[Ноэмин]

Скажите мне, что я всё не так понял...

@темы: official art, Isana Yashiro, Yatogami Kuroh, k project

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[Ноэмин]

Акияма Химори на 6 лет старше Фушими Сарухико.
То есть Химори 25 лет.
— Side-story #7

© vk.com/anime_k

Меня здесь нет, я умер от переизбытка чувств.

@темы: official-info, k project, Akiyama Himori

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[Ноэмин]

Это же шутка такая, да?
От слишком неадекватных фанатов, да?

The tittle : “the relationship between those two that connect by fate is actually sweet or bitter?”, the word under “sweet” is “close friend” and the words under “bitter” is “dog and monkey”.
The truth is that I did think Yatachan’s action is more like monkey than Fushimi. Well, in the light novel K SIDE:RED, when Yatachan draws near to Mikoto in the amusement park, he just looks like a dog waving his tail. That’s why they used “dog”, I guess.
Btw, I wonder the line “チョコより甘い恋をあげる” is magazine ads’s line or about those two? It means “I’ll give you my love that’s even sweeter than chocolate” xD

@темы: scans, official-info, Fushimi Saruhiko, Yata Misaki, k project

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[Ноэмин]

Ох, эти спойлеры, ох.

DVD/Blu-ray vol.6 & 7 будут включать в себя подписной купон на рассказы от GORA.
Рассказы про то, как персонажи «K» проводят различные времена года.

- Эти рассказы будут про Серебряный, Красный и Синий кланы. О том, чем они заняты во время Хэллоуина, Ханами, etc. (схожи с DRAMA CD)
- Миязава Тацуки (RED) напишет историю про то, как Нэко, Широ, Куро и Кукури готовятся к Хэллоуину.
- Кабей Юкако (Yellow) расскажет нам о походе SCEPTER4 на пляж: волейбол, Авашима в купальнике...
- Также будет рассказ о некой «Игре Королей», в которую SCEPTER4 играли во время Ханами; HOMRA на Хинамацури.
_____________
Ханами - японская национальная традиция любования цветами.
Хинамацури - один из главных праздников Японии. День девочек или праздник кукол Хина.
© vk.com/anime_k

По-моему, будет весело. А в бутылочку, в бутылочку они не играли, не?!

@темы: official-info, k project

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[muvee]

Жаль не подборка, но все же не могу не выложить.

автор Miyolou

@темы: fanart, k project, Adolf K. Weismann, Claudia Weismann, Daikaku Kokujouji

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[Ноэмин]

@темы: k-Anime

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Из новенького

[Din Battler]

Самое прекрасное на Zerochan за последние пару дней, на мой взгляд:

Рыцарь бдит, пока Король спит


И официальный арт (как указано в тегах)

@темы: fanart, official art, k-Anime, Isana Yashiro, Yatogami Kuroh, k project

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Переводы артов

[Shisui-sama]

простите, вчера выложить как-то не сложилось :3

Переводы lannister

Художник 敬@原稿中
вот здесь я уже выкладывала один перевод
1. ...
2. начало конец
милота :3
3. AFTER THE SCEPTER 4 YEAR-END PARTY (1/2)
note: set after that drama where munakata is a friendless loser. ©
начало конец
4. AFTER THE SCEPTER 4 YEAR-END PARTY (2/2)
начало конец
ещё одна милота :3
5. я отказываюсь это комментировать
начало продолжение конец
6. mikoto knows how to roll with the tsunderes ©
начало продолжение конец
экстра
7. а от этого тем более отказываюсь
начало конец
8. awwww~

Художник BYA
1. ...
2. начало продолжение продолжение-2 конец

зы: есть предложение перевести эти арты на русский, но проблема в том, что я не владею ФШ, поэтому разыскивается тот, кто согласится безвозмездно помочь :3

Вопрос: нужна ли русификация?

1. да		57	(89.06%)
2. нет		7	(10.94%)
Всего:		64 Всего проголосовало: 63

@темы: fanart, yaoi, Munakata Reisi, Suoh Mikoto, k project, bl

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[Shisui-sama]

вообще не очень люблю такие видео, но эти меня покорили

вот тут ещё третья часть

@темы: video, yaoi, k-Anime, k project, bl

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Арты

[Remira]

*с трагической мордой пришол, оставил и ушол. рыдать. в окно. в закат*

*кликабельно*

© 敬@原稿中

@темы: fanart, yaoi, Munakata Reisi, Suoh Mikoto, k project, R, G

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[K SIDE:RED] Summary/Spoiler about Fushimi and Yata [Part 3]

[Ноэмин]

А часть 2 ещё не.
Примечания переводчика сохранены.

Английский язык, немного букв

Anna overhears the conversation about her parent. The one who starts it first is Fushimi : “That kid’s parent, weren’t they killed in center?”. Anna disappears after that. Homra tries to search for her. An incident happens and it’s said that Anna’s the one caused it, so she’s transported to center by ambulance. Homra bar’s air turns in heavy. Mikoto says “crush them”( means that they’ll attack the center ). Homra’s members are ready for the raid. Fushimi who looks at everyone by his irresponsible face as usual, leaves the bar. Yata’s the one who usually loses his temper in that kind of situation, but today he’s really quiet. After watching everything, when Fushimi’s about to leave the bar, he stands up, chases after Fushimi and calls :

“Saruhiko”

Fushimi who’s at the bar’s door, turns his half face to look at Yata.

“It’s not your fault”

Yata looks straight at him. It makes Fushimi surprise. His eyes shake for a moment. He doesn’t answer, just clicks his tongue and leaves the bar.

Kusanagi calls Totsuka ( it looks like he gives Totsuka the signal to chase after Fushimi ), but Totsuka answers “I guess Sarukun don’t want me to follow him”. Totsuka looks at Yata who still keeps his eyes on the bar’s door and says “Sarukun’ll be ok….At least, for now”.



******

Fushimi’s at the park that’s near the bar. He sits on a bench while hunching his back. Yata walks forward to Fushimi’s place.

“Yoh”

Yata raises his hand. Fushimi glances at Yata by his irresponsible and boring face, answers “……Yoh” and turns his face away immediately. But at least he did answer Yata, let his guard off and allow Yata to come near him.

It reminds Yata that from the first time they met, Fushimi already had a strong aura that didn’t allow anyone to get close to him, just like a physical barrier surrounded him. So it’s unexpectedly easy to realize when will Fushimi allow someone to come near him. Come to think about that, after joining Homra, I still haven’t talk properly with him, that’s what Yata thinks. Comparing to those days in middle school that only two of them hung out together, the air in Homra is too lively. So Yata becomes less and less concerned about Fushimi. Is it because of that, recently the moment that Yata can’t understand Fushimi increase.

“…We’re going to get into the centre” - Yata Says.

“In that case, there’ll be a war with Gold King’s clan”

“Just bring it on”

“Do you really understand the situation?”

Fushimi looks at Yata with a cold face.

“If there’ll be a real battle with Gold King, your precious Homra’ll be smashed”

Yata feels irritated and stands up.

“Saru, how dare you could say that Homra’s going to lose to Gold King!”

” There’s a distance between two clan’s forces. Just calm down and think about it, even an idiot can understand”

Yata should get angry because of Fushimi’s way of talking likes he wanted to provoke Yata, but Yata clenchs his fist and holds his tongue instead. Yata’s behaviour makes Fushimi surprise a bit and lifts his eyebrows.

“……..why did you say that phrase ‘your precious Homra’? You’re Homra’s member as well, aren’t you?”

Fushimi stops his movement for a moment, then turns his sullen face away immediately.

“Saru…..”

“Shut up”

Fushimi looks gloomy when he says this, then he gets up.

“I just tried to think about this. According to the time when we intruded the center, it looks like this place doesn’t have a trust relationship with Gold King. So I just gave your simple mind a warning ‘cause you were really in high spirits.”

Fushimi says by a cold voice and takes a breath.

“Mikoto-san isn’t that omnipotent, though”

That time, he didn’t use the tone like he wanted to provoke Yata.

For Yata, those words Fushimi just said would make him get angry. But he doesn’t. Yata feels like he just saw something strange. He looks at Fushimi and says

“Saruhiko will also join the raid, right?”

Yata uses the tone that he invited Fushimi to go to game center back then in middle school, so it makes Fushimi surprise a bit and open his eyes wide, then clicks his tongue

“Of course”

“Don’t mind about that kid”

“Let you know this, it’s not like I mind about that kid or I was said to mind about this”

“Wha-, because you said those insensibility things, that kid was hurted, though”

“Don’t use the mouth just said ‘don’t mind about that kid’ to say that”

“uh-……you’re so mean”

After saying that, Yata pokes Fushimi. He feels that Fushimi who’s recently far away from him, is back to the way he was for a bit and thinks that’s a relief.


*****

Back to the bar, when Kusanagi asks Totsuka “Totsuka, Fushimi hasn’t came back yet huh?”, Totsuka answers that Yata went out to look for him. Kusanagi asks Totsuka about what Totsuka said back then “I guess Sarukun don’t want me to follow him”, since Totsuka can get along with every members in Homra, Kusanagi wonders why he can’t with Fushimi. Totsuka says “Saru-kun is no good”. It makes Kusanagi surprise.

“Ah, sorry. I didn’t mean that Sarukun himself is not good…..It just that I can’t become this”

“Become what?”

“His interest. Or I should say the object that he puts all his mind for”*

Totsuka comments that Fushimi is attracted ( to someone ) too much, and he thinks this isn’t bad at all. And because that kid is interesting, he want to get along with him.



—————————-

*It’s really hard to translate the word “執着” into English. It’s the word that can clearly express Fushimi’s feelings toward Yatachan. So I’ll explain this word here : When your heart’s charmed strongly by someone/something, you can use this word.

Btw, I really like Totsuka. He understood Fushimi very well. And when Fushimi left the bar, he didn’t follow Fushimi but let Yatachan do it. It means he figured out that Yatachan can calm Fushimi down <3
© takosekuhara.tumblr.com

@темы: official-info, Fushimi Saruhiko, Yata Misaki, k project

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[K SIDE:RED] Summary/Spoiler about Fushimi and Yata [Part1]

[Ноэмин]

Честное слово, СаруМи когда-нибудь меня отпустит и я перестану, но.... НЕ СЕЙЧАС!

Английский язык, много букв

At the beginning of the novel, Totsuka is staring at Fushimi, that makes Fushimi feel uneasy and asks “……What?”. Totsuka answers “Uhm? I just want to see newcomer’s face”. Fushimi and Yata joined Homra together after graduating from middle chool. Yata has already became familiar with everyone, but Fushimi hasn’t yet. He still doesn’t trust Homra’s members. Totsuka’s duty is taking care of newcomers, so for him, Fushimi’s a difficult opponent. Totsuka calls Fushimi “Saru-kun” and Fushimi really hates this kind of calling, but he doesn’t complain about that. When Totsuka called Yata “Misaki-kun”, Yata honestly said “Don’t call me by my first name!”, though. Totsuka knows that Fushimi really hates to be called “Saru-kun”, but he decides to continue calling Fushimi “Saru-kun” until the day Fushimi puts it into words. Totsuka knows when Fushimi becomes irritated . Even though Fushimi doesn’t react properly, he doesn’t hide his irritating heart either ( such as when Totsuka asks him to play shogi with him ). For Totsuka, Fushimi’s really easy to understand and really interesting kid.

*Kusanagi calls Totsuka, says that Suoh has something to discuss with him. Then Kushina visits the bar and takes Anna along with her. She’s Suoh’s high school teacher. She also taked care of Kusanagi back then since he attended the same middle school and high school with Suoh. Kushina’s Anna’s aunt. Anna’s parent died in a accident so she lives with Kushina. Anna was always in hospital. That day’s the day Anna was discharged from hospital so Kushina thinks of taking Anna to someplace to have fun. After talking with Anna, Totsuka realizes that Anna’s a strain. It looks like the hospital Anna got in is a place that reseachs on strain. Yata and Kamamoto are commanded to protect Kushina and Anna.

It’s night. Yata and Kamamoto are at a park. Kamamoto’s eating ramen and Yata’s staring at Kushina’s place in the department. Kamamoto’s Yata’s childhood friend. Back then, Yata was the trongest kid and Kamamoto was usually protected by Yata, so he called Yata “Yatasan” even though he’s order than Yata. Kamamoto was the one who recognized Yata when Yata first joined Homra.

Yata thinks about making a nickname because “From now on, I’ll have to do many missions for Mikotosan”. Kamomoto says “Why don’t you just use Yata Misaki?”, then Yata answers “But it’s not cool at all”. Kamamoto realizes “Ah, it reminds me that you didn’t like your first nane. ‘Cos it’s so girlish”. Yata hits his head. After that, Yata decides his nickname will be “Yatagarasu”. Kamamoto reacts ( weakly ) “………….well, it sounds good”. They talk about this mission. Kamamoto mentions “Anyway, those who received this mission, weren’t Yatasan and Fushimi?”. Yata stops suddenly, then clicks his tongue “That guy, he said that it’s so troublesome…Recently, it’s really hard to hang out with him, that Saruhiko!”. Yata notices that Fushimi’s attitude in Homra is different compared to those days in middle school that they usually hung out.

