Editing KSGU:Volume 2 Chapter 3 (section)

===Part 2===

“Hey, you’re Banagher, right? Banagher Links.”

The girl who brought her face over without restraint has the smell of alcohol coming out from her mouth. Banagher realizes that his face is becoming stiff, but answers softly, “That’s me.”

“I heard what you did this morning. You stole a mini mobile suit and crashed into the park, right? That’s amazing. Tell me what you feel.”

Having a blurry looking expression, the girl puts her hand on Banagher’s thigh as he sits down on the sofa, and leans her exposed shoulders over. One can see the cleavage from under her shirt, but Banagher doesn’t feel anything special about it. The most he just feels is that he accidentally saw some skin that has spots on them, and feel that it’s not very clean to look at it closely. Banagher takes a gulp of cola from the glass and adjusts his sitting position, “Nothing…much to talk about.” And answers without looking back. “Uwa—wow, that’s so cool!” The girl’s scream matches the high decibels that fill the wide living room, piercing the ears.

“You’re not an obedient kid, but trying to act cool.”

“What is it, Asta? Have you become friends with him?”

The red-haired girl, who’s swaying her hips to the beat of the music, walks towards the girl called Asta and Banagher beside her before sitting down on the other side of Banagher. The recoil causes some of the cola to spill out, but the red-haired girl doesn’t seem to mind as she looks at Banagher with a gauging look. Banagher, who’s being sandwiched between the two girls, cringe back and drinks up the cola he doesn’t want to drink. He just feels distant. He, who’s being surrounded by the flushed-red girls, the heat that’s sticking onto his arms, the fast-paced music, the  noise that’s piling in this void, and the stuffiness in the crowd, can only spend his time here slowly—

There are about 10 boys and girls making noise in front of them, dancing with the music and drinking alcoholic drinks. It’s just beer or whiskey-tinged cola, but it’s enough to make these teenage youths drunk. It seems that some people are using some legal drugs, as he can see a blond person’s eyes looking rather weird at the kitchen counter. The people gathering at the balcony are smoking, and the room with the door tightly shut is letting smoke through. It smells greasier than cigarettes, and it’s most likely marijuana.

It’s rumored that the people in private schools normally behave well, but go ridiculously wild once they get started; from the looks of it, this really is the case. If the owners of this house, Micott’s parents see such a devastating scene, they will definitely roll blank white eyes; but luckily, they’re on a vacation with their young son. That’s why everyone held their breaths and watched Micott from behind when her parents called.

The Minovsky Particles interference today is rather serious, and the communication with their destination was immediately cut off. However, Micott, who calmly states that everything’s fine at home, doesn’t show any signs of being troubled. As everyone saw her stick her tongue out once she put down the phone and accepted everyone’s cheers, one will doubt whether she’s such a frivolous girl who’s already used to do such things. Her father’s a respected factory head, and the girl herself is a carefree person who would enter the technical school without hesitation. From that moment on, Banagher started to view her as a different creature altogether. Takuya, who’s used to the current atmosphere and dancing around foolishly in the family bar with 2, and then 3 girls, looks like one of those irritating things that are gathered in this room.

This isn’t the first time Banagher’s taking part in such an event. In the vocational school hostel where he stays, it’s commonplace to get someone to open a room and have some sort of party gathering. Even if he can’t mix in fully like Takuya, Banagher believes that he can mix himself into the surrounding atmosphere like usual. It’s not because these are strangers from a private school; and it’s not just this party alone, as he can get himself involved in daily life before yesterday. However, the time now looks rather faded. He just feels that the gears that were spinning well even though they don’t actually fit have stopped completely today, being completely loose. It’s this kind of things that made Banagher anxious, frustrated. He shouldn’t be blaming this on the people around him—Banagher hasn’t lost such rationality yet.

That’s why he set up an invisible wall and treats himself as a flower wall, but these brains that are intoxicated and relaxed by alcohol don’t seem to understand his intent. Banagher starts to feel that the pressure that’s building up in his heart continues to rise like a storm beating away and the uncomfortable body temperature surrounding him. ''I shouldn’t be here. '' A part of him is prompting him to hurry up and leave, and another part of him is warning him that it’ll be a path of no return if he really leaves. In the end, he’s only left with self-chiding in his heart, wondering why must he curl his tail and run off?

''Will I wreck my future? Is it because of that ‘no need’? I don’t have any clear target to my own future, and I know that I don’t have any power that makes people want me. My deceit made her say such things—''

“You’re rather famous in our school! I heard that there’s a rather cute boy at the technical school.”

The girl who finally squeezes in and looks at Banagher’s eyes before talking. The eyes that are wet because of alcohol are so limp that one will wonder if she’ll collapse with just a simple poke. Banagher remembers those adamant jade-colored eyes, and feels that both of them don’t have the expressions of a human. However, he just feels unhappy about this feeling and remains silent.

