Editing City Series:Volume4a Chapter 6 (section)

===Part 4===

'''7:27 PM

In the present, Shoui looked up at the moon in the night sky and sighed.

…''Is she who she is now because I didn’t protect her?

He could not answer that question.

He could think of plenty of causes.

He had let her kill someone.

He had not been able to stop her from being hurt.

He had gone to the Mountain without telling her anything.

He had spent two years on meaningless training without contacting her.

And most importantly…

“Even after that training, I’m not a Chancellor and I couldn’t reach the same level as her.”

He got up and walked to the metal fence on the edge of the roof. The wind blowing up along the dormitory wall was powerful.

He could see the schoolyard and the giant school building silently rising five stories into the night.

The schoolyard had pockmark-like holes dug here and there.

However, there was a pattern to the pockmarks. Those dots drew a giant circle with a few more dots drew lines from the center to the cardinal directions.

Word Accelerator Ixolde was buried below there.

That giant double helix word accelerator was buried two hundred meters belowground.

It would create a Rhythm with a Tempo faster than any existing Rhythm could hope to have.

“They claim that Rhythm will be presented to the Mountain, but who knows what will happen.”

With those words, he turned his back on the schoolyard.

The wind hit his back.

…''What am I supposed to do now?

As soon as he thought that, he realized someone was standing in front of him.

“!?”

He put up his guard on reflex and heard a voice.

“Hey, are you the only one here?”

Shoui realized who it was.

“Oh, Saki-san.”

He stood up and took three steps back.

He was keeping his distance.

When Saki realized what Shoui was doing, he silently pulled out his spear and held it at the ready.

“Why are you running away? …And more importantly, what were you doing up on the roof?”

“Eh? Well… Um, I was doing a bit of combat training and then some thinking.”

“…Combat training?”

“I know that look. You don’t believe me, do you? That’s not very nice of you.”

“No, it isn’t that.”

“If my stomps were making a racket down below, I apologize. That might have been loud.”

“Yeah, I’m here because we got some complaints about that.” Saki sighed. “Well, I also used to cause a lot of noise training here.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, and so did Nanba Souichirou who’s Chancellor now. Back when he hadn’t fought that ogre and had all his limbs, he would train here every night like you were.”

“How do you know that? Are you an obsessed fan or something?”

“Don’t be stupid. As the 1st Special Duty Officer, I’m in charge of intelligence. Besides, Souichirou and I are from the same year.”

Saki held up the black leather attaché case in the opposite hand from his spear.

The words “For the 1st Special Duty Officer Only” were printed on it in gold.

“Two years ago, there was a malfunction during Ixolde’s test activation being held in the schoolyard in front of you. So many Lives were disturbed that an ogre was born in Osaka.”

“I heard about that while I was at the Mountain.”

“That ogre lived in the mountains of Sakai and ate people’s Lives, so Souichirou – whose family, by the way, is descended from Ogre-Buster Watanabe no Tsuna – fought the ogre with his Modified Purple Electricity Style of Dance Combat and his Kusanagi Rhythm.”

“And during their second fight, Nanba Souichirou won in exchange for losing the use of his arms and legs, right?”

“Yes. Ever since that victory, we stopped gathering here.”

“Because it reminds you of a time when none of you had been hurt?”

“None of your business, moron.”

Saki laughed quietly after that.

And…

“You want to pick up where we left off?”

He pointed his spear toward Shoui.

The moonlight reflected dully from the blade and Shoui took a few steps back.

“W-wait juuust a second. …Sorry, though.”

“What is it?”

“You seem to think my lack of Words is a wonderful little threat, but why exactly?”

“Do you think you’re in any position to order me around?”

“Ah, why do adults always dodge the issue like that?”

“Don’t be stupid. There’s a reason I can’t tell you. A good reason.”

“A reason?”

Saki nodded and looked down at the attaché case in his left hand.

And…

“Since I doubt you’ll accept that, I’ll give you a simple explanation. Ever since a certain incident, the 1st Special Duty Officer of Osaka’s Chancellor Officers has been told to be cautious of any Dis-Worder that approaches us.”

“A certain incident?”

“Yes, but I can’t get into the details.”

“W-wait a second. Um…are you saying your issue with me is based on something like a prophecy!?”

Shoui was answered by Words.

Saki crossed his arms as if to better hold the attaché case as he began his recitation.

''Companions vanish

''Even he vanishes

''She too vanishes

:''A hand that can hold onto no one remains

:''A hand that fosters destruction remains

:''That hand pleads for no one to leave

Saki spoke to Shoui with his arms still crossed.

“Once, there was a boy who had no Words. After he and his girl saw some cherry blossoms blossoming in winter, he brought misfortune to Osaka and died. The 1st Special Duty Officer at the time was his friend. …The first page of the history notebook inside this case contains that Officer’s altered Words after seeing it all through to the end.”

“Those are some harsh Words…”

“Really? I don’t think so.”

“But doesn’t ‘pleading for no one to leave’ sound like he isn’t letting their spirits rest in peace?”

After saying that, Shoui realized what the Words meant.

“He’s asking them to stay by his side even after they’ve died?”

“Interpret it however you want. I can’t get into the details, but your situation is awfully like that boy’s.”

“You mean bringing damage to his surroundings, dying…and filling someone with sorrow?”

Saki did not nod. He simply looked Shoui in the eye.

His silence seemed to be pressing Shoui to make a decision.

He kept his spear at the ready so he could act at any moment.

But…

—''Shoui – Hear Tech – Auto-Take – Sense Danger – Hit!

—''Saki – Hear Tech – Auto-Take – Sense Danger – Hit!

“…!?”

They heard a scream.

It came from the dormitory directly below.

The two of them exchanged a glance.

“Gwaaaaah!”

They heard that shout and the shattering of glass from downstairs, but then the noise vanished.

“Saki-san!?” / “…What is going on!?”

By the time they yelled, they were already on the move.

They were running toward the stairs down from the roof.

Something was happening downstairs.

Most likely, it was a fight.

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