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Hidan no Aria:Volume7 Chapter3

2011-09-18T21:47:45Z

84.194.112.212: /* 3rd Ammo: The Third Quadra */

==3rd Ammo: The Third Quadra==

The three girls from Connect had several simple single-earphone-type incams, and taking them, we established communication, sharing the same frequency.

Afterward, confirming that we had reached our respective positions...first, a message from Shiranui was transmitted through the incam.

"...Tohyama-kun. On Car 7, there are several TV staff of some location aboard and they have cameras. They understand that this is an incident, so it seems that all along, they have been using the train's wireless LAN to broadcast."

"Broadcast...in this situation?"

"Yes, they seem to be happy. They were able to be right at a scoop."

Really...They have no sense of reality.

Despite the fact that everyone might die in a heartbeat.

"...Leave them. Reporting is a freedom."

Scooping up the butterfly knife which I had dropped just now, that was all I said.

Because of the incident with Nii-san, I hate the media, but--in any case, I cannot stop the information leak. I can just pray that this doesn't lead to something bad.

--At the front of the train, next to me,

"Kinji, use your heel hook too."

Saying that, Aria put her white sneakers back on.

To prepare for a case where one has unstable footing, Butei normally carry a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titanium_alloy titanium-alloy] hook around with them.

On the belt buckle or at the bottom of the holster, the concealed metallic components have the ability to fit together and change into several different forms for several different purposes, much like a transformer robot toy.

For the sake of not falling off the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shinkansen Shinkansen], Aria had attached those to her shoes, choosing spikes.

"During the bus-jacking, we had used wires attached to the roof as our support, but this time, we'll be in close quarters combat. There's the chance that the wire will be severed."

"--Correct decision."

And, while I too was attaching the spikes to my shoes... 

Having finished her preparations earlier, Aria turned her back this way, going through a series of stretching exercises.

"You know. In Osaka, the thing with you and Reki--"

After a while, as if for the purpose of breaking the awkward silence, Aria interjected.

"I don't really mind. For intruding too much on your private matters, I apologize."

This is...a tone which shows that you really do mind.

Apparently, she's still angry that I was together with Reki throughout the field trip.

"Aria. It probably made you misunderstand, but...at that time, I was under Reki's Sniper Restriction. Reki is silent, so she didn't say much, but it seems that she was trying to protect me."

"Fuun..."

Having said that, Aria turned her head, seeming to be half satisfied, half suspicious.

"--Well, it's fine.　I was waiting around there anyways. Waiting on my own."

"Waiting? For what?"

"It doesn't matter, right? Alright, this conversation is over. Ah, anyways, I'm so unlucky. Even though my birthday is so close, I've been dragged into this incident."

A glance flickering my way, Aria stamped lightly, seeming to be testing out the spikes.

"Really, I'm so unfortunate. It's my birthday next week."

...Why did she say it twice. Birthday, birthday. At least, I'll memorize it.

Thinking about that, I met her eyes, and Aria's expression seemed a little urgent,

"Ah, u-um. Kinji. Where's your hometown?"

She seemed to be deliberately leading the conversation away from that topic.

I don't really understand, but--I'll just go along with her.

"[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sugamo Sugamo]. My grandparents are living there."

"Sugamo...? Were you planning to go there with this Shinkansen? If so, it's a shame."

Saying that, it seemed that Aria wasn't very familiar with Japanese geography.

"Sugamo is in the city."

"In the city...Then, why do you live in a dormitory? Wouldn't it be fine to commute to school?"

"--Well, there are a lot of reasons."

Fixing my shoes, I faced Aria without explaining in detail.

So, the atmosphere turned to "Ready"--

Aria was patting her cheeks, mustering her fighting spirit, showing a cute movement.

Alright--from now on, it's time to fight. As if telling herself that.

It's just a theory that when a two-man cell hasn't fought together for a long time, they should have some idle chatter in order to synchronize, but we had just finished with that.　We had done it arbitrarily in the conversation just now.

"Let's go."

Immediately reaching out for the stairs, Aria's petite hand was--

-because I was on top, covered by my hand as if being embraced.

"Wh-what, all of a sudden. Hand, handhand."

Apparently weak against surprise attacks, Aria's face turned red in an instant, and I reached out with my little finger, flipping down her skirt.

"Only when going up stairs and ladders, ladies first is an exception."

The reason I was going to climb the ladder before Aria was...also for the sake of making sure that I would not have a hole blasted through me afterward, when Aria would notice the spatial relationship between myself and her skirt, but--

-it was also for the reason that, my mind in Hysteria Mode had had an uneasy prediction.

If this prediction turned out to fit the reality, the first person to exit would be in danger.

Leaving Aria, holding her skirt with both hands, her face having become red, below, I--

-extended my torso out from the rectangular exit leading out to the roof into the outside of the train, which had become completely dark.

"...!"

--''Whoosh''--

While I was doing that, an enormous amount of wind pressure assaulted my back.

The Shinkansen was operating at over 200 km/h--the wind-flow flowing over the roof was far more violent than I had imagined.

The sound of my necktie and bulletproof uniform being buffeted by the wind rang out.

(But, it isn't to the extent where it's impossible to stand up.)

Fighting against the wind, I relied on my spikes to stand up.

Koko was--there.

Having already moved to the anterior of Car 16, at the only pantograph there--a metallic component stemming from the aerial wiring above the car which supplies electrical energy to the vehicle--in front of it, a large installation had been set up, and it was flashing as if giving off some sort of signal. Alright. Her back was facing this way.

(...We haven't been noticed.)

Having bent over for the sake of reducing air resistance, at my feet--

''Clank''.

The sound of the lid of the door I had just exited slamming shut rang out.

''Rumble Rumble Thud!'' The sound of Aria, apparently having been trying to come up, falling to the floor resounded.

As I went "Tch", turning around--

''Bang! Bang Bang!''

I released bullets from the Beretta in my right hand.

''Clank! Clank''----!

Approaching me from the back, another Koko used the broad Seiryuutou as a shield, deflecting the bullets.

"Kihi--!"

''Creak!''

The spikes on her feet groaning, Koko dropped to all floors in that position.

"'''Sister Pao! Kinji came!'''"

"--'''Sister Mei! Hold tight!'''" 


The two Kokos, at the front and back of the car yelled to each other in Chinese--

Having noticed the sound of the gunshots, the Koko at the back of the car drew an SMG, an Uzi.

Taking that opportunity, I retreated from the Koko who had been called Meimei, the one holding the Seiryuutou, reaching approximately the middle of the car.

The position was such that I was caught exactly in between the two Koko's at my front and back.

(...As I had predicted.)

This Koko and Koko. They looked exactly the same, something like twins, right?

I had deduced that in advance, and ended up not being cut down--

-because my mind in Hysteria Mode had seen through this trick from two pieces of information.

The first piece of information is--the '''Explosive Bubble''' bubbles that had blown Aria away.

That was the same thing as the light that had injured Reki in the night-fight.

But, the range of that dispersal device, the atomizer, is short.

It isn't able to attack a sniper that is at least two kilometers away.

Which is to say, at that time, some other person had covered Reki with that '''Explosive Bubble'''.

The Koko that is strong in martial arts--Meimei was the offender.

Creeping in under the distraction of the hunting dogs, Meimei released that vapor explosive.

And, the second piece of information is--the conversation with Aria in the car.

From that conversation, I realized that the second Koko's appearance was exactly the same as the first's.

Aria had gotten angry over the fact that Koko looked like her, and apparently, on the day of Water Tossing, during their Aru=Kata battle, she had said, "I told you get to get rid of it!"

But, Koko had said that she had no memory of such a thing.

Rather, she had said that this was only the first time that she had met Aria in person.

In other words, the person who had engaged in Aru=Kata with Aria at Butei High was another Koko. With the exact same appearance, one more Koko--and that was the person that was on the back end of the car right now, '''Paonyang''', right?

This trick...it's obvious to say it's obvious.

Koko had called herself "The Warrior of Ten-Thousand Techniques", but a single person cannot do everything.

Martial arts. Marksmanship. The Kokos had divided up their specializations, acting as '''Ten-Thousand Arms'''--"The Warrior of Ten-Thousand Techniques".

"Koko, Koko--It's time for your punishment."

While looking at the Kokos on the left and right of me, one after the another, I drew the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IMI_Desert_Eagle Desert Eagle] that was stored by my chest with my left hand.

Desert Eagle. The gun of my father's legacy can also be used by the me in Hysteria Mode.

[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beretta_M92F/FS#92F_.2892SB-F.29 Beretta] in my right hand. Desert Eagle in my left hand.

Doubla, dual-wielding.

Now that I think about it, in terms of blades, I also have a butterfly knife and a scramasax.

I'm in the middle of a field trip, so I don't have many bullets. If I run out of ammo, against the two Kokos...I can do nothing but use twin-blades.

--Aria. Riko.

I'll be borrowing your specialty for a moment.

Tohyama Kinji Version--Quadra of Mimicry.

"Kinchi, you...went into Hysteria Mode, didn't you. How?"

Apparently noticing that my aura was different from earlier, the Koko holding a blade--Meimei glared at me.

"Did you use Aria? Did you use Aria who looks like Koko?"

Paonyang, holding her submachine gun ready, turned red with a surprised expression. 

They had realized that, with Aria, who was very alike to themselves, my Hysteria Mode--had been triggered by arousal. Realizing that, it seemed that for some reason, their alertness had increased.

...How impolite. Because I had had past experiences with going into Hysteria Mode with various women, you said it in a loud voice, but it's not like I can just do it with anybody, you know?

"Be-be careful, '''Sister Mei'''. There's a lot to be careful of."

"'''Yes''', '''Sister Pao'''. No matter how I look at it...it is impossible to capture HSS without injury.

The two people, saying that as if playing on stereo--their eyes, already very slanted, narrowed even more.

A stronger killing intent than before radiated from my left and right.

Almost numbing, it was a true killing intent--

--They finally got serious, huh?

Until now, it seemed that Koko had been showing themselves as relaxed in order to catch the enemy off guard.

Haha. As expected of the teacher, the martial style is extremely similar to the ''someone'' who wears Goth Loli uniforms.

"Kinji, it's me. After 10 seconds, we're accelerating. Don't fall off."

From the driver's seat, Muto communicated over the incam.

"What happened, Kinji! The door isn't opening!"

I heard Aria's high-pitched voice, which was almost as if it was trying to mask Muto's.

"I'm in the midst of battle. There are 2 people exactly like Aria on top of the train."

Answering with only that, I didn't say anything that might urge Aria to support.

The me as of now is in Hysteria Mode. I don't want to see girls in danger.

"Don't hold back, '''Sister Mei'''. It doesn't matter if you kill him."

"'''Yes'''. It doesn't matter if I kill him--!"

'''Thud'''---! Reading her Seiryuutou, Koko; Meimei ran towards me from the direction of advancement. 

--Quick. Aided by the 250 km/h tailwind, she shortened the distance in a heartbeat.

And, with a stance reminiscent of baseball's head-first sliding, she charged this way.

"--!"

''Thud!''

The Seiryuutou, the force of her entire body behind it, swung at my feet, and I jumped lightly, avoiding it.

I wanted to jump upwards normally, but I was immediately buffeted backwards by the air pressure,--

''PaPaPaPaPa!''

The Koko holding a gun fired her Uzi from behind me.

Twisting around in the air, I--fired the same amount of bullets from my Beretta - Kinji Model, defending with Billiard Shot.

The enemy's bullets all exploded into sparks in the air--

"-Ha!"

This time, as if stretching out from the roof, Meimei, doing a handstand, immediately kicked up at me.

I had no choice, kicking girls is rather painful for me, but--

My feet and Koko's feet met each other midair--

And, I leaped off her feet as if they were a jumping platform.

Meimei and the me in Hysteria Mode. I jumped with the combined power of two. High. Jumping over the flowing power lines and the hanger of the power pole holding them up, swiftly flying upwards for two, three meters.

From midair, using the Desert Eagle--boasting three times the stopping power of a Beretta, I fired at Meimei's Seiryuutou.

--''BANG!''

With the recoil akin to that of a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mortar_%28weapon%29 mortar], I hung in the air for a moment.

As expected of the automatic strongest-class Desert Eagle. This power isn't to be laughed at.

''Clank!'' Deflected, the Seiryuutou was torn out of Meimei's hands, sliding backwards on the top of the Shinkansen.

At the anterior of the car, just as Paonyang picked it up--''Clank.''

Still in the air, below my feet, the Shinkansen accelerated.

This speed--260 km/h--!

Paonyang embedded the Seiryuutou into the back of the Shinkansen, and I could see that she was using it as a pole to retain her balance.

"Yaiyaiya!" 

Having lost her Seiryuutou, Meimei knelt to the ground while screaming that out, fishing two large fans from out of her sleeves.

([http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_war_fan#War_fans_outside_Japan Battle-fan]--huh? This is the first time I've come up against it.)

From the air, I looked down at the fans, dyed crimson and gold, widening.

I had seen Shirayuki use battle-function fans before, but they had been made out of bamboo and paper.

However, Meimei's Chinese fans were made of metal. The edge, gleaming in the moonlight, was a blade.

Running, Koko twisted her entire body, jumping upwards, trying to dice me like a mixer--

And against that edge, ''Chnk, Chnk!''

I kicked off of it with my spikes, dancing into the air once again.

And once more, I fired the Desert Eagle in midair.

---''BANG! ZNG!''

Meimei immediately overlaid the metal fans, somewhat deflecting the .50AE bullet.

However, the Desert Eagle's stopping power was cheat-level. Destroying the two fans, it forced Meimei towards the front of the car.

Once again hanging in the air through the recoil, I brushed the aerial cables in the air, modifying my trajectory--

Finally touching the roof of the Shinkansen again, I stretched my arms outward, pointing the Doubla at the Koko sisters.

The light from [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamamatsu_Station Hamamatsu station] flowed past us like innumerable [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tracer_bullets tracer bullets].

I--

This battle is no longer in desolate territory.

An Aru=Kata gunfight at 260 km/h. This isn't something one can see in even Kung Fu movies.

It's a shame that Hong Kong's famous director, [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Woo John Woo's] camera isn't here.

--''SSSHHHHAAAAAAAAA''

Going onto a large curve, the Shinkansen leaned to the left as it tried to retain its bank angle.

For the sake of preventing the derailment of high-speed trains, they will take the curve like an airplane, banking.

The chassis moved with centrifugal force, and we were standing slanted along with the train.

Her back against the slanted ground beneath her, Meimei, having thrown away her broken fans, bent over--''Ba''

The flat of her hand standing erect, she stretched out her hands to retain her balance, her opened knees dropped till they reached right angles as she bent her hips.

And, ''Thud!''

Just like what Riko had did to Haimaki at Butei High station, she kicked up with her right leg.

"As expected, Kinchi. You really do have good skills. If it were possible, I don't want to kill you."

Immediately pointing her right hand at me, Meimei shook her sleeves--''Clank!''

She took something small out of her sleeve, holding it in her hand.

I can't see it...What is it. What did she take out?

I have a bad feeling.

That is something--like a finishing move.

Staying alert, from the opposite side of Meimei--the sign of a gunshot was--!

"!"

The moment I dropped down--''PaPaPaPaPaPa!'' The sound of gunshots rang out.

The bullets that Paonyang, walking this way, had fired with her Uzi whooshed over my head.

(...Danger!)

The stray bullets that I had just dodged were heading straight for Meimei, in front.

Thinking that, the me in Hysteria Mode readied the stance for Billiard Shot in an instant, but--

All the stray bullets passed through the air just left and right of Meimei. They didn't hit her.

Paonyang--as the Koko that specializes in marksmanship, had shot such that even if she missed me, she would not hit her sister.

With an [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uzi Uzi], she sprayed countless of bullets in that instant--with a submachine gun.

Amazing marksmanship. The level of Aria, Kana, and I.

Does someone like that still remain in this world?

No...That was not all I should be surprised at.

Meimei--another Koko, was completely at ease.

She trusted that Paonyang's bullets would not hit her. As if she understood that she would not shoot herself.

(They're alteregoistic. These sisters...!) 

I leaped upwards, kneeling on one knee on top of the car.

I tried to raise my Beretta to counterattack, but--

While switching the long-magazine of the Uzi, ''ThudThudThud'', Paonyang kicked my head and gun while running over me. Towards Meimei.

''Zuzaaaa'', Paonyang, doing a headfirst slide at the end of the Shinkansen--

-at Meimei's feet, she stayed lying down like that. As if protecting herself from whatever was about to happen.

"--!"

My eyes caught sight of the equipment that Meimei had whipped out from the palm of her hand.

"Time for the fireworks."

That is--

-the thing which fires the vapor explosive bubbles, an atomizer!

"--'''Explosive Bubble Dragon Chain'''!" 


Together with that scream, the '''Explosive Bubble''' that she released windward wasn't very visible in my dark field of vision--there were many of them.

Zig-zagging side by side, they rushed towards me like a miniature dragon.

(Damn...!)

I can't--dodge that.

A bomb's area of effect is normally an expanding "sphere". Even if its diameter is the extent of a vehicle, one can dodge to the front or back.

However--multiple explosions, stretched out in a row, encompassing the whole of the top of the train, cannot be dodged.

I'll have to take it. If I don't prepare myself to any degree of damage, then...!

As I went "Tch", crossing my arms over my head, protecting it--

At Meimei's side--if one were to call it a dragon, the first '''Explosive Bubble''' popped at the tail.

''BOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOM---!''

The explosion set off the next bubble, and then the next bubble--the explosions continued in a chain. As if a slender Chinese Dragon was blazing into flame.

"--!"

I put strength into my legs, trying to withstand the impact, but--''Clank!''

As if a raging dragon had just thundered into my body, I was blown towards the back of the train.

The impact and heat wave stopped my breathing, and for a second, my consciousness--went blank.

Even so, without releasing the guns on my left and right, standing up on the roof, in my ears--

"Meimei! Get Kinji off! '''Sister Juu''' came to assist! She came earlier than planned!" 

-could hear Koko's voice saying that.

Looking up towards the sky, from the air behind me, ''Barabarabarabara''...

As if brushing past the stars between the clouds, I could see a helicopter approaching.

(Now...Reinforcements for the enemy are coming now...!?)

Earlier, Koko had said, "Promise for a date".

It seemed that that was meeting up and extraction with the companion that was riding this helicopter.

Not even leaving me enough time to frown, Meimei fished a small gourd out of her sleeves, which were being buffeted by the wind--

''Guii-----! Thud.''

With a pose as if gazing up into the sky, she faced straight up, emptying the contents in one gulp, throwing it away.

"---'''[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zui_Quan Drunken] [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baguazhang Eight Trigrams Palm]'''---"

''Sway''. In a moment, Meimei, looking as if she had lost her balance--

''TapTapTapTapTap!'' While her twin-tails were fluttering like ribbons in gymnastics, she closed in on me with frontal somersaults and cartwheels.

"--!?"

My reaction towards those erratic movements, which I had seen for the very first time, was late.

Movements like stepping on the gourd that she had thrown away and tripping mixed in, I could not keep Meimei in my sights.

Wh-what kind of movement is that? Drinking alcohol and then fighting...that's impossible!

"JYAAAOOH!"

''Thump.''

Meimei extended her legs, clinging to my waist, just as I was barely standing.

"Kuh...!"

No, not only her legs.

''Shh''--snaking around my neck was a twin-tail.

This is what I had been subjected to on the day of "Water Tossing", the irregular choke. That front...!

"ShanShiKeiKeiBa!"

In a heartbeat, Koko was holding her own twin-tails, ''Guiii!''

She threw herself backwards.

"...!"

The same as the day of the opening ceremony, my windpipe and carotid artery was clamped.

I grabbed hold of Koko's twin-tails as if we were playing tug of war, trying to resist, but--

-added to Koko's two arms, she was using the power of her back to pull the tails on her left and right completely tight.

I-I can't...I'm losing my strength...!

"Kihihi! From the beginning, you can't win the princess of the middle of the world! Peaceful idiot '''Japanese!'''"

This is bad...my consciousness is starting to fade...

...I'm done. My mind in Hysteria Mode told me that calmly.

This is my loss. Once again.

The first reason being, this was two against one.

Moreover, those two could completely synchronize their actions exhibiting perfect co-operation.

Teamwork increases the power of individuals.

Yes, I had--been subjected to the figurative opposite of what we had always done to I-U's assassins.

(This too is...divine retribution...?)

The second reason for my loss was...Hysteria Mode. That weak-point had been exposed.

I did not want to hurt girls, without letting Aria join the battle, my battle ability dropped, and even the enemy, Koko, I tried to protect, creating an opening.

Naive. Too naive.

I...really am a peaceful idiot Japanese person.

I smiled a wry smile, tainted with self-derision, but even the muscles in my face...I could no longer put strength into them.

Blackout----when blood no longer flows to the brain, the optic nerves cease their function--at the denouement of that feeling, as I lost consciousness--

---''BSSHHHHH! BSHH!''

A jarring impact ran into my body from Meimei's twin-tails.

"Auoh!?"

''Clink,'' bent backwards, Meimei dropped towards my feet, the choking maneuver was--

-in an instant, released.

The bundle of silky hair was still wrapped around my hand.

Meimei did a backwards somersault, and her hair had--become short.

The twin-tails on the left and right had been severed.　Right at the foundations.

Still contorted, I saw that, at the bottom of my field of vision, two new bullet holes had opened up on the roof of the Shinkansen.

(Ju-just now was...a snipe!?)

And the instant I noticed,

''Bang...Bang...!''

I heard the sound of distant gunshots.

This--sound.

I hadn't forgotten it.

Time and time again, this sound had been heard as if engraving itself into my consciousness.

The sound of a ...[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dragunov_sniper_rifle Dragunov sniper rifle]!

"Different--that helicopter is different from '''Sister Ju''''s! Who is it!"

Along with that gunshot, like a distant crack of a thunder, the sound of Paonyang's panicked voice.

From a swaying helicopter, shooting the roots of a person's twin-tails while they're grappling with somebody on top of a moving Shinkansen, severing two of them together. Furthermore, with a famous rifle, yet nevertheless anachronistic, an SVD.

Able to do something like that, a superhuman sniper....I know nobody besides one person.

"--Reki...!"

The helicopter, following the Shinkansen, was an [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kawasaki_OH-1 OH-1].

Inside the Hotogi shrine's garage, Kawasaki Heavy Industry's high-speed helicopter.

From the opened hatch--

Still bandaged in various places around her body, Reki had stuck her body out, holding her sniper rifle in place.

And with a speed which overwhelmed surprise, the muzzle of the Dragunov flashed.

--''BSSSSHHH!''

The supersonic 7.62mm x 54R impacted the ground by Meimei's left and right feet, looking as if it was brushing past them.

"'''Ah!'''"

Letting loose a truncated scream, Meimei pressed against her heel--''Thump.'' She fell upon the ground there.

This is...a manner of falling which suggests that while there was no blood loss, her [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Achilles_tendon Achilles tendon] had been grazed.

Reki. As always, you are a goddess of sniping. Despite being heavily injured.

With just one bullet, you crippled Meimei's ability to stand.

"--!"

Unable to stay in place, Meimei was buffeted by the wind--

She slid towards the back of the car.

''Hssh'', Somewhat able to hold on to the signalling device at the foundation of the pantograph, Meimei stayed in that position, hiding herself in the shadow of the installation. She seemed to be trying to protect herself from Reki's follow-up.

"Kin-chan...um, hello? Sorry for interrupting while you're fighting."

A message entered the incam as I was still stunned.

Panicked for whatever reason, Shirayuki's voice.

"What's wrong?"

"From Hotogi's Makieda-san--from the chauffeur-san, there's a phone call."

Ph-phone call?

Frowning, in my ears, ''Click, Beep'', I heard what seemed to be the sound of Shirayuki's cellphone linking with the incam.

"--Tohyama-sama, my deepest apologies. This is Hotogi's Makieda. Right now...I am flying over the anterior of Hope 246."

...This voice.

This is the driver which brought us to the Hotogi Shrine by car.

From that high-speed helicopter, she was talking with Shirayuki?

"Wh-what is it...!"

"This is--our disgrace. The young megumi miko who were watching TV were talking, and Reki-sama, having heard them...took her gun, and kicking Kazayuki off, who tried to take this helicopter to come to Shirayuki-sama's aid, she ordered the pilot, myself, to fly her out."

Looking at the anterior of the vehicle, the helicopter had already descended to the point where it was nearly touching the Shinkansen.

In the co-pilot's seat of the OH-1, extending half her body out of the hatch, Reki--

-while her short hair was being beat down upon by the wind, she was looking down on the very back of the train.

And, giving some sort of order to the pilot's seat of the helicopter...

"--no, Reki-sama, we have already exceeded the vehicular speed limit. If we go any faster...the chassis won't be able to take it...!"

I heard Makieda-san's voice, apparently in response to Reki--

-and even so, Reki pointed her Dragunov at Makieda-san, and I could see her giving Makieda-san some sort of order.

...''Barabarabarabarabarabarabara''...!

The OH-1 descended even lower while accelerating. At the edge of the very back of the Shinkansen.

Do you plan to board...Reki!?

Impossible. Stop it.

You're injured.

Don't fight!

"Kinji! Pull back the helicopter! --in front of us is a tunnel!"

Reaching over the incam, Aria, apparently having heard the conversation between Hotogi's chauffeur and I, said as if screaming.

Looking back at our direction of advancement, while the vehicle was delineating the large curve, it was heading straight for a tunnel.

Above the tunnel was a mountain.

At this rate--the helicopter will crash right into it!

"Kinji! We're accelerating in another 10 seconds! We're exceeding 300!"

Muto's voice delivered the worst of the situation.

"Makieda-san, rise!"

"...!"

Apparently concentrating on the complex operation under the limit-breaking speed, there was no response from the helicopter.

"'''Reki!''' You can't hit anything except birds--'''Northern Barbarian'''!"

From the front of the vehicle, with the Uzi that Paonyang was holding by her hip--''PaPaPaPaPaPa!''

Although it was outside the gun's effective range, she let loose a barrage at the helicopter.

Without taking notice of that, Reki placed her toes on the handle of the helicopter, hanging upside down out of the hatch--she readied her Dragunov.

''Pa!'' Thinking whether the muzzle had flashed--''BSSSH!''

"Kyuu!"

Paonynang's Uzi was torn out of her hands, falling down towards the track.

The next instant, no longer able to bear the strain, the helicopter tried to avoid the fast approaching mountain, rising--

Feeling that, Reki, ''Flutter'', launched herself off the helicopter, into mid-air.

''Zan!''

At the very back of the Shinkansen, Reki pierced the roof with her bayonet, clinging on to it.

Her amber eyes immediately faced towards this direction--towards the Kokos and I.

--''WHOOOSSH''--

Staying at a speed of 300 km/h, the Shinkansen entered the tunnel--

--''Ban!''

In the midst of the darkness, the airflow around us intensified in a mere moment.

(Uu...!)

The air pressure changing in a heartbeat, my lungs seemed to rip apart.

Buffeted by the vortex of wind, I had no choice but to press myself against the back of the Shinkansen.

Grinding my teeth, straining my ears in the midst of the ever-present roar.

Listening to the operational noise of Hope Number 246, echoing in the tunnel--for whether the sound of the helicopter's explosion was mixed in.

Still tense, my ears searched through the ripping noise.

But...it was alright.

The OH-1 [Ninja] was a helicopter that was as maneuverable as its nickname boasted.

I had only been shown it in a video by Muto, but in case of emergency, it could perform an [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Immelmann_turn Immelmann turn].

The helicopter performed a maneuver in reaction to death, avoiding the slope of the mountain, escaping danger.

(Makieda-san--as expected of the chauffeur that armed Miko are entrusted with.)

Above my head, the lights lighting up the tunnel at regular intervals flowed past one by one like a meteor shower.

In that scene, as if out of a movie, at the very back of the train, around 400 meters away, was Reki.

Reki was somewhat standing, and step by step, she advanced. Facing this way.

--No.

Don't come, Reki! You'll die!

You are injured. Fighting under such torturous conditions, your body can't take it..!

"'''Re-Ki'''...!"

''Clatter!'' Turning my head to that sound, I could see that, while holding a new Uzi that she had taken out of her sleeves, Paonyang was slowly crawling towards the sloped head of the Shinkansen, which was taking the streamline-curve.

Hiding her body against that slope--when Reki comes into her gun's range, she plans to take the attack with her gun.

"Shira...yuki...!"

Not able to breath properly in the midst of the wind pressure, pressed on the ear which had the incam inserted into it, shouting.

"Kin-chan! Are you alright!?"

"I'm...alright! Rather than that, Reki has...boarded, from the helicopter! She has, severe injuries, can't let her fight...!"

"Re-Reki-san is...on the train!?"

''Pa---!''

With that sound, the Shinkansen shot out of the tunnel.

While Reki's skirt was fluttering as if it was about to be torn off, she was already crossing from the car at the very back to he next car.

--There's no choice. Telling her to stop won't stop Reki.

Finally able to breathe normally, I decided to put the final measure that I had been thinking of secretly all this time into action.

"Shirayuki, for the sake of not allowing Reki to fight, for the sake of saving the passengers--there is something a request for you."

"A request for me...?"

"The lead car of the Shinkansen, this Car 16...sever it. With your katana."

"...Eh...!"

"In truth, for the sake of that, I had you stay there. The vapor explosive is in the frontmost car--Car 16. Because the passengers are gathered in Cars 15 and below, if you sever it, casualties will be kept to a minimum."

"But, Kin-chan...will be left at the car with the enemy and the bomb...!"

Worried about me, Shirayuki didn't seem to be willing to immediately accept cutting the Shinkansen apart.

However, it doesn't seem as if I'll have enough time to persuade her.

