Chapter 5

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—Nmhh…

I woke up with a stupid voice.

The alarm clock didn’t go off. I broke it. I should buy a new one, but I’ve been busy and haven’t had the time. time lately.

I crawled out of bed. I looked toward the table.

—Good morning.

The stuffed animal usually greets me right away, but today it didn’t say anything. And it’s not just today. Stuffed I stroked Harakiritora’s head. Even though he no longer spoke, I planned to keep him in the room.

A few days have passed since then. Time flies when you’re bored.

I ate and went to school. Even though I’m dying, it seems I can’t escape my responsibilities. as a student.

As usual, Higashida spoke to me in the men’s section.

—Hey, Senou, we’re going out this time, will you join us? You rejected me before, but this time…

—I’ll go.

Higashida seemed surprised. He seemed puzzled by my immediate decision.

—Just in case, men only. No girls. Just the two of us. Sakura-san won’t be coming either.

-Alright.

Higashida still looked perplexed.

I no longer felt the urge to shout like before: “Sakura-san, Sakura-san.” I’m probably just…

Someone who delights in thinking, “How beautiful.” Surely, that’s how it will be from now on.

The incident in Sakura-san’s basement wasn’t reported in the newspaper. It seems Shizuku covered it up. several ways. She’s an amazing woman.

Finally, I asked Shizuku what had happened to Sakura-san after school that day.

—She is safe.

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From her seat in the student council room, Shizuku replied.

—No injuries. Just a little singed hair. And also, no memory.

-What the devil?

“He doesn’t remember anything at all. It seems his bad temper disappeared along with that statue.” —So that’s how it is.

-Yeah.

Seeing my perplexed expression, Shizuku added:

—So, what are we going to do? Report Kaede? Or confront the girl about what she did to make Think about it? You might feel better. But you’ll only hurt Kaede. And hate only breeds hate.

—…

“Besides, if Kaede finds out the truth, instead of being hurt, she might refuse to go to school. Or something.” Worse. So it’s better that I don’t know anything.

He said that. It’s true, isn’t it? Sometimes it’s a blessing not to remember things.

—So, what about me?

Pointing to himself, Shizuku smiled ironically.

—A friend from high school I knew a little. That’s all.

—Aah…

So everything’s back to normal? While it doesn’t surprise me now, it’s still regrettable in a way.

Shizuku offers no words of comfort.

The white Kämpfer girls appear to have been brought to the surface by Shizuku and Mikoto. They complained o

How arduous the work was. Of course, the oath bracelets have disappeared. It seems that too

They’ve lost their memory. They must have avoided being thrown into the tank because they were unconscious The fact that they are still alive is a true miracle.

—Something strange happened.

-That?

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—The Kämpfer who were at the research facility disappeared.

What the devil?

—Everyone disappeared. Even senpai and Kuzuhara.

—Did someone bring them?

“There was no one else there but us. But maybe, you know, since the statue broke, perhaps it couldn’t be done hold the body.

—So, aah, I guess that’s about them too.

—No one will remember them. They remain missing from everyone’s memory.

It’s a sad story. I probably only vaguely remember Tamiko Shinomiya.

The student council president said, “There is no other option.” —I said memories are memories. We have to keep living.

And he changed the subject.

—It was decided that Natsuru Senou, the girl, is undergoing treatment again for her illness. She will be taking a The women’s section is on break. You don’t need to go anymore.

—I’m in top shape!

—You can’t transform yourself, can you?

That’s exactly right. Once the oath bracelet is gone, we are no longer fighters.

The girls in the class seemed disappointed. It appeared they had a more lucrative offer.

—Those girls don’t change at all.

I won’t be going back to the women’s section. I couldn’t help but feel a slight emptiness.

Knock, knock, knock. The sound of knocking on the student council room door. There’s only one person inside.

hit like that.

—Natsuru! Shizuku!

As expected, Mikoto arrived.

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-Let’s Play!

My eyes widened. What energy this girl has! Does her gas never run out?

