Chapter 1279. Crushing Negatives / The Melancholy of Girl Assassins

「 I don’t want to be immodest so I’ve been quiet so far, but.. 」

Responding to Edie’s rant, Kuromiya Motoko-san speaks sullenly.

「 I have some things I just can’t leave behind as someone mastering the Kuromiya spearmanship arts 」

Behind Kuromiya-san is her bodyguard, Mikuriya-san is gripping her spear, glaring at Edie.

「 But I’m telling the truth, your spears are useless 」

Edie said with a smile.

「 Swinging it around is just a “young lady’s” play in the end. You do it for nothing but self-satisfaction

「 Would you like to test if it’s just a game with your body? 」

Kuromiya-san takes a stance.

She points the spear to Edie.

At that moment.

「 Ufufufu 」

「 Kufufu 」

The tanned sisters Kyouko-san were brought from Southeast Asia.

Dolly Lu and Anna Lu who holds an electric drill spear, started laughing.

Kuromiya-san didn’t understand why they’re laughing so her face is dumbfounded.

「 Oh, I see. I get that. Edie’s right. These girls are useless 」

Kyouko-san said smiling.

「 W-What basis do you have that from? 」

Kuromiya-san shouts at Kyouko-san, but..

「 After all, you’re not even ready to kill or get killed 」

Kyouko-san replied straight.

「 Pointing your weapon at another person means taking each other’s lives, see? It’s either you kill or you die. You point your weapons so lightly even though you don’t have that resolve 」

「 T-That’s because it’s Edie-san 」

historical

Kuromiya-san says in panic.

「 That’s irrelevant. Even if it’s a friend or family, casually pointing a weapon at me isn’t something I tolerate. Besides, Darling hasn’t decided whether you’re in or not. That’s why what you’re doing to me right now is first-class hostile act 」

Edie said.

This is bad.

「 Kuromiya-san, stop pointing your spear at Edie 」

I said.

「 I’m not telling you to put it down. But, don’t point the tip on her 」

「 But, the honor of the Kuromiya arts.. 」

Kuormiya-san says.

「 Motoko-ojousama, please lower it 」

Mikuriya-san, her bodyguard tells her.

「 We can’t win against the people in here 」

「 Kurumi, what are you talking about? 」

Kuromiya-san looked at Mikuriya-san in surprise.

「 I’m challenging Edie-san on a one-on-one fight 」

「 It’s only Motoko-sama who thinks that way

Mikuriya-san looked at the girls around.

The girls attending the early morning practice, Michi, Mitama, Kinuka, Haiji, the bodyguards are here.

「 If you make a move on Edie-oneesama, then we’ll be your opponents 」

Haiji said.

「 I’m sorry to say but we’ll have to take out Kuromiya-sama if you do that 」

「 Take out 」

Mitama and Kinuka said.

「 Edie’s enemy is our family’s enemy 」

Michi speaks with her usual blank face.

「 W-Why does it come to this? 」

「 Anyway, put down the spear! 」

Mikuriya-san said. Kuromiya-san lowered her spear.

「 Hmm, I guess our girls are getting fired up. You look like you’re all ready to kill 」

Kyouko-san looked at Michi and the girls and said.

「 Ahan 」

「 Ooh 」

The drill spear girls looked at Michi and nodded.

「 We can’t keep the family safe unless we have this resolve 」

Michi replies, representing the girls.

「 We’re not sports athletes, we’re bodyguards 」

「 Yes, if this was a martial arts sport event, then there’s a proper way to fight fair with rules and safety in mind. But, we’re not like that 」

Edie smiled.

「 I’m doing martial arts on the ring to erase my past, but.. 」

Edie decided to join Margo-san’s martial arts show to break ties with the assassination cult she’s born and raised in.

If her face is known as a martial artist in the public, then the assassination cult will not contact Edie again.

「 But I’m still an assassin by nature. If someone tries to fight me, then I’ll kill them. If I underestimate my opponents, then I’m putting my family in danger 」

「 Yes, that’s right. These girls are raised nicely. Papa’s happy 」

Kyouko-san smiled.

「 Compared to that, these girls who are ignorant of the ways of the world seem helpless 」

Then, she throws a gaze of contempt on Kuromiya-san.