This train was passing by [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shizuoka_Station Shizuoka station], which was desolate after the people had evacuated.

I can't help it. I don't really want to do this, but...I'll put Hysteria Mode's techniques into action.

This is a technique which Nii-san, which is to say Kana, had showed me before, but--

In this kind of time, I can probably do it.

"Shirayuki."

Tone of voice; this kind of feeling is good.

Calm down, Kinji. If you calm down, then you should be able to do it.

"Shirayuki. Are you listening? Shirayuki."

With a voice that was a little deeper, I started speaking as if appealing directly to Shirayuki's heart.

"Ye-yes."

"Ever since before, Shirayuki has known me. Shirayuki, who knows me more deeply than anybody else--wants to say that the burden of this battle is to heavy for me? If that's so, then that truly is unexpected."

"Th-that's..."

"I thought that Shirayuki understood me, yet--was I wrong? Shirayuki."

Mixed with the sweetness of Hysteria Mode, my voice, Shirayuki, Shirayuki, called out that name, weaving it into my words.

"N-no, that's..."

Shirayuki's attitude immediately became as obedient as norm...no, changed into something even more obedient than normal.

Alright, alright, I managed to perform it well.

This is something that has been passed down through the Tohyama family, "Voice Captivation"--a type of hypnotism.

Recently, this was proven scientifically by [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voice_acting_in_Japan Seiyuu]-training schools, but people are weak against the opposite gender's voice when a special tone and breathing method is blended in.

The Tohyama bloodline, which has Hysteria Mode, has already refined this to an art, passing it down.

According to that piece of knowledge, if one continually responds to girls with their own name, gently, sweetly whispering into their ear...it appears that their mind will gradually become more and more hazy, and they will leave any decision to boys.

"Shirayuki. The severing of the cars--you'll do it for me, right? This is something that only Shirayuki can do."

Controlling my impatience, I continued whispering to Shirayuki.

Because Shirayuki has an incam inserted directly into her ear,

I can expect that it's able to replicate the effect of the contact-distance of whispering.

"Kin-chan...you can...win?"

"Yes. Please leave the enemy and the bomb to us. I'll leave the passengers to Shirayuki and the others. You said that--recently, your Kidoujutsu has been unstable, but...you can cut it?"

"Ye-yes. If I use all my strength, then...definitely!"

At Shirayuki's voice, a wave of relief washed over me.

It seems that she'll do this job for me.

"Kin-chan, I'm cutting it. I'll definitely sever it well!"

"Ye-yeah."

It seemed that she was the type to be easily affected by hypnotism; it felt as if Shirayuki had been completely motivated.

"I'll cut it! Cut! Cut! For the sake of Kin-chan-sama, I'll cut it in half!"

No-now that I think about it...Nii-san had warned me about this. "Voice Captivation" is prohibited from being frequently used and abused.

I have no idea of how one could exploit it, but indeed, if I use this often, then it seems as if it'd be horrible.

It seemed that, in an instant, inside Shirayuki, something like 'loyalty' for me had been amplified...

The future is extremely uneasy.

"--Aria."

I returned my voice to normal, talking to Aria through the incam.

"Aria--please retreat to Car 15. You have Kanae-san's trial. You no longer have the time to be preoccupied with this stupid incident."

"N-no way! I...!"

"Kinji, I heard, you know? It seems that I've been put in the Detention group."

Just as it seemed that Aria was about to starts shouting, Muto's voice interrupted.

"Muto. I'm sorry. That things became like this."

"Heh. I don't care. It's been my dream ever since I was a kid to drive a Shinkansen. With that granted, I feel like it's fine even if I die."

Saying that, Muto's voice was really trustworthy.

Even though it was half-desperate at the same time.

"--Muto. There's also a pantograph at the back of the leading car. If we receive electricity from there, can we keep going even while severed?"

"I'm changing the settings to that right now."

As expected of Muto. He's quick at his job.

No wonder he's an honor student in Logi.

"If we sever the cars--what will happen to the cars in the back?"

"Don't worry. The Shinkansen was designed so that each car can run on its own. Because the New Automatic Train Control System is cut, it can be stopped through manual operation. The crying driver from earlier can do it for us, right?"

While listening to Muto's words, I watched the back end of the vehicle, and Reki had already crossed over the middle of the train.

"Shirayuki, do it, do it for me."

"Yes...! Kin-chan, may the God of battle bless you...!" 

Apparently having been conserving her power till now, Shirayuki took a deep breath--

"--Hotogi Soutenryuu--Hihihotogikami - Zankan--!" [http://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/index.php?title=Hidan_no_Aria:Volume7_Translator%27s_Notes]
[[File:Aria07 141.jpg|thumb]]
In the wake of that voice, ''Shing!'', the sound of a blade being drawn, reminiscent of a bell, rang out.

The next instant--without a sound, at the end of the front-most car, the linking portion, light burst forth all around it.

As if several burners were being used, a scarlet light.

"Kya...!"

Meimei drew her neck in at the sudden glare, and immediately after--

''Clank''...that heavy sound rang out, and Car 15 started drawing back.

"...!"

--Well done; is all that can be said.

The cars had been severed. With that one strike.

Having seen that, Reki started running this way as if trying to push the wind out of her path.

"--Reki! Stop!"

As I shouted, the severed car behind us got farther and farther.

1 meter, 3 meters, 5 meters--

Alright, it was no longer a distance that Reki could cross while fighting against the wind.

The forward-most car, having become solitary--seemed to have become unstable aerodynamically, and its shaking intensified.

In my shaking vision, Shirayuki, visible from the incision at Car 15--

Like [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hishikawa_Moronobu Hishikawa Moronobu's] [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ukiyo-e Ukiyo-e] "Beauty Looking Back", her back was facing this way.

Apparently and probably from some kind of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iaijutsu iai technique] was the flash just now, and she appeared to be still in the regretful stance which had caused it.

"Kin, chan...!"

Shirayuki--the blade in her hand, ''Clank'', dropped to her knees.

Her breathing ragged, with her exhausted face, she turned to look this way painfully.

Shirayuki, you did well.

Thanks to you, all the passengers are saved.

Reki as well. With this, she can leave the battlefield--with that, Reki, who I looked at again--

"...?"

While sprinting across the roof of Car 15, which had been severed from this one, she took something out of her breast pocket.

My eyes in Hysteria Mode caught sight of it.

(Butei Bullet--!)

That color is, Grenade. Triggering a huge explosion, it is a miniature vaporized fuel explosive. 

What do you plan on doing.

Reki--!

"[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minamoto_no_Yoshitsune Minamoto no Yoshitsune]...Eight Ship Leap...!"

Still collapsed, Meimei said something, pale--

Reki was coming.

Whilst spinning on the spot, ''Sparkle''--in the air, behind her, she released the Butei Bullet.

And once again, sprinting forth with all her strength, she faced this way.

--''BAAAAAAAAAAAAANGGGGGGGGG!!''

Manually detonated, the Grenade spun into a crimson vortex of flame behind Reki.

The shockwave blew away the wind from the front, acting as an reverse hurricane.

--Reki, while being blown away by the blast--

-cradled the Dragunov, and her skirt seemingly being torn to pieces--she traveled the gap between the two cars.

And--''Thud!'', she tumbled onto the brink of the leading car.

"--Reki!"

Rolling off the the edge, delineating a curve, Reki, her face unchanging, pierced the roof with her bayonet.

And, clinging onto the stock of her bayonet, her entire weight hanging upon it, she used it as a stepping stone, ''Paki---'', and just as the bayonet snapped, she somehow managed to climb onto the roof.

That body, wrapped in bandages here and there, seemed to have had its wounds opened from the impact just now, and they were soaked in blood.

Why...are you so reckless. Reki.

White smoke streaming from her burning bandages and shoes, Reki, standing on top of the train, as expressionless as always...

Meimei, and even Paonyang, stared up at her in shock.

...Reki.

Robot Reki.

Do you not know even terror?

You'll die if you do that...!

"Why...did you run this way!"

I shouted from the center of the car.

"The reason I ran?"

Removing her burning shoes and socks and tossing them aside, Reki stood barefoot on the back of the Shinkansen--

"--because, Kinji-san too ran for me. On that night, from the mountain, cradling me."

Her method of speaking completely emotionless, she answered with that.

My ears in Hysteria Mode caught that voice even through the wind.

"...Reki..."

After the sniper battle at Hieizan...I thought that Reki had fainted, but it seemed that she was slightly conscious.

Because I faltered in my words out of embarrassment, Reki turned towards Paonyang, who was looking at the situation from the front of the vehicle.

"Also, I made an oath. "I oath to become a single bullet, bringing destruction upon those who wish to harm my lord."--That."

''Click.''

As if readying a blade, Reki pointed the Dragunov at Meimei.

"Koko of Ranban. Just once, I will give you the chance to surrender. The number of people in battle is already two against one. You have no chance of winning. Disarm the bomb and stop the train."

From behind Reki--

"It's three against one."

''Shh'', Aria climbed up from the cut section of the Shinkansen.

"Aria...!"

In response to Aria, her jet-black and silver-white Governments drawn, my cheek twitched.

Aria. Although I told her to retreat from this car earlier, it seemed she had stayed.

Reki--continued to keep her back facing Aria,

"Aria-san. Please return to the interior of the car. I believe I told you not to approach Kinji-san."

While her bandages, slightly unraveled, and her short hair was being buffeted by the wind, she spoke a warning.

"...As for the wounded, return to the hospital."

Twin-tails being blown about, Aria answered as if arguing.

"Aria-san is the one that is supposed to retreat."

"That's you, right?"

"It is Aria-san."

"It's you!"

He-hey. Both of you.

Don't fight even here.

The fact is, the two of you being here together in this situation is reality. There's no helping it.

At that point, I thought outside the box. A place to return to, a road, none of that is here.

However--if we are fighting together, if we do not work together, it will be dangerous.

For a Butei and Butei, if they are able to cooperate well, 1+1 will equal 3 or even 4. However, if there is disagreement between them, 1+1 will not even equal 2.

The worst case is, they will drag upon each other, turning it into a negative number.

In the past, Shirayuki and Riko...were opposed to Aria, but if it was an emergency, they would cooperate and fight.

They were not people who would remain stubborn in even times of trouble.

--However, Reki cannot.

Her killing intent, as if the number of enemies had increased by one, was released at Aria, who was behind her.

Aria too, being Aria, was in a mood where she was ready to point her guns at Reki.

This won't do. These two...will fight. At this rate.

I frowned--and just as I clutched my Desert Eagle, nearly out of bullets, and the Beretta--

--''Zzaaa''--

Once again, the Shinkansen entered a tunnel, and the vehicular noise as well as darkness enveloped us.

However, the tunnel this time was short, and in a few seconds, the vehicle exited.

After exiting the tunnel--a glaring light shone down upon the train.

This light...what is it? Squinting while I looked up into the air--

...''Barabarabarabarabara''...

A news helicopter, making that noise, was flying in the air at a rather high altitude.　There were many of them. It seemed as if they were waiting for this train, Hope 246.

This light was the searchlights that the helicopters were focusing on one point.

The bloody media. From a distance where they would not be affected by an explosion, they were going to be bystanders from above, huh?

"Koko. It's over. Throw down your weapons and raise your hands."

Within the searchlights, which seemed to be carving out a path in the darkness--

I pointed the Desert Eagle, shining brightly, and the Beretta at Paonyang and Meimei respectively.

However...even with that, Paonyang's eyes had not lost their will to fight. The same went for Meimei, collapsed on the ground.

Why? Why won't they wave a white flag?

The Kokos are--

(...Waiting for something...!?)

At the exact moment that my mind in Hysteria Mode realized that...

The sound of the hovering news helicopters changed slightly.

Looking back at the sky, one of them--Eurocopter's AS365, approached from the anterior of the vehicle. Reckless. There's a bomb set on this train. Which location is this TV station from?

--No, wrong...!

That was disguised as a news helicopter--

"Aria! Reki! --Hostile vehicle!"

Right before I shouted, my eyes in Hysteria Mode had caught sight of the pilot.

A girl shouldering a sniper rifle.

She is, she too is, Koko!

Exactly the same as the Kokos that are here, the third Koko.

"Rather than twins, they were triplets...!?"

I went "Tch", glaring at the AS365.

This is one kind of infiltration method.

Even if we chase, even if we knock them down, the next Koko will appear.

"Ah...!"

"..."

Forced away by the descending air pressure that the helicopter was creating, Aria and Reki retreated till they were at my side.

Aria pointed her Governments at the AS365 as if in intimidation, but she did not fire.

It seemed that Reki was observing my order, "Do not kill,"--and she did not shoot the helicopter.

As if jeering at the two, the helicopter swept over the Shinkansen from the back to the front like it was making fun of them.

"Uah!"

Twin-tails pulled taut by the wind, Aria, behind me, was forced to retreat in the direction of advancement.

The helicopter--

"...Uu, Uoah!?"

Directly above Muto, who had shouted into the incam in surprise--it hovered in the air above the cab. No, to be more accurate, it was not hovering. At 350 km/h, it had started to run parallel to it. In the air.

From that helicopter, which seemed as if it was originally for rescue purposes, the hatch opened and--''Thud.''

Koko, a hook attached to her feet, descended to the tip of the Shinkansen.

The weapon that the third Koko was holding was the famous rifle, renowned for having the highest reliability in the world, an M700. The one that was destroyed by Reki was painted with camouflage paint, but this one, apparently for night-combat, was colored matte black.

"'''Sister Pao'''--I kept you waiting. Let's go to '''Sister Mei'''."

The Koko that came to reinforce ordered the second Koko, Paonyang, who had earlier called her, "'''Sister Juu'''".

I could understand it from her attitude, it seems that this sniper girl is the eldest sister.

"'''Yes'''--'''Sister Juu'''"

Paonyang responded to Juujuu with one sentence, ''Ba!''

While unfastening the buttons of her ethnic costume, she dived towards the right of the vehicle.

"--!?"

At these movements which appeared suicidal, I drew in a sharp breath--

Billowing in the empty space, Paonyang's clothes expanded into one large piece of cloth like an unfolding piece of origami--as I watched, it turned into a parachute.

This scene. I've seen it before.

Turning into a parachute in an emergency, it was the same as Riko's modified uniform.

Koko, using it not for airborne purposes but to glide, moved in a 'C'-shape next to the Shinkansen.

And, embracing Meimei, who was collapsed at the brink of the back end of the train, she gracefully descended.

Severing the parachute of clothes, Paonyang* was only wearing underwear--despite the fact that she was fourteen years old, she was wearing something like crimson lingerie--and she hid her body behind the installation at the base of the pantograph. 

Looking closer, in that one instant, the Seiryuutou that had been embedded into the anterior of the train had been pulled out as well.

(...This is bad...!)

My mind in Hysteria Mode told me that the situation had devolved in a mere moment.

While Paonyang was using the broad Seiryuutou as a shield to protect herself from the Dragunov, she planned to draw Reki into Aru=Kata. Because, if Reki did not have her bayonet, then close-combat was akin to impossible for her.

From the other side, the front of the vehicle, Juujuu pointed the M700 sniper rifle at Aria.

Aria too pointed her Goverments back at her, but there was 20 meters of distance between Juujuu and her. It was not a distance where one could shoot accurately with the accuracy of a pistol.

Each of their enemies having taken an advantageous position, Aria and Reki retreated towards me, who was in the middle of the train, as if clamping down on me with their backs.

And, as if symbolizing the two person's relationship, still unable to try and cooperate in this situation--they stayed like that, their backs facing one another.

"'''Sister Pao!''' This is it for business. There are no hostages anymore. The Japanese government won't give us any money.

"I understand, '''Sister Juu!''' Retreat and blow up the train. We can't take these people back with us either."

In the sky above the Meimei sisters, who were talking to each other, the helicopter, which had been vacated, rose by a few meters before it stood-by.

Apparently calculating the distance between it and the Shinkansen with a camera, while doing that, it preserved its speed and altitude. It seemed that auto-pilot functionality had been installed on it.

Functionality that was the same as something like the functionality of spacecraft flying parallel to and on the edge of a small planet.

That is amazing. As expected of I-U's engineer.

And--as expected, they are the descendants of China's General of the Three Kingdoms, Cao Cao. 

Despite the fact that we wanted to drive them to a dead end, at some point in time, we had had that inflicted upon us.

I had learned this from World History, it seemed that Cao Cao was also a scholar who researched and compiled ancient China's Art of War, "Sun Tzu".

And according to Sun Tzu's Art of War, the three conditions that were critical to victory are: "The time of the skies, the advantages of the earth, the peace between men." 

If one were to analyze it in Assault terms, 'the time of the skies' would hold the meaning of timing, 'the advantages of the earth' would hold the meaning of positioning, and 'the peace between men' would hold the meaning of teamwork.

The Kokos had chosen their perfect timing, successively attacking us, using the train and the helicopter freely in order to take the advantageous position, and since they were triplets, they had taken advantage of their synchronization...now, each of them had determined the target that they could defeat.

On the other side, we were limited by the timer of Non-Stop, we were thrown into confusion on the roof and the interior, and with Aria and Reki turning their backs on each other, I was clamped in-between them.

Even though we had higher numbers, even though our personal ability was not below theirs--we had been pressured, driven to a corner.

At this rate, Aria and Reki will be crushed, and then I will be killed in a crossfire.

If--we don't do something.

But, what do we do?

What do we do...!

My mind in Hysteria Mode driven into full operation, after a few seconds--

"...!"

The image of a method to turn this around flashed into my head.

But...Hey, me.

Is that image really possible?

To realize it, we have to have the same thing as the Kokos, the three conditions of heaven, earth, and men.

The time of the heaven--with the correct timing.

The advantage of the earth--creating an advantageous position.

But, for the sake of that, the peace between men--teamwork between Aria and Reki is required.

Right now, that is missing.

Therefore, we cannot help but create it.

--Create it. Who?

Me.

Even if just for a moment. I will make these two people link hands. For the sake of victory.

"Aria, Reki."

To the backs of the two, I spoke.

"I believe. In the two of you, in the depths of your hearts...I believe that you trust each other."

Juujuu is trying to maximize her profits--Paonyang is trying to charge outwards--now!

"--Then, a make-up handshake."

I threw my own Beretta and Desert Eagle up into the air.

And as the two lingered in the air--

Aria's and Reki's arms grasped each other behind their backs.

And half forced, their hands came firmly together.

"!?"

"?"

Aria and Reki were linking hands like girls that were really good friends with each other, turning around to face each other.

While leaning over like a dancer, I--

-with my right and left hand, I turned each of their arms to back to their waists. From a bird's-eye view, we would be in an S-shape.

And, as if I was a chess piece in an axis of revolution, I turned a semi-circle, bent on one knee.

--''Guru''---!

Using me as an axis--Aria and Reki twirled around as if in a waltz. For me.

--"Castling Turn"--

Two pieces moving in one turn to switch places, a special chess move.

Aria. Reki.

You're good girls. Both of you.

Aria trusted. Trusted Reki, who moved, trusting me.

Reki too trusted. Trusted Aria, who moved, trusting me.

Focusing our consciousness for the enemy's attack, at the timing where we could not defend or dodge--

The two used me as an intermediary, trusting each other, putting teamwork into play. In a mere moment.

But, the moment of that inversion was more than enough.

Their positions changed, each of Reki and Aria's opponents were--Juujuu for Reki, Paonyang for Aria, switching into that position. As I expected.

Sniping versus sniping. Pistol versus pistol.

We had set up that position. With that "Castling Turn".

"--!"

''Bang!''

Unable to cancel her shot out of reflex in that instant, Juujuu's bullets were--''Bch! Clank!''

Catching the Desert Eagle that I had released earlier, I used Billiard Shot with my last .50AE.

Juujuu's bullet deflected at an oblique angle, Reki counterattacked with the Dragunov--''Tan!''

She shot at the feet of the Koko that was a sniper, Juujuu.

"--'''Ah!'''"

Tripping in the same manner as Meimei from earlier, Juujuu slid towards the front of the Shinkansen.

"Koko!"

---''Bang Bang Bang Bang Bang Bang!''

At the back of the vehicle, Aria, while shooting the Governments in both her hands, ran towards Paonyang.

At Paonyang, who was using the Seiruutou as a shield and planting her feet, I--switched the Beretta which I caught to full-auto, following up with a barrage which all but left my magazine empty.

As expected, apparently unable to endure the consecutive attacks of the Governments and the Beretta, Koko,

"'''Kyuu!'''"

-fell on her butt.

''Clank Clank!''

The Uzi and Seiryuutou held in her left and right hands were precisely torn out of her hands by Aria's .45ACP bullets. 

Finally disarmed...towards Paonyang, who was left with the ungraceful appearance of only wearing undergarments,-

"--You're under arrest!"

Without holding back, she charged forwards.

The weapons she was holding having been shot, her hands probably numb, Paonyang was bound by Aria, who had immediately bowled her over, with a wire.

"This is payback for tying me up back then!"

Because, shouting that, Aria had bound Meimei, who could not fight, too, I turned to look at the front of the car--

"..."

At the edge of the continuing slope at the head of the Shinkansen, Reki was crouching there wordlessly.

"'''Sister Pao! Sister Mei! Save me! I'm slipping! I'm falling!'''"

In that direction, apparently, clinging unseen to the bottom of the slope, I could hear the sound of Juujuu screaming.

"You are rather noisy.　Since you are also a princess, please know your position."

''Chchk--''

Taking a stance of placing the Dragunov against her shoulder, Reki's barrel was pointed directly at the helicopter in the air.

"...Uguu..."

It seemed that the thought of it being shot down was intolerable--at that, Juujuu fell silent.

--Koko, Koko, and Koko--

All three of them had been rendered useless in combat. Finally.

...There's nobody left, right? After this.

"It can't be that there's more of you, right!?"

Apparently thinking the same thing as I, Aria, ''Step'' 

Not able to hold back, she stepped on Meimei and Paonyang who looked exactly like her--

''Whoosh Whoosh'', spinning the pistols on her left and right, she inserted them back into the holsters below her skirt.
[[File:Aria07 159.jpg|thumb]]
And, facing upwards, Aria and--

-Reki, standing up, turned to face each other at the same time.

Those eyes, and those eyes, met.

"...D-don't misunderstand, Reki."

Blushing a little, Aria had started stuttering.

"Earlier...was just my body moving by itself."

"--The same goes for me, it was only that my body was moving by itself."

Reki too also said that, remaining stubborn, but--

Aria. Reki. I understand.

Your line of sight, meeting now, was different from earlier.

Those are the eyes of two people who acknowledge each other, the eyes of a Butei and a Butei. Earlier, the event of helping each other which I facilitated--I pray that that is the new first step between two people.

"---'''You flat chested girl! Remember this!'''"

From the tip of the car, Juujuu's voice--

"?"

Turning to that, '''Buwaaaaaa...!'''

Apparently having taken it out of her sleeves, a pink smokescreen was thrown up, whirling into a vortex.

Together with the smoke, Juujuu seemed to be washed away by the cutting wind--she flew towards the back end of the vehicle.

"--!"

Juujuu, flying extremely far to the back in the space of an, 'Ah', ''Whoosh''....!

Parachute expanding, she performed a rapid deceleration.

Where she was inside the pink smoke, I did not really know, but in the instant that the smoke parted, I saw--hugging her knees to herself, in that position, she had slowed to around 50 km/h.

And staying in that position, ''Zaaaaa''...she touched ground in a small field.

"--What a cold-hearted sister. She left you here."

At Aria, who said that to the Kokos at her feet, apparently slightly regretful that she had let one person get away--

""Kihi...Kihihihihihihi!""

The Kokos responded with an ominous laugh.

"A fight between a tiger and a dragon--We'll take you on the road with us."

"This isn't Kokos' loss. Everyone will be blown away by '''Explosive Bubble'''! Idiot, idiot, idiot!"

''Kun''--The Shinkansen sped up even more. With this, our speed is 370 km/h...!

Apparently not able to keep up at this speed, Koko's helicopter, in the air above us--began to lag behind.

Once it was a certain distance from the train, the helicopter decelerated...landing on the road next to the track.

"You can't do anything except for fight. You're different from Koko."

"Kinchi, you're a useless, slow, idiotic turtle."

There was no longer an escape route. For Koko. And for us.

The Shinkansen was operating in an urban area. No matter where it explodes, there will be casualties.

"--That's right. I'm not nimble like Riko or Aria. I cannot use any techniques like Shirayuki. I don't have the skills like Muto to be able to drive anything. By myself, I cannot do anything."

However, my ears had already caught it.

That noise.

"That's right. You can't do anything!"

At Koko, who said that in a high pitched voice--

"But, ''we'' can do anything--"

From behind me, who answered with that--the sound of a horn rang out--

Another Shinkansen had chased us.

""...?""

The Kokos, brows creased, looked at the Shinkansen that was chasing us in shock.

"In this Caravan I, that was something that we learned as well."

We used a wire, returning from the back of the vehicle to the interior.

And for once, the Kokos cooperated with Aria as she brought them inside.

The door to the vehicle was opened due to Muto's operation, and from the door of the rescue Shinkansen, traveling at the exact same speed along the straight railroad--

A tube, roughly 1 meter in diameter, was extended this way, automatically attaching itself with a hook.

"Aya, Ayayayayaya!"

Sliding down that tube as if it was a slide was--

''Thump'', Her butt planted on the floor, Amdo's Hiraga Aya.

"...I apologize, Hiraga-san. For dragging you into this."

"What are you talking about! If it's one of my customer's problems, no matter where it is, Aya will come running! Tohyama-kun, Reki-san, Riko-chan, everyone is my important customer!"

Hiraga-san tugged on the rope that she had brought with her in the tube, pulling several different tools and a piece of machinery that looked like a fire extinguisher with her--whilst she was doing that, her eyes blinked at me. It seemed that she was trying to wink, but apparently, she couldn't do it.

A girl whom I never know if she's skillful or not.

Bringing in her tools, the tube that was crossing the space between the two Shinkansen's was taken off. For the purpose of transferring signs and signals between each piece of track, there are poles, and this was for the sake of preventing the tube from clashing with them.

However, even though we had nowhere to run, for some reason, Hiraga-san was assembling her equipment in a good mood.

"A-Ayaya! I-i-it's leaking!"

I heard Riko's voice say that from the direction of the seats.

"Just hold on a little longer! If it leaks, then the switch in the seat will short-circuit!"

"Riko is short-circuiting too! Quickly, quickly! Save meeeee!"

Riko...wanted to go to the bathroom?

That's obvious. Because, she had drank far too much strawberry milk.

"Haven't you disabled it, Hiraga!"

''Kun''--Muto said while making the Shinkansen accelerate further.

With this--390 km/h.

"--'''''Nothing is impossible!!!'''''"

Flashing an innocent smile while working, Hiraga-san answered cheerfully.

We had passed Shinyokohama station. Time left till Tokyo station was--7~8 minutes, huh?

No. If you think about the distance that is needed for the vehicle's system to brake, it's even shorter than that.

Two instruments had been extended out of the fire extinguisher-like piece of equipment, and working very gently, attaching them to the window of the washroom, Hiraga-san--

"The vapor explosive will explode once it mixes with oxygen, I heard that earlier from Riko-chan through wireless."

-said that, and she started working cautiously, but skillfully.

It seemed that, with a cutter that was attached to the tip of the tube, she apparently opened two miniscule holes.

Inside those holes, from one side of the tube, something like a balloon began to expand outwards.

"This is...?"

To Aria, who was looking through the window, Hiraga-san thrust forth her flat chest.

"Inflated with nitrogen, it's a silicon balloon! When it has expanded to fill every corner, the vapor explosive will be forced into this vacuum cylinder."

''GoGoGoGoGoGOGo''...the sound of a compressor working.

After...three minutes. We had already entered Shinakawa station.

The balloon expanded, and the ''Explosive Bubble'' was forced into the gas cylinders while the balloon spread to every corner of the washroom.

Hiraga-san checked the pressure inside the cylinder.

The nighttime view of Tokyo flowed by on the left and right.

Tokyo station was already very close--!

"Kinji, the last acceleration...410 km/h...let's go!"

''Kun''---!

The shaking of the Shinkansen growing stronger, Hiraga-san stumbled a little.

Will she make it--as I watched over her--

''Beep'', the piece of equipment made a noise.

"...Aaalllright! I'm done!"

"--Muto, brake!"

Having shouted, I took Aria and Reki, as well as Hiraga-san, into the embrace of my two arms--

I braced my back against the wall of the vehicle.

--EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE--GIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII--

In a heartbeat, along with the noise of the wheels gripping--an ear-piercing braking noise.

''CLANK!!''

The most intense impact up till now rocked the Shinkansen.

Decelerating--

''Bang!''

Turning to the sound of the explosion, beside us, the window of the washroom beside us blew outwards.

However--the vapor explosive did not explode. All of it had been sucked into the gas cylinder by Hiraga-san.

Because the cylinder rolled to hit the wall with a clank, I felt a chill run down my spine--

"<nowiki>~~~~</nowiki>!"

I endured the G-force of deceleration with my back.

Outside the window, orange light started flashing up from below the car. Sparks raised from the wheels and the rails.

I had thought that after we hit the brakes, we would travel for over 1 kilometer, and we still had not stopped.

Staying like that, the Shinkansen entered Tokyo station--

''Giiiiiii''...''Gii''...

Along with that ponderous sound--outside the window, the JR station name display could be seen.

--"Tokyo"--

Visible in the direction of the smoke rising up from below the chassis, that display...stopped.

Stopping--

We achieved it.

With this...everything has been resolved.

I took a deep breath, and--tapped on Aria's back as she continued squeezing her eyes tight in the midst of my arms.

It's all right now.

As if telling her that.

Aria raised her head--

Her camellia eyes first looking out the window, she turned from it to look up at me.

As if looking at a man who had realized something like a miracle.

