Editing Kaze no Stigma:Volume4 Chapter 3 (section)

=== Part 4 ===


"Was it OK to let them go?"

When the silhouettes of the brothers disappeared from view, Kanon and Serisawa approached from the little farther away spot they were watching the show from.

At Kanon's question, implying it may be dangerous to let them be, Ren replied with a smile.

"It's fine. They'll probably be arrested quickly anyway."

"Arrested? By who?"

"By the police."

"Wasn't the police unable to deal with magic stuff?"

"That's not true anymore. There is a department that deals with black magic and spiritual disaster. I'll report them today so they will probably be caught before the day is over."

Replying with a smiling face to Serisawa, who also joined the conversation, for some reason their faces became stiff.

"- What's up?"

"W - What, you ask..."

"Because Ren-kun wasn't so determined before,"

"Really? Then I'm glad. Because I can't continue being a spoiled brat forever."

Seeming glad from the bottom of his heart, Ren smiled with all his face. 

Although faltering in front of Ren's unexpected growth and bearing, Kanon and Serisawa weren't mesmerized by that smile.

"So, what to do from now on?"

"Eeh, what do you mean?"

At Kanon's question, who already pulled herself together, Ren didn't have a smile.

Even if something must be done about this, he can't do anything about it today. For now he will return to the household and report this, and by using Tokyo MPD's Special Investigation Unit there's no choice but to investigate it.

While thinking that, Kanon looked up at Ren and showed a proud smile.

"You know, from what that guy said I know where to find that place."

"- Really? Where is it?"

But, as if dodging the question Kanon turned her back to Ren.

"What to do? - If Ren-kun will kiss me I may as well tell him........"

"Eeh........."

"Wait a second!"

Kanon's daring request was attacked by a threatening voice and an excessively huge leg. Kanon promptly prepared her body and escaped the huge foot sole, drawing near.

"......Hey, you're in the way"

Kanon glared up at Serisawa's large build, who blocked her way as if trying to protect Ren, with a penetrating cold gaze.

A glare that did not see a fellow human but an obstacle that must be eliminated. Her eyes were still.

But even so, Serisawa didn’t flinch. Fired up by the decision to protect his precious friend, he boldly opposed the evil witch.

"There's neither negligence nor chance. Because of this, you won't be alone with Ren anymore. You're too dangerous."

"It's not like I asked for your permission."

"Shut up, you harlot!"

Using random old-fashioned disparaging words that God knows where he learned them from, Serisawa abused Kanon.

"If you really think so highly of Ren, then I'll teach you not to use bargaining points with him. That's why I say women are dishonest!"

"Humph," Kanon faltered as he touched a nerve.

It was a fair argument. Even though there was lip service involved, it was still a fair argument so she couldn't refute it.

"Won't you tell me, Suzuhara-san ~"

What's more, Kanon had no way to resist to Ren's ''request''.

"If you were to at least call me Kanon, I'll give you both my body and my heart."

"Aah......ahahahahahahahaha....maybe at a different time. All right?"

Disciplining his smiling face that already became stiff as Kanon drew near with a peevish expression, Ren smoothly recovered his serious look.

"- So?"

"It's just as Ren-kun was about to guess."

"Being on top of a building, you mean?"

"Oi, oi, don't spout such stupidity. In what world there's a building with raised from the rooftop."

Serisawa didn't notice yet. But taking advantage of those words, Ren arrived at the right answer.

A building with two towers raised from the rooftop - there was definitely such a building in Shinjuku.

"The Tokyo Government Office!"

At the involuntarily shouting Ren, Kanon clapped her hands giving praise to him.

"What? Aah, I see."

Late by several seconds, Serisawa finally noticed.

Towering over the Shinjuku's governmental district, the most important governmental office of the Tokyo Metropolitan Area - to put it simply this building had the form of the ''Ou'' (concave) character.

Having forty eight floors above ground, from the thirty third floor upward tho neighbouring towers reached the heaven.

Between the south and north tower there was a huge empty space. If they were to stand there they would definitely see the scenery Kyoshi described.

"But, there's nothing there...."

"How stupid! It can be concealed with magic. Right?"

"Yeah. Maybe."

"I know, right? Then -"

"No."

Kanon's delighted words, Ren interrupted them softly but clearly.

"From here on, I'll go alone."

"Ehh - But....."

"Suzuhara-san."

With a slightly troubled expression Ren called attention to the whining Kanon.

Sensing the solid determination inside that soft word, reluctantly, Kanon gave up following him.

"Take care, all right."

"It's fine. I won't do something so rash as going by myself. I'll just scout out a bit. Well then, see you tomorrow."

Assuring them he won't behave recklessly, Ren started running aiming at the Tokyo Government Office. Because he was in a hurry, after that trivial farewell, he never looked back.

That's why he didn't notice. Although seeing Ren off, without even looking at each other the duo exchanged accomplice smiles.

When arriving at the Tokyo Government Office, Ren asked the lady at the reception about his purpose - the space between the north and south tower.

But, the answer was ruthless.

As she said: ''"There's nothing there, you can't go there"''

Of course, there is an entrance for work but right now he has no time to forcibly or maybe through political power push in. Ren left the reception desk and took the elevator.

Of course, the place of destination was the thirty third floor. The level separated in two was the lowest one. 

If he were to go there, he thought he could peek at that place through the window but there was no window. When looking at the information board, he saw that one section of the opening turned into a conference room. As expected, he cannot enter it without permission.

''"What am I supposed to do ? If it's the outside window will I be able to see it?"''

The forty fifth floors of the Tokyo Government Office - both North and South, had a general opened window.