「 I just talked about nukes and knives earlier but, to be honest, knives aren’t that much of a threat if they’re just there. It’s just an object. It’s just a tool that has no will of their own 」

Kyouko-san said.

「 It’s always the humans who use the dangerous tools. It’s only when the human will is added that the nuclear weapons and knives become a threat 」

Human will.

「 Going back to the Davy Crockett topic, they deployed over 2100 of it but it was eventually scrapped without ever being used. I think that it proves that the human race isn’t in such a horrible state yet that it’s hopeless. After all, they had nuclear weapons right next to them. The firing equipment was just a normal infantry recoilless gun and the bullets were just nuclear bombs, anyone can shoot it. Of course, those who shoot it know that they will surely die in an all-out nuclear war, but they’re also so desperate to live that they’re willing to take the world by a storm and kill themselves. I mean, who wouldn’t want to press the “fire” button on that? In the end, not a single showed up to use those nukes 」

Nobody tried to commit suicide with a nuclear weapon. I guess that meant the check to prevent such vile people from being exposed to nuclear weapons was effective.

「 A nuke that doesn’t detonate is just a metal box. I think it’s wonderful that the 2100 infantry nukes had been disposed of as just a box. They didn’t use a powerful force that could kill a lot of people 」

Kyouko-san said and looked at Kuromiya-san.

「 Meaning, all the power a person has means nothing unless it’s controlled by a strong will of that person 」

Then.

「 From how I see it, you may know how to use that spear. You might have the skill. But, you don’t have a strong will that’s enough to control that power. You don’t have a direction in mind on what are you going to use that spear moving forward, do you? 」

「 That’s.. 」

Kuromiya-san looked down.

「 The only people whose job is to hold a spear nowadays are the Swiss Guards at the Vatican. Their spears are bulky. It’s not convenient to carry around. The length of their spear is effective against enemies with bare hands or swords, but it’s useless against those with guns. It’s no wonder spears have fallen out of use on the battlefield and got replaced by bayonets. Even with bayonets, it’s only the British army that still has infantry bayonet assault in the 21st century 」

Kyouko-san continues.

「 But as a sport, the number of competitors in spear using is astonishingly small. On top of that, it’s hard to assemble different martial art battles using spears. For all intents and purposes, spears with a longer reach will have the advantage 」

Nei was also troubled when they asked to give them a match.

「 If you’re still going to hold on to that spear, then show us your determination. If you’re going to fight against us, then be ready to kill, be ready to die. If you want it to be a sport, then make an effort to increase your competitors. Either way, it’s rude to point the tip of your spear at other people that carelessly 」

That’s right. Kuromiya-san doesn’t know what she wants to do in the future with her spear.

「 I just want to pass down the spear techniques passed down in the Kuromiya house for generations 」

Kuromiya-san speaks with a face that’s about to cry.

「 But you see, your family’s spear techniques were developed around the Warring States period, right? During that time, spears were probably used so much that there were words like best spear, and spear workers, but spears were already in recession during the Edo period. Isn’t that right, Edie? 」

Kyouko-san asks Edie.

「 Right. Even in the Edo period, while spears were recognized as an important martial art, swordsmanship became more mainstream. It was troublesome to carry around a spear in times of peace, and the shogunate didn’t like ronins wandering around with spears. Therefore, it became common for the samurai to carry only swords for self-defense, and swordsmanship became popular to protect their lord. Even so, during the samurai era, the art of spear survived somehow, but it almost died out during the Meiji restoration. Kendo’s the chosen martial arts taught in schools but spears weren’t. Even in the Military, only bayonet techniques were taught, not many houses in Japan teach spear techniques anymore 」

「 Therefore, I have to pass on my spear fighting techniques for the Kuromiya arts not to die in my generation! 」

Kuromiya-san said, but..

「 Yes, but for what purpose? 」

Edie asks sharply.

「 It’s not possible to use the spear as a real-world fighting technique anymore. It’s no longer with the times. As a sport, your family’s spearmanship isn’t widespread at all. If you want to preserve it, then that’s fine, but I want you to keep it in your house. Don’t take your spear out of your home because it’s only causing trouble! 」

「 I-I.. 」

「 In the end, it’s your personal problem. You don’t know exactly what to do and because of that you plunge yourselves into the faces of other things and that’s why you’re causing trouble 」

「 B-But, but.. 」

Kuromiya-san points at Dolly and Anna’s drill spear.