"Aria...the reason I stay in a dormitory despite my home being in the city, I will tell you now."

Towards me, who was acting as Aria, continuing the small talk that we had had before going up the roof...

"...?"

Aria blinked her large eyes.

"--I don't really like trains."

At those words, Aria, while smiling wryly, replied with one sentence: "Same here,"

Tokyo station, which had been evacuated beforehand, was desolate.

Apparently supposed to act as a shield at the time of detonation, the trains belonging to the empty stations of Yamanote line, Keihintouhoku line, Chuuouhon line and Oumidou line were gathered here.

Furthermore, around the stop signs, sandbags were piled up to prepare for the explosion.

...How polite.

Aria and I stepped onto the platform...

"Ahaa! As a reward for my work, I'll be taking this~♪ Ayaya will help herself!"

From behind, Hiraga-san exited while innocently hugging the canister holding the "Explosive Bubble" to herself.

I see. With that as her goal, she helped us very happily.

"...Careful when you play with fire."

While smiling dryly, I put my hand on Hiraga-san's head, she who had a strong mercantile soul.

"..."

Next was, slinging the Dragunov over her shoulder, Reki, barefoot, descended onto the platform.

"'Tokyo~, Tokyo~, may the customers who are disembarking please be careful not to forget anything'"

Lastly, changing his tone to that of an announcer, Muto, dragging the two Kokos, exited.

On top of each other in an X-shape, sprawled on the platform, the Koko sisters were...were looking between us with an expression which seemed to express that, if we came any closer to them, they would bite us.

Really, what a huge fighting spirit. I want to act like that.

"You two.　If you persuade your sister to give up--I'll connect your phones."

Aria sat on top of the two, her arms folded, triumphing over her victory with a serious expression.

"It seems like these people's helicopters have been locked down by the Kanagawa police. I'm not saying this just 'cause I'm Logi, but no matter what kind of person it is, they can't do anything while on foot. She's about to be caught."

While taking off the incam, Muto cracked his shoulders.

"Muto...you worked hard. Thank you."

"What's with the politeness? Butei Charter article 1. It says, do something something with your companions, right? Which is...hey, hey. Can we get out of this station? They really stacked up those sandbags. I was thinking about buying station-lunchboxes--rather, Ryuuyouken's Jet Sieuw Mai."

"Muto~kun! You can exit from here!"

"Kinji, I'll leave the rest to you. Bring them to Dagula and have them squeeze them a little for us."

Hiraga-san, apparently wanting to do the analysis of the Explosive Bubble, if even a moment earlier, and Muto, a station-lunchbox maniac, scurried from the platform of the Shinkansen.

(I think that the station has been locked down though...)

While smiling wryly at the backs of the two, I saw them off, and once again, I knelt down on one knee by the Kokos.

Looking closer, Aria was, from Meimei's sleeve--taking out tools and weapons one by one, knives, hooks, smokebombs, etc...I took a tool that Meimei was carrying, about the size of a rice ball, into my hand...

I tried pulling a strange string which was sticking out of it.

Doing it, ''Pon.''

(Oh...?)

In around a second, expanding out of it like an airbag was--

-clutching her knees, Koko.

A dummy balloon with the appearance of a person.

"......!"

Having seen that, my mind, still in Hysteria Mode, screamed out a warning.

This is bad.

This puppet's characteristics...

These are the characteristics of, the person who had used a parachute of clothes, escaping to the side of the line, Juujuu.

That was--an inflatable dummy. Which is to say...

"--Sisters, retreat. For now, return to Hong Kong."

Koko's voice resounded from the end of the platform, and Aria, Reki, and I turned towards it in unison.

Over there was...dragging her feet, there was the figure of Juujuu, holding an M700 ready.

(Fuck...!)

Juujuu did not fall of the train.

Throwing up a smokescreen, at that point, she switched with the dummy...even if she was not able to climb up, she clung to the side of the Shinkansen. Until Tokyo, the whole while.

Probably crawling along the rail, Juujuu had distanced herself 100 meters, creating the distance to use a sniper rifle.

Nothing can be done with guns.

That aim was...on me. I knew that her sights were meeting my head.

"Reki, don't move!"

At Reki, trying to raise her Dragunov, Koko shouted.

Reki--had noticed that I was being aimed at. She did not ready her gun.

Just, staring in the direction of Juujuu.

"...Ouch!"

Just flicking my eyes to look in Aria's direction, Aria--was having her feet tightly squeezed by the Koko sisters.

The Kokos were, with some sort of desperation, yanking on Aria's hair and skirt.

With that, Aria can't move.

Because, she had gotten carried away, sitting on Koko.

"The wind trained Reki well. It made you lose the heart of a human. In this battle, I understood that veeeerryyy well. You are a girl I cannot use. So, already, you, I do not need."

"..."

"Reki--I expect that you still have bullets. ''Die by them''. Right here, right now."

Juujuu was apparently still in pain from being shot by Reki, and while her foot was trembling--she gave that order.

The M700 aiming at my forehead was a bolt-action rifle, and it could not reload automatically.

If it shot me, in the time until the next bullet was in the chamber, she would be counterattacked by Reki.

She did not want to leave that opportunity.

So, Juujuu ordered Reki to shoot herself.

"If you die, I will not kill Kinchi. Kinchi is a piece I can use, Koko doesn't want to kill him either."

"Koko. As you say...I have one bullet. If I shoot myself, you won't kill Kinji-san?"

Towards Reki, saying that as if in confirmation--I turned in panic.

I had heard this from Jeanne at the Hotogi Shrine.

--Last Bullet--

When those of the clan of Ulus are backed into a corner, when they are hindering their companions--like the samurai which once existed in Japan, they perform [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jigai Jiketsu]. A clan that continues the culture of ancient Japan.

This is dangerous. This situation is--

"Stop it, Reki! No matter what, she won't ki-"

"Kinchi, shut up! Reki, the words just now was an oath by the name of '''Koko'''."

My voice was drowned by Koko's words.

"Waiting is unfair for Koko. Reki, shoot yourself right now. If I have to wait, Koko will shoot Kinchi. Reki, it's fine if after that, you shoot Koko. Rather than letting some other person take Kinchi, Koko chooses to die together."

"Koko. Princess of Ranban."

Having said that, Reki--

-placed the stock of the Dragunov at her feet.

"The '''Reki''' of Ulus asks. The oath of just now--not killing Kinji-san, will you keep it?"

"It's not good to make fun of me. Koko is the princess of the prideful Wei."

"--If you break the oath, all the 46 girls of the Ulus will destroy you. With that everything, once having conquered the world, they will definitely take your life. You should have understood."

Straightening her back, Reki placed the barrel under her own chin.

"Stop it...Reki!"

"Kinji-san.　The girls of Ulus are equal to bullets. However, I was...akin to a defective, unusable bullet. Unusable bullets are meaningless pieces of iron."

"Stop it, Reki! You're being tricked!"

Aria's high-pitched voice pierced the air.

"Kinji-san. You ordered me not to kill a person, but now, I, for the sake of protecting my lord---will shoot myself."

"...!"

"However, please understand that this is not disobedience of your orders. Because--"

"...Stop it..."

"--''I am a single bullet.''--"

She placed the toe of the foot which had lost its shoe on the trigger of the Dragunov.

"YOU ARE NOT A BULLET!"

My cry was also in vain--

Her expression not even flickering, with her toe, the trigger was--

--pulled.

--''Click''.

"...!"

Once again, Reki's eyes opened.

Those eyes were--

-clearly opened in surprise.

The bullet--did not fire.

"Misfire..."

Camellia eyes opened, murmuring to herself, Aria too had an expression which conveyed her disbelief.

As for modern bullets, the chance of a misfire is low. It would be correct to say that it is mostly nonexistent.

Furthermore, Reki had her extremely meticulous misfire prevention, even going so far as to make her bullets herself.

The chance of a misfire was one out of a billion...No, it had been controlled to the point where it was one out of a trillion, right?

That had just happened.

Reki was, at that--surprised. Clearly.

"Because, this gun will not fail me."

The Dragunov she had trusted that much had--

-failed. Failed Reki. Now, for the first time.

--Reki.

Earlier, you said that you were an unusable bullet, that you had no meaning.

Misfires have meaning too. Think about that meaning.

"...Kinchi!"

Juujuu-

-in that one instant, understood the change in the situation.

Reki could not kill herself. However, she had no bullets but an unusable bullet. 

And, the next danger, the person who could fight was--me.

She is lost.

Kill me now and run, run without killing me and recreate this scenario, attacking us again.

In the space of that hesitation--I snatched the magazine out of the Dragunov that Reki was holding in blank shock.

"--Reki. Don't shoot yourself a second time."

While saying that, I took the last bullet out of the magazine before Reki's eyes--

And I clasped it in my two hands.

While doing that, I stared directly into Reki's eyes. I am furious. For the sake of telling her that.

"This is an order. You said that you would listen to my orders, correct?"

"..."

Reki matched my sharp gaze--''Nod''.

Wordlessly, she nodded.

Having confirmed that, I revealed the bullet in front of Reki's eyes,

"Now--be born again."

I told her that. ''Click''.

Returning it to the magazine, I slotted the magazine into the Dragunov.

"--Reki. The person you should shoot is that enemy. Once more, believe in me."

I said that to Reki--

''Bang''--

While I turned back, I stood in a position where I could protect Reki from Koko's sniper rifle.

She would definitely shoot before Reki, who was cradling the gun in a daze.

That one shot--well, if it comes, it comes.

As for my guns, I do not have anymore bullets. Billiard Shot is impossible.

Bullet slicing is impossible too. I don't have my knife anymore.

The Bite I did against Patra--that is also impossible.

That defense is imperfect. Because, I will faint from the impact. Koko still has bullets. If I fall, at the last, I will be killed by the second loaded bullet.

All the methods I had used till now could not be used in this situation.

--However, I will not die. Hysteria Mode is unmatched in this world.

My reflexes, 30 times faster than normal, thrust my hands forward before I could think.

That's right. Definitely, if I do this--!

Towards me, who had taken that stance--Koko--

"Kinchi!"

--''Bang!''

Along with the gunshot, a 7.62mm NATO was released.

The palm of my two hands, stuck out, was--

-just the index fingers and middle fingers of my opened hands were overlaid in a #-shape.

--Can I do it? This kind of thing?

I was only half-confident in myself, but I could not think of anything but this. In this instantaneous moment.

I surrounded the enemy's bullet trajectory with the square made of my fingers.

The bullet, showing no intention of stopping, approached my fingers--

"--!"

--''Whoosh''--

Using Edge Catching - Double Finger, I closed in on the bullet with the two fingers of my right hand--

However, the bullet was not restrained, and it flew through the space between my fingers, heading towards me.

A 7.62mm NATO's initial velocity is supersonic.

The full-metal jacket, heading straight between my eyes, was averted slightly to the left--

While spinning, it flew towards my left eye.

With my index finger and my middle finger, once again, I closed in on the bullet.

And, once again, I slightly changed its direction. Further to the left--

"--!"

''Whoosh!''

A sharp pain ran through my cheek.

And--the bullet--

''Clink''--

-left and behind me, far away, the glass of showcase of the flowers vending machine which had been hit was cracked.

As for me--I was not hit.

The bullet had just grazed my left cheek.

I did it--

It was theorized in but a moment, yet when I had tried to do it, it had worked.

With my bare hands, slanting the course of the bullet...a technique which changes it into something akin to the symbol, "/".

If I were to give it a name--Slash--would be what it would be called.

As expected of Hysteria Mode.

Finally, it seemed that I had become such that I was able to deflect a bullet.

Well...I had been injured quite badly though, spraining my fingers. On both of my hands. It really hurts.

"Kinji...y-you, just now..."

Her voice filled with shock, Aria's eyes had widened into circles.

From next to her--

"--In the midst of this darkness.--"

Reki's voice.

Turning to look at her, Reki was closing her eyes, and her Dragunov was raised once again. Aimed towards Juujuu.

That was something I would have never though would have come from Reki, an extremely irrational movement.

Reki trusted in the fact that the misfire from just now could be fired. That which was uttered just now--

-My words.

"A path of light exists--outside of the light, nothing can be seen, nothing exists. I--"

Reki's...poem when she was sniping had changed.

Opening those eyes once again, Reki--

"--am one who runs in the midst of that light."

-pulled the trigger.

--''Bang!''

"--!"

This time, having been fired, the Dragunov's 7.62mm x 54R--

--''Chiiiiii''--

--brushed past Juujuu's head as she was reloading, not hitting its target.

"Kihi...!"

Koko, having broken out into a cold sweat, laughed, holding up the M700.

Aria sucked in a deep breath. Reki, who had perfect accuracy, had, regretfully, missed--so she thought, however, that was wrong.

It is that sniping technique. I had seen it before.

"--!?"

''Bang!''

Koko, who was on the same level of Reki, fired.

Diagonally, in a completely different direction.

"...? ? ?"

And, ''Stagger, Stagger'', she stumbled about--

-and with an expression which revealed that she had no idea what was happening to her body, ''Thud''.

-at that spot, she toppled.

That was a sniping technique which Reki had used against the Caucasus Silver Wolf--the Haimaki of present, during the period where he had once infiltrated Butei High.

With a normal bullet, grazing one part of the body, applying pressure on one portion of the nervous system, a complex sniping technique which numbed the recipient.

It can be performed on humans too, that technique. As expected of Snipe's prodigy, Reki.

Getting a concussion, her feet unsteady, Koko used the M700 like a cane, trying to rise again, but--

''Thud!''

Hidden below the platform and above the track, Riko came charging out--and she clung to Koko's back.

"Mi-Mine Riko!"

"Cao Cao-! That's also Cao Cao, this is also Cao Cao. All three are here~. Kufu!"

Like a piggyback monster, she tightly squeezed Koko's body with her two legs, performing a full nelson on her with her hands--and very literally, Koko's two long twin-tails, like snakes, moved to tighten around her neck.

This choke, used in an attempt to kill me twice--Shanshikeikeihou, Riko-version.

"Go to sleep with your own technique, Cao Cao. The person who taught me this move has become my enemy."

"......! !"

Even so, Juujuu reached her hands out to Riko's face as she was behind her, trying to counterattack, but--

-having taken advantage of opportunity where Meimei and Paonyang were rooted in shock, she flew straight towards Juujuu.

"Koko--you really don't know when to give up!"

"Wai-! Aria! Time out, time out!"

Aria ignored Riko's voice, extremely panicked, ''Thud!''

Going into a double-legged dropkick from sprinting forward with all her might, she rammed into Koko.

Riko, ''Thump!'', along with Juujuu, blasted backwards--

"<nowiki>~~~~~~~~~~</nowiki>..."

Finally, she seemed to have fainted. Riko, too.

While smiling wryly at Aria, binding the third Koko with a ferocity akin to that of a tiger devouring a panda--

This time, with this, everything is resolved--I turned my back on the Kokos.

(Reki...)

On the other side, Reki--apparently exhausted, collapsed to the platform, sitting completely straight.

From the Dragunov, which she had not been able to shoot herself with--

As if feeling some sort of message, she tightly, tightly hugged it to herself.

I knelt by her side, and...

I could see that, from Reki's eyes, a single tear fell.

"...Reki..."

"I...do not hear it anymore."

Those shoulders were trembling slightly.

"Hear what?"

"The voice of the wind--I can no longer hear it. The wind has already stopped speaking."

Reki has...

Until now, never made movements that she had thought of herself.

Just being ordered by the "Wind", with this, living like a robot.

Those directions had faded away--so she said.

That was probably the release of the delusion that had been engrained into her by someone.

I had learned this in Inquesta, that type of mind control could be released by a severe shock.

With the shock of her Dragunov failing her, which Reki had trusted from the bottom of her heart, she had been released from that unseen hold.

"The wind is no longer saying anything--huh. Isn't that the same as saying, "think by yourself"?"

Towards me, who had said that, placing my hand on Reki's shoulder...

Reki raised her head.

"I do not understand. From now on, what do I do? From now on, alone--"

"It's fine. The wind is something which blows where it wants, right? And also--you are not alone. I am together with you. Because, after all, you've already submitted our team registration to the school. Within this time, by yourself."

Saying that, I flashed a small smile, straightening my back.

Reki...was silent.

Staying silent, her left and right hands grasping the grip and stock of the Dragunov for support, she stayed in that position for a few moments--

And when a gust of wind blew through the station, ''Whoosh'', she raised her head.

"--'''''anu urus wennuia'''''...Eternity--"

Reki had--

...A song...?

"--'''''Celare clai ol....tu plute ire, urus claia''''' Sky--"

--started singing.

I knew not which country those words stemmed from. I could hear that parts seemed to be in Japanese.

Amazingly mysterious lyrics.

However...it was, a beautiful song.

Even then, its rhythm seemed was so nostalgic, so familiar.

And, Reki's voice. It was wondrous. Its volume was soft, but she sang like a true singer, with perfect tone, such that anybody there who was listening to that beautiful voice would be rendered speechless.

"--'''''Raios Zalo Ado'''''...Ясны, ясны на небе звёзды--"

Standing up, Reki sang, and it reminded me of a bird setting off from its nest, a beautiful, vibrant song--
[[File:Aria07_187.jpg|thumb]]
Along with that continuing melody, the wind flowing through the platform strengthened.

As if it was singing. The wind too.

Aah. This is probably--

-The parting song between the wind and Reki.

"--'''''Celare claia ol...tu plute ire, urus claia''''' Sky--"

At the refrain of the song, the wind, intensifying into a gust--

From the vending machine which I had broken earlier, the bouquet of flowers which the person who says farewell gives to the one who sets off on his journey was swept up, released into the air.

The flowers, coming loose, were caressed by the wind, with innumerable amounts of petals scattered into the air.

In the midst of that multi-coloured mist of flowers--Reki walked atop the platform.

Towards the end, which was completely desolate.

(...Reki...)

All words lost, we could not even open our eyes in the face of the intensified wind.

When I closed my eyes, the last thing I could see was--

"--'''''anu urus wennuia'''''...Eternity--"

-in the instant the song, returning to its first line, finished, turning around, Reki--

-as if having been reborn, her fresh, neat face.

That face still could not form anything but a slight expression, but...

...It was smiling, I thought.

The wind stopped--opening my eyes again, Reki's figure was no longer there.

Aria panicked at the fact that Reki had suddenly disappeared, but...I was not like that at all.

Isn't it alright? For the first time, Reki started walking by her own will.

She had stopped living by the orders of someone, and herself acting like a new wind, she walked towards freedom.

So, this is like Reki's second birthday.

Rather, I felt as if I wanted to give her my blessing.

'Happy birthday, Reki'--that.

Brought to our location by Muto and company, the Jieitai's bomb squad came out...

After them, a higher-up from the police, Butei High's Ranbyou and Tsuzuri, those teachers, and the aftermath squad--

A few Butei High students came with them.

After hearing of Reki's disappearance, Snipe's third year Shibaiko-senpai tried looking for her, but...I thought it is useless. Because, by her own will, Reki could completely erase anything like a hint of her presence. As long as she does not try to come out, no matter who looks for her, she won't be found. Even if you brush right past her.

Also...because she had erased her presence by herself, she should be doing things covertly. Right now.

While I was thinking that, I exited from the desolate, maze-like Tokyo station along with the others.

Exiting from the Marunouchi exit, there were several black Butei Cars waiting.

Apparently an Assault elite, and treated differently as such, Aria was taking a car together with Ranbyou...Each of us, Riko, Muto, Hiraga-san and I, were driven by freshmen from Logi, split up, sitting in the backseat of our respective cars.

"...Now that I think about it, did you make it to a toilet? There was no toilet on Car 16."

Hysteria Mode released, I asked lightly, and Riko planted her fist in my left cheek, pressing down on it firmly.

Ou-ouch. The bullet graze from when I had performed Slash, hurt a little.

"Ki-kun! You're not allowed to ask that question of girls! I certainly made it in time!!"

Apparently, Riko, blushing, had...well, somehow done it somewhere.

Pursue it any further, and she'll be pretty pitiable. Even the me of normal understood that.

Turning away to face the window of the backseat, Riko--

"--Kinji. You're a cheater."

-with the manner of speaking of the Other Riko, murmured that.

"What are you talking about?"

"This. My eyes cannot be cheated. Here. There's the mark of a knife."

Saying that, the thing that Riko took out of her pocket was--the shell of a sniper rifle's bullet.

That was the casing of the bullet which Reki had tried to shoot herself with, and after that had failed, shot Koko with.

"...You have sharp eyes, Riko. As expected."

Sinking deeper into the seat, I received the casing from Riko's small hand.

A normal bullet's casing has an ignition point known as a primer attached to it. If there is no primer, the bullet cannot be fired. In other words--the end result is a misfire.

I...

...after hearing about the "Last Bullet" at the Hotogi branch...if the situation became such that she had been pressured to the last bullet--Reki, as Jeanne had said, might shoot herself. That's what I thought.

So, at the sleeping Reki's side, when I was performing the simple disassembly of the Dragunov--I extracted the bullets from the magazine, and removed the primer from the last bullet in advance. In preparation for Koko's next attack.

Removing the primer from the bullet was a rather dangerous action, but if I used my knife, using the special method that I had learned from Nii-san, I could do it.

As I expected, Reki tried to shoot herself with the last bullet--and that bullet ended up being a misfire.

After that, I took the bullet out of the magazine, and I reattached the primer which I had enclosed in my pocket. Clasping the bullet, I acted as if I was concentrating on doing something.

And with that, loaded once again, this bullet performed its correct function, becoming the bullet which decided our victory.

"Kinji--planned this? The whole flow?"

"Well, about half. Rather, it doesn't matter anymore, right? That."

Riko looked this way with an expression of admiration, this time staring out my window.

Visible there was a large billboard advertising the 3D movie to be opened to the public shortly, "The Wizard of Oz"

Now that I think about, when I had eaten ramen with Reki at Odaiba too, that billboard was visible.

"The Wizard of Oz". When I was small, my mother read that to me from a picture-book--and one of the characters which appeared in it, the tin lumberjack who was missing a heart, received a human's heart at the end.

Every one of us is probably like that.

The wandering Dorothy, the cowardly lion, the stupid scarecrow.

However, everyone lent each other their strength, and each of them managed to take hold of their future self.

Like that fairy tale, immediately getting it before the ending...is obviously impossible.

However, it's fine if we approach it step by step. Towards our new self.

So, Reki--you should do that too, from now on.

"Ki-kun, why're you smiling? Are you so happy to be next to Riko?

While pushing Riko, who had returned to Normal Riko and was cuddling up against me, I noticed that I was smiling wryly.

I had been completely--drawn to Reki's side. I was just thinking about this.

Lima Syndrome, which I had planned to use on the night which I was placed under Sniper Restriction by Reki--

-the reverse of that psychological phenomenon, Stockholm Syndrome, exists.

The people who are imprisoned feels sympathy for the people who are imprisoning them...a phenomenon where they become completely allies of their capturers.

This was, probably, that.

I had planned to win her over, but I had been won over instead.

Of course, the other side was not conscious of this result.

Now, I am definitely standing by that wordless and expressionless beautiful girl who is out there somewhere--Reki.

<noinclude>
{{Hidan no Aria Nav|prev=Hidan no Aria:Volume7 Chapter2|next=Hidan no Aria:Volume7 Chapter4}}
</noinclude>

Hidan no Aria:Volume7 Chapter2

2011-09-17T23:40:05Z

84.194.112.212: /* 2nd Ammo: HURRY UP */

==2nd Ammo: HURRY UP==

Honestly, I should have stayed in the Hotogi shrine to watch over Reki, but Kanae-san's trial was fast approaching. And for that, there was an unconfirmed chance that the lawyers would have to speak with us, the people who had fought with I-U, face to face before the trial.

So, on the evening of that day, I left the doctors and Kazayuki to watch over Reki...

Shirayuki and I took the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sany%C5%8D_Shinkansen Sanyou Shinkansen] - Toukaidou Hope 246, going to Tokyo.

"16, Car 15, Row D-E...Ah, here. It's all the way at the front, Kin-chan! Kin-chan likes the aisle seat, doesn't he? Here you go. Have this ticket."

Pushing the ticket for the aisle seat into my hands and sitting at the window seat, Shirayuki--because she had left the Hotogi, was talking with me incessantly. It seemed like she was trying to encourage me, who barely said a word, worried about Reki.

It was evident that her own heart wasn't calm either. Shirayuki is really a very firm person.

She never forgets to empathize, to be concerned for others, a really good person.

"Shirayuki, thanks a lot."

Sitting down on the aisle seat--

"Eh. Mmm, it's fine. Because--this is the first time I've ridden on the Shinkansen, I wanted to see the scenery, so it's great that I'm sitting at the window seat. On the contrary...if I wasn't riding together with Kin-chan, I would have to take the car again, so...thank you very much."

I had just said a word of thanks, yet Shirayuki's face turned red, and she waved her hands furiously.

Because I saw Shirayuki, who was putting so much effort into being cheerful, abruptly return to her normal self, I laughed softly, a small ''Fu'' escaping my lips--and Shirayuki made a "Waaa!" expression.

And, to hide her expression, her hands slapped to her cheeks...her face, looked as if she was paying her respects, went all the way down to her lap, a sort of kneeling position, and her body twisted in what seemed like agony, she looked out the window.

Wh...what are you doing...?

"Ahh...at such a short distance, I was blessed with 'Kin-chan laugh'...cool...cool, so cool...!"

While muttering what she was thinking in her heart, Shirayuki was, to put it in Riko terms, making a "excited by something moe face". The feeling of "Kyaaa".

Do you think that I can't see your face? Well, I can see it really clearly in the reflection of the window.

Rather, what's "Kin-chan laugh"? Is it that old comedian's act, [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E6%AC%BD%E3%81%A1%E3%82%83%E3%82%93 Kin-chan] run, the one that Muto sometimes does to pick up girls...?

While thinking about that, I reclined in the seat a little, inside the Shinkansen which had just started to move.

I rested, but, is it due to the continuous chain of events that had completely thrown my body's clock into disorder...?

Again, I could not sleep.

I was looking at the scenery outside the Shinkansen, passing by abnormally slowly...''Drowsy, Drowsy''...and...

...

......

.........

"While you're sleeping--I'm sorry to disturb you."

...n?

Argh. The train attendant came.

It seemed that, at some point in time, I had really fallen asleep.

"Ah...Yes?"

I showed her the train ticket, however, for some reason, sweating under the uniform cap, the train attendant...only swiftly checked the luggage rack above us and the space below our seats before leaving in a hurry.

It seemed as if she wasn't here to check our tickets.

What did she come here for? She was moving her hands like she was looking for something...well, whatever.

I looked at my watch and already, more than 30 minutes had passed since our departure.

Looking to my side, Shirayuki was also sleeping, continuing to sit upright on the seat.

She seemed to be sleeping deeply, since she didn't seem to have woken up when the train attendant came.

That's to be expected. I had caught a little sleep at Hotogi, but the reason for this was because Shirayuki had been protecting Reki and me throughout the night.

Originally a beautiful person and such, with a beautiful sleeping face as well, Shirayuki...ng...?

"...Fufu...so cute...mnya..."

With an amazingly happy face, she started sleep-talking something.

"...His eyes are exactly like Kin-chan's...ah, his nose looks like mine, doesn't it...ufufu..."

......。

What's happening inside Shirayuki's dream? I mean, before that, what does Shirayuki's dream world have to do with me? Just imagining it is terrifying.

(...I shouldn't think about it too deeply...)

I turned my back to Shirayuki's sleeping face, softly standing up from my seat.

Because I had taken a nap, my fatigue was slightly relieved, but my head was still hazy.

(I'll just go to the washroom for a little while to wash my face.)

Go through the automatic door, going to the end of Car 16...I was going to the washroom on this side of the cab.

But...

Huh? The door isn't opening.

It didn't move at all, almost like it was welded shut. What the hell is this?

Since this wasn't the toilet, I looked in from the small window, but...there was nobody inside.

(It seems that, somehow, the door was broken.)

Since I didn't have any other choice but to use the washroom at the back, I started to walk towards Car 15.

On the Oumi Shinkansen, returning to Tokyo and Chinami, Car 16 is the front most car, and Car 1 is the farthest back.

The train wasn't that crowded, and I looked around while walking--on the rows of seats, three on the right, two on the left, there were many types of passengers sitting there.

Some children playing trump. And, there was what I thought to be their guardian, a pregnant woman, her belly bulging out.

A pair of salary-men, on a business trip, were playing chess against each other with a magnetic chessboard.

Since I had learned the rules of chess from Kana, I sneaked a look as I passed by...one of the players was just using the special move, "Castling".

A movement that switches the king with the rook, "Castling" is--one of the moves I like.

Seeing the two pieces switch places as if dancing in a cycle, just looking at it was rather fun. 

(Kana was really good, I didn't even win once.)

While I was reminiscing about the past, I once again started advancing up the aisle.

Ah...having inclined the chair all the way backwards, the man drinking sake was Washio Narau.

He was both an actor and a singer, although besides that, he was a person that was notorious for his excessive vulgarity.

In the middle of the row of three seats, the ones on the left and right occupied by the female assistants he had brought with him, Washio--the eyes beneath his sunglasses met mine, and he went "Tch", as if saying: "I was noticed, huh."

(...What. It's not like I'm gonna start shouting.)

Feeling rather annoyed, I passed by...walking towards the back of the car.

''Ngaaah, Goo''...As I was thinking about who that big guy was, snoring like that, I saw that it was Muto.

Aah, it's so embarrassing to be a Butei just like him. I'm just glad that, at least, there's nobody sitting next to him.

I pretended that he was a stranger, passing by...farthest back on Car 16, for some reason, the seats in the two-seat row had been turned--they were seats whose backs were facing this way.

Above the seat, I could see a red horn sticking out.

