Editing City Series:Volume2 Chapter 3 (section)

===Part 2===

Amon was inside Westminster Cathedral’s large main sanctuary located past a corridor. He was alone, drinking some coffee sold at the bazaar.

There was a giant square hole past the railing he rested his elbows on. Each side was fifteen meters long and there was no sign of the bottom. Someone who could see through the darkness would have seen the cathedral’s famous steam-powered automatic pipe organ located far, far below the ground.

Needless to say, Amon could not see in the dark. He was looking at the two giant chains that rose straight up from the darkness below.

The links of the chain were large enough for him to duck through and they led to the bell tower directly connected to the sanctuary’s ceiling.

The large bell was visible up above. The support and the head of the hammer used to strike the bell were both as tall as Amon.

The chains were connected to the back end of the hammer, so it seemed pulling on the chains caused the hammer to strike the bell. This was how the city’s hourly bell and pipe organ music worked.

…''Come to think of it, I’ve never taken a good look at this before.

As soon as he thought that, the ropes formed from metal loops moved up and down. One moved up and the other down. The movement of the chains caused the hammer to strike the bell.

The bell immediately produced a low, deep, and yet clear tone. The entire sanctuary resonated with the sound and shook a little.

The very next moment, a wave of sound much like a physical blow erupted from the hole in front of Amon. Not only did the deluge of sound pass through his body, but it almost Overrode his body. The pipe organ music reverberated through the deep hole and transformed into a much greater sound than it had started as.

The paper coffee cup in his hand was overwhelmed by the sound. The vibrations crushed it. No, the great presence of the sound was too much for it and triggered a Balance Fall.

Amon grabbed onto the railing with both hands. He focused on gathering his strength and used that as a basis for his Verbal Self Control. He somehow managed to withstand the noise and avoid a Balance Fall of his own.

“Now that was something.”

By the time he muttered to himself, he could hear all the other sounds.

Half hidden by the pipe organ’s music, he heard a metallic sound like grinding gears. He guessed it was the steam devices that let the organ play automatically.

Rumor had it they were just as large as the chains. Someone had once jumped into the hole to commit suicide, their bones had jammed the gears of the steam devices, and the music had stopped. Of course, that did not happen now. The bell stopped after ringing thrice and the music finished nicely with an especially loud note.

“Three o’clock, huh?”

Amon rested his elbows on the railing as the lingering sound shook his body.

“That was three o’clock too, wasn’t it?”

He suddenly remembered what had happened that morning.

It had been three in the morning which could still be called the middle of the night.

He had woken to hear the bell and music coming from Westminster Cathedral, but that was not what had woken him.

A dream had.

He had not had his usual nightmares.

He had fallen into a strangely calm sleep, but it had been so unusual that he had uncomfortably woken.

…''That’s just pathetic.

He had woken to that thought.

It had been dark, but enough light entered through the window to see across the room.

He had been sleeping on a three-person sofa. Before going to sleep, he and Klausl had argued over which one would sleep on the sofa and he had forced his way onto it.

“…?”

He had felt something like a pillow below his head, but he had not had one before going to sleep. Not to mention that the only pillow had been on the bed Klausl was using.

Nevertheless, he had felt it below his head. It had been a soft, warm sensation.

He had suddenly realized the sensation was somehow familiar.

He had frantically Overridden his surroundings and the dimly-lit room had grown clearer than before.

“Not again.”

Klausl had been sleeping by his head with a blanket pulled up to her shoulders. The pillow-like feeling had been her thigh.

“You idiot.”

He had started to get up and warn her, but he had stopped.

He had stopped because he had known what she would say when he asked why she had done it.

“Because you were having a nightmare again and I didn’t know what to do.”

He had been certain she would say that with a serious look on her face. That was just the kind of selfish and yet worrying girl she was.

Even after hearing he was Death Wish Amon, she did not fear him in the slightest and she would show any number of closed-eyed expressions whenever something happened. And she did it all seriously instead of out of pity.

…''Does she trust me?

“If I said that, she’d take it the wrong way and get carried away.”

He had muttered that so he could hear and rested his head on Klausl’s lap.

Suddenly, his head had hit something hard.

…''?

It had been on the side of her hip, so he had guessed it was something in her skirt’s hidden pocket.

“What is that?”

Fully aware he probably should not have done so, he had touched whatever it was through the cloth. That had told him its general shape and that was enough to know what it was.

…''A hand mirror.

He had looked up at her face in surprise.

Her blonde hair had fallen across her closed eyes as she slept, but those eyes would not open even when she woke.

…''Why doesn’t she open her eyes?

He had also asked another question he had not considered before.

…''What is she?

She almost looked human, but that could not be the case. No human could move about normally without opening her eyes. However, she was not a demon or a divine race, she did not have the thin shadow of a spirit, and she did not vanish below the sun like a ghost.

Given her multiplication the previous day, he had wondered if she was a relative of an amoeba or a slime.

…''I just don’t know.

As soon as he had reached that conclusion, she had frowned slightly and let out a small breath that was half a sigh and half a groan.

He had quickly begun to feign sleep, but she had spoken before he could.

It had been a very, very quiet voice that only he could hear.

“Sister… Why?”

Hearing that, he had stopped pretending to sleep. He had simply stared at her face.

Whatever dream she was having, she had been lightly biting her lower lip.

“…”

Amon had said nothing, but after seeing her slender hand stick out from the blanket, he had reached out his own hand.

He had held her slightly tensed hand.

Her expression had changed a little. The strength had left her lower lip and her eyebrows had grown more peaceful.

Amon had sighed.

…''This is to repay her.

Satisfied with that reasoning, he had closed his eyes.

When he had woken the following morning, she had already left the sofa and he had heard someone preparing breakfast in the kitchen beyond the living room door.

He recalled all of that while resting his elbows on the railing.

“I must have been half asleep to do that.”

Suddenly, he opened his right hand and looked at it.

“But still…”

His hand was hardened from all the fights he got into, but he could still feel her slender hand in it. He still felt the strength and warmth of her hand as she tensed up in fear of her dream.

He remembered that, but what about her?