Anna opens the door quietly and gets out. She comes up the stairs. A man with blue suit appears and it looks like he scares Anna. So Yata and Kamamoto quickly head to this place. That person’s blue clan ( Scepter 4 ) ’s member. Their King died in the accident happened 10 years ago, and the new king hasn’t been chosen yet. So they’re working under Gold King’s command. That person says if they stick their nose into Gold King’s business, that’ll effect badly Red King’s status. Another blue suit man appears, and those two men of blue clan are twin. But they leave after all. Yata can’t get rid of what that man told before. For Yata, Suoh’s a super cool hero, so thing he can do for Suoh’s sake is his pride. That’s why he scares if his action gets in Suoh’s way. Kamamoto comforts him that this’ll be ok.

Kushina has some business so she leaves Anna in Homra’s care. After hearing Yata and Kamamoto’s story, Red clan decides to investigate the hospital Anna was hospitalized. The group that goes to investigate this hospital includes Totsuka, Yata, Kamamoto and Fushimi. Yata insists that this place is experimenting strain’s body and Kamamoto agrees with him. But since this mission’s point is investigating the center, Totsuka have no choice but to bring Fushimi along. Though Fushimi feels irritated, he still goes with them. Before coming here, Fushimi hacked the system to take center’s map, so he guides the group by his PDA. They have to pass through a door in order to get into research area. Yata intends to use his hand to break the door, but Fushimi stops him by kicking his buttock.
“It hurts-! What wrong with you?”
“Don’t you think just doing this can easily open the door, idiot!”
Yata gets angry and tries to fight back. Totsuka tries to stop him. While Yata talks back to Totsuka, Fushimi moves to Yata’s front and steps on Yata’s skateboard so that Yata won’t be able to jump.
“Stop already, you single-cell” ( Fushimi means that Yata has a simple brain )
“What-“
Suddenly being called like that by Fushimi makes Yata’s face turn all red. After all, Totsuka uses his ability to open the door.

After intruding into research area, they move to reference room. Fushimi hacks the computer’s system. Yata and Totsuka stand behind him. Kamamoto takes care the door. Yata’s impatient of waiting and asks “Hey, you done yet? If we don’t hurry, other people will come”. “You’re noisy. Just shut up” – Fushimi answers. Anna’s infos appear in the screen. While they’re reading them, a person comes. Yata intends to beat him but Totsuka stops Yata and gives Fushimi the signal to do it. Fushimi uses his hand to chop that person’s neck from the back. That person falls down without crying. Yata gets angry and asks Totsuka “Why did you stop me but let Saruhiko do it?”. Totsuka explains that if Yata do it, he’ll beat that person hard so they’ll be exposed. Yata realizes that, but he don’t like the fact that Fushimi’s more reliable than him. Totsuka says “Anyway, with that kind of situation, we’ll be exposed soon”. They move to strain’s place.

After coming to strain’s place, they meet a strain boy and talk with him about this place, about “usagi” ( those guys who wear rabbit masks and server Gold King ). When Yata says “If they can’t even believe in their comrades, Gold King’s in trouble after all” and thinks that isn’t the problem in Homra, he notices and wonders why Fushimi looks at him with cold eyes.

They continue their conversation. Suddenly, a silver flash flies toward Yata’s direction and slides through his cheek. Fushimi takes his knives out. The twin in blue clan that Yata and Kamamoto met before appears.

The twin was looking for the intruders and they found Totsuka’s group. Yata and Fushimi fight back them. After some actions, they realize that the twin only attacks Yata. Akito suddenly attacks Yata’s back. Just at that moment, Fushimi stops it by his knife. Fushimi asks “Two persons aim to the weak one is your style of fighting, huh?” and they answer “That’s right”. Yata says “Wait! What did you say!? Do you mean that I look weaker than Saruhiko?”. Fushimi calls Totsuka and says “Protecting you is bothersome”. Totsuka understands and escapes with Kamamoto. Yata and Fushimi stay back to fight the twin. Yata says to the twin “I’ve got your coward way of fighting. I’m okay with that, bring it on!”. So Fushimi tells him :
“Don’t be full of yourself. You was just saved by me though”
“Shut up! Don’t say like I owe you a favour. I could avoid this by myself”
“Hm…Whatever. But if Misaki can’t handle this situation, I don’t mind helping you out”
“I already told you that don’t call me by my first name! It can’t be helped so I’ll cooperate with you”
Then the twin asks “Done your conversation yet?”

*The group manages to escape and go back to Homra after all.

Totsuka tells Yata and Fushimi go to 2^nd floor to take a bath. Yata looks at Fushimi with a hesitant face and Fushimi tells him to go first. Then Yata looks at Totsuka and Suoh with that face. Homra’s 2^nd floor is Suoh’s place, that’s why he’s hesitating. Suoh tells him “Just use it”, Yata says “Yeah! Please excuse me!” and go up to the 2^nd floor. Totsuka calls after Yata “Annachan’s sleeping there so don’t make her wake up, ok?”. While those who remain in 1^st floor are conversing together, there’s a scream “Kyaaaaaaaa!” let out form the 2^nd floor. That was a boy’s voice. To be frank, that was Yata’s voice. But that voice’s just like a girl’s screaming voice. Totsuka and Kamamoto look at each other, than Totsuka stares at Fushimi. Fushimi makes a super suspicious face. Kusanagi stops his hand that’s about to open the first-aid kit. He and Suoh look at each other’s face. None of them think that they have to hurry going up the 2^nd floor, but they can’t leave that matter here. Fushimi stands first with an irritating face. Then Totsuka, Kamamoto, Kusanagi and Suoh stand after that. They go up to 2^nd floor. The situation is that Yata’s now all naked at the changing room and Anna’s also here. Yata’s face is all red. He asks :
“Wha-what!? What do you want!?”
“I’m here to wash hands” – Anna answers.
“Wait-…. ehhhhh?”
“Stop showing off your virginity already” – Fushimi says with a boring face like he has just witnessed a stupid thing.
“Be-because a girl suddenly came here……..!”
“This isn’t a girl, just a brat, right ?”
“Bu-but it’s really bad for educating kid!”
“Then hurry hiding that bad-for-educating obscene thing already”
While those two are talking back to each other, Totsuka moves Anna to face back Yata. Kusanagi sighs “Ha~. I thought this was just a worthless matter, but it was more worthless than I imaged” and gets out of the changing room. Suoh doesn’t say anything, but makes a face like he has just witnessed a boring matter as well. Only Kamamoto takes the bath towel for Yata with a pity face.



© takosekuhara.tumblr.com

@темы: official-info, Fushimi Saruhiko, Yata Misaki, k project

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Постер

[da-crazed-one]

Мой скромный вклад в сообщество в виде посканенного мной постера, который пришел бонусом к первому тому онеме.

Технически есть версия еще больше (в 6000+ пикселей по вертикали), но тяжеловата для инета, так что чуть уменьшено.

@темы: official art, scans

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[Ноэмин]

Я просто оставлю это превью оф. арта здесь.

@темы: official art, Fushimi Saruhiko, Yata Misaki

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K Side:Red (глава 3 - A Rainbow Dream, 1/3 и 2/3)

[Ноэмин]

Tokyo Legislative Bureau Forth Ward

Английский язык, в два раза больше слов, чем в предыдущем псто

Looking at that signboard, Kusanagi couldn’t help but let out a scornful laugh. No many how many times he saw it, he thought it was a weird name. The true identity of this building, which wore the skin of a proper government office, was the blue clan’s- Scepter 4’s headquarters.

Apparently, the name comes from how they claim up front to be dealing with ‘special foreigners’. But that’s just something like a metaphor. In actuality, they don’t deal in people who are from different countries, but rather those with different abilities- in other words, people with supernatural powers.

Even amongst that, the type they dealt with the most were people who naturally gained abilities without joining a clan or receiving power from a king, Strains. Because there were cases where Strains, who had neither an organization they were affiliated with or a king to listen to, used their powers to commit crimes.

When Scepter 4 discovered an unregistered Strain, they were to take them into custody, and send them to centers for education and research under the golden king’s jurisdiction. Because of that, from before the golden clan and the blue clan already had an intimate relationship. But…

“With one of ‘em without a king, there’s no way they’d be able to keep up an equal relationship.”

He didn’t know what things had been like before. But, now at least, one couldn’t see the blue clan as anything but a bunch of hired security guards being used by the golden clan.

“…it sure is tragic, ain’t it. A subject who’s lost their king.”

Saying that to himself, Kusanagi went through the forth ward’s gate.

Kusanagi was led into a meeting room further in by a person from Scepter 4 in blue clothes, even as they gave him painfully suspicious looks. One way or another, Scepter 4 was supposed to be an organization that considered protecting the law amongst those with superhuman powers to be their principle. He figured it would probably be alright, but if there was someone here who thought they might as well take the opportunity to squash a red clan executive, would he be able to return in one piece, Kusanagi thought to himself half whimsically. He supposed he’d be completely outnumbered, so it might be difficult. Sitting on the meeting room’s old sofa, the amount of time he had to wait was about as long as it took to smoke one cigarette.

A heavy knocked filled the air, and then door opened. Putting his shortened cigarette in the ash tray, Kusanagi stood up.

The person who appeared was a man who looked just over forty. One could figure that he was that old from his face, but from his blank expression that went beyond tiredness, and the way he moved as though even taking a single step was tiresome, one would think he were someone older, like an old man. His formal uniform also seemed to be neglected and worn-out.

“…So you’re that guy? The red clan’s adviser, Kusanagi Izumo.” Said the main in a heavy, weary-sounding tone. Kusanagi smiled.

“Well, I’m not somethin’ as big and important as an adviser… you’re Scepter 4’s deputy commander, Shiotsu Gen-san, correct?”

In response to Kusanagi’s words, for some reason Shiotsu spat out a ‘ha!’ and smiled scornfully.

“Deputy commander, huh.”

“…am I wrong?”

“No, you’re not. Unfortunately, right now, there’s no one here who’s any better than this mediocre guy.” Saying that sullenly, the deputy commander sat down on the sofa across the low table. The old thing let out a stupid sounding ‘swoosh’ as air escaped from it.

“Want some tea?”

“No.”

“Figured. You shouldn’t put anything from enemy territory into your mouth carelessly.”

“Oh, is this enemy territory for me?”

“Isn’t it?”

Sinking into the sofa while leaning sloppily on the back, Shiotsu glared up at Kusanagi. Kusanagi didn’t confirm or deny it.

“…today, I’ve come to apologize. Yesterday, our kids apparently caused you some trouble.”

Shiotsu didn’t try to respond immediately. He looked up at Kusanagi while his mouth stayed closed.

“It’s against the rules to trespass on another clan’s territory. It’s Scepter 4’s duty to punish those who deserve it.” Shiotsu said quietly, and as though he were chewing on sand. Kusanagi nodded.

“I understand.”

“…but, there was a problem with my subordinates who attacked first without properly assessing the situation, apparently. And anyway, chief Mizuchi doesn’t seem to want to make a fuss out of this case. There’s no need for you to apologize to me. If that’s all you wanted, leave.”

Kusanagi looked at Shiotsu’s expression silently for a moment, then got his cigarette box out from his pocket.

“Mind if I smoke?”

“…I told you to leave.” But, even as he said that grudgingly, he gave permission by gesturing with his chin.

Kusanagi took a cigarette out from the box and put it in his mouth, then lit it with his lighter. A small flame lit up its end. Smoke rose.

“Yesterday, the ones who got into trouble with our kids were the twins from your place. It sounds like they’re pretty young. Even younger than me, maybe?”

“So what?”

“Well. It’s just… it’s been ten years since the previous blue king passed away, hasn’t it? So I was just a bit interested, since if there were such young clansmen, then they must’ve been only children when they joined.”

Shiotsu clocked his tongue a little, and also got some cigarettes out from his pocket. When Kusanagi offered his lighter, Shiotsu paused for just a moment, before tiredly getting up from the back of the sofa and leaned out to use the fire.

“They were a special case.” Said Shiotsu as he held the cigarette between his thumb and forefinger and smoked it with a displeased face.

“Their parents were members of Scepter 4, you see. Then they died on duty during a certain incident. Those two were twelve at the time. Since they didn’t have anyone else to go to, Scepter 4 decided to take care of them as a group, but… those guys, they went to the previous king and asked to be made members of Scepter 4 themselves. Since they wanted to take over their parents’ dying will.” Only at the moment that he was speaking about the previous blue king did light appear in the tired-out deputy’s eyes. When the previous king was alive, he must have also been a member full of hope, one could feel from those eyes.

“And then…”

“He gave in. He made those two, who were still children, into clansmen. Of course, he hadn’t intended to let them work as actual members for a while. He probably just wanted to respect their wishes and raise them slowly.”

‘Probably just wanted to’, meaning that didn’t come to pass.