To be more correct, it was a hair clip whose front stuck out like a horn.

Attached to pink-blonde twin-tails, sitting there, back facing this way, was--

(...Aria...!)

That's Aria.

Next to her, I could see loose waves of tea-coloured hair, probably Riko's head.

Now that I think about it, during the field trip, Aria was saying something about meeting Riko and Muto at [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kure Kure].

These three were taking the train back to Tokyo, huh?

"Ari..."

Stepping forward, just about to tell her about Reki, my arm, ''Grab''.

"--?"

I was grabbed by the person who was sitting in one of the seats in front of Aria and Riko, forcefully pulled into the empty seat.

Turning my head, that hand was--Assault's Shiranui Ryou.
[[File:Aria07 055.jpg|thumb]]
While the handsome Shiranui placed a finger in front of his mouth, making a gesture for "be quiet," his left and right eyes flicked open and shut, winking at me.

Decoding that like morse code..「Talking about something interesting; Listen」...?

Trying to ignore it and get up, I was stuck inside Shiranui's arms.

「Let go; I have something to say to Aria.」

I replied.

「Let go.」

「It's fine; Stay like this」

「Let go.」

「It's fine; It's fine」

Forcefully answering with that kind of winking...''Chatter Chatter.''

Looking up the aisle, three Butei High girls were sitting on the three-row seats, looking this way, whispering with each other. Those were students that were in the same class as me, 2A. If I'm certain, Connect.

The three female students, their faces red, were saying: "Pl-player," "Even with boys," "Ca-captured...!", apparently shocked. I could hear about three-tenths of what they were saying.

(...Th-this can't...)

Noticing their serious expressions, if I look at this from an objective point of view--This scene between Shiranui and me. Hands linked intimately, looking at each other directly, not saying anything. Two boys.

Shi-Shiranui. Please at least care about what this looks like in other people's eyes. Even if that isn't so, there's never been any rumors about you getting together with any girls, so it's easy to suspect that you're ''that'' kind.

For the sake of not having an even worse reputation even more among my class,

「I got it; I got it, so; Let go of my hand; 5 minutes; I'll stay here quietly.」

Communicating that to Shiranui, Shiranui released my hand.

(But, what does he want me to hear?)

Folding my arms in annoyance...I could hear Aria and Riko's conversation from behind me.

"--This is, something that my friend consulted me about. Look, I, ah...be-because, about romance, I don't really understand that kind of thing. Maybe you would understand...I thought."

"Ask anything you want! Riko is a love-romance human Wikipedia!"

...Love? ...Romance? 

What. Isn't this the kind of thing that I'm horrible at?

This isn't interesting at all.

"My friend...th-that friend, um, let's call her A-san. This A-san, for a boy...well, he'll be K-kun. Sh-she hasn't clearly told K that she likes him, but um...well, they've been moving together. For a few months.  

She understands that K--doesn't have much motivation, but he's a boy that can do anything once he tries. So, A-san has established a collaborative relationship with K, becoming something like friends that fight a lot. And, while they were doing that, A-san has started to feel something like, "he's mine", towards K...that..."

"Hmm, hmm. So, something more than friends but less than lovers. And, the possessive feeling towards the counterpart, it has already started to sprout before officially being together. It's those kinds of symptoms, hmm? Kufufu."

Taking on the air of a teacher, Riko seemed to be having a lot of fun.

In her heart, she likes talking about these kinds of things, right?

"Bu-but. A-san is already going to switch schools very soon. Leaving K at Butei High."

Aria, on another side, was radiating a feeling of slight desperation.

Her tone seemed to suggest that she was talking about herself.

She had said she was talking about a friend, so why'd she become so serious?

"It does exist, you know. Before a school transfer or exam, this kind of boy-girl messy situation. Juruuuuuu."

Wondering what kind of sound it was, I peeked through the gap between the seats and...

On the window seat, Riko was drinking out of a pack of strawberry milk.

And if I looked closer, on top of the table that was attached to the wall was around 20 packs of empty strawberry milk stacked atop each other.

I see. Because she wanted to place them there in such huge numbers, she had reclined her chair back? As usual, she does whatever she wants.

Rather, no matter how I think about it, that's over-drinking strawberry milk.

"But, well, when things had come to that time, Kin-ah, um, K-kun became closer to another girl. This...girl named R-san. She's a type that's completely different from A-san whether it be personality or ability...an outstanding girl."

Looks like the cast of characters has increased.

A-san, K-kun, and R-san, huh.

Well, I don't really care about the story of Aria's friend. Finish up quickly.

"After that, K and R-san started moving together...um..."

"Hmm, hmmm. If K-kun eats nothing but strawberries, won't he want to start eating some melons?"

Extremely serious, Aria asked Riko, who had just said those words, a question: "Are boys like that?"

She's such a gullible person. Aria, that is.

Riko is definitely just saying whatever is most fitting. Judging from her tone.

"That's right~. As opposed to women, who give birth, men are the people who make women give birth. Trying to leave their offspring behind in various types of women is just a natural instinct. Kufufufu."

"Th-that does sound possible."

"On that note, "what kind of girl do I like", is completely different from person to person. What kind of person is K-kun~?"

"--A haremizer!' 

Saying that, Aria's tone seemed to be extremely angry.

Although I couldn't see her, I could imagine that her face was demon-like.

Despite the fact that I was completely unrelated to their conversation, a chill ran down my spine.

"Normally he's a failure as a human, but just in front of girls, for an instant, he becomes really cool, amazingly cool...and, my chest starts hurting a lot, and afterwards, I can't do anything but think about it...he says strange things occasionally. Su-suddenly　touching me. It's really shocking. He's far too good at that, and over here, I can't do anything, just staying in this state, rather...no matter what the other side does, I probably can't resist, rather...My head becomes...something like...strange. It becomes strange--I mean, um, that, that's what my friend said." 

Heh~~? Does a failure of a man like that really exist in our school?

Someone like that really is a devilish bastard.

"Um, just now, um, my friend, A-san said that. Really. That was completely something that my friend, A-san, said."

Hearing Aria remind Riko, Shiranui, who was next to me, burst out into a fit of little giggles.

...What's so funny? I don't get the punchline.

"Well, because K is like that...A-san　got into a huge fight with K. But, I-ah, A! A-san, um, before transferring schools, with that K...even if "taking him back" is impossible, she wants just to be able to mend things between them. She knows that its just a selfish wish of hers, but R keeping K as hers like this...when A and K could meet again, K would already be R's captive, and K probably would not be partners with A. So, um..."

At that point, Aria's chair creaked as she drew closer to Riko.

"Wh-what does she do so that K doesn't forget about A-san. That, wh-what does she do before she transfers?"

Somehow...Aria's voice seemed to be frozen with fear.

On another side, Riko, in a very calm manner, went: "Nn~~Fufufu", laughing through her nose.

"A-san-san is about to celebrate her birthday, right? And, her birthday will come right before she transfers."

Saying that, Riko, ''Creak''.

Aria jumped off her seat in surprise.

"Yo-you really understand this! Th-that's right."

Ho~~.

Aria too has a friend that she gets along so well with? She even remembers her birthday.

As for me, about my friends birthdays, I don't even remember Shiranui's, who's sitting right here next to me. Of course, I don't remember Muto's either. 

I just remember Aria's birthday, as if I had ignored it, I would be subjected to Infinite Windhole Hell, so I had memorized it as pertinent information. I don't really know it accurately, but I do remember that it was during this month.

"Kufufu. That's obvious. It's because Riko is an excellent romance counselor. Kufufu~nn."

Laughing an extremely horrible laugh, Riko,

"--On that day, this love triangle will have a final battle."

"...?"

"A-san cannot be hurried. It's fine if she doesn't do anything. Hold yourself back, and Ki-ku...um. Test K-kun!"

"Te-test...?"

"That's right. Because, if K-kun doesn't hate A-san, he won't let something like a birthday pass without doing anything. I expect that he'll disguise it as birthday wishes, and try to meet you alone."

''Gulp''.

I could hear the noise of Aria swallowing.

"A parting confession--might be possible. Kufufu..."

"CO, CO-CO-CO-CO-CO-CONFE! SS-ION!"

Aria, lower your voice.

A train is a public vehicle, so don't shout so loudly.

"No, no. K-kun, aside from confessing--he might even do something more than that...!"

"SO-SOMETHING MORE THAN THAT IS FORBIDDEN!"

...So, Aria. Please calm down.

Your Japanese has already become really weird.

"Th-that's '''''too much!''''' Be-because '''''too early for me, for I'm just 17 at that time!''''' Lo-lo-look! If something comes so suddenly '''''how. how how how'd I ...I...'''''I !" [http://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/index.php?title=Hidan_no_Aria:Volume7_Translator%27s_Notes#Chapter_2]

Because Aria had started panting and speaking in some sort of alien language, I couldn't understand what she was saying any longer...

「This is stupid；　This much is fine, right?」

I sent some winking signals at Shiranui.

Shiranui too...winked, responding.

「Tohyama-kun；　Do your best, alright?」

「What? I do my best at what?」

「Only thus; Is Tohyama-kun」

Shiranui smiled wryly, smiling and gesturing at me like a hotel concierge, as if conveying, "Please go ahead."

What was that. In the end.

When I tried to stand up, my mouth twisted into a 「へ」 character...at that exact moment.

''Guu''---

The train swayed, as if it had been tugged forward a little.

"Woah..."

Losing my balance a little, I grabbed hold of the back of the reclined seat.

What happened just now...?

It was only a little speed, but it seemed as if the train had shook from some sort of sudden acceleration.

'Hmm?' Muttering to himself, outside of the window that Shiranui was looking through--Nagoya station flashed past.

This Shinkansen passed by a station.

"...?"

That's strange.

Wasn't this Shinkansen definitely supposed to stop at Nagoya?

This isn't just me misunderstand it, right?

Some passengers, apparently going to disembark here, had an incredulous look on their faces as they returned to the aisles.

Just as they, their expressions dissatisfied, started to make some noise--

「--A notice to our customers.」

An announcement started flowing through the interior of the car.

「This train was supposed to stop at Nagoya, but because of some unexpected　circumstances, it cannot stop.」

...?

「As for those customers that planned to disembark at Nagoya, as soon as these circumstances have been resolved...you will be sent to Nagoya from the closest station by an extra train. We are sorry for the trouble, investigations into the details of said circumstances are currently being held.」

The voice, which I thought belonged to conductor, was trembling slightly.

What's wrong? What happened?

I've never heard of a malfunction that caused a train to hurtle by a station. On the contrary, I would understand if they stopped the train.

That wasn't all that was strange.

Ever since this Shinkansen passed Nagoya, it hadn't slowed down.

Rather...it was speeding up...?

"Hey, what the hell is happening?", "Arrrgh, the job is going to be canceled.", "What the hell are these 'circumstances'" "Could you explain? I didn't understand any of what was said just now."

From between the passengers, who were milling about in confusion, the talent that was reclining in his chair just now, Washio Narau,

"Hey! Conductor, get the fuck out here right now! I have to get off at Nagoya! The audience is already entering the dome, do you know who I am!? Go back to Nagoya!"

-stood up, roaring in anger.

Even though we've already gone past it, he was saying some reckless things.

But, besides that--

(This is bad...)

Agitation is infectious. If the other passengers started to panic because of the weird things he was saying, gathering them all up would become difficult. If I don't quiet him down...

Just as I stood up--

「Also, If there are any suspicious luggage or suspicious items in your vicinity, please alert the stewardesses.」

Continuing as such, the announcer could no longer be tolerated by Washio, who kicked the seat in front of him.

"What the fuck are these 'suspicious items'!? Is there a bomb set on this train or something!? Eh!?"

Fuck, he said it immediately...!

"--Bomb?" "Eh, seriously!? He said a bomb!?" "Hey, it seems that there's a bomb!"

As the passenger's unease grew larger, some people started walking towards the driver's seat.

"Everyone, please calm down." "Please return to your seats!" "A thorough investigation is being conducted--"

The three Butei High girls that had been looking at Shiranui and me earlier stood up, trying to soothe the crowd, but...It's impossible. The situation inside the train was quickly nearing full-blown panic.

This is--

It was bad enough that Washio had stood up and shouted, but the crew's announcement didn't help either. The information that was released was far too vague.

They didn't say anything about when it would be solved, just saying that there were some unnatural circumstances.

As for the Shinkansen, the abnormality that they refrained from releasing an announcement:「Not stopping at Nagoya」, something that cannot be hidden, beforehand...if there was an announcement that they were sealed inside a train, an enclosed space, it isn't impossible that customers with a short temper, just like Washio, would raise a racket.

A normal person, unlike us Butei, doesn't experience dangerous incidents like this everyday.

"It's dangerous, so please return to your seat."

When Shiranui said that to the pregnant lady, who had stood up, her stomach bulging out--''Whirr.''

Feet swaying, a chain of cries rang out as the passengers stumbled to the back of the train.

The Shinkansen had sped up again.

(What the hell is this...!?)

Looking out the window, the speed we had accelerated--judging from the change of the flow of the scenery, it was only a little.

But, it was too sudden. It was a sudden acceleration that would be impossible under normal circumstances.

Which is to say...It's like the feeling of barely being able to endure it, yet not being able to stop, continually gaining speed.

On the electronic displays above the automatic doors,

--[Current speed: 130km/h]--

-those words were flowing from right to left.

Apparently becoming more uneasy from the 'current speed', the customers started clamoring as they tried to stampede towards the driver's seat.

Washio Narau ran towards the back of the car--''Clank Clank!'' Using what appeared to be a very expensive lighter to smash the lid of the emergency door control, which was buried into the wall.

(That idiot! What the hell is he doing!)

Is he planning..to open the door to the Shinkansen manually!?

While in the midst of travel, the lock should be engaged, but now, the Shinkansen was in a situation where I didn't know if it was functioning normally. If by a one in a thousand chance, it opened...things would get ugly!

"STOP!"

I fixed my eyes on Washio, charging one straight line down the aisle, directly towards him.

"--Kinji!?"

"Kin-chan...!"

While hearing Aria's voice, who had just noticed me, and Shirayuki's voice, who had apparently woken up due to the ruckus--I,

"Calm down! You can't get off! Not at this speed!"

-hurtled towards Washio, performing a full nelson on him.

"Let go! LET GO! I'm going to Nagoya!"

I managed to clamp down on Washio's arms, who had been lashing out at me, binding his arms behind him with the wire in my belt.

At that moment, I heard the announcer once again--

<<To all the passengers　　I will tell you now.>>

---!

<<This train　　will not stop at any stations　　until Tokyo　　it will go on　　non-stop　　Ahaha　　Ahahahahaha>>

--A vocaloid's synthetic voice...!

<<The train　　will accelerate 10 km/h every three minutes　　not accelerating is impossible　　otherwise, Kaboom!　　Big boom!　　will happen　　Ahaha　　Ahahahahahahaha!>>

In response to the artificial laughter, cries started ringing out from within Train Hope 246.

This vocaloid. It's the same voice as the one when Reki and I were assaulted by those remote controlled helicopters.

(Koko...!)

This is her doing.

Leaving Washio sitting down, his face about to cry, I looked up at the electronic display--

--[Current speed: 140 km/h]--

We're accelerating. Definitely.

(Express-jack--)

I　don't know what her goal is, but she had carried this out extremely thoroughly.

No wonder we hadn't stopped at the station.

It was probably only after the conductor and driver had departed to Tokyo that they received a threat from the offender concerning the bomb.

Earlier, I had thought that she was checking the tickets, but the sweating conductor was actually conducting a search for the bomb.

But...she's really troublesome.

At the front of the car--the direction of the driver's seat, the panicked passengers were　jostling against each other, saying things like: "You're going to hit the Shinkansen in front of us, right!?" "Dumbass! It said that there was a bomb!" "That's definitely a prank!", and I could see Shirayuki trying to calm them.

"Tohyama-kun...!"

"Kinji!"

From the back of the car, Shiranui and--Muto, who was completely woken up, ran towards me.

"Shiranui is calculating it right now. If the announcement just now was true, we have until 19:22."

"...19:22...?"

"Without stopping at any stations, if we continue at this pace of acceleration...we'll arrive at Tokyo then."

I frowned at Muto and Shiranui's words.

--Arrive at Tokyo.

There is no more track after that.

If we get there...The End.

Looking at my watch, right now, it's 18:02.

"Until the time limit--we have 80 minutes."

"It'll probably come a little earlier. The announcement earlier...said that we would continue to accelerate. This Shinkansen is model N700, Toukaido route's top operational speed is 270 km/h. After 40 minutes--we'll exceed that."

"If we exceed it, then what?"

"It's impossible to operate safely. The entire car won't be able to stay on the rails, and at a curve, it's possible that it'll disengage."

"Dangerous operation then...how many km/h can we go?"

"It's said that the calculated maximum speed is 350-360 km/h. The actual limit wasn't announced by Japan Railways."

Beside Muto, who had said that, Shiranui was using the calculator function on his phone to immediately calculate the speed and time.

"--This speed isn't enough. To get past 19:00, we have to have 350 km/h, and to get to the end, we have to have 410 km/h."

"No way...I've heard that the test train could reach speeds of up to 397 km/h. How long that can be sustained, nobody knows. 410 km/h is unknown territory."

After 40 minutes, we will enter dangerous operation, and after an hour, we will have broken through the design limit--and at the end, unknown territory, huh?

If we don't make it back to Tokyo, the chance of ''Kaboom'' is large.

"Muto, Shiranui. Gather the Butei High students that are riding this train, then search for the bomb. Without decelerating, find the bomb and disarm it."

From the window of Hope 246, which had turned into [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Under_Siege_2:_Dark_Territory Under Siege 2: Dark Territory], I could see the the town in the midst of dusk flow past like in a nightmare...

This, outside the window--if for example, the bomb was affixed to the bottom of the train car, it's all over. It's impossible to disarm that kind of thing.

Seeing Shiranui and Muto off, who were going to confirm that the cars behind didn't have any Butei High students in them, I---

I drew closer to the location in the rear of Car 16, where Aria and Riko were sitting.

"...Nn..."

Having subjected me to violent acts such as kicking and punching whenever I was together with Reki in Osaka, Aria turned her head back as if avoiding me, and as if trying to hold back something that she wanted to say, her cheeks were puffed out like a puffer fish.

The incident at that time...I wanted to explain　a lot of things, but this wasn't the time for that.

First, I looked over Aria at Riko.

"Riko. You know what I want to say, right? This is the same modus operandi as yours."

With a voice that the other passengers couldn't hear, I said that as if interrogating her.

On Riko's face, the normal high school girl expression that she had had on her face up till just now flickered,

"We've been hit..."

Her eyes sharpening, she muttered those words.

April. During the "Butei Killer" incident which had led to the meeting between Riko and Aria and me, she was using these types of bombs. On my bicycle as well as the bus around Academy Island...she had set something on those modes of transport, a bomb that would explode if one decelerated below a certain speed.　An extremely terrifying, cruel planted explosive.

Although, the explosives that were planted on this train were even more horrifying.

Not only must it continue to run, but because, if the train doesn't continue to accelerate, the bomb will detonate.

"Cao Cao...has started moving again, huh, that fucking miser...!"

Gnashing her teeth, Riko stuck her hands between her knees, which were opened, moving them as if searching the seat.

"Cao...?"

Riko, her eyes in "Butei Killer" mode, turned towards Aria, who was frowning while asking that question.

"Cao Cao is--a person with a demonic mindset, despite being a child. She is I-U's Mechanic. In exchange for massive amounts of money, she modified torpedoes and ICBMs into transport devices... Kinji, the "Non-Stop" method which I used on your bicycle was also taught to me by Cao Cao. This is its improvement, "Hurry Up"--!"

Towards Riko, who had sweat trickling down her forehead--

"I-U's...explosive tactic instructor--is that it? Riko, you're her student, so you understand the basic structure of her explosives, right? Go look for the detonator and disarm it immediately."

Aria, still not looking in my direction, tugged on Riko's hand.

But, Riko didn't stand up from her seat, and she shook her head.

"No. I cannot move."

"Why not?"

"There's a pressure switch on this seat. I was careless, so I did not realize it. If I stand up, an explosive, planted somewhere, will detonate."

"...!"

Aria and me, speechless, looked under Riko's seat.

Added on to forbidden deceleration and forced acceleration...a human switch?

The first thing the enemy had done was seal Riko, who was the only one with any chance of being able to disarm the bomb.

She meticulously investigated our movements in advance, planting a trap on the seat.

In short, we--had, by our own free will, boarded the Shinkansen covered with the enemy's traps.

At this point, all we could do is laugh. At our own lack of vigilance.

"...An eye for an eye, 'Butei Killer'-san."

I, who had had a bomb planted under the seat of my bike, patted Riko on the shoulder with a thump,

"Riko, Cao Cao is a Chinese girl...a girl even younger than you. And the person who taught you those martial arts was her as well, right?"

-I continued.

Riko's big eyes, with those double-fold eyelids, looked up at me.

"How do you know, Kinji?"

"I was attacked as well. Yesterday, by this girl who uses vocaloids."
The fact that she had a different name as well as Jeanne's statement: "There were no snipers in I-U," there was a point which caught my attention--

That Cao Cao is Koko. I can't be wrong.

Koko had...hidden from the members of I-U, who would become her enemies at some unknown point in time, her own skill in sniping.

However, Koko...She is proficient in martial arts, gunfights and sniping, as well as being a genius technician?

This time, it's so unbelievable that it makes me laugh.

They're all monsters. Those in I-U.

Saying something to Aria, who was, unreasonably, still angry, irked me, but since things had come to this, I had no choice.

I pulled on one of Aria's twin-tails, forcibly making her head face this way.

"Aria, calm down and listen to me. The offender who hijacked this Shinkansen is the person who attacked you with Aru=Kata. Her name is Koko. Reki had a sniping battle with her--and she was heavily injured."

"...Reki was...!?"

Aside from the huge fight that they had gotten into on the stairs of the Butei High Station a few days before--

At the fact that Reki had lost, Aria's camellia eyes widened in surprise, forming large circles.

"Don't worry. She managed to hold on to her life. She was just in danger from losing massive amounts of blood over an hour."

"Why...why didn't you tell me earlier!"

"My cellphone was destroyed by Koko. By the time I could communicate again, you were out of range...No, it was painful enough that all communication with Aria was interrupted, but--in addition to that, it seems the information was also destroyed."

"Information...?"

"You didn't tell Riko the details either, did you?　Neither the appearance nor features of the opponent you tied with on the day of 'Water Tossing'"

Saying that, I could hear Aria's throat go "Uguu", and she went silent. It seemed that I had guessed right.

Just like how I had never told anyone about my loss to an underclassman, "Defeat from the Bottom"...Aria had experienced, "Draw from the Bottom" in a gunfight--and she was hiding the disgrace of drawing with Koko, who was younger than her.

It was because this noble ojou-san had pride twice that of a normal person.　Even though her height was half of a normal person's.

Koko--knew that fully well.

When Koko assaulted us, the first thing she did was--destroy our phones, our method of communication, and she used a false name as well, using Butei High's culture, the fact that people would hide the reality that they lost to their underclassmen...

She had prevented detailed information from being spread among us.

"Kinji, Aria, listen."

We turned towards Riko's voice, which was extremely tense.

"'Non-Stop' and 'Hurry Up'--Meter Bomb is started by wireless. Because, she usually plants explosives somewhere which already cannot be reached. But, jamming, congestion, out of signal range, weak electric field, hangup drop...wireless is lacking in reliability. Especially on high-speed vehicles like the Shinkansen, which is loaded with wireless components. I learned this from her. At those times, one must secure an escape route, riding the vehicle yourself. And, you have to see for yourself that your targets have boarded the vehicle, making sure what is planted inside the car starts up reliably. In short--"

Riko's eyes sparkled, as if confident in something.

"--the enemy is aboard this train."

At those words, Aria and I looked at each other. And at that moment.

---''Gangan, Gakin!''

The sound of metal clashing resounded several times, at the front of the car--the passengers who were gathered close to the cab of the train cried out while running back into the car.

(--!?)

At the front side of the car, while a scream rang out--as if swept away by some force, Shirayuki flew outwards, sprawling over the seats.

The salarymen, chess pieces in their hand, the gaudily dressed girl emitting a piercing shriek, as well as the passengers who had kept to their seats, stood up, running towards Car 15.

Threatening the people so as to chase them away, coming out from within the cab, its door broken from some large impact--

"--Koko!"

So in the end, she was riding the train...!?

"'''Hello''', Kinchi. This is [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Riichi Riichi], isn't it."

Clothed in cultural Qing garments, Koko winked at me.

And--completely clashing with her elfin body, she raised a longsword akin to a hatchet.

The hilt of that sword wreathed with decorative fabric, engraved onto the blade was a picture of a slender dragon.

"This train will become your '''coffin'''! Kihi!"

''Zccccchhhh''----! The blade, brought down, sliced open the seats in front with ease.

That is a--'''Lancet'''

Called a Seiryuutou[http://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/index.php?title=Hidan_no_Aria:Volume7_Translator%27s_Notes#Chapter_2] in Japan, it's a broad, weight, single-edged Chinese sword.

I learned this in Assault, but the Seiryuutou is not like a Japanese long sword, which is sharp, meant to slice through organs and arteries. The blade is heavy so that it can cleave through flesh and bone, and it's a weapon that, if conceptualized, resembles an axe. 

"I'll just play for 10 minutes, Koko has a promise for a date."

Looking over the shoulder of Koko, who had said that, on the driver's seat that I could see in the direction of the double doors was...

Was the female driver, half turning around to face this way, and there was nobody in the co-driver's seat. It appeared that Koko had kicked the co-driver out and had been sitting there.

''Ueeeenn''--Turning my head towards that crying noise, close to the middle of Car 16, unable to escape from danger yet, the children were crying, clinging to the pregnant lady.

They were all that was left of the normal passengers inside Car 16.

If I looked closer, the pregnant lady was clasping her large belly, sweating heavily.

Inside the midst of this panic, it seemed the stress had taken its toll on her body.

"--Shirayuki! Save her and her children!"

Shouting and dashing forward--drawing her sword was Aria.

Leaving Riko, who couldn't move, and I, who stood up reflexively, behind, Aria　crossed her twin-blades, keeping them low, assuming a compact stance while charging down the narrow aisle.

As Shirayuki, crouched down while running down the aisle, brushed past Aria,　they exchanged glances.

"--Nn!"

Using Shirayuki's hands, overlaid over each other, as a foothold, Aria jumped forward at an oblique angle.

Not slowing down at all, Aria flew over the back of the seat, ''Tatatatata''-----!

With reflexes far beyond the norm, she thrust herself off the seat, using it like a stepping stone.

Opposing her, Koko span the Seiryuutou around once...
[[File:Aria07 079.jpg|thumb]]
"'''Come, come''', Sherlock the 4th."

Her hand, outstretched towards Aria, gestured at her.

Shirayuki helping the pregnant lady, I, while protecting the children, helped them to escape towards Car 15, and behind me--

''Clank!''

The sound of Aria's blades, held in such a way that they resembled a pair of enormous scissors, clashing against Koko's Seiryuutou rang out.

A Shinkansen is something alike to a steel box.

For the sake of not injuring oneself due to ricochets off the wall or ceiling, Aria and Koko weren't using guns.

Aria launched herself off the back of the seat, and Koko took the full impact head on, ''Clash''.

The swords, clashing together at the heart of the blades, rolled over each other as if they were dancing, displacing each other. Twice. Three times.

The pink and black twin-tails fluttered through the air, outlining a swirl-like shape--

Aria. Koko. Aria. Koko.

Looking alike visually, the two people were turning round and round at a speed which dizzied.

It was as if it was a fighting game with 1P and 2P characters.

"You tricked me, you clown! The first time I faced you, you said your name was "Koko"--that was a false name! Cao Cao!"

"That's a name that Europeans mistakenly use. Sherlock of I-U called me by such a name, so Koko let everyone use it. '''Koko'''. The true pronunciation of the name in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cao_Wei Wei]!"

...

Is that how it is?

Just like how Riko had once said Holmes as "Ormès" using the French pronunciation, the pronunciation changes along with the changes in the language. So,that's why Jeanne, upon hearing the name "Koko", had no recollection of any such name. 

If I gave it a little more thought, "'''Sou Sou'''" is how Japanese people read it as well.

--We're getting dragged into a global war, and we're having trouble over a name.

Having guided the children to Car 15, I-

"Shirayuki--I'll leave this woman to you. Go find out whether there's a doctor among the passengers. Aria and I, the two of us, will apprehend Koko."

-said that to Shirayuki, who was supporting the pregnant lady, having entered Car 15.

"Ye-yes! But, Kin-chan, be careful. I'm getting an abnormal feeling from that offender."

While whipping out my butterfly knife--

"Abnormal? Isn't that what happens all the time? So--it's normal."

As if saying that for myself to hear, I answered.

I returned to Car 16, and Riko, on the last rows of seats, was kneeling on the seat, just like a child.

Looking back, I could see Aria and Koko, close to the front of the car and drawing closer to the edge,

"--YOOOUUU!"

"Kihi!"

Their feet lashing out simultaneously, Aria and Koko went into a position where they kicked each other in the waist--and, with a smack, they separated.

In the next instant, Koko let go of the Seiryuutou, and, ''Tan, Tatatata!'', she kicked the floor, Aria's knees, waist, and chest as if running vertically, showing off an acrobat-like maneuver--''Bccchhhhhh!''

The toes in the peony embroidered silk shoes thundered into Aria's jaw.

"Aria!"

While flipping open the butterfly knife in my hand, I ran up the aisle.

"---!"

Reeling backwards from the impact, Aria retreated several steps this way.

In that direction, Koko, her back turned towards the cab--cut through the air behind her with a backflip, her two long sleeves fluttering outwards like a fin.

