Lie:verse Liars:Chapter 14

“Sometimes strange things happen. You see, I am basically watching Ruu-kun all the time. Of course, we are in different classes, and unfortunately, I can't always follow him around. However, I am trying to make up for it with my never-ending sincerity and a little ingenuity. Even with my watchful eye, there are times when I lose sight of Ruu-kun.”

“For now, I'd like you to stop putting the notion that stalking me is natural.”

“Today was exactly like that. In fact, my understanding was that Ruu-kun was sound asleep without even stepping out of his bed in the infirmary. Despite this, when I came to check again, I saw that Ruu-kun had disappeared.”

“It was a nice day today. I felt like sneaking out of school and going far away.”

“The weather has been cloudy all day, though. And since it also contradicts Ruu-kun's idea of preferring the seemingly pointless and lazy time spent at school above all else, you can tell that Ruu-kun's signature deliberate and immediately obvious statement that he just said just now was a lie......Well, why he skipped school in the first place is obvious just by looking at the situation."

Kon Komame continues talking as she glanced at Kigisu who was hiding behind me.

“Ruu-kun is free to skip school, and I don't intend to comment on that. The problem for me, however, is that I can't track where Ruu-kun is going. When and how did he leave the school? I assume that there are some things that I can't see from my line of sight, but what do you think?"

　I grin at Kon who curiously looks into my face.

“If there really were such a means for me to escape, do you really think I would tell you about it how I was able to do it?”

　In response to my provocative smile, Kon smiles back at me.

“I don't think so, and I don't want you to tell me because it would take all the fun out of exposing everything about Ruu-kun."

“......”

“Isn't it great fun to uncover someone’s secrets? Staying motivated is important. When you know everything about someone is when you can truly connect with that person for the first time. Just imagining that moment is enough to get you all worked up.”

Yabe…even if she is stalking me with my consent this girl is crazy. (“Yabe” is another word kind of like slang for “Yabai” which means bad or dangerous)

"... I feel like I can understand the nuance of what she’s saying somehow."

I immediately thought I heard a suspicious agreement from the girl behind me, but I pretended I didn't hear it.

– Even after school time, I'm still with these two who joined me in the “False World”.

I had posted a message on Cain's social networking site when I returned to the real world for lunch, saying, “Today's meeting will be changed to a local meeting.”

　Besides that, there was also no sign of Mashira and the others coming on time, as expected.

“Oh, um, can I ask you a few questions about......something......?"

　Unexpectedly, Kigisu interrupted our conversation.

　I had already introduced Kigisu briefly to all the members of our team yesterday, but that didn't make her less cautious, and she’s still hiding behind my back like this.

Kon gives a gentle smile to the unexpected question while Kigisu is still trembling.

“What is it, Kigisu-san?"

“Does Kon Komame go to the same school as......Ruu?"

Kon looks at my uniform then hers, and then she nods.

“Yes, we're in the same second grade.”

"You-you are Yuusei High School, right, that’s their uniform?"

“You know our school?”

“W-well, ...... it’s the most famous preparatory school in Morihama city. S-so does that mean that...... Komame-san, are you perhaps a stalker of...... R-Ruu?”

For Kigisu, it is a very intrusive question. It is a sensitive question that ordinary people are ashamed of admitting.

“Yes, that's right. I am Ruu-kun's stalker.”

......Yeah, I always wonder how Kon is able to show such a nice smile that looks like it would end up in a junior high school English textbook when admitting to stuff that could easily land her in jail.

“You mean you admit that......you’re a criminal?”

“I don't think what I’m doing is that bad.”

That's what all criminals say.

“I-I see.”

“Well, if I had to guess, the closest thing to a title that my actions could fall under would be a stalker, but in the strictest sense of the word, I don't think my actions really fit into that neat little framework of stalking.”

　She's lying, isn't she? She just started declaring herself to be more than a stalker!

“T-to be honest......t-that's kinda cool!"

　This smart-ass kid behind me suddenly got inspired by this crazy stalker’s groove and momentum.