Kusanagi knew what happened after that. He knew, and he still asked.

“Then what?”

“…It was two weeks after those two became blue clansmen… that the Kagutsu incident happened.”

The Kagutsu incident. The incident that happened ten years ago when Japan’s geography changed. People who knew what had happened called the place that had been dug out in a circle the ‘Kagutsu Crater’ after the man who had been at the center of the explosion.

Kusanagi breathed slightly.

“If I recall correctly, the previous blue king passed away during the Kagutsu incident.”

At Kusanagi’s words, Shiotsu’s slack body which had been sinking into the sofa tensed slightly. Wrinkling his brow, he answered shortly.

“Yeah.”

“It must have been such a shock for the brothers, who were children and had just become blue clansmen. Since right as they decided to take over their parents’ wills and decided on which back they should follow, it vanished.”

Shiotsu glared up at Kusanagi.

“…You’re not being sympathetic.”

“No, I’m not.”

“What are you trying to say?”

Kusanagi smiled like he would at a customer in his bar, and said,

“What occurred ten years ago was really a tragedy, but I was wonderin’ what happened to the sense of justice you guys were surely holdin’ on to at first even then.”

Shiotsu didn’t change his sloppy posture. But, his eyes alone began to shine dangerously.

“…are you trying to provoke me?”

“I’m aware that I’m bein’ rude. However, from what I’ve heard, the brothers who got into trouble with our kids didn’t seem to care a whole lot about justice or anythin’.”

“Are you trying to gloss over what your comrades did?”

“What I’m tryin’ to say is,” Kusanagi raised his voice. He narrowed his eyes as he looked at Shiotsu.

“Can you guys vow to your own king that your actions are nothin’ to be ashamed of?”

The atmosphere in the room tensed. Kusanagi could clearly sense killing intent rise from the man who was sitting loosely in front of him.

Kusanagi focused on the cigarette still in his fingers. So that should the other guy get into ‘that mood’, he’d be able to respond right away. The shortened cigarette flame wavered slightly in response to Kusanagi’s thoughts.

“…you won’t respond right away?”

“We have no king anymore.”

Kusanagi breathed out slightly.

“That’s your answer, huh.”

Shiotsu smiled thinly, but his eyes still shone with the killing intent reflected within.

“Right now, no one here can vow to their king that they have nothing to be ashamed of… we’re just a group of cowards who couldn’t even be at their king’s side when Kagutsu happened.”

Kusanagi frowned slightly at the words that were spat out.

“It’s not cool to talk down on yourself like that.”

“Shut it.”

“You’re not cool, but you’re not really a bad guy, I guess.”

As he said that, Kusanagi shoved his shortened cigarette into the ashtray. The fire crackled and vanished. Standing up straight, he turned to look right into Shiotsu’s petulant eyes.

“I’ll take that as a warning to ‘not believe me’. You should know what we’re feeling. Even then, you don’t say one word of excuse… you don’t intend to defend what you’re protecting, and you don’t think the work you’re doing right now is what’s right.”

Shiotsu didn’t reply, and only looked sullenly at Kusanagi. Kusanagi was smiling.

“You’re tryin’ to be shameless, but do you not wanna regain your honor? We’ve lost any intention of trusting chief Mizuchi, and if it comes to a fight over that girl, we plan to face it… would you still become our enemy if that happened?”

“That’s our work.” It was a deep voice with all expression deadened. Even the sulky atmosphere from earlier had vanished, and a wall that seemed to shut everything out had been born.

Kusanagi decided it was time to go.

“…excuse me. Even though I just came to apologize, I ended up startin’ a long conversation.”

Kusanagi bowed one and stood up. As he was walking to the door, Shiotsu’s voice came.

“Not to mention us, I can’t recommend making an enemy out of the golden clan.”

“Thank you for your concern.”

“You.” Shiotsu’s voice rose for a moment. Kusanagi turned to look at him without thinking. His greying head could be seen from behind, still seated on the couch.

“…what do you think about the Kagutsu story?”

“What do you mean?”

“Are you trying to act like it’s unrelated to you?”

Right then, Kusanagi shuddered slightly.

He inwardly clicked his tongue at the fact that he had.

“That your king, that Suou Mikoto is different from the previous red king, Kagutsu Genji… can you vow it?”

…He asked something unpleasant. Kusanagi made a complicated face somewhere between annoyance and a bitter smile. But, they had both asked something unpleasant. However, Kusanagi still didn’t feel the urge to talk self-deprecatingly like Shiotsu had.

“He’s different, our king.”

Shiotsu went ‘hmph’.

“I hate red kings. Their nature as king is too dangerous… Suou Mikoto might also become a Kagutsu at any little provocation.”

“…by provocation, you mean?”

“Anything. A waver in his mentality, indulging in his power, strong interactions with another king… especially, killing another king.”

At the end of that sentence, Kusanagi suddenly remembered something he had heard before.

“The previous blue king passed away while trying to stop Kagutsu’s rampage, correct?”

“…yeah. In truth, he should’ve killed Kagutsu before he became like that. But, even if he had been able to, then the Crater’s name would’ve just changed from the Kagutsu Crater to… the Habari Crater. Our previous king was pulled along by Kagutsu before that, and his own Weismann value got messed up. If he had killed Kagutsu, his own Sword of Damocles would’ve fallen.”

The smell of tobacco filled the room. Kusanagi thought that it was a weirdly quiet place. Suddenly, he felt homesick for the noisiness of his bar.

“Regardless, should something happen to a king, another king is required in order to stop it. Now, there’s no longer a blue king… do you think there’s something you can do when your king crumbles?”

Kusanagi didn’t reply. He excused himself in a flat voice and left the room.

++++++++++

“On this day, I would like to visit an amusement park.”

In response to Totsuka’s announcement, Suou frowned.

Behind Totsuka, Anna was staring in his direction half hidden. Even though she was staring shamelessly right at him, the fact that she was doing it from behind Totsuka made it kind of annoying.

“On this day, I would like to visit an amusement park.”

Perhaps because Suou didn’t reply, Totsuka repeated himself.

“That so.” When Suou, unable to reply any other way, said this in a way that implied he didn’t care, Totsuka smiled.

“Good for you, Anna-chan! King didn’t say no!”

“Ah?”

“Then, let’s go! King, can you leave right away?”

Suou grabbed Totsuka’s face. Even though his cheeks were being squished and his face was getting twisted in a stupid way, Totsuka didn’t mind and kept smiling.

“Who. Said. He’d. Go with you?”

“Oh, come on, King, do you intend to betray an innocent young girl’s expectations?” Said Totsuka in a muffled voice.

Anna fixedly, fiiiixedly continued to stare at Suou’s face. In response to those expectant eyes, Suou let go of Totsuka and looked away uncomfortably.

“You see, Anna-chan’s never gone to an amusement park.”

“Is that so.”

“So, she’d like to try going.”

“Then go.”

Even when he said that in a fed-up way, the power of Anna’s silent gaze was strong. Those large eyes like glass spheres were single-mindedly directed at him. It appeared as though the smiling Totsuka believed Suou would lose to Anna’s eyes, and that was annoying too.

“Before,”

Anna opened her mouth softly.

“Dad and mom said they’d take me to the amusement park… but, we didn’t get to go.”

Anna’s parents had died in a traffic accident. Though, he didn’t know whether the reason they hadn’t been able to go was their deaths or not. Anna had merely said the truth, and hadn’t been trying to make Suou sympathetic or anything. But, if he refused now, Totsuka appeared to be prepared to go ‘you fiend!’ and call him names. And Anna, despite being expressionless, was still sending a gaze that was weirdly passionate in his direction.

This isn’t a good day, Suou thought as he inwardly clicked his tongue.

The group walked through a park filled with happy voices and pleasant music.

“Mikoto-san, Mikoto-san! Do you want to get on the jet coaster!?” Said an excited Yata as he turned around.

“Aah?” With a voice that was annoyed to the extreme, Suou glared bullets at Yata. Yata went ‘I’m sorry!!’ and bowed.

“King, that’s not the face of someone visiting an amusement park!”

“You’re the one who made me come.”

Totsuka let Suou’s voice and glare pass through one ear and out the other with a smile. Beside Yata, Fushimi walked as he muttered ‘why me, too’. It appeared that Kamamoto had completely opened up with Anna, and the two of them were eating crepes together. Anna’s was strawberry, but Kamamoto’s was a mix of chocolate and banana, and Kamamoto told her ‘I’ll eat the rest if you can’t finish it’ in a way that it was hard to tell whether he was being nice or just being a glutton.

“I haven’t been to an amusement park since I was a kid!” To Yata, who was excitedly looking like he was having fun, Totsuka responded with a smile.

“It’s my first time, I guess?”

“Really? You haven’t gone a single time?”

“I didn’t really get a chance…”

In the end, nominally for the sake of taking Anna, five grown men were walking around an amusement park.

It was a surreal scene.

Suou, who had been walking furthest back, sat down heavily just when they were passing a smoking area bench.

“Hey, King-.”

“Shut it, go play as much as you want.”

Totsuka smiled wryly at Suou, who said that in an annoyed way while lighting a cigarette.

“Don’t go home before us, okay?” Totsuka said, pointing a finger at Suou. Then he took Anna and went towards the attractions. Yata kept looking back at Suou, but followed Totsuka and company.

Suou rested his arms on the back of the bench and looked up at the sky. It was a blue sky with hardly any clouds. The smoke from the cigarette in Suou’s mouth wavered slightly as it rose. Come to think of it, he felt like it had been a really long time since he had looked up at the sky like this. Recently, he hadn’t cared about the weather. Since he had spent a lot of time cut off from the outside world.

…since that brat came, he had kept being dragged out.

A doll-like girl with scarce expression. She accidentally stepped into what was inside him and passed out, and despite passing out she said ‘Mikoto’s dreams are fine.’ with a face that really looked like she were fine.

“This is stupid.” He said self-deprecatingly when he realized he was starting to care.

On a fine, clear day at the amusement park, passing families kept starting and glancing at the good-for-nothing looking man reclined on the bench.

This was just plain stupid.

Anna’s favorite was spinning coffee cups to death.

She’d get into a red cup, and spin it around to the limits of Kamamoto’s power. After getting off, the guys were all groggy, but on top of her expressionless face, even though it was extremely hard to tell, her eyes were gleaming in glee.

Anna, who had only left the impression of being doll-like, was actually enjoying herself, it seemed. Even when riding the jet coaster, Anna didn’t move a single eyelash and only had her eyes blaze. After riding aggressive rides one after another until almost sunset, they had Anna who was tired from playing rest while Yata and Kamamoto went to buy juice. When they came back, she was sitting beside the fountain. Spreading out the sleeves of her frilly clothes, which used lots of blue cloth, she looked like a doll someone had left behind with her hands quietly in her lap.

Totsuka, who was standing in front of Anna, wasn’t smiling for once, and seemed to be paying attention to something around them.

“Totsuka-san?” When Yata said something to him, Totsuka looked like he was suddenly jolted out of his thoughts.

“Is something wrong?”

“No, sorry, thanks.” Totsuka smiled and took the juice Yata handed him.

“Here ya go.” Kamamoto gave Anna some blood orange juice. It’s orange juice with a color like tomato juice.

“Huh, what about Saruhiko?” Yata looked around, since he couldn’t see his friend.

“He wasn’t with you guys?”

Apparently, he had gotten away at some point. Yata clicked his tongue in exasperation.

“That guy, he went off on his own, didn’t he.”

He had always worked at his own pace and didn’t try to match up with others ever since they had met, but it seemed like it had been getting worse recently.

“Yata and Saru-kun are also a strange combination, huh.” Totsuka said this, smiling around his juice’s straw.

“Are we?”

“Yeah. The fact that you’re mismatched is the interesting part, though. You’ve been friends since middleschool, right?”

Yata noisily sipped his cola while remembering the time around when he met Fushimi.

“Ah, yeah, I guess he wasn’t the type of person in my class I’d normally become friends with. But somehow… I guess you could say we both kinda felt irritated at nothing in particular, or felt frustrated…”

Remembering the melancholy that nothing could be done about from those days, yet not being able to explain it well, Yata suddenly raised his eyes while muttering. Totsuka had a soft expression on his face as he looked at Yata like he was watching over him.

At that expression of Totsuka’s, Yata somehow started feeling uncomfortable.

When Totsuka was horsing around with them, he was weirdly childish, or just didn’t make them feel like there was an age gap, but sometimes he’d make a face that would made one think he were more of an adult than their real age gap. Yata had just a little bit of trouble dealing with Totsuka in those moments.

“…what?” When he asked that with a petulant look, Totsuka went ‘hm?’ and tilted his head.

“You were making a weird face just now.”

“‘Weird’, that’s mean… I just was wondering if you felt the same way now.”

Now? Yata tilted his head, then immediately shook it.

“Since I joined Homura, not at all. Everyone messes around and laughs, and if something happens we just blow it away. If Mikoto-san is close by, then I don’t have any opening to feel frustrated, anyway.”

“I wonder if it’s the same for Saru-kun?”

