Editing Hidan no Aria:Volume8 Epilogue

==Epilogue: Go For The NEXT!! The Spiral Sky Tree -Tornado High-==

“C-Could you be a……”Cross-dressing Student”……”

Stunned, I blurted out a Butei term.

But Watson just looked down silently.

--The so-called “Cross-dressing Student”, though a rarely used term……described a boy cross-dressing as a girl, or a girl cross-dressing as a boy in Butei High.

In Butei High, there were one or two students each year who, in order to investigate a crime under special circumstances, received permission from the Masters to cross-dress as boys.

From the looks of it……this fellow is a cross-dressing student.

That being said, she had indeed acted strangely at times.

She had never so much as glanced at any of the "cool" photos that Muto had brought, and that sense of danger I felt at first—I guess it was the instinct caused by Hysteria mode.

To willingly wear a girl’s uniform during the “Cosplay Cafeteria” event, taking into account his personality……it must be one of his tactics.

“The Art of War” that was taught during Inquesta classes did say that “All warfare is based on deception, the true may be false, the false may be true.” A so-called "All's fair in war" was nothing but an excellent criminal trick.

It means that the culprit not only didn’t come up with an alibi, but showed that he knew the victim. Then, he acted in a calm demeanor in front of the Buteis and police.

This way, the police will assume that “the culprit will not let himself become the target of the suspicion”, and assume this fellow as innocent.

Watson, who has been faking his gender, had not overly resisted wearing the girl’s uniform……I guess it must have been to prevent others from discovering the fact that she was a girl cross-dressing as a guy.

(This can’t be true……)

Watson remained silent.

But her silence meant that she acknowledged her identity as a girl.

That mermaid was still sitting there, sobbing……sobbing……

Ah……she started crying.

No man could cry the same way she did. She really ''was'' a girl.

“Tohyama……why did you help me? Why did you help a person who intends to kill you……and who, at school, made you fall into a dangerous situation……why……”

“……Go and ask the great person who established the nine Butei Laws.”

“You must help a person in danger? ……Such……such a humiliation, I can’t stand it anymore……kill me! A Christian can’t commit suicide. It can be treated as an accident even if you kill me. You don’t have to obey the Butei Law!”

“I ran out of bullets.”

The lethargic me laid on the floor, spread out.

“I have bullets. They’re down there at the column, I’ve even hidden some blessed silver bullets.”

“Do you really wish that much to die? Also, wouldn’t you have beaten me if you had used them just now?”

“I am not allowed to use those things on human, although you’re half-human, half-demon……”

Don’t speak such rude words so arbitrarily.

That is to say……There are bullets left?

If so, this time, I “won the battle, but lost the challenge”?

“I’m a……noble. If I lose, those before……”

Watson wiped the tears at the corner of her eyes with the back of her hand, and spoke while looking at me who was lying on the floor.

“Since I lost, I’ll bear all consequences willingly. I won’t resist, no matter what you do to me. Act as you please.”

“You actually said such dangerous words. To the current me, you are just a girl.”

I flipped over, my back towards Watson, and asked.

I don’t even have the strength to get up and preach.

“……But why are you cross-dressing as a boy?”

“To get Aria to marry one of the Watsons. If Aria can marry me, she’ll become one of the Watsons. This is why I was raised as a boy.”

“…………”

In order to pull her into the family, is it?

Coincidentally, the problem I’m facing now is the opposite.

What instant karma. What happened to Aria finally happened to me.

“The social responsibility of a noble — for the honor of the English nobles, not only do we need to succeed at the top of society……we also have to find a way to save the world while staying in the shadows. Where I am is a secret society where we aim for this practice.”

A society that saves the world from its enemies without reward.

Why does it sound like a place where heroes of justice gather?

"But while the Watsons are carrying out these missions, we've been on the decline for about 30 years. Due to our glorious past achievements, the Watsons have always served as elites. Such a popular household......although we've gained success at the top of society, we couldn't gain support from the more important leaders. So......"

"So they thought of using Aria?"

"......Yes......the Holmes may not be a member of high society, but they are in support of our actions. That's why, in order to nurture future elite detectives......or Butei, the previous generation's lord, after finding out about Aria's birth, signed a secret agreement with the Holmes......which is to let me, who was going to be born in winter of the same year, be engaged to Aria. Of course, the Holmes didn't know that I was a girl. As high society doesn't allow adopted offspring to become successors, we were left with marriage. For the sake of the family......"

......It sounds like a case of family feud.

