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Nanana’s Buried Treasure Volume 8 Chapter 3.4

「Is there any other way to take it?」

「That’s a confusing compliment… hmph.」

Suddenly, Tensai stops moving. Curious, Ageha also looks in the direction Tensai is looking. It was on the right side of the blocked passage, a neat rectangular depression in part of the wall.

「What’s the deal with that dent, little mouse?」

「…No, it’s nothing「, Tensai simply replied, tracing the edge of the recess with her finger. She continued and examined the door.

「Well, in any case, if we wait here, everyone will eventually make it here too.」

「I don’t know. Maybe someone lost their life in a trap along the way.」

「They aren’t little mice, that won’t happen.」

Tensai pursed her lips in response to Ageha’s sarcastic comment.

「Servant A and Servant B… Yama and Tsujimi, are definitely better at using their bodies.

「Hmmm, it’s true that if we use force, we will be at a disadvantage.」

「What are you talking about, little mouse? The only one at a disadvantage is you, there’s no way I’d fall behind a bunch of guys like that.」

「You certainly aren’t lacking confidence. It’s something I need to copy.」

「That’s fine, let me be an example for you.」

In fact, she already did. Tensai didn’t mention this though.

There was a time when Tensai imitated Ageha’s pointless self-assertiveness. It was around the time she met Juugo. However, it just didn’t feel right. So she came to the conclusion that humility is important for humans after all, and stopped imitating Ageha. However, since this is how she behaves now that she has stopped, Tensai herself is completely unaware that her humility is something completely different from that of an average person.

That Tensai reminded her of Kachou Ageha. Kachou Ageha may have a slightly off-kilter sensibility, but she is undoubtedly a genius. In addition to her wide-ranging talents, her dignified demeanor is elegant and captivating.

「Well, of course, no matter how hard a little mouse tries, she’ll never be able to match even a ten-thousandth of my flamboyance.」

However, I feel that I have absolutely no respect for this kind of attitude.

「That’s an interesting combination.」

The two turned around as they heard a voice from behind them.

「Of all the times…」

Coming through a different hallway than the one the two had come through was Ikusaba Hiiyo. He looked clean and there was no signs of him falling prey to a trap.

And then he asked the two of them, 「Just to be clear, are you planning on handing over your key fragments and going home?」

「Do you really want to hear such an obvious answer?」

Ageha took a step forward with a provocative smile.

「Watch out, Ageha-dono. That man is merciless. He has no qualms about hitting women.」

「That’s no problem. Even my father never spanked me.」

Seeing Ageha proudly puff out her chest and present this dumb reason Tensai wondered if there was something wrong with her.

「By the way, how do you know about him, little mouse?」

「Because I’ve been beaten by him before.」

「Ah I see.」

Then Kachou Ageha walked up face to face with Ikusaba Hiiyo.

「Well, aren’t you an unpleasant.」

Ikusaba smirks as Ageha glares at him.

「Are you sure you want to fight me?」

「Oh, please don’t make fun of me. I have some martial arts experience too.」

「And you think you can win?」

「It would certainly be a lot of work if I did it normally.」

And then suddenly Ikusaba was suddenly blown backwards.

「But this contest isn’t just about brute force, is it?」

Ageha, holding something in her right hand smiles.

After receiving an invisible blow and falling to the floor, Ikusaba quickly got up and narrowed his eyes.

「Is that also a Nanana collection?」

As Ageha strikes an elegant pose, she is holding what at first glance appears to be a hammer with strangely intricate decorations and a shining white eye.

「It’s called <<air daruma drop>>. It’s official name is <<air impact hammer>>. It’s small, so even a woman like me can use it easily.」

It was a Nanana collection brought by Roto, one of Ageha’s three servants. By swinging it with all her might, she can strike at and shoot out the air in front of her. By the way, even if you don’t get hit directly it hurts as much as being hit with a blunt object.

「Let’s be careful.」

Ikusaba lowered his stance and rushed towards Ageha. Ageha once again swung her <<air impact hammer>> at the charging Ikusaba. However…

「I won’t be a victim of the same trick twice.」

Ikusaba timed Ageha’s swing and flew to the side. A mass of wind passed by right next to him as he jumped. Ikusaba grinned and closed in on Ageha immediately.

