After I said that, all three of them had gone stiff. Well, Ichika had gone stiffer, as she had never relaxed in the first place.

   ‘Um, I know it’s hard to believe, but I’m telling the truth.’

   ‘May I know where and how did you obtain that information?’ Sakuya asks me.

   She is still smiling in a friendly way, but her tone is much more serious.

   ‘Well, it’s even harder to believe, so is it okay if I keep the source a secret for now?’ I plead.

   ‘Hmm, I suppose it’s fine.’

   ‘Thank you.’

   ‘So, where is it?’

   ‘I can’t tell you the exact location right now, but it’s somewhere in England, inside an underground cavern.’

   ‘England, is it? I guess it makes sense. After all, it was King Arthur’s birth place.’

   ‘It would be bad if the Lost Children got their hands on it. We must organize a team to obtain it first.’ Ichika who was quiet all this while says.

   ‘Yes, but I think we should wait until tomorrow for that, it’s pretty late now, after all.’

   ‘Indeed.’ Ichika looks at me and Mashiro with her scary glare again. ‘Just this once, I will forgive both of you for violating the dorm’s rule. However, know that there will be no next time.’

   My face became paler than a sheet of paper. ‘U-understood.’

   ‘Duly noted.’ Mashiro, however, was not fazed at all.

   ‘Good. You may go back to you room now.’

   ‘Aww, you’re leaving already?’ Sakuya said with a sad expression. ‘I made some cookies just now, I was hoping all of you would…’

   The rest of us stand up faster than torpedoes that got launched by a submarine.

   ‘Well then, I shall take my leave! Thank you for your hospitality, president!’

   ‘Huh? But I still haven’t…’

   ‘Mashiro is a growing girl, so she needs to go to bed now.’

   ‘I have early practise at the kendo club tomorrow morning, so you will have to excuse me!’

   Before Sakuya could say anything more, the three of us got out of her room faster than lightning. We were practically fighting to get to the door first. I could only calm down after I reached my room.

   You all may think that we’re heartless for refusing something made by our sweet and pretty student council president, but that’s because you haven’t eat anything that she made. Well, I haven’t either, but I saw the reactions of those who did. Let’s just say they were almost at the death’s door.

   The next morning, I’m excused for not attending classes due to the fact that I have to participate in an urgent mission. Furthermore, I have to report myself at the student council room right after I reached school, which is exactly what I did. Before I leave my room, I made sure that I had a map of this world and put it inside my jacket.

   When I go inside, the only other people present are Sakuya and Ichika, which kind of surprised me. I was expected to see a group of elites hand picked by the both of them.

   ‘Um, where are the rest?’ I ask the both of them.

   ‘About that, the two of us have decided to let you pick the people who will be following you to the cavern.’ Sakuya tells me.

   ‘Me?’

   ‘You’re the one who have to guide everyone, after all. It wouldn’t be fair to you if you are surrounded by strangers.’

   ‘But, I don’t have any friends here.’ I blurt out.

   Ouch. It hurts so much when I said it out loud.

   ‘Oh, oh my. That’s so sad to hear. Just come to your big sister if you have any problems, okay?’ Sakuya looks at me with eyes full of pity.

   ‘Are you getting bullied? If you are, I will make sure those who bully you are punished.’ Ichika says in a fierce tone.

   ‘Both of you, please calm down! I’m not getting bullied or anything. It’s just that I’m bad at making friends.’

   ‘Is that so? Well, my offer still stands. You’re always welcome to come here and talk to me.’

   ‘Thank you, president.’

   ‘So, should we take care of choosing people for the expedition?’ Ichika asks.

   ‘Actually, I’d preferred it if it’s just the three of us, plus Fuyukaze. That is, if the both of you don’t mind.’

   ‘Of course! You can always count on your big sister!’ Sakuya says without hesitating.

   ‘It is fine with me as well.’ Ichika says with a nod.

   ‘Great, that leaves Fuyukaze.’