　Kon smiles at me, sandwiched between two people who have begun to show a weirdly mysterious sympathy.

“By the way, if Ruu-kun really wants me to stop, I'm willing to give it a thought.”

“Please stop.”

“I don't want to.”

Kon smiled at me as she refused. It was an immediate answer, or rather, she was trying to see how desperate I am. It was a trap completely set up for me.

　Kigisu was impressed by Kon who had made me mentally depressed.

"You're strong, aren't you?"

"I've been saying this for a long time that a woman has her own courage."

“I think that......it's the men who have the guts, and the women are the charm.”

A somewhat apologetic Kigisu made a precise point.

“In this age of gender equality, such discriminatory remarks are not good."

　She was unperturbed with her unchanged smile! She’s trying to cover up her mistake by saying something that sounds smart!

“Y-You're so cool!”

Oh no. The smart-ass kid behind me started mysteriously certifying this dangerous stalker lurking (who is no longer hiding her true colors anymore) around me as “cool”.

　I'm going to give her a quiet word of advice later.

“So, Ruu-kun and the others, have you been in this "false world" all day?"

　I nodded in response to the question from Kon once again.

"Yes, I’ve learned a lot of things about Kigisu’s 'magic'.”

“That's the thing that Kigisu-san was recreating the other day in the False World, isn't it?”

“Yesterday, in the "false world" that we re-entered to save Kigisu, Kon also witnessed Kigisu driving away the swarming "fake beasts" with "magic".”

“Oh, now that you mention it you’re right."

"So what do you think? From Ruu-kun's point of view, who has a lot of knowledge about “disguise'”, what do you think of Kigisu-san’s “magic'”?”

　Since I was asked that by Kon, I answered honestly.

“To put it bluntly, it's pretty amazing."

　Hearing my words of praise, Kigisu happily said "Ehehe” behind me.

“If it is possible to reproduce 'magic' by 'disguise', I would like to try it too.”

　Kigisu shouts at my comment.

“I-It is possible! There are steps to learn 'magic'!”

　Kigisu, who had appeared slightly from behind my back as she hid, uttered the words she had told me this morning.

“If it’s okay I would like you to tell me more about it. I'd love to learn it too.”

“T-then, leave it to me!”

While I was listening to the conversation between a stalker and the shy person who exchanged between me, I told them coldly.

"No, learning that is absolutely impossible. Only a Kigisu can do that."

　Kigisu looks at me with a shocked "gawk" expression on her face as Kon looks at me in confusion.

"Is that true?"

“I actually tried it myself, but it's not something I could ever imitate.”

“What do you mean by that exactly?”

“Kigisu. Pass me that notebook.”

Kigisu, looking sullen and pouty, holds out a notebook that she took out of her pocket.

“Ruu-kun, what's that?”

“It seems to be a collection of instructions and steps that Kigisu has put together for her magical research. It contains the necessary procedures to reproduce fireball-like 'magic'.”

　Kon flipped through the pages of the notebook she had received from me.

“This is amazing. It has all the information on how to create an image, the components, and all the other necessary knowledge. It's all here....... So? On which page is the instructions to make fireball-like 'magic'?"

“All of it."

“......what?"

"It seems that by doing everything in that notebook, you can finally unleash the fireball-like 'magic'.”

Kon’s eyes turn into dots.

"......That's, uh, wait, so, if you read this….you'll learn fireball-like 'magic' and be able to use it easily anytime you want, right?"

“Nope. That is the specific steps to make fireball-like 'magic'. In other words, if you want to reproduce it by "disguise," you need to do everything written there every time.”

“......exactly how long would it take?"

“I estimate that it would take a normal person five hours. And you can't take a break in the middle. If you make a mistake, you have to start all over again.”

“Is this......some kind of a joke?”

“I'm serious.”

“......No, Ruu-kun. That's a bit of an exaggeration, isn't it?"

“I'm sure it is, Ruu! You're overreacting! You're complaining too much because you failed in just three hours!”

