Chapter Seventeen: Alpha
“I’m counting on you, Akane,”
Katsumi said before he left, never to return.
After defeating Vega and the other aliens, destroying their spaceship, and getting swallowed up by a wormhole to parts unknown, several days had passed with no sign of his return.
“…………”
As virtual enemies materialized before me, I sliced through them with my sword.
“…………”
The robots stilled.
More virtual foes appeared, and I dashed forward, thrusting my blade to pierce their vital points and mow them down.
“…………”
It was because I was weak.
Because I was weak and overly reliant on him, he couldn’t come back.
He had risked his life.
But what pained me most was that I had given him that choice.
“You said you’d changed, but you haven’t changed at all!”
Why would you throw your life away?
So many people will grieve if you’re gone!
I knew my feelings were terribly selfish.
He did it because it was the only way to resolve the situation.
Otherwise, those robots would have destroyed the city, and who knows how many would have suffered.
His choice wasn’t wrong.
“You have to come back!”
I cried out, slicing the last enemy in two. Behind me lay the wreckage of over a hundred defeated foes.
“Add more, please.”
“That’s enough, Red,” said a man, appearing before I could request more enemies. His stern expression and crossed arms conveyed disapproval.
“Your injuries haven’t fully healed yet.”
“Leave me alone,”
I said, turning my back on him.
But he persisted, his voice sharp.
“Doing this won’t bring him back.”
“He’s alive!”
I yelled, losing composure. But the man was unmoved.
“Perhaps so.”
“…………”
“Black Knight, or Katsumi Homura, die so easily? No matter how many people report that, I won’t admit that fact.”
He handed me a tablet showing a hooded boy transforming in a golden light.
“Records of his battles were released, identities concealed. Rumors claim he died, but pay them no mind—mere nonsense.”
The boy’s form changed into a white-masked warrior. Baring his fangs, he unleashed a devastating assault against the aliens.
“You’re right. Knowing Katsumi, he’s probably infiltrated their ship and picked a fight with the head honcho before coming back home.” I managed a weak smile.
“I doubt even he could defeat the Supreme Overlord, but it seems he’s recovered.”
Though it was unclear if he had recovered, a spark of hope now burned within me.
Then, a communication came through on the tablet.
I handed it to the president, and he responded with a frown.
“What?! I’m busy providing mental care since Kawakami quit! Read the mood!”
“That was really loud…”
I felt completely deflated.
But that silliness is our president.
As I waited for his call to end, suddenly his expression changed to one of urgency.
“Don’t send it away! Bring that girl to his holding cell, now!”
After hanging up, the president seemed very agitated.
Did something happen? As I wondered, he turned to me.
“Call Yellow and Blue immediately!”
“W-Why?”
He answered anxiously, “Someone who knows he’s alive has come.”
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT GADGETIZEDPANDA.COM
We went to his cell and found a girl already there—the cute, black-haired Alpha from the alien fight.
Sipping juice through a straw, she sat not in a chair but on his bed where he used to sleep. Our grim-faced president was also there.
“Katsumi is alive,” she stated.
“Are you certain, Alpha?”
“Yes, I can sense it. He’s probably back on Earth somewhere in this country.”
We glanced at each other in surprise and hurried to the table.
“Can you pinpoint the location?”
“He’s in this prefecture, but not exactly where… Still, he’s definitely alive.”
“…Then why hasn’t he returned here? Is he being held captive? No, there haven’t been any facilities like that confirmed in the county… So, maybe he’s at the hospital?”
The fact that he was alive brought me relief. I decided to ask the girl on the bed.
“Um, you’re Alpha, right?”
“What’s up, Red?”
“What are you exactly?”
“Katsumi’s Partner.”
There was a crackling sound.
“I am, the number one of the Omega, Alpha’s daughter. Well, it’s more like I’ve always felt this way about being called Alpha.”
She introduced herself, explaining that she was called Alpha, possessing a powerful ability to alter perceptions.
She had always been by Katsumi’s side. Wait, always?
“Always?”
“Yeah, always.”
“Even when we were here?”
“Yeah, I was sitting with you, having snacks and tea with Katsumi and you all.”
“…………”
Wait, now that I think about it, there are chairs and mugs here for five people. I never questioned it. Is this the power of perception alteration?
“It was amusing to see all of you struggling against him just like me.”
Alpha teased with a smirk, and another crackling sound followed.
Kirara and Aoi, although they were smiling, had a different look in their eyes.
“Sit down, all of you! Listen! If you guys go all out, I’ll die! Do you understand?”
“Why are you so confident…?”
“Self-defense due to weakness…”
We took our seats to calm down for now. The president, wiping the sweat from his forehead, looked at Alpha with caution.
“Why haven’t you used your abilities?”
“Because I might be exposed to the aliens. They probably have a way to sense my power. …I was always protected by Katsumi, so I was fine, but now that he’s not here, I’m powerless.”
The president seemed to agree with Alpha’s words.
“It’s not an unbelievable story. Your abilities have trouble affecting things coming from the sky. It wouldn’t be strange if they had a way to nullify Alpha and Omega’s powers.”
“Did the president know about this child?”
“Yeah, I’m an alien.”
That’s right, she’s an alien.
………….
“””……Huh?”””