   ‘I’ll call her with an announcement at once.’ Sakuya says.

   After Mashiro is here, I explain the situation to her, then ask her whether she wants to go along. She says yes without asking anything.

   Since our team is assembled, Sakuya leads us to the rooftop, where a helicopter was waiting. It’s not an ordinary helicopter either, it’s one of those with two blades commonly used by the military.

   I get on first and take out the map inside my jacket. I then point out our destination to our pilot at the front. He looks confused, but agrees to take us there. After that, I go to the back and join the others, who have already settle down.

   Not long after the helicopter ascends and starts to head towards England, Sakuya pulls out a middles-sized pouch out of nowhere. I was surprised at first, but then remember that she just used a simple teleportation magic that even I can use.

   ‘Now then, the journey is long, so we might as well relax for now. Who’s up for snacks?’ Sakuya asks with a bright smile.

   ‘Sorry president, I’m so nervous that I can’t eat anything.’ I tell her immediately.

   ‘Mashiro was told not to have snack in the morning.’ Mashiro says.

   ‘No need to worry you two. Those snacks president has are bought from a convenience store, not home-made by her.’ Ichika informs us.

   ‘In that case, I’ll have some.’

   ‘Mashiro too.’

   ‘YOUR BIG SISTER IS GONNA CRY, YOU KNOW?’ Sakuya screams with tears in her eyes.

   While we are munching down the snacks, Ichika asks me a question that has obviously been bothering her for a while.

   ‘Kagenashi, can I ask you something?’

   ‘Of course, ask away.’

   ‘When you told us about Excalibur last night, I could not help but notice that you looked like you were reluctant to share the information. Why is that?’

   I stiffen up at once.

   ‘Ah, you don’t have to answer me if you don’t want to.’ Ichika says quickly when she saw my reaction.

   ‘No, it’s okay. The thing is, at first, I wanted to keep Excalibur for myself. I figured that if I could obtain the legendary Regalia, I could become invincible.’

   ‘I see. What made you change your mind?’

   ‘Well, I had a talk with Fuyukaze,’ I say while looking at Mashiro. ‘and she told me that if I’m weak, it’s better to just train instead of looking for shortcut, even more so if other might get hurt from it.’

   Upon hearing this, both Sakuya and Ichika tried very hard to not look at Mashiro with pity. To distract them, I continued.

   ‘I realized that she’s right. If Excalibur was stolen by someone like the Lost Children, the world would become a mess. That’s why I told you two about it. To prevent anyone from using it.’

   I hang my head in shame. ‘Pretty presumptuous of me, isn’t it? Here I am, a mere C Rank, thinking that I am worthy to wield the sword of legend.’

   ‘Rise up your head, Kagenashi.’ Ichika tells me.

   When I did as she says, she is looking at me with respect, not disdain. ‘It is true that you sought a shortcut in search of strength. However, you realized the error in your way, and had the courage to confess it. It takes up a lot of strength to confess an error, so you should be proud.’

   ‘I… Thank you, vice president.’

   This is the first time someone praised me for having to guts to admit that I did something wrong. Even though the praise was from an anime character, I was still overwhelmed.

   ‘Yes Kagenashi-kun, you’re a good boy! And as a reward, your big sister will use her authority as the student council president to grant you an A Rank Regalia!’ Sakuya says suddenly.

   ‘Wait, what?’ I’m at a total lost for words.

   ‘What would you like? A gun? A sword?’

   ‘Vice president, is it okay for her to decide it on her own?’ I ask Ichika.

   Ichika simply shrugs. ‘Why not? The cavern we are going is a dangerous place, is it not? It is better for you to have a better weapon to defend yourself with.’

   ‘That’s not the issue here! I’m a C Rank! Me? Using an A Rank Regalia? At least give me a Pseudo Regalia!’

   As I mentioned before, some students at the Academy used weapons made based on Regalias. They are what we call Pseudo Regalias.

   ‘That won’t do~! Your big sister said you’re getting an A Rank Regalia, so that’s what you’re getting. Now hurry up and make your choice.’