“Ruu-kun, you worked so hard for three hours!”

I got a headache from the fact that I didn't want to remember that I just did that.

“I did my best. I tried to make the image my head as it was written there and did many things to make it somehow work. But I failed in the process. By the way, it was caused by a sneeze from some smart-ass.”

　Seeing my sharp glare, the perpetrator averted her eyes and turned away from me.

“That was ...... Ruu's fault for losing his concentration in the middle of the......”

“I was on the verge of having a mental breakdown from frustration and as soon as I heard you sneeze, I thought to myself, "Wait, who really sneezes like that?” and lost my concentration! That's how I lost three hours of my life so this is definitely not something you should be laughing about!”.

　Kigisu hides behind my back as if to escape my glare, her eyes showed that she was still silently laughing at me.

"I-I'm sure you'll do better next time."

“I'm telling you, I'm not gonna do it again.”

"D-don't say that, you can still try one more time......”

Kon, who was watching the bickering between me and Kigisu who was still hiding behind my back, looked down at the notepad in her hand.

"By the way, do you do this every time you use “magic with “disguise?”

"If you get used to it, you can shorten the time. If you follow and practice what’s written in the notebook, you can do it in less than 5 seconds."

Kon was at a loss for words for a moment when Kigisu answered as if it was only natural while clinging to my back.

“......Well, is that because you're getting the hang of it and can skip most of it?'

“No, I just do the whole process in five seconds."

Hearing Kigisu's words, who used me as a shield and didn't even try to meet her gaze, looked at me in silence. Those eyes asked, "Are you serious?", so I nodded.

　It sounds like a joke, but she’s very serious about it.

“I'm not sure if I can say that Kigisut's processing speed is unparalleled. Maybe there is a sense that only Kigisu’s has. In any case, what can be said is that Kigisu has succeeded in reproducing "magic" that did not exist in "disguise" from scratch. That alone is a tremendous feat.”

“Yeah.”

“The fact that she established a theory that anyone can use if they follow the procedure is also beyond the realm of ordinary. The only problem is that the procedure is too hard for anyone else to handle...... In other words, at this point in time, I can say that Kigisu is the only one who can use "magic" in this way.”

"Only Kigisu-san can use that kind of magic, so 'Kigisu-style magic'?”

"Y-Yes, that sounds kind of cool!"

Kigisu shouts happily as she hides behind my back.

"If it comes to this, I think it would be better to think of Kigisu's 'magic' as a limited release of 'disguise' just like Homura-san and the others."

"Are you talking about that flame that clan master's Homura used?"

“The other day at the "False World," Homura-san's "Hellfire spell" instantly burned up the large number of "fake beasts" that came flooding in.”

“The "disguise" handled by the "awakened" is the power to materialize one's own image, but there is a kind of limit to the framework to this power. If you deviate from the self-enhancement category, you will not be able to do anything. However, from time to time, there are "Awakened" who are able to embody unique abilities that transcend this framework. I call the power available to such "Awakened" the "Limited Release of Disguise.”

“Limited…release?”

　I'm not sure what to say so Kon added to Kigisu.

“It means that no other Awakened can imitate it. It would be easier to understand if I compare it to the original ability of "disguise," which only that person possesses.”

In response to the smiling Kon, Kigisu, somewhat embarrassed, hides behind me again and mutters, "I see.”

"So there are things like ......special moves, huh? I wonder, are there many people who can use that kind of thing?"

“Do you know any, Ruu-kun?”

“If you want to narrow it down to powerful special moves like Homua-san's, as far as I know, I can count on one hand the number of people who can use them.”

“Ruu, the way you put it, isn't limited release just like some kind of special move?”

“Well yeah. For example, you can be sensitive to the presence of the fake beasts or be able to somehow know the direction of the cocoon, where the victim is being held, just by entering the false world.”

“Oh, surely there was someone who said something like that in "Aomori Fuya" as well. Heh, that's what that was all about...... so does that mean anyone can use it?"