In response to that unexpected question, Yata blinked once or twice.

“Eh?”

“I wonder if Saru-kun, who felt the same way as you, is also letting himself be saved by us?”

It was a question he’d never even thought of. It wasn’t something he had thought of, but he tried thinking about it, and came up with a simple answer.

“I dunno, but isn’t he?”

Being beside Suou, there wasn’t anyone who wouldn’t have their hearts moved and wouldn’t have their blood boil, Yata thought simply. Totsuka didn’t comment on Yata’s answer, just said ‘I see’, and then put on a face like he was looking somewhere distant again.

“Hey, Totsuka-san, hasn’t your head been above the clouds several times since earlier? What’s up?”

“Hm? No, it’s nothing… shall we get going soon?” Saying that with the same expression, Totsuka threw his empty cup into a trashcan.

“Anna-chan, Kamamoto, soon… wh, whoa!” Looking over in Anna and Kamamoto’s direction, Totsuka leaned back a bit. Yata also raised his voice in a ‘haah?’.

“…what are you doing?” Asked Totsuka as he tilted his head.

Kamamoto was lying on his back on the side of the fountain, and Anna was curled up on that big, round stomach like a kitten.

“Welll, Anna-chan showed some interest in my stomach, so.”

“Why are you looking proud!?”

“Ah, do you wanna sit on it, too, Yata-san?”

“Of course I don’t!”

While Kamamoto, who looked like a lazy walrus, was going at it with Yata, Totsuka smiled at Anna who was using that walrus’s stomach as a bed.

“How is it? Kamamoto’s stomach.”

“…soft.”

“Good for you-. What do you wanna do? Rest here for a little bit longer? Or go play again? It’s already sunset, so if you’re tired we could also go home soon…”

“…go play.” Said Anna as she got up from Kamamoto’s stomach.

Apparently, Anna was really relaxing and having fun today. Totsuka began to discuss with her which ride to go on next while smiling. While watching that, Yata noticed that the back of her skirt was dirty. Probably, when she had sat on the fountain, something from that had gotten on her.

“Your butt’s dirty.”

“Hey, Yata-saaaan! There’s got to be a different way to say that!”

Anna twisted her neck to look at the back of her skirt. Pursing her lips in a way that was slightly embarrassed, she patted her skirt over and over. However, the place she was thumping was off, and the sandy spot wasn’t even half erased.

Oh, right, this kid can’t see anything but red, Yata remembered. He wouldn’t be able to see a grey stain on grey, either. Totsuka casually reached out and brushed it off instead. Yata started.

“Wha, why are you touching her behind!”

“Eh, that’s how you saw it!?”

“Yata-saan… look, now Anna-chan’s gone and hid behind Totsuka-san.”

“Eh!? Why am I the one who seems like the lolicon here!?”

Yata turned red and glared at Totsuka and Kamamoto, before scowling and looking down at Anna.

“More importantly, why’re you wearing blue clothes?”

If you can’t see anything but red you ought to wear red, Yata thought simply. If you can’t see the color of your clothes, then you can’t see what’s on them, can you. Anna looked up at Yata. In the face of the young girl’s straightforward eyes, he wavered a bit.

“…I got them at the center.”

Yata frowned without thinking at the word ‘center’, which only held suspicion and negative feelings for him. Moving his gaze to Totsuka and Kamamoto, they were also making an odd face and looking at Anna.

“Was the person who gave them to you the chief?” When Totsuka asked that gently, Anna nodded.

“He said they were a present… Honami also said they were cute.” While saying that, Anna’s expression, which have been relaxing in a fun way until then, became stiff. Her expressions were lacking, so it was at a level where you wouldn’t notice if you weren’t paying a lot of attention, but perhaps because they had been together since earlier, Yata was able to notice the change.

‘I see’ went Totsuka in a light voice. Yata felt frustrated, like he had something stuck between his teeth, but Totsuka didn’t show even a hint of negative feelings.

“Well then, Anna-chan, what do you want to ride next? It’s about time for the park to close, so I guess the next one will be the last, but…”

“That.”

Anna pointed towards the sky without hesitation.

“I want to see the sunset from there.”

++++++++++++

In response to the atmosphere of the amusement park, which seemed to be forcing those in it to be bright and happy, Fushimi had felt such tiredness that it made him feel ill, and he found an opening to get away from Anna and company. It seemed to be about close to closing time, so the guests were beginning to head home. While he thought about whether it would be okay for him to just go home already, Fushimi found an empty bench and practically threw himself down on it.

As he looked up at the madder-red sky absentmindedly while his body felt tense, suddenly someone sat heavily down next to him. Looking over, Fushimi started. It was Suou. Ripping the seal off of a new box of cigarettes, he took one out and lit it. Shoot, Fushimi thought while fidgeting in response to feeling uncomfortable to the extreme. But, if he were to get up now, it’d be even more awkward.

“…what happened to those guys.” Suou said that in a way that implied he didn’t care while not looking at Fushimi.

“They should be… resting somewhere, I think…” When Fushimi answered awkwardly, Suou went ‘mm’ in a way that still sounded like he didn’t care. Without any comment or complaint about how Fushimi had gone off on his own (not that he wanted to hear that from Suou, who had had zero intention of going along with this from the beginning), Suou just boredly blew some cigarette smoke.

A silence fell.

…this was awkward.

Fushimi tried to casually come up with an excuse to leave, while feeling irritated at the park’s bright background music as if to take things out on it. Suou, without minding Fushimi’s situation at all, and as if Fushimi wasn’t there at all, just coolly leaned back on the bench alone.

“…Mikoto-san, it’s surprising that you’d go along with something like this.” When he opened his mouth desperately, Suou went ‘hmph’ and smiled in response.

“You too.”

“…if it’s an order from above, then it can’t be helped, so.” After he ended up talking back like a child, Fushimi clicked his tongue inwardly. Gone to an amusement park on an order. There wasn’t anything more stupid. And anyway, it wasn’t like Totsuka had given an order or anything. He had just smiled like usual and said ‘Saru-kun, you come too’. Not that he had let Fushimi get a word in, but. Fushimi thought he hated that part of that person.

“Fushimi.” Suou called while letting ash fall from his cigarette. Fushimi looked up and at Suou, who was sitting next to him.

“Have you noticed?”

“Eh?” What, he couldn’t ask because his pride got in the way. As usual, Suou still wasn’t looking in Fushimi’s direction. Fushimi closed his mouth and payed attention to his surroundings. Narrowing his eyes behind his glasses, he fixedly paid attention to his surroundings- and realized with a start.

“Ah, King, Saru-kun.” At the same moment, a voice spoke to them. Looking over, he could see Totsuka and company coming down the road. Anna, letting her blue clothes flutter, ran over. She came up to the bench, then stopped short. In response to Anna, who was standing right at the edge of the space and looking fixedly up at Suou with a serious face, Suou made an oddly uncomfortable face.

Totsuka, who caught up, smiled and looked at Suou.

“Come with us for the last one, at least.”

It was close to closing time. If they planned to continue playing, then this would probably be the last one. When Suou got up looking like it was a pain, Yata went over with a face like a dog wagging its tail. Feeling irritated by that, Fushimi clicked his tongue a little and stood up. Grabbing Yata’s collar, he dragged him.

“Whoa, what, Saru!”

“C’mere for a sec.”

When Fushimi dragged Yata away from the others, Totsuka tilted his head and looked at them.

“What’s wrong?”

“Don’t ‘what’s wrong’ me.”

Fushimi turned his face halfway to glare at Totsuka. Totsuka smiled to change the subject as if saying ‘you figured it out, huh’. Kamamoto looked like he didn’t get what was going on and looked back and forth between Suou and Fushimi in a troubled way, but in the end, as though to follow Yata who was being dragged away, he went with Fushimi and company.

++++++++++

“Closed Today”. In front of the ferris wheel which had that sign on it, Anna’s shoulders fell a little.

Apparently, Anna had been quietly looking forward to seeing the sunset from the ferris wheel. Totsuka scratched his cheek in a troubled way because he hadn’t been able to grant what Anna wanted even though she hardly ever said she wanted anything.

“Hmm, what should we do.”

“…it’s okay. It’s fine.” Anna reasonably shook her head. To that manner which made her seem like she was trying to swallow her disappointment, Totsuka looked around to try and find at least a place where one could see the sunset well.

Suou, who had been yawning boredly a little ways off, let out a little sigh. His arm picked up Anna and held her on his hip.

“King?”

When Totsuka tilted his head, Suou’s other arm reached out and lifted him up like a rice sack.

“Wha, wai…”

And then Suou’s legs kicked the ground.

Their bodies floated up. The scenery flowed down all at once like a waterfall. With sleek movements like a feline beast, hardly making any noise at all, Suou’s body flew up into the air carrying Anna and Totsuka, and he landed on top of a gondola halfway up the ferris wheel. Right away, he jumped up again.

In not even two seconds, Totsuka and company were at the tallest point of the amusement part, the top of the ferris wheel. When Suou was just about to land, he carelessly threw Totsuka down onto the roof of the gondola.

“Owowow… whoa.” Totsuka, who had landed on his behind on the roof, had Anna lowered onto him.

“-Ah… Anna-chan, are you okay?” Said Totsuka as he held Anna on his lap so there was no chance of her falling. Even Anna looked surprised at the sudden happening. Totsuka smiled wryly.

“Do it after you give us a warning. Look, Anna-chan’s surprised.”

After blinking several times with a surprised face, Anna slowly moved her large eyes.

High.

Even among all the large rides like jet coasters, this ferris wheel was especially high. Around it was nothing, and one could see far away. The trees that surrounded the amusement park, and the pack of buildings beyond it. The setting sun was about to sink beyond all that. The red sun way dying the town the same color. The sky was the color of melted crimson, and the ground was also filled with red light.

Anna fixedly gazed at that scenery. Anna, who was watching the sunset without moving, had her hair stroked by the wind.

“Totsuka.”

Hearing his name and looking up, Totsuka saw that Suou was standing on top of the gondola with his hands in his pockets, and looking in a different direction from the sunset. Suou’s slightly narrowed eyes were looking at various places in the park as though to confirm something.

“Is this why you brought me out?”

Totsuka understood what Suou was saying and smiled wryly.

“It was Kusanagi-san’s idea, though.”

“Seems like we’ve been followed all day.”

“Since King kept his distance, I thought they might move, but… it turns out the other guys were surprisingly cautious, too.”

Anna looked up at their conversation. Totsuka met her eyes and smiled, but he didn’t explain anything, and looked back at Suou.

“There’s a lot of them, isn’t there.”

“…yeah, if it was just you guys, then even if YataFushimi were here, you might’ve been beaten by numbers.”

“Yeah. That’s why I had King be our insurance. Sorry.”

Suou finally looked at Totsuka and Anna. His eyes met Anna’s.

“Those guys, they’re suspecting that I’ll turn this brat into my clansman, aren’t they.”

“Probably.”

When Totsuka nodded, Anna seemed disturbed. Her expression didn’t change much, but he could tell clearly that her eyes showed a troubled waver.

“Meaning they’ve got a reason why it’d be a problem if someone took this one.”

Suou took a step forward on top of the gondola’s roof. Right at the edge of the roof. He stood where the tips of his toes would be stepping on air.

“What are you going to do?”

“Scatter them. You were intending to make me do that anyway, right?”

When looked at in a scolding, exasperated way, Totsuka smiled wryly.

They could feel that the other side was hiding something in relation to Anna. It was surely becoming a seed of nervousness for them that Anna was currently amongst the red clansmen. If the other side was carried away by that nervousness and tried to go out of their way to retrieve Anna, they could unashamedly fight back.

They hadn’t gotten enough of an excuse to go that far, but just being surrounded by this amount of people was enough of an oddity. For Homura, it was a fine situation for them to pick a fight.

“You guys stay here.” When Suou said that and was about to jump down, Anna’s hand moved. She grabbed Suou’s sleeve.

“Mikoto.”

Her tone was no different from usual, and it was quiet and thin, but there was a deep uneasiness in it. Anna looked up at Suou and shook her head. He frowned.

“…it’ll be done right away.” Unusual for Suou, he said it like he was trying to lessen that unease, but Anna’s relying eyes didn’t change.

“Honami is…” Saying her aunt’s name, Anna closed her mouth again.

“Are you worried about her? Without you worrying, those guys won’t lay a hand on a civilian. There’s an agreement.” Even when Suou said that, Anna’s expression didn’t soften. Seeing that and understanding something, he clicked his tongue loudly.

Suou took Anna’s small hand, and in a way that implied he was having trouble controlling his strength (it looked like he was seriously unsure about how much strength to use in order to not destroy it), and made her let go. She looked up at him helplessly. Without saying anything more, Suou signaled at Totsuka just once with his eyes and jumped.

++++++++

Suou landed on the ground.

Due to his landing from a ridiculous height, the ground trembled. Straightening up, he looked around. It seemed as though while he was on top of the ferris wheel, closing time had come. There were no civilian guests around. Or perhaps the blues had evacuated them. Either way, it was convenient for Suou.

