Editing Ultimate Antihero:Volume 2 Chapter 1 (section)

===Part 2===

“――-“

While reminiscing a memory that couldn’t be said as particularly good, Homura’s consciousness returned from inside his slumber.

Nearing his awakening, he could hear the sound of the waves and high-pitched voices of children making merry.

When he opened his heavy eyelids, what entered his eyes was the blue sky of summer and the shadow of a parasol that cut the view.

And then―

“My. You awake?”

The eye of a black haired girl that was looking down on him, Onjouji Shiori.

“……”

When he rotated his neck to the side, what he could see was a white sandy beach. There were the children of age around the beginning of elementary school students wearing swimsuit making merry around there, and the figure of Ichinotani Chikori in a swimsuit appearance mixing with those children in high spirit.

Looking at that scene, Homura recalled about the situation he was in right now.

After he defeated the <Demon King class> demon・Typhon who changed ninety percent of the world to ash, due to the <United World Government> that feared his power that was too much, completely untrue false accusations that made him out as a [traitor that tired to rule humanity by borrowing the power of evil gods] was put on him and he was chased out from society, but―

(Now that I remember, I became a student now…)

At the time when the spring just ended, turning into summer, due to his old friend and also his once former boss Onjouji Kai, he got ordered to enroll into the academy in his former home of Japan.

Most of all, Homura who was a {{furigana|Grand Master|Grand Sorcerer}} that even subdued god didn’t need things like education after this far.

Enrolling into school until the end was only for his cover story to deceive the world.

The true objective of his being called here was because of the direct cooperation request from Japan’s current prime minister・Kinugasa Yoshinori.

The so called <One Year Plan> that was advanced by the <Five Great Leaders>, the leader council that was established by those that possessed the power even inside the <United World Government>, the five representative that were [United States of America] [British Empire] [China Union] [Soviet Socialism Republic Union] ―those four countries and, the historical religion organization the <Holy Path Church> that at present had grasped the majority of the humans’ hearts. To stop this plan of country integration, Kinugasa wished to borrow Homura’s power.

In regards to this, although Homura didn’t clearly say that he would exactly cooperate, but during this one year until the <One Year Plan> was carried out, he would continue to stay in Japan as a deterrence power against the <Five Great Leaders> and acknowledged that in the worst case he would become their strength.

Fundamentally Homura had no intention to get involved with a conflict between fellow humans, but Japan was also his own birth place.

Most of all, it was also because of the fact that he had allowed the <Five Great Leaders> to grow impudent from the authority that they got due to the false power relation between him and them, where he as the <Evil God User> was bound by <Aureole> so that he didn’t give pointless terror towards the people that feared the <Evil God User>.

Thus Homura became the student of New Tokyo Sorcery Academy, assigned to the 101st trainee platoon, and today too, he was doing his duty as a trainee platoon member for today.

By the way, today’s duty was to escort the swimming class performed at sea by the war damaged orphanage inside [Tokyo life sphere] and ensured the safety of the orphans, truly a chore that fit a trainee platoon.

Since <Walpurgis Night>, because the number of demon invasions from the demon world to the human world had increased in earnest, it seemed that the sea had become a place that was hard to guarantee its safety beforehand and so a magician’s accompaniment was indispensable.

But this duty was something that Homura couldn’t just get motivated to do no matter what.

It was not like he didn’t care for children.

It was merely that this situation, where they were waiting for an enemy that they didn’t know would come or not, was a situation where Homura’s potential couldn’t be displayed.

After all, because the unit of magic power that he possessed was just too big, he was completely insensitive towards other people’s magic power to an absurd degree, his ability to detect the enemy was equal to nothing.

Therefore, there was nothing at all that Homura could do at the present stage.

Because there was nothing to do, there was no way for him to show any motivation.

Because there was no way to get motivated, he dumped all responsibility to Shiori who excelled in detecting enemies and slept.

―Yet,

“…I don’t remember borrowing your lap but, why am I sleeping on top of your lap?”

Correct. Before this Homura was only lying sideway on the sheet, he didn’t remember borrowing Shiori’s lap.

Yet right now, the back of his head was placed on Shiori’s thighs, and he was looking up at the girl.

Why? When such a question was to be honestly answered,

“I thought that you wouldn’t be able to sleep well on the ground so I lent my lap to you. Don’t you even have a single word of thanks to this attentive and kind childhood friend I wonder?”