And, from the midst of those sleeves...What the hell is that?

She took out something reminiscent of an atomizer.

"--'''Explosive Bubble'''!"

''Shuu''!

With that sound like the depression of an aerosol--If it hadn't been sparkling in the midst of the light of the car interior, I wouldn't have seen it--small soap bubbles, the size of rubber shavings, flew out towards Aria.

"--Aria, dodge it!"

Having seen that, Riko, panicked, shouted immediately.

"'''Explosive Bubble''' is a vapor explosive, I saw it in I-U! When the bubble bursts, the contents mix together with the oxygen in the air, and--it explodes!"

"!?"

Aria heard her, and from her feet, a loud crack ran out.

<nowiki>----</nowiki>''BOOOOOOOM''

From the soap bubbles that burst right in front of Aria's eyes, a violent shockwave and blinding light burst forth.

Amongst the seats in front, several of them were blown away--

"Kyaaa--!"

In the midst of the flurry of poker cards, which had been left on the seat, Aria flew outwards as if she had been hit by a car.

This light...! I remember this.

This is the same light that appeared at the end of the nighttime sniper battle between Koko and Reki, which caused her to be severely injured.

The scale was even bigger than that time--Reki was hit by this vapor explosive!?

"--Aria!"

In a rush, I caught Aria, who had been heavily impacted on her back and posterior cranial fossa. 

Thank God, she didn't seem to have received any blatant trauma.

The moment right before Aria had been caught up in the explosion, her animal-like instincts had sensed the danger, and she reflexively did a backstep.

Thanks that that, she escaped a direct hit, and it seemed that she hadn't received any serious injures like Reki had.

However, she received a considerable amount of damage from the impact. Aria's consciousness was fuzzy, and her knees were trembling. Aria was in a state where she could not stand up on her own. She had let go of her swords as well.

"Uu...Uuu!"

For what I assumed was to clear her head, Aria shook her head left and right, her pink twin-tails swinging around as if beating a drum.

In that direction, 10 meters away from us, Koko, a broad smile on her face--

"Kihihi, now it's '''even'''!"

Like the immortal zombies who appeared in that movie from a while ago, "Reigen Doushi", her hands were stuck straight out.

With that posture, sticking her hands out, ''Rattle Rattle''. Shaking her sleeves again, from inside...Nunchucks...? No. Wrong.

She took out two mini rockets!

Bringing the head of the two rockets together with a clink, Koko separated the two, bringing them left and right respectively.

Between the two tips, a wire stretched outwards. An appearance exactly like nunchucks.

"--'''Double Rocket Restriction'''" 

With a sharp jet noise, the two rockets, flying parallel to one another, passed by on the left and right of Aria and I--

The wire, stretched out between them, pressed down upon the area below Aria's flat chest.

"Uuu!?"

The rocket, having fixed the wire upon Aria's body, started flying around us in an absurd manner.

"Ah...ah!"

"Woo...oah...!"

In a heartbeat, Aria and I were bound by the wire, completely paralyzed.

Twirling around our arms, torso, and legs, the rockets-''Clank!''

-crackling, automatically severed the wires as their fuel was completely depleted, and they dropped to the floor, rolling.

"Kyaa!?"

Stepping towards the other side, Aria completely lost her balance--

And along with me, who had been tightly restricted by the wire as well, she hit the floor with a thud.

Uu...thanks to the fact that our legs were bound, w-we couldn't stand...!

Added to that, from the shock of falling down...because I could not put any strength into my arms, which were fixed to my waist, I had let go of my knife.

The knife had slid under the seats, and I had no way of reaching my hands out. As such, I could not retrieve it.

Literally...my hands and legs were tied. In just that one instant...! 
"Uu...Uu..Fueh...Cao Cao...!"

Seeing Aria and I get hit, Riko's hands were rubbing her eyes, which were gradually leaking out tears.

<nowiki>"...BIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEH! Wasn't Riko your partner in E~~~U!? Aren't we class~~~mates!? Save Riko, only save Rikoooooo! BIEEEEEEEEH!"</nowiki>

S-so loud.

...Bloody Riko. Despite the fact that she told us so much just now.

When it starts to look like we're losing, she stabs us in the back.

Rather, just now, you said "Save only Riko," right? Is she really our friend?

"Mine Riko--stop faking your tears! Crying wins the sympathy of only boys!"

''Point!'' Pointed at by Koko, Riko-

"Tch."

-clicked her tongue, and she stopped crying, making a face at Koko.

Koko--inserted her hands into each of her sleeves, holding them together in front of her chest, and with a composed expression, she walked forward.

And, arriving at a place where she was looking down on Aria, Koko started intently at her face.

"Fuuun. So, this is Aria. When I saw her photo, I certainly thought that she was as cute as Koko, but seeing her in person, Koko is actually cuter. Kihi."

"Koko!"

Even though she could not reach out with her arms or legs, Aria was baring her fighting spirit as well as her canines.

"That hairstyle! Before, I told you to get rid of it, right!? That's the same hairstyle as mine!"

"I don't remember hearing that, puh, puh! Whether it's '''Ranban''' or I-U's Ignatius, they want girls like Aria. If I use this hairstyle, I'll make a lot of money."

"Ignatius...? You're one of the remnants of I-U...!?"

"'''Wrong'''! From the beginning, I've been one of the members of '''Ranban'''! I-U was purely business!"

I didn't really understand if she had met with Aria before, but Koko, saying some strange things...was squatting like a frog, her hands against the floor, bringing her mouth to Aria's ear,

"Rather--you! Watch how you address me! Koko has been a princess for generations!'

She shouted with a high-pitched voice on par with Aria's.

I-I didn't think that princesses squatted like frogs.

''Whoosh'' Standing up, Koko--

"--'''''Aria the scarlet ammo'''''."

Hidan no Aria.

The name that was passed down to Aria from Sherlock in I-U was uttered.

"Everything is your fault. By destroying I-U, you broke the power balance between all the associations, groups and organizations in the world.　A time of chaos will begin."

Koko was looking down at us haughtily.

Like an empress looking down at captured criminals.

"You have pleased the Hihiirokane. This too is the start of chaos. Hihiirokane and Ririirokane are opposed to each other. Sensing the mood of the Hihiirokane, Ririirokane has been harboring the anger of a century. Its anger has scattered invisible particles, rendering the ability of all the ''ability users'' in the world unstable."

"''Ability users''...are...?"

The back of her head pressed against the bottom of my chin, Aria asked with a tone which seemed to convey that she was completely ignorant.

Not completely clear on the details of ability users, I too had nothing but a question mark appear in my mind, but--

Thinking about the series of events that had been revolving around me recently, I noticed something.

Before, when I had sought information about Reki...having cooled the can of hot coffee that I had bought by mistake, Jeanne had said it. "...Recently, my magic hasn't been very stable."

And at Kyoto, Kazayuki had said something about the Mikos' power having debilitated.

Were all those linked to the Irokane?

--Koko, the corners of her eyes streaked with red eyeshadow, looked down at me, who was frowning.

"From now on, ability users are useless. At this kind of time, the value of marksmen increases."

''Clank Clank''. Koko rapped her fingertips against my head.

"Kinchi is different from an ''ability user'', but he's a good piece that has a secretly high battle ability. Ignatius, Daioh, Ulus, everybody wants Kinchi."

Everyone...wants me...?

I don't understand what kind of delusional words she's saying, but...

It seems that I've become rather famous in the world of the other side.

Despite the fact that I'm so inconspicuous at school.

"The first to reach out for Kinchi was Ulus. Ririirokane gave a direct order to the princess, and she took action against Kinchi. However, Koko will snatch Kinchi from her side."

As if genuinely happy, Koko jumped up and down on the spot.

"Koko will also take Ulus' Reki.　She's an outstanding sniper, she's good for use in assassinations, and she's good for selling too. I will take Aria as well. Hihiirokane can be sold for a lot."

As if operating an abacus inside her head, Koko smiled wickedly--

"A chaotic world is good for business. This Shinkansen-jacking is also a side business deal. Earlier, Koko demanded a 30,000,000,000,000 yuan ransom from the Japanese government. It would be nice if they paid, but if they don't--KABOOM!"

Twintails jumping up to the extent that it seemed they were flying, Koko shouted those words with a high-pitched voice.

"I'll blow this train into pieces, demonstrating '''Explosive Bubble'''. Kihi."

"'''Explosive Bubble'''--the exploding bubbles from just now, huh...!"

Just having been blown back by that vapor explosive, Aria glared up at Koko.

It seemed that...Koko had planted that on the train too. According to what she had just said.

"The '''Explosive Bubble''' from just now was around 1cc of explosives. This train is loaded with 1 cubic meter of it."

Said Koko, lightly.

"Wai...that's over the top!"

Kneeling on the seat, Riko'ｓ expression conveyed, 'That's seriously dangerous!'.

I too--was speechless.

1 cubic meter. Whether it's a bubble or a balloon, a container which holds that much gas cannot be hid inside a train. It's definitely a lie. But, if it isn't--

According to my calculations, the explosive force would be 10000 times that of the explosion earlier.

This Shinkansen will be reduced to ash. All its passengers and the surrounding structures as well.

"'''Explosive Bubble''' is an invisible explosive. It is a work of art, something which no matter where it is hidden, will not be found by anyone. If it explodes with enough splendor,　it will be ordered from around the world. Koko will become rich, and then I can buy my place as '''Ranban''''s empress."

'''Ranban'''--from her tone, that's the name of the organization that Koko belongs to.

Most likely, it's an outlaw group based in China. While being a member of it, she also entered I-U as a black merchant...huh?　That's judging from everything she's said up till now.

"Kinchi, Reki, I'm bringing you to Hong Kong, '''Ranban''''s city. When we're there, become Koko's pieces and move for her. Aria will be imprisoned until a buyer arrives. Kihihihi!"

Towards Koko, who was laughing like that--

"Cao Cao. Wh-what about Riko?"
[[File:Aria07_091.jpg|thumb]]
Clutching the back of the seat with both her hands, Riko interrupted from the side.

"Wouldn't you like some Riko with that? Riko is cute and strong, hiring me won't be a mistake!"

..."Wouldn't you like some Riko with that," you said.

Are you McDonald's fries? 

"Mine Riko. Your power notwithstanding, your personality is difficult. Are you going to change?"

Having said that to Koko, whose eyes were suspicious, Riko, 'UnUnUnUnUnUnUnUn'

-with a desperate expression, nodded several times.

"--If you swear loyalty to '''Ranban''', I'll consider it."

"I love '''Ranban'''! '''Ranban''' Banzai! Kinji, Aria! Become a member of '''Ranban''' with Riko! Ranban's city is a paradise with lakes of wine and forests of meat, it's a super, ultra, amazing, wonderful place! You can eat as many authentic peach buns as you like!"

"...Authentic...pea..."

Still fallen down, Aria let loose a voice as if she had lost all sense of self, but-

"Pea...hey, Riko! What kind of speedy betrayal is that!?"

''Grar!' -once again, she bared her teeth at Riko.

In a position where it looked like I was embracing Aria, I--

"It looks like negotiations have broken down, Koko. I--don't want to become your underling. Even though I look like this now, I'm a Butei."

In the first place, I have no intention of becoming part of one of those terrorist-like groups...if I do, it's the end.

Not only will I be lynched by the OB in the Butei High all over the world, as well as those demonic teachers, I'll be sentenced to death under the threefold punishment that is applied to Butei. Compared to that, dying a clean death here is still better.

"--A good general will say that in the beginning. But, all humans have desires. China is a vast country, full of things and people. A country where everything exists. If you consult Wei's books on tactics, when the enemy general is a young man, with the use of women, he can become your own subject. I'll gather one hundred of the women you like. Beautiful women, beautiful girls, big, small, I'll give you many, many, many. You can decide on this one, or that one, whichever one. Ufuun."

At Koko's words--''Twist, Glare!''

Aria twisted her neck to its limit, afterward, staring at me out of the corner of her eye.

Wh-why're you mad at me? Completely unreasonable. You're always like this.

"I-it's unfortunate, but...that has the opposite effect on me, I think."

I cannot explain in more detail in front of Aria...yet I replied with that.

"Also, I told Reki this too, but I'm not anything like a general. I'm just a normal, male high school student."

"--Kinchi, you need to know yourself. You are a special person. Special people will be hindered by those that are normal. Don't fit with the surface world. Rather than that, it's better to live an extravagant life in the world below."

''Twinge''--A flicker of pain ran through my chest.

In the midst of Nii-san's battle with I-U, he disappeared from the surface world--

Remembering that incident, my words became tinged with rage.

"I...I won't become like that. I--will walk a normal person's road."

"For a boy whose very existence is abnormal, what are you saying?"

Once again crouching like a frog, Koko brought her hand closer to my face.

''Brush''. Her black twin-tails carrying the scent of sugared chestnuts, brushed past my face.

"Kinchi, you and Koko are the same breed. Humans who have wondrous potential will definitely be picked out."

''Clank''<nowiki>----</nowiki>!

At that moment, the Shinkansen shook again, the scenery flowing past the window had sped up.

<nowiki>----[Current speed: 180 km/h]----</nowiki>

"Uuu...Lord--allow me closer--''Sob'', fueh...to you--"

I seemed to be hearing some sort of hymn, sung in a crying voice.

In the direction of the double-doors, opened, it seemed that the female driver was singing.

Apparently Christian, her voice seemed to express that her will was reaching its limit.

"Aiyayayayaya, I've talked for so long. Koko is going to get ready for her date."

Koko stamped on the ground where she was standing, ''Twist''.

Grabbing hold of Aria and I, still bound, ''Brush, Brush''.

At the front of Car 16--further forward than the frontmost seats, we were pulled through the automatic door.

"Wh...what do you plan to do to us!?"

Koko, letting go of Aria, who was being dragged, crying out, and I, took a carabiner hook from out of her sleeves, and she attached it to the wire binding us.

"You cannot do anything anymore. Neither do you need to know anything."

Apparently opened up in advance was a door in the ceiling--it looked like a person could barely squeeze through. Probably used for maintenance.--Continuing up the stairs towards it, she exited the car.

Seeing the wire stretched out away from us and the hook attached to it, Aria...

"She...plans to string us up like a yoyo, bringing us somewhere."

"Probably China. I don't have a passport though."

Not even bothering to wonder why she would use a yoyo as an example, I heaved a deep sigh.

"This isn't the time to joke around...! Nn...! I'm going to wriggle out...Uuunnn...Nnnng!"

''Wriggle Wriggle!'' Aria twisted her petite shoulders, squirming around.

The wire was twisted around us several times, but it didn't seem as if Aria could move at all.

While pressing her shoulder against my chest, she twisted her body, twisted...not being able to wriggle out, she struggled.

At that moment, ''Clank''--!

Once again, because the Shinkansen had sped up, the car shook as it had been struck.

"Uwah!?"

At the impact, ''Roll''.

Aria, who had been struggling, twisted around, facing this way.

He...Hey.

Until just now, we were in a position where I was stuck against Aria's back, but　now, we were directly facing each other, in a pose as if we were glued together. All the while, bound by the wire.

"Wa, wah...!"

Looking up this way, Aria's face was just under my chin.

"...tc...!"

Because the wire was also pressed against the back of my head, I had no choice but to stare directly at Aria's face from an extremely close distance.

Aria didn't seem to be able to lower her head either, and her large camellia eyes were looking at me--

"F! F! Fffff!"

''Gyuui''.

''Gyuiiiiii''!

Her speed-blushing technique of always was demonstrated.

As expected of the inventor. Bright red was achieved three times quicker than Connect's Nakasorachi Misaki.

"F! F!"

...What's "F"? "F".

"F, F, face backwards! Yo-your face is close! Close, clooseeee!"

Aria pressed her forehead against my face, trying to force me to look backwards.

''Gui''...''Guiiiiii''!

O-ouch!

"He-hey! Hu-human's can't turn just their necks to face backwards! Stop it!"

If my neck continues to twist like this until it's turned 180 degrees, I'll become like that cursed girl that appeared in that famous horror movie from years ago, "The Exorcist"!

"Ca...Calm down!"

While shouting, in the instant which I twisted my head back to Aria's direction, ''Muchi!''

Apparently still trying to press against me, Aria, on my cheek-

--accidentally planted a kiss.

"!"

My mind--seemed to have registered that as "getting hit", and as such, I was fine in terms of Hysteria Mode, but Aria...seemed to have completely registered that as, "I KISSED HIM!"

<nowiki>"~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"</nowiki>

Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!

Apparently, she was screaming that out, but...her scream was too high pitched, and it seemed that it had exceeded the hearing capability of human beings.

Baring her canines, from Aria'a mouth, all I could hear was a very slight ''Kiiin!''

Th-that's amazing.

Aria. Right now, you're emitting supersonic waves. 

"FJKLD@#$*(&#$! SDOIFJO*#&$*(&#$! Pue! $LKJ#*&@#(*&FDLKJ!"

Starting to shout with some kind of inhuman language, ''SQUEEEEEEEEZE!''

Like a rabbit trying to escape out of someone's hands, she went wild.

A-amazing strength...! What the hell is this?

"Nnnnn! Nnn, nnn, nnnnn!"

''Brush Brush, Brush, Brush!''

As if exceeding some sort of limiter, Aria, going half-berserk and struggling...O-oh...?

Centimeter by centimeter, the wire is starting to move up our body!?

(Sh-she did it...!)

From a catastrophe to a blessing.

Because of the wire, I could not reach out with my legs or feet, but thanks to Aria's stupid strength in this time of crisis, I managed to wriggle out.

If I looked closer, her long twin-tails were...like the ears of a green foxtail clutched in a hand, apparently having the ability to help slide out of the wire restricting the body. How lucky.

In the instant that I thought that...something unlucky began to happen to my body.

Because Aria, still stuck against me, was inching up and up, escaping, my mouth and nose were...pressed against Aria's slender neck.

(...ch...!)

A-at this kind of time.

I remembered about Nii-san's...which is to say, Kana's strange words which I had heard.

Something like: "A girl's neck is the place where a girl's pheromones are most exuded, you know."

And I was in a position where my nose, which is to say my face, was pressed against Aria's neck.

I-I don't know whether or not these are pheromones, but...

This is Aria's bittersweet scent.

This is like some sort of perfumed fragrance. Like a flower, like a fruit--rather, a lovely fragrance which was almost addictive. It's always with Aria.

At this place, with that lingering aroma, Aria was continually moving up, escaping. The parts which brushed past by my face were: a petite shoulder, a collarbone, slowing going down her body...which means, hey...! Be-below this...wai, this is bad! THIS IS BAD!

"Aria...wait! WAIT!"

Next, rubbing up against me, who was shouting...rubbing up against my cheek was the pure white skin exposed in the space at the collar of her sailor uniform.

A-against my neck, already, Aria's...br-breasts were pressing against it...!

"Nnn! Uuu!"

Not listening to my warnings, Aria, ''Brush Brush Brush Brush Brush!''

Centimeter by centimeter, continuing to slide upwards---

(......Uu......!)

---!

At last, I--

-had my face buried in Aria's breasts.

In April, ever since I had pressed against them in the PE Warehouse, that sensation was transmitted to my face once again.

It was rather pitiful that they hadn't grown at all in the past half year, but this soft climax was--the same as that of that time. While it was slight, it was definitely there. It existed.

Fitting her short stature and childish face, small, lovely breasts.

It was across her blouse, but I, my nose and mouth completely blocked...''Bch, BchBch!''

As if mirroring the moment where one gives up from sparring, my hand tapped Aria's thighs.

".....? ...! M...! Mikkyaaaaaaaaa!"

She screamed like a wild cat, and furthermore, ''Brush Brush Brush Brush Brush!''

Her body continued sliding up.

"...!"

My breathing blocked by the sailor uniform, and not able to stand the pain, I went the opposite way as Aria--forcing my body to escape downwards.

My face brushed against Aria's slender waist, Aria's hip, Aria's skirt, one after another.

Aria, Aria, a full course of Aria.

"Ki-Kinji! Th-th-that was...damn it! Idiot! Ah, ah, aaaahh! Hole! I'll blast, a hole, stop, stop it!"

I no longer understood where my head was pressing against Aria, who was shouting in agony with that anime-voice--''Squish''. When I thought that my head had finally been extricated from wherever, I was in the space between Aria's thighs.

It had become a position where it was as if I was shouldering those lovely, slender, white thighs.

And, the fortune in the misfortune was--finally. My hands were free.

"...Aria. Just hold on a little bit longer. It'll be over soon."

Somewhat able to breathe, I pushed up against Aria's lithe legs--and struggling between her knees, wreathed in black stockings, then between her calves, I extricated myself from the wire.

Alright--I finally managed to get out.

...And now...

Aah, I understand.

I don't need to check it. My own blood flow.

Because, I had fully appreciated a girl's entire body, from head to toe.

I closed my eyes for a very long moment--and when I opened them--

Without even looking in a mirror, I understood that the look in my eyes was completely different from that of just now.

Quickly, I flicked my eyes over to the door of the bathroom, which I hadn't entered when I tried to wash my face.

Leaving Aria to stand up, I grasped the handle, but...the door didn't open.

This doesn't feel as if the lock was broken.　It was stuck together as if it had been glued.

Looking through the window---the faucet of the sink, ventilation fan, electrical socket---in other words, the holes inside the room were blocked with some transparent silicon-like substance.

--I see. 1 cubic meter. That's how it is.

That sealed washroom--was completely filled with that vapor explosive, '''Explosive Bubble'''

If I pushed my face in to look closer, inside the window, stuck against a corner, was something I thought to be the detonator, an extremely miniature piece of C4. If this is detonated wirelessly, breaking the window--if the airseal was broken...

''Kaboom''--right?

(While it's a shame...this can't be disarmed.)

Turning my head and looking down at my feet, Aria was...''Drip, Drip''...

Like a girl who had been subjected to horrible things by some horrible man, she was sprawled on the floor, sobbing.

"...Papa, Mama, God, forgive me...this is...just my slave running wild...I, didn't, a-al-allow any of this...!"

I knelt by Aria, who was muttering something I didn't understand to herself.

And, respectfully, I brushed off the wires that were still clinging to her quivering shoulders and back.

"--Ki-Kinji!"

''Thump!''

Jumping upwards into a sitting position, Aria grabbed hold of my collar.

"I-I won't forgive you! For just now...For ju-just now, I won't forgive you! Ta-take respo--"

I lightly reached out towards Aria, who was shouting with teary eyes--

"Mm, it's fine if you don't forgive me."

Gently, I straightened those disordered twin-tails.

"Because, next time, I will do it with your consent. It's a promise."

"That's right! Things that I don't allow are--wait, hu-huh, t-th-that's not it! That isn't a matter of me allowing it or not...!"

Towards Aria, who had been completely drawn in by me in a mere 5 seconds, towards her cheek, I stretched out my right hand.

From that small, dainty cheek, touching it yet not touching it-- I was at that distance. At a distance where, merely the heat of my hand was transmitted to her cheek.

Aria, releasing an ''Uu'', trembled as if it tingled.

"Look. As long as I don't earn your consent--I cannot even touch you with one finger. Do you understand? Aria's words have that much power. Something that can be transmitted only to me--a magical power."

"Ma-magic? Wh-wh-what are you saying?"

"On the other hand, if you tell me 'to do'--then, I will do anything for you, no matter what it may be. That too is a magic that only Aria can use. Think about what you can use it to make me do."

"???......。......。......! ! ! !!!"

First was confusion, and then, for a moment, she seemed to be trying to think about it, and from then on, suddenly starting to panic, Aria--

''WaveWaveWaveWaveWave! WaveWaveWaveWaveWave!''

Haha. I wonder what she was thinking about. Speechless, she started waving her hands back and forth.

"I await my orders. As for receiving your orders, I have prepared for it--to fight, to arrest Koko. To save the hundreds of passengers that are aboard this train--those orders."

---''Ha''--

I understood that Aria had regained control of herself.

"You...changed, didn't you."

"That is all that has happened. If I had not changed, it would have been disrespectful towards you."

Hey, hey, me.

Hysteria Mode's trigger--arousal--don't say anything that might be a hint.

Well, the child, Aria's eyes were going, "???", so it seems like it's fine.

If Sherlock Holmes the First's power of deduction had been passed down to this child, then what I had said just now would have been rather dangerous.

"I...I'm not going to give you an order."

Aria stood up and she turned away from me, towards the opened door in the roof--

She looked up at the night sky, visible beyond it, traveling at 190 km/h.

"Butei Charter article 6. Reflect by yourself, act by yourself--a slave that only listens to people's orders...is not needed. The you as of now may say these kinds of strange things, but you are a Butei that can aid me as a partner."

Partner.

When those of the bloodline of Holmes fight together with their partner, their real power is released.

In short, with this, she is equipped. Aria, with the me in Hysteria Mode.

Koko. The us from now on will be strong.

"Also, you--normally don't listen to me. So, I won't give you something like an order."

--''Feh'' In response to Aria, who had turned back, sticking her tongue out at me, I laughed wryly.

Entering Car 15, there was Shirayuki, bringing a doctor to the pregnant lady.

It seemed that the woman was about to give birth, pressing down on her stomach and having broken into a cold sweat...but, the rather old female doctor started providing medical care with a calm, professional air.

This was--pretty lucky, that this kind of doctor was on board.

"Kinji! There aren't any other Butei!"

"The nine on Cars 15 and 16 are all that we have, Tohyama-kun."

Raising my head to that voice, Mutou and Shiranui were zig-zagging through the crowd of people, returning.

The two people, having elbowed their way through the 400 meter round trip on the train, were a little out of breath.

"We didn't find the bomb." "We managed to report to the police, but..." "We didn't manage to find the offender either."

From behind the two, Takane, Hayakawa, Anesaki--the me in Hysteria Mode could remember girls' names with ease--the three girls who had been having bad delusions about Shiranui and me came back as well.

"We already searched everywhere. It's time to enter battle."

I put my hand on Shirayuki's back, gesturing at Shiranui, Mutou and the Connect girls.

Using the space between Cars 15 and 16 as our meeting room, I--

First, because I told them about the vapor explosive that was planted in the washroom at the front of Car 16, the fight with the offender and how she had escaped to the roof, and how the enemy's power was extremely high,

"We are the only ones aboard this train that are armed.　To prepare for the enemy coming from anywhere, Takane, Hayakawa, Anesaki, you three will be spread throughout Cars 1, 4, and 5 and Cars 11, and 12, Shirayuki, please protect this location. Shiranui's--anti-terrorist training is very valuable. I want you to take charge of the middle, Cars 7, and 8."

Swiftly, I told them how each member would be assigned.

"Also, while you're waiting, can the people with Takane please contact Butei High, the Metropolitan Police, as well as the Railroad Public Safety Branch, to figure out how to disarm the bomb."

"--Kinji. What do I do?"

Not having been told a position, Muto asked me that question.

"The Shinkansen's driver is already in shock. Muto, please drive in place of her. 10 km/h acceleration every 3 minutes...requires fine handling but, can you do it?"

"Definitely. If it's Logi, a first year can do it."

"The bomb is right behind the driver's seat. There's nowhere to run."

I said that, as if testing his resolve,

"Will ''you'' be able to run?"

Muto showed me his white teeth, responding with a broad smile.

Somehow, it seems it'll be alright.

"--Aria, let's go. Let's arrest Koko for infractions of the armaments law and suspicion of imprisonment. We should teach that kid that it's the time for children to go home."

Flexing my fingers and looking at the watch--I saw that it was 18:22.

Until Tokyo, we have one hour. From now on, we are forced to be at a speed where safe-driving is impossible.

In surprise, Aria was looking up at me, who was displaying such leadership in the midst of an emergency, but...when our eyes met, she let loose a small, "Ah," averting them,

"Ye-yeah...!"

Taking a tone as if she was my little sister, she nodded at me obediently.

<noinclude>
{{Hidan no Aria Nav|prev=Hidan no Aria:Volume7 Chapter1|next=Hidan no Aria:Volume7 Chapter3}}
</noinclude>

Gekkou:Volume 1 Hesitation

2011-09-15T23:37:25Z

84.194.112.212: /* [Hesitation] */

==[Hesitation]==

To my blank amazement, it was not pity that lay in the gazes of most students, but jealousy of their peers.

As soon as Youko Tsukimori appeared at school after her long absence, everyone strove to be around her. In no time at all, a wall akin to a fortress loomed before her.

"Are you okay, Youko-san? Aren't you tired? Don't hesitate to tell me if there's anything I can help you with, okay?"

"Thank you, Chizuru. I feel much better now that I have seen your lovely face. I really should have brought myself to come to school sooner," she put on a brilliant smile and stroked Usami's cheek softly, while Usami was worriedly looking up at her. Tsukimori then took a look at the surrounding people. "My sincere thanks to everyone else as well. I can't express how happy I am... that so many of you have worried about me. I am really lucky to have classmates like you!"

She closed her eyes softly without breaking her smile as she put her hands on her well-rounded bosom.

Tempted by the deep emotion she was showing, they all put on meek expressions and nodded all together.

I almost had to snort upon seeing that Kamogawa and his guys were among them, too, with earnest faces that couldn't have suited them less.

Originally my classmates probably wanted to be the ones that comforted a disheartened Tsukimori, but in fact it turned out the opposite. If someone had taken a photograph of that scene and told me it was Tsukimori that comforts her disheartened classmates, I would have believed it.

In other words, Youko Tsukimori could perfectly do without our worthless pity.

Only when she was among masses of people like now, her true value surfaced.

Though everyone wore the same uniform and was at the same age, only she was special and stood out from the others, shining almost like the moon in the darkest night: magnificently and full of elegance.

As there was no way to get through the impregnable fortress that was protecting her, I was degraded to a mere "Villager A" who beheld the captivated princess from afar.

From time to time, however, our eyes met.