He closed his senses. Closing his normal senses as a human being, he opened something deeper. The world’s atmosphere changed. He directly felt his power as a king, that he usually kept closed up within himself and did his best to not pay attention to.

Deep within his chest was the presence of a smoldering, magma-like flame. It smoldered and writhed, like it wanted to go wild on the outside even now. He pushed down a melting desire to loosen the bindings and let free the blames within his body. The flames in his chest let out a voice of objection as they were forced down. His temple ached. But, Suou smiled faintly.

His pupils opened, and from his body a torrent of light spilled out. As though called by Suou’s power, far above his head the sky twisted, and a red luminous body appeared. That luminous body started off as nothing but a speck of red light. That shined dazzlingly, then explosively swelled. From that burst of intense light, a gigantic sword appeared.

…Sword of Damocles.

That was proof of a king, and it held the duty of disciplining the king.

“What, is no one going to show themselves?”

The blue clansmen who had followed Anna still hid themselves, and not a single one responded to Suou’s taunt. It was a matter of course. There were no humans who would come right out after having a king’s power shown to them. But, just their presence vividly came across. A waver in the atmosphere that was as though they were intensely disturbed, and not sure whether they should run or not.

Suou snorted once, and let loose a torrent of red power from his body. The earth shuddered with a rumble, and waves of red light spread out with him at the center.

+++++++++

Anna had her mouth hanging open on top of the ferris wheel, and she stared up at the gigantic sword that had appeared in front of her eyes.

“It’s the Sword of Damocles.” Totsuka said. Anna opened her eyes wide, and continued to stare at the blade. Anna’s eyes sparkled red with the reflection of Suou’s sword’s light.

“It’s damaged.”

In response to Anna’s words, Totsuka smiled bitterly. As she had said, Suou’s Sword of Damocles was not taking a perfect form. The energy body in the shape of a sword was cracked in places.

The state of the Sword of Damocles was said to show the state of that king’s ‘Weismann Value’. A Weismann value was the stability of that king’s power. Suou’s Weismann value was constantly unstable.

“You see, King’s always in a state like he’s keeping a starving beast inside his own body, I think.” Totsuka said this as though whispering while he felt the heat from the Sword of Damocles on his skin.

“That beast is thrashing around because it wants to get out. It wants flesh and blood. But, King won’t let it do that… the damage on that Sword of Damocles might be scars from that fight, I think.”

Anna looked from the sword to Totsuka. He smiled at her, and then looked down.

“Though even if I say something like that, someone like me can’t understand.”

It’s not something someone other than a king could possibly understand. Below, Suou had just let loose his red-colored power. A red, hot aura. That came up from Suou’s body and spread out with fearsome force. It looked showy, but it had no attack power. But, for the blue clansmen surrounding him, it had a disturbing effect.

The blue clansmen, who had spent a long time since they lost their king, scattered and ran away when they touched a fragment of a king’s power. The ones who had been hiding themselves appeared, some fell as though their knees had gone weak when swallowed up by Suou’s red aura, and some ran from the aura as it pressed at them.

It was as though all the enemies had fled at a single snarl from Suou, who hadn’t even attacked. Looking at that, Anna quietly said,

“Is becoming a king something painful?”

In response to Anna’s question, Totsuka looked at her face.

“Anna-chan?”

With her usual expressionless face, like a soulless doll, Anna said,

“I’m going to become the blue king.”

++++++++++++

“We’re surrounded?”

In response to Fushimi’s words, Yata frowned. Quickly looking around as though to search the area for something’s presence, Yata clicked his tongue.

“The blues who are after that kid, huh.” Yata said with an annoyed face. Fushimi pulled his chin in slightly.

“Probably.”

“Seriously. I wonder if it’ll turn into a fight.” Kamamoto said this while rolling his arm like a warm-up exercise.

“Who knows. But, it’s probably for this that we got dragged all the way out here.”

When Fushimi said that without looking at Kamamoto, Yata clenched his fists.

“Alright! Let’s get it on!”

“Don’t rush.”

While looking over in an exasperated way, Fushimi got ready to move at any time. Probably, the reason why Totsuka had brought them was to be Anna’s bodyguard while she was apart from Suou. Move away from Suou and show an opening, then hit back when they were attacked.

Fushimi clicked his tongue inwardly, thinking he didn’t like that. If that was the case, then they should’ve said so from the beginning. Well, in the case of simple-minded Yata, there’s no way he could hear that and then pretend there was nothing, but…

(Ah, and that, too.)

Figuring out Totsuka’s thoughts, Fushimi snorted. Even though he had a plan, separate from that, he had probably been thinking of something sickeningly sweet like wanting to simply have Anna enjoy herself.

It was so stupid.

Fushimi felt more irritated than was necessary, and put his fingers to his temple. It was the next moment. Suddenly, his whole body trembled. He opened his eyes wide and stiffened. What had assaulted him was a powerful pressure close to instinct. It was a fear that directly went to his instincts, like he was being glared at by a huge beast at a close distance.

Right afterwards, in the sunset sky, light was born.

Along with red light, the sky twisted, and from inside came a luminous body shaped like a sword.

“The Sword of… Damocles…” Said Fushimi in a faint voice. At the same time, from beneath the sword, an immense energy was born. A light holding a fearsome energy became a red pillar reaching to the sky, and that became red waves of light that spread as though to lick all over the insides of the park.

A wave of red aura went in front of Fushimi’s eyes. He couldn’t move. He was swallowed up by the hot red light and fell to his knees. Before he had realized it, Fushimi was kneeling down on top of the asphalt. His body was shuddering slightly. The red wave of aura had already vanished. It had no attack power and was simple a manifestation. It was just a show-of. Even though he knew that…

Fushimi’s body, in contrast to those thoughts, was completely afraid. Suou had simply roared to scatter the annoying rats scampering around. Despite that, Fushimi was afraid of that roar along with the rats and couldn’t stand.

“Awe…some.” Said Yata in a heated voice, as he stood in shock.

“Awesome! Mikoto-san really is great! For Mikoto-san, that was just like nothing, like he was just scaring them, right? Even then… even though it was just that…” Yata searched for words to use impatiently, with his cheeks red, as he grasped at his own chest.

“It, makes my soul shiver.”

Fushimi, on his knees, looked up at Yata. In his head that had gotten very dull, he thought that oh, come to think of it, Yata is standing up properly. Even though he himself was so pathetically kneeling down, Yata was standing up with his eyes sparkling.

“You okay?” Kamamoto asked and offered a hand as though to pull him up. Fushimi felt an unbearable shame at that hand. Even though this fatty called Yata ‘Yata-san’ and respected him, he’d offer his hand from above to Fushimi who had joined Homura along with Yata.

Even though he was the one who had always pulled along Yata, who was stupid and simple-minded and always running around getting nowhere. Why was Yata able to stand now, while he was pathetically on his knees and getting a hand offered to him.

Fushimi ignored Kamamoto and got up himself.

++++++++++++++

…I’m going to become the blue king.

In response to Anna’s confession, Totsuka opened his eyes wide.

“What?”

After Suou’s manifestation, the Sword of Damocles vanished. Now, beneath a sky that was only dyed red in the west by the nearly fallen sun, and in the east by the night’s deep blue, Totsuka faced Anna.

Anna’s blue skirt fluttered in the high place’s wind. Blue. That was a color Anna didn’t even know. At the moment, there was no blue king. That throne was open. And Strains were an existence called ‘those who couldn’t become a king’. But why would Anna wish for something like that?

“Why would you be something like a king?”

“…because I can see the ‘Slate’.”

‘Slate’. That was the thing that chose ‘Kings’. It was an object surrounded by a veil of mystery that had been found in Dresden and then carried to Japan after the war.

The system which determines a king was still mostly unknown. But, if it were Anna’s clairvoyant powers- powers that allowed her to ‘See’ all things, if she were able to directly access the ‘Slate’, then maybe it would not be impossible to become a king.

But.

“Is that what you want?”

Anna didn’t reply. In Totsuka’s mind, as though he were watching a film, he saw Suou until he became a king- as he became a king.

“…you can’t do that, Anna-chan.” Totsuka slowly shook his head.

“If you don’t want to, you shouldn’t be something like a king.” The words said with Totsuka’s own mouth quietly pricked at his chest. Anna looked fixedly at him. He looked straight back at those eyes, which seemed to see through everything.

With a thudding noise, the ferris wheel began to move. Looking, Yata, Fushimi, and Kamamoto were down at the bottom. It seemed like Kamamoto had moved the ferris wheel. Suou, who had scattered the blue clansmen, was leaning against the rails of the boarding area and smoking.

Sitting on top of the gondola’s roof and holding Anna, within the slowly moving and lowering scenery, Totsuka opened his mouth.

“Anna-chan, that day, you tried to run away from home, didn’t you? Didn’t you want to escape?”

Meaning the time when Yata and Kamamoto had come in contact with the blue twins. Anna had tried to leave Honami’s home alone, carrying luggage. Anna clammed up like she had been scolded.

“…I’m sorry.”

“Why are you apologizing? You were right. If you think you want to run, you should run.”

“I can’t run.”

Anna shook her head. Her small body felt as though it were wrapped in conflict.

“Why?”

When he asked that gently, Anna fell into silence again. It was as though the Anna who surrounded herself with high walls and hadn’t responded when spoken to the day they had met at the bar had returned. Totsuka remembered her words from earlier when she had tried to hold Suou back. He slowly opened his mouth and asked,

“If you don’t go back to the center, will something bad happen to Honami-sensei?”

Anna’s eyes wavered.

“Anna-chan.”

When he called her name a bit strongly, Anna looked up. Tightening her lips, she firmly looked at Totsuka’s eyes and said,

“I’ll protect Honami.”

The young girl who was supposed to be protected said that with a face full of decision. Anna’s small hands gripped her blue skirt.

“Today was fun.”

Saying that, Anna very slightly, to the point that one might think they were mistaken, smiled.

“So, it’s okay.”

What do you mean by ‘so’. What’s ‘okay’. Even if he wanted to ask, Anna’s words were completely rejecting the hand Totsuka and company tried to offer her.

Until the gondola reached the bottom, Anna would no longer open her mouth no matter what Totsuka said.

When the gondola Totsuka and Anna were on reached the bottom, Kamamoto stopped the ferris wheel. Totsuka picked Anna up in one arm and handed her over to Kamamoto below. Kamamoto took her and lowered her to the ground as though she were precious.

When Totsuka jumped down from the roof, Suou was just on the phone. He was responding generically with stuff like ‘yeah’ and ‘got it’, then hung up.

“Kusanagi-san?”

When Totsuka asked, Suou pulled his chin in a little.

“It seems like she was just leaving, so I had him go ahead and take her into his protection just in case.”

There wasn’t any indication, but he could tell they were talking about Honami.

“Was Honami-sensei okay?”

“Yeah.” As Suou said that, he looked at Anna, who was surrounded by Kamamoto and Yata. Anna was spoken to by Kamamoto and replied shortly. Between that, she looked in Suou’s direction. When their eyes met, Suou very slightly nodded. It was something too short to be called a signal, but Anna sighed as though relieved.

“…earlier, King asked if this is why I brought you out, right?”

Totsuka said in a stifled voice while looking in Anna’s direction. Suou raised one eyebrow slightly and looked to the side at Totsuka.

“Well, that’s certainly the case, but… but even if I didn’t have a plan, I would’ve dragged King along.”

Totsuka smiled looking at Suou, who looked questioning.

“Because Anna-chan had really wanted to play with King.”

“…why. It’s fine if you’re there, isn’t it.”

“I’m not enough.” Totsuka smiled and looked down at his own hand.

The scar from when he had touched Anna still vaguely remained on his fingers.

“That child likes strong people.”

“…what, is that supposed to mean.”

“It’s because you definitely won’t get hurt because of her.”

Totsuka thought that maybe, the reason why Anna was strongly attracted to Suou’s power at the same time as trying to avoid it, was because she felt like she wanted to rely on that strength. It looked like Anna had decided that she couldn’t depend on anyone. Forcing down the thought that she wanted to run away, she held a tragic determination.

…I’m going to become the blue king.

Totsuka made a serious face as he thought of Anna’s words from the top of the ferris wheel. In a small voice that wouldn’t reach her, he said,

“King. That child intends to become a king.”
© trashbunny.tumblr.com/

@темы: official-info, k project

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K Side:Red (глава 2 - The Golden Cage, часть 2/2)

[Ноэмин]

Английский язык, много букв. ОЧЕНЬ МНОГО БУКВ!

Noticing that Kamamoto was following him from behind, Totsuka turned around while running.

“Oh, you’re coming with me?” In response to Totsuka’s calm voice, Kamamoto exasperatedly went ‘for goodness’s sake!’.

“Yata-san said to go with Totsuka, since there’s might be more blues or fighters around!”

“I see, so you guys were worried about me. Thanks… but, from here on we’re going to be going in a dangerous direction on purpose, okay?”

“Okay!?”