   I give up. If they say it’s fine, I might as well take it. 

   ‘A spear, please.’

   ‘A spear? That’s rare. I thought boys would always go for swords. Oh well.’

   Sakuya opens up a portal and puts her hand in it.

   ‘If it’s a spear you’re looking for, I got just the thing for you. Now, it’s supposed to be around here… Aha!’

   She pulls out a spear made of bone, then gives it to me. I accept the spear with both my hands.

   ‘Its name is Gáe Bulg, whose previous owner was the Irish warrior Cúchulainn. With it, you can make seawater appear out of nowhere and control it like your limbs.’ Sakuya explains.

   For those of you who are wondering why it looks nothing like the spear that was used by a certain heroic spirit that appeared in a certain anime series, this is what the spear really looks like, since it was made from bone of a sea monster.

   I stand up from my seat and walk to the middle of the helicopter. Since the helicopter has lots of space, I can swing my new spear with no problem. I start by taking up a stance.

   ‘That is quite a good stance.’ Ichika compliments me. ‘No wonder your rank in spearmanship is A.’

   ‘Thank you vice president. Just curious, did you memorize the status of all the students?’

   ‘Of course I did!’ she says rather proudly. ‘I am the vice president of the student council, after all! If I did not, there is no way I could give advice to those who need them.’

   ‘Naturally, so did your big sister~!’ Sakuya chimes in. ‘I’ve also memorized everyone’s three sizes~!’

   I stop testing out Gáe Bulg the moment I heard that. That information was never shared by the people who made the anime, and none of the characters ever revealed it, so I’m rather curious. But then, I remember that Ichika is looking at me, so I try to stay calm.

   ‘Vice president, if it’s not too much trouble for you, could you train me every once in a while?’ I ask this question in order to distract myself.

   ‘Of course, provided that I am not occupied with the work of student council. But be warned, I am very strict!’ Ichika’s tone is a bit cold, so she is probably suspecting me of having dirty thoughts from what Sakuya had said.

   ‘Are you sure that’s the only thing you wanted to ask~?’ Sakuya asks.

   I sneak a glance at her, and find that she is smiling mischievously.

   ‘Yes president, I’m sure, just as I’m sure that I won’t eat anything that you have made.’

   Sakuya gasps loudly at that, her eyes and mouth opened up to the maximum.

   ‘I-I-I-Ichika-chan!’ Sakuya stutters while looking at Ichika and pointing a trembling finger at me. ‘He’s b-b-b-bullying me~!’

   ‘My apologies, president, but I have to agree with him on that.’

   The ever-quiet Mashiro nods, agreeing with us.

   ‘I’m being surrounded by traitors! Traitors, I tell you! Fine, be that way!’ Sakuya pouts while gobbling down on her snacks.

   I ignore her outburst and practice a few stab and parry with Gáe Bulg. My movements are rather smooth, so I guess a spear is indeed Akira’s weapon that he often use. Satisfied, I take my seat again after teleport Gáe Bulg to my room. All the while, Sakuya is still sulking.

   ‘Please cheer up, president. If you want, I could teach you how to cook.’

   ‘Do not bother, Kagenashi. I have tried to do that multiple times, but all my efforts were in vain.’ Sakuya tells me.

   ‘Well we can’t give up! Think of her future husband!’

   ‘Hmph! I’ll just marry someone who’s good at cooking!’ Sakuya says while puffing up her cheeks.

   ‘I doubt anyone would want to marry someone who is bad at housework in general.’

   ‘Ichika-chan, you promised that you won’t mention it in front of others!’ Sakuya says in horror.

   ‘I do not recall of making such a promise.’

   Oh yeah, now that she mentions it, Sakuya is good at desk works and standing at the front line, but absolutely horrible when it comes to cleaning and other housewife stuff. There was an episode in Season 2 where Yuuji and Ichika had to spend an entire afternoon just to clean up Sakuya’s room.

