Editing City Series:Volume6b Chapter3 (section)

===Part 4===

Hazel found a quiet voice escaping her lips as the woman and man kneeled before her.

“W-wait.”

She took a step back to escape those two despite their defenseless pose.

She looked frantically side to side, but saw nothing that would save her. She had no idea what to do.

She took another step back.

Her back found the wall, but even at this distance, those two remained kneeling and motionless.

Their heads were defenselessly lowered, saying they were leaving this entirely in her hands.

She felt a chill because it was just like having a stray dog follow you around no matter how much you tried to shoo it away.

…''H-how am I supposed to respond to this?

She had no intention of going with them.

But they would not listen to her refusal and she lacked the strength to force the issue.

And they had no hostile intentions.

If she could not refuse or force the issue, what choice did she have but to go with them?

And even if she waited here…

…''Berger isn’t coming back.

But…

…''No.

She did not want to be taken away like this.

“Why won’t you let me choose?” She was speaking in her mother tongue once more. “Wh-why are you doing this? Please don’t. It’s wrong.”

The pair did not raise their heads, but they did slowly stand.

Hazel heard Jeanne speak with her head still lowered.

“We-”

“Stop!” shouted Hazel. “If you’re going to take me away, then raise your heads and just do it!”

But Jeanne was unfazed. She took a silent step forward.

She took another silent step, closing the gap between them.

Hazel pressed herself against the wall and she could tell her legs were shaking for some reason.

“I-I’m not the Messiah. The Messiah implant hasn’t even healed.”

Jeanne said nothing in response. She did not force anything and she did not attack – she simply took another step closer.

The action was done gently, to avoid being intimidating.

She was trying to be kind.

…''Wh-why? Why are they doing this all of a sudden?

By then, Jeanne stood right in front of her.

Jeanne crouched down, pushed down the hem of her skirt, and kneeled again. She slowly reached out a hand with her gaze lower than Hazel’s.

“I-I will wait here. Because…because Berger told me to.”

He was not coming.

She knew that, but…

“I-I don’t want to go. S-so I made some food and waited…”

She started to pull her hand back, but it would not move. She looked down to see it trembling. The fingers were shaking from tension.

With only the word “no” inside her, she saw that her arm was trembling too. When she dropped her gaze to her chest, she could tell her entire body was trembling.

Jeanne’s hand reached out as if trying to ignore or suppress that shaking.

“No, s-stop-”

Before Hazel could get the word “that” out, Jeanne’s fingertips had touched her trembling hand.

Her fingers were hard and bony for a woman and they squeezed to suppress the shaking.

Disgust filled Hazel and she shouted on reflex. She raised her head and wailed like a child. In English.

“Noooo!! Mr. Berger!!”

The instant her gaze reached the ceiling, she saw a bluish-white band floating down from there.

That was the wind’s Tons – the chilly melody of the icy wind.

“–––––!?”

She heard the sound of struck flesh as the young man behind Jeanne was blasted to the side.

With the sound of splintering wood, the man broke through the table and slammed into the windowsill. He flipped over and his upside-down legs shattered the window, making a sound similar to splashing water.

The shortest instant later, Hazel saw a different young man in black.

“Mister? Why the weird politeness when speaking English?”

This one was Dog Berger.