Editing City Series:Volume4a Chapter 3 (section)

===Part 1===

'''11:02 PM

The winter night was growing late and a sandy wind passed below the moonlight.

That wind blew above the desert known as the Altered Line that covered northern Nagoya.

It danced freely through the sky.

A large bridge crossed the sky as if following the wind.

The long, straight bridge was located several kilometers above the ground.

The giant bridge cast its shadow on the vast sea of sand below and it had a certain name: New Route 155.

The ultra elevated bridge crossed the region of desert covering northern Nagoya.

The moon had risen directly above New Route 155.

The elevated bridge cast its shadow in that moonlight and a four-track freight railroad traveled east to west across it.

Currently, two men faced each other on the track leading to the Nagoya region.

Standing on the west was a large boy with two false arms and a sleeveless school uniform.

Standing on the east was a boy with short-cut hair and a red mountain hoodie.

They were both students.

They both had their legs spread wide across the railroad track.

A powerful silence ruled the region.

Tension itself seemed to float around them.

Something like uncontainable murderous intent surrounded the area with a low Tempo.

That Tempo could only be broken by new words and the first to open his mouth was the large boy.

“To think you would use 155 to try to sneak into the Nagoya region.”

His low voice elicited a confident bend of the eyebrows and a bitter smile from the other boy.

“If we hadn’t been questioned at Inuyama Station, we could have gotten through without having to pass over the Altered Line. I didn’t think they would bother with an inspection for a night train.”

“I had heard Inuyama was caught in a battle …Supposedly, they were faced with a giant wolf-like beast and someone immune to all attacks.”

“We’re all pretty much demons, so you all don’t stand a chance. …Nagoya got the short end of the stick on this one.”

“Nonsense. …Ever since the Kinki Riot, Nagoya has never met anything we could not eliminate at this east-west gate.”

“So you take a neutral stance in combat? Interesting. Now, I know your Vice Chancellor from two years ago tried to side with Tokyo, but I hear he was killed by the Koto Chancellor. So which side will you choose now?”

The large boy responded by holding his false hands forward.

“I would prefer to know what ''you’re'' thinking, Tokyo Chancellor Nakamura Hisahide.”

“Oh? I’d thought student information on the east wasn’t getting to the west and vice versa, but it looks like I’m more famous than I thought.”

“Nagoya stands at the center between east and west. The information reaches us.” He continued. “We know that you won East Japan’s Student Karate Openweight Championship despite being a middleweight with no prosthetics and not using a Rhythm. And that you are a problem student who has not once appeared as East Japan’s representative for the thrice a year World Student Conference.”

“Ha ha. That’s how you see me? Damn, I’m cool.”

“What are you thinking? You may be a problem student, but you are still Tokyo’s Chancellor. Why would the representative of East Japan break the world-regulated school rules by traveling west?”

“That’s simple. My sister is calling me.”

“…Your sister?”

“That’s right. My sister said goodbye during the Kinki Riot thirteen years ago.” He took a breath. “And my final connection to her is in that city.”

He resumed a forward-and-back stride while raising his arms in preparation.

He spread his right hand, looked at the silver ring on the middle finger, and asked a question.

“I know all about you too. You’re the winner of West Japan’s Student Karate Openweight Championship and you’re Nagoya Vice Chancellor. You’re Ichiyama Yuusei the Zapper, aren’t you?”

“…So we are about to determine who is Japan’s greatest student karate fighter, are we?”

“The greatest student karate fighter? That’s not what this is about.”

“?”

“The fight I am about to begin is the war to become king.”

Hisahide began to sing.

''A red flower blooms in the darkness

''An empty party begins in strength

''A human heart flows into nothingness

:''A soldier saves the king

:''A woman becomes the queen

:''A sage reminisces

::''Run down another’s path without looking

::''Choose your own path and sprint

::''The true path lies in the future

Despite the song, he showed no hint of using a Rhythm’s power.

[[Image:City_v04a_115.jpg|thumb]]

“Was that song not the Words needed to use a Rhythm?” asked Ichiyama.

“For now, it’s nothing but a prophecy.”

“A prophecy?”

“When I do use that song as my Words, then I will become king, just as the lyrics say.”

He took a breath.

“I will become a king who can only choose the future.”

His fantastical words brought a brief frown to Ichiyama’s face.

A moment later, Hisahide began to run forward.

“You aren’t blocking my way!”

With that shout, he won the initiative.