Bonk

「Ouch!」

However, he hit his face hard against an invisible wall, causing him to stumble. Without a moment’s hesitation he was hit head on by a second wave of wind blasts, blowing him away.

「What’s wrong? You can’t hit me unless you get closer.」

Ageha crushed the silver egg, <<humpty dumpty>> in her left hand and deployed an invisible wall, chuckling.

「It’s a pretty well-balanced combination.」

Ikusaba stood up and smiled fearlessly. Ageha frowned at Ikusaba. Unlike before he just decided to start walking normally and closing the distance slowly. Ageha is perplexed.

Just as he got a few meters closer to Ageha, Ikusaba threw something. It was a stone that fit in the palm of his hand. However, Ageha (who was wary of Ikusaba’s movements) created an invisible wall and easily deflected the stone.

Then Ageha opened her eyes wide.

「Now, how many seconds do you have left?」

Ikusaba was on the very edge of the invisible wall that she had constructed. The invisible wall of <<humpty dumpty>> would remain for the amount of time it took for the silver egg she had crushed in her hand to regenerate. After that time the invisible wall disappears.

Why does Ikusaba know this? It’s because she had used it a lot in the second stage. Just as the power of Ikusaba’s ring was well-known, Ageha’s <<humpty dumpty>> power had already been seen through.

So the moment the invisible wall disappeared, Ageha raised her <<air shock hammer>> and brought it down at the same time the wall disappeared.

「Of course that’s the only way it can be done.」

Ikusaba, who had perfectly read Ageha’s movements, easily dodged it. Then he grabbed Ageha’s arm as she swung the hammer down again and pulled her.

BANG

That was when the gunshot rang out.

Ikusaba quickly let go of Ageha’s arm and took a few steps back.

「So you brought it after all.」

「Of course. I wouldn’t be so stupid as to come empty-handed.」

Tensai, holding a modified pistol, catches the staggering Ageha.

「That was close, Ageha-dono. You were almost thrown down.」

「I’ll compliment you for now, little mouse.」

「At the very least, I don’t think that gratitude to someone who has been helped should be expressed by patting them on the head.」

Ageha, having let go of the arms of the sullen-looking Tensai that was supporting her, glared at Ikusaba.

「Looks like it’s best not to let him get too close.」

「I see. In that case, ‘No using any Nanana collection for the next 10 minutes’.」

The two were taken aback by Ikusaba’s words. Without thinking, Ageha looks at Tensai.

「….I got you.」

She couldn’t move either her left hand holding the silver egg, nor her right hand holding the silver hammer at all. She didn’t directly at it, but she wasn’t trying to avoid it either. While Ikusaba was speaking, out of the corner of Ageha’s eye, she caught a glimpse of the skull ring on the index finger of Ikusaba’s right hand. That means Ikusaba’s ring <<death’s whisper>> made his allusion real.

Tensai, holding a gun, clicks her tongue.

「I didn’t expect it to be incorporated into such natural movements. What a troublesome Nanana collection.」

「So, now that your Nanana collection has been sealed away, what will you do? Will you surrender with honor? Or will you continue your pointless resistance and suffer the consequences.」

「How about option 3, get help?」

The three turned towards the sudden new voice. Yama Juugo appeared from a different passageway than the ones Tensai or Ikusaba had come through.

「Oh dear, what a bad time to show up, Yama-kun.」

「I’m honored to receive your praise.」

Juugo comes out of the corridor, walks up to Ageha and the others, and hands Tensai the bag he is holding.

「What is this?」

「There are two inside. Take a good look.」

After receiving it and looking inside, Tensai glared at Juugo.

「Why give it to me?」

「I’m guessing you were in a difficult position and couldn’t get all the way here by yourself, and was picked up by Lady Ageha and brought along as the decipherer, right?」

Juugo laughed maliciously as if he had seen through what was going on. Tensai turned away and clicked her tongue.

Ageha asked, 「Juugo, if there are two pieces of the key, does that mean you beat Tsujimi…?」

「No, Tetsu-kun is doing fine. I met him on the way and secretly stole his key. And a word of advice to Ageha-ojousama. Negotiations won’t work on Tetsu-kun at the moment. So if you meet him, run away.」