Does it run on nuclear energy?

—What do you mean by “play”?

—We’re going to make a cardboard boat to sail around Tokyo Bay.

—But we did that when we were in elementary school!

Mikoto raised a finger and waved it from side to side.

—Chichichi. This time is different from that time. Waterproof cardboard bowl.

—It’s the same thing!

—I’ll add my carefully made curry.

—I don’t want it!

This morning, when I checked the refrigerator, there was still more. Could it be that this girl intends to

turn my life into all curry?

I look at the clock on the wall. Oops, it’s time.

—I’m leaving early.

—Eeh, let’s go together.

Mikoto purses her lips. Shizuku intervenes.

—You can’t, Mikoto.

-But…

—You shouldn’t interfere.

That’s what the student council president said.

I left the student council room at a brisk pace. Maybe I was a little late. Perhaps I made her wait?

I left through the men’s section door and headed towards the women’s section. There was a girl there.

She saw me and said hello.

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—Natsuru-san!

Behind Akane’s glasses, a smile was reflected.

We used to go out together. It wasn’t a very deep relationship, but we were always together. We wouldn’t say w

officially “dating.” Even so, it was a pretty happy relationship.

We both walked back together. Although it would be a big problem if they found us in a place like that, or if Higashida finds out, that didn’t worry us at all.

Akane used to talk a lot about the books she read. She would recommend the ones she found interesting.

He would tell about what happened at school, especially about outings with Higashida and the others.

Meaningless conversations kept us together.

“…That’s it, I was thinking about something,” she said.

-In what?

—You see. Regarding what happened in the basement, they say that Sakura-san, when she was a child, used

—Um.

I thought that maybe, that was a story where Sakura-san had power. Perhaps everything happened the way sh

had I imagined?

—…

—In the end, he could have become someone who controls Kämpfer, regardless of the moderator. It’s

In other words, that was the image Sakura-san wanted… I covered Akane’s mouth with my hand.

—Drop that subject.

—Muguh…

—It’s something from the past.

Everything was sealed away in that basement. The shattered statue, Sakura-san’s dark heart. Of course I remember it. But I simply have to bury those memories deep in my mind.

There are things that cannot be forgotten, of course.

Akane removed my hand on her own.

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—Puhaa… It hurts.

-I’m sorry.

—Oh, my dad told me to bring Natsuru back. He says he wants to talk more about his history. professional. He says it’s very useful in this era.

—Uuhee…

It seems Akane’s father is still wondering how I got out of the basement. It’s annoying to lie, so I’ll postpone it.

meeting.

—How about we leave it for next time?

Akane puffs out her cheeks.

—But… You won’t forget it, will you?

—I’ll remember it.

-Really?

-Yes that’s how it is.

—So, you wouldn’t forget me either?

I glanced sideways at Akane’s face.

Her eyes behind the glasses were puzzled. It was the same old Akane. The girl who never spoke to me. abruptly. She was Mishima Akane.

Was it just an auditory illusion? No, I heard him. I reached out. I gently stroked his cheek.

—I won’t forget you… I never will.

Did she get my message? Did my heart touch that proud, brusque girl who seemed to enjoy insulting others? N I know.

But the girl in front of me smiled tenderly.

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This is Tsukiji. I present to you the final volume of “Kämpfer”. It was a long road, but finally everything came tog

It was resolved. Natsuru, Akane, Shizuku, Mikoto, and even Sakura-san, all reached this point. I can’t I will address everything in this afterword, so please enjoy the main body.

What began as a series became a manga and then an anime. With the end of the anime, it also

The original work concludes. The manga will continue, the DVDs will continue to be sold, but it’s likely that it wo

There will be more novels. Saying goodbye to characters is difficult, but where there are encounters, there are a Goodbyes. Although these aren’t Shizuku’s words, we must go on living. I’m sure that We’ll find charming characters elsewhere.

And that’s all for now. Until next time.

February 2010

Toshihiko Tsukiji

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