Totsuka looked at the Strain boy who was running along with them half-pulled.

“Would the ‘Mizuchi-san’ you were about to mention earlier happen to be the one in charge here?”

In response to Totsuka’s question, the Strain boy who was still looking like he didn’t really get what was going on and blinking in surprise, nodded.

“Yeah, but…”

“Then, could you take us to where that Mizuchi-san is?”

“Totsuka-san!?” Kamamoto raised his voice wildly.

“Weren’t we going to run away!?”

“Well…”

“Don’t ‘well…’ me!”

Totsuka turned his smile towards Kamamoto, who was acting nervous.

“Kamamoto, would you go ahead and escape?”

“I don’t want to!” Before asking why, Kamamoto wrinkled his eyebrows and yelled. Looking at that, Totsuka let out a little laugh.

“…I think those twins have power rivaling FushimiYata. Considering their personalities… especially Yata’s personality, I can’t really think they’ll run away. But, if the fight lasts long, other fighters should come running. If that happened, then no matter how strong Fushimi and Yata are, it’s only a matter of time until they get caught.”

“So, you’re going to settle things directly with this place’s boss?”

Totsuka responded with a smile to Kamamoto’s shallow one.

“It’s not that big of a deal. We’re just going to see the other side’s attitude… so, even if they’re are aggressive, I don’t intend to fight back, so you don’t need to protect me, but… do you still not want to escape first?”

Kamamoto put on a sulky face.

“Is it Homura’s style to say oh okay and run away alone, leaving their comrades behind after being told that?”

Totsuka couldn’t help but blink several times and look at Kamamoto’s (who was running alongside him) face.

After about a couple of seconds, he couldn’t help but smile a bit and said,

“Sorry.”

Even as they talked, the three of them ran through hallways and up staircases all the way up to the top floor. The Strain boy who was leading them still looked like he was confused, but he didn’t seem like he was going to leave them and run away.

“Sorry for dragging you into this, too.”

When Totsuka spoke to him, the Strain boy looked like he got ahold of himself.

“Seriously! Why am I just obediently showing you guys the way!?”

“Ahaha, sorry, sorry. Come to ‘HOMRA’ the bar after you leave the Center. I’ll treat you to some alcohol or something.”

“I’m a minor!”

“‘Homra’ has good curry, too.”

“Somehow, this doesn’t feel worth it!”

While having a conversation that didn’t suit the situation, the Strain boy pointed at the next turn in the hallway.

“After that, there’s a room where the Center’s workers meet up. I don’t know whether Mizuchi-san is there or not, but…”

As the boy was saying that, Totsuka and company reached the corner.

Turned.

Suddenly, blue was right in front of his eyes.

Blue clothes.

Right as he registered that, Totsuka’s body went flying.

When he realized he had lightly had his arm grabbed and been tossed, he had already been thrown to the floor. Then he was immediately pulled back up, and had his knees forced to the ground while his arm was twisted around.

“Totsuka-san!” Kamamoto yelled.

Totsuka looked up while he was pinned down by his arm.

He could see a nervous-looking Kamamoto. Moving his neck, he could see a pair of feet wearing black leather shoes. He raised his eyes. Black slacks, a stainless white coat, a golden necklace that looked like a nametag, and finally, the deeply-chiseled face of a man in his thirties.

“I was informed that there were intruders.” That man spoke with a smile. His speech was calm, but underneath that could be felt a freezing cold temperature.

“Who is in charge?”

“Technically me, I guess?”

Still wearing a soft expression, the man in the white coat said haughtily,

“Name yourself.”

“Clansman of Suou Mikoto the third king, Totsuka Tatara.”

Some slight scorn crossed the cheeks of the man who had been making a kind-looking expression.

“…aah, I know your name. I believe, even though you’re one of the first clansmen, you have unsuitably low abilities…”

“Haha, that’s not a very nice way of remembering me.”

After smiling wryly, Totsuka abruptly changed his expression. From his usual smile, to a blank face.

“Are you Mizuchi-san?”

The man narrowed his eyes. Because of his deeply chiseled features, a dark shadow fell on his eyes.

“Correct. I am this Center’s head, and the second King, Kokujyouji Daikaku’s clansman, Mizuchi Koushi.”

After naming himself, Mizuchi glanced at the Strain boy. Totsuka, who was being held down, couldn’t see the boy, but from how his breathing was upset, Totsuka could tell he was very uneasy.

“We threatened that Strain over there into bringing us here.”

When Totsuka said that, Mizuchi gestured with his chin.

“Go.”

After a short, hesitating pause, Totsuka heard footsteps running away.

“So? If you have some sort of excuse, I’ll listen.”

“You know a kid named Kushina Anna, right?”

When asked directly, Mizuchi’s eyebrows raised a little.

“…what about her?”

“That kid, she can’t be called unrelated to us… last night, our members had a fight with some blue clansmen who seemed to be keeping watch on her.”

“I’ve heard the report. But, what of it? When returning a dangerous, young Strain to society temporarily, we put surveillance on them in case anything happens. Such preventative measures are a matter of course.”

“But, we found it suspicious.”

There was a momentary silence.

As if to say that’s his base expression, Mizuchi was constantly smiling faintly. Still looking that way, he looked behind Totsuka. Towards the person twisting his arm, most likely.

“…the ones in charge of watching Kushina-kun yesterday were the Minato brothers, correct?”

“Yes.” Replied the person behind Totsuka. Because about the only thing that entered his head when he bumped into the other person at the corner was their blue clothes, he hadn’t been able to tell what sort they were, but judging by their voice, they weren’t someone young. Their voice had root, but it was dry and scratchy.

Mizuchi nodded after hearing the reply from the person holding Totsuka down.

“Yesterday, the ones who came in contact with your clansmen were, shall we say, ones who have some slight faults in their personality. Surely what made you suspicious was that… however, it’s extremely misguided to suspect the Center because of that. Just because the guards used were bad, it doesn’t make sense to suspect the work of the one hiring them, does it?”

The hand holding Totsuka down wavered very slightly. In his heart, he felt sympathetic. It was impossible to stay calm while being shamefully treated like another clan’s member’s security guards.

“…The red clan wishes to take that child.”

In response to what Totsuka said, Mizuchi froze.

“…what?”

“If I said that, what would you do?”

Mizuchi spat out a laugh.

“Ridiculous. She’s a difficult Strain. There is no way the red clan which has violence as its creed could protect her. I am the one who will protect her future.”

“But, if that child were to choose us, you wouldn’t have the right to stop it, would you?”

“She will not choose someone like you people.”

Totsuka closed his mouth momentarily at Mizuchi’s completely confident words.

“In any case, you people are criminals who invaded another king’s territory. Rather than that nonsense, shouldn’t you be trying to do something about yourselves?”

Behind him, Totsuka could hear Kamamoto swallow. His nervousness got across, so Totsuka, in contrast, loosened the strings on his feelings.

“Are you going to punish us?”

Mizuchi seemed to be lost for words for a moment at Totsuka’s soft question.

“…I probably should.”

Totsuka nodded slowly to that response.

“That’s fine.”

He turned to Mizuchi and smiled his usual smile.

“In order to punish another king’s clansman, proper formalities need to be observed… what I want to know is if you can do something like that openly without anything to hide.”

Mizuchi’s temple wrinkled a bit. Totsuka could hear Kamamoto rebukingly say “Totsuka-san” in a muffled voice. A short silence fell. After sighing slightly, Mizuchi looked at the man in blue who was holding Totsuka.

The next moment.

The guy in blue who was twisting Totsuka’s arm up from behind increased the strength in his hand. A tight sound came from inside Totsuka’s body. In response to the acute pain running through his shoulder, Totsuka bit back the voice he almost let out. He ended up biting his lip, and the flavor of blood spread through his mouth.

“Totsuka-san!”

Totsuka used his free hand to stop Kamamoto, who was about to run over. His muscles kept creaking audibly. His shoulder was being pulled up and twisted in an unnatural direction. Unable to bear the force being put into it, the shoulder’s bones and sinew were screaming. Despite the pain of nearly having his snapped, and despite sweating a bit from the feeling of dread, Totsuka endured the pain to look up at Mizuchi. Mizuchi watched emotionlessly, as though looking at data. Totsuka felt a chill seeing those eyes that had something like an ingratiating smile stuck to them.

In order to punish another king’s clansman, proper formalities were needed. That was fact. However, it was possible to do something about that by just staying quiet (and anyway, Homura wouldn’t do something that troublesome and would just pay their debts by their own rules). However, due to their nature, the golden clan had to be an example amongst the seven kings. They should have a responsibility to follow the rules more than anyone else. That was likely why they were silently causing pain to Totsuka while waiting for him to acknowledge his fault and beg for help.

Totsuka gave up on his shoulder and stayed quiet. A difficult to bear silence filled only with the sound of muscles creaking fell. The pain from his shoulder to his elbow began to numb.

If that silence had continued any longer, either the strength of Totsuka’s bones or Kamamoto’s ability to stand it probably would have reached their limit. But, the one who spoke first was Mizuchi.

“…I am the greatest and most powerful golden king’s clansman. Of course I have nothing to hide. This center is also being properly managed under the observation of the ‘Rabbits’.”

Mizuchi lightly waved one hand at the man in blue who was about to destroy Totsuka’s shoulder. The blue guy immediately let Totsuka free.

At the release of the pain that had been nearing its limit, Totsuka let out the breath he had been holding and held his shoulder. The acute pain became dull pain, and his shoulder began to throb in time with his heart.

“I don’t know why you lot are feeling such suspicions for us, but we’ve done nothing to deserve it… however, dealing with a red clansman would cause some trouble for our king. I would not wish that for such a small incident as this.”

Mizuchi looked down at Totsuka.

“Begone.”

After watching Mizuchi leave, Totsuka sighed. Kamamoto came running and kneeled down next to him.

“Totsuka-san! Please don’t be so reckless!”

“It’s fine, it’s fine, it’ll all work out somehow.”

“You were about to have your shoulder ruined, weren’t you!”

“More importantly, we need to fetch Yata and Fushimi…”

Looking up, Totsuka saw the man in blue who had been twisting his arm until just now send orders through an intercom.

“Minato Hayato, Minato Akito, cease fighting. Without engaging the intruders in battle anymore, show them out. I repeat…”

Still kneeling on the ground, Totsuka looked at the man in blue who had almost destroyed his shoulder.

Looking at him from the front for the first time, he appeared to be about forty. Younger than Totsuka had assumed rom his voice. When he had heard the man’s voice from behind, he had imagined someone closer to an old man.

“…you’re a blue clansman, right?”

The man in blue didn’t reply, and only glanced at Totsuka. He had eyes that were difficult to read the emotion in, but that was different from Mizuchi’s coldness- Totsuka could see that he was ‘killing’ his emotions. He could feel that the man had a wavering in his eyes that said he was biting down some kind of shameful feeling.

“Mind if I ask for you name?”

“…Shiotsu Gen.”

He had heard that name somewhere. It was the name of the current head of the blue clan, right?

“You’re…”

“Be quiet.”

Shiotsu said this as though to throwing it away.

“I don’t intend to talk to you anymore. Go away. There won’t be a second time.

+++++++++++++

Looking at Totsuka and company who had returned, Suou scowled.

“Ahaha…”

For starters, Totsuka laughed to try and change the subject. The four of them were beat up. Especially Yata and Fushimi, who had fought opponents with drawn swords, and had their clothes ripped with shallow cuts showing.

Suou gestured at Totsuka to come over with his finger. He grinned while going over. As soon as he was right next to Suou, the guy reached up and grabbed his right shoulder.

“Gah…!” With the dull pain he had been hiding turning into acute pain, Totsuka accidentally raised his voice. Suou sighed exasperatedly.

“…stop grinning. This isn’t broken, is it?”

“Eh, seriously?” Yata looked surprised and leaned forward. Compared to Yata and Fushimi who had cuts however shallow, Totsuka probably looked as though he weren’t hurt.

Totsuka waved his unharmed hand back and forth.

“No, no, the sinews didn’t snap or anything. It seems like the other guy was a professional in that, too. And more importantly, Yata and Saru-kun are looking like that. For now, head up and use the shower to wash off your cuts.”

Yata exchanged unsure looks with Fushimi. Fushimi didn’t look moved as usual, and looking as displeased as always he gestured with his chin.

“You go first.”

At Fushimi’s words, Yata glanced at Totsuka and Suou in an unsure way, saying “But, up there is…”. The bar’s second floor is Suou’s space. To Yata, who was holding back, Suou said “just use it” roughly.

“Right! Then, excuse me!” Yata bowed his head, and while giving Totsuka a worried look, he went up to the second floor.

“Anna-chan’s sleepin’ up there, so don’t be wakin’ her up!” Kusanagi said to Yata who was heading upstairs. Then, Kusanagi sighed and left the counter.

“Totsuka, Fushimi, sit down. I’ll give you first aid.” Getting out a kit, Kusanagi had Totsuka and Fushimi sit in chairs.

“Um… I’m sorry.” Kamamoto, who had come over with diffidence, suddenly bowed his head. Totsuka stared.

