Editing BlazBlue:Calamity Trigger Part 2 Chapter 3 (section)

===Part 2===
'''December 30, 2199 - 23:45''' 

The cold wind of midnight carried the clouds and hid the moon.

But from here, the closest place to the sky in all of Kagutsuchi, most of the way the clouds flow was an event at his feet.

Novus Orbis Librarium Kagutsuchi branch. The rooftop was usually unused and empty, with nothing on it.

The fact that there was not even a single handrail despite being at the highest height was because it was not originally a place where one should set foot.

But there, tonight, was the figure of a man.

"Well, then. I guess this is about it." Hazama of the Intelligence Department muttered in a nonchalant, drawn-out tone.

Hazama, who had been crouching on the empty circular stage-like rooftop, stood up while lightly brushing his hands.

As expected, the wind was strong just because of the altitude. Hazama took out a palm-sized communication device from his suit's inner pocket, easily operated something with his knobby fingers, and firmly held his hat so that it would not be blown away by the wind.

The communication device, which was put to his ear, repeated a boring ringing tone.

He was kept waiting for a few seconds. Soon the ringing tone stopped, and a clicking sound rang in his ear, followed by a voice responding.

"It's me." It was a low and lustrous male voice. However, there was no  trace of emotion in that voice, and it made a completely bland sound on flat ground. Hazama's smile deepened at the sound of the voice, and put his hat on even more carefully.

"Ah, it's Hazama. Thank you for your hard work. I'm sorry to bother you at this late hour."

"Are the preparations complete?" Whether he heard Hazama's voice or not, the person on the other end of the phone asked emotionlessly, as if he did not care at all about the words spoken to him.

"Good grief." Hazama could not help but shake his head. He was always like this. "Seriously, you're as impatient as ever. You could at least return a proper greeting! It's a basic rule for a working adult, you know?"

"Is it done?" He apparently had no intention of listening. It was a truly typical response from the other party in the communication. Hazama shrugged his shoulders. The sharply ringing wind cut through the clouds behind him and disappeared somewhere.

"Yes, it's done. Everything is ready. Well... I don't know if this will be useful, though." Saying that, Hazama looked up at the sky. A cold moon was shining beyond the clouds that were flowing at an incredible speed. Perhaps it would be a full moon tomorrow?

At the composed round face that he looked down from that height, Hazama gave a derisive sigh.

"After this, we'll be observing the situation here... what will you do? If you have anything else you want me to do, please tell me now. Tomorrow, I have to monitor a certain lieutenant, you know."

The person on the other end of the communication suddenly gave him errands sometimes, which was troublesome.

As if to make sure, Hazama confirmed, and the other party replied after a few seconds, seemingly without interest.

"Nothing in particular for now... let me know if there's anything."

"Understood. Then, I'll take my leave. Colonel Relius Clover." The communication was cut off with a small sound.

Sliding the silent communicator back into his suit's inner pocket, Hazama turned his back on the empty space of the rooftop and started walking.

As he walked, the heels of his hard leather shoes clicking on the rooftop floor, a voice spoke to his consciousness.

"Well, well, tomorrow is the real show, Hazama."

The voice was sticky, unpleasant, sarcastic, and seemed to be making fun of him. 

That way of speaking would sometimes grate on people's nerves and irritate them. But for Hazama, who heard that voice closer than anyone else, his foul mouth and attitude weren't something to be concerned about.

While walking with a nonchalant and frivolous gait, Hazama lowered the corners of his eyebrows greatly with a wry smile.

"Oh dear, it was quite a task, really. But when I think about how many times there have been patterns where I've worked hard on this and that, and then everything is ruined at the very end... it's just depressing to even imagine it."

"That's right, that's right? I'm having a hard time, you know?" The owner of the voice spoke with an exaggeratedly bored tone. Hazama listened to it and smiled wryly.

But there was only Hazama on the rooftop. There wasn't even a sign of someone else.

Even so, while strangely conversing with someone, Hazama returned to the inside of the branch. 

There was still nothing on the rooftop where Hazama said he had "prepared" something. However, the moon illuminated the lonely scene in a somewhat ominous way.




'''December 31, 2199 - 13:05'''

After walking through a disgusting sewer for a long time and crawling out of a narrow exit, the sky was already dyed in the color of night.

The proper air that he inhaled after several hours was the kind of clean air that was typical of the upper city, which in turn made him feel sick.

The people who live above would probably faint immediately if they inhaled the air of the lower level. He couldn't help but think that sarcastically.

Fortunately, it was late and there were almost no people around, and if he chose a dark road, he could walk around without anyone watching him.

Avoiding shopping streets and residential areas, Ragna went as far as possible to escape to the city's outskirts. What he sought is a place where he could rest his body.

The journey of several hours through the bad roads from Orient Town to the Kaka tribe's village, and from there through the sewer to the upper layer, had taken its toll on his body. Tonight, he would rest his body for the time being, and aim for the NOL branch tomorrow night.

Having decided so, he wandered around the corner of the upper layer where no one was around. It was already past midnight when he finally found a warehouse that seemed to be unused and rolled into it.

There was something like a natural park nearby, and the warehouse he found seemed to be a forgotten relic of some building that used to be here. The lock was only a simple one, and he forced it open and entered.

The inside was dusty enough to make him cough lightly as soon as he opened it, but after ventilating it for a while and mixing it with the clean air that the upper layer provided, the dusty warehouse was more comfortable for Ragna.

The warehouse wasn't very large, but it wasn't extremely small either. It was enough space for a man of Ragna's size to lean his back against the wall, stretch his legs, and sleep overnight. It also helped that there were few things in it, as it was not used.

He often slept outdoors. Tonight's sleeping place, with a roof, walls, and floor, and most important, privacy, was quite good.

Avoiding people's eyes, he closed the door. Faint moonlight seeps in through a small gap, drawing a pale blue line in the warehouse.

Crossing it, Ragna sat down. He took off the sword that he had been lowering and placed it beside him, then leaned his head against the cold, simple wall and used it as a pillow.

"Hah...I don't know..." As soon as he settled down, a deep sigh escaped and his shoulders dropped. Looking back, he had hardly walked on a proper road all day today.

''(No wonder I'm tired...)'' Ragna thought vaguely while looking at the streak of moonlight that passed through the floor and his knees.

Tomorrow, on the other hand, he would be walking on roads that were too proper. He would go through the upper city and break into the NOL's branch.

The time was always at night. During the day, many people enter and exit the branch.

He had no feelings of hesitation or consideration towards the NOL, but he didn't want to involve innocent people who happened to be there. He didn't want to make a fuss and attract people's attention.

On the contrary, it was honestly refreshing to see the NOL's people being wary at night, and yet being caught off guard and flustered. He hoped that they would never have a peaceful night.

"NOL, huh..."

No matter how much fatigue weighed on him, that name alone stirred Ragna's heart. A scorching heat spread from the depths of his body, stirring Ragna's fighting spirit.

It was the same even now. The light in his eyes, which should have been relaxed to rest his body, was completely lit with the fire of hostility, and his large teeth, which were clenched as if trying to suppress the impulsive outburst, bit down on his senses.

For Ragna, the NOL was the target of all the hatred that arose. It was hostility, murderous intent, and all the harm he could think of.

The root of this was seven years ago. The day when the church of the sister who raised them was attacked and burned down... it had been firmly burned into Ragna's heart and memory, and would never be erased.