“It seems that not everyone can use limited release even if they keep practicing. It seems that those who are not good at it can't use it no matter how much they try, and those who can use it can use it from the day they become "awakened.”

“Is the same thing as getting rare skills in a game?"

"Yeah, I guess so."

"Is my 'magic' also like that?"

"It's natural to think that way, but......to be honest, I think you may be a different case.”

“Huh? What do you mean by that Ruu-kun?”

"Honestly, I think that Kigisu's 'Magic' stands apart from other limited releases. If a normal limited release is what you call a rare skill in a game, then ‘Kigisu's 'Magic' is a program with many skills. There's even the possibility that other unique rare skills can be treated as 'magic'. In fact, it's not an exaggeration to say that the detection magic created by Kigisu is a pseudo-reproduction of the limited release but with sensory ability."

　Kigisu herself agreed with my view, "Ah, if you ask me, that may be so.” agreeing with my opinion. Apparently she didn't think of it that way.

　On the other hand, Kon who has been fighting as an "awakened" like me for a while, seems to understand how out of the ordinary Kigisu's "magic" really is, and is simply amazed.

“I can't believe you can do such a thing...... Does this mean that you are some kind of special genius?”

　The moment Kon unintentionally said that I could feel the strength in Kigisu's hand as she grabbed my clothes.

“N-no that’s wrong! I don't have......."

Kigisu's voice, hidden behind my back, becomes overtly sullen.

　Noticing how sensitive she became after she said that, Kon looks at me.

"Well, ...... did I offend her in some way?"

“I said the same thing a while ago and she got really angry. Apparently, Kigisu doesn't like to be told that kind of thing.”

　I'm only getting this kind of reaction now because it's in response to Kon who she is still shy around, but when I said the same thing to her earlier, Kigisu yelled at me pretty emotionally.

"Don't call me special or a genius or anything like that!”

　What I sensed when I stared at Kigisu at that time were emotions of disgust, hatred, and hostility. I sensed that she disliked being called as such.

“I'm sorry, Kigisu-san."

　Kon hurriedly apologizes. But hearing that, the force of Kigisu's tug on my clothes becomes even stronger.

"...... No, w-wait...... it's not like that......you can’t......just-!"

　Kigisu, whose voice started growing frustrated as she hides behind my back, suddenly makes me turn around.

　She then stares at me, as if to see her own frustration.

　That's all I needed to know what Kigisu wanted me to do.

“So that's what it is. You think I'm some kind of convenient vocal device or something."

“No, I don't! That’s not true! But just for now! Oh, God!”

　Her words don’t make sense to me. Her emotions are all over the place, and she seems to be in a pretty bad temper.

“Ruu-kun. What is Kigisu-san trying to say?”

　Even Kon, who knew from the beginning that I could peek into other people's hearts, came to me.

　Sandwiched between these two, I had no choice but to reach out my right hand to her neck.

“Ah, it seems that she wants to say that 'I just want you to know that I don't like being labeled as that.' And that 'I don't want you to be strangely concerned because it's not something you need to apologize for.'”

　Kigisu nodded her head silently.

“She also seems to be interested in Kon. She is thinking, 'We will be on the same team, so it would be nice if we could get to know each other a little better.’”

“I- Ah- I-”

　Kigisu's face immediately turns red and she makes a strange noise. She begs me not to say anything further, but it's none of my business.

“Kigisu-san!"

　I feel Kon approaching from the other side across from me as Kigisu buries her face in my chest as if to hide.

　Kon slightly kneels down and smiles as she looks at Kigisu, who is across from me.

“I am sorry for my poor wording earlier. Next time, I will be as honest as I want to be and say that it is very great that Kigisu-san worked very hard to be able to do the things she accomplished.”

“No, it's not...... that much of a big deal.”

“I would also like to try using "magic" myself, so if you don't mind, could you teach me some simple magic next time without telling Ruu-kun?”

“I-I'll ...... try to think of something ...... to teach….”