I can't deny that I found myself not incapable of interpreting her demanding gaze as an appeal to rescue her. But for one thing I would have looked stupid if I was wrong, and for another thing it was unreasonable to voluntarily take such a calorie-consuming action for someone like me who does not care two figs about knightliness. Thus, I slipped out of the uncomfortable classroom and brilliantly fulfilled my role as Villager A by silently watching the clouds through the corridor window until homeroom began.

Even during breaks the situation didn't change.

It didn't take me long to realize that I wouldn't be able to properly talk to her at school for a while, thus I chose to spend my breaks in the quiet corridor, away from the noise.

As reaction to my quick resignation, clever Tsukimori started to write messages on a quartered report sheet and passed them to me during the breaks because she couldn't talk to me directly.

To prevent the others from noticing, she gave them to me while passing me by without looking at me. She either handed the letters to me or just put them into my pocket.

By the time school was over, five of them had come into my possession.

I laid them out in the order I had received them, starting with the one I had gotten in the first break.

«Why didn't you help me?»

«You know my feelings, don't you?»

«It's been so long since we could talk.»

«I think I will be in the library during lunch break.»

«I forgot how cold-hearted you are.»

She had surely realized that mailing me would have done the job. I sensed a kind of unyielding spirit and pride from the fact that she still chose to stick to those messages.

By the way, I had indulged myself in a midday nap during that lunch break. Because I would have to deal with her at work after school anyway.

Besides, there was still one scrap she had not given me yet, judging from the pattern she used. The "after-school"-message. I had in mind to react after reading that one.

As expected, she let a scrap of paper fall on my desk as she passed me by while cheerfully saying goodbye to her classmates.

A smile escaped my mouth when I read the hastily written message. It was at last a request I couldn't reject, so I quickly packed my bag and left the classroom.

«This day tired me. I don't want to walk. I'll have you take me to the café on your bicycle. In return I'll forgive your behavior today.»

As it seemed, it's not always easy to be in the spotlight. Just watching had annoyed me, so I figured her exhaustion had to be huge.

Since I was satisfied by having gotten her to show a sign of weakness, though only in letters, I was willing to answer the princess' wishes for once and give her a ride.

When I left the school building with such thoughts, my eyes found a tall man near the front gate.

He spotted me immediately and signaled me to come by waving me to him, while "hiding" in the shadow of the gate.

I would have preferred to just feign ignorance, but he wasn't someone that would allow me to ignore him. He would simply pursue me until he had me.

I took out my mobile phone, quickly typed in a message and sent it. I informed Tsukimori that I could not accompany her to the café.

I didn't want to involve her in "that matter". Not out of some sparkling heroism to protect her, but because I considered it a private affair.

A reply returned a few seconds later.

«I don't care about you anymore!»

What a speed, considering the number of letters! I could well imagine her pressing the buttons of her phone with a furious wrath at an imperceptible speed.

Even though I felt a little upset as I looked up at the clear blue sky, I had to acknowledge it was my own fault and gave up. After all, it was ''I'' who had evaded her that entire day.

It's not like there was a special reason.

I simply hadn't wanted to become one among many.

"Ya! Let's get into my car instead of standing here."

Konan was in a good humor as always.

"What do you want from me this time?"

Therefore I responded purposefully in ill-humor.

"Do I have to tell you?"

"Yes. I have to go to work afterward, so I find myself constrained to refuse if it's useless talk."

"Mh... well, I can surely tell you right now, but it's some ''really'' nasty stuff that shouldn't be said at the gate of a school. Still wanna know?" he stressed with a heavily wrinkled brow, giving me the pleasure of bathing in the shocked glances of the surrounding students.

"...Let's just go. Come on."

"Thank you for your ready approval! It's a pleasure to work with you, Nonomiya-kun!"

I saw that staying long would only give birth to bad rumors, so I reluctantly followed him out of the gate.

Konan's car, parked near the school in a side alley, was a bright red sports car that quite suited his style.

"Nice car, huh? Doesn't it have a nice ring to it that I ''deliberately'' chose an Audi instead of a Porsche, a Ferrari or an Alfa Romeo? Feel free to think to yourself that an Audi was the limit of my salary as a civil servant, but you mustn't say it."

"Is it okay for a police detective to park on the street?"

I didn't recognize the make of his car, but I very easily recognized the no parking sign right next to the sports car.

"It's okay ''because'' I am a police detective. If I hypothetically get a fine for illegal parking, I can just make good use of my position and cover up the misdemeanor."

"What a corrupt world."

"I wonder who made it like this?"

"Deep inside you should know."

"Oh, how philosophic. Too deep for me, so hop in already."

The unaffected expression he showed as he played dumb suited him perfectly. Since I had to admit that, I had no choice but to give in and take a seat.

"—A couple of days ago you explained to me what happened on the day when Youko-chan's mother went missing, remember? At that restaurant."

"Yes."

The second I sat down on the passenger seat, Konan began talking in an earnest voice.

The authority he emitted made it seem as though the air of the car had been compressed in a split second, sending the previously peaceful mood away far away.

"Actually, I've hashed and rehashed it in my mind, but there are some points that just won't make sense to me."

Konan brought down the window and lighted a cigarette from his breast pocket.

"Take the phone call from her mother's workplace. If you ask me, that timing was ''too'' good. Don't you think Youko-chan actually made sure that she would get that call when she was together with you?" he blew a stream of smoke out of the window, "Don't you think it's strange that the phone rang precisely the moment she clung to you?"

The scene of that rainy night's crossroads—of the colorful umbrellas—rose into my mind.

"How would she make them call her at a good timing?"

It goes without saying that the timing had caught my attention. However, I did not know how to get someone to make such a convenient call.

"She could have left behind her number in their call history right before hugging you, for an example."

It was an emergency case.

"Considering how pressing the thing was, they may have called her several times already while you were working?"

For the cooking school, one of their teachers was missing without notice and was completely unavailable at that. It's perfectly thinkable that they would have promptly called back any number in their unaccepted call history, even if it was an unknown one.

"However, nobody knew whether she had gotten a call or not. You couldn't find out just by being at the same place," Konan's mouth broke into a grin, "Unless you got in close contact by, say, hugging each other."

I recalled what I had felt that night; the vibration reaching me via her breasts that had been pressed against my chest.

"...indeed, her mobile phone was set to... silent mode."

"That's exactly what I mean. Well, you also mustn't forget that we're dealing with Youko-chan. It's also possible that there was no call in the first place. In other words, she pretended. She acted."

"Acted?"

"Have you ever heard of the alarm function?"

"Of course! Do you think I'm a—" I began, but couldn't continue because I realized at once what he was getting at.

Konan went on, "Phones don't only vibrate for incoming calls. The alarm functions lately have become really handy; they keep on vibrating until you execute the predefined operation."

"Would she really do that?" I asked myself silently with several question marks popping up over my head. However, taking only the point whether it's possible or not into consideration, the answer was clear.

"You can't be sure if it's her, can you?"

I couldn't deny it. I was positive that she could have done it.

"Well, we don't know if she acted or if there really was a call. It's just that your explanation leaves those possibilities open. But either way, it's not relevant. Feel free to forget about it. Her real intention lies somewhere else, after all."

"Her real intention...?"

Konan kept silent, waiting for my next words; probably because he had noticed that I was pondering.

Her primary objective that night, which she was even willing to feign a call for, was—

"—to lure me to her home?"

He snapped his fingers, "Bingo! It makes sense if her goal was to get you to her home. No one would leave someone alone whose mother just has gone missing. Even someone as dry as you wouldn't. Well, and you ''did'' go to her home in the end."

I reconsidered that night with the events Konan pointed out in mind.

—It was as though a crumbled block was reconstructed at a terrific speed. And the newly built block had a completely different shape.

While crushing his cigarette in the ashtray, he continued, "I think you got it. She assigned the task of discovering the suicide note to you."

A cold shiver ran down my back.

If he was right about that, everything that had happened that night had been based on a scenario written by Youko Tsukimori.

"There's another doubtful aspect apart from that. Recall what happened right when you arrived at her home. If I'm not mistaken the first thing she did was getting you a towel to wipe your wet body," he raised his head and looked at me with a razor-sharp gaze, "That's not normal, is it? The first action one would normally take isn't 'getting a towel' but 'finding that mother'!"

Having come to the conclusion that Youko Tsukimori had not killed anyone, I was supposed to deny his opinion, regardless of what it consisted of.

"Indeed, you do have a point. It also stands true, however, that I could clearly sense that nobody was in the house the moment I stepped into the building. I'd say that Tsukimori must have been able to perceive the situation much more clearly than I, the outsider, who's only come for the second time."

Nevertheless, I was impressed by everything he pointed out.

"You mean that Youko-chan was able to conclude that her mother wasn't there even without searching the house?"

"Yes," I nodded.

"I don't think so," Konan flashed a masterful grin, "But I'm an adult, experienced in the ways of the world and all, you know, so I just can't think as straightly as you do."

Seeing how he was able to conclude so much just with the little information he had, he deserved his title as a detective. He really ''was'' an extremely capable person. He made me understand that once more.

I even found myself impatient for more—

"The thing may be that her mother was already dead when you went there, and she knew it. Thus, she wasn't eager to search for her. It's possible to interpret her unnatural behavior in such a way, don't you agree?"

"...So?"

My forced voice was a little hoarse.

"What are you getting at?"

Because I knew exactly what Konan was going to answer.

The instant I averted my eyes from him—his long arm whooshed past my head and his hand landed hard on the the passenger side window.

"Was it over your head? Then I'll be frank with you..."

His sharp features were directly before me as he leaned forward. The stench of smoke assaulted my nose.

"...that girl, Youko Tsukimori, has killed her mother!"

After declaring that, his look was drawn towards the front window.

Following him, I also directed my eyes there. Ahead of the straight side alley was the main street, bathed in madder red. One could see students on their way home passing by like fishes swimming.

There was one person that had gotten separated from the bulk, standing still at the opening of the alley.

The silhouette was slender and was long-haired. Due to the backlight the sunset produced, I couldn't make out her face. What I clearly did recognize, however, was that the high school girl over there was gazing at us.

She wasn't approaching us, nor was she walking away; just staring in our direction. That shadow had a terrifically strong presence to it despite just standing there without even interacting with us.

I delved deep into the seat and quickly urged, "...please get us out of here right now."

"Are you sure?" Konan asked with his gaze still on the front window.

"Yes," I answered, whereupon he replied with a stressed "Hmmm?"

The next moment, he switched once to neutral before quickly shifting gears and backing out of the narrow side alley at a breakneck speed. In no time we arrived at the street opposite the female student.

During that I could do nothing but tightly clench my fist.

At first Konan said nothing, but when we came upon a red traffic light, he returned to the topic as if he had been waiting for it.

"I'm sure I don't have to explain to you that she fulfills all necessary prerequisites to fake her mother's suicide note, right?"

I nodded. That was my limit. I didn't know what would come out if I opened my mouth.

"She's a bright girl. She knew that authenticity would rise dramatically if the note was discovered by a third party rather than herself. And she chose you for that part. Well, her plan worked out splendidly since you did find it for her."

I ground my teeth.

"I also think that as a family member she should have had no trouble killing her mother. I mean, let's not even start listing the ways she could have used to take her out! What remained was to go to that forlorn park on the high ground and push her down the cliff."

I was clenching my fist so hard it hurt.

"A child's play for her, right?"

Don't talk big like that! You don't know her as well as I do!—I found myself fighting with the urge to shout out all this.

What compelled me that moment was not impatience anymore but raw anger. Hearing someone else talk about her like that irritated me as if having my garden trampled down by strangers.

Konan pulled the car onto the sidewalk and smiled "We're there."

I peeked out and found that he had parked along the main street, near the café.

I gave him a nod, "Thank you."

The next moment he put on his usual frivolous smile and shrugged like an American.

"Sorry for startling you. But once in a while I have to show you that I'm still a policeman, a detective, you know," he grinned, but his eyes weren't at all smiling, "And I don't want to cause the misunderstanding that you can hide things from me forever." He pulled me nearer by my shoulder, "...I would be very thankful if you could soon recall some interesting info, since that would save me some messy work..."

His emphatic whisper sent a cold shiver down my spine. I guessed that being threatened with a knife pressed against one's neck had to be a similar experience.

I averted my gaze without replying and discovered the reflection of a person in the window.

There was a grim high school boy who moved no muscle with the exception of the blinking of his eyes. I noticed that the hand of that student was holding onto his left breast.

I felt a familiar touch with my fingers.

—The murder recipe.

I had strained my hand without noticing it.

It was the one thing I had to protect no matter what.

Because the murder recipe embodied the only point where I had the upper hand over Konan and was my last trump card against Youko Tsukimori.

Mopping the dim café after closing time. Suddenly, a shadow obstructed the course of my mop. I looked up and found the owner of the shadow standing with legs spread and arms crossed.

"Did you have an argument or something?" asked Mirai-san, looking down at me with a deeply wrinkled brow.

"Argument? Who? With whom?"

I wasn't playing dumb. I honestly didn't know.

"Are you dumb? You and Youko of course, who else?"

"I really don't think I'm dumb... but anyway, what gives you that idea?"

"It's pretty damn obvious if one takes a look at you two! You haven't talked at all lately, have you?"

While leaning onto the mop, I thought about it.

"...we haven't?"

I remembered next to nothing of today's work.

"Doesn't surprise me. It was obvious that you were miles away."

Now that she mentioned it, I had to admit that in thoughts I had been "miles away" with Konan indeed. I had been pondering over a way to surpass that man non-stop during work.

The more I thought about it, the more I came to think that I had no chance of beating him.

"Anyway, leaving that aside since it's nothing new in your case—"

"Objection!"

"Overruled!"

She had no sympathy.

"Let me carry on; this time Youko's acting strange as well. It looks like she's actively avoiding you to me," she thrust out her chin and drew herself up, "So, what have you done to her? Come on, try to explain yourself. At least I'll hear you out."

As usual, she was so stubborn with her opinion that it was refreshing.

"Are you unable to think that I might be the victim?"

"Yeah. I'm on Youko's side whatever happens."

"What an unreasonable world!"

"Ohh, you only noticed just now?" she answered my lamenting words haughtily, "The world's unreasonable and unjust wherever you go; otherwise social stratification would not exist in the first place. So why should I bother playing a saint if the world's very setup is already shit? I live by my own rules."

If you ever tried giving the word "self-centered" a form, you would definitely get that woman in front of you.

"My way of life is simple, isn't it?"

Well, it ''was'' simple indeed.

Her rule was just one: getting her will whatever others say. Nothing more.

But I couldn't imagine just how hard it had to be to pull that "nothing more" through. It's not something anyone can do. Not everyone is as strong as she is.

But she carried on playing her guitar without letting the noise of the world interrupt her concert.

There are bound to be some that brand people like her as trouble-makers, as egoists, or even hate them. I agreed insofar that it was a highly justified view.

"...indeed. So simple I'm almost jealous."

To my chagrin, however, I found myself understanding her very well.

I couldn't help but be amused by such a reckless woman who would hold a mike with one hand and show the masses the middle finger with the other. As one of her fans I thought, "One or two like her wouldn't do any harm to the world."

"Okay, you oughta apologize now."

"To you?" I played dumb. Mirai-san smiled, amazed.

"Idiot. No use apologizing to me, is there. You should apologize to the chit-sorting 'princess' who's sneaking peeks at us from over there!" said the "queen" in a loud voice.

I turned around and discovered Tsukimori standing at the register where no one had been at the start of our conversation. Our eyes met.

"It hath come to my ear that Your Highness wisheth for an apology. Is it true?" I asked in a quite sardonic tone, upon which Tsukimori dropped her gaze immediately to her hands.

[[Image:Gekkou-234.jpg|thumb]]

"Why should I need an apology? We have ''not at all'' had an argument with each other, have we?" she answered while sorting one chit after the other.

"Her highness begs to differ, I fear?"

"Just look, does that look to you like she's not angry at you? She couldn't make it more obvious! Now, come on, I'm bothering to act as a go-between for you, so take action and say you're sorry already."

"Don't worry, Mirai-san. I am not angry ''in the least''. But even ''if'' we were in the middle of a quarrel and ''if'' I wished for an apology from Nonomiya-kun, there would be no point if he does not feel any guilt. I would still prefer no apology at all over getting an idle one that is not meant by heart," said Tsukimori in one breath.

"'Don't worry'? 'Not angry in the least'?" I was irritated by Tsukimori's indirect and ironic allusions, "If she wants to say something, she should make herself clear, don't you agree, Mirai-san?"

"Now, look at that, Mirai-san. You can't call it a quarrel if Nonomiya-kun is not even aware of what he has done."

"I won't apologize, Mirai-san! She's just getting worked up all on her own."

"Mirai-san, let's not bother with that blockhead anymore."

Suddenly, Mirai-san tousled her fair hair with both hands and...

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!"

...shouted from the top of her lungs.

"Hell! Just shut up! You're getting on my nerves!"

The manager and Saruwatari-san cautiously peeked out of the staffroom to check what was going on.

"This! Really! Is! A pain!"

Mirai-san wound her arm around my head and took me into a neck-hold. The soft feeling against my cheek made me realize that there was something womanly about her after all.

She ignored my complaints and proceeded rapidly towards the register while yelling, "Come here!"

Upon arriving there, she stretched out her free arm, as could be expected, and took Tsukimori by the neck in the same manner.

We two, constrained at Mirai-san's side, were forced face each other from close up whether we wanted or not.

I did not want to see Tsukimori's face in the least, but unfortunately Mirai-san's modest breasts were quite the opposite of her personality and thus obviously insufficient for blocking the view for me.

I may add that she will never hear that from my mouth. Ever.

"You know, I'm really not that patient! I can't stand such a pain anymore! Forget about the remaining work and just ''get out''!"

She yelled down at us, saying things about her temper everybody already knew.

"Nonomiya! You apologize to Youko! And Youko, you forgive him when he does!" she said while scowling at us in turns, "I don't care about the reason behind that quarrel, but make sure you make it up with each other on the way to the station! Then you come to work tomorrow as usual! Got it? That's an order!"

Before I knew it, Tsukimori and I were exchanging glances, and a moment later sighing as if on cue.

"Hey, what about your reply!?"

Faced with the overwhelming commands that rained down on us, we exchanged glances once more and had no choice but to nod reluctantly, "...understood."

Solely lit by white street lights, we walked along a narrow alley towards the station. We were silent.

Upon entering the way along the main street , our field of vision was filled with gorgeous neon light. The number of people increased in proportion to the illumination, and so did the noise. The head lights of the cars passing us by made us flare up in yellow. Far away a siren was resounding, whereas in the proximity a dog was raising a forceful bark to fight it back. And we were silent.

Tsukimori was the first to give in to the oppressive air.

She stopped abruptly.

"You have been a little strange lately," she whispered, getting straight to the point, "Is there something that bothers you?"

"Do I look that way?" I asked back.

She tilted her neat chin a bit and asked further, "Perhaps it is related to Konan-san?"

I did not remember having spoken about Konan in her presence—

"I have heard he visited the café when I was absent."

—but I figured that there were some things she already knew.

"According to Mirai-san, you two get on well together, just like a couple."

What on earth had Mirai-san told her about us? Not that I wanted to know.

"That's none of your business," I spat out bluntly and averted my gaze from her.

I didn't want to talk about Konan with her.

"But it is!"

I insisted on settling the matter with Konan without her interference.

"I say it's not."

Of course I was aware that she had no way of knowing that I didn't want to drag her in.

"I can't just ignore it!" her eyes suddenly turned serious, "There is nothing about you that's not important to me."

In Tsukimori's wide opened and clear eyes I was reflected with an awfully disinterested face.

''Stop it! Don't look at me with such eyes!''

While I was not at all in the position to complain to her for insistently probing into a subject I shunned—I was the one of us who wanted to hide his feelings, after all—I gave in to my displeasure and raised my pace.

"I hate insistent women!"

It might have still been forgivable if I had been just acting, but unfortunately I had been simply unable to hide my irritation.

As a matter of fact, I had been quite taxed recently. I was frustrated because I wasn't making progress with Konan. I was pressured because I was unable to find a way to break that deadlock. I was in constant unrest that he might find out about the murder recipe.

And most of all, I felt inferior to her.

Suddenly, Tsukimori pulled my arm from behind, "Come here." She drew me to an old bench near a bus stop and made me sit down. Then she trotted off towards a vending machine a couple of meters away and quickly came back with two cans in her hands.

She put on a smile, "You like 'this', don't you?"

She thrust a cold and wet orange can out to me. I was so taken aback that I completely forgot about my irritation.

...Youko Tsukimori really was not to be underestimated. Apparently she had been all ears to our talk in the classroom.

"If we get into a quarrel here again even though Mirai-san told us to make it up, I won't be able to face her tomorrow."

I snatched the juice away from her, opened the lid and took a long gulp of the cool orange-colored liquid.

"We can consider ourselves lucky to have someone that worries so much about us. Don't you agree?"

The sour but refreshing taste of the orange juice soothed my boisterous feelings effectively.

"...It's as you say. I'm sorry."

Tsukimori sat down next to me. "No, please forgive ''me''." Her hair-ends swayed. "I tried being sulky for once," she giggled with her gaze still dropped, "Because you have been giving me the cold shoulder lately."

She approached her face to mine with reproachful eyes.

"Please come to my place again sometime. I promise I won't do anything you don't like anymore, okay?" she said jokingly and laughed, but I couldn't help finding a trace of loneliness in her face. I recalled that she was all alone now.

Tsukimori's house was large; and had to feel even larger without any cohabitants. Various worries crossed my mind.

"...but you've been quite occupied yourself, too, recently."

As a matter of fact, I had gotten my plate much too full with Konan alone to care about Tsukimori, but I felt a little guilty upon seeing her lonely like that.

"Oh yes, because a certain someone did not only refrain from helping me but also ignored me completely, I had no time of recreation at school."

"Well, you have my sympathies."

"I'm sure you aren't joking but really mean it like that..." Tsukimori shrugged her shoulders exaggeratedly along with a small sigh.

Sure enough, I had decided to give priority to the affair with Konan rather than Tsukimori's situation.

"At any rate, I'll try to act normal at the café, so please tell Mirai-san something positive, too," I ended our conversation and stood up.

"—Konan-san and you are like brothers with an age gap" Tsukimori murmured, "Perhaps it was that, supported by the fact that you're two men, that made me feel unhappy and left out."

I sat down again on the bench and peeked at her seemingly brooding face from the side.

"...Konan-san and I are like brothers, you say? Haven't you also compared Mirai-san and me in a similar way?"

"Yes, I have. Now that you say it, all three of you resemble each other. Of course I don't mean your looks by that, you understand?"

"Care to elaborate?"

I was very interested in how I looked in her eyes.

"Let me think... I don't know if it's the right expression to use, but you three somehow resemble each other in your 'way of life'."

"...our way of life, huh."

"I'm sorry that I can't put it clearly."

"No, I think I get what you mean."

'Way of life' was a rather wide term, but if interpreted as something like 'our values', then I had to admit that theirs and mine weren't so different. I was sympathizing with them in many regards.

Tsukimori's opinion was most interesting, which is why I felt inclined to ask more. Especially about Konan.

"Tell me, what do you think about Konan? He's quite a strange guy, don't you agree?"

Tsukimori rested her chin on her hand and meaningfully sighed, "He sure is!"

"You don't look pleased," I stated.

"I don't really like him. I don't feel comfortable when he's around me because I have to be cautious of his attempts to read my character all the time. So it's really tiring to be together with him for too long. I wonder if all detectives are like him?"

She pulled her slender shoulders in as if she were attacked by a cold shiver.

I haven't seen her like that very often. If it's for Konan, however, anyone would show a similar reaction. That man was not normal.

"In comparison I would want to be by your side for hours and hours. I wonder why that is?"

She cocked her head and peeked into my face like a little devil.

"Don't ask me," I averted my eyes after deigning her a look, "I don't know about other detectives, but I'm pretty sure he belongs to a very peculiar category. He constantly leads me by the nose. I'm no match for him."

Right. I was at my wit's end. Maybe he had been too strong an opponent for me from the beginning.

"But as a man who resembles him, you should understand Konan-san much better than I do," she said, "Right?" Tsukimori formed her mouth into a crescent moon smile.

My heart skipped a beat.

"Don't you think that he cares more than necessary about you and not me because he likes you? It's normal to feel special about people that seem to understand you," she added.

My heart reacted fiercely to each of her words.

"That's a lie. I have no idea what he thinks."

"Indeed. From time to time I have no idea what you think, either, Nonomiya-kun," she giggled, shaking her hair.

My mind was blurry—the trail felt so near and still I couldn't see it.

"What are you getting at? I fail to comprehend what you want to tell me."

But I was confident that the trail was somewhere ahead.

"Mhh, as I said, you two resemble each other!"

Tsukimori put on a mischievous smile and purred pretentiously.

"No, I've heard that already."

When I gave her an urging look, she shrugged lightly in an uncomfortable manner and finally opened her mouth.

My mind cleared up the very moment her words reached my ears.

"If you want to know what he thinks, just think about what you would do in his place!"

Because we resembled each other. Our trains of thought should resemble as well — She added with a smile.

Without waiting for her to finish speaking, I started thinking.

I matched Konan's actions so far with my own thoughts. What would I do? What would I want to do? Ideas started flooding into my head without end.

"...sorry. There's something I have to do," I told her quickly speaking, pressed 120 Yen into her hand and ran off home. I rushed through the nightly town without caring about her yell that caught up with me.

I just wanted to be alone. I wanted to be alone and collect my overflowing thoughts.

I hadn't found a clear answer to how I could settle that affair with Konan — I was going to think about that now — but I was on the right trail.

This matter doesn't necessarily have to end with a clear result. And it's not important what the truth behind the incident is. Those were the two things I was sure of.

Why? — Because I thought so.

<noinclude>
{{Template:Navigation|Gekkou|
[[Gekkou:Volume 1 Cigarette Tiger|Cigarette Tiger]]|
[[Gekkou:Volume 1 Bye-Bye|Bye-Bye]]}}
</noinclude>

[[Category:Gekkou]]

Gekkou:Volume 1 Hesitation

2011-09-15T23:33:41Z

84.194.112.212: /* [Hesitation] */

==[Hesitation]==

To my blank amazement, it was not pity that lay in the gazes of most students, but jealousy of their peers.

As soon as Youko Tsukimori appeared at school after her long absence, everyone strove to be around her. In no time at all, a wall akin to a fortress loomed before her.

"Are you okay, Youko-san? Aren't you tired? Don't hesitate to tell me if there's anything I can help you with, okay?"

"Thank you, Chizuru. I feel much better now that I have seen your lovely face. I really should have brought myself to come to school sooner," she put on a brilliant smile and stroked Usami's cheek softly, while Usami was worriedly looking up at her. Tsukimori then took a look at the surrounding people. "My sincere thanks to everyone else as well. I can't express how happy I am... that so many of you have worried about me. I am really lucky to have classmates like you!"

She closed her eyes softly without breaking her smile as she put her hands on her well-rounded bosom.

Tempted by the deep emotion she was showing, they all put on meek expressions and nodded all together.

I almost had to snort upon seeing that Kamogawa and his guys were among them, too, with earnest faces that couldn't have suited them less.

Originally my classmates probably wanted to be the ones that comforted a disheartened Tsukimori, but in fact it turned out the opposite. If someone had taken a photograph of that scene and told me it was Tsukimori that comforts her disheartened classmates, I would have believed it.

In other words, Youko Tsukimori could perfectly do without our worthless pity.

Only when she was among masses of people like now, her true value surfaced.

Though everyone wore the same uniform and was at the same age, only she was special and stood out from the others, shining almost like the moon in the darkest night: magnificently and full of elegance.

As there was no way to get through the impregnable fortress that was protecting her, I was degraded to a mere "Villager A" who beheld the captivated princess from afar.

From time to time, however, our eyes met.

I can't deny that I found myself not incapable of interpreting her demanding gaze as an appeal to rescue her. But for one thing I would have looked stupid if I was wrong, and for another thing it was unreasonable to voluntarily take such a calorie-consuming action for someone like me who does not care two figs about knightliness. Thus, I slipped out of the uncomfortable classroom and brilliantly fulfilled my role as Villager A by silently watching the clouds through the corridor window until homeroom began.

Even during breaks the situation didn't change.

It didn't take me long to realize that I wouldn't be able to properly talk to her at school for a while, thus I chose to spend my breaks in the quiet corridor, away from the noise.

As reaction to my quick resignation, clever Tsukimori started to write messages on a quartered report sheet and passed them to me during the breaks because she couldn't talk to me directly.

To prevent the others from noticing, she gave them to me while passing me by without looking at me. She either handed the letters to me or just put them into my pocket.

By the time school was over, five of them had come into my possession.

I laid them out in the order I had received them, starting with the one I had gotten in the first break.

«Why didn't you help me?»

«You know my feelings, don't you?»

«It's been so long since we could talk.»

«I think I will be in the library during lunch break.»

«I forgot how cold-hearted you are.»

She had surely realized that mailing me would have done the job. I sensed a kind of unyielding spirit and pride from the fact that she still chose to stick to those messages.

By the way, I had indulged myself in a midday nap during that lunch break. Because I would have to deal with her at work after school anyway.

Besides, there was still one scrap she had not given me yet, judging from the pattern she used. The "after-school"-message. I had in mind to react after reading that one.

As expected, she let a scrap of paper fall on my desk as she passed me by while cheerfully saying goodbye to her classmates.

A smile escaped my mouth when I read the hastily written message. It was at last a request I couldn't reject, so I quickly packed my bag and left the classroom.

«This day tired me. I don't want to walk. I'll have you take me to the café on your bicycle. In return I'll forgive your behavior today.»

As it seemed, it's not always easy to be in the spotlight. Just watching had annoyed me, so I figured her exhaustion had to be huge.