“Eh? For what?”

Kamamoto looked down ashamedly while mumbling towards his feet,

“Even though I was with you, I let you get hurt…”

Totsuka still didn’t get what he meant for several seconds, then finally understood, and made a really pathetic face while smiling wryly.

“No no no no… let’s not do this… at this point, it’s totally my fault since I can’t protect myself.”

“But…”

Unable to bear the situation, Totsuka looked exhausted.

Even though he’s part of “Homura”, he “cannot fight”.

Generally, Totsuka wasn’t the type to sweat the details, and usually he didn’t feel any sort of complex about it, but at times like this it was a bit bad for his heart.

“S’fine, s’fine. This guy’s weak, but he’s surprisin’ly tough, so don’t worry about it.”

Kusanagi rescued the two of them. Totsuka nodded in agreement. Right when Fushimi was looking at Kamamoto and Totsuka coldly, suddenly a voice that was a bit too deep to pierce the air came from upstairs.

“Kyaaaaaah!”

It was a male voice. More like, to say it directly, it was Yata’s voice. A boy’s voice that had long since gone through puberty shrieked “kyaaaaa” like a little girl.

Totsuka, to begin with, exchanged looks with Kamamoto who he was already facing. The only thing in their eyes was a pair of ?s.

After that, Totsuka looked at Fushimi who was sitting next to him. Fushimi was frowning in an unbearably questioning way, and looking up at the second floor.

“What was that…?”

Kusanagi stopped as he was about to open the first aid kit and, after all, exchanged questioning looks with Suou.

No one there felt like they needed to rush in, but it bothered them too much to leave it alone, so first Fushimi got up looking annoyed. Totsuka, Kamamoto, Kusanagi, and Suou followed. They went up the stairs and to the shower room.

What the five of them first saw was the back of a girl standing at the door to the changing room. Then, looking further, there was a completely naked Yata who was blushing and standing surrounded by steam. Apparently, like a crow taking a quick wash, he had hurriedly taken a shower and came back out. He was soaked and perhaps because his hair was sticking to his scalp, he looked like a dog who appeared to have shrunk due to being drenched in rain.

The group understood the situation.

“Wha… what!? What is going on!?” In a voice and speech patterns that were flipped over, Yata talked to Anna. Looking at Yata’s naked body with such a perfectly emotionless and unmoved expression that one might feel sorry for the guy, she said,

“I came to wash my hands.”

She had probably gone to the restroom or something. And then when she opened the door to the washroom, she had bumped into Yata.

“Wha… eehh!?”

But Yata still appeared to be confused, and didn’t even think to hide the important bits, and just kind of waved his hands around uselessly like he was doing some sort of weird dance.

“…stop making it obvious that you’re a huge virgin.”

As though to say he had just seen the most worthless thing in existence, Fushimi said this with a fed-up expression.

“Bu, but, a girl suddenly came in…!”

“This isn’t a girl. It’s just a brat.”

“It, it’s bad for her upbringing!”

“Then hurry up and put away that thing that’s bad for her upbringing.”

While Yata and Fushimi were talking, Totsuka used his unharmed hand to turn Anna around so her back faced Yata.

“Hah, I figured it was somethin’ stupid, but that was even more stupid than I could’ve imagined.” Kusanagi sighed and left while rolling his shoulders. Suou said nothing, and acted as though the whole stupid thing hadn’t even entered his eyes.

“Yata-san…”

Kamamoto alone looked at Yata sympathetically and gently offered him a bathtowel.

+++++++++++

While Yata was getting Kamamoto to treat his injuries while he was already undressed and Fushimi was showering, Totsuka was getting his shoulder treated in the closed bar.

It seemed like his shoulder had some internal bleeding, so the area around it was swollen and feverish. Totsuka spoke with Anna while he was cooling his shoulder with a bag full of ice water. He had already reported what happened in the Center to Kusanagi over the phone, and he had no intention of talking about it in front of Anna.

“What were you doing during the day?”

“…sleeping.”

“A nap, huh-. That’s nice. Did you sleep well?”

“I saw a dream about Mikoto.”

“Eh, what’s with that. Since when did you two get so close!? And you’re calling him Mikoto!?”

“…Tatara.”

“Ugh, oh no. My heart fluttered just now. Even though Anna’s age is really outside my range.”

“Hey, don’t say that even as a joke in front of Honami-sensei. We’d be in trouble if she felt like Anna was in danger.”

“Well, sensei’s a bit too unassuming, so it’d be good for her to feel a bit more suspicious in a lot of ways, I think…”

To Totsuka’s questions, Anna replied without showing any stiffness like she had when they first met, and while she didn’t laugh at his and Kusanagi’s jokes, she seemed to be trusting of them.

He thought this wasn’t bad.

Totsuka had heard that something had happened between Suou and Anna during the day from Kusanagi, but it seemed like that had actually gone well, so the walls she had built up between her and Suou, then the rest of the Homura members, were lowered quite a bit.

And also…

Totsuka glanced secretively at Suou.

Recently, he had been acting gloomy, but today he seemed to be feeling much better. Surely there was something between him and Anna that only they could share. Totsuka privately hoped that that would heal the both of them even slightly.

Kusanagi taped up Totsuka’s shoulder, which was cooled off now thanks to the ice.

“Here, for now this’ll do. But you’ll be needin’ to go to the hospital.”

“Thanks. Nah, it’ll be fine. It’ll heal if I just leave it like this.”

“You… it’s not my fault if it goes weird.”

After the treatment was over, when Totsuka was about to put his shirt on, Anna suddenly looked at his back.

“That.” She said as she continued to look.

“What’s that?”

Totsuka twisted his neck to look at his back as though to follow Anna’s gaze. It was hard to see himself. But, he immediately figured out what she was talking about.

On Totsuka’s back- on his left shoulderblade, he had Homura’s ‘Mark’. It was proof that he was the red king Suou Mikoto’s clansman.

“Misaki had one too.”

She probably saw it in the changing room. Totsuka smiled, and leaned down with his back to Anna so she could see the ‘Mark’ well.

“This is proof that we’re Suou Mikoto’s clansmen.”

Anna tilted her head, still looking expressionless.

“A clansman is someone who’s received power from a king, and is with the king.” Totsuka looked into Anna’s eyes, which were like glass balls.

“…do you want to be a clansman, too?”

As he said that, he got his head whacked from behind. A nice thump resounded, and Totsuka held his head.

“Oww-.”

“Don’t say something stupid.”

Suou was looking down on Totsuka in an exasperated way.

“Hurry up and put your clothes on.”

“Yeah, yeah.” As Totsuka put slipped his arms into the sleeve of his shirt, he quietly leaned towards Anna. As though to share secrets with her, who was as expressionless as usual, he whispered in her ear.

“I was being serious just now, okay?”

Anna looked up at him, then clammed up and averted her eyes.

+++++++++

“I feel bad, after all.” Honami looked around the room in an unsure way.

“It’s fine, it’s fine. More importantly, I’m sorry it’s such a foul room.”

“Oh, no, it’s a simple and splendid room… but this is the room Suou-kun uses, isn’t it?”

“Don’t worry about it. There’re other open rooms, so this guy can just sleep there. Like the closet, for example.” Kusanagi said with a smile to Honami, who was tilting her head in an unsure way at the entrance to the room. Suou was smoking while leaning against the wall of the hallway, without complaining.

Honami, looking at the bed which was covered in fresh new sheets, turned around in Suou’s direction.

“Suou-kun, do you want to sleep here, too?” Honami asked that in a completely serious way.

Suou looked at he like he just swallowed a lemon.

“Are you an idiot? I’ll attack you.”

Saying it roughly, Suou went into the room that was turned into a closet across the hall. Kusanagi smiled wryly at Honami, who had her eyes wide.

“Please don’t tease the young guys~”

“Oh, come on, of course I wouldn’t do something like that.” Honami said with a smile. It wasn’t like she was playing innocent, it was just from her trust and the easiness that came from Anna being there as well. Either way, it was just a pain for Suou, though.

Ever since Honami had gotten off work and come to the bar, Anna was stuck right to her. Even now, they were holding hands, and Anna was halfway hidden behind Honami. While Anna appeared to have let her guard down towards the Homura guys a bit, it seemed as though she was able to relax most around Honami after all. Like this, she appeared to be a child fawning on her parent.

“Anyway, I’ll be leavin’ Totsuka here tonight, too, so if you need somethin’ or there’s a problem, go right ahead and ask him. Since Mikoto won’t pay attention to somethin’ like that.” When he said that clownishly, Honami smiled softly. Kusanagi was a bit unsettled by how that smile was not just kindly, but somehow kind of delicate.

“Really, thank you for everything. Even though I’m the teacher here, I’m just being helped by you guys.”

“…that’s not true.” As he replied, Kusanagi felt like he had seen Honami’s weak side for the first time.

To Kusanagi, ever since highschool Honami had been someone who, despite being fuzzy and hard to get ahold of, was an existence that never wavered. She could scold Suou, and she was airheaded and missing some screws, but she was profound and strong. That was the kind of person she was.

Even now, surely that hadn’t changed.

But Suou thought that probably, this person was also uneasy. Her brother and his wife had died, and even though she was single and working, she was suddenly turned into the guardian of a seven year old girl with a difficult illness, so there was no way she wasn’t feeling uneasy.

He thought that there wasn’t a shred of untruth in the love Honami showed Anna. You could tell that from how Anna, who had the power to ‘see’, innocently trusted Honami this much. But, because of that love, she must have been concerned about her ability to raise and protect the girl.

“…Honami-sensei.” When Kusanagi spoke up, Honami hid the delicateness she had shown just now, and tilted her head, returning to her usual smile.

“If there’s anythin’ we can ever help with, let us know.”

Honami thanked him with a happy expression. Anna pulled on the hand she was holding.

“Ah, I’m sorry, Anna. Are you sleepy already?” Honami kneeled down to be on the same eye level as Anna. Anna looked into Honami’s eyes and opened her mouth.

“Read me a story?”

There wasn’t any change from her usual tone, but Anna gave off the sweet atmosphere of a child her age. Honami replied to her request with a smile. From a large bag, she pulled out several books. Anna chose one picture book from them. Honami took that, and moved to the bed. The two of them sat on the bed, with Anna on Honami’s knees so she could see the book well, and began to read.

Honami’s voice seemed to flow softly. Kusanagi suddenly remembered his highschool days. Honami was the English teacher. Her voice as she read off the English literature was nice, and even amongst students who didn’t like the subject Honami’s voice as she read was popular. He thought it was a songlike voice.

The contents of the picturebook seemed to be a cliche fantasy. A story where a princess gets stolen away by an evil king. Anna quietly leaned up against Honami, and listened with a childlike face. That face of hers wasn’t a doll-like one that created walls between her and ther people, it was a young child’s natural expression.

Watching the lady and the girl sitting together and reading, Kusanagi felt oddly guilty, like he was peeping, and quietly said ‘goodnight’ so as to not interrupt and left the room.

++++++++

In the bar after closing time, Kusanagi and Totsuka talked about today’s happenings and their plans for now on. In front of Totsuka was a new original cocktail supposed to be put on sale. He had his thoughts on it questioned, but since he usually only said ‘it’s delicious’, Kusanagi exasperatedly pointed out that that wasn’t very helpful.

“While you guys were in the Center, we also investigated usin’ an information broker, but, well, while there’s lots of dark rumors, there’s nothin’ that goes beyond the level of a rumor.”

“So, it’s pretty much the same as us, huh-…”

Inside the counter, Kusanagi poured some whiskey into a glass for himself. As he slowly drank the pretty amber-colored stuff, he lightly leaned on the counter.

“Mizuchi Koushi. A golden clansman, and head of a Strain research facility…” When Kusanagi said that in a whisper, Totsuka looked up while drinking his cocktail like soda.

“Did you find something out about him?”

“No, I just heard a simple profile. He became a golden clansman about ten years ago. Before that he was a docter- a research doctor, apparently… do you know about the golden clan’s ‘Installation’?”

‘Installation’. It’s referring to the ceremony where someone receives power from a king and becomes their clansman. In Homura they hardly ever use that term, and just call it a ‘Test’, but in their case they have the person take Suou’s hand with his flames in it, and if they can do that and take the flames into their body they can become a clansman. In most cases, a red clansman would receive the power of flames, high physical abilities… and the ‘Mark’.

“Gold… brings out ‘Talent’, right?”

“Yeah. I’ve been told that the golden ‘Installation’ brings out people’s talents to their limit. They say that it was because of the efforts of the people who had had their ‘Talent’ brought out by the golden king after the war that we have Japan today.”

As he spoke, Kusanagi pulled out a cigarette and lit it with his lighter. It crackled a bit, and lit up the end of the cigarette with a small red flame.

“…so, while the golden clan is huge, there’s only a small portion of members who have the ability to fight, and anyway there are lots of clansmen who only receive ‘Talent’ and don’t have any ‘Powers’ according to civillians.”