　The two of them are getting somewhat closer but I still have something to say to those two.

“Stop talking to me in private when I can clearly hear you both.”

　After such an exchange, we finally settled down to discuss what would happen next.

“I'm going to have to ask Kigisu to work hard using her 'magic' that she's so proud of. After all, we are in debt.”

　When I confronted her with this reality, Kigisu made a very disgusted expression.

"Oh, that's right I almost forgot about that.”

“You'd better earn your money well. Otherwise, I'll be in trouble.”

Frankly, I don't want to pay 10 million.

“If that's the case, then I have to solve a false world case first and immediately. Today, we're going to start by looking for the cocoon, right?”

Kon looked at me.

“We've already found the cocoon.”

“Eh?! When did you find it?”

Even Kigisu was surprised for some reason.

“Oh? So you two already found it by the time I got here."

"... No, uh. Ruu, how do I say this... during that time, the magic training..."

"That’s because we wasted three hours on magic training!"

"Ruu-kun, when did she find the 'cocoon'?"

“This morning when I was looking for the stupid missing kid, I searched all over this False World.”

“I didn't know where Kigisu was in this “false world, so in the process of looking around for nearly two hours, she found the “cocoon first.”

“Wouldn’t it be better if she called you on the communication device?”

“I tried it when I entered False World here, but it didn’t work. I heard later that this smart-ass doesn’t have the communication device provided by Caliburn.”

"...I don't like it because it feels weird to put something in my ear."

Kigisu swoons.

“There are so many lineups to choose from, so just pick the one you feel least uncomfortable with. Anyway, our team uses them in collaboration, so carrying them is a must. Above all, if you want to practice 'magic' alone in the future, make sure you wear it.”

"Huh? Why? If you're alone, you don't need a communication device.”

"It would be troublesome for the others! Or is it your goal? You want us to go looking for you every time?”

“Eh- Um ...... I'll ask Caliburn for help.”

　As I am letting Kigisu understand what I mean, Kon asks me.

“You knew the location of the cocoon, but you didn't think about attacking it by yourselves?”

"Only two Awakened rescuing the victim? That's a pretty reckless thing to ask us to do, Kon.”

“But Ruu is good at that kind of thing, isn't he?”

“That's only because I know about Kon.”

“……Somehow, what you said just now makes my heart flutter a little.”

"I've fought alongside Kon Komame many times as an “Awakened”', so I'm familiar with Kon's fighting style as an “Awakener! That's why I can go with her! Have I cleared up the misunderstanding now!?”

“Awww there's no need to be so shy.”

Why doesn’t she get that I don’t think of her that way? I really wonder.

“Anyway, I think Kigisu's 'magic' is great, but I don't know what will happen if she is in a battle with a 'fake beast' until I actually experience it. I don't want to do it on the spur of the moment.”

　According to Kigisu, it takes time to activate the magic, so there are many difficult situations when dealing with "fake beasts," which are notified by the sound of the alarm and come in large numbers.

“Then again, I'd still like to have a competent vanguard attacker.”

“I guess so. But such a super-aggressive attacker (A berserker or warrior type) is not likely to come today by the looks of it.......”

"Hey, can anyone hear me?”

"I'm here."

　I hear a familiar voice from the communicator attached to my ear.

　The timing is so perfect that I can't help but chuckle.

　She really has it in her, doesn't she? I reach for my communicator and call out to the latecomer.

“Mashira, you're still near the "hole," right? I'm going to rescue the victim now, so go back to the real world and call Caliburn.”

“What a pain in the ass.”

“Then I guess that's it for today, everyone get ready to move out.”

“No way! I don't want to! I wanna go crazy! I want to kill until I'm exhausted enough to laugh until my stomach twists!”

　You're still sick as ever with your ideas, young lady.

“Then I’ll go ahead and tell them. I'm sure Mashira will do very well today.”

“Don't forget what you just said!”

　Then, after finishing the communication, I call out to the two people present.

“Then, let's get the job done quickly, shall we?”