Since I was satisfied by having gotten her to show a sign of weakness, though only in letters, I was willing to answer the princess' wishes for once and give her a ride.

When I left the school building with such thoughts, my eyes found a tall man near the front gate.

He spotted me immediately and signaled me to come by waving me to him, while "hiding" in the shadow of the gate.

I would have preferred to just feign ignorance, but he wasn't someone that would allow me to ignore him. He would simply pursue me until he had me.

I took out my mobile phone, quickly typed in a message and sent it. I informed Tsukimori that I could not accompany her to the café.

I didn't want to involve her in "that matter". Not out of some sparkling heroism to protect her, but because I considered it a private affair.

A reply returned a few seconds later.

«I don't care about you anymore!»

What a speed, considering the number of letters! I could well imagine her pressing the buttons of her phone with a furious wrath at an imperceptible speed.

Even though I felt a little upset as I looked up at the clear blue sky, I had to acknowledge it was my own fault and gave up. After all, it was ''I'' who had evaded her that entire day.

It's not like there was a special reason.

I simply hadn't wanted to become one among many.

"Ya! Let's get into my car instead of standing here."

Konan was in a good humor as always.

"What do you want from me this time?"

Therefore I responded purposefully in ill-humor.

"Do I have to tell you?"

"Yes. I have to go to work afterward, so I find myself constrained to refuse if it's useless talk."

"Mh... well, I can surely tell you right now, but it's some ''really'' nasty stuff that shouldn't be said at the gate of a school. Still wanna know?" he stressed with a heavily wrinkled brow, giving me the pleasure of bathing in the shocked glances of the surrounding students.

"...Let's just go. Come on."

"Thank you for your ready approval! It's a pleasure to work with you, Nonomiya-kun!"

I saw that staying long would only give birth to bad rumors, so I reluctantly followed him out of the gate.

Konan's car, parked near the school in a side alley, was a bright red sports car that quite suited his style.

"Nice car, huh? Doesn't it have a nice ring to it that I ''deliberately'' chose an Audi instead of a Porsche, a Ferrari or an Alfa Romeo? Feel free to think to yourself that an Audi was the limit of my salary as a civil servant, but you mustn't say it."

"Is it okay for a police detective to park on the street?"

I didn't recognize the make of his car, but I very easily recognized the no parking sign right next to the sports car.

"It's okay ''because'' I am a police detective. If I hypothetically get a fine for illegal parking, I can just make good use of my position and cover up the misdemeanor."

"What a corrupt world."

"I wonder who made it like this?"

"Deep inside you should know."

"Oh, how philosophic. Too deep for me, so hop in already."

The unaffected expression he showed as he played dumb suited him perfectly. Since I had to admit that, I had no choice but to give in and take a seat.

"—A couple of days ago you explained to me what happened on the day when Youko-chan's mother went missing, remember? At that restaurant."

"Yes."

The second I sat down on the passenger seat, Konan began talking in a earnest voice.

The authority he emitted made it seem as though the air of the car had been compressed in a split second, sending the previously peaceful mood away far away.

"Actually, I've hashed and rehashed it in my mind, but there are some points that just won't make sense to me."

Konan brought down the window and lighted a cigarette from his breast pocket.

"Take the phone call from her mother's workplace. If you ask me, that timing was ''too'' good. Don't you think Youko-chan actually made sure that she would get that call when she was together with you?" he blew a stream of smoke out of the window, "Don't you think it's strange that the phone rang precisely the moment she clung to you?"

The scene of that rainy night's crossroads—of the colorful umbrellas—rose into my mind.

"How would she make them call her at a good timing?"

It goes without saying that the timing had caught my attention. However, I did not know how to get someone to make such a convenient call.

"She could have left behind her number in their call history right before hugging you, for an example."

It was an emergency case.

"Considering how pressing the thing was, they may have called her several times already while you were working?"

For the cooking school, one of their teachers was missing without notice and was completely unavailable at that. It's perfectly thinkable that they would have promptly called back any number in their unaccepted call history, even if it was an unknown one.

"However, nobody knew whether she had gotten a call or not. You couldn't find out just by being at the same place," Konan's mouth broke into a grin, "Unless you got in close contact by, say, hugging each other."

I recalled what I had felt that night; the vibration reaching me via her breasts that had been pressed against my chest.

"...indeed, her mobile phone was set to... silent mode."

"That's exactly what I mean. Well, you also mustn't forget that we're dealing with Youko-chan. It's also possible that there was no call in the first place. In other words, she pretended. She acted."

"Acted?"

"Have you ever heard of the alarm function?"

"Of course! Do you think I'm a—" I began, but couldn't continue because I realized at once what he was getting at.

Konan went on, "Phones don't only vibrate for incoming calls. The alarm functions lately have become really handy; they keep on vibrating until you execute the predefined operation."

"Would she really do that?" I asked myself silently with several question marks popping up over my head. However, taking only the point whether it's possible or not into consideration, the answer was clear.

"You can't be sure if it's her, can you?"

I couldn't deny it. I was positive that she could have done it.

"Well, we don't know if she acted or if there really was a call. It's just that your explanation leaves those possibilities open. But either way, it's not relevant. Feel free to forget about it. Her real intention lies somewhere else, after all."

"Her real intention...?"

Konan kept silent, waiting for my next words; probably because he had noticed that I was pondering.

Her primary objective that night, which she was even willing to feign a call for, was—

"—to lure me to her home?"

He snapped his fingers, "Bingo! It makes sense if her goal was to get you to her home. No one would leave someone alone whose mother just has gone missing. Even someone as dry as you wouldn't. Well, and you ''did'' go to her home in the end."

I reconsidered that night with the events Konan pointed out in mind.

—It was as though a crumbled block was reconstructed at a terrific speed. And the newly built block had a completely different shape.

While crushing his cigarette in the ashtray, he continued, "I think you got it. She assigned the task of discovering the suicide note to you."

A cold shiver ran down my back.

If he was right about that, everything that had happened that night had been based on a scenario written by Youko Tsukimori.

"There's another doubtful aspect apart from that. Recall what happened right when you arrived at her home. If I'm not mistaken the first thing she did was getting you a towel to wipe your wet body," he raised his head and looked at me with a razor-sharp gaze, "That's not normal, is it? The first action one would normally take isn't 'getting a towel' but 'finding that mother'!"

Having come to the conclusion that Youko Tsukimori had not killed anyone, I was supposed to deny his opinion, regardless of what it consisted of.

"Indeed, you do have a point. It also stands true, however, that I could clearly sense that nobody was in the house the moment I stepped into the building. I'd say that Tsukimori must have been able to perceive the situation much more clearly than I, the outsider, who's only come for the second time."

Nevertheless, I was impressed by everything he pointed out.

"You mean that Youko-chan was able to conclude that her mother wasn't there even without searching the house?"

"Yes," I nodded.

"I don't think so," Konan flashed a masterful grin, "But I'm an adult, experienced in the ways of the world and all, you know, so I just can't think as straightly as you do."

Seeing how he was able to conclude so much just with the little information he had, he deserved his title as a detective. He really ''was'' an extremely capable person. He made me understand that once more.

I even found myself impatient for more—

"The thing may be that her mother was already dead when you went there, and she knew it. Thus, she wasn't eager to search for her. It's possible to interpret her unnatural behavior in such a way, don't you agree?"

"...So?"

My forced voice was a little hoarse.

"What are you getting at?"

Because I knew exactly what Konan was going to answer.

The instant I averted my eyes from him—his long arm whooshed past my head and his hand landed hard on the the passenger side window.

"Was it over your head? Then I'll be frank with you..."

His sharp features were directly before me as he leaned forward. The stench of smoke assaulted my nose.

"...that girl, Youko Tsukimori, has killed her mother!"

After declaring that, his look was drawn towards the front window.

Following him, I also directed my eyes there. Ahead of the straight side alley was the main street, bathed in madder red. One could see students on their way home passing by like fishes swimming.

There was one person that had gotten separated from the bulk, standing still at the opening of the alley.

The silhouette was slender and was long-haired. Due to the backlight the sunset produced, I couldn't make out her face. What I clearly did recognize, however, was that the high school girl over there was gazing at us.

She wasn't approaching us, nor was she walking away; just staring in our direction. That shadow had a terrifically strong presence to it despite just standing there without even interacting with us.

I delved deep into the seat and quickly urged, "...please get us out of here right now."

"Are you sure?" Konan asked with his gaze still on the front window.

"Yes," I answered, whereupon he replied with a stressed "Hmmm?"

The next moment, he switched once to neutral before quickly shifting gears and backing out of the narrow side alley at a breakneck speed. In no time we arrived at the street opposite the female student.

During that I could do nothing but tightly clench my fist.

At first Konan said nothing, but when we came upon a red traffic light, he returned to the topic as if he had been waiting for it.

"I'm sure I don't have to explain to you that she fulfills all necessary prerequisites to fake her mother's suicide note, right?"

I nodded. That was my limit. I didn't know what would come out if I opened my mouth.

"She's a bright girl. She knew that authenticity would rise dramatically if the note was discovered by a third party rather than herself. And she chose you for that part. Well, her plan worked out splendidly since you did find it for her."

I ground my teeth.

"I also think that as a family member she should have had no trouble killing her mother. I mean, let's not even start listing the ways she could have used to take her out! What remained was to go to that forlorn park on the high ground and push her down the cliff."

I was clenching my fist so hard it hurt.

"A child's play for her, right?"

Don't talk big like that! You don't know her as well as I do!—I found myself fighting with the urge to shout out all this.

What compelled me that moment was not impatience anymore but raw anger. Hearing someone else talk about her like that irritated me as if having my garden trampled down by strangers.

Konan pulled the car onto the sidewalk and smiled "We're there."

I peeked out and found that he had parked along the main street, near the café.

I gave him a nod, "Thank you."

The next moment he put on his usual frivolous smile and shrugged like an American.

"Sorry for startling you. But once in a while I have to show you that I'm still a policeman, a detective, you know," he grinned, but his eyes weren't at all smiling, "And I don't want to cause the misunderstanding that you can hide things from me forever." He pulled me nearer by my shoulder, "...I would be very thankful if you could soon recall some interesting info, since that would save me some messy work..."

His emphatic whisper sent a cold shiver down my spine. I guessed that being threatened with a knife pressed against one's neck had to be a similar experience.

I averted my gaze without replying and discovered the reflection of a person in the window.

There was a grim high school boy who moved no muscle with the exception of the blinking of his eyes. I noticed that the hand of that student was holding onto his left breast.

I felt a familiar touch with my fingers.

—The murder recipe.

I had strained my hand without noticing it.

It was the one thing I had to protect no matter what.

Because the murder recipe embodied the only point where I had the upper hand over Konan and was my last trump card against Youko Tsukimori.

Mopping the dim café after closing time. Suddenly, a shadow obstructed the course of my mop. I looked up and found the owner of the shadow standing with legs spread and arms crossed.

"Did you have an argument or something?" asked Mirai-san, looking down at me with a deeply wrinkled brow.

"Argument? Who? With whom?"

I wasn't playing dumb. I honestly didn't know.

"Are you dumb? You and Youko of course, who else?"

"I really don't think I'm dumb... but anyway, what gives you that idea?"

"It's pretty damn obvious if one takes a look at you two! You haven't talked at all lately, have you?"

While leaning onto the mop, I thought about it.

"...we haven't?"

I remembered next to nothing of today's work.

"Doesn't surprise me. It was obvious that you were miles away."

Now that she mentioned it, I had to admit that in thoughts I had been "miles away" with Konan indeed. I had been pondering over a way to surpass that man non-stop during work.

The more I thought about it, the more I came to think that I had no chance of beating him.

"Anyway, leaving that aside since it's nothing new in your case—"

"Objection!"

"Overruled!"

She had no sympathy.

"Let me carry on; this time Youko's acting strange as well. It looks like she's actively avoiding you to me," she thrust out her chin and drew herself up, "So, what have you done to her? Come on, try to explain yourself. At least I'll hear you out."

As usual, she was so stubborn with her opinion that it was refreshing.

"Are you unable to think that I might be the victim?"

"Yeah. I'm on Youko's side whatever happens."

"What an unreasonable world!"

"Ohh, you only noticed just now?" she answered my lamenting words haughtily, "The world's unreasonable and unjust wherever you go; otherwise social stratification would not exist in the first place. So why should I bother playing a saint if the world's very setup is already shit? I live by my own rules."

If you ever tried giving the word "self-centered" a form, you would definitely get that woman in front of you.

"My way of life is simple, isn't it?"

Well, it ''was'' simple indeed.

Her rule was just one: getting her will whatever others say. Nothing more.

But I couldn't imagine just how hard it had to be to pull that "nothing more" through. It's not something anyone can do. Not everyone is as strong as she is.

But she carried on playing her guitar without letting the noise of the world interrupt her concert.

There are bound to be some that brand people like her as trouble-makers, as egoists, or even hate them. I agreed insofar that it was a highly justified view.

"...indeed. So simple I'm almost jealous."

To my chagrin, however, I found myself understanding her very well.

I couldn't help but be amused by such a reckless woman who would hold a mike with one hand and show the masses the middle finger with the other. As one of her fans I thought, "One or two like her wouldn't do any harm to the world."

"Okay, you oughta apologize now."

"To you?" I played dumb. Mirai-san smiled, amazed.

"Idiot. No use apologizing to me, is there. You should apologize to the chit-sorting 'princess' who's sneaking peeks at us from over there!" said the "queen" in a loud voice.

I turned around and discovered Tsukimori standing at the register where no one had been at the start of our conversation. Our eyes met.

"It hath come to my ear that Your Highness wisheth for an apology. Is it true?" I asked in a quite sardonic tone, upon which Tsukimori dropped her gaze immediately to her hands.

[[Image:Gekkou-234.jpg|thumb]]

"Why should I need an apology? We have ''not at all'' had an argument with each other, have we?" she answered while sorting one chit after the other.

"Her highness begs to differ, I fear?"

"Just look, does that look to you like she's not angry at you? She couldn't make it more obvious! Now, come on, I'm bothering to act as a go-between for you, so take action and say you're sorry already."

"Don't worry, Mirai-san. I am not angry ''in the least''. But even ''if'' we were in the middle of a quarrel and ''if'' I wished for an apology from Nonomiya-kun, there would be no point if he does not feel any guilt. I would still prefer no apology at all over getting an idle one that is not meant by heart," said Tsukimori in one breath.

"'Don't worry'? 'Not angry in the least'?" I was irritated by Tsukimori's indirect and ironic allusions, "If she wants to say something, she should make herself clear, don't you agree, Mirai-san?"

"Now, look at that, Mirai-san. You can't call it a quarrel if Nonomiya-kun is not even aware of what he has done."

"I won't apologize, Mirai-san! She's just getting worked up all on her own."

"Mirai-san, let's not bother with that blockhead anymore."

Suddenly, Mirai-san tousled her fair hair with both hands and...

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!"

...shouted from the top of her lungs.

"Hell! Just shut up! You're getting on my nerves!"

The manager and Saruwatari-san cautiously peeked out of the staffroom to check what was going on.

"This! Really! Is! A pain!"

Mirai-san wound her arm around my head and took me into a neck-hold. The soft feeling against my cheek made me realize that there was something womanly about her after all.

She ignored my complaints and proceeded rapidly towards the register while yelling, "Come here!"

Upon arriving there, she stretched out her free arm, as could be expected, and took Tsukimori by the neck in the same manner.

We two, constrained at Mirai-san's side, were forced face each other from close up whether we wanted or not.

I did not want to see Tsukimori's face in the least, but unfortunately Mirai-san's modest breasts were quite the opposite of her personality and thus obviously insufficient for blocking the view for me.

I may add that she will never hear that from my mouth. Ever.

"You know, I'm really not that patient! I can't stand such a pain anymore! Forget about the remaining work and just ''get out''!"

She yelled down at us, saying things about her temper everybody already knew.

"Nonomiya! You apologize to Youko! And Youko, you forgive him when he does!" she said while scowling at us in turns, "I don't care about the reason behind that quarrel, but make sure you make it up with each other on the way to the station! Then you come to work tomorrow as usual! Got it? That's an order!"

Before I knew it, Tsukimori and I were exchanging glances, and a moment later sighing as if on cue.

"Hey, what about your reply!?"

Faced with the overwhelming commands that rained down on us, we exchanged glances once more and had no choice but to nod reluctantly, "...understood."

Solely lit by white street lights, we walked along a narrow alley towards the station. We were silent.

Upon entering the way along the main street , our field of vision was filled with gorgeous neon light. The number of people increased in proportion to the illumination, and so did the noise. The head lights of the cars passing us by made us flare up in yellow. Far away a siren was resounding, whereas in the proximity a dog was raising a forceful bark to fight it back. And we were silent.

Tsukimori was the first to give in to the oppressive air.

She stopped abruptly.

"You have been a little strange lately," she whispered, getting straight to the point, "Is there something that bothers you?"

"Do I look that way?" I asked back.

She tilted her neat chin a bit and asked further, "Perhaps it is related to Konan-san?"

I did not remember having spoken about Konan in her presence—

"I have heard he visited the café when I was absent."

—but I figured that there were some things she already knew.

"According to Mirai-san, you two get on well together, just like a couple."

What on earth had Mirai-san told her about us? Not that I wanted to know.

"That's none of your business," I spat out bluntly and averted my gaze from her.

I didn't want to talk about Konan with her.

"But it is!"

I insisted on settling the matter with Konan without her interference.

"I say it's not."

Of course I was aware that she had no way of knowing that I didn't want to drag her in.

"I can't just ignore it!" her eyes suddenly turned serious, "There is nothing about you that's not important to me."

In Tsukimori's wide opened and clear eyes I was reflected with an awfully disinterested face.

''Stop it! Don't look at me with such eyes!''

While I was not at all in the position to complain to her for insistently probing into a subject I shunned—I was the one of us who wanted to hide his feelings, after all—I gave in to my displeasure and raised my pace.

"I hate insistent women!"

It might have still been forgivable if I had been just acting, but unfortunately I had been simply unable to hide my irritation.

As a matter of fact, I had been quite taxed recently. I was frustrated because I wasn't making progress with Konan. I was pressured because I was unable to find a way to break that deadlock. I was in constant unrest that he might find out about the murder recipe.

And most of all, I felt inferior to her.

Suddenly, Tsukimori pulled my arm from behind, "Come here." She drew me to an old bench near a bus stop and made me sit down. Then she trotted off towards a vending machine a couple of meters away and quickly came back with two cans in her hands.

She put on a smile, "You like 'this', don't you?"

She thrust a cold and wet orange can out to me. I was so taken aback that I completely forgot about my irritation.

...Youko Tsukimori really was not to be underestimated. Apparently she had been all ears to our talk in the classroom.

"If we get into a quarrel here again even though Mirai-san told us to make it up, I won't be able to face her tomorrow."

I snatched the juice away from her, opened the lid and took a long gulp of the cool orange-colored liquid.

"We can consider ourselves lucky to have someone that worries so much about us. Don't you agree?"

The sour but refreshing taste of the orange juice soothed my boisterous feelings effectively.

"...It's as you say. I'm sorry."

Tsukimori sat down next to me. "No, please forgive ''me''." Her hair-ends swayed. "I tried being sulky for once," she giggled with her gaze still dropped, "Because you have been giving me the cold shoulder lately."

She approached her face to mine with reproachful eyes.

"Please come to my place again sometime. I promise I won't do anything you don't like anymore, okay?" she said jokingly and laughed, but I couldn't help finding a trace of loneliness in her face. I recalled that she was all alone now.

Tsukimori's house was large; and had to feel even larger without any cohabitants. Various worries crossed my mind.

"...but you've been quite occupied yourself, too, recently."

As a matter of fact, I had gotten my plate much too full with Konan alone to care about Tsukimori, but I felt a little guilty upon seeing her lonely like that.

"Oh yes, because a certain someone did not only refrain from helping me but also ignored me completely, I had no time of recreation at school."

"Well, you have my sympathies."

"I'm sure you aren't joking but really mean it like that..." Tsukimori shrugged her shoulders exaggeratedly along with a small sigh.

Sure enough, I had decided to give priority to the affair with Konan rather than Tsukimori's situation.

"At any rate, I'll try to act normal at the café, so please tell Mirai-san something positive, too," I ended our conversation and stood up.

"—Konan-san and you are like brothers with an age gap" Tsukimori murmured, "Perhaps it was that, supported by the fact that you're two men, that made me feel unhappy and left out."

I sat down again on the bench and peeked at her seemingly brooding face from the side.

"...Konan-san and I are like brothers, you say? Haven't you also compared Mirai-san and me in a similar way?"

"Yes, I have. Now that you say it, all three of you resemble each other. Of course I don't mean your looks by that, you understand?"

"Care to elaborate?"

I was very interested in how I looked in her eyes.

"Let me think... I don't know if it's the right expression to use, but you three somehow resemble each other in your 'way of life'."

"...our way of life, huh."

"I'm sorry that I can't put it clearly."

"No, I think I get what you mean."

'Way of life' was a rather wide term, but if interpreted as something like 'our values', then I had to admit that theirs and mine weren't so different. I was sympathizing with them in many regards.

Tsukimori's opinion was most interesting, which is why I felt inclined to ask more. Especially about Konan.

"Tell me, what do you think about Konan? He's quite a strange guy, don't you agree?"

Tsukimori rested her chin on her hand and meaningfully sighed, "He sure is!"

"You don't look pleased," I stated.

"I don't really like him. I don't feel comfortable when he's around me because I have to be cautious of his attempts to read my character all the time. So it's really tiring to be together with him for too long. I wonder if all detectives are like him?"

She pulled her slender shoulders in as if she were attacked by a cold shiver.

I haven't seen her like that very often. If it's for Konan, however, anyone would show a similar reaction. That man was not normal.

"In comparison I would want to be by your side for hours and hours. I wonder why that is?"

She cocked her head and peeked into my face like a little devil.

"Don't ask me," I averted my eyes after deigning her a look, "I don't know about other detectives, but I'm pretty sure he belongs to a very peculiar category. He constantly leads me by the nose. I'm no match for him."

Right. I was at my wit's end. Maybe he had been too strong an opponent for me from the beginning.

"But as a man who resembles him, you should understand Konan-san much better than I do," she said, "Right?" Tsukimori formed her mouth into a crescent moon smile.

My heart skipped a beat.

"Don't you think that he cares more than necessary about you and not me because he likes you? It's normal to feel special about people that seem to understand you," she added.

My heart reacted fiercely to each of her words.

"That's a lie. I have no idea what he thinks."

"Indeed. From time to time I have no idea what you think, either, Nonomiya-kun," she giggled, shaking her hair.

My mind was blurry—the trail felt so near and still I couldn't see it.

"What are you getting at? I fail to comprehend what you want to tell me."

But I was confident that the trail was somewhere ahead.

"Mhh, as I said, you two resemble each other!"

Tsukimori put on a mischievous smile and purred pretentiously.

"No, I've heard that already."

When I gave her an urging look, she shrugged lightly in an uncomfortable manner and finally opened her mouth.

My mind cleared up the very moment her words reached my ears.

"If you want to know what he thinks, just think about what you would do in his place!"

Because we resembled each other. Our trains of thought should resemble as well — She added with a smile.

Without waiting for her to finish speaking, I started thinking.

I matched Konan's actions so far with my own thoughts. What would I do? What would I want to do? Ideas started flooding into my head without end.

"...sorry. There's something I have to do," I told her quickly speaking, pressed 120 Yen into her hand and ran off home. I rushed through the nightly town without caring about her yell that caught up with me.

I just wanted to be alone. I wanted to be alone and collect my overflowing thoughts.

I hadn't found a clear answer to how I could settle that affair with Konan — I was going to think about that now — but I was on the right trail.

This matter doesn't necessarily have to end with a clear result. And it's not important what the truth behind the incident is. Those were the two things I was sure of.

Why? — Because I thought so.

<noinclude>
{{Template:Navigation|Gekkou|
[[Gekkou:Volume 1 Cigarette Tiger|Cigarette Tiger]]|
[[Gekkou:Volume 1 Bye-Bye|Bye-Bye]]}}
</noinclude>

[[Category:Gekkou]]

Gekkou:Volume 1 Orange & Wine

2011-09-15T00:48:45Z

84.194.112.212: /* [Orange & Wine] */

==[Orange & Wine]==

Our classroom at the beginning of the week. Tsukimori greeted me with a warm smile upon seeing me, "Good morning."

After wavering for a few seconds, I quickly replied, "Good morning," and hurried to my desk.

I didn't want to look like a coward, but neither did I feel like arguing with her early on a Monday morning. If possible I wanted to put some distance between us and not see her face for a while. Because looking at her face would remind me of that Friday night that had become a dark memory I wanted to bury as fast as possible.

However, Tsukimori is a girl that doesn't guess your feelings at such times.

"Nonomiya-kun, your collar is awry," she pointed out cheerfully and stood naturally before me as if this had been her place for a hundred years. Then she fixed my collar with her white slender fingers.

Below my eyes was her white neck. I closed them firmly for a moment as if to shake off my stray thoughts.

My collar wasn't awry at all.

"When are you visiting me next?" whispered Tsukimori, moving her lustrous lips.

She just wanted to bring Saturday's matter up again.

"As bright as you are you should be able to tell if anyone would ever come to your place again after experiencing such a night."

While I was helpless,

"I am free next week on Saturday evening. My mother should be late on that day, too, because of a meeting of the association,"

She was as nonchalant as it gets.

"Do you even think I'd say 'Yes'?"

"Do you even think I'd want to hear 'No'?"

"It looks like I have to be clear to you since you seem to become dull when things don't go the way you want."

I approached my nose to hers until there was next to no space between, and declared point-blank:

"''You won't see me there a second time!''"

To top off my remark, I flashed a Tsukimori-like smile.

"You don't need to be embarrassed."

However, the originator's smile showed no interruption.

"From time to time you really behave idiotically, you know?"

"Whereas you are always mealy-mouthed, right?"

Others looking on must have seen best friends, smiling at each other from that close distance.

"Aren't Youko-san and Nonomiya kinda like... newly-weds...?"

And so some voiced unhappy, ill-informed comments with discontented expressions. Chizuru Usami had made the newly-wed remark.

I didn't know what a baby blow fish looks like, but I figured it must be somewhat like Usami just then, scowling at me with her chin rested on her desk and blowing up her cheeks like a balloon.

Usami really was a peculiar girl. I reckoned there weren't many people that were that adorable when ill-tempered.

While I was happily observing Usami with a sidelong glance, Tsukimori said embarrassedly, "Have you heard that? Like newly-weds!"

"A bad joke indeed."

If by any chance Tsukimori had blushed with at least one cheek, so to speak, I ''might'' have reconsidered and I ''might'' have admitted her cute sides. Unfortunately though, Youko Tsukimori couldn't be understood that easily.

[[Image:Gekkou-139.jpg|thumb]]

The next moment, her eyes turned into moon crescents. The devil hath ascended to earth. In my eyes I could see a black pointed tail growing from her.

"Welcome home, darling. Would you like to take a bath? Or would you rather like... me?"

Then she giggled amusedly.

To the others that didn't know her real nature, she must have looked like the purest girl who had successfully played a little prank.

"...a bad joke ''indeed''."

But to me it was a nightmare in many senses. One of them being that there was that one guy that couldn't keep quiet when the topic revolved around Youko Tsukimori.

"Hey! Nonomiya!"

There he stood, Kamogawa, with a grimace resembling the doorkeeper of hell.

"Of course it's the bath, right? You naturally go for the bath, right?"

Much to my chagrin, he was followed by a regiment of guys who were eager to support him, "Say it!"

"If you do not choose the bath... you know what happens then, right?"

The group exchanged glances and then simultaneously cracked a friendly smile. They were disgusting.

"Well, as a man it's clear what I take—"

It was up to me to choose, so what? Kamogawa et al had no say about it.

"—as a man one must take the meal, right?"

But I didn't like trouble.

"A wise choice, Nonomiya-kun!"

"I'm so happy you understand what I mean, Kamogawa-kun."

"Then let's go over there and hear what you have to tell us, shall we?"

"...There are no words that express my current feelings appropriately."

This marked the start of a lot of wasted time, during which I was going to be questioned whether I dated Tsukimori and during which I would have to ensure them over and over that that was not the case.

Good grief, they had no clue. They could only act that frivolously because nobody knew about the murder recipe.

And without a clue of my troubles, Tsukimori waved her hand cheerfully.

"Goodbye, darling!"

Therefore I gave her an appropriate answer.

"I'll be late tonight, honey."

Annoyance drove me to it.

I am sure that a blanket of grief must have enveloped me as I was led away like a low-grade employee who must obey his superior's command.

—At the time, I had already noticed that an usually noisy classmate of mine, Usami, had been silent all the time.

But I had no time to care about her because I had my hands full dealing with Youko Tsukimori, Kamogawa and all the others.

Well, it's hard to say if dealing with her then would have changed what happened after school.

Classes had ended and I was getting ready to leave when I was suddenly stopped by a timid Usami, "...Nonomiya?"

"What's the matter?"

"Err, I noticed that... you and Youko-san have been getting on quite well lately..."

"Not more than what's normal."

Annoyed at hearing that question again, a firm tone mixed into my voice.

Usami registered that my temper wasn't favorable and thus got even more faint-hearted.

"...but you're always together."

As I was fed up of talking about Tsukimori, I quickly declared, "We simply have often to do with each other at work and as class officers. That's all." Then I fetched my bag and hurried out of the classroom.

But in the next moment Usami had gone round me and was blocking my way.

"Stooopp!"

"Come on, what is it?"

"Err, say, do you have a few minutes?"

"No."

"I-It's really just a few moments, honestly!"

My stare seemed to be intimidating; she averted her eyes and looked about in the room like a frightened pygmy marmoset.