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“You’re a transfer student, right? Which colony were you at before this?”

The girl called Asta brings her hand with the bracelet and puts it on Banagher’s thigh. Banagher smells her breath that reeks of pizza and beer, and tells himself that this is daily life. It’s a good thing that he’s famous in a private school. ''Let’s just chit-chat with them at a suitable level, and get along with them while our student lives aren’t lacking; and once we played enough, we’ll be treated as treasure and become members of the thousands of Anaheim Electronics workers. This is the future you fear will be wrecked. ''

He remembers his hometown. The people who took the wrong path all ended up like that. ''Didn’t mum always say this? She wants me to become an adult who understands how great an ordinary life is''—but with these words that continue to surge in his heart, Banagher refuted it. ''Whenever mom teaches me such things, I just feel like something’s ‘missing’. '' It’s like his eyes were being shrouded, and something’s being taken away from me. And today, that blindfold seems to slip. That’s why he immediately saw a world he never saw before for an instant, a world where he didn’t feel ‘out of place’. The determined jade-colored eyes, the unicorn tapestry, and the mobile suit with the unicorn horn.

He started to feel difficulty in breathing. I can’t breathe if I continue to remain here; let’s go back. Where can I go breathe? Where’s your resting place? This voice rang with the deep beats and the girls’ squeals overlap each other “Don’t be so quiet. Talk a bit.” “Ah, do you have a girlfriend?” Amazing, you’re really steady~” “Oi, Asta. His glass’ empty. Pour some out for him.”…

“DON’T BOTHER ME!!!"

The suffocating fear immediately exploded into high decibels. As he stood up, Asta, who was about to pour beer, was knocked aside, and the bottle hit a corner of the table and shattered. The two girls scream, and it’s only a matter of time before all the gazes are focused on Banagher.

It’s unknown which idiot helped to turn off the music and cause the atmosphere in the living room to be so bad that it can’t be salvaged. Asta starts to cry, and the other girl stares at Banagher with a cold expression before saying, “What’s with this guy…” Other voices then pop out, “Who’s that guy?” “Feels bad.” Banagher sees a few boys looking dangerously at him and lowers his head to look at Asta. He wants to apologize to her, but after seeing that she’s crying like a kid instead of clearing the shattered bottle, he feels that it’s stupid to feel sorry. ''Cry all you want,'' he thought.

“That’s why I say don’t invite the people from the vocational school.”

Someone said that. Banagher pretends not to hear it, but a threatening voice came from the family bar, “Ahh? Who said that!?” With his back facing the girls that got up in fear, Takuya glares at everyone from the bar counter.

“Oi, Banagher! Hurry up and apologize!”

In this atmosphere that’s becoming even more heinous, Micott moves through the human wall and calls out. She doesn’t bother to care about what other people are doing as she merely cares about the stares. After hearing that voice, Banagher’s final sanity is gone, and leaves the scene wordlessly.

“Oi, Banagher!” Takuya calls him, but he ignores it and leaves the living room. Micott’s house include the two highest levels of the tower, and by climbing up the indoor stairs, one will reach the garden on the roof. The reason why Banagher climbed the stairs and head to the roof is merely because the stairs are nearer than the entrance. Anyway, he has a need to get out and bring in some fresh air to his blocked lungs.

The mansion is owned by Anaheim Electronics, built from the pillars supporting the artificial sun. The construct feels like litter stuck at the base when compared to the huge pillars that reach the artificial sun, but the building’s 10 levels high, and the unique thing is that the gravity will be lower the higher up one goes. It’s hard to tell the difference when the living room’s at the 9th level, but the gravity at the roof is lower when the 10th level itself is close to 0.9G.

Whether low gravity can prevent aging and keep people healthy is real or not, nobody knows, but mansions that are built to cater the rich families will be of different standards at different levels. Micott’s house is no exception as the level with low gravity has a bedroom and a gym, but this is the best playpark for drunk people. Banagher hurries up the room as he glances at the youths making a ruckus in the gym. On the way there, he suddenly starts to wonder about the situation outside, and looks at the ground from the window at the stairs.

Just as he thought, the limo-type high class electric car is parked outside the entrance of the mansion. This Vist Foundation limo has leather seats, high-class audio speakers, fridge, and even iced grape wine, and remains near there like a bodyguard after sending him from the ‘Snail’ to the technical school, which makes it look annoying. It’s low gravity, but Banagher feels his mood become heavy as he clicks his tongue before leaving the window.