“Which is why they have people from Scepter 4 acting like security guards over there, I guess… what about the center’s head?”

“Apparently, he’s got powers. Something about healin’ and restoration. Well, I suppose it’s appropriate for someone who’s head of a facility for treatin’ patients involved in Strain incidents.”

“If you just heard that, it’d sound like a peaceful ability… you wouldn’t think someone whose ‘Talent’ unlocked by the golden king’s power was to heal others would be a bad person.” Said Totsuka as he swayed his glass and made noise with the ice. Kusanagi looked at his eyes.

“How was your impression of him?”

When asked, Totsuka replied with his usual smile.

“Bad, I guess.”

“That so. Then we’ll deal with him like that.”

“Is it okay to decide based on my first impression?”

He smiled wryly when Kusanagi nodded without hesitation.

“S’fine. Most of the people you say ‘this is no good’ about end up bein’ no good. Since you can get along normally with someone who’s just kinda hopeless.”

“Ehh-… even I have likes and dislikes when it comes to other people.”

“I’m sayin’ that if you dislike him, that’s all we need to know.”

That probably meant he was trusted. Totsuka smiled in a complicated way.

“But, I kinda want to talk to that other guy… the person from the blue clan.”

“The twins Yata and co fought with?”

“No, the one who almost did in my shoulder. Shiotsu Gen-san.”

“Ahh…” Kusanagi looked around as though trying to remember.

“That’s the name of the blue clan’s temporary commander.”

“Yeah.”

There was a space of several seconds between them.

“It must be tough, losin’ their king and then havin’ to sit in that seat, even as a temporary replacement.”

“Yeah… and on top of that, they were being treated like security guards by the golden clansman.”

Kusanagi sighed and looked down at the counter.

“It’s been ten years since the blue king passed away.”

Ten years without a king.

Thinking of those months and years, one couldn’t help but feel depressed.

Totsuka suddenly looked up as though he had finally realized something.

“Ah, come to think of it, even though the blue king passed away ten years ago, those twins were really young.”

“About how old were they?”

“Probably, just a bit older than me. I was nine when the Kagutsu crater happened.”

Meaning, the previous king had made children who were just past ten his clansmen.

“Hmm… but, you aren’t one to talk. Since you’ve been sayin’ stuff about taking Anna-chan into the red clan.”

“Ahaha. At the time, I just wanted to go ahead and see the other guy’s reaction… but, seriously, what do you think of that?”

“…do you wanna put Anna-chan in Homura?”

Being told that with a somewhat critical look, Totsuka smiled and scratched his cheek in a troubled way.

“Well, isn’t that one option?”

“You, do you wanna make a little kid like that go bad? I wouldn’t be able to face Honami-sensei.”

“But, if she were to join Homura, then not even a golden clansman would be able to touch her. She also wouldn’t be taken by the center while telling Honami-sensei she’s sick.”

“Even if you say that, Anna-chan herself says she’ll go back to the center. And anyway, we can’t confidently say we have proof that we could take care of her better than a facility for educatin’ Strains.”

“But, it’s true that that facility is suspicious, and…”

“Totsuka.”

Kusanagi called Totsuka’s name with a reproachful tone. Totsuka closed his mouth immediately.

“Puttin’ all that aside, try sayin’ what you really feel.”

At Kusanagi’s single sentence, Totsuka was at a loss for words, and just said he’d lost with a wry smile.

“…it’s true that I’m worried about Anna-chan. But, it’s also true that for my own selfish reasons, I think it’d be nice if that child were to stay with us.”

It would be nice if that child were to stay at Suou’s side. While saying it’s for Anna’s sake he was thinking that inwardly. Totsuka, being forced to realize how selfish he was, scratched his head uncomfortably.

Kusanagi sighed. He leisurely took a cigarrete from his pocket and put it in his mouth.

“…if we get in a situation where we can decide that it’d be best for that child to become Mikoto’s clansman, I’ll talk to Mikoto about it. Until then, don’t say anythin’ that’d lead the girl astray.”

“Got it.”

Totsuka nodded.

“Also.”

Kusanagi narrowed his eyes at Totsuka’s shoulder.

“Don’t be reckless. You said it yourself, but you generally can’t protect yourself, right?”

Having a nerve hit twice, Totsuka deepened his wry smile.

“Ah-…. yeah…” Saying that with a sigh, he faceplanted on the counter. Being apologized to by Kamamoto earlier still made his heart ache a little.

“Oh, that’s creepy. Isn’t not knowin’ how gloominess feels to the point that it’s irritating your specialty?”

In response to Kusanagi’s exasperated voice, Totsuka twisted his mouth and looked up at Kusanagi while leaving one cheek on the counter.

“Even I have feelings-.”

“Stop that. If you feel down, somehow even I start feelin’ down.”

“Why would you?” Totsuka smiled wryly. Come to think of it, he recalled being told something like that in the past.

He raised his hand up as though to block out the shop’s light. With the light shining through it, the insides of his hand looked a bit red.

“…even though I’m supposed to have received powers from King like everyone else, I hardly have any use in fights.”

Totsuka not only had very little power, but his physical abilities were also almost no different than when he was a normal human. It was at a level that one could call him just a normal civilian who could use fire and heat for some little magic tricks.

“Honestly, you probably ain’t suited for Homura.”

Being told that frankly, Totsuka made a pathetic face.

“Kusanagi-san, that actually kind of seriously hurts my feelings.”

“Nah, I didn’t mean it in a bad way or anythin’.”

Kusanagi smiled and reached his hand out across the counter.

“That’s exactly why we need you, isn’t it?”

His hand stroked Totsuka’s head roughly. Totsuka smiled wryly and tried to lean away.

Back when they first met- back when Totsuka was a middleschooler younger than Yata and company, he felt like he had been treated this way a lot. At the time, to him Kusanagi had looked like an adult, but when Homura was born, and lots of boys joined up, all of a sudden Totsuka was categorized as an ‘adult’ along with Kusanagi.

“Anyway, stay here tonight. I won’t be here tomorrow mornin’, so have the shop be closed.”

“…are you going out somewhere?”

“Pretty much.”

Kusanagi thinly exhaled some cigarette smoke, and smiled at Totsuka like he was plotting something.

“Totsuka, if you’re free tomorrow, take Anna-chan out somewhere and drag Mikoto along.”

“Eh?”

Kusanagi leaned out on the counter and whispered something into Totsuka’s ear.

+++++++++

He saw a dream of drowning.

Suou opened his eyes when he thought ‘I can’t breathe’. Along with his awakening, his inability to breathe vanished, and his breath came back. It wasn’t a dream worth getting nervous over, he only coolly thought that it was a nightmare different from the usual.

But, he got kind of nervous when he opened his eyes and saw what was in front of him.

“…hey.”

Suou had been sleeping in the room turned into a closet on the second floor. He had been asleep on a sofa that was ripped and had its cotton falling out, but for some reason, stretched out on his stomach now was Anna, who was supposed to be sleeping with Honami.

“Hey…. what are you doing?”

On top of that, Anna was shaking. Intensely. Suou frowned, grabbed her shoulder, and forced her to raise her head. Her face was white and her eyes were wide.

“…Anna.”

He tried calling her name. Her eyes waveringly looked in his direction. Suou wasn’t sure what to do in the face of those relying eyes. Unable to think of what else to do to Anna, who looked like she might go into convulsions at any time, he pulled her to his chest as though hugging her. He could feel her unnaturally high pulse. But, that sped-up heartrate slowly calmed down to match his.

Her chilled body also began to warm up thanks to Suou’s bodyheat and began to stop shivering.

“Did you see a scary dream or something?”

Anna nodded with her face still buried in Suou’s chest.

“Was it my fault?”

Anna had fallen because she ‘Connected’ with Suou. And on top of that, she was sharing his nightmares. He was concerned that it was because of that, but Anna nodded this time, her nose still stuck to him.

“Mikoto’s dreams are fine.”

“Then, what’s wrong?”

“…”

Anna fell silent. Suou felt even more helpless. He didn’t know how to comfort a child trembling after seeing a nightmare. He had hugged her to himself to begin with, but even if she calmed down like that, he wasn’t sure how to deal with it. Feeling troubled in a way he hadn’t for years, Suou stood up carrying Anna on his hip.

Since she went out of her way to come here, she probably didn’t want to be taken to Honami. While still carrying her like luggage, he went down the stairs.

It was dark, but the sky outside was beginning to light up, and he was able to see the inside of the bar. He found a lumpy white blanket on the sofa.

Suou went over to that, and put Anna down on it.

“Mmph!” The blanket groaned.

The white ball squirmed around, and Totsuka’s face came out.

“Eh, what…?”

Looking around while half-asleep, he discovered Anna on top of him and opened his eyes wide.

“Anna-chan? What’s up?”

“She was there when I woke up. Do something about it.”

After having it shoved off on him, Totsuka looked at Suou with a sleepy but exasperated expression, and then shifted around so he could sit up while being careful not to make Anna fall.

“You can’t sleep?”

Totsuka unsuspectingly asked while reaching out, and touched Anna’s shoulder. Right then, his fingers jumped like they had touched something hot.

He breathed in sharply.

Totsuka’s fingers, which he had pulled away from Anna while twisting his face a bit, had turned red as though they were burned. Suou wrinkled his brow. Looking at Totsuka’s fingers, Anna’s face turned white like earlier.

Totsuka reacted quickly. As if to tell her there was nothing to be worried about, he hugged Anna who was looking afraid.

“Ah-, it’s okay, it’s okay. Right now, that was probably something like a power overflow, but that’s really common. Anna’s just now wasn’t anything big.”

A power overflow. Probably. However, that was still strange. It was possible for something like just now to happen when the red clansmen, who have flames inside their bodies, failed to control their powers. But Anna was supposed to have clairvoyant powers. So why was Totsuka ‘Burned’?

Totsuka was apparently wondering the same thing. While still holding Anna, he made eye contact with Suou. After thinking for a while, he rouched for his terminal, which was on the table. It showed on the screen that it was half past four in the morning. It was too early, but technically counted as morning.

“Anna-chan, wanna go back to sleep?”

She shook her head in reply.

“Then, it’s a bit early, but let’s just get up. What do you want for breakfast?” Letting Anna down, Totsuka got up from the sofa with a smile. From behind Totsuka, who was interacting cheerfully with Anna, Suou looked at her quietly.

++++++++++++++

She had seen a dream.

Maybe a nightmare.

But that wasn’t the sort of dream that showed one’s uneasiness, like Suou’s, it was a dream that showed something that had happened in reality as it was.

She thought she couldn’t be with Honami. She thought that if she were with that person, it would be okay. The person who had a very pretty red. The one person who held a color Anna could certainly feel the existence of. Anna quietly turned her eyes away.

…that’s no good. She couldn’t expect anything. She couldn’t reach her hand out.

Anna could ‘See’ a wide world. However, the world she could ‘Touch’ was very small.

She looked up at Totsuka, who was putting bread in the toaster. His fingers were long and thin. It was the fingers that had touched her a moment ago. Totsuka was acting like there wasn’t anything wrong, but those fingers of his were red.

The people here were warm.

She couldn’t let the people here touch what was inside of her.

Anna closed her eyes. Quietly, willfully, she closed up in the world inside of herself. So that what was inside her wouldn’t hurt anyone.

So she wouldn’t let her voice slip out.
© trashbunny.tumblr.com/

@темы: official-info, k project

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[Remira]

Название: Как и куда?
Автор:  Remira.
Беты:  Ошибко~дэ~Природа~Эль,  Mortiferum.
Рейтинг: PG.
Пейринг: Мунаката|Микото.
Жанр: Виньетка, 2 абзаца экшна, пре-слеш.
Дискламер: Не моё, не мои, не я.
Размещение: Только с разрешения.
Warning: Доканонное AU, возможный ООС.
Саммари: На заявку «Очень хочу молоденького Рейши, забредшего поздно вечером в плохой квартал. Не боится, потому что знает - постоять за себя может, но лишняя самоуверенность в таких местах и ситуациях всегда лишняя. А вот широкое плечо тогда еще не короля, но друга было бы очень кстати. "Мунаката, дело твое, но у меня есть два вопроса: как (тебя сюда вообще занесло) и куда (ты такой красивый теперь попрешься)?"». Для  Grey_Smoke.

Читать тут.

@темы: Munakata Reisi, Suoh Mikoto, k project, PG, fanfiction

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[мазолист]

нет, ну а вдруг кто еще не видел новые офарты

@темы: official art, Kamamoto Rikio

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[Shisui-sama]

какое чудо
ВОТ КАКОЙ КОНЕЦ Я ХОЧУ ЧТОБ ВАС ВСЕХ!!1

перевод

автор арта
автор перевода

UPD.
а вот тут, кстати, ещё один перевод

@темы: fanart, yaoi, Munakata Reisi, Suoh Mikoto, k project, bl

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[Shisui-sama]

hardporn

сравним, как на офушках Фушими медленно, но верно раздевают >D
что же дальше? обнажёнка? (с)
источник

@темы: official art, Fushimi Saruhiko, k project