「 You say that spears are obsolete and yet the two over there have spears on their hand! 」

She tries to find a connection and said.

「 Yes, these girls can use spears, but.. 」

Kyouko-san said, and told the tanned sisters some foreign language.

Dolly-san and Anna-san smiled and replied to Kyouko-san.

「 Dolly’s killed 28 people with her spear so far. Meanwhile, Anna’s killed 16 」

These petite and cute girls have killed people?

「 There’s an organization that collects orphans and trains them to be assassins in Southeast Asia. There was this old lady called Gamma Utena, she’s the boss on the underground there. She runs a training school for assassin’s called the Golden Serpent’s nest. These sisters came from there, they were the masterpiece. These girls led their fellow girl assassins to assassinate everyone involved with the organization, from their boss Gamma Utena, and the top-brass, to the lowest ranks 」

Kyouko-san said.

「 They let their allies kill and they also kill. Gamma Utena herself died by the drill spears of these girls. Well, I’m the one who made them do it. I wanted to crush Gamma Utena’s organization so I used these girls to make it collapse from within 」

I see.

「 After all, these sisters and all the other girl assassins have no hesitation in killing people. Just because you’re the boss or someone from the same organization doesn’t mean that you can get away without getting killed by these. If I were to tell them right now that they should kill each other, then they won’t stop until one of them dies. That’s their true nature, assassins 」

These girls look beautiful as they smile, and yet..

Speaking of which..

Edie’s also always smiling.

These girls who have been trained as assassins might’ve been trained to smile all the time to catch their enemies off guard.

「 Do you understand? Your spear is a useless and pointless weapon, but theirs is a real weapon. They use it to kill people after all 」

Kyouko-san said and looked at me.

「 With that said, you can have them. They’re my present. You can do whatever you want with them 」

M-Me?

「 No, that’s a bother. Giving me such troublesome girls. Seems like we can’t understand each other either 」

「 Don’t worry about that part. I heard that they learned Japanese to assassinate a Japanese person who came to their place. They can’t have some complex conversations though 」

Kyouko-san talked to the sisters.

Then.

「 Hello. My name is Dolly Lu. Sixteen years old! 」

「 Hello, my name is Anna Lu. Fourteen years old 」

No, you already did that earlier.

I mean, could it be that it’s all they san say in Japanese?

「 Darling, I figured out some of their languages 」

Edie said.

「 It’s a little blunt but this is based on French, so I can understand their intent 」

Edie then talked to the sisters in some language I don’t know.

「 Oh! 」

「 Aha! 」

Dolly and Anna reacted happily. They talked and replied to Edie.

Seems like they managed to get into a conversation.

「 But, aren’t these girls dangerous, Kyouko-san? If they have no hesitation in killing people, then letting them get close to our girls is.. 」

If they could kill each other, then they might just come after us at any moment.

「 Oh yeah, they’re dangerous. Just as much as nuclear weapons 」

Kyouko-san replies calmly.

「 They’re quiet because Cordelia and I are here but I don’t know what they’ll do when we’re gone 」

「 That’s a problem then! 」

We have Yukino and Nagisa, who is pregnant, and Mao-chan, a toddler!

Even the other girls.

「 We don’t want them either. Who knows when they’ll come backbiting us. They’re like weapons that you don’t know what they’re going to do 」

「 Then it’s already a big problem bringing them! 」

I protested. Kyouko-san then;

「 Even we can’t handle them so you have to 」

Huh?

「 Use the Takakura shrine maidens to control them 」

That’s..

「 These girls only know how to kill. They have no logic, common sense, nor morals. They should be erased from existence actually. If we don’t kill both of them, then they’ll be dangerous for as long as they’re alive 」

I see. That’s indeed on a nuclear level.

「 So, use the shrine maiden’s power to alter their mind and memories to a woman that suits you. Make it thorough. If you want to keep them alive, that’s your only choice. Rewrite them so they do whatever you tell them and never make a move on your family 」

That’s..

「 Test it on these girls first, depending on the results, the survivor of the girl assassins at the Golden Serpent’s Lair will also be subjected to the alteration through the Miko power. If not, then Cordelia and I have no choice but to kill all of them 」