   ‘But the room was clean when we visited it last night.’ Mashiro points out.

   ‘Naturally. I had to clean it up for her before I could give my reports.’

   ‘You shouldn’t spoil her that much.’ I tell her.

   Ichika sighs. ‘I am aware of that. However, I could not just abandon her.’

   Upon hearing that, Sakuya hugs Ichika happily. ‘I love you, Ichika-chan! I know, I’m going to get married with you!’

   ‘My apologies, president, but I do not swing that way.’ Ichika says while pushing Sakuya’s face away.

   ‘Aww, come on! Don’t be shy~!’

   Sakuya is not the only one who wants to marry Ichika. According to a popularity poll from the comic version, Ichika was voted as the number one wife candidate by the readers. In fact, she won by a landslide, and got much more votes than Sakuya, who got second place.

   And so, we spent our free time on pointless exchanges, even Mashiro joined in every once in a while. A few hours later, the pilot announces that we are near our destination. We immediately got serious.

   It was not long before the helicopter lands on a flat plain. We disembark, then wait for the helicopter to ascends and leaves the area.

   As per agreed, the pilot will come fetch us after three hours. The reason we set up a time limit is to make sure we are not ambushed after we got out with Excalibur. Since this scene is not in the anime, I don’t know what will happen next. Therefore, it’s better to be careful.

   After the helicopter has left, I start to look for the entrance to the cavern. If I remember correctly, it was disguised as three boulders the size of buses. While I’m looking, the girls are looking around for hidden enemies, just in case.

   I spent a good ten minutes to look for the entrance and came up with nothing. I start to panic, fearing that we’re at the wrong place.

   ‘Akira, take a deep breath.’ Mashiro suddenly tells me.

   ‘Huh?’

   ‘A deep breath.’ Mashiro repeats.

   ‘No, I heard you the first time. Why are you calling me by my fist name?’

   ‘You can call me Mashiro if you want.’

   ‘That’s not the problem here.’

   ‘That’s right, Akira-kun~! You look mighty nervous right now, so you should take a deep breath!’

   ‘President, you too?’

   ‘That's Sakuya onee-chan to you~!’

   ‘Uh, no. Everyone at school will kill me for that.’

   Mashiro and Sakuya look at Ichika expectantly, as if they want her to call me by my first name too. After being stared at for a while, she finally relents.

   ‘Oh all right! I will do it! Take a deep breath and calm yourself, A-A-Akira!’ Ichika shouts at me.

   I raise up both my hands in surrender. ‘All right, all right.’

   I was already calm after talking with them, but I take a deep breath anyway just to humor them.

   ‘Better?’ Mashiro asks me.

   ‘Yeah. Thanks, all of you.’

   All of them nod, and continue to wait patiently for me to find the entrance. After three more minutes, I finally found it! Just to be sure, I ran to the boulders and reach my hand out to the boulder in the middle. Sure enough, my hand look like they disappeared into the boulder.

   ‘Here’s the entrance!’ I look back and tell the girls the good news.

   ‘Good job, Akira-kun! Your big sister is so proud of you!’ Sakuya says while patting my head.

   ‘A job well done, Akira.’ Mashiro tells me.

   ‘See, Akira? This is why you should always stay calm.’ Ichika says while giving me a pat in the back.

   It seems that she already got used to calling me by my first name just after saying it once. I’ll just let it slide.

   ‘All right, is everyone ready?’

   All of them nod gravely, their light demeanor from a moment ago completely gone. Except for Mashiro, all of us have our weapons at our hands.

   Sakuya has a huge war fan with her that was used by Takeda Shingen, a famous warlord from the Sengoku period. The warlord did not bother to name his fan, so Sakuya took it upon herself to name it Morifuji Tessen (metal fan). In the anime, she was constantly being teased for her bad naming sense.

   As for Ichika, she wields the Honjo Masamune, the greatest sword ever made by the legendary sword smith Masamune.

   After taking another deep breath, I step into the entrance, with the girls following close behind me.