Editing Tasogare-iro no Uta Tsukai:Volume1 2nd Play (section)

===Part 2===

“Well then, where should we go to test it?”

Carrying laboratory flasks in her arms, Kluele looked all around. 

Even though they had mixed together a few possible catalysts, if they didn’t put it to actual practice in a Recitation, it wouldn’t be possible to tell whether or not they truly could be used as catalysts. The problem was choosing a location for the practice. It must be a place without obstacles, and with a wide-enough space—

“About the recital contest the day after tomorrow, has Neight decided what to call out?”

“Speaking of that.”

The boy carrying beakers in both of his hands turned around.

“Because Night Color Recitations can only call out black-colored things, it isn’t ideal for this kind of debut. Previously, I have called black snakes and crows, as well as bats……”

“…...What you said makes a lot of sense.”

All the animals that he had listed were ones that people didn’t really want to look at.

“Neight, let’s just choose there.”

Using her gaze to substitute for her hands which were occupied by flasks, she gestured at a grassy field in one corner of the campus. It was a space where thin and tall trees grew. If it were a wide-open space with a good view, then Neight’s Night Color Recitation would very possibly be noticed by other people. Thus, in order to avoid the attention of those around them, this was a perfect place. 

The fact that there was a first-year student who used Night Color Recitations was already well known throughout the school. In addition to the unexpected accident had happened in the laboratory yesterday, they must practice while keeping a low profile.

“The remaining one that I still haven’t tried is the black horse.”

As if he had suddenly remembered this, he turned his head around and added.

……Oh. After thinking it over a little, Kluele nodded at him.

“That’s a good idea. Do you want to give it a try?”

Compared to a black snake or bat, a black horse would be much more popular at the recital contest. So that’s why he made all sorts of catalysts, so there would be no damage even if he failed. It was a worthy challenge.

“That’s true. This opportunity won’t come by often, so I’ll just try it.”

“I’m ready here.”

Holding the record-sheet with one hand, she waved a pen at him. Speaking about the kinds of catalysts, Kluele and Neight prepared five types while Mio mixed together seven types. Because Mio had the most, she would be the last to experiment. While she was waiting, they had her take care of that troublesome creature in a slightly distant location.

“Then, watch me try it out.”

Pulling open the lid of the flask, Neight sprinkled the liquid all around him. After confirming that the green lawn was stained with black, he silently closed his eyes. 

Mixed in with the wind was the Night Color Recitation’s <{{Furigana|Song of Praise|Oratorio}}>.

Listening to the Recitation’s Serafeno Musical Language— Oh, this time she understood. It truly was a black horse’s <{{Furigana|Song of Praise|Oratorio}}>. It was nearly identical to the <{{Furigana|Song of Praise|Oratorio}}> used by White Recitations to call out a white horse. In addition, it seemed like he was concentrating very hard. 

When the catalyst was synchronized with the Recited creature, a black {{Furigana|Recital Gate|Channel}} emerged before their eyes, as if being swallowed by light. After arriving at this stage, all that remained was the last breath.

Good luck! Kluele tightly clenched her fists, staring at the situation—

—At that moment……

Something came flying at the creature being called out.

“Neight!”

With no time to warn him to crouch, Kluele pushed him down while yelling out his name. A red object immediately flew over their heads. 

“Are you okay?”

After confirming that Neight had nodded his head, Kluele turned her line of sight to the object. About five meters away was a student wearing a uniform. He was a tall man with short hair the yellow color of dirt. On the cuff and collar of his uniform were four scarlet lines— a student of the highest grade, who specialized in Red.

“What was that just now?”

“Don’t stare at me like that! My Recitation simply went out of control, and flew towards you guys.”

Kluele shifted her field of vision and moved her gaze. The surface of the tree that had been hit by the flying object was burned black. 

“The Recitation you just conducted was a flame, right?”

“For a first year student, you’re really knowledgeable about this. Do you also specialize in Red?”

“Don’t change the topic!”

After hearing his seemingly teasing tone, Kluele hardened her voice. 

The Recitation of a flame uses something other than fire as a catalyst, and is combined with the technique for calling out fire. A low grade catalyst like paint is generally used to call out fire, then that flame can be used as a catalyst to conduct a high rank Recitation. But for a skilled person, “throwing the flame at an opponent” like before is not difficult at all. 