I took a deep breath—inconspicuously enough to remain unnoticed.

"Depends on what you want."

When I contemplated that I had acted a little too immature and implied that I was willing to compromise, she was visibly relieved.

Usami wasn't at fault. I had merely gotten tired of being led by the nose by Tsukimori and of being picked at by Kamogawa and his followers. In short, I had taken it out on her though she wasn't to blame.

After peeking around at our surroundings, Usami whispered to me, "I'm uncomfortable here... can we go someplace else?"

As I was ready to accompany her for whatever she wanted from me — not least because I wanted to amend — I nodded wordlessly.

"Shall we go then...?"

Her tense face and awkward gait had me a little worried about what was to come. Still I relaxed because it was only Usami, after all.

I was led to the back of the gym, which was unusually quiet that day.

"Club activities have been suspended starting today, because of the upcoming midterm exams."

"I see." Two questions of mine, namely why the gym was so silent and why Usami wasn't in her club, were answered at the same time. "So? What do you want from me?"

I sat down on the concrete edge of the gym, perking up my ears.

The standard line when calling someone out to such a place would surely be "You piss me off!", followed by a quarrel, and I would have found it amusing if that actually was her issue, but as I was likely to lose to her in a serious fight, she being very sportive, I prayed that it was something else. Something peaceful.

"...It's just a continuation of what we have been talking earlier," said Usami while peeking at me from time to time, "Say, Nonomiya, are you, and Youko-san, um... you know, a couple?"

I wasn't startled. Kamogawa et al had asked me the same a few moments before. Though ''they'' added "If you are, consider yourself as dead as a doornail" with rather serious bloodshot eyes.

"Don't be silly. Of course not!" I laughed, but Usami was still in earnest.

"B-But! You're the only boy she gets on specially well!"

"As I mentioned earlier, that's merely because we often have to work together."

"But still! Lately, Youko-san has been mentioning you all the time when we were talking!"

"Same as above."

"But then! But then, why does Youko-san gaze at you from time to time during classes?"

"...You're barking up the wrong tree. Go ask herself!"

That was new to me.

"Say what you want, but I think you two are suspicious! I know it!"

"So?"

"...eh? So what?"

Usami looked dumbfounded.

"What do you want to hear from me?"

Seeing the question marks above her head, I pressed for her answer.

"Will it make you happy if I say that we're dating?"

"No! You mustn't!" she shouted, just to make a 'Oh what have I said!'-like expression the following moment. "...Ah, n-naturally this is not something I have a say in, it's a problem between you and her after all, but, umm, I mean, isn't Youko-san, like, everyone's idol and all? So, you see,..."

Her choppy justification seemed to have no end if nobody interrupted her.

"Usami."

I tapped on the concrete next to me and signified her to take a seat. She obediently sat down there while embarrassedly toying with her hair ends.

"Honestly, there is nothing between Tsukimori and me," I ensured her firmly, looking into her eyes.

"I see... so there's nothing, huh."

Usami's face began to shine like a child who has been given candy. She was so easy to understand.

That was probably also the reason why I had easily noticed that she was attracted to me, even without Mirai-san's superior intuition.

"Very well then, it seems that I have gained your understanding."

When I was about to stand up, thinking that this was all, she seized my belt.

"Can I ask just one other thing?"

Originally, I planned on just ignoring her grip and standing up, after which I would take a look at her reaction, but since my hips didn't move a bit, I gave up and sat down again.

"...Please go ahead."

"Yeah, um, Nonomiya... you aren't going out with anyone at the moment, right?"

"Right."

Usami cast her eyes down.

"Then—i-is there someone you like?" she asked towards the ground. Her face was tense and her lips pursed like a duck's bill.

Her question wasn't a remarkably rare one. At least to me it wasn't something to get that flustered about anyway. Usually.

However, because of a name that flashed through my mind for a split second, I forgot to answer her.

"...W-Why aren't you saying anything?"

Her anxiety helped me find my tongue.

"...that's already the third question!"

"Uwa! You distracted! That means there is one! There is someone you like!"

Usami widened her round eyes and leaned backward, completely shocked. I was tempted to give her a push.

"Eh? Who? Who?! Ah! It's Youko-san, isn't it? It's Youko-san!"

"Now we're back where we started. What were those minutes just now? Give me back my time and labor!"

"But who else should it be!"

"Can you tell me what exactly makes you so sure, then?"

"My womanly intuition!"

Her prompt reply made me wonder what nonsense the pygmy marmoset was babbling, but since she really was a woman, I was powerless in front of the weapon called "womanly intuition", which remains a mystery to men.

On top of that, the name that had come to mind actually ''was'' Youko Tsukimori, so I couldn't bring myself to deny it.

"I think Youko-san sees you in a different light. I know she does, because we've known each other for a long time." The nervousness from before was disappearing. "Even if ''you'' deny it, I think she is different toward you."

Usami spoke staring straight at me. It was a resolute gaze.

"...and I understand you just as well, Nonomiya... You're always in my eyes, after all."

It was the gaze of someone who had made up his mind.

"I think you just aren't aware of it, but you consider her special too... I can't put it into words well, but I think you are kind of special to each other. Like, actually it would have been mutual for a while, you just haven't noticed, so what's needed is just a little push... and you know, I was like 'I have to hurry up now!', but then I thought that it would be sort of selfish of me. But then, instead of playing a good girl and having regrets, I thought that it suited me more to be a bad girl for once...go my own way and be straightforward, you know... so, umm..."

Usami hurriedly added, "J-Just a moment," took a few deep breaths and jumped to her feet.

"I, Chizuru Usami, love... you."

The way she confessed couldn't have suited Usami better.

I suppose there aren't any humans on this planet who would not like to receive such a confession from her. I became even fonder of her than before.

"Thank you," I said more or less automatically.

"Eh? Um, you're welcome...?" replied Usami, visibly confused.

I was genuinely happy about her confession since I liked her—a girl that couldn't be more different from me.

[[Image:Gekkou-149.jpg|thumb]]

A soft breeze blew gently past us as though the school building had smoothed down its edges upon passing by. The back of the gym was so calm that the usual noise felt like a mere illusion.

Suddenly, Usami stretched herself hugely like a cat and—

"NYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

—released a yell towards the blue sky that sounded like a cat's death cry.

"Aah! I feel SO liberated now! So glad I told you!"

Her face was literally shining.

"...Sorry for disturbing you while you're savoring your attainment, but what should I do now?"

"Mh?"

"I haven't given you a reply yet, have I?"

I thought that I was supposed to return her straightforward ball, in whatever form—even if the ball went in a direction she didn't wish for.

The next moment Usami let out a laughter like a baby frog.

I actually meant to be as considerate as my limits allowed, but it seems doing something you aren't used to always yields bad results.

"...No need to strain yourself. I'm not expecting a reply anyway. I mean, we're talking about you, Nonomiya?"

She was whispering. Since she was looking at the ground, I couldn't recognize her expression.

"I don't know what's that supposed to mean, but for now I'll just be shocked."

"...you've caught my eye ever since we entered this school, and I've long known that you're not that simple. I'm not expecting a favorable answer!"

My pride didn't let me admit that she was spot on.

"I have mixed feelings about being viewed as such a guy."

I automatically shrugged. So that's what they call a loss of face.

"But you know...," started Usami timidly while swinging her legs, "I still fell in love with you, so I had no other choice but to give my best!"

Her earlobes were almost as red as a ripe tomato at that moment.

"You have rather peculiar tastes, don't you?"

"W-Whose fault is that!" objected the bright red Usami.

Even her sentimental and simplistic side, which would normally be viewed as a weak point, added only to her loveliness in conjunction with her straightforward and sedulous nature.

She reminded me of a certain remark.

«Someone once said that girls in love are invincible.»

Usami pointed her finger straight at me before my nose.

"But one day I will hear you say that you love me! ''Definitely''!"

Her timidness went somewhere far away, replaced by her usual vigor.

However, I noticed that that her little finger was trembling slightly.

That pet-like girl named Usami struggles doing so many things I can do easily, but at times she accomplishes feats which I can only dream of.

As was true of her confession as well.

It might be a little exaggerated, but I admired Usami. Most likely, because she had traits I could not even wish for.

And so she looked most impressive to me at this very moment, making me want to just take her in my arms.

However, I deliberately went another way.

"Interesting. Please give your best!" I said, making an unimpressed face on purpose. "But let me warn you: don't think I'd fall that easily for a girl like you!"

"What did you just say?! Keep those words in mind!"

"Yeah yeah."

"Dammit! I'll show you what a good woman is!"

I couldn't help it. After all I am a "non-simple" weirdo who thinks an angry Usami is the cutest of all of them.

And once again I arrived at the same conclusion: I would have been be so delighted if she were the one I loved the most.

It was also that moment when I became fully aware that there was one person on my mind whom I could not ignore.

The next day. It had been raining since morning without stop.

My feelings towards her were swaying in an unsure state. Too impure to be called love, yet too strong to be called interest.

It was the first time in my life that I was overcome by emotions. But if this was the price I had to pay for my autonomous mode of life, I was ready to accept and deal with that discomfort.

Of course, it was no doubt the murder recipe that put a brake on those feelings.

I am most definitely not averse to mysterious girls, but even I feel a tiny bit uneasy when it comes to endorsing a secret that exceeds the bounds of good sense.

One example being — murder.

It is not easy to accept a person who may have killed someone. Not only because of ethical reasons, but also because one rebels instinctually, fearing that one might become the next target.

In any event, in fact there was a break-out solution.

It was simple actually: I just had to go ask her directly whether or not she had killed anyone.

If she answered "No", I could dismiss my exaggerated ideas with a sneer, send the crumpled murder recipe flying to the burnable garbage and obtain an everyday life that was a bit better than the status quo. A thrilling one including Youko Tsukimori.

Wasn't that sufficient to justify the venture? Asking for more would be greedy. There's always a straw that breaks the camel's back.

However, what if the answer were "Yes, I have killed someone"?

I gave thought to the fact that the content of the murder recipe was in line with the cause of her father's death. Anyone, even without a tendency to fantasizing like me, should, provided these two facts, come to the conclusion that the murder recipe was written with the objective of killing her father.

Moreover, it is completely natural to consider the author of the recipe as the murderer as a consequence.

I dropped my gaze to my shoulder. Before my eyes and nose, there was a lock of black hair painting an elegant curve.

As if riding a roller coaster, a water drop slid along that smooth hair just to eventually arrive at its end and dive into the dark gray air.

I lost a little heart when I associated my own fate with the last moments of that water drop.

Probably noticing my gaze, "Mh?" she inclined her head slightly while wearing that caring sister-like smile of hers.

"I'm drawing a little nearer. Otherwise I'll get wet."

She happily snuggled up to me as though we were a couple. As a natural consequence, her handful-sized breasts were softly compressed against the region around my elbow.

Devil that she was, she must have been enjoying seducing me.

But there was nothing I could do about it. It was raining and the only umbrella was mine, narrowing my options to one. That was the reason why the distance between us was shorter than usual.

I suspected, however, that she was hiding a collapsible one in her bag. I couldn't believe that a forward thinker like her would forget her umbrella.

Of course there was but one girl in my circle of acquaintances that conformed to the above description.

Youko Tsukimori.

We had ended that day's work and were walking towards the nearby station. Seeing her to the station after work was a regular task of mine since the day she told us of her potential stalker.

After that night, Tsukimori had told me, "I felt really safe when I was seen home by you. If it's not a bother, would you mind accompanying me all the time?". Naturally, I had immediately refused, "No, because it is," but sadly we had been in the staffroom just then, which had in stead gained me the bother of turning the whole staff, led by Mirai-san, against me: "Come on, do it!"

I had not escaped without begging off with, "Please, let's compromise with seeing her to the station!" It was truly incomprehensible.

However, life sometimes takes an unexpected turn. To my great joy, the way to the station was ideal for talking privately to her.

I waited for the moment the traffic light turned red. "When I watched the news yesterday, I started wondering—," I began, "—why do people kill?"

Actually, I hadn't watched the news the day before. But well, there was bound to have been at least one murder, considering the current state of society.

"Oh, you're quite the philosopher today, aren't you? I like your contemplative face!" she said in a voice that was strangely wet, as if not only her hair but also her voice had been hit by the rain. "Is it because of the rain? One always gets into a somewhat sentimental mood when it is raining, don't you agree? It gets you into the mood to read books you would not usually."

"Indeed, if I am acting unusual today, then it might really be because of the rain."

Her words gave me the hunch that I hadn't chosen the day by chance, but because of the bad weather.

"Anyway, would you mind sharing your thoughts?"

Our background music was composed of the rain drops lapping against my umbrella, the watery sound of tires on the asphalt and the blood circulating through my veins.

"Well—"

Tsukimori brushed away the black hair that had stuck to her cheek, releasing a scent of roses.

"—Because they feel like it, perhaps."

Her voice was indifferent.

"...Because they feel like it? That's all? Do you claim that that's reason enough to kill someone?"

I was offended by her obviously negligent answer.

"That's not it."

"What do you mean? Unless you elaborate some, a mere commoner like me can't comprehend your genius, I'm afraid."

"Oh don't be angry. I'm not joking, really. I ''do'' think so!"

She shrugged her shoulders slightly upon noticing my sidelong glare at her.

"You see, I think that in most cases the problem could actually be solved without resorting to murder, for example if it's a grudge or a fatal tangle of jealousy. Of course there are exceptions like life insurance murder."

The traffic light changed to green. A swarm of umbrellas was set in motion, leaving back only the red umbrella under which we stood.

"Don't you think that there are numerous ways of taking revenge or venting a grudge which are more effective than killing?"

I had trouble thinking of one, but I had ''no'' trouble assuming that Tsukimori knew of some.

"Every murderer has to atone appropriately for his misdeeds, be it through the law or social sanctions. There is the saying 'Live by the sword, die by the sword'. I think that applies to murder as well. Thus it is a foolish and careless method and nothing more in my opinion. There are probably many ways to call it, 'fury' or 'impulse' for instance, but it sums up to a matter of mood—a matter of 'feeling like it'—for me," she said and complemented, "I consider all irrational actions as a matter of mood."

"As you say, murder might indeed be a nonsensical conduct."

I concurred with her opinion. I was even moved. But that was probably also the reason that queerly comfortable moment seemed a bit off-kilter to me.

At first glance, her well-reasoned speech made her seem like an upright model student. However, upon further thought, she was only really talking ''about the means of reaching a goal''.

Put in a nutshell, she had only argued about the effectiveness of murder as a method.

Didn't that mean that she was not absolutely disapproving of murder?

"But as you admitted yourself, there are exceptions, right?"

From my diagonal angle, I could not see all of her face. Only her mouth was barely in view.

"...For example?"

And that mouth of hers was smiling.

There we stood together under a round, small umbrella, surrounded by a massive wall of rain and night.

Even though the town was filled with all kinds of sounds, painted in various colors and packed with people, I felt kind of separated from everything, as if we were alone in an elevator at midnight.

"For example, if you were able to kill completely unnoticed."

The cause of that phenomenon was simply me: ''I'' had locked out the world.

At that moment, Youko Tsukimori was everything my world consisted of.

"Could you be a little more specific? Your twisted thoughts are too complicated for an honest person like me to understand, I'm afraid."

She affected a shrug, teasing me.

"I am talking of the perfect crime—as a third party in the know of everything would call it if a premeditated murder was deemed an accident rather than the crime it is by all the world."

When I was done with my explanation, Tsukimori answered, paying her full concentration.

"—Indeed, we need to draw a line between unplanned murder and a perfect crime, which you can certainly not commit just by feeling like it. You have to keep a cool head and be rational if you aim for perfection."

The focus of our discussion was fully and solely on usefulness and efficiency—ethics and morals were no subject.

"But our country's police are respected worldwide, aren't they? I hear scientific crime detection is making rapid progress, too, compared to the past. Isn't the perfect crime impossible in fact?"

She smiled as if to imply that it was all just a pipe dream.

It was then that I finally found a possible reason for the awkward feeling I had sensed earlier:

Our conversation was clearly too unromantic for two teenagers clinging together in midst of the street under one umbrella. And yet there I was, absorbed in it, which was most likely because that's the kind of person I am.

The death or life of someone unrelated is of no concern to me. At most I would feel curiosity about the death of such a person. No, my only response would be curiosity.

I was very well aware of my slightly unconventional sense.

But what about her?

Would the renowned, upright Youko Tsukimori really allow such an immoral conversation? For someone as tolerant and ever-smiling as her, talking about it to me without showing the faintest disagreeance should have been no problem, even if she had to hide her disfavor.

However, it didn't look like that to me.

How so? Well, because I felt that, just like me, she—enjoyed immoral topics to the fullest.

"Okay, but then as a purely hypothetical question—"

I carefully touched the left pocket of my uniform from above. Inside it was a four-times folded scrap of paper.

"—what would you do if there was a plan that made the perfect crime possible?"

I always carried the murder recipe around with me.

The next moment, she gave a smile that reminded me of the sound of a bell.

"A good question. Indeed, I might consider murder as a means of achieving an objective if I were able to commit the perfect crime. But in my case," she said with a mischievous, crescent moon smile very much to my liking, "I would never base such a conduct on a written plan that ''might'' remain as proof later on. It would be ridiculous if a plan that makes the perfect crime possible caused it to fail. I think a plan should only and entirely be in one's head."

She pondered for a few moments, humming, and then added, "...if you ask me and think simply about it, it doesn't matter whether it is planned or just a product of coincidences. After all, it's a perfect crime if no one notices your willful action, right?"

Something unfolded before my eyes that exceeded my expectations. It almost went so far that I suspected I was dreaming while awake.

"It is entirely the result that determines whether a crime is perfect or not. However perfect a plan is, it's over as soon as someone else takes note. Put the other way, however 'flimsy' a plan is, it is a perfect crime as long as ''no one'' takes note."

Suddenly, I noticed that I was shivering.

"But don't you agree that mistakes are inherent if a human takes part? Humans ''are'' imperfect, after all. It's the imperfect human that makes the mistake in the very end. So, eventually I think it is the executor who holds the final key."

Not because I was cold. Neither because the weather was getting dreadful. She wasn't scary either.

"To sum up my thoughts, the most important condition for a perfect crime is neither a perfect plan nor a perfect execution, but a perfect human—"

I was probably trembling with excitement. Because I seemed to be excited extremely.

She giggled.

"Laughable, isn't it? That's just another impracticable theory on the paper; perfect humans do not exist after all. Well, of course the ones who are to investigate the crime are human, too, so there are mistakes on that side as well. But still I think that a perfect crime is infeasible unless you come upon a remarkable succession of coincidences."

SoICantHaveKilledMyFatherRightNonomiyaKun?

Perhaps my warped personality was just playing with me, but I couldn't help thinking that that was what she proclaimed.

I shook my head strongly.

"Highly doubtful."

I turned towards her and looked into her big almond eyes. "Why?" she asked, giving a moon-like smile again, while reflecting me on her retina.

"You lied. You claimed there were no perfect humans in the world—but I know of at least one in my vicinity."

She didn't ask "Who?" but only nodded briefly, "I see."

...She got me there. That way it was only funnier!

It was all Youko Tsukimori's fault that I was more talkative than usual and felt my heart throb with excitement.

Why were the thrilling conversations with her so amusing?

Perhaps I was simply drawing pleasure from talking about immoral topics—but what if the other party hadn't been her? Would it still have been so enjoyable?

While tending to be annoyed by her usual behavior, I apparently still had expectations at associating with her deep in my heart.

So did it even matter what we would talk about? Didn't I just long for a thrill that didn't exist in my previous everyday life, by associating with her because of the murder recipe? Wasn't ''that'' the reason why I—unconsciously—kept on walking a tightrope without getting to the point?

Wasn't I afraid of awaking and being drawn back to the boring reality if I confronted her with the murder recipe?

There was no sense of justice in my actions. What was there was interest, curiosity and the desire to learn more about her.

So all I wanted might have been a link to the fascinating person named Youko Tsukimori.

However, at the same time I also wanted to make sure whether she really had used the murder recipe to kill her father. I contradicted myself.

—Yes. I was about to make the next step towards her.

I was craving knowledge of a face of hers that no one knew.

The green light of the traffic light started to blink again. The nth red light awaited us.

The rain still showed no sign of weakening and hit the asphalt in a steady rhythm. The crush of people heading towards the station, however, had become sparser as the temperature of the town dropped.

I recovered my breath silently so that she wouldn't notice my growing excitement. Then I slowly led my fingers through between my buttons, reaching into my inside pocket.

—I had made up my mind. I intended to ask her directly about the murder recipe.

But then, all of a sudden, Tsukimori embraced me from front. I was caught with my fingers still in my pocket, unable to take them out.

"...I'm cold," murmured Tsukimori along with a white sigh before I could raise my voice in surprise.

Her upward-glance was watery, her black hair soaked, the way she leaned against me with all her weight sexy and her beautiful lips at my chin's height seemed to beg for a kiss.

The soft touch I could feel beyond her uniform was still the same, but she had grown cold indeed.

It ''was'' my mistake to have her talk that long in a wet state, but neither was I crazy nor so experienced in love matters as to hug a girl with all eyes of the town upon us just because of that.

I put my hands on her shoulders, wanting to release myself from her embrace, but she immediately shook her head, stubbornly saying, "No!" and hugged me even stronger. Contrary to her childish attitude, her body was more than mature enough to give rise to some complicated feelings on my part.

It was then that I felt a vibration at Tsukimori's breasts, which were pressed against me.

"...what a shame for the good mood."

While making a regretful face, she took her mobile phone out of her chest pocket. It was quite ticklish when she operated it at zero distance.

I slid my hand out of my jacket and tucked it into a pocket of my trousers. My excitement was entirely spoiled by that indelicate phone call.

"...Yes, Youko speaking."

Her expression became earnest promptly after she had begun the conversation.

"...my mother? No, I haven't heard of anything. She was at home when I left for school this morning."

As they exchanged words, her expression got darker and darker. I couldn't perceive what the caller was saying, but it was obviously not good news.

"...Yes. Understood. I'll return. Yes. If I find out something I will immediately give you a call."

She cut the connection and let out a tired sigh.

"What's the matter?" I asked.

She gazed at me with watery eyes for a few seconds, hesitating.

"...my mother was absent from the cooking school she works at without notice," she replied at last, "She would never do that. Therefore, someone of the staff was worrying about her and gave me a call."

"Maybe she's sick?"

I voiced a cheap word of consolation.

"I wonder... he told me that he has tried calling our home number several times. Of course, he tried her mobile phone as well. But it didn't connect, so he called me, her daughter, since I might know something..."

She cut off her sentence and started to ponder, furling her long eyebrows.

I let out a sigh. Somehow I sensed that nothing but trouble was waiting for me.

"Let's hurry home."

I grabbed her cold hand firmly and walked towards the station, pulling her behind me.

"...eh?"

I heard her confused voice from diagonally behind.

"Seems like you're in for some trouble, so I won't stop you any longer and go home," I said quickly. "—Saying that would have suited me better, I guess... But seeing you make such a face, how should I leave you to your own devices? Besides, I don't even want to think about Mirai-san's reaction if I left at this point."

To my plain remark, she replied: "This warped side of your personality is so lovely."

I heard her pleased voice from diagonally behind.

Thinking that she was teasing me, I promptly searched for a nice objection. However, when she whispered, "...Thanks," at my ear and I felt her freezing fingers that held firmly to me, I became unable to complain.

Not a soul was to be seen in the dark and cold residential area. The unceasing rain falling upon us conjured up a sense of isolation in me, notwithstanding that Tsukimori was by my side.

We hurried up the long, steep stairs, at which end ''that'' house awaited us—with its very unique geometrical design that made it protrude from the rest of the rich neighborhood.

Tsukimori had tried countless times calling her home phone and her mother's mobile phone underway, but the only voice she got to hear was the guidance of the answering machine. Because of pressing restlessness, I suspect, I heard none of her easygoing remarks anymore at the time we reached our destination.

As pathetic as it is, I found myself unable to find the right words to console her.

I followed Tsukimori through the entrance. There was an absolute silence inside.

The end of the long corridor blended with the darkness. The dire situation made it seem to me as if we had lost our way into an eerie haunt of devils.

When I took off my loafers at the entrance, she said, "...you'll catch a cold. Wait a moment, I'll get you a towel."

While swiftly proceeding through the dark corridor, Tsukimori assuredly flipped several switches alongside the wall, filling the house gradually with light.

I slowly walked through the lit corridor to the living room, where I started to wait for her.

I gazed at the arrangement, which had remained unchanged from last time, and like then, the tranquility made my ears sensitive. Thinking back, we had been alone that night.

So this time we were probably alone, too.

No one else was here. That's what my intuition told me the moment I had made my first step into the building.

Well, of course it was possible that her mother had collapsed somewhere in the house, but judging from what Tsukimori said when she returned, "When I went to fetch the towel, I also peeked into several rooms, but I didn't find her. She might not be here...," her mother ''was'' absent.

"I just hope she hasn't been involved in some accident..."

I smiled at the pondering Tsukimori.

"But maybe it's not such a big deal and she just didn't feel like going to work because of all the rain today, you know."

"You mean she simply ditched work?"

"Well, I, for one, often seriously consider escaping from school or work and going out somewhere when I ride my bike on nice days."

I found my own remark laughable.

"I hope so."

But thanks to her laughing faintly, I was spared from self-loathing.

"Perhaps there's a message for you somewhere? A note or something that says where she is and what she's doing?"

"You're right. I'll take a look."

Tsukimori nodded cheerfully to my suggestion. Apparently, she had regained her usual composure.

I followed Tsukimori into the kitchen. Unobtrusively.

As much as I felt bad about taking advantage of her worries about her mother's safety, I certainly did not intend to miss out on a chance to openly search her home.

An elegant system kitchen with a yellow theme filled my view.

"As expected from a teacher at a cooking school," I commented on the large fridge, the unfamiliar cookware and the various ingredients.

"Made in Italy if I remember correctly."

While Tsukimori was inspecting the kitchen, I looked around without anything better to do and took one of her mother's cookbooks to flick through it.

I didn't actually hope to find a message. Would be nice if there was one. Personally, I hoped much more to find something related to the murder recipe.

For example—a bit of new information about the recipe.

I was aware that I was being indiscreet. However, in all honesty I was fond of that kind of mood. I was enjoying a thrill comparable to detective work or exploring of a cave for a treasure.

"It looks like there is nothing here. Maybe in her room...?" said Tsukimori gloomily and left the kitchen, wordlessly followed by me.

She opened one of the doors alongside the corridor. The instant the door went open, I could smell the overly sweet scent of perfume.

The walls were covered with white wallpaper, a curtain decorated with laces, a dressing table put at the wall and a dresser that was laden with countless makeup goods. It was obviously the room of her mother.

"You get on well with your mother, don't you?"

"Yes, certainly not bad."

On the nightstand by the bed, which had a flower pattern, there were several picture frames, each of which depicted Tsukimori and her mother.

"Did your parents sleep separately?"

There was only one bed in the room - a bed for one person only.

"I have always thought this way was natural, but is it more common that spouses sleep in one room, after all? Well, it probably is. Perhaps they did so because both of them had to work, and I guess it was more convenient this way due to those circumstances."

"At my place, both the parents sleep together, whether peacefully or not I couldn't say, in a king-size bed. But judging from the 'I woke up in the middle of the night because you kept stealing my blanket', which I often hear my mother shout in the early morning, I guess they get on well."

She flashed a warm smile while listening to me.

"You have fantastic parents."

Therefore, I just answered expressionlessly, "They're normal."

"I don't want to stay too long in a lady's room," I said and left the room quickly to wait in the corridor. I was merely annoyed by the overly-sweet perfume.

I asked Tsukimori, who was searching the area around the dressing table in the meanwhile: "Where is your father's room?"

I can't say I had no ulterior motive.

"You can find it just on the opposite side."

Neither can I deny that this was a pretext to explore her house on my own.

"We'd rather search separately. I'll look through the room of your father."

But it's also true that I wanted to do a good deed, much as it didn't suit me, and help her out at least a little after seeing her behaving that mature.

"That would be a great help. But his room might be a little dusty. It has been left untouched since his passing...," said Tsukimori apologetically.

"I don't mind," I replied and headed towards the door opposite.

My first impression was that it looked like a library.

All of the books that covered one wall of the room dealt with construction, which I noticed when I fixed my eyes on the respective spines. On the shiny silver desk was a large pile of books and a desktop PC. Both sides of the desk were equipped with one cordless telephone each. I figured that this room served as both his library and working area.

As Tsukimori had warned me, my steps left behind dust-surrounded footprints on the floor. There was also a lot of dust on the window frames.

I stopped. I had registered a sound.

According to Tsukimori, that room was supposed to be untouched. But still a subtle sound resembling the buzz of a mosquito reached my ears.

It was the sound of a small fan.

I stood before the silver desk. The PC seemed to be turned on, though in sleep mode. I pressed a random key.

"—Tsukimori."

The instant I saw the display, I called her name.

She then came from the neighboring room and, squinting one eye, asked, "Mh?".

"This," I said, pointing at the screen.

Indeed, her mother had left a note with a message.

"That's...," she muttered, surprised, and kept silent, staring at the screen, as though time had frozen. The only sounds in the room was the rain hitting the window and the regular buzzing of the computer fan.

At the time, I could do nothing but watch her beautiful yet so sorrowful face from the side.

Her mother's name was typed in the "notepad" on the screen, along with the following short comment.

«I'm sorry»

On that day, I didn't arrive at home until past three at night in a police car.

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[[Gekkou:Volume 1 Sweet Nightmare|Sweet Nightmare]]|
[[Gekkou:Volume 1 Cigarette Tiger|Cigarette Tiger]]}}
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[[Category:Gekkou]]