Shiori made a slightly mean smile while saying such thing.
[[File:Ultimate Antihero V2 c11.png|thumb]]
He felt that such things shouldn’t be said by the person herself, but… certainly the dream that he had just seen was not something satisfactory. Although there was a sheet spread out, he could only think that this sandy ground made him unable to sleep well and brought about a negative outcome.

If someone was being helpful to him, then he should say thanks he guessed.

“…Is that so. Thanks then.”

“It’s fine. I too had fun pinching your nose or blocking your mouth after all.”

“No matter how I think about it, ain’t it the fault of you bastard that I saw a nightmare!”

He must be really didn’t sleep well. No wonder that he saw a nightmare.

“I’m sorry. I’ll apologize like this. But it couldn’t be helped. When I saw how comfortable you slept, I unintentionally felt really irritated for some reason.”

“Eh, is that an apology? Or are you picking a fight?”

“But still, you, even when you sleep your face looks ugly isn’t it?”

“As I thought you are picking a fight eh.”

In a flash Homura raised his upper body.

After that he directed his gaze at Shiori and asked her with an amazed expression.

“…Hey. Since we met again, ain’t you acting a little thorny to me?”

“Is that so I wonder? Hmmm. Talking with you is something as inconsequential as the waste that pooled up at the sink filter, so it doesn’t really remain in my memory.”

“Just now ain’t what you said at me really jagged-!”

Since Homura’s reunion with Shiori after five years, the communication between Shiori and Homura was always in this vein.

But in the past it was not like this.

Homura got along with Shiori fairly well.

It was before Homura got called the <Evil God User>. He had already associated with Shiori since the time when he belonged to the special unit of a mercenary organization called the <Knight Order Without Borders> that didn’t differentiate country or race and protected the people from the threat of sorcery and demons.

And then Shiori at that time was really attached emotionally to Homura even more than the current Chikori.

―No, it was even fine to call it dependence.

When he thought about that time, for Homura the current Shiori even made him feel that she was like a different person.

But―it also wasn’t like he didn’t have some idea about what was the cause of this complete change.

“…As I thought, are you holding a grudge to me?”

“I wonder what you are talking about.”

“About how I got out of Japan without saying anything.”

―Five years ago, after he exterminated <Demon King Typhon>.

Just as mentioned before, after the demon king’s extermination, Homura, whose power that was too much to be owned by an individual, was ostracized by the <United World Government> and was chased out from human society by their secret maneuvering, but…

…the truth was, there was also a path for him to remain in the human society.

Certainly at that time even the minimum infrastructure was in a destroyed condition, even the slightly remaining method to relay information was mostly the network of the <Holy Path Church>, because of that the majority of humans completely believed the false information released by the church which said that [Kamishiro Homura was a traitor that borrowed the power of evil gods to try to rule over mankind].

However, even so, in Japan beginning from the current prime minister that was Kinugasa, there were a great number of people that knew that Homura was not a human like what the <United World Government> said.

Although the power that he used was evil, those people didn’t doubt that his soul was noble.

Therefore if he relied on them, it might be possible for Homura to remain in human society.

As a fact, with Kinugasa and Onjouji Kai as a start, the great men that supported Japan after the previous influential people abandoned the people of Japan because they valued their own lives, they showed movement that protected Homura.

But, it was none other than Homura himself that rejected it.

He rejected their good will, then without consulting anyone or even saying a word, Homura accepted the undeserved measure from <United World Government> and disappeared completely from Japan.

Of course there was a reason for Homura to take this action.

For the sake of protecting a single person that was him, Japan would be watched by the <United World Government> that tried to rule as the new world order, surely it wouldn’t be beneficial for the people that lived in this country. That was Homura’s prudence. It was his consideration from knowing how his power that was too vast would make the people tremble just from him existing at their side, he would only become an object of terror. That was his reason that came from being considerate of other people.

But even so… for those people that tried to protect him, those that idolized him, there was no doubt that this decision of Homura that shouldered all the loss by himself was something that vexed them.

From a certain point of view, it was not strange for them to even feel betrayed.

Shiori who idolized Homura at that time was also the same.

And then the more the affection ran deep, when it was turned into hatred it would become even stronger.

Perhaps it was the source of Shiori’s current harshness to him.

Thinking that, when Homura asked her,

“…If you said that, then will you make up for it I wonder?”

Shiori asked back while staring at the horizon from the conjecture that Homura asked at her.

For her to return this kind of reply, he guessed that his guess was correct just as he thought.