“Just now, you were aiming at Neight, weren’t you!”

“Don’t falsely accuse me. What proof do you have?”

Maintaining a position with his hands in the pockets of his uniform, the student snarled.

But to Kluele, for him to defend himself like this was something she had expected.

“When conducting the Recitation of a flame, you must make sure that everyone is a minimum of ten meters away from you. Have you forgotten this? Even in middle school, this is part of the basics! No matter how you put it, you are the one at fault!”

The student’s expression twisted. But even so, he still had a sneer on his face.

“If he is the legendary Night Color Reciter, shouldn’t he be able to dodge something as insignificant as that?”

……I see, so it’s like that.

'On my way to school, I think I heard third-year or fourth-year higher grade students talking about Neight-kun.'

—It was like what Mio had said this morning. So the rumors about Neight also had this kind of meaning.

“Are you afraid of losing to him in the recital contest?”

“I only thought it was necessary to give him a show of our strength.”

She had thought that he would pretend to act oblivious, but she didn’t expect him to admit it straightforwardly. 

Many famous Reciters will be invited to the recital contest. To this year’s fourth-year students who were about to graduate, this recital contest was their last opportunity. If they were able to give off a good impression, they could become the Reciter’s apprentice, or use that occasion as a powerful stepping stone. However, in this year’s recital contest, thirteen-year-old Neight will be there, in addition to using a mysterious Recitation Color. No matter what the outcome of his Recitation is, that his Night Color will attract the attention of visitors is an obvious fact.

—That student…… Is he afraid of such a boring thing?

“How shameful. Haven’t you ever thought of facing him head-on?”

“Hm? That’s why I’m facing him directly.”

Moving slowly and dramatically, he took both of his hands out of the pocket of his uniform. 

“Night Color Recitation apprentice, let’s have a contest! The one who loses is not allowed to enter the recital contest. I assume that you will accept?”

“Wha……!”

Such an excessively unreasonable and dreadful statement caused Kluele to become momentarily speechless. 

“Are you an idiot?! Neight is only thirteen, how could he do such a thing!”

Kluele stood up straight to protect the terrified boy who was currently getting up from the ground. As for Neight himself, he probably didn’t even understand the meaning behind his opponent’s words.

The word “contest” that is used between Reciters. 

It implicitly indicated— a duel. 

Although Reciters used their skills to fight each other one on one, that wasn’t the only action they were capable of. By using aggressive Recited creatures or flames, it was possible to attack an opponent directly. Needless to say, one could be seriously hurt, or some unexpected accident might happen.

“It’s too bad, you don’t have the right to decline!”

The opponent’s right hand flashed with red light. So the reason that he had hidden his hands in his pockets was so they wouldn’t notice he was holding a catalyst?

No, that’s not what was important— it couldn’t be, he was joking, right? 

However, the crazy look in his eyes sent shivers up Kluele’s spine. This boy was serious. Without the slightest hesitation, he threw the flame in his right hand. 

The chill that she felt had become reality. A flame the size of a child’s head flew at the boy who stood stock still and didn’t understand the current situation. 

“Neight!”

Would she make it in time?

Just when she wanted to push Neight out of the path of the flame……

A splash of water came flying from the side and doused the flame. 

“You shouldn’t do that!”

Other than the sound of the mixing of water and fire, came a familiar voice. 

“’Contests’ between students must have the permission of the headmaster, and one of the students must hold Reciter qualifications. Without that, contests are not allowed. Furthermore, the problem is, it doesn’t look like they are willing to duel!”

The voice seemed to be coming from beside her ear. She turned around to look. Standing only several steps away from them was a man of medium height, wearing a coat the color of dry grass. 

He was fairly young, probably less than thirty years old. Although from afar one could tell that he had shapely facial features, Kluele had never met him before. If he had appeared on the campus like that, it would mean he was a teacher, right?

“……Are you a teacher?”

The boy’s voice was filled with malice.

“No. However, I am still your senior.”

Seemingly paying no attention to the boy’s tone, the man wearing the plain coat replied indifferently. 

“People who don’t understand the circumstances shouldn’t interfere.”

“Although I don’t understand the situation, no matter how I look at it, it seems like you are picking a fight.”

“Ah…… Even though you suddenly intrude like this, you still dare to preach at me…… You’re annoying!”

After shouting out those words, the hands of the boy being confronted emitted a red light. 

