Rising Rays of the New Century: Tale of the Japanese Empire

Shining Night Kamaitachi

"Man... this feels like camping."

"It's cold at night, sensei."

Tsukigami was stunned at Koba's overload of baggage, but Koba remained nonchalant and sipped his coffee. Looking up at the night sky, the stars were shining brightly.

"Beautiful..." Teru murmured.

It was the first time for her to look up at the stars like this. Even though she was in the middle of the city, the surrounding light was blocked by trees in the forest, which made the stars appear even brighter. Yadoya asked Teru, who was not accustomed to observing meteors.

"When observing meteors, it is better to look vaguely in a certain direction without shifting your gaze here and there."

"...Is that so? Alright, then."

Teru followed the advice and gazed in the direction of the northeast-east where the constellation Lyra rises. Then a faint streak of light was seen for a moment.

"...That's!"

"Yeah, I saw it too."

The streak of light that Teru found was also visible to Tsukigami. Teru, who had found the meteor, could not hide her excitement, which was unusual for her.

However, unsavory figures were approaching to disturb such a peaceful time. Three men with dyed hair, dressed in flashy jerseys, and looking rather ill-mannered were approaching from the darkness.

"What is a serious Hisui Gakuen cohort doing here at this hour?"

"...!?"

The Astronomy Club members all turned at once in response to the unexpected voice. Yadoya quickly shielded Teru, the only girl in the club, behind him. Koba also glared at them in alarm. Unfortunately, Tsukigami was off the spot at the wrong time.

"Huh? There's a cute girl."

One of the men noticed Teru. He has animal ears sprouting from his head and stripes on his face reminiscent of a tiger. He is probably a tiger demi-human. The man approached Teru who was hiding behind Yadoya while staring at her face.

"Hey, can you lend us that girl?"

"Hell no!"

The man forced him to surrender Teru, but Yadoya immediately balked at that. Despite the considerable size difference, Teru was not intimidated at all.

"A little human like you wants to defy me? Do you even care for your life?"

The beastman, whose physique bears the features of animals, is the most numerous of the demi-humans living in Japan. Beastmen are often born with greater strength in their arms than normal humans. The man threatened Yadoya with a growl.

"...That's enough. You are high school students, aren't you? Where do you go to school?"

"!"

At that moment, the voice of Tsukigami, who had returned from the restroom, interrupted the standoff. The delinquents, startled by the sudden appearance of the tall, handsome man, snapped at him as well.

"Who're you?"

"A teacher who advises this club."

"Ooh? Really? Do you think it's okay for a teacher to touch minors?"

The delinquents deliberately provoked him, thinking that a teacher would not be able to do anything rough. However, Tsukigami did not lose his composure and spoke.

"I don't want this, but... if you're going to try to intimidate or assault my students, I don't see any reason to hesitate to use force."

Tsukigami was prepared to take rough action. However, the delinquents did not take Tsukigami's words in stride and went on to mock him further.