I nearly lost my life due to this. That's really troublesome.

"But......Tohyama. This is not the only thing. The danger I said just now that threatens Aria does exist. If you're not "Grenada"--if this continues, Aria......"

Watson hesitated speaking further, while I stood up and spoke with an indifferent expression.

"I may not have chosen to join "Deen" at first, but I'll become the target of "Deen" if I join the "Grenada" now. It'll be regarded as a betrayal, and I'll be frozen by Jeanne, or have a spell cast on me by Tamamo or Meiya."

"But......Aria......"

"--The way I see it, Aria and I are in the same boat. I can be considered as a forced partner. No matter who the opponent is. She'll defend if someone attacks. She'll get something back if it is taken away. With that as it is......I'll bring you to Aria."

"You won't become "Grenada" no matter what? Regardless of how dangerous your position is?"

"I'm already used to it."

Watson looked at me while sitting on the floor--

Although the surroundings were dark, there was something glinting at the corner of her eye......

Her body was emitting a girlish aura and I suddenly had a bad feeling.

"I understand......Tohyama, then I'll help you. As atonement. I'll also withdraw my suggestion of joining "Grenada", and suggest you join "Deen" instead."

After speaking, Watson stood up with her face full of determination.

Then......taking out two magazines from the back of the column, she said.

"Aria is up there."

I've no idea why, but she passed one of the magazines to me.

Then I noticed that the bullets were not made of lead but instead made of silver, though the caliber is 9mm, so they are fully compatible with my weapon.

"Why do you still have bullets."

"......I can't tell you. Just take them. I'll bring Aria here alone."

Watson spoke with a sure tone. I can only take the bullets......

<nowiki>*</nowiki>tick*,*clap*...and load them into my weapon.

At that moment......

"I envy you a lot."

"Envy me?"

"......Actually, I knew, ever since the first time I saw you and Aria together, that the most suitable partner for Aria is you. It's because my lifetime goal was to acquire Aria that I felt unhappy when I saw that scene. And I was really envious. That's why, in Butei High, I went overboard. I'm sorry."

"If so, then just treat me to grilled beef next time. My revenge for food is strong."

Mentioning that cafeteria issue, Watson chuckled.

This is the first time I've seen it, as in, really the first time......Just like a girl, smiling brilliantly.

She's actually......very cute. She has her own good points.

"I guess I understand Aria's feelings."

"What?"

"This is why I envy you. As a girl......I know it."

"What do you mean?"

"--Aria, she likes  you."

............

............Ah?

What kind of gibberish are you speaking. Aria fires at me an average of 7.5 rounds per day.

“Impossible.”

Watson raised her eyebrows and said.

“I understand your feelings a little. That’s why I dare say that you like Aria too.”

Again with this trick.

Reki had also spoken such words before.

Just how deeply is my relationship with Aria misunderstood?

“Although it was an audacious guess, you’re completely wrong. Do you know how many times I have to fight with Aria each day......”

Suddenly, just as I was about to finish my sentence, I noticed that the surroundings changed.

……………………

The streetlights and other electrical appliances suddenly went out.

Our surroundings plunged into darkness in an instant.

The current scene looks like a power outage. Streetlights, signal lights, and even the lights of residential houses are out.

“…………?”

At that moment, the sky far above us suddenly lit up.

What? A plane......?

450 meters from the Sky Tree. There was a blinding flash at the edge of the second observatory.

“…………Watch out! High!” [Editor's note: If this doesn't make sense, it's because the original was given in English, like it mentions below.]

Watson noticed the flash and warned me in English.

The light fell!

What in the world was that?

That lamp-like radiance fell towards the ground quickly.

No, that was no lamp!

It was too huge.

A gigantic ball of light of diameter approximately 2 meters flew towards my chest with blinding speed.

“Tohyama......Hurry up and leave me!”

<nowiki>*</nowiki>dong*!

I was knocked aside.

In front of my eyes—

Nothing but white.

“…………”

She didn’t even have time to scream as Watson blocked the orb of white light with her body.

The crackles of static electricity discharge are audible to my ear.

Suddenly I felt a jolt of electricity run through my body.

This is Hilda’s move!

What happened!? It’s much more powerful than the one when we last met!

“—Watson—!”

Watson’s last shout burned itself into my memory.

The surrounding air has become a flow, spiralling upward due to the high temperature caused by the lightning discharge.

It was as if calling out to us—the air flow was drawing us upward—upward.

—Like a tornado, ever upward.

Go For The NEXT!

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