It was really too sudden. Carrying out a one-sided attack without warning, it would not be allowed even in a duel. Unconcernedly, he—

Facing the approaching flame, the Reciter’s coat fluttered like a cloak. 

“Even if I’m not a teacher, let me give you a suggestion.”

The flame stopped before it touched his hair. Not only did he not bother to avoid it, but he also blocked it with his bare hands.

“Flames are truly effective when used to impede someone’s actions. But in a 'contest' between Reciters, it should not be used so lightly.”

The flame that hit his right hand still burned as fiercely as before. But instead of severely burning him, the Reciter seemed to have caught the flame, and lifted it up in his hand. He was not burned…… In other words, “he had diverted the heat of the flame somewhere else”?

“If your opponent is a Red Color Reciter, this attack could be reversed…… Like so!”

The flame shone radiantly. Was this the light of a Recitation? The appearing radiance filled all of the space around them. Because it was too dazzling, Kluele couldn’t help but close her eyes.

Something created a sound that resounded in her eardrums, and continued to emit a heavy gasping noise. She felt like an enormous creature had appeared beside her……

“Ah…… ah……?”

Neight let out a wordless murmur. 

[[Image: Fb3-308_101-1-.jpg|thumb]]

In a place where he could reach out and touch, a lion with scarlet fur had been called out. Simply its height was almost as tall as Neight’s shoulder, and its body length was definitely over two meters. The tip of its tail was a blazing flame. The pair of wings on its back was also red colored. Amidst all of that, its amber eyes stood out exceptionally. 

—A manticore.<ref>Manticore: a legendary creature with the body of a red lion. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manticore</ref> Even for Kluele, it was her first time seeing such a creature. 

“What! You… you’ve got to be kidding me… Didn’t you call out water just a while ago? Not only {{Furigana|Ruguz|Blue}}, but you can also use {{Furigana|Keinez|Red}}!”

Was he angry or stunned? The male student’s shoulders shook. However, those were truly harsh but powerless words. Because, before he had finished his Recitation, the outcome of the battle had already been decided. 

Even if the student wanted to start a Recitation now, the attack of the manticore would still be a step ahead of him. In that split second, the truth was, he had been checkmated.

“……So, do you still want to continue?”

Instead of sounding like a command, the man’s tone seemed to be more of a confirmation. 

It was an overwhelming victory. Not only that, but by using the opponent’s color, the outcome had been decided and the difference in their true strength was understood. By using the flame hurled by the opponent as a catalyst, as well as not using a <{{Furigana|Song of Praise|Oratorio}}>, to be able to call out such a heavyweight Recited creature like the manticore wasn’t an ordinary power. Right now, even counting teachers, there were only a few people at this school who could actually accomplish such a thing when required.

Although the student indignantly showed a dangerous glare, he silently turned around and left. 

After seeing him depart—

With a soft command of “Return”, the man made the lion disappear amidst red light. 

“I–I’m sorry! That…… Th–Thank you very much!”

“If you wish to express your thanks, you should also speak to the young lady who first assisted you.”

Neight frantically lowered his head. After seeing this, the Reciter winked at Kluele. 


“Oh, you two are both resting. Did you finish? That was pretty fast!”

With the lizard settled down in her left hand, Mio walked towards them. Before she could open her mouth, Kluele shook the flask at her. Even though its contents had evaporated slightly due to the sun, the amount pretty much hadn’t decreased at all.

“Let me tell you, we haven’t even finished once!”

“Eh?”

“A senior student whose situation I didn’t really understand was causing us trouble, and he even requested a 'Contest'. Because of that, we wasted a lot of time.”

“……Since you two aren’t injured, that means…… you won?”

Mio gazed steadily at the two people. Faced with such an approach, Neight frantically shook his head. 

“N-No, it was Kluele-san who protected me.”

[Hm. Should we be praising the little girl right now, or criticizing Neight? It truly does make one perplexed.]

Kluele ignored the lizard that was troubled by such a strange question, and replied.

“I didn’t do anything. A familiar person helped us.”

“Another person?”

Because the subject had been brought up suddenly, Mio was doubtful.

“It was a person wearing a yellow-green coat. He was amazing. Also, he seemed to have mastered both Red and Blue colors. Even though he didn’t tell us his name, I think he should be a very famous person.”