''The chairman instructed us to ensure your safety.'' As he sat on the limo, two suit-clad men that gives the strong vibe and disciplined hunters wouldn’t accept any other logic. Even if he tell them that they’re irritating and to just send me back, they won’t take action without their owner’s command. Cardeas Vist, that authority of this distinguished adult wraps around me like air. The moment he thought that he couldn’t escape the man’s grasp, Banagher just feels that it was harder to breath and takes 3 steps up the stairs like they’re two steps. The couple that are hugging at the stairs near the roof seem to be grumbling in their hearts that he’s being a spoilsport.


“Fuu—n, so these people are watching.”

Through the handrail gap, Micott looks down at the limo downstairs and said. Her back profile is saying that she knew what was going on, but she hasn’t forgiven Banagher, who puts his hands in his coat pocket and grumbled,

“They’re looking for trouble, sending such an obvious looking car like that!”

He puffed his mouth as he said that, and then turn his eyes to the artificial sun pillar that’s standing behind it. At the center of the room, the 3km pillar that passes through the clouds enter the darkness midway through and become a shadow blocking the starry sky. Of course, those aren’t real stars, but a starry sky created from the lights on the inner wall on the other side.

The pillars are all set at regular points all over the inner wall, supporting the artificial sun that stretches out long—no, the artificial sun pillar is located in the center axis in a zero-gravity area, and so it should be more correct to say that it’s fastened. The roof of the building is latched onto the base like an annual ring, and each area separated by shrubs, allowing people to do whatever they insist to do. For Micott’s house, a half is used as a swimming pool, while the other half is used as a family garden.

In this place that looks like a corner of the roof with the annual ring being sliced open, Micott and Takuya have been talking to him for more than 10 minutes. Thinking about this closely, there’s a lot of things he couldn’t say easily, but he can’t try to sugarcoat things when both of them are angry. Banagher can only tell the truth. It’s better to say out what’s in the heart; as he faces the duo who left the party midway to look at him, the inner pressure that’s almost about to blow his heart out is quietened down. He remembers the girl called Asta, and starts to feel sorry for her. In that end, that’s all I’m worrying about. Thinking about this, what happened for the entire day suddenly starts to feel less realistic, and what’s left is an emptiness that pierces through the hand.

“But that’s great. Chairman Cardeas is a big shot in the financial world. What kind of person is he?”

But Takuya’s words sound like he doesn’t care at all, causing Banagher to feel unhappy and think that he hasn’t understood the situation at all “Nothing much. Just an ordinary adult. Just looks impressive.” Banagher said with a  stiff voice, “Un, that’s not just an ordinary impressiveness.” Takuya yawns.

“But because of this, you left that girl called Audrey, so you can only admit defeat.”

That’s some vexing feeling in Micott’s words, causing Banagher to gasp “What, wha…” and try to found a voice out. Micott let go of the handrail and turns around.

“Being all fidgety and even taking your anger on my friend, that’s not manly at all. If you’re so worried, go snatch her back, idiot.”

Banagher can’t think of anything to retort back, and Micott walks towards the stairs without waiting for his reaction. Banagher’s mind immediately thinks that all the girls will think this way,  but still spoke up “Since when is it that simple!” The empty protest bounces off Micott’s back and lands on the surface of the swimming pool before scattering.

“Don’t be mad. She’s just being jealous.”

As he watches Micott pass through the stairwell doors , Takuya spoke up. On hearing such unexpected words, Banagher asks “Ha? What do you mean?”

“You’re way too slow. Never mind, don’t bother. It’s not that simple anyway.”

“What?”

“You might be expelled. Micott’s the daughter of a factory manager. Looking at her like this, she might not have suffered much, unlike us.”

Takuya gave a loud hiccup as he says that. The alcohol’s making his face red, but his eyes look more awake than usual.

“Once we hang on until graduation, we’ll become official members of Anaheim. This is the one good chance for people like us. Don’t ruin this just because you’re mad.”

Takuya’s tea-colored hair that’s swaying with the slightly warm wind, and the side of his face seem to be looking at the night scene of the colony as he says this. At this moment, ''Ah, this guy’s already an adult,'' Banagher suddenly feels this way and can’t say anything. he feels that between him and Takuya, there’s a wall that’s more thorough from a certain angle as compared to the one with Micott, and feels that the world around him is leaving him.

This is the familiar feeling he forgot once he met Audrey Burne—the ‘shifted’ feeling. Banagher feels pain in the chest and breathing difficulties. He turns his eyes away from Takuya’s side face, leans on the handrail, and looks up at the geometry patterns painted by the street lights and electric cars. The Foundation’s limo is still at the same spot, just as what he saw just now.

Banagher grabs onto the handrail tightly and looks up behind the large pillar, the airtight wall on the side facing the moon. The expansion works during the day cause the airtight wall to become further, and it’s impossible to see the gate leading to the ‘snail’ as it seem to be covered by the thick atmosphere and clouds.