“I’ve been saying it all along. You guys are quite heartless not to believe.”
“It’s true. This pervert here partially nullified my perception alteration.”
No, no, no…!
Alpha’s words confirmed the truth, but there was no way I could have believed she was an alien based on everything she had said before.
“I thought you were joking.”
“I thought you had a habit of lying.”
“Words carry weight.”
“That’s incredibly rude of you all.”
The president sighed deeply.
He could believe it because he had experienced an invasion by aliens, but he never thought that the jokes Alpha made regularly were true.
So, is the president an alien who helps humans? Otherwise, he wouldn’t make suits for us.
“I belonged to a faction different from those joking idiots called the ‘Saviors.'”
“She’s starting to talk again.”
“…An organization that was too cruel, and the top guy was a martial artist who was too strong and scary. I got tired of it and ran away with the Core!! The end!!”
It seemed like she was about to go on a long story, but she pouted at Kirara’s words and quickly ended it.
It was concise and easy to understand, but I wondered if I should ask for more details later.
Huh? Come to think of it, Alpha looks familiar somewhere…
“Ah!!”
“Red! Don’t suddenly shout like that!”
“No, it’s different! Alpha-chan, you’ve met me before, right!”
I told her, and she tilted her head curiously.
“When I was saved by Black Knight-kun, you talked to me, right!”
“Oh, you mean that time…”
“Yeah, that’s right.”
“Weren’t you the kid who wet herself?”
“That’s definitely someone else’s story!”
There’s absolutely no truth to that, but the president, Kirara, and Aoi probably don’t think so.
The president and Kirara hold my shoulders down in silence.
“O-Okay, calm down, Red!”
“Stop it, Akane. So, did you do it?”
“Well, I can’t deny it… Let’s forget about what just happened.”
“No, it’s not like that! It’s baseless! I was the one that almost died suffocated!”
I can’t stand this weird concern from my friends, especially when I’m already getting a hard time online. We need to clear up this misunderstanding as soon as possible.
“Suffocated? Oh… you mean that kid. You were Red at the time.”
“Come on, it’s not like that! …Hey, Kirara, Aoi, why do you both look disappointed?”
We’re friends, right?
“Did you undo all the perception alterations?”
“No, I probably just got spotted by the person I was looking for, so my guard was down. That’s why Akane remembered me right away. I haven’t undone the alterations from the past.”
“Changes like that don’t naturally revert, do they?”
…It’s an incredible power.
In essence, if this kid orders it, everything, thoughts and actions, becomes natural.
“I can’t use my power recklessly anymore. So, I’m thinking of seeking protection from you.”
“We’ll have to accept it. If you get captured, it could spell the end for humanity. But if you die, Earth might become expendable, and even worse things could happen.”
We knew that the invaders were targeting Alpha after the recent invasion. It wouldn’t be surprising if they came after her again.
“In that case, we’ve decided! First, we need to search for Katsumi! The rest of you should heal your wounds and train for the next battle! And as for me, the galaxy-class, super invincible genius scientist here will create new powers for all of you and Katsumi!”
“Yes!”
“Good response! In that case, I’m heading to the lab with my explosive enthusiasm at maximum!”
With those parting words, the president was about to leave the cell.
“Wait.”
“Hmm, what is it?”
“Isn’t Hakua Shirakawa here?”
The president tilted his head, seemingly not understanding the intention behind the question.
“She couldn’t endure the gloomy atmosphere within the company and quit.”
“I see, well… that’s fine then…”
“…? Is that the end of the discussion? In that case, I’m off now! You all can bond or even have a catfight or something! Veaaahahaha! Thanks to Katsumi defeating those fake warriors, we’ve got some pristine energy cores that I can incorporate into your equipment!”
“Knowing that Katsumi is safe, it seems the president has regained his spirits.
Despite appearances, he must have been just as worried as we were…
He’s alive.
Moreover, if he’s in this planet and nearby, it’s only a matter of time before we find him.
“To ensure he can return without worries, we need to do our best.”
“Yeah, the next time we meet, he’ll be a member of the Justice Crusaders.”
We can’t rely on him completely.
This time, we need to become stronger so we can help Katsumi.
“Now, you can consider yourselves… additional warriors for your team.”
The time we spent with him, our memories, it wasn’t in vain. Everything we did stayed in his heart and opened the door to his heart.
“Friends, huh?”
Before the invaders arrived, those were the words he was about to say.
We remember them well. This time, we truly want to become his friends.
It seems Alpha is also eagerly awaiting the reunion.
Well, all of us here, the president, the staff, and the people hoping for his safe return, are waiting for the return of the hero who saved Earth.”
Also check out my friend Localizermeerkat for more LN translations!
BUY THE SOURCE MATERIAL TO SUPPORT THE AUTHOR !!!
Kindly click on the green button above and contribute to filling the green bar if you’re interested in having another LN from the request page translated.
Also, every donation is being used to purchase the source material and to fund more English translations.
Please consider joining my Ko-Fi membership. By becoming a member, you’ll also gain access to 2-10 additional chapters of all of the novels from this site translated into English. Last but not least your support will also assist me in upholding the translation quality and speed. For more information, please follow the link.
Donation for faster release is always welcome
Additionally, I am now accepting translation requests.