Homura who was convinced of that nodded at Shiori’s returned question and gave his answer.

“If it’s within my ability.”

For Homura too, it wasn’t like he didn’t feel that what he did was inexcusable.

If by apologizing he could redeem himself, then he wanted to do that.

It was because he thought that that way both sides could feel at ease mutually.

Looking at Homura’s nod, Shiori gave a short sentence “I see” and,

“Then I wonder if you will perform even dogeza for me?” <ref>Kneeling on the ground with both knees and both hand touching the ground, and the forehead pressing on the ground too.</ref>

She gave him such a demand.

Homura was a little surprised with this demand that his eyes were opened wide.

“…What you ask is unexpectedly straight.”

“You can’t do it?”

“No, if it’s just something like that then it’s fine, rather I thought that because this is Shiori we are talking about that you are going to demand for something stranger.”

Rather this demand was too proper that it shocked him.

Getting told that, Shiori raised her eyebrow and made a sullen expression.

“What a rude talk. Despite how kind of a woman I am who gently gave a lap pillow to you who were sleeping.”

(I think a kind person won’t block all of a sleeping person’s air duct when he was sleeping though.)

“…Anyway if I do dogeza, you will let bygones be bygones about how I disappeared as I pleased right?”

“A woman won’t go back on what she has said.”

Shiori nodded firmly. Seeing that Homura resolved his determination.

“Got it. …Even I feel that what I did is unforgivable after all.”

“Then please wait a little. I will borrow an iron plate and a burner from the beach house for this.”

“Wait a second. What are you gonna do borrowing something like that?”

“That’s necessary to show your sincerity right? People in the past said it. If the feeling of regret are really filling the heart, they will do dogeza even if they have to do it on top of an iron plate that roasts their meat and melt their bones.”

“I ain’t feeling sorry until that much y’know!?”

Homura’s voice turned rough from the bullshit.

Thereupon Shiori’s gaze instantly turned cold,

“Then I won’t forgive you.”

She declared resolutely throwing away her previous remark.

Homura directed a fixed reproachful stare at Shiori who was like that.

“…If you are like this, then you didn’t plan to forgive me from the start then?”

“Yes of course. It’s obvious right?”

Answering like that without trying to hide it, Shiori reached out her hand and touched Homura’s cheek. And then with a strong pinch, she forcefully made Homura’s upper body laid down and brought his head onto her lap once more.

Being treated so forcefully that it even made his neck feel slightly painful, Homura said “What the hell are you doing?” in protest while directing his gaze at her, but―right there his words of protest suddenly got lodged inside his throat.

The eyes of Shiori that were looking down on him, were full with love that it seemed it was going to overflow.

“Just what kind of feeling do you think I had waiting until you can returned to touch you like this again? …I will never forgive you. I won’t forgive you forever and ever.”

While caressing Homura’s cheek gently, she let out words engraved with curse using a sweet tone as if she was reciting love.

Homura reached an understanding from that tone of voice.

(Ah damn it.)

Against the earnestness that surpassed his own expectations, Homura leaked out a small sigh.

Rather than something like this, it was far better to be hated.

He would apologize if he was hated. If she was angry it would be fine to atone to her.

But―Homura didn’t have anything to return back for love that didn’t fade even after five years had passed.

Homura whose very existence was feared because of a power that was too strong, couldn’t stay in one place for a long time.

Whether in political meaning or in the emotional problem of the people.

Because sooner or later, Homura would leave Japan alone once more.

When thinking about that future that wasn’t far off, it weighed him down no matter what.

“…A woman that holds her grudge is hated you know.”

Homura murmured sulkily.

In regard to that Shiori quietly narrowed her eyes and smiled,

“I’m not a promiscuous woman that will fall in love with a man that I can just forget easily.”

*muni-*, Shiori pinched Homura’s cheek with strength that didn’t hurt him.

“Het ho-“

Like that, when these two were joking around between trusted friends like this,

“Aaa―! Homura-san, what are you doing slacking off like that-“

Such a reprimand flew at him.

When they turned their eyes, the one who was there was a blond haired girl wearing the same uniform like Homura and Shiori―

The <Leader> of the 101st trainee platoon both of them belonged too.

One of the S-rank magicians, that only ten in the world had existed .

Hoshikawa Sumika the <Grim Bullet> who was holding a vinyl bag filled with pet bottles, was glaring at Homura with a ruffled up expression.