Neight’s excitement hadn’t cooled down, and the speed at which he talked was faster than usual. 

After hearing that, Mio suddenly sat down on the grass. 

“Yellow-green…… In other words, a coat the color of dried grass…… Proficient in more than one Recitation Color……”

“Mio, what’s wrong?”

Mio crossed her arms and looked up at the two.

“I just thought of a very famous person. However, I don’t think it would be possible for such a thing to happen. Also, no matter how I put it, it would be impossible for that person to be here.”

“Who are you talking about?”

After hearing the question, she only shook her head and replied unimportantly.

“Don’t worry about it. Come on, you guys should hurry up and continue! Let Arma and I have a look also.”


<div align="center"><nowiki>***</nowiki></div>


How nostalgic……

It was the moment when the sun was about to set in the west. Looking at the setting sun whose rays entered through the laboratory window, he calmly narrowed his eyes. 

The odor of medicine lightly filled the air, and the familiar testing equipment was pretty much the same as before. This was the place where students wasted most of their time. Carrying a borrowed library book in one hand, creating catalysts one after the other, and then attempting to conduct Recitations. Even though he didn’t have any special feelings about campus life, this place still made him reminisce. 

“Xins-kun.”

After hearing the sound of someone calling his name, he turned around to face the laboratory door.

“Really, I didn’t expect you to be in this sort of place. The headmaster is looking for you.”

A woman wearing glasses appeared by the doorway. Her lavender-colored hair flowed as she walked.

“Long time no see, Jessica-sensei…… Ah, you are now the director of education, aren’t you?”

He bowed lightly at the teacher he used to greatly respect. 

“Oh my, stop that. If your fans knew that a Rainbow-Color Reciter acted like that, I would certainly be hated by them.”

Unable to figure out whether she was being sincere or making a joke, he showed a wry smile. 

“I’m still me. Even though I’m like this, I hope I am still the same as when I was in Elfand School.”

That wasn’t a lie. Ever since that time, he hadn’t changed his daily habits whatsoever. His personality and use of words were still the same. Even his outward appearance, his face was extremely similar to how it looked before. For those who met him for the first time, there had been nearly nobody who could correctly guess his age. 

“You were saying, the headmaster was looking for me?”

He returned to the topic. However, she looked dismayed and shook her head.

“……Ah, there was something like that. I’ve recently become so absent-minded, it’s terrible. Isn’t it almost time for me to retire?”

“Don’t say that. Instead, this is the time when you should be trying your best!”

Compared to when he had previously seen her, the teacher’s eye sockets had become sunken in, making him realize how time had passed. He discreetly averted his gaze. 

“It’s a very important matter. The headmaster said he would be waiting for you in the resources building in front of the fourth-year school building. It’s in the center of the underground first floor.”

“Alright. By the way, I’m a bit curious, has this laboratory been stained with soot?”

After moving his line of sight, this was the first thing that caught his attention, and he couldn’t help but feel curious.

“Not long ago, a child apparently wanted to call out a flame in here. That child had just transferred here and is only thirteen years old, so it was inevitable for him to fail. 

A flame— Red Color Recitation? Although he could somewhat understand this kind of explanation, Xins still looked all around him. The whole room was covered in soot, but apart from this, the classroom wasn’t abnormal. This made him think. If such a flame had been large enough to fill the whole room with smoke, then the room should definitely have been engulfed by the flame. 

However, on the soot-covered objects, there were absolutely no burn marks. How come this room had been filled with smoke, but not burned?

—Had it really been a flame?

“What’s wrong?”

The teacher Jessica looked at him, surprised.

……Oh, right. There was no time to think about this kind of thing right now. 

“No, I was just caught up in my memories. This is really nostalgic.”

It was a commonly-used excuse. Even though he felt humiliated to have said that, it was an appropriate saying at the moment. 

“By the way— the day after tomorrow is the recital contest, isn’t it? Can I go take a look around?”

“I was just thinking of inviting you. Who would refuse you? Ah, but it would be best to inform the headmaster about it first.”

All of the students would be participating in the recital contest. With that, he would be able to confirm with his own eyes the student who created the smoke.

Once again he focused his gaze on the ceiling. It puzzled him. It really could have been the result of a flame, but in his heart he felt uneasy.

“Well then, I should get going now. It’s not good to keep the headmaster waiting for so long.”