If it's there, it may be possible to see. After thoroughly investigating the thirtieth floor, Ren abandoned that method. 

For one moment Ren returned to the first floor. It was impossible to go to the viewing room without taking a direct elevator. 

Lightly greeting the elevator girl with a smile plastered on her face, he boarded the elevator going for the north tower. The elevator rose nonstop until the forty fifth floor, opened its doors again and let out the passenger.

When exiting the elevator, he met three people. One was another elevator girl and the other two were - 

[[File:Kaze no Stigma vol 04 205.jpg|thumb|]]

"Yo, Ren."

"You are late, what are you doing?"

As Ren involuntarily staggered, he hit his head on one side of the elevator wall. At that the elevator girl came rushing. 

"Dear customer? How are you feeling?"

"Th - this is nothing. Don't worry about it."

Sending away the elevator girl by waving is hand, Ren looked at his two friends, that were supposedly prohibited from coming.

"Why are you here?"

As Ren pressed her for an answer, Kanon feigned thorough ignorance. 

"Eeeh, Shinjuku sightseeing of something?"

"It's not ''or something'', right?"

As expected she couldn't deceive him. Holding Kanon's glaze he glared at her with a stern expression.

"It's dangerous, you know!?"

"But I saw Ren-kun's gallant figure. And then you said there's no danger if it's only scouting."

"That may be true but...."

There is a discrepancy between what is dangerous for Kanon and what is dangerous for Ren. Understanding it was useless trying to explain such things, Ren shut his mouth. As they chased after him while pretending to go home it seems pointless to send them away now. 

Accepting the reality with a sigh, Ren asked the question that suddenly came to his mind. 

"By the way, how did you know I will be here?"

"There's no other place from where one is able to see, right?"

Kanon's answer was clear.

"You didn't discuss how to enter the place didn't ask and because it's Ren-kun, you wouldn't forcibly try to enter, right? That's why there was no place to go but the sightseeing room."

"But there's also a sightseeing room in the south tower."

"The other one is opened until five."

As expected, Kanon concluded with clarity.

"Although there's no question there's more than thirty minutes, isn't that what a person would normally choose? That's why we came to the north tower who is opened until nine."

Giving the impression ''It's a simple thing, Watson-kun'', Kanon displayed her reasoning. Ren gave up raising both his hands.

"You caught me, Holmes."

"Fu fu fu....come here then."

Kanon started walking in order to catch Ren's hands. Serisawa waited on her path.

"I don't see from here. It's somewhat obscure."

Serisawa pointed at the window he occupied until now. Ren bent over overlooking that place. 

Surely, it was hard to see. Although the north and south towers had an octagon shape, there was no window on the walls facing each other. 

Inevitably, they had a forty five degree viewing angle.

But even so, when looking out clinging to the window, they could perceive all of the place in question. There were some bling spots but they could compensate for those from the window on the opposite side. 

"...It's not there."

"It's not."

Already having confirmed it, Serisawa and Kanon separated from the window after a fleeting glance. Ren persevered a bit longer but unable to perceive any abnormality, he turned around as expected.

"Did you found something?"

"Nothing."

Ren lightly shrugged his shoulders. From the beginning he didn't expect to find out something only by looking.

As Ren is an Enjutsushi, he doesn't have the ability to see through a high grade concealment that can warp space. 

"Then, what are we going to do?"

"Right. There's no point having come here just to go back like this. Maybe I'll push a little bit."

Surprised by the confident speech, Kanon unexpectedly opened her eyes wide. But Ren was sticking to the window again so she immediately pulled herself together and stood next to him. Serisawa followed naturally.

Overlooking the scenery underneath him, Ren concentrated his mind.

Is Pandemonium really there? And if it's there, by what means did it concealed its appearance? - Ren has no ability to smell it out. But still.

''"There no need to see it. It doesn't matter if I can't grasp it"''

The phenomenon induced by the Spirit Magic is not a simple natural phenomenon. 

Kazuma's wind can tear open dimensions, and when Ayano battled with a gravitation user she managed to pull of the stunt of burning the warped space itself. 

A strongly sharpened will can undermine the laws of physics. That is the quintessence of the magic foundation.

Even if he can't see anything, even if he can't feel anything -

''"As long as there is something there - no matter what it is, I can <<burn it>>!"''

A golden fireball was born in the air. Although it happened somewhat farther from the building, it was  pulled from east to west leaving an afterimage and pierced the opening between the north and south towers.

Together with a faint response, a soundless noise reached back and the space trembled. And then -

"Ah!"

Spontaneously Kanon screamed. 

For a second - only for a second, inside the flickering space an old western style house could be seen in the gap.

"Ren-kun, just now - !"

Ren nodded carefully, and separated his body from the window.

''"Bingo !"''

He had no doubt. The enemy's headquarters, Pandemonium, was here.

He cannot be involved with this game of slapping cards any longer. It was when he was thinking about returning home as quickly as possible and report it.

"Wasn't your knock a bit too rude, boy?"

From behind, a low and composed voice reached his ears.

Ren's field of vision, promptly turning around, was instantly enveloped in darkness. Just before his consciousness was engulfed in darkness together with his vision - Ren's shape disappeared from the sightseeing room.

<noinclude>

{| border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaaaaa solid; padding: 0.2em; border-collapse: collapse;"
|-
| Back to [[Kaze_no_Stigma:Volume4_Chapter_2|Chapter 2]]
| Return to [[Kaze_no_Stigma|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Kaze_no_Stigma:Volume4_Chapter_4|Chapter 4]